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Mates #4
To Touch You
“His name is Salvatore Rossi. He’s a vampire. And he’s my true mate.”
By not relying on anyone except himself, Salvatore Rossi escaped a dead-end existence and reached the height of corporate success. But just when he has everything he always wanted, fate throws Salvatore a challenge he can’t solve alone and a young wolf shifter comes to his rescue.
Since childhood, Yoram Smith’s family was certain he would grow to become Alpha and save their beloved pack from its slow demise. When the time comes for a new leader, Yoram is forced to juggle his duty to care for a splintering pack with his duty to care for an absent mate, and his own strength suffers.
Being turned into a vampire didn’t alter Salvatore’s life if you don’t rely on anyone, nobody can let you down. But when the boy who saved his life becomes a man who needs his help, the icy vampire must find his humanity.
Word 66,181
By not relying on anyone except himself, Salvatore Rossi escaped a dead-end existence and reached the height of corporate success. But just when he has everything he always wanted, fate throws Salvatore a challenge he can’t solve alone and a young wolf shifter comes to his rescue.
Since childhood, Yoram Smith’s family was certain he would grow to become Alpha and save their beloved pack from its slow demise. When the time comes for a new leader, Yoram is forced to juggle his duty to care for a splintering pack with his duty to care for an absent mate, and his own strength suffers.
Being turned into a vampire didn’t alter Salvatore’s life if you don’t rely on anyone, nobody can let you down. But when the boy who saved his life becomes a man who needs his help, the icy vampire must find his humanity.
Word 66,181
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2017
112 people are currently reading
692 people want to read
About the author
Cardeno C.
70 books2,381 followersCardeno C. - CC to friends - is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few "awwws" into a reader's day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno's stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset.
Heartwarming Stories. Strong Relationships. Forever Love.
Website: www.cardenoc.com
Blog: (Shared Blog) https://gayromanceauthors.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @CardenoC
FB Profile: http://www.facebook.com/CardenoC
FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carde...
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Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cardenoC/
Heartwarming Stories. Strong Relationships. Forever Love.
Website: www.cardenoc.com
Blog: (Shared Blog) https://gayromanceauthors.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @CardenoC
FB Profile: http://www.facebook.com/CardenoC
FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carde...
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6M...
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cardenoC/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
October 5, 2017
~3.5~
Cardeno C. is a master of the sweet 'n' kinky. I love the hell out of this series and was as excited as a kid on the first day of summer vacation when To Touch You landed on my Kindle.
CC's books are always compulsively readable. I can't put them down. I read this book late into the night, woke up the next morning, and read some more.
To Touch You can be read as a standalone, but the MCs from the other books, particularly Ethan and Miguel from Until Forever Comes, actually play a fairly substantial role in the story. My advice? Start with book 1.
To be honest, this is probably my least favorite book in the series, which is to say I still enjoyed it. A LOT. But I had a few niggles.
The romance doesn't begin until we're 70 percent into the story.
The MCs meet when one of them is 7 and the other is in his late-30s (you can see why this might pose a problem).
Salvatore is a human (a human with a terminal illness) until Yoram, a young shifter, insists Sal is his friend and must be saved. So Sal is turned into a vampire.
Sal, solely focused on business and money as a human, becomes a wealthy vampire recluse. He can't be out in sunlight, and he stops aging, so he leaves his company in the hands of others and watches a lot of TV.
Sal is lonely and isolated, but it was hard to feel sorry for him because he's just so damn selfish. He doesn't think about Yoram at all. Sal knows Yoram believes him to be his true mate and allows Yoram to give him blood, but he does nothing for Yoram in return.
Yoram is busy taking over as Alpha and trying to build up his pack. He's 27 when Sal finally shows up.
Then, miraculously, Sal has a change of heart in like 24 hours, and the smex hits the proverbial fan. Then it's all biting and mating and MINE MINE MINE. And you won't hear me complain, but I still wanted a more believable slow burn and stronger relationship development.
Sal goes from a flat, unmotivated character seemingly without sexual identity to an ideal mate in 3.2 seconds.
The HEA comes almost immediately after. And it's a lovely HEA; of course, it is. That's what CC does best. But I wanted more page time with the MCs together.
The pack politics clutter up the story, and I got a little tired of Yoram's cousin Toby, who is clearly meant to provide comic relief but who started to annoy me instead.
I was sad when this book ended and happy that Sal and Yoram got their ride into the sunset. If CC writes more Mates books, I'll be there with bells on. (And maybe a unicorn hat. I'm undecided.)
Cardeno C. is a master of the sweet 'n' kinky. I love the hell out of this series and was as excited as a kid on the first day of summer vacation when To Touch You landed on my Kindle.
CC's books are always compulsively readable. I can't put them down. I read this book late into the night, woke up the next morning, and read some more.
To Touch You can be read as a standalone, but the MCs from the other books, particularly Ethan and Miguel from Until Forever Comes, actually play a fairly substantial role in the story. My advice? Start with book 1.
To be honest, this is probably my least favorite book in the series, which is to say I still enjoyed it. A LOT. But I had a few niggles.
The romance doesn't begin until we're 70 percent into the story.
The MCs meet when one of them is 7 and the other is in his late-30s (you can see why this might pose a problem).
Salvatore is a human (a human with a terminal illness) until Yoram, a young shifter, insists Sal is his friend and must be saved. So Sal is turned into a vampire.
Sal, solely focused on business and money as a human, becomes a wealthy vampire recluse. He can't be out in sunlight, and he stops aging, so he leaves his company in the hands of others and watches a lot of TV.
Sal is lonely and isolated, but it was hard to feel sorry for him because he's just so damn selfish. He doesn't think about Yoram at all. Sal knows Yoram believes him to be his true mate and allows Yoram to give him blood, but he does nothing for Yoram in return.
Yoram is busy taking over as Alpha and trying to build up his pack. He's 27 when Sal finally shows up.
Then, miraculously, Sal has a change of heart in like 24 hours, and the smex hits the proverbial fan. Then it's all biting and mating and MINE MINE MINE. And you won't hear me complain, but I still wanted a more believable slow burn and stronger relationship development.
Sal goes from a flat, unmotivated character seemingly without sexual identity to an ideal mate in 3.2 seconds.
The HEA comes almost immediately after. And it's a lovely HEA; of course, it is. That's what CC does best. But I wanted more page time with the MCs together.
The pack politics clutter up the story, and I got a little tired of Yoram's cousin Toby, who is clearly meant to provide comic relief but who started to annoy me instead.
I was sad when this book ended and happy that Sal and Yoram got their ride into the sunset. If CC writes more Mates books, I'll be there with bells on. (And maybe a unicorn hat. I'm undecided.)
August 14, 2022
I truly loved this latest Cardeno C. story of werewolves, vampires, and true mates, but there were a lot of things this story was , and quite a few things that it was not.
This story was:
▶ Completely compelling. I was thrilled to be lost in the Mates universe again, touching on old story lines and being introduced to fresh, new ones.
▶ A story featuring a true leader, not just another self-serving, power-tripping Alpha. One of the most touching parts of the story was where Yoram had to decide how to deal with the first act of open insubordination from a pack member. That scene was honestly beautiful.
▶ Extremely entertaining. I *love* snark and humor, when not taken too far, and in this story, I thought that Yoram's cousin, Toby, was a true gem. Any time that Toby (he's married to Zev's sister) was on screen, I sat up a little straighter, because I knew that something entertaining was going to happen soon. So kudos for such a fun character, who always kept things light and upbeat.
▶ A touchstone for those interested in following up on the previous MC's. I was thrilled to see 5 of the 6 MC's (everyone but Samuel) making on-page appearances in this story. I adored them all, so seeing them again brought back lots of feels.
▶ A sexy read. As with the previous Mates stories, this one got pretty steamy between the sheets. Once Yoram (finally) got rid of his pesky virginity, holy crap, there wasn't much holding the guy back.
This story was not:
▶ Not the most romantic of the series. In my opinion, that title is firmly held by book 1, Zev and Ethan's book, where you felt the *mutual* attraction from the beginning, all the way through until the end.
▶ Not one where both MC's are personable, great guys. In all honesty, Sal came across a bit of a snobbish prick, who only exerted his time and effort on getting what *he* wanted out of life, which was wealth, for the most part. Then, later, Yoram's blood, when it stopped arriving without any effort required on his part.
▶ Not the smoothest transition from technically being true mates to honest to God feelings. This was probably the most awkward part of the story. One moment Sal could give a damn about Yoram, then the next, he was his world. That confused me more than convinced me, by telling, not showing the emotions behind the sudden change.
▶ Not as 'true love' feeling as its predecessors. Unlike the other stories, which also were about true mates, a large part of the attraction between Yoram and Sal came across as more destiny and fate than there being actual *reasons*, other than superficial ones, for them to be drawn to one another. Their relationship just felt less... 'real' to me than previous Mates MC couples.
I have no idea if this was the last book in the Mates series, but if there continue to be more Mates stories, color me there. I'm all in.
However, if this was the final chapter, I found this story deserving of being in the series and would rate it at around 4.25 stars.
My ARC copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
May 9, 2017
Vampires, Alphas and Packs...
Mates 4 and I was so happy to discover that there is a fourth book in this sweet,sexy and relaxing PNR series.
What I got was a highly appealing and entertaining story, but somewhat disproportional.
My main issue is the pages that are describing the story of vampire Salvatore Rossi and Alpha werewolf Yoram Smith are less that the pages that describe the politics in the Pack and the events that took place in the previous book.
If you have read the previous book, you already know everything. It is boring since the whole point of the book is the love story which is left on the side. I wanted more!
Their actual love story starts in chapter 12, where there are 20 chapters in the whole book. Until chapter 12 there is minimum interaction between the two characters. They only meet once on the first chapter when Yoram was 7, once when he was a teenager and that’s it. I mean if you want to have a slow burn story, these two men should have been given a few more chapters together before the abrupt ending of the book.
Actually, it is hard to follow a story when you dislike one of the main characters (which I did strongly) until the 14th chapter and then suddenly you need to like him for the last six chapters because he starts treating his mate, Yoram with respect. And no groveling at all is taking place by Salvatore aka Sal. Yoram is far too nice to him.
Also besides the fact that he is dislikable for the majority of the book, I had another issue with Sal. He was supposed to be 37 when he turned and became a vampire, but he is behaving and talking like he is 90. Miguel Rodriguez is thousands of years old and he is more fun! My father was 75 when he died and he was more fun.
And this old-spinster/humorless behavior continues throughout the book. He was just 37 – NOT THAT OLD! Even after he became a vampire, he was plain boring. He was just parked at his house for years and years and years until his good Samaritan stops providing him with blood.
Anyhow, overall I had a nice time reading the story. Basically because of the secondary characters:
1. Toby, Yoram’s cousin is hilarious. I was laughing a lot with his jokes and with the way he is treating humorless Sal:
“Hello, Toby.”
“You recognize my voice? I’m honored.”
“I recognize your sarcasm.”
“Now I’m even more honored.”
“It isn’t a compliment.”
“Oh, now I’m the honoredest!”
“That’s not a word.”
“Did you understand what I meant?”
“Yes.”
“Then it was a word.”
2.The whole Smith family. We-love-you-until-you-have-no-breathing-space kind of family
“I’m not in danger, and Toby is a mother hen.”
“That seems to be a common thread running through your familial relations.”
“Is that a fancy way of saying my family is a pain in the butt?”
3. Zev and Jonah (Wake Me Up Inside): My favorite couple in this series.
Beside the covered window stood two other men, both broad and muscular. The dark-haired one was clearly a shifter, a very powerful Alpha shifter. The blond smelled human but with a trace of shifter woven in.
4. Miguel and Ethan (Until Forever Comes): Actually, I think I will upgrade my rating for their book from 3 to 4 stars. Miguel was a really badass in this book.
5. Even Samuel and Korban (In Your Eyes) are present: Not physically present, but everybody is talking about them and they are the ones that initiate the events that have made the Pack more open to relationships between men.
So, I would like to emphasize before I finish my review that overall I absolutely love this series and this world that the author has created.
I really hope that this is not the last book and I would like to read new stories and to have the chance to revisit the couples from the previous books.
Mates 4 and I was so happy to discover that there is a fourth book in this sweet,sexy and relaxing PNR series.
What I got was a highly appealing and entertaining story, but somewhat disproportional.
My main issue is the pages that are describing the story of vampire Salvatore Rossi and Alpha werewolf Yoram Smith are less that the pages that describe the politics in the Pack and the events that took place in the previous book.
If you have read the previous book, you already know everything. It is boring since the whole point of the book is the love story which is left on the side. I wanted more!
Their actual love story starts in chapter 12, where there are 20 chapters in the whole book. Until chapter 12 there is minimum interaction between the two characters. They only meet once on the first chapter when Yoram was 7, once when he was a teenager and that’s it. I mean if you want to have a slow burn story, these two men should have been given a few more chapters together before the abrupt ending of the book.
Actually, it is hard to follow a story when you dislike one of the main characters (which I did strongly) until the 14th chapter and then suddenly you need to like him for the last six chapters because he starts treating his mate, Yoram with respect. And no groveling at all is taking place by Salvatore aka Sal. Yoram is far too nice to him.
