Unexpected Mate

Dragon Goddess #2

by Sedona Ashe

With my mates by my side, it’s time to hunt down the one who destroyed my life.
I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew, but this time will be different! Right?
…Right?

My bond with Mithraheal, Luke, and Levi has unlocked more of my powers, and now I’m ready to hunt down the evil that destroyed my peaceful life. My determination and sheer power is formidable, but will it be enough for the coming battle?

My mates and I find unlikely allies in the wizards. Unexpected, but I’ll take whatever I can get! Among them is the nerdy genius Leo, who struggles to prove himself and gain the approval of the wizards. Little does he know that meeting me will change his life forever… and the mate bond will unlock even more secrets.

Of course, the beast in me is all about getting horizontal with her mates, while my brain is figuring out who to stab next. Revenge isn’t easy. Knowing who’s on my side isn’t simple. When things take a turn for the worse and our allies turn to adversaries, it seems that all hope is lost.

Ivo cannot resist the desperate call of his mate. Me. But will my dragon mate be able to get to us in time?

I’m going to destroy the evil that killed my parents.
I’m going to keep taking the mates that fate keeps throwing at me.
I’m going to get stronger, because failure is not an option.

Oh, and I’m going to love every second of it, because life’s too short to do anything but what you love. For me, that’s bonding with my mates and causing bloodshed.

The Dragoness inside me will fight to protect the world and her soulmates. Am I brave enough to break barriers, give in to my desires, and find the true source of my power?

Genres: Paranormal, Dragons, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Why Choose, Romance, Paranormal Romance

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2021

About the author

Sedona Ashe lives in a tiny town in Tennessee, near the Great Smoky Mountains. She enjoys reading and writing stories filled with powerful paranormal females, and sexy supernatural men. Sedona has a tea collection of over 300 teas from around the world, which her husband claims has become an obsession. When she isn't writing, she enjoys hiking, free diving, and photography. She shares her home with three kids, four pups, five cats, an arctic fox, chickens, a crazy turkey, and way too many reptiles!

Reviews

[Alex(Books-In-A-Storm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy shit the fucking creep. I want to kill them all for the shit they just pulled. I can't wait to read the next book after the way this one ended.

[Chantelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It lost 2 stars due to the Twat formerly known as Cage!!! 😡🤬

I thought he didn’t care what she was going to be at the start of book one. I assumed he’d come to his senses at the end of this book and was ready to be her 6th mate! The passionate and full on sex they had….to then turn into him looking at her in disgust, kidnapping her and throwing her in a cell! I can’t explain how much I want this “Ex Mate” to die a very painful death, as there’s no coming back from this! The sex was hard and fast and made her bleed, only to realise he was just using her and didn’t give 3 shits about her!!!!!! The only thing that could have been worse were any scenes describing him having sex with OW which thankfully there weren’t!! PS - sorry for ranting 🙈

[Andrea Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't wait until Cage gets his comeuppance. What a complete POS 😡.

[Cat H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 stars.
Oof. That ending was really rough on the emotions…
What an absolute toot noodle. (Don’t ask me what the fuck that is. I have no idea🫢 )

Anyway.
I’m hoping we get a couple more mates in the next book.
I love the Pokémon approach…very fun…

[KLynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75
I was reading the reviews for book 3 and a reviewer said that the book was sloppy. This is exactly how I felt reading book two.

Sloppy writing = when things are thrown in without logical connectors.

Ex. - She dies in battle and then miraculously a new character shows up and saves her.
Ex. 2 - All her mates know she's in a weakened state, but suddenly she is all alone and able to be kidnapped? ... Really?
Ex. 3 - Anytime she gets into a situation, all the sudden a new power emerges with no buildup or foreshadowing.

I might be skipping book three :(

[Sammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I hated everything about this, including the over-the-top emo audio narration.

