Book Reviews

Book Blurb

The line between order and chaos, heartbreak and happily ever after, has never been thinner… or more tempting to cross.

Alpha shifter Matt Urban is always in control. He has to be. Keeping his territory, his pack, and himself tightly leashed is the only way to protect his precarious peace. So when a defiant, smart-mouthed lone wolf stumbles into his territory, Matt’s first instinct is to drive him out. His second instinct? Quite the opposite, unfortunately…

Jesse Turner learned a long time ago that his safety depends on never belonging to anyone. No packs. No family. And definitely no bossy, overbearing, disturbingly hot alphas. Which means he should stay as far away from Matt as possible. Too bad doing what he should has suddenly lost all appeal…

It's not long before Matt will have to decide how far he’s willing to go to protect the mate he never wanted, and Jesse will need to decide if running from Matt is survival, or the biggest mistake of his life.

Easy, right?

Try impossible…

An Impossible Mate kicks off Strength of the Pack—a complete series of character-driven MM fated-mates romances with standalone love stories, an overarching series plot, slow-burn tension, and shifters who absolutely do not talk about their feelings (until they do).
Content note: This series includes material that some readers may find upsetting. Full details are available on the author’s website, with a link in the book sample.

First edition published at Siren Publishing, October 2013. This novel is a substantially reworked and expanded new edition of the novella originally published

 

Book Review

A pack of outcasts and misfits? An alpha who doesn’t really want to lead? A shifter who has no idea how to recognize pack territory nor any knowledge of sifter history? Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but I have to say I ended up really liking the story. Partly because the characters were great, each with their own little quirk (or two), and partly because I just like stories with a mysterious history and a group of men who have to fight for their right to exist.

Jesse is not just an amazing survivor, he also has a great sense of humor and doesn’t obey just anyone’s orders. I couldn’t help but feel for him – he’s a shifter who was found wandering the streets when he was seven, didn’t remember where he was from or who his family was, and didn’t find out he was a shifter until he was fourteen and shifted accidentally. Then his foster parents kicked him out and he’s been running ever since. Now he feels this strong attraction to Matt yet he wants to keep his independence. Yep, sparks fly all over the place, for many reasons, as soon as Jesse appears somewhere. But the internal fight with himself and what he never admitted to himself before – that he wants to belong – is the hardest on him.

Matt may be an alpha, but he never envisaged leading his own pack. I loved how he tries to establish law and order at home, just like in his job as town sheriff. But with a bunch of individualists that is a tall order.  Still, he does an admirable job until Jesse comes along and derails all of them. Matt doesn’t want a mate, having lost the man he loved years ago, but there is not much he can do. Attraction is attraction, and his struggle as he tries to resist is a lost battle from the start, Not that he minds very much once he gets used to the idea – and the sheet-melting activities Jesse and him get up to.

If you like shifter stories with deep, dark secrets and a villain out to rule the world, or at least all the shifters in it, if you like reading about strong and stubborn men who battle it out before they get together, and if you’re looking for a light read that is as entertaining as it is hot, then you will probably like this novella.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 256 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	29-January-2026
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GDM9TRSL