Also besides the fact that he is dislikable for the majority of the book, I had another issue with Sal. He was supposed to be 37 when he turned and became a vampire, but he is behaving and talking like he is 90. Miguel Rodriguez is thousands of years old and he is more fun! My father was 75 when he died and he was more fun.
And this old-spinster/humorless behavior continues throughout the book. He was just 37 – NOT THAT OLD! Even after he became a vampire, he was plain boring. He was just parked at his house for years and years and years until his good Samaritan stops providing him with blood.
Anyhow, overall I had a nice time reading the story. Basically because of the secondary characters:
1. Toby, Yoram’s cousin is hilarious. I was laughing a lot with his jokes and with the way he is treating humorless Sal:
“Hello, Toby.”
“You recognize my voice? I’m honored.”
“I recognize your sarcasm.”
“Now I’m even more honored.”
“It isn’t a compliment.”
“Oh, now I’m the honoredest!”
“That’s not a word.”
“Did you understand what I meant?”
“Yes.”
“Then it was a word.”
2.The whole Smith family. We-love-you-until-you-have-no-breathing-space kind of family
“I’m not in danger, and Toby is a mother hen.”
“That seems to be a common thread running through your familial relations.”
“Is that a fancy way of saying my family is a pain in the butt?”
3. Zev and Jonah (Wake Me Up Inside): My favorite couple in this series.
Beside the covered window stood two other men, both broad and muscular. The dark-haired one was clearly a shifter, a very powerful Alpha shifter. The blond smelled human but with a trace of shifter woven in.
4. Miguel and Ethan (Until Forever Comes): Actually, I think I will upgrade my rating for their book from 3 to 4 stars. Miguel was a really badass in this book.
5. Even Samuel and Korban (In Your Eyes) are present: Not physically present, but everybody is talking about them and they are the ones that initiate the events that have made the Pack more open to relationships between men.
So, I would like to emphasize before I finish my review that overall I absolutely love this series and this world that the author has created.
I really hope that this is not the last book and I would like to read new stories and to have the chance to revisit the couples from the previous books.
April 25, 2017
I have read and enjoyed every book in this series, so I was very excited to jump into this one. This time we get an Alpha shifter and a vampire. Just like I said before...my favorite combination !!!
This book can be read as a stand alone, but a lot of MC's from the other books make an appearance, especially Miguel and Ethan from book 2. I think this book would be enjoyed more after reading the previous books.
Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed reading this one, though there were some things that bothered me. In the other books I could feel the connection between the MC's right from the start. That wasn't the case with this book. The MC's spend most of the book apart, not even interacting one way or another. They don't actually get together until 70% into the story.
There is a reason for this though, so bare with me.
When Salvatore and Yoram first meet, Yoram is only 7 years old. He is a strong little shifter boy though, so he instantly recognizes Salvatore for what he is....his true mate.
Salvatore is human and about 37 years old, so its understandable he doesn't experience the same feelings.
Yoram is with his uncle Miguel and Ethan at the time of this meeting and Miguel senses, that Salvatore is very ill.... This eventually leads to Miguel saving Sal's life by turning him into a vampire.
Years go by and Yoram grows older, wondering what is going on with his true mate....so he pays Salvatore a visit when he is 14 years old, only to get a very cold brush off.
Of course Yoram is very hurt, but even after the way the man spoke to him, he doesn't want his mate to suffer. So when Yoram finds out from Miguel, that Sal is probably hungry and in need of his blood, Yoram starts distracting his own blood (just like Ethan he has too much) and starts delivering it on Salvatore's doorstep. Salvatore happily gobbles it all up...and this goes on for 9 long years....
9 years of Salvatore only thinking about himself and never once wondering how his mate is doing. No thank you...no nothing !!
Until the deliveries stop that is...
Yoram is now 27 and the Alpha of a troubled pack. His body is tired from all the needle-pricking and his soulis tired of living without his mate. But Yoram has a pack he needs to take care of, so he can't leave to bring Sal anymore blood. This is what eventually leads Salvatore to Yoram.
After seeing Yoram and his uncles Ethan and Miguel, Sal suddenly has a change of heart and his character does a 180. Suddenly he is all about Yoram and his well-being. Of course we get the now famous "mine" and the steamy scenes that go with it.
It's not that I didn't want it to happen, because I definitely did and it was seriously HOT, but it was all a bit too fast. I didn't really get a chance to get used to Salvatore's personality change. I wanted to like him....but I was still stuck on his old and cold personality.
That said, I did enjoy this story. Yoram was a great character, though at times I wished he would have been a bit harder. Toby was very funny and he made me laugh out loud more then once and I loved catching up with all the old MC's, especially Miguel.
I hope there will be more books in this series, because I will read every single one that comes out :)
This book can be read as a stand alone, but a lot of MC's from the other books make an appearance, especially Miguel and Ethan from book 2. I think this book would be enjoyed more after reading the previous books.
Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed reading this one, though there were some things that bothered me. In the other books I could feel the connection between the MC's right from the start. That wasn't the case with this book. The MC's spend most of the book apart, not even interacting one way or another. They don't actually get together until 70% into the story.
There is a reason for this though, so bare with me.
When Salvatore and Yoram first meet, Yoram is only 7 years old. He is a strong little shifter boy though, so he instantly recognizes Salvatore for what he is....his true mate.
Salvatore is human and about 37 years old, so its understandable he doesn't experience the same feelings.
Yoram is with his uncle Miguel and Ethan at the time of this meeting and Miguel senses, that Salvatore is very ill.... This eventually leads to Miguel saving Sal's life by turning him into a vampire.
Years go by and Yoram grows older, wondering what is going on with his true mate....so he pays Salvatore a visit when he is 14 years old, only to get a very cold brush off.
Of course Yoram is very hurt, but even after the way the man spoke to him, he doesn't want his mate to suffer. So when Yoram finds out from Miguel, that Sal is probably hungry and in need of his blood, Yoram starts distracting his own blood (just like Ethan he has too much) and starts delivering it on Salvatore's doorstep. Salvatore happily gobbles it all up...and this goes on for 9 long years....
9 years of Salvatore only thinking about himself and never once wondering how his mate is doing. No thank you...no nothing !!
Until the deliveries stop that is...
Yoram is now 27 and the Alpha of a troubled pack. His body is tired from all the needle-pricking and his soulis tired of living without his mate. But Yoram has a pack he needs to take care of, so he can't leave to bring Sal anymore blood. This is what eventually leads Salvatore to Yoram.
After seeing Yoram and his uncles Ethan and Miguel, Sal suddenly has a change of heart and his character does a 180. Suddenly he is all about Yoram and his well-being. Of course we get the now famous "mine" and the steamy scenes that go with it.
It's not that I didn't want it to happen, because I definitely did and it was seriously HOT, but it was all a bit too fast. I didn't really get a chance to get used to Salvatore's personality change. I wanted to like him....but I was still stuck on his old and cold personality.
That said, I did enjoy this story. Yoram was a great character, though at times I wished he would have been a bit harder. Toby was very funny and he made me laugh out loud more then once and I loved catching up with all the old MC's, especially Miguel.
I hope there will be more books in this series, because I will read every single one that comes out :)
This review has been posted on Dirty Books Obsession
December 19, 2019
Re-read December 2019
I think I had repressed how long-winded Cardeno C can be. This book felt looooooong.
3.5 stars is more than enough for this one.
-------------------
It's best to have read Until Forever Comes before this, since Ethan and Miguel play a big role in this.
Yoram is 7 years old when he meets his human mate. Salvatore is in Kfarkattan to buy some land off Miguel. Except Miguel is not selling because Yoram's pack lives there (without the humans knowing). Ethan and Miguel immediately pick up on the fact that the pushy and rude human is Yoram's mate, so they try to be nice to him.
When Salvatore goes back to the little town to speak to Miguel again, he is suffering from cancer and slowly dying. When Ethan and Miguel go meet Salvatore at his hotel room, Yoram goes with them. And when it is clear Salvatore is dying, Yoram begs Miguel to turn him into a vampire.
Salvatore thinks everyone in the small town is crazy, but he doesn't want to die, so eventually he accepts the fact that he has indeed been turned into a vampire. But he doesn't want anything to do with anyone, so he flies home to continue running his business, just at night now, since he can't do sunlight.
When Yoram is 14 he sneaks off to see Salvatore, to remind him that they are mates and that Yoram will be waiting. But Salvatore tells him in no uncertain terms that he wants nothing to do with Yoram and that he needs to go.
When Yoram gets older (he is 18 then), the bloodletting Ethan is doing for him is no longer helping. Ethan tells him it is because his body is producing more and more blood because his mate is hungry. That's when Yoram starts flying to Las Vegas once a month to deliver bags and bags of his blood on Salvatore's doorstep.
Salvatore knows who is leaving the blood, but he doesn't want to deal with it. So he accepts the blood without a word, a call, or a thank you note. This goes on for 9 years when suddenly the deliveries stop. That's when Salvatore goes out to look for Yoram, because he knows something must be wrong with his shifter mate.
When he gets into Kfarkattan, he gets a visit from Yoram almost immediately. Yoram is now the alpha of his pack and he can't leave them to deliver blood anymore.
So Salvatore has to make a choice, leave and drink human blood again, or stay with Yoram...
I absolutely loved Yoram and the way he cared for his true mate. He brought the dude his blood in bags for 9 freaking years! All the way to Las Vegas. Just because his mate needed it.
The way Salvatore treated Yoram at first was awful and I thought I'd never be able to like him. But I have to admit once Sal was on board the Yorry train, I really liked him. I did find myself a bit surprised how fast Salvatore changed his mind once he was in the vicinity of Yoram, and how fast the I love yous were flying through the air (since they only saw each other 4 times by then), but other than that I was thrilled with the sweetness of the romance.
This felt like a true Cardeno C book, despite it's rocky start. But once Sal got his head out of his ass, I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet shifter story.
I think I had repressed how long-winded Cardeno C can be. This book felt looooooong.
3.5 stars is more than enough for this one.
-------------------
It's best to have read Until Forever Comes before this, since Ethan and Miguel play a big role in this.
Yoram is 7 years old when he meets his human mate. Salvatore is in Kfarkattan to buy some land off Miguel. Except Miguel is not selling because Yoram's pack lives there (without the humans knowing). Ethan and Miguel immediately pick up on the fact that the pushy and rude human is Yoram's mate, so they try to be nice to him.
When Salvatore goes back to the little town to speak to Miguel again, he is suffering from cancer and slowly dying. When Ethan and Miguel go meet Salvatore at his hotel room, Yoram goes with them. And when it is clear Salvatore is dying, Yoram begs Miguel to turn him into a vampire.
Salvatore thinks everyone in the small town is crazy, but he doesn't want to die, so eventually he accepts the fact that he has indeed been turned into a vampire. But he doesn't want anything to do with anyone, so he flies home to continue running his business, just at night now, since he can't do sunlight.
When Yoram is 14 he sneaks off to see Salvatore, to remind him that they are mates and that Yoram will be waiting. But Salvatore tells him in no uncertain terms that he wants nothing to do with Yoram and that he needs to go.
When Yoram gets older (he is 18 then), the bloodletting Ethan is doing for him is no longer helping. Ethan tells him it is because his body is producing more and more blood because his mate is hungry. That's when Yoram starts flying to Las Vegas once a month to deliver bags and bags of his blood on Salvatore's doorstep.
Salvatore knows who is leaving the blood, but he doesn't want to deal with it. So he accepts the blood without a word, a call, or a thank you note. This goes on for 9 years when suddenly the deliveries stop. That's when Salvatore goes out to look for Yoram, because he knows something must be wrong with his shifter mate.
When he gets into Kfarkattan, he gets a visit from Yoram almost immediately. Yoram is now the alpha of his pack and he can't leave them to deliver blood anymore.
So Salvatore has to make a choice, leave and drink human blood again, or stay with Yoram...
I absolutely loved Yoram and the way he cared for his true mate. He brought the dude his blood in bags for 9 freaking years! All the way to Las Vegas. Just because his mate needed it.
The way Salvatore treated Yoram at first was awful and I thought I'd never be able to like him. But I have to admit once Sal was on board the Yorry train, I really liked him. I did find myself a bit surprised how fast Salvatore changed his mind once he was in the vicinity of Yoram, and how fast the I love yous were flying through the air (since they only saw each other 4 times by then), but other than that I was thrilled with the sweetness of the romance.
This felt like a true Cardeno C book, despite it's rocky start. But once Sal got his head out of his ass, I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet shifter story.
April 26, 2017
Stubborn vampire...persistent wolf...
Did I mention the stubborn vampire? To Touch You is the long awaited fourth book in Cardeno C.'s Mates series. I've been looking forward to this book for what seems like ages (long before I knew it would even exist)! And it didn't disappoint -- fated mates, pack dynamics, the mating knot -- sign me up! To Touch You was a worthy end to this series, and a bit bittersweet, because it's the last one.
"I’m not a people person, Yoram. Not for family, not for friendship, not for sex, not even for work anymore. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. When it comes to true mates, you got stuck with a dud.”