BUT... If you normally enjoy this kind of book, chances are you'll like it, so don't let my lack of enjoyment put you off.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tia now stands on the brink of war, accompanied by her mates, Mithraheal Luke and Levi, with whom she has formed a strong bond. Haunted by nightmares of what is to come, Tia must grapple with the decisions that lie ahead to protect her fated ones and navigate this chaotic world. She will have to determine what, or who, she is willing to let go of.

In this second installment, two new mates are introduced: Leo, a non-magical wizard who is disrespected by his own kind, and Ivo, who has been waiting for thousands of years for someone of his own kind. The impending battle comes with significant losses, but these losses also bring new opportunities and the uncovering of knowledge that hints at more challenges ahead. Tia, now fully embracing her identity, must confront her past self—a beastly version of who she was—as well as her present and future, which involve finding a way to escape a cliffhanger ending.

Will there be another mate? Vengeance will play a role in what is to come. This book surpassed the first in quality, and I found myself laughing at certain moments, feeling the strong connections between each chosen mate, and experiencing deep frustration at the betrayals. I can't wait to pick up the last installment and discover what is brewing—or, more accurately, what the outcome of it all will be.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The ending of this book was killer!! I never leave any kind of spoilers in my reviews but it is extremely hard this time because I want to rant and rage. I won't but I really want to. I can't wait to read the next book.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent story 👏

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. So the ending of the last one and the ending of this one seriously
Seriously

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

So main reason this isbgetting 2 stars and not 3 like the orevious despite being a fair bit better in many ways is the literal violation/rape in it which i dont recall seeing any trigger warnings for AT ALL hell maybe i missed it and idk i gave the first book a bit of a free pass for the juvenille novella story feel overall but this one is really... continuing that frustrating trend of wishy washy feeling that really has a mary sue/too stupid too love element that grows my annoyance with the MC more and more.

Like it was annoying in the first book but she has the excuse of basically a baby naive af despite claiming to be like badarse or whatever idk theres a whole issue with that backstory but im not even gonna bother opening that can of worms.

Anyway im disappointed like a lot and really sorta idk disgusted/upset at the crude and realistically violent portrayal of rape in this book when like i was super not prepared mentally emotionalky etc for thag shit and frankly its all around a bit of a whiplash like headache reading this.

Because theres only one book left i figure fuck it ill finish the series and hope theres some element of redemption that will wash the bad taste out of my mouth but yeah im not exactly gonna be holding my breath either since the authors books seem to have this very toxic relationship matyr TSTL type female lead and apparently it isnt limited to her but did you die series which is still ongoing but apparently the formula of dumb hoe and her dudes who either thing the sun shines out of her arse or think shes less than shit on their shoe is her RH plotline and frankly i hate bully romance i sure as shit dont like toxic evil type dark romance. I mean enemies to lovers is one thing if done well but bully is almoat always horrid and then add dark toxic bs to it its just sick and not in a people have different tastes sorta thing but in a seriouly go grt help and dont spread this shit to vulnerable people reading this thinking thats healthy at all or ever forgivable. If you want to do dark depraved taboo or toxic type shit do a smut novella or erotica novel not a fucking fantasy romance trilogy. Christ.

RIP my sanity. Lets hope 80 percent of the people are killed off in the next book so i dont have to imagine it to get some sort of carthartic justice like stress relief after reading this book.

[Brittany Duszczyszyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to give this book 4 stars until that last chapter!

I was liking the book she found a new mate Leo who was just the sweetest person ever!

Leo is a none magical wizard 🧙‍♂️
He’s a computer wiz and treated as inferior by his community just because he was born with no magic. They are given no rights, basically used as slaves with zero rights just because they don’t have magic. Including sex slaves 😳🤢

It seemed very far fetched that the The wizard council changed the rules really fast like way to fast, never has any ruling force ever given up their free slave labour without a fight! Just because she treated to not work with them… oh never mind they were back stabbing her all along, just using her to kill a common enemy before putting a knife in her.

She was stabbed and died but her dragon mate who had been asleep in a volcano for centuries woke when he felt his mate dying, he healed her and her other mates before fully bonding. So now she has 5 mates. And she had to let her dragon fully take over her body & they had a fight over her body.

Then they got a letter that they had to show up to a ball for all magical creatures, where Leo found out his Ernie’s long lost son so they went off to speak.. then the wolves were asked to speak to a pack & her vampire had to speak to his parents leaving her with just her dragon until there was a fight that she had to break up & he was split up from her.

Leaving her alone! 🤦‍♀️ weak and in heat then if course as she’s in a room changing. Cage the Alpha that was an asshole that she broke the mate bond with came into the room when she was alone & convinced her he made a mistake and asked for forgiveness.

This chapter didn’t sit well with me, yes I understand it wasn’t rape but just like how drugs and alcohol and impact someone’s consent… her being in heat like that it didn’t feel like she could properly give consent. Also even in the middle of the “act” consent can be revoked and you have the right to say no or stop, he was trying to cause physical violence towards her and using her as an object I felt so sick from this scene!

[Raven9308 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this author really upped the ante! We had so much happen in this 2nd book of the trilogy and I will try not spoil anything for you all BUT OH EM GEE!

We get to meet another mate of Tia's and boy is he is the yummiest of them all! I love she is adding creatures from the different factions pretty much, makes sense since she is so powerful she needs all of them to anchor her and help her keep the power under control. We get more amazing paranormal details with more of her powers coming to light, more shifts if you know what I mean, and how they all can come together to try and defeat evil was so much fun. Now this story would be over too soon if there wasn't twists and turns, betrayals, etc. We meet new side characters, some good some bad, and some who are inner villains that finally show their true colors might surprise you. The author did a good job with diverting us readers' attention so when she threw the wrench in the plan we were left gasping haha.

We have to endure some tough scenes in this one, loses we don't see coming, injuries that will be hard to recover from. Again won't get too far into the details since I don't want to ruin it for anyone buuuuut you are going to be put through an emotional rollercoaster. The narrators do a great job with all the different voices, intonations, changes in personalities. I felt the emotions straight to my heart in some of the rough scenes. I also felt the elation with some and the fear and anger. I loved the interactions with the guys too. So much fun and heartwarming moments. We have to deal with a lot of sexy times and with a new mate that was interesting haha. I like how there isn't anything holding her back, appreciated the walls all finally coming down. I was so angry at the end and I couldn't wait to listen to book 3 to figure out how the traitors get their just rewards and they don't disappoint!

Still 4.5/5 stars from me, enjoyed this thrill ride and was sad to be getting close for it being over. Definitely will be picking every couple months to throw in some of these authors back catalog of series on audio, I enjoy these fun stories that pack a punch :)

[Seragrime · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I really want to make a point of saying that this book is much better written than the first. It really shows that the author has had a lot of growth between books.

Sadly though, this book was just as much a stuggle to get throguh as the first. There just isn't enough depth to the core relationships to keep me invested and nothing is really solidifying plotwise. The FMC is stronger due to a plot mandated power surge but we don't see her really honing her skill, expanding on it as the author glosses over everything but a few spars and ultimately she is just as weak and naive as she was in the first book.

Having her heat cycle at this point in the series just further pushes this series into the porn without (much) plot, which is fine for some readers but I started this series for the interesting plot; the idea of learning more about this unique world and seeing how the FMC and her mates would reshape it into something different.

Her blindly accepting Cage back was the final nail in the series for me. It made absolutely zero sense for any of her mates to leave her at a time they knew she was weakened and vulnerable but it was beyond all reason for all of them to leave her, especially when our super trained, knows full well people want to kill her FMC doesn't even find it the slightest bit suspious that the mate who refused her suddenly shows up when she's all by herself.

I know the heat/bond combo was supposed to be responsible for her bad decision to have sex with him then and there but every single thing about it felt forced. Why bother breaking them up if you're just going to write her as the wilting flower he wanted all along? And where the hell was his wolf? He had the ability to completely lock the human part of Cage away before but apparently has no issue with what Cage has planned?