Salvatore Rossi was a loner as a human. He doesn't come from money, but he made plenty of it on his own. He's shrewd and a bit cold and definitely not a people person. Sal was 37 when he met a 7 year old boy named Yoram Smith who insisted that Sal was his. Salvatore really didn't know how to react to that. I mean, Yoram was seven. Plus, being human, he didn't even know there was a such thing as shifters, vampires or fated mates. When a terminal illness necessitated that Yorry's uncle Miguel turn Sal into a vampire, Sal spent the next twenty years avoiding the wolf, after having rejected him, and not understanding why he always felt out of sorts. Stubborn Vampire.
“Back then, I wanted you. I longed for you. I even ached for you. But now—” He shuddered. “I need you.”
Yoram Smith is lucky enough to know he has a true mate. Growing up in the Miancarem pack was less than easy, with a power hungry, xenophobic Alpha. Yoram is one of two young Alpha wolves in the pack that could challenge Dirk Keller. The other is Dirk's son, Korban, who - thankfully - is nothing like his father. Korban's path lay elsewhere, so the fate of the pack rests on Yoram, but being without his mate takes its toll. Sal isn't the only one who feels out of sorts.
And since Yoram was 18 years old, he has been taking care of his mate in the only way he knows how, even though he knew he would get nothing in return. That's dedication, folks. And that dedication, along with an epic amount of patience is exactly what his pack needs, too. Yoram is definitely leader material. Now, if only he had his mate. (Queue -- stubborn vampire)
Yoram held out, giving Sal a chance to figure things out, but since no one thought to explain to Sal what being a true mate was, he was really at a loss. I don't really blame him for not figuring it out on his own. But it wasn't until the blood deliveries stopped and the hunger became too much that Sal figured out it was time to actually talk to the young wolf who insisted Sal was his.
My only real frustration with To Touch You was that Sal and Yorry weren't even together for nearly half the book. We see so much dedication and longing from Yorry, but Sal was selfish and not all that likable. He became a vampire for his own selfish reasons and didn't see any need to even wonder why Yoram wanted to help him so badly.
After they do get together, though, and Sal actually gets the whole true mate thing, Sal manages to find his humanity. His transformation, while sudden, was kind of like what happens when you've been mulling a problem for ages and the light bulb just goes off and you finally get it. And these two have some serious time to make up, considering that Yorry has been an adult for nearly a decade, so they get busy -- a lot.
“In the surprisingly sage words of your cousin Toby, Miancarem is where I belong."
And I loved the ending. Sal and Yorry's HEA was very satisfying. So, all in all, I'd give To Touch You 4 stars. Wake Me Up Inside is still my favorite, but this whole series will always be special to me. I love how how all four books intertwine, and I loved getting to visit with the MC's of the previous books (except Samuel wasn't in this one). I do love me some CC shifter novels. Gimme more!
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ARC of To Touch You was generously provided by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
May 3, 2017
To Touch You by Cardeno C didn't pan out as I'd hoped. When I found out that this was about a wolf shifter and a vampire I instantly wanted to read it- even if I hadn't read the previous stories. Sadly for me, it was just ok for a few reasons:
1. From my understanding, the series consists of standalones that can be read in order and out of order without disrupting reading pleasure. I didn't find this to be entirely accurate. There were several mentions of past couples (especially Miguel and Ethan) that niggled at me. I think for ultimate enjoyment these books should be read in order. Just my opinion.
2. Sal, Sal, Sal. I wanted to slap him. For much of the book, he was just a jerk. It's hard to fully love a story when you actively dislike the main character for more than half a story; though I admit he does eventually come around.
3. The relationship development. When Sal suddenly sees the light- it happened so suddenly, and quickly it gave me whiplash. The relationship development was lacking. I love the build-up and heightened sexual tension, and it was missing here. **But once they get it on it is steamy!
4. Toby, Yoram's cousin and the "comedic relief" of the story- to me wasn't funny.---> that's a personal preference thing.
5. Pack politics. There was too much of it. I'd rather have had less of this and more on page time of Sal and Yoram as a couple.
What did I love? Yoram. He was the best part of this book. I loved his personality, leadership, and heart.
Do I recommend it? To fans of the series, yes, and be sure to check out other reviews as they're all positive. This is likely a case of me and not the book.
2 Stars
1. From my understanding, the series consists of standalones that can be read in order and out of order without disrupting reading pleasure. I didn't find this to be entirely accurate. There were several mentions of past couples (especially Miguel and Ethan) that niggled at me. I think for ultimate enjoyment these books should be read in order. Just my opinion.
2. Sal, Sal, Sal. I wanted to slap him. For much of the book, he was just a jerk. It's hard to fully love a story when you actively dislike the main character for more than half a story; though I admit he does eventually come around.
3. The relationship development. When Sal suddenly sees the light- it happened so suddenly, and quickly it gave me whiplash. The relationship development was lacking. I love the build-up and heightened sexual tension, and it was missing here. **But once they get it on it is steamy!
4. Toby, Yoram's cousin and the "comedic relief" of the story- to me wasn't funny.---> that's a personal preference thing.
5. Pack politics. There was too much of it. I'd rather have had less of this and more on page time of Sal and Yoram as a couple.
What did I love? Yoram. He was the best part of this book. I loved his personality, leadership, and heart.
Do I recommend it? To fans of the series, yes, and be sure to check out other reviews as they're all positive. This is likely a case of me and not the book.
2 Stars
September 29, 2020
I have read every book by Cardeno C. All of them are sweet love stories where odds are overcome and happiness prevails. To Touch You, is a great example of how to people who are meant for each other will eventually find their way to each other and happiness. I loved this 4th book of The Mates series and love CC's style of shifters and their destined mates. It was great to see or hear about characters from previous books in the series and even though I have read this entire series multiple times and listened to the first three in audio...i will still keep them on my "re-read" list as they are always enjoyable!! You can't go wrong with any of these books..
Read
May 11, 2017 5 Hearts
This is the fourth book in the Mates series and while past characters from previous books do show up, you don’t have to read them in order to enjoy Yoram and Salvatore’s story. It does help to know who everyone is or in my case to satisfy my OCD, but the author does a great job of giving you enough detail about everyone the story flows yet intrigues you go to back and learn more.
Okay. Let’s do this.
Told in Dual POV’s, we meet a 7 year old Yoram Smith as he is waiting for his Uncle's Ethan & Miguel. When Yoram feels a pull to a human stranger, he walks right up and talks to him avoiding any stranger danger. Of course, Yoram instantly recognizes the stranger as “his friend” and proceeds to ask questions and tell his Uncles about all about him. Both Ethan and Miguel know who the human is and what he wants and while they decline, Miguel tells the human to see his doctor.
We turn the page and meet the human aka Salvatore Rossi, a 37 year old successful business man in finance who took Miguel’s advice to see his doctor and has learned he has leukemia and that it’s terminal. After trying numerous treatments that money can buy, Salvatore is curious why Miguel knew he needed to see a doctor and his hell bent on getting answers so he heads back to the town of Kfarkattan.
I love, love, love how this fated mates story is told. Yoram is young and Salvatore is dying and yet no one messes with the fact that these souls are fated for one another. In fact, they all know how rare it is to find your true mate and refuse to allow Yoram to be without his. I dug how strong and stubborn Yoram is at this point because he is going to be one hell of an alpha. I shamelessly giggled through Yoram’s father, uncle, Ethan and Miguel discussing how and when they would turn Salvatore to cure him when he was standing there amongst the swirling paranormal shifter chaos wondering WTF is going on! Seriously, it was fun and getting a mini Yoram declaring the adult male as his was adorable. So freaking fluffy.
The time frame and progression of this book is great. I am usually one who has to read books in order but I couldn’t stop myself from opening this and diving in. Having only read the first in the series, it was still fun to get Ethan and Miguel as well as a 14yr old Yorry being a cousin and BFF with Toby (who’s love of Barry Manilow is EPIC!) who hadn’t married Lori yet. Then the deal with Korban and Samuel… the author moves through the years with Yoram and Salvatore which moves through the first three books in the series. Pretty cool, eh?
Anyway.
Though Salvatore takes the “cure” from Miguel, he doesn’t buy that he is Yoram’s true mate nor does he want anything do with him. He really doesn’t understand who he is to Yoram, who Yoram is as the Alpha to his pack and really, all Sal wanted to do was not die. He could care less about the side effects of becoming a vampire. It was heartbreaking how cruel Sal could be when Yoram followed his wolf’s pull to see his mate as young teen, breaking your true mate’s heart requires some major sucking up… ya know?
What I love about these books is yes the men are true mates but we do get time with them apart as separate beings, whatever that might be. It provides the reader with angst and frustration but it also leads to an amazing reunion when the mates are together. It took some time for Yorry and Sal to find their way to one another, for Sal to realize what he completely has in Yoram and OMG, was it ever worth the wait.
I loved both men. Yoram is strong and compassionate as an Alpha, as all good Alpha’s should be. The scene with Davey was beautiful and showed so much of Yoram as Alpha and then of course what followed was hot and goo worthy. Sal is pretty cold and arrogant but the man has been without his true mate for so long, he didn’t know if he should scratch his watch or wind his butt. He was looking for contentment in all the wrong places when everything he needed was just Yoram. Sigh. These two, when they finally figure it all out there is nothing holding them back and I am so thankful for that.
This paranormal world was exciting to read. I liked how Ethan and Miguel lay it all out for Salvatore to understand, why he felt the way he did when he was apart from Yorry and what it was physically doing to him. It would seem odd that Sal would go from being so standoffish to Yorry to claiming his mate in a matter of days, but for that justification I give you two words; true mates.
Okay. I need to stop rambling before I start to draw hearts all over this review for how much I loved it.
To Touch You was a sweet and sexy paranormal read about true mates that shouldn’t be. A wolf needs humanity to tie (*ahem* KNOT) with and how can he tie with a soulless creature? How can a vampire survive with a shifter whose blood is supposed to be poisonous to him? How? They are fated and true mates, folks. Nothing can keep them apart. Nothing.
True Mates were connected at the soul, but shifters said vampires were soulless.
This is the fourth book in the Mates series and while past characters from previous books do show up, you don’t have to read them in order to enjoy Yoram and Salvatore’s story. It does help to know who everyone is or in my case to satisfy my OCD, but the author does a great job of giving you enough detail about everyone the story flows yet intrigues you go to back and learn more.
Okay. Let’s do this.
Told in Dual POV’s, we meet a 7 year old Yoram Smith as he is waiting for his Uncle's Ethan & Miguel. When Yoram feels a pull to a human stranger, he walks right up and talks to him avoiding any stranger danger. Of course, Yoram instantly recognizes the stranger as “his friend” and proceeds to ask questions and tell his Uncles about all about him. Both Ethan and Miguel know who the human is and what he wants and while they decline, Miguel tells the human to see his doctor.
We turn the page and meet the human aka Salvatore Rossi, a 37 year old successful business man in finance who took Miguel’s advice to see his doctor and has learned he has leukemia and that it’s terminal. After trying numerous treatments that money can buy, Salvatore is curious why Miguel knew he needed to see a doctor and his hell bent on getting answers so he heads back to the town of Kfarkattan.
I love, love, love how this fated mates story is told. Yoram is young and Salvatore is dying and yet no one messes with the fact that these souls are fated for one another. In fact, they all know how rare it is to find your true mate and refuse to allow Yoram to be without his. I dug how strong and stubborn Yoram is at this point because he is going to be one hell of an alpha. I shamelessly giggled through Yoram’s father, uncle, Ethan and Miguel discussing how and when they would turn Salvatore to cure him when he was standing there amongst the swirling paranormal shifter chaos wondering WTF is going on! Seriously, it was fun and getting a mini Yoram declaring the adult male as his was adorable. So freaking fluffy.
The time frame and progression of this book is great. I am usually one who has to read books in order but I couldn’t stop myself from opening this and diving in. Having only read the first in the series, it was still fun to get Ethan and Miguel as well as a 14yr old Yorry being a cousin and BFF with Toby (who’s love of Barry Manilow is EPIC!) who hadn’t married Lori yet. Then the deal with Korban and Samuel… the author moves through the years with Yoram and Salvatore which moves through the first three books in the series. Pretty cool, eh?
Anyway.
Though Salvatore takes the “cure” from Miguel, he doesn’t buy that he is Yoram’s true mate nor does he want anything do with him. He really doesn’t understand who he is to Yoram, who Yoram is as the Alpha to his pack and really, all Sal wanted to do was not die. He could care less about the side effects of becoming a vampire. It was heartbreaking how cruel Sal could be when Yoram followed his wolf’s pull to see his mate as young teen, breaking your true mate’s heart requires some major sucking up… ya know?
Their road together had been long, winding, and occasionally disheartening…
What I love about these books is yes the men are true mates but we do get time with them apart as separate beings, whatever that might be. It provides the reader with angst and frustration but it also leads to an amazing reunion when the mates are together. It took some time for Yorry and Sal to find their way to one another, for Sal to realize what he completely has in Yoram and OMG, was it ever worth the wait.