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cozy dark romance?

Really 4 and a half stars. Multiple first person pov. I think entirely in the US, though several not clearly identified places. Cliffhanger, and 3 or 4 chili peppers spice. Some dark kink. There were enough editing issues that it was starting to bother me, but the book was interesting enough not to take a star off for it. One example was that during the big battle she split her magic in 6, to send to her mates on the battlefield, yet there were only 4 there. And choosing to send that power to a rejected mate seems like the most unwise thing to do in that situation, and totally out of character. In addition there were others that were more mundane phrases that had clearly been rewritten, but not properly proofed after that. We are fully into plot twists, betrayal and deceit. I could wish for slightly more character development, though the somewhat chaotic story telling fits somewhat with the bewilderment of the Tia. What I don't get is how her mates, at least 2 of whom are old and ancient, were not better prepared for the books finale, why none were "listening in", and why Ivo was so easily drawn off. It just felt out of character. also, the book could have easily been divided between the 1st and 3 rd book, a natural break was right after the battle. It would also have been a proper cliffhanger for the first book. I am realizing we have not had the mates' pov of the end yet, and there could be a reason for their absence. Right now the end just feels like a vehicle to meet her 6th (?) mate. I know, the story did not specify it, but all the signs are there.

[Chelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Needs a trigger warning!!

I am shocked that the author didn't give this book a trigger warning. There are some serious lines crossed here and readers deserve to be warned. This review will be full of spoilers, so skip it if you don't want spoilers.

This needs a warning for grape. Tia's former mate kidnaps her and grapes her in this book. She thinks they're getting back together but he takes advantage of her and intentionally tries to get her pregnant so he can be the father of the most powerful supernatural.

Also, I really hate the cop out of making the ex the villain. At the end of book 1 she had severed their ties and was moving on. He was a jerk but mostly they just weren't a good fit. Then all of a sudden in this book he's a villain who commits the most unforgivable sin against her.

The writing style is awful. Everything is told to the read, never shown. Any problems are unrealistically solved in a matter of paragraphs. There is no character development whatsoever. I ended up skimming a lot of this. I even skipped over the steamy scenes. The author seems to have an issue with swear words. Everything becomes a joke, even the steamy scenes. Seriously, I learned that nothing will pull me out of a steamy scene faster than using the term "organ of penetration." Like what? Call it a duck. Call it a rooster. Anything but that!

I'll skim the last book, just because I hate dnfing series. But I absolutely do not recommend this book to anyone and the author needs to put some trigger warnings on this book.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ends on a Confusing Cliffhanger

Spoiler alert…don’t keep reading this if you don’t want to be spoiled…

Still here? Ok. Cage was always positioned as a one-dimensional character. Initially, he was characterized as a tough, but fair leader who truly believed in the concept of soulmates. Yes. His wolf, as he mentioned, is a menace. But this same wolf wants Tia from the beginning. It’s Cage the man who rejects her. He leaves. Walks away. From the one person he wanted. Waited his life for…then what? Came back into her life, tricked her into sleeping with him, *cough*DubiousConsent*cough* To what? Impregnate her? When all of her other mates have already been servicing her quite nicely and often? To be this evil. To hurt her like this…because she wasn’t a submissive, barefoot and pregnant mate? I don’t buy it. It was a flimsy excuse when he left. It’s a really flimsy excuse now as he’s positioned as the Big Bad. And why? Because she wasn’t the kind of mate he wanted? She broke the mate bond. He was essentially free. He apparently was with other women. Why the cruelty? It just doesn’t add up.

As much as I enjoyed the series, it’s so rushed. The character development - even for Tia - is just not there. It’s all “resolved” so easily and yet I still don’t quite know what is at stake here. Hopefully, the final(?) book gives us an idea and far more character development than we’ve gotten so far.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

My apologies for going against my usual outline here, but I just don't feel like it's worth it. I wasn't thrilled with this series and only finished the third book because I was away and didn't have anything else loaded on my kindle. But enough about me...onto the book.

The book starts out foreshadowing EXACTLY what is about to happen, so you know...before you know. I will admit though, halfway through the book I was taken for an unexpected turn and was shocked at the unexpected turn of events....dare I say I may have even welled up a little.

HOWEVER....the annoyingly short sentences, missed words and conjunctions, and sentences where you can tell the author was about to say one thing but forgot to delete then still added the new idea....were all entirely frustrating. For example: "I have simply been guiding you as you while you adjusted to the changes."

In the end though, despite another slight surprise, I was even more so irritated with the trajectory of the storyline. Reason being...with how the characters have been developed, there is absolutely NO WAY the MFC's men would've allowed for such a situation to occur. It just would not have happened, so it didn't make sense in my opinion.

[ForTheLoveOfBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

🤬😡🤬😡🤬(Spoilers🚨)

Inn be love how unconventional this storyline is. Of course it has parts that are a part of your normal tropes but then there are parts that you just don’t see coming.

So I kind of the dream from the beginning was a vision of things to come. And I had a feeling that Draven knew what was going on and the wizards were some cowards. To say this book pissed me off is an understatement. And it’s not because of the writing it was the asinine characters. Of course they are what is making this book so worth the read.

I’m glad that Tia recognizes that she needs to become more ruthless as Beasty suggested. Because she is so damn gullible it’s irritating. She wants to be loved so badly and see the good in so many that she can’t focus on what is really happening or what she needs to do to ensure the overall safety of all. And it was driving me crazy.

Lastly, CAGE IS A BIATCH. Of the highest order. I have so many explicit words for his little punk self. Oooo I just want punch his face and cut things off his body. And I know once Luke and Levi find out about Cage that dudes life will be void. I might even do a little happy dance when it happens. 💃💃💃

[Leaanne Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. I get bored of the spice when it's used to fill a page, so i just ended up skipping it.

Her non magic mate is now a warlock, which is rare, so he'll need training. That's all. No, we need to help him train. Get him guidance, not even really say how he's feeling or coping.

We will acknowledge wolfy can't talk. That's the end of that bit.

Ooo, i have a dragon mate. He'll tell me his name, but that's it. We'll give you no backstory or history.

Oh, and I've now merged and gonna get all these memories that im never gonna bring up because I've got to learn control we i instantly have and gonna go in heat and have lots of sex.

Then im gonna go to a party and ge myself kidnapped by my first mate and all these ther fractions we've never mentioned having issues with and meet a potentially new mate that we dont know about cos we got no powers at the minute.

Oh, and of course, with the talk of pregnancy, we'll probably find out at the start of the next book she is, in fact preggers.

Meh !

[Alonna Irizarry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why choose/ shifter/ paranormal Trigger warning/ OW drama/ fated mates/ found family/ cliffhanger

Trigger warning: violence/ assault/ murder/ kidnapping/ betrayal

Wow the end of this book was heart wrenching. The switch up of Cage’s personality was totally unexpected and I’m not sure how successful the author was at making the reader conclude that this is a believable change in his demeanor from the first book. Something just felt off about it. Like we needed another bad guy at the expense of a plausible and complex relationship between Cage and Tia. The book could have explored Cage’s reservations with having such a powerful mate and coming to terms with that. A good lesson would have been that just because the life he had dreamed to have with his mate not going to happen, it doesn’t make their relationship any less valuable.

[Pamela Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book G view!

OMG!!! This series just get a better and better!! Sedona Ashe, you are totally rocking my reading world!! I can't believe you are a new author!! Your writing is just amazing!! You must have been born a storyteller! The END is growing into her powwrs, and oh what powers they are!! SHE is a magnificent dragon, and her all her mate truly do match her exactly!! There's a big shock right at the end of this book. And I was fuming and when I read it!! Once again the storyline rolls on without pause, and parts of it made me hold my breath, praying it would work out!! I'm diving right into the 3rd and final book after I've finished this review, so all I will say is, ladies, you need to read this!! You won't be sorry!!!!