I loved both men. Yoram is strong and compassionate as an Alpha, as all good Alpha’s should be. The scene with Davey was beautiful and showed so much of Yoram as Alpha and then of course what followed was hot and goo worthy. Sal is pretty cold and arrogant but the man has been without his true mate for so long, he didn’t know if he should scratch his watch or wind his butt. He was looking for contentment in all the wrong places when everything he needed was just Yoram. Sigh. These two, when they finally figure it all out there is nothing holding them back and I am so thankful for that.
This paranormal world was exciting to read. I liked how Ethan and Miguel lay it all out for Salvatore to understand, why he felt the way he did when he was apart from Yorry and what it was physically doing to him. It would seem odd that Sal would go from being so standoffish to Yorry to claiming his mate in a matter of days, but for that justification I give you two words; true mates.
Okay. I need to stop rambling before I start to draw hearts all over this review for how much I loved it.
To Touch You was a sweet and sexy paranormal read about true mates that shouldn’t be. A wolf needs humanity to tie (*ahem* KNOT) with and how can he tie with a soulless creature? How can a vampire survive with a shifter whose blood is supposed to be poisonous to him? How? They are fated and true mates, folks. Nothing can keep them apart. Nothing.
October 29, 2017
Psst. Hey, come here. I'm going to tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone else, okay?
I read the Mates books out of order. *gasps* No, I know. But I prefer the stories in the following order: Until Forever Comes (Mates #2) , which is Ethan (shifter) and Miguel's (vampire) story. This is also my favorite book of the series, but I have to admit To Touch You is a serious contender for my heart.
After that I like to cozy up to Zev (shifter) and Jonah (human/shifter) in Wake Me Up Inside (Mates #1) . The way Zev selflessly puts asides his own wants and desires for Jonah's dreams? Sigh.
Then I usually top it off with Samuel (shifter) and Korban (shifter) in In Your Eyes (Mates #3) for some tears and feels.
Now, I have the final book (maybe?) of the series (say it isn't so!) and, once again, Cardeno gets my heart gooey with shifter and vampire true mates in To Touch You (Mates #4).
Yoram Smith has known who his true mate was since he was seven years old. The only problem? Salvatore Rossi is thirty years older than Yorry.
Sal pushes Yorry away for the obvious reasons, but also because he's always relied only on himself.
Sal's closed down, because he's had to be. If I have one complaint about the story, it's that Sal comes off cold and somewhat uninterested until his delivered blood supply dries up. He has a lot to make up for, his treatment of Yorry being the biggest thing.
After their time apart, time in which Yorry grows up, they finally come together. This is the one part where I would have liked a little more romance. There's definitely a whole lot of passion once they finally get together, but not a lot of romance in the story.
Those two niggles aside, I loved so much about this story, especially how the emotion is so wonderfully woven with humor. I loved how Yorry's cousin Toby (whom we first met in Wake Me Up Inside) offers up quite a few laughs along the way without it being over the top. Mainly because I adore humor in any story, and Cardeno delivers humor in all the right places.
I loved that CC brings back characters from the series, making it a reunion for the reader. And I loved the dual POV, because by telling the story from both Yorry and Sal's points of view gave the reader a better understanding of where each character's coming from throughout the story.
Yorry and Sal go through a lot, both separately and together, but even when they're apart - they are still True Mates, literally two halves of a whole, and Yorry believes in Fate. I loved Yorry so much as a character. I absolutely loved that he is a real ALPHA, the way an Alpha should be, caring for his pack.
Overall, I loved the story, the characters, the cameos, and how everything eventually plays out.
I feel like To Touch You is a really wonderful ending to a truly entertaining series (even though I hope this isn't the end).
If you're looking for a paranormal story with passion, humor, great multi-dimensional characters, and a terrific HEA, I'd strongly recommend this...after you read the other books in the series. (And start with Until Forever Comes, I won't tell if you won't.)
Advanced Review Galley copy of To Touch You provided by the author in exchange of an honest review.
This review has been cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.
I read the Mates books out of order. *gasps* No, I know. But I prefer the stories in the following order: Until Forever Comes (Mates #2) , which is Ethan (shifter) and Miguel's (vampire) story. This is also my favorite book of the series, but I have to admit To Touch You is a serious contender for my heart.
After that I like to cozy up to Zev (shifter) and Jonah (human/shifter) in Wake Me Up Inside (Mates #1) . The way Zev selflessly puts asides his own wants and desires for Jonah's dreams? Sigh.
Then I usually top it off with Samuel (shifter) and Korban (shifter) in In Your Eyes (Mates #3) for some tears and feels.
Now, I have the final book (maybe?) of the series (say it isn't so!) and, once again, Cardeno gets my heart gooey with shifter and vampire true mates in To Touch You (Mates #4).
Yoram Smith has known who his true mate was since he was seven years old. The only problem? Salvatore Rossi is thirty years older than Yorry.
“A true mate isn’t like a human spouse that can be picked and then dismissed. A true mate is also different from a vampire’s chosen blood donor, who can be anyone and only connects with the vampire’s life thread after the vampire drinks from him alone for long enough to bond. True mates are fated. They’re two halves of a whole, connected at the soul.”
Sal pushes Yorry away for the obvious reasons, but also because he's always relied only on himself.
“The way I grew up taught me that the only person I can count on is me. Once I figured that out, I was safe. I got away from my father and my brothers and everyone else who wanted to pull me into a dead-end life. I got an education. I worked hard. I started a company that’s still flourishing. And I did every one of those things by trusting only myself and remembering that, if I don’t rely on anyone, nobody can let me down.”
Sal's closed down, because he's had to be. If I have one complaint about the story, it's that Sal comes off cold and somewhat uninterested until his delivered blood supply dries up. He has a lot to make up for, his treatment of Yorry being the biggest thing.
I’m not a people person, Yoram. Not for family, not for friendship, not for sex, not even for work anymore. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. When it comes to true mates, you got stuck with a dud.
After their time apart, time in which Yorry grows up, they finally come together. This is the one part where I would have liked a little more romance. There's definitely a whole lot of passion once they finally get together, but not a lot of romance in the story.
“My fancy-talking vampire.” Yoram brushed his lips across Salvatore’s jaw and over his lips and then froze. “This is my first kiss.”
The words were more air than sound, but Salvatore heard them anyway; beyond that, he felt them. He couldn’t take back the callous way he had ignored Yoram in the past, but he could ensure that, from that moment forward, he would be worthy of the faith Yoram had placed in him.
Those two niggles aside, I loved so much about this story, especially how the emotion is so wonderfully woven with humor. I loved how Yorry's cousin Toby (whom we first met in Wake Me Up Inside) offers up quite a few laughs along the way without it being over the top. Mainly because I adore humor in any story, and Cardeno delivers humor in all the right places.
I loved that CC brings back characters from the series, making it a reunion for the reader. And I loved the dual POV, because by telling the story from both Yorry and Sal's points of view gave the reader a better understanding of where each character's coming from throughout the story.
Yorry and Sal go through a lot, both separately and together, but even when they're apart - they are still True Mates, literally two halves of a whole, and Yorry believes in Fate. I loved Yorry so much as a character. I absolutely loved that he is a real ALPHA, the way an Alpha should be, caring for his pack.
Overall, I loved the story, the characters, the cameos, and how everything eventually plays out.
Their road together had been long, winding, and occasionally disheartening, but in that moment, Yoram knew they had finally reached their destination.
I feel like To Touch You is a really wonderful ending to a truly entertaining series (even though I hope this isn't the end).
“I’ll gladly give up forever to touch you.”
If you're looking for a paranormal story with passion, humor, great multi-dimensional characters, and a terrific HEA, I'd strongly recommend this...after you read the other books in the series. (And start with Until Forever Comes, I won't tell if you won't.)
Advanced Review Galley copy of To Touch You provided by the author in exchange of an honest review.
This review has been cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.
June 25, 2021
The romance was good, but all of the extra characters really slowed the book down.
I like this series. It’s not groundbreaking or emotional, but I know I’m going to get a good romance and some sexy scenes. This book fit that bill, but had some serious faults. I almost didn’t finish and was tempted to rate it lower.
There were way too many scenes and conversations with Toby and other characters that didn’t really move the book forward. God Toby was annoying. I read one of his scenes and then just skimmed everything else involving him. It felt like a third of the book was just pointless conversations with people I didn’t care about.
Luckily, I liked Yoram so much his story was enjoyable for me to read. I didn’t even mind how long it took for the MCs to get together. I pretty much knew that would happen and it was “fate” anyway. I like all the fated mates and instalove when I’m looking for some comforting fluff and this author provides.
I like this series. It’s not groundbreaking or emotional, but I know I’m going to get a good romance and some sexy scenes. This book fit that bill, but had some serious faults. I almost didn’t finish and was tempted to rate it lower.
There were way too many scenes and conversations with Toby and other characters that didn’t really move the book forward. God Toby was annoying. I read one of his scenes and then just skimmed everything else involving him. It felt like a third of the book was just pointless conversations with people I didn’t care about.
Luckily, I liked Yoram so much his story was enjoyable for me to read. I didn’t even mind how long it took for the MCs to get together. I pretty much knew that would happen and it was “fate” anyway. I like all the fated mates and instalove when I’m looking for some comforting fluff and this author provides.
February 5, 2018
NO TOUCHING AT ALL
All the ways this book could have been great..it started great, progressed like it was going to get epic and then it left me so utterly disappointed. Like actual tears disappointed, and the soul crushing realization that greatness will never be achieved.
I love shifter books about destined mates, and I have been really enjoying C.C’s books in the “Mates” series. So “To Touch You” had me at hello. Yoram Smith knows his mate as soon as his little eyes land on him. He knows he needs to keep this man close and alive regardless of the adults around him being all grumpy about it. But getting Salvatore to understand what being a mate means will be the hardest thing Yoram will ever do, regardless of all the things he’s seen and become Yoram remains an after thought to the man who has his heart.
First of all, I was feeling this. I thought I was getting something along the lines of Until Forever Comes that sexy vamp/shifter good good. I got nothing for 70% of the book, and don’t get me wrong the story was good but Salvatore pissed me off something fierce. I found him so ungrateful and overall a gigantic Ahole, he rubbed me the wrong way. Like someone does something amazing for you for years, and this dude doesn’t even drop a “thank you” in person, over email or text. It most definitely irked me.
Then bada bing bada boom they’re in bed, in love, and I just wasn’t buying it. Like I get where Yoram is coming from, but that Salvatore needed to be raked over the coals for a bit. He got his nourishment just a bit too easy for my liking. Apart for my complete disdain for the accidental vampire this story was just a sweet read. Some off side pack conflict added a bit of extra dressing but this was a “missing mate” type drama, “To Touch You” was a bad touch for me.
All the ways this book could have been great..it started great, progressed like it was going to get epic and then it left me so utterly disappointed. Like actual tears disappointed, and the soul crushing realization that greatness will never be achieved.
I love shifter books about destined mates, and I have been really enjoying C.C’s books in the “Mates” series. So “To Touch You” had me at hello. Yoram Smith knows his mate as soon as his little eyes land on him. He knows he needs to keep this man close and alive regardless of the adults around him being all grumpy about it. But getting Salvatore to understand what being a mate means will be the hardest thing Yoram will ever do, regardless of all the things he’s seen and become Yoram remains an after thought to the man who has his heart.
First of all, I was feeling this. I thought I was getting something along the lines of Until Forever Comes that sexy vamp/shifter good good. I got nothing for 70% of the book, and don’t get me wrong the story was good but Salvatore pissed me off something fierce. I found him so ungrateful and overall a gigantic Ahole, he rubbed me the wrong way. Like someone does something amazing for you for years, and this dude doesn’t even drop a “thank you” in person, over email or text. It most definitely irked me.
Then bada bing bada boom they’re in bed, in love, and I just wasn’t buying it. Like I get where Yoram is coming from, but that Salvatore needed to be raked over the coals for a bit. He got his nourishment just a bit too easy for my liking. Apart for my complete disdain for the accidental vampire this story was just a sweet read. Some off side pack conflict added a bit of extra dressing but this was a “missing mate” type drama, “To Touch You” was a bad touch for me.
February 22, 2018
I can't believe it!!! I've always given Cardeno C. Full 5 stars and I love this series as well!! Sadly this 4th installment of the Mates series did not absorb me like the other books did. It took me a week to finish this when usually it takes me one sitting -1.5 or 2 hrs to finish reading. I found it .... boring :( also i was not a fan of Yoram. IMO i found him whinny for an alpha. I thought Sal was an ok character until mid 60-70% in the book when he does a 360 and becomes crazy in love with Yoram - when before, he was avoiding him for over 2 decades and a asshole up until then.
I never write reviews as im bad at them, and so i just stick to rating, but because this series is one of my faves, I just had to share my thoughts :(
Cardeno C is still an insta buy for me and i know there are others that loved this 4th installment so I definitely recommend this to others to read if they have read the first 3 books before or enjoy mm books based in the shifter universe. Book #1 is still my favorite in the series :D
I never write reviews as im bad at them, and so i just stick to rating, but because this series is one of my faves, I just had to share my thoughts :(
Cardeno C is still an insta buy for me and i know there are others that loved this 4th installment so I definitely recommend this to others to read if they have read the first 3 books before or enjoy mm books based in the shifter universe. Book #1 is still my favorite in the series :D
April 25, 2017
3.5 I want to stake Sal in heart stars.
Boy oh boy, where do I start? Ok, so I love Cardeno C. I think I’ve read every single book by this author and I have sighed in happy contentment every single time I've finished a CC book. The Mates series is one of my all time fave. I absolutely love shifters and Cardeno’s shifters always manage to melt my heart. With that said, this book is my least favorite of the Mates series and it breaks my heart to type those words because this isn’t a bad book at. all. I don’t regret reading it. I enjoyed it… once I was done with it and I sighed but for the first time ever there was some frustration in it.
I have two main bone of contentions. Number 1: I wanted to strangle Sal. Number 2: This mating romance took a very long time to launch.
Sal - I get it. He’s a much older mature man in comparison to Yoram’s very young and innocent 7 years of age when they first meet. Sal is deathly ill and so, Yoram made the decision that his friend, his mate must be saved and so he was. Sal was turned into a vampire.
So why do I want to strangle Sal? Simply put, I didn’t like him. Not one little bit. I found him to be pompous and arrogant and I seriously have a strong dislike for people that talk down to others. That’s the vibe Sal gave me despite the fact that he crawled up from the gutter to be the self-made millionaire he is. I respect his grit but the inexcusable selfish way he dealt with Yoram as a child and especially in Vegas was so off putting.
Now Yoram is such a delight! Talk about a person that knows his own mind. A person that puts others needs before his own. Yoram wears the mantle of alpha admirably and I was very impressed with how he handled conflicts within his pack once he seized control of it. Yoram is also an admirable person. He continued to take care of his mate despite the fact that his mate refused to do the same for him. I was so pissed that Toby, ( Yoram’s hilarious and fun cousin), had to deliver a swift kick to Sal’s ass in order to get him to see past his own selfish needs and be there for his mate. Sal had 20 years to get used to the idea of being Yoram’s mate and I wonder if he would have found Yoram if it weren’t for Toby or the overwhelming desire to drink Yoram’s blood.
By the time Sal took his head out his ass and decided to be an actual mate to Yoram, I wanted to stake him in the heart. It took almost the entire book to get him to this point and once he finally does I felt like he didn’t deserve Yoram’s virginity, faithfulness nor love. So yeah, I was happy for the HEA but I was happy because Yoram was happy. Not because Sal and Yoram made it work.
*ARC provided for review at my discretion*
Boy oh boy, where do I start? Ok, so I love Cardeno C. I think I’ve read every single book by this author and I have sighed in happy contentment every single time I've finished a CC book. The Mates series is one of my all time fave. I absolutely love shifters and Cardeno’s shifters always manage to melt my heart. With that said, this book is my least favorite of the Mates series and it breaks my heart to type those words because this isn’t a bad book at. all. I don’t regret reading it. I enjoyed it… once I was done with it and I sighed but for the first time ever there was some frustration in it.
I have two main bone of contentions. Number 1: I wanted to strangle Sal. Number 2: This mating romance took a very long time to launch.
Sal - I get it. He’s a much older mature man in comparison to Yoram’s very young and innocent 7 years of age when they first meet. Sal is deathly ill and so, Yoram made the decision that his friend, his mate must be saved and so he was. Sal was turned into a vampire.
So why do I want to strangle Sal? Simply put, I didn’t like him. Not one little bit. I found him to be pompous and arrogant and I seriously have a strong dislike for people that talk down to others. That’s the vibe Sal gave me despite the fact that he crawled up from the gutter to be the self-made millionaire he is. I respect his grit but the inexcusable selfish way he dealt with Yoram as a child and especially in Vegas was so off putting.
Now Yoram is such a delight! Talk about a person that knows his own mind. A person that puts others needs before his own. Yoram wears the mantle of alpha admirably and I was very impressed with how he handled conflicts within his pack once he seized control of it. Yoram is also an admirable person. He continued to take care of his mate despite the fact that his mate refused to do the same for him. I was so pissed that Toby, ( Yoram’s hilarious and fun cousin), had to deliver a swift kick to Sal’s ass in order to get him to see past his own selfish needs and be there for his mate. Sal had 20 years to get used to the idea of being Yoram’s mate and I wonder if he would have found Yoram if it weren’t for Toby or the overwhelming desire to drink Yoram’s blood.
By the time Sal took his head out his ass and decided to be an actual mate to Yoram, I wanted to stake him in the heart. It took almost the entire book to get him to this point and once he finally does I felt like he didn’t deserve Yoram’s virginity, faithfulness nor love. So yeah, I was happy for the HEA but I was happy because Yoram was happy. Not because Sal and Yoram made it work.
*ARC provided for review at my discretion*
January 31, 2021
Really lovely May/December romance with devotion and faith being the overlying theme. Super slow burn... like we know it's going to all work out, but Sal digs his hole soooo deep, it's painful.
Charlie David narrates this one, and he does a lovely job (as usual). Super sweet voices for Yori as he's growing up, and a nice variety of voices for this large cast. Very enjoyable performance.
thank you to the author for the audiobook copy of To Touch You
Charlie David narrates this one, and he does a lovely job (as usual). Super sweet voices for Yori as he's growing up, and a nice variety of voices for this large cast. Very enjoyable performance.
thank you to the author for the audiobook copy of To Touch You
June 20, 2017
Pure CC Perfection
I have read every book by Cardeno C. All of them are sweet love stories where odds are overcome and happiness prevails. To Touch You, is a great example of how to people who are meant for each other will eventually find their way to each other and happiness. I loved this 4th book of The Mates series and love CC's style of shifters and their destined mates. It was great to see or hear about characters from previous books in the series and even though I have read this entire series multiple times and listened to the first three in audio...i will still keep them on my "re-read" list as they are always enjoyable!! You can't go wrong with any of these books...5 stars!!!
I have read every book by Cardeno C. All of them are sweet love stories where odds are overcome and happiness prevails. To Touch You, is a great example of how to people who are meant for each other will eventually find their way to each other and happiness. I loved this 4th book of The Mates series and love CC's style of shifters and their destined mates. It was great to see or hear about characters from previous books in the series and even though I have read this entire series multiple times and listened to the first three in audio...i will still keep them on my "re-read" list as they are always enjoyable!! You can't go wrong with any of these books...5 stars!!!
June 11, 2022
Even knowing what I know about this story, I still could not stand Sal for most of this book. I just wanted to throat punch him for his callous, selfishness. Uggg. But I love Yorri, and Charlie David does an excellent job with the narration. That is why I keep coming back. I’m a glutton for punishment.
May 6, 2017
2.5
Худшая книга серии, несмотря на многообещающее начало.
Один из героев - козел, а переход от холодного и безразличного к горячему и сахарному у него необъяснимо занимает ровно одни сутки.
Худшая книга серии, несмотря на многообещающее начало.
Один из героев - козел, а переход от холодного и безразличного к горячему и сахарному у него необъяснимо занимает ровно одни сутки.
November 16, 2019
Cardeno C has gripping characters, riveting plots and hot sexiness. Yoram/Yorry, knew as a kid, 7, that Salvatore/Sal is his "true mate."
Through the years we see updates on their lives, where Yoram is so cute, dedicated and purposeful. When vampire Miguel tells Salvatore to see a doctor, he does. Later he's turned and his life is saved, but Sal is greedy and selfish, an ungrateful man, until he actually takes time to figure out the truth. Wonderful Alpha Yoram is so dedicated, even while being cruelly rejected. His cousin Toby is refreshing.
Yoram's gifts to Sal are taken for years, but not acknowledged. There comes a time when Salvatore realizes he needs Yoram's blood, and he travels to see Yoram. Sal does take a long time to figure out the serious nature of "true mates."
Meanwhile, Alpha Yoram is dealing with his broken pack, and trying to be patient. Yorry has a deep passion and duty to his mate, and it's profound. At times we feel Sal doesn't deserve Yorry, because Yorry deserves so much more. Now, of course, Yorry , 27, is big and strong, handsome and hard working, while Sal is now 57, but looks younger, and is rich and lonely.
The men get to know each other and begin their bonding. When they mate, it is first time everything for Yoram, because he has known since he was seven, that Sal was his one and only.
Sexy times are super hot, erotic and emotional.
A lovely tale of Alpha Yorry's anticipation, devotion and longing, to finally claiming his "true mate." Sal's new passion and love redeems him in our eyes.
ENJOY !
======
Through the years we see updates on their lives, where Yoram is so cute, dedicated and purposeful. When vampire Miguel tells Salvatore to see a doctor, he does. Later he's turned and his life is saved, but Sal is greedy and selfish, an ungrateful man, until he actually takes time to figure out the truth. Wonderful Alpha Yoram is so dedicated, even while being cruelly rejected. His cousin Toby is refreshing.
Yoram's gifts to Sal are taken for years, but not acknowledged. There comes a time when Salvatore realizes he needs Yoram's blood, and he travels to see Yoram. Sal does take a long time to figure out the serious nature of "true mates."
Meanwhile, Alpha Yoram is dealing with his broken pack, and trying to be patient. Yorry has a deep passion and duty to his mate, and it's profound. At times we feel Sal doesn't deserve Yorry, because Yorry deserves so much more. Now, of course, Yorry , 27, is big and strong, handsome and hard working, while Sal is now 57, but looks younger, and is rich and lonely.
The men get to know each other and begin their bonding. When they mate, it is first time everything for Yoram, because he has known since he was seven, that Sal was his one and only.
Sexy times are super hot, erotic and emotional.
A lovely tale of Alpha Yorry's anticipation, devotion and longing, to finally claiming his "true mate." Sal's new passion and love redeems him in our eyes.
ENJOY !
======
May 1, 2017
Another very nice Cardeno C contemporary shifter/paranormal book. No fuss no muss reading. No dramas. 260 pages flew by quickly and I was thoroughly entertained - and that's all I ask of any book I read. Enough reviews on here already, but if you want a bit more, no spoilers, then it's on the blog.
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May 11, 2017
Dear Salvatore Rossi - you're a jerk. A stubborn, selfish, snobbish jerk.
Having said that, you redeemed yourself in the end but only by a hair.
Not much love,
Me
****
This is the fourth, and probably last book, in the Mates series, which I loved. LOVED.
Here we have Yoram Smith, great-nephew of Ethan Abbatt (of Until Forever Comes), who at 7 years old gets a whiff of one Salvatore Rossi, abovementioned jerk, and knows, just knows, he's found his one true mate.
Salvatore, or Sal as Yoram calls him, is a business man, visiting the town near the Miancarem pack to entice Miguel Rodriguez, mate of Ethan, to sell him some land. Miguel has no interest in doing so, and if it weren't for Yoram proclaiming Sal his friend, Miguel might have simply chased him out of town. Except Sal is sick, sicker than he knows, and when his illness becomes terminal, and Yoram finds out, he implores Miguel to save his friend Sal.
So Sal becomes a vampire, and promptly returns to his business, caring not one iota about Yoram.
At 14, Yoram visits Sal in Las Vegas and is told to go home. Go home. By his mate!!
Yeah... I didn't like Sal at all, though I could appreciate that a 3o-odd year old man/vampire would be slightly freaked out that a 14 year old boy tells him he's his mate.
So Yoram goes home, suffers alone, but he doesn't give up. He experiences similar symptoms as Ethan had before meeting Miguel, and some pointed questions later, Sal begins to get blood deliveries. Because Yoram is a saint, and just because Sal is a jerkface doesn't mean that Yoram needs to let his mate suffer.
There's some crossover here with book three, In Your Eyes. If you've read that book, you'll remember Korban Keller, who's the Alpha's son, and heir apparent, but whose mate Samuel is the Alpha of the Yafenack pack, and you'll remember what happened there, and what leads to Miancarem needing a new Alpha.
Yoram again steps up to the plate, because he's a fucking saint! He loves his pack, he loves the other wolves and he wants to do what's best for them. Except that doesn't leave him any time for traveling to Vegas every month to deliver blood.
And then Salvatore Rossi wonders for possibly the first time who might have been bringing him blood, and what might have caused the deliveries to stop, and he travels to Miancarem to investigate. Still super selfish, amirite?
Character flaws of a particular vampire notwithstanding, I loved this book just as much as I loved the other three, though In Your Eyes will likely always be my favorite of the four. A lot of my enjoyment was because of Yoram, who is a FUCKING saint, and also because of Toby, a wolf from Yoram's pack and his cousin, who provides the snark and attitude and humor in this book. He took no crap at all from Sal, he wasn't afraid of the big, bad vampire, and he took zero prisoners when it came to telling Sal what a jerk he'd been all these many years. He had some fantastic zingers, and I giggled a lot when he was on page.
This being a book by Cardeno C., there are also some super hot sexy times (when they then finally happen, OMG), and knotting. Knotting, people, which just gives the sexy times that extra oomph. Mating bites. Bloodsucking while making love. Gah. There is always such emotion within the sexy times, and I think that's one of the author's special gifts.