[Kristin Usher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

This is quite an enjoyable series. Its written with humour and its interesting. Tia is feisty and strong willed and I feel for her mates. I'm definitely interested in reading book 3 and see how Tia gets out of her current situation. This book actually reminds me a little of the Aurora Marelup series, but maybe not quite as crazy.
What does let this book down a little is the typos and editing. There was a section where the word accessed with used instead of assessed a numberof times and there are a number of other typos. Could definitely benefit from some proofreading and corrections.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

there’s another war brewing! you don’t wanna be on the dragoness bad side!

Another amazing book to this incredible series!

Sedona Ashe you sneaky minx with that twist and shocking turn of events

I have to admit I love Damien in this series, he’s not apart of our dragoness mates but he fits so well in the family circle
You need his character and he is so much fun!

Some of the phases that are spoken through this book has had me laughing to tears

The last few chapters were a shocker and I’m feeling for our dragoness
I don’t wanna know what she can do and I’m so happy to be there for the ride!

It’s another must read from me 😁

[Brooklyn Van Antwerp · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD!!!!!

I am so mad right now. What Cage did to Tia is unacceptable. I hope to god she rips out his heart.
Anyway, I’m obsessed! Tia is such a strong woman. Not only is she having to deal with growing as a dragon, but she also has to deal with people tricking her and finding her mates. I know that Tia will get out of the situation she is in right now, because she is so damn strong.
I’m in love with her mates! Luke is still my favorite! But honestly I love all of them. Each of them provide Tia with what she needs.
I can’t wait to see what happens next and how Tia’s story ends!!

[thebookcritic_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

the blurb/description gave the book away

I feel like the blurb gave a lot away! Especially for the book to be so short. Like the blurb literally told us what happened in the book. I may be nitpicking but I’ve never heard of a dragons nest. It’s a den or lair. The instalove is crazy. Like only spoke to each other once and we’re in love. Why did Ivo’s dragon start speaking to him? Leo is a gem!! And Damien is hilarious.

That setup was so predictable. Cage doesn’t deserve a second chance. I don’t even see how she loved him. He did nothing to deserve forgiveness. Just a dumb decision. Grammar issues.

[Angelina Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of excitement and a great read

Absolutely loved the book. Very well written and easy to follow. Lots of new characters with tons of steamy parts. Only thing that I did not like is that now I have to wait for the third book to see how things work out. I am not a patient person but I know good things come to those that wait and this author has not disappointed in any way. Can not wait to read the next part of the story. Highly recommend this author if you like paranormal stories.

[LaneyDay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better then the first book!

I really like the premise of this book, but was not a huge fan of book 1. It just felt a bit thin. P0
This one was a lot better. More fleshed out, story, and characterwise.
I also really appreciate when an author does something different. I feel like a lot of RH stories are always too hasty in redeeming its male romantic leads. Maybe they can't be..
It's way more interesting, and believable to think that even in an RH story not all love will last.
I'm really looking forward to reading book 3.

[Princess J. Antoinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't Get Wrong...

Okay, while I'm pleased this heroine got rid of one villain, and I realized there were going to be more but damn, I'm kinda getting sick of her being kidnapped. Sedona, we need a new trick here because it's getting boring already. Now don't get wrong I still have love for this series, and I still feel the love for our heroes and heroine but I'm hoping when I jump into book three that this storyline picks up and we have more heroine kickass action and less of her being a freaking victim (eye roll)..

Overall Rating:
3.5* ~ Egh, It Was Good

[Annelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still not convinced

I still have this weird feeling reading this serie but maybe it's the author writing style that I dislike? 🤔
Tia was adding more mates in this book and had to lived through the merge of her and her beast.
Overall, nothing really original or thrilling happened in this book except at the end. I had the feeling that I had already read similar stories or at least felt the same emotions reading other books. It was even a bit boring sometimes...sorry🤷🏻‍♀️
But still, it was good enough to make me want reading the last volume😊