I was a little bit bothered by the rather abrupt transition from "where's the blood, dammit" to "OMG, I Love You, You're my everything" that Sal goes through, considering that his character was a stupid, selfish, snobbish jerk for most of the book, but I chalked that off to the mating pull doing its thing, and him finally being near Yoram for long enough to actually allow himself to feel it. The jerk.
This is definitely a fitting end to the series, and I loved that the couples from the previous book made an appearance. Well, all but Samuel. It can be read as a standalone, but why would you? Why would you not read all the books in this fantastic series? Exactly.
I will read any shifter book this author writes, ever, and I can hardly wait to get my grabby hands on the next one, even if it'll be a different series. Maybe we'll get another Syphon book next? Sign me right up.
I'm a CC addict, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Just keep feeding my addiction, would ya, CC?
** I received a free copy of this book from its author. A positive review was not promised in return. **
Having said that, you redeemed yourself in the end but only by a hair.
Not much love,
Me
****
This is the fourth, and probably last book, in the Mates series, which I loved. LOVED.
Here we have Yoram Smith, great-nephew of Ethan Abbatt (of Until Forever Comes), who at 7 years old gets a whiff of one Salvatore Rossi, abovementioned jerk, and knows, just knows, he's found his one true mate.
Salvatore, or Sal as Yoram calls him, is a business man, visiting the town near the Miancarem pack to entice Miguel Rodriguez, mate of Ethan, to sell him some land. Miguel has no interest in doing so, and if it weren't for Yoram proclaiming Sal his friend, Miguel might have simply chased him out of town. Except Sal is sick, sicker than he knows, and when his illness becomes terminal, and Yoram finds out, he implores Miguel to save his friend Sal.
So Sal becomes a vampire, and promptly returns to his business, caring not one iota about Yoram.
At 14, Yoram visits Sal in Las Vegas and is told to go home. Go home. By his mate!!
Yeah... I didn't like Sal at all, though I could appreciate that a 3o-odd year old man/vampire would be slightly freaked out that a 14 year old boy tells him he's his mate.
So Yoram goes home, suffers alone, but he doesn't give up. He experiences similar symptoms as Ethan had before meeting Miguel, and some pointed questions later, Sal begins to get blood deliveries. Because Yoram is a saint, and just because Sal is a jerkface doesn't mean that Yoram needs to let his mate suffer.
There's some crossover here with book three, In Your Eyes. If you've read that book, you'll remember Korban Keller, who's the Alpha's son, and heir apparent, but whose mate Samuel is the Alpha of the Yafenack pack, and you'll remember what happened there, and what leads to Miancarem needing a new Alpha.
Yoram again steps up to the plate, because he's a fucking saint! He loves his pack, he loves the other wolves and he wants to do what's best for them. Except that doesn't leave him any time for traveling to Vegas every month to deliver blood.
And then Salvatore Rossi wonders for possibly the first time who might have been bringing him blood, and what might have caused the deliveries to stop, and he travels to Miancarem to investigate. Still super selfish, amirite?
Character flaws of a particular vampire notwithstanding, I loved this book just as much as I loved the other three, though In Your Eyes will likely always be my favorite of the four. A lot of my enjoyment was because of Yoram, who is a FUCKING saint, and also because of Toby, a wolf from Yoram's pack and his cousin, who provides the snark and attitude and humor in this book. He took no crap at all from Sal, he wasn't afraid of the big, bad vampire, and he took zero prisoners when it came to telling Sal what a jerk he'd been all these many years. He had some fantastic zingers, and I giggled a lot when he was on page.
This being a book by Cardeno C., there are also some super hot sexy times (when they then finally happen, OMG), and knotting. Knotting, people, which just gives the sexy times that extra oomph. Mating bites. Bloodsucking while making love. Gah. There is always such emotion within the sexy times, and I think that's one of the author's special gifts.
I was a little bit bothered by the rather abrupt transition from "where's the blood, dammit" to "OMG, I Love You, You're my everything" that Sal goes through, considering that his character was a stupid, selfish, snobbish jerk for most of the book, but I chalked that off to the mating pull doing its thing, and him finally being near Yoram for long enough to actually allow himself to feel it. The jerk.
This is definitely a fitting end to the series, and I loved that the couples from the previous book made an appearance. Well, all but Samuel. It can be read as a standalone, but why would you? Why would you not read all the books in this fantastic series? Exactly.
I will read any shifter book this author writes, ever, and I can hardly wait to get my grabby hands on the next one, even if it'll be a different series. Maybe we'll get another Syphon book next? Sign me right up.
I'm a CC addict, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Just keep feeding my addiction, would ya, CC?
** I received a free copy of this book from its author. A positive review was not promised in return. **
October 5, 2017
This series has always been sappy, cuddly, and fluffy. This installment is no exception. But I have an issue with the main characters.
Yoram is fine. Think Korban but even more patient and generous than him. Another martyr that needs a monument, right now.
Salvatore tho. He's a selfish prick. I know the author probably intended it to be that way. He might have been inspired from one of those shows about vampires and diaries because they're both assholes. So I thought, he has to redeem himself to me. He did. But I missed more introspection from him. Yeah, being true mates trumps everything, but he's not a shifter. Yeah, I get that he realized Yoram needs him as much as he need him. But I wanted more. Plus the whole story devoted a lot of time for set up that it took away some part for the MCs to grow on each other.
I liked this one too. But it's my least favorite out of the bunch.
3 STARS.
Yoram is fine. Think Korban but even more patient and generous than him. Another martyr that needs a monument, right now.
Salvatore tho. He's a selfish prick. I know the author probably intended it to be that way. He might have been inspired from one of those shows about vampires and diaries because they're both assholes. So I thought, he has to redeem himself to me. He did. But I missed more introspection from him. Yeah, being true mates trumps everything, but he's not a shifter. Yeah, I get that he realized Yoram needs him as much as he need him. But I wanted more. Plus the whole story devoted a lot of time for set up that it took away some part for the MCs to grow on each other.
I liked this one too. But it's my least favorite out of the bunch.
3 STARS.
July 15, 2020
3, maybe 3.5. My least favorite of the series.
I really wanted to like this one, it just didn't do it for me. It was good in theory, but I was kinda bored. The MCs are apart for 75-80% of the book. This does not a romance make and upsets my hopeless romantic heart. The last part where they're together is sweet, and typical CC, but it took FAR too long to get there.
Meh. That's about all I have to say for this one.
I really wanted to like this one, it just didn't do it for me. It was good in theory, but I was kinda bored. The MCs are apart for 75-80% of the book. This does not a romance make and upsets my hopeless romantic heart. The last part where they're together is sweet, and typical CC, but it took FAR too long to get there.
Meh. That's about all I have to say for this one.
May 10, 2017
4/5 - this was a good book, but it was lacking.
This is the second? vampire/shifter novel in the series, and the first one was sooo good despite it not being my kind of book, throw in the rest of this awesome series and I knew I had to read it. But... there was something missing? So much of this book was about pack politics and rehashing details about couples from the previous books that I almost had to go back and reread the other books to keep up with it (and it hasn't been that long since I've read them). I wish there was more time spent on Sal and Yoram. The tension and build up between these two could've been OFF THE CHARTS hot but it was just kinda meh.
And I couldn't like Sal. I tried. I really really did. I even stopped reading for a few minutes to run through the plot from his point of view because I really did want to like him as a character... but he was just so crumby in the beginning. Yoram, on the other hand, was a complete sweetheart. One thing I did love was getting to see his life as he grew up. From his bravery as a child to his unyielding loyalty and leadership as an adult, Yoram was an Alpha through and through.
And I guess Sal did redeem himself (a teeenny bit) at the very end, but I had such a bad taste in my mouth from the rest of the book that I still couldn't see him as a good person. I tried, I really did. But at least the sex was hot once they did get together.
Overall, I did like the book. This one is 100% not a standalone, whereas the others could have been read as standalones if you wanted to. There is a lot of previously mentioned political mumbo jumbo that isn't really explained in this book (but is in the others) so you really do have to know what's going on to follow the story. There's also a lot of overlap in terms of plot and not a lot of explanation about what's going on, but if you read the other books then it shouldn't be hard to follow.
I would recommend this to fans of the series, but if you're looking for a standalone, this is surely not it.
Reviewed by Jordan at Alpha Book Club.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by the author or the publisher in any way.
This is the second? vampire/shifter novel in the series, and the first one was sooo good despite it not being my kind of book, throw in the rest of this awesome series and I knew I had to read it. But... there was something missing? So much of this book was about pack politics and rehashing details about couples from the previous books that I almost had to go back and reread the other books to keep up with it (and it hasn't been that long since I've read them). I wish there was more time spent on Sal and Yoram. The tension and build up between these two could've been OFF THE CHARTS hot but it was just kinda meh.
And I couldn't like Sal. I tried. I really really did. I even stopped reading for a few minutes to run through the plot from his point of view because I really did want to like him as a character... but he was just so crumby in the beginning. Yoram, on the other hand, was a complete sweetheart. One thing I did love was getting to see his life as he grew up. From his bravery as a child to his unyielding loyalty and leadership as an adult, Yoram was an Alpha through and through.
And I guess Sal did redeem himself (a teeenny bit) at the very end, but I had such a bad taste in my mouth from the rest of the book that I still couldn't see him as a good person. I tried, I really did. But at least the sex was hot once they did get together.
Overall, I did like the book. This one is 100% not a standalone, whereas the others could have been read as standalones if you wanted to. There is a lot of previously mentioned political mumbo jumbo that isn't really explained in this book (but is in the others) so you really do have to know what's going on to follow the story. There's also a lot of overlap in terms of plot and not a lot of explanation about what's going on, but if you read the other books then it shouldn't be hard to follow.
I would recommend this to fans of the series, but if you're looking for a standalone, this is surely not it.
Reviewed by Jordan at Alpha Book Club.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by the author or the publisher in any way.
June 1, 2017
Here we are, the fourth book in the Mates series, a book I did not plan on reading. I haven't been too happy with the series in general although the last book wasn't all that bad. I made it this far and despite misgivings, I thought okay, one more try. So I loaded To Touch You to my Kindle and started reading.
Yoram and Salvatore. Let's be honest here, not many people are going to like Sal. He's kind of a jerk a good portion of the book. Yoram is who everybody will like with his sweetness and devotion to Sal. And yet, I do get Sal. I can't help but feel Sal is misunderstood. Yoram's devotion to him came off as persistent and since he was underaged, I really can't blame him for rejecting Yoram. Once Yoram became of age, why didn't he just go to Sal then? Or better yet, why didn't someone just sit Sal down and explain everything to him. Seems his problem wasn't completely a personality issue and more of everybody else was in the know and he had to figure it all out. That's my personal opinion and I'm sticking to it.
The story itself is okay. A good chunk of the book we get to see Yoram pining away for his mate before Sal gets a clue and comes around. We get to spend some time with the characters from the previous titles and there are timeline parallels that run so I do recommend reading the first. Not necessarily the first book but definitely the second and third. They play vital roles to understand who Miguel and Ethan are and what is going on in and between the packs.
The series all together was not anything I particularly enjoyed. The stories themselves were a hit or miss and I either liked it or didn't. Really it was the sex that killed it for me. I enjoy a good sex scene but when I'm rolling my eyes at the choice of body parts used, everybody says the same thing during the act and I find myself skimming to get passed it all...no thanks. Others might like all this, I, however, don't.
I received this book from The JeepDiva prior to release with the express purpose of an honest review. The opinions, contents, and rating of this review are solely mine
Stars - 2.5, Flames - 3
Yoram and Salvatore. Let's be honest here, not many people are going to like Sal. He's kind of a jerk a good portion of the book. Yoram is who everybody will like with his sweetness and devotion to Sal. And yet, I do get Sal. I can't help but feel Sal is misunderstood. Yoram's devotion to him came off as persistent and since he was underaged, I really can't blame him for rejecting Yoram. Once Yoram became of age, why didn't he just go to Sal then? Or better yet, why didn't someone just sit Sal down and explain everything to him. Seems his problem wasn't completely a personality issue and more of everybody else was in the know and he had to figure it all out. That's my personal opinion and I'm sticking to it.
The story itself is okay. A good chunk of the book we get to see Yoram pining away for his mate before Sal gets a clue and comes around. We get to spend some time with the characters from the previous titles and there are timeline parallels that run so I do recommend reading the first. Not necessarily the first book but definitely the second and third. They play vital roles to understand who Miguel and Ethan are and what is going on in and between the packs.
The series all together was not anything I particularly enjoyed. The stories themselves were a hit or miss and I either liked it or didn't. Really it was the sex that killed it for me. I enjoy a good sex scene but when I'm rolling my eyes at the choice of body parts used, everybody says the same thing during the act and I find myself skimming to get passed it all...no thanks. Others might like all this, I, however, don't.
I received this book from The JeepDiva prior to release with the express purpose of an honest review. The opinions, contents, and rating of this review are solely mine
Stars - 2.5, Flames - 3
February 7, 2019
Recensione in ANTEPRIMA
.
"In linea di massima, i mutaforma di rado lasciavano i loro branchi di origine, a meno che non trovassero un compagno di un altro branco e decidessero di mettere su famiglia con lui. Ma dopo generazioni passate a seguire Alfa deboli nello spirito, anche se non nel corpo, Miancarem ristagnava. I mutaforma si comportavano come avevano fatto per decenni — niente alleanze con gli altri branchi, niente scambi economici con gli umani, nessun’autorità o rispetto per chiunque non fosse un mutaforma fisicamente dominante — e Dirk Keller insisteva che fosse il modo giusto. Il mondo progrediva e prosperava attorno a loro, mentre i membri del loro branco arrancavano, e tuttavia l’Alfa si rifiutava di riconoscere il problema, tantomeno di fare qualcosa per risolverlo. Forse, se tutti i branchi fossero rimasti ugualmente stagnanti, le carenze di Miancarem non sarebbero state tanto ovvie. Ma gli altri erano cambiati e progrediti. Il branco di Etzgadol, in cui Jonah, il cugino di Yoram, era compagno dell’Alfa, aveva iniziato a interagire con gli umani e ad ammorbidire i ruoli di genere, ma non era il solo."
.
Non appena vedo una cover con il nome di C. Cardeno sopra, non posso resistere al suo richiamo. Adoro il suo modo di scrivere e le sue storie d’amore, che hanno sempre una grande componente di dolcezza. In questo quarto capitolo della serie Mates ritorniamo al branco di Miancarem, dove vive Yoram Smith, un bambino di sette anni. La sua famiglia è convinta che un giorno diventerà un alfa potente in grado di sfidare Dirk Keller, il loro attuale capo che, come i suoi predecessori, si sta rivelando crudele e indegno. A questo punto chi ha letto il precedente capitolo sa già ciò a cui andrà incontro l’alfa senza onore. Spesso, infatti, nella prima parte di Quando ti tocco ci ritroveremo a vivere in modo molto sommario alcuni degli avvenimenti che già conosciamo, visti però con gli occhi di Yoram. Oltre a essere la speranza della sua famiglia per una vita migliore, Yoram è anche il nipote di Ethan e di Miguel, che pur non avendo il permesso di stare sulla terra del branco, si recano spesso nella cittadina lì vicino per incontrare gli Smith e viziare i nipoti. Ed è proprio durante una di queste visite che Yoram vede per la prima volta Salvatore Rossi, un uomo la cui vita è improntata solo sul lavoro e sull’acquisire ricchezza. E il fatto che abbia sette anni, non gli impedisce di riconoscere in lui il suo Vero Compagno. Ma Salvatore è un umano di trent’anni che senza saperlo è già condannato, solo l’intercessione di Ethan e Miguel lo salverà. Tuttavia, la giovane età di Yoram, e la sua assoluta ignoranza di ciò che significa il loro legame, farà sì che Salvatore renda la vita di Yoram molto infelice, e il suo rifiuto lo metterà in pericolo, indebolendolo. Almeno fino a quando più di vent’anni dopo sarà costretto dalla necessità a recarsi a Miancarem e scoprire ciò che veramente li lega.
La storia d’amore di questi due personaggi comincia molto tardi nel libro, ma riesce a essere comunque coinvolgete. Vedremo nel frattempo Yoram dimostrarsi davvero un Alfa di valore, ripercorreremo parte della sua adolescenza e della sua amicizia con Korban, il figlio del precedente Alfa, così diverso dal padre. Insieme hanno cercato di porre rimedio al regime di paura e sopraffazione di Dirk, riuscendoci però solo in parte. Infine, la vigliaccheria di Keller lo ha portato alla morte, e Korban ha rivelato di non desiderare di prendere la guida del branco di Miancarem, perché il suo destino era altrove con il suo compagno. Yoram si trova così alla guida dei mutaforma di Miancarem, un clan povero che per la cattiva guida negli anni trascorsi non ha fatto niente per adeguarsi al mondo moderno. È un clan arretrato e senza grandi speranze, con alcuni individui che cercano la vendetta, pur sapendo che la morte di alcuni dei loro membri è da imputare al loro comportamento, ed è stato un atto di giustizia.
Vediamo Yoram comportarsi con grande umanità, deciso a far sentire, dopo tanto tempo, la sua gente al sicuro, avendo però sempre nel cuore quel compagno lontano, che lui ha aiutato per anni, senza mai essere ringraziato. Lo vediamo soffrire, essere costretto a procedure mediche dolorose, mentre i suoi doveri diventano sempre più pesanti, e i suoi amici e famigliari sono preoccupati per lui. È un personaggio bellissimo, non ha mai un attimo di acredine verso questo compagno che prende, prende senza mai dare nulla in cambio. Accetta quel legame che non gli porta nessuna gioia.
Non vi nascondo che Salvatore è un personaggio che ho odiato profondamente per buona parte del libro, almeno fino a quando Yoram, impossibilitato a lasciare il suo branco, non può più provvedere ai suoi bisogni e il vampiro si trova messo alle strette. E durante il loro incontro, quando finalmente si trovano faccia a faccia e Yoram è un adulto e non più un ragazzino, ci si accorge che Salvatore ha vissuto in fondo una vita miserabile, e della sua nuova condizione in realtà sa pochissimo. Non ha mai capito perché una volta trasformato non abbia mai avuto desideri sessuali, né perché nutrirsi sia sempre stato così orribile: è al centro di un legame che non capisce, di cui non sa nulla. È vero, hanno tentato di spiegarglielo, ma lui non è stato in grado di capire troppo lontano dal suo precedente modo di pensare, e del resto è un essere che ha contato sempre e solo su se stesso. È stato sicuramente egoista, almeno per la prima parte della vita di Yoram. Sicuramente è stato crudele quando lo ha rivisto a quattordici anni, ma fino al momento in cui lo ha avuto davanti nel fulgore della sua potenza di giovane uomo non ha percepito quell’attrazione e quel vincolo che li lega, e da quel momento le cose cambiano davvero, forse anche in modo troppo repentino. E si dimostrerà in grado di essere davvero un buon compagno.
Nonostante ci siano episodi che abbiamo già conosciuto, il libro ci regala davvero una bella storia, ci sono momenti molto divertenti, specialmente quando in scena appare Toby, il cugino di Yoram, deciso a fare in modo che quel zuccone di Salvatore capisca di dover fare la sua parte e smettere di essere egoista. Avremo modo di vedere come la famiglia Smith sia sempre pronta ad aiutarsi, e ci saranno molti momenti con Ethan e Miguel, che avranno una parte importante in questa storia e si dimostreranno degli zii amabili e premurosi.
Cardeno C. è un autore che amo moltissimo, e questa serie mi ha regalato ore di estremo relax in un mondo magico, popolato da Alfa forti e coraggiosi e vampiri affascinanti, legati da un amore unico ed eterno capaci di far sognare. Anche se, volendo, potreste leggerlo come stand-alone, io vi consiglio caldamente di cominciare dal primo di questa serie davvero bella e intrigante, che vi farà conoscere splendidi e meravigliosi personaggi e le loro fantastiche storie d’amore.
.
Lucia63 - per RFS
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"In linea di massima, i mutaforma di rado lasciavano i loro branchi di origine, a meno che non trovassero un compagno di un altro branco e decidessero di mettere su famiglia con lui. Ma dopo generazioni passate a seguire Alfa deboli nello spirito, anche se non nel corpo, Miancarem ristagnava. I mutaforma si comportavano come avevano fatto per decenni — niente alleanze con gli altri branchi, niente scambi economici con gli umani, nessun’autorità o rispetto per chiunque non fosse un mutaforma fisicamente dominante — e Dirk Keller insisteva che fosse il modo giusto. Il mondo progrediva e prosperava attorno a loro, mentre i membri del loro branco arrancavano, e tuttavia l’Alfa si rifiutava di riconoscere il problema, tantomeno di fare qualcosa per risolverlo. Forse, se tutti i branchi fossero rimasti ugualmente stagnanti, le carenze di Miancarem non sarebbero state tanto ovvie. Ma gli altri erano cambiati e progrediti. Il branco di Etzgadol, in cui Jonah, il cugino di Yoram, era compagno dell’Alfa, aveva iniziato a interagire con gli umani e ad ammorbidire i ruoli di genere, ma non era il solo."
.
Non appena vedo una cover con il nome di C. Cardeno sopra, non posso resistere al suo richiamo. Adoro il suo modo di scrivere e le sue storie d’amore, che hanno sempre una grande componente di dolcezza. In questo quarto capitolo della serie Mates ritorniamo al branco di Miancarem, dove vive Yoram Smith, un bambino di sette anni. La sua famiglia è convinta che un giorno diventerà un alfa potente in grado di sfidare Dirk Keller, il loro attuale capo che, come i suoi predecessori, si sta rivelando crudele e indegno. A questo punto chi ha letto il precedente capitolo sa già ciò a cui andrà incontro l’alfa senza onore. Spesso, infatti, nella prima parte di Quando ti tocco ci ritroveremo a vivere in modo molto sommario alcuni degli avvenimenti che già conosciamo, visti però con gli occhi di Yoram. Oltre a essere la speranza della sua famiglia per una vita migliore, Yoram è anche il nipote di Ethan e di Miguel, che pur non avendo il permesso di stare sulla terra del branco, si recano spesso nella cittadina lì vicino per incontrare gli Smith e viziare i nipoti. Ed è proprio durante una di queste visite che Yoram vede per la prima volta Salvatore Rossi, un uomo la cui vita è improntata solo sul lavoro e sull’acquisire ricchezza. E il fatto che abbia sette anni, non gli impedisce di riconoscere in lui il suo Vero Compagno. Ma Salvatore è un umano di trent’anni che senza saperlo è già condannato, solo l’intercessione di Ethan e Miguel lo salverà. Tuttavia, la giovane età di Yoram, e la sua assoluta ignoranza di ciò che significa il loro legame, farà sì che Salvatore renda la vita di Yoram molto infelice, e il suo rifiuto lo metterà in pericolo, indebolendolo. Almeno fino a quando più di vent’anni dopo sarà costretto dalla necessità a recarsi a Miancarem e scoprire ciò che veramente li lega.
La storia d’amore di questi due personaggi comincia molto tardi nel libro, ma riesce a essere comunque coinvolgete. Vedremo nel frattempo Yoram dimostrarsi davvero un Alfa di valore, ripercorreremo parte della sua adolescenza e della sua amicizia con Korban, il figlio del precedente Alfa, così diverso dal padre. Insieme hanno cercato di porre rimedio al regime di paura e sopraffazione di Dirk, riuscendoci però solo in parte. Infine, la vigliaccheria di Keller lo ha portato alla morte, e Korban ha rivelato di non desiderare di prendere la guida del branco di Miancarem, perché il suo destino era altrove con il suo compagno. Yoram si trova così alla guida dei mutaforma di Miancarem, un clan povero che per la cattiva guida negli anni trascorsi non ha fatto niente per adeguarsi al mondo moderno. È un clan arretrato e senza grandi speranze, con alcuni individui che cercano la vendetta, pur sapendo che la morte di alcuni dei loro membri è da imputare al loro comportamento, ed è stato un atto di giustizia.
Vediamo Yoram comportarsi con grande umanità, deciso a far sentire, dopo tanto tempo, la sua gente al sicuro, avendo però sempre nel cuore quel compagno lontano, che lui ha aiutato per anni, senza mai essere ringraziato. Lo vediamo soffrire, essere costretto a procedure mediche dolorose, mentre i suoi doveri diventano sempre più pesanti, e i suoi amici e famigliari sono preoccupati per lui. È un personaggio bellissimo, non ha mai un attimo di acredine verso questo compagno che prende, prende senza mai dare nulla in cambio. Accetta quel legame che non gli porta nessuna gioia.
Non vi nascondo che Salvatore è un personaggio che ho odiato profondamente per buona parte del libro, almeno fino a quando Yoram, impossibilitato a lasciare il suo branco, non può più provvedere ai suoi bisogni e il vampiro si trova messo alle strette. E durante il loro incontro, quando finalmente si trovano faccia a faccia e Yoram è un adulto e non più un ragazzino, ci si accorge che Salvatore ha vissuto in fondo una vita miserabile, e della sua nuova condizione in realtà sa pochissimo. Non ha mai capito perché una volta trasformato non abbia mai avuto desideri sessuali, né perché nutrirsi sia sempre stato così orribile: è al centro di un legame che non capisce, di cui non sa nulla. È vero, hanno tentato di spiegarglielo, ma lui non è stato in grado di capire troppo lontano dal suo precedente modo di pensare, e del resto è un essere che ha contato sempre e solo su se stesso. È stato sicuramente egoista, almeno per la prima parte della vita di Yoram. Sicuramente è stato crudele quando lo ha rivisto a quattordici anni, ma fino al momento in cui lo ha avuto davanti nel fulgore della sua potenza di giovane uomo non ha percepito quell’attrazione e quel vincolo che li lega, e da quel momento le cose cambiano davvero, forse anche in modo troppo repentino. E si dimostrerà in grado di essere davvero un buon compagno.
Nonostante ci siano episodi che abbiamo già conosciuto, il libro ci regala davvero una bella storia, ci sono momenti molto divertenti, specialmente quando in scena appare Toby, il cugino di Yoram, deciso a fare in modo che quel zuccone di Salvatore capisca di dover fare la sua parte e smettere di essere egoista. Avremo modo di vedere come la famiglia Smith sia sempre pronta ad aiutarsi, e ci saranno molti momenti con Ethan e Miguel, che avranno una parte importante in questa storia e si dimostreranno degli zii amabili e premurosi.
Cardeno C. è un autore che amo moltissimo, e questa serie mi ha regalato ore di estremo relax in un mondo magico, popolato da Alfa forti e coraggiosi e vampiri affascinanti, legati da un amore unico ed eterno capaci di far sognare. Anche se, volendo, potreste leggerlo come stand-alone, io vi consiglio caldamente di cominciare dal primo di questa serie davvero bella e intrigante, che vi farà conoscere splendidi e meravigliosi personaggi e le loro fantastiche storie d’amore.
.
Lucia63 - per RFS
May 8, 2017
4.5 stars - Loved it!
So nice to have another great addition to the Mates series. The vampire/shifter pairing was perfect, though it was hard to watch Yoram (or Yorry as Sal calls him) be rejected by his true mate. He suffered for a long time without his mate, both in body and soul while they were parted. How they came together again was very satisfying for this romantic reader. A lot more story with pack dynamics and supporting characters which I won't go into. A couple from a previous book appear here, but I felt the story stood alone just fine. Very satisfying read!
So nice to have another great addition to the Mates series. The vampire/shifter pairing was perfect, though it was hard to watch Yoram (or Yorry as Sal calls him) be rejected by his true mate. He suffered for a long time without his mate, both in body and soul while they were parted. How they came together again was very satisfying for this romantic reader. A lot more story with pack dynamics and supporting characters which I won't go into. A couple from a previous book appear here, but I felt the story stood alone just fine. Very satisfying read!
August 8, 2017
Love this series....
***4.5 stars***
Okay, so Sal was an a**, but an a** you can eventually love ❤️. I am so sad that this seems to be the end of the series. I have grown to love not only the MCs of each book but some of the secondary characters as well. I loved Yoram's selflessness; truly awesome. So happy that everything worked itself out in the end for all.
***4.5 stars***
Okay, so Sal was an a**, but an a** you can eventually love ❤️. I am so sad that this seems to be the end of the series. I have grown to love not only the MCs of each book but some of the secondary characters as well. I loved Yoram's selflessness; truly awesome. So happy that everything worked itself out in the end for all.
July 9, 2018
“Who is he?”
“My adult supervision.”
Looking Toby up and down, Sal disbelievingly said, “Really?”
“We’re going by birth years, not maturity level,” Yoram clarified.
So, this was the final book in the Mates series, and although I loved it better than the first and second book, it did not quite overtake the third book. But it was still enjoyable none the less. Its slow burn towards the romance was almost on par with book one, the only difference was that in book one there were still intimate scenes, where in this book the intimate scenes only started about halfway through. Not that I minded, I was just expecting it to be more fast paced based on the previous books.
So, in the previous book, we met the possible new Alpha, Yoram Smith. When Yoram was seven he met his mate, Salvatore. The only problem was that Salvatore was dying. Being the true mate to Yoram convinced Miguel to save the dying businessman. Years go by, and Salvatore is living his not so exciting life as a vampire, craving something that he cannot find. Yoram knows he cannot be a good alpha without his stubborn mate but can’t bear being turned away again. But when Salvatore realizes the man who saved his life all those years before and has been saving his life for almost a decade since, it was time to return the favor.
I found the characters to be well suited for each other. Salvatore was the serious older man who wasn’t really living his life, but just existing. Yoram knew that he had to give his mate space and that hopefully, he would come to him like destiny intended. I loved that even when Sal didn’t always think he needed help, Yoram still gave it to him. Sal was the hard-headed vampire who wouldn’t let himself see the man that Yoram became, instead blinded by who he was when they first met. The way that Yoram didn’t push him to acknowledge their bond, but instead just let the older vampire see it for himself showed their relationship grows so well. I really liked this couple together, and this was the first time I loved some of the secondary characters like Toby. In previous books the secondary character wasn’t as prominent, but in this one, Toby was just very much involved and I have loved him for it. (which is funny because this isn’t the first book he was in, I think this was just the book where his character become someone other than the man married to Zev’s twin sister).
The plot was very much the same or like the other books in this series, where one of the MC’s doesn’t realize their bond. I think the only difference was that in this one I felt like the road towards that discovery took slightly longer than in the other books. I liked the slow burn romance aspect, but there were moments where the story felt slightly dragged on. But it wasn’t too bad considering I still finished this book in one sitting. Like always I enjoy this author straight to the point style of writing. It worked well in the previous books and worked just as well in this one.
Overall I liked The Mates series. I was slightly worried when I didn’t enjoy the first book as much as I thought I would, but it got better as the series progressed. Cardeno C remains a favorite author of mine so I will be reading more of her books in the future.
“My adult supervision.”
Looking Toby up and down, Sal disbelievingly said, “Really?”
“We’re going by birth years, not maturity level,” Yoram clarified.
So, this was the final book in the Mates series, and although I loved it better than the first and second book, it did not quite overtake the third book. But it was still enjoyable none the less. Its slow burn towards the romance was almost on par with book one, the only difference was that in book one there were still intimate scenes, where in this book the intimate scenes only started about halfway through. Not that I minded, I was just expecting it to be more fast paced based on the previous books.
So, in the previous book, we met the possible new Alpha, Yoram Smith. When Yoram was seven he met his mate, Salvatore. The only problem was that Salvatore was dying. Being the true mate to Yoram convinced Miguel to save the dying businessman. Years go by, and Salvatore is living his not so exciting life as a vampire, craving something that he cannot find. Yoram knows he cannot be a good alpha without his stubborn mate but can’t bear being turned away again. But when Salvatore realizes the man who saved his life all those years before and has been saving his life for almost a decade since, it was time to return the favor.
I found the characters to be well suited for each other. Salvatore was the serious older man who wasn’t really living his life, but just existing. Yoram knew that he had to give his mate space and that hopefully, he would come to him like destiny intended. I loved that even when Sal didn’t always think he needed help, Yoram still gave it to him. Sal was the hard-headed vampire who wouldn’t let himself see the man that Yoram became, instead blinded by who he was when they first met. The way that Yoram didn’t push him to acknowledge their bond, but instead just let the older vampire see it for himself showed their relationship grows so well. I really liked this couple together, and this was the first time I loved some of the secondary characters like Toby. In previous books the secondary character wasn’t as prominent, but in this one, Toby was just very much involved and I have loved him for it. (which is funny because this isn’t the first book he was in, I think this was just the book where his character become someone other than the man married to Zev’s twin sister).
The plot was very much the same or like the other books in this series, where one of the MC’s doesn’t realize their bond. I think the only difference was that in this one I felt like the road towards that discovery took slightly longer than in the other books. I liked the slow burn romance aspect, but there were moments where the story felt slightly dragged on. But it wasn’t too bad considering I still finished this book in one sitting. Like always I enjoy this author straight to the point style of writing. It worked well in the previous books and worked just as well in this one.
Overall I liked The Mates series. I was slightly worried when I didn’t enjoy the first book as much as I thought I would, but it got better as the series progressed. Cardeno C remains a favorite author of mine so I will be reading more of her books in the future.
June 4, 2019
3 e 1/2
"«Sai quale è il mio primo ricordo?» Yoram gli accarezzò un braccio. «Quel giorno fuori dal ristorante. Profumavi di arance e miele, e pensavo che sarei morto se non avessi saputo il tuo nome.»
«Questo è il tuo primo ricordo?»
«Mmmh-mmh. Ho cercato di pensare a qualcosa prima di allora, come una delle storie che ai miei genitori piace raccontare, ma non funziona. Non riesco a vederlo nella mia mente.» Appiattì i palmi contro il petto di Sal e incontrò il suo sguardo. «È come se non fossi esistito prima di quel giorno. Non c’è un me senza di te.»"
Si chiude con una nuova accoppiata mutaforma/vampiro (o dovrei dire mutaforma /umano-vampiro XD) la serie Mates che mi ha regalato tanti momenti da awwww che sono il marchio di fabbrica dell'autore ormai *ç* Essendo il capitolo conclusivo, questo libro in un certo senso si presenta più corale, riunisce gli altri protagonisti della serie (con una speciale menzione a Miguel ed Ethan, molto presenti e innamorati più che mai nonostante i decenni passati XD) e copre anche in parte le loro storie passate regalandoci qualche chicca (come il tanto sospirato POV di Korban agli inizi della sua relazione con Samuel *ç*). Si chiude il cerchio dopo la devastazione portata da Dirk Keller & family ed è chiaro che Yoram avrà le sue belle gatte da pelare per riunire un branco sfiduciato, rabbioso e devastato.... Nonostante il fantastico background e la costruzione di trama davvero ben fatta (seppur con tanti - forse troppi- elementi copiati dalle storie precedenti XD) questo ultimo capitolo a livello di coppia protagonista è quello che mi ha colpito meno, e il problema non è certo il dolce e coraggioso Yoram, quando la sua acida ed egoista dolce metà Sal XD Diciamolo, nella coppia c'è sempre lo scettico, quello che non capisce (o non vuole capire) il legame e fa resistenza e trascina la cosa per anni....come dimenticare il gelo di Samuel (e il suo perenne stato confusionario) o Miguel e le sue sanguinarie gesta (a suo favore si riprende subito però XD)? Tuttavia non credo si siano raggiunti mai i livelli di Sal, che ha fatto del rifiuto sprezzante e dell'indifferenza una vera forma d'arte! O.o Insomma, per una buona metà del libro Sal è uno Str*** con la S maiuscola, ha un modo di fare ingiustificabile, e speravo che qualcuno andasse a dargli un calcio dove non batte il sole una pagina sì e l'altra pure XD Ovviamente nella seconda metà gli cascano le proverbiali fette di prosciutto dagli occhi e si ravvede, ma l'odio per lui si era ben radicato in me e le deboli spiegazioni per giustificare il suo inqualificabile comportamento precedente non mi hanno convinto XD Ignorando la prima triste metà per il resto non posso onestamente lamentarmi di nulla...in fondo Cardeno è un maestro del genere per me ;D
"«Sai quale è il mio primo ricordo?» Yoram gli accarezzò un braccio. «Quel giorno fuori dal ristorante. Profumavi di arance e miele, e pensavo che sarei morto se non avessi saputo il tuo nome.»
«Questo è il tuo primo ricordo?»
«Mmmh-mmh. Ho cercato di pensare a qualcosa prima di allora, come una delle storie che ai miei genitori piace raccontare, ma non funziona. Non riesco a vederlo nella mia mente.» Appiattì i palmi contro il petto di Sal e incontrò il suo sguardo. «È come se non fossi esistito prima di quel giorno. Non c’è un me senza di te.»"
Si chiude con una nuova accoppiata mutaforma/vampiro (o dovrei dire mutaforma /umano-vampiro XD) la serie Mates che mi ha regalato tanti momenti da awwww che sono il marchio di fabbrica dell'autore ormai *ç* Essendo il capitolo conclusivo, questo libro in un certo senso si presenta più corale, riunisce gli altri protagonisti della serie (con una speciale menzione a Miguel ed Ethan, molto presenti e innamorati più che mai nonostante i decenni passati XD) e copre anche in parte le loro storie passate regalandoci qualche chicca (come il tanto sospirato POV di Korban agli inizi della sua relazione con Samuel *ç*). Si chiude il cerchio dopo la devastazione portata da Dirk Keller & family ed è chiaro che Yoram avrà le sue belle gatte da pelare per riunire un branco sfiduciato, rabbioso e devastato.... Nonostante il fantastico background e la costruzione di trama davvero ben fatta (seppur con tanti - forse troppi- elementi copiati dalle storie precedenti XD) questo ultimo capitolo a livello di coppia protagonista è quello che mi ha colpito meno, e il problema non è certo il dolce e coraggioso Yoram, quando la sua acida ed egoista dolce metà Sal XD Diciamolo, nella coppia c'è sempre lo scettico, quello che non capisce (o non vuole capire) il legame e fa resistenza e trascina la cosa per anni....come dimenticare il gelo di Samuel (e il suo perenne stato confusionario) o Miguel e le sue sanguinarie gesta (a suo favore si riprende subito però XD)? Tuttavia non credo si siano raggiunti mai i livelli di Sal, che ha fatto del rifiuto sprezzante e dell'indifferenza una vera forma d'arte! O.o Insomma, per una buona metà del libro Sal è uno Str*** con la S maiuscola, ha un modo di fare ingiustificabile, e speravo che qualcuno andasse a dargli un calcio dove non batte il sole una pagina sì e l'altra pure XD Ovviamente nella seconda metà gli cascano le proverbiali fette di prosciutto dagli occhi e si ravvede, ma l'odio per lui si era ben radicato in me e le deboli spiegazioni per giustificare il suo inqualificabile comportamento precedente non mi hanno convinto XD Ignorando la prima triste metà per il resto non posso onestamente lamentarmi di nulla...in fondo Cardeno è un maestro del genere per me ;D
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