Review: In Your Eyes

In Your Eyes by Cardeno C.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Title: In Your Eyes
Author: Cardeno C.
Series: Mates, Book 3
Narrator: Charlie David
Publisher: The Romance Authors
Audio Release Date: 10-26-15
Release Date: July 15th 2015, 2nd Edition
Genre(s): Male/Male Romance, Paranormal/Shifters
Audio Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
Reviewed by: JLoves2Read for Gay Book Reviews and Alpha Book Club
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 5+ stars out of 5
Blurb:

Two very different men with a tumultuous history must overcome challenges from all sides and see past their society's rules to realize they are destined for one another.
Raised to become alpha of the Yafenack pack, Samuel Goodwin dedicates his life to studying shifter laws, strengthening his body, and learning from his father. But despite his best efforts, Samuel can't relate to people, including those he's supposed to lead.
When Samuel meets Korban Keller, the son of a neighboring pack's alpha, he reacts with emotion instead of intellect for the first time in his life. Resenting the other shifter for throwing him off-balance, Samuel first tries to intimidate Korban and then desperately avoids him. What he can't do is forget Korban's warm eyes, easy smile, and happy personality.
When a battle between their fathers ends tragically, Samuel struggles to lead his pack while Korban works to break through Samuel's emotional barriers.

To say that I am a fan of Cardeno C. would be putting it to lightly, Add Charlie David as a narrator and you have a masterpiece. Each book by Cardeno C. is written with such vivid description the reader will not only read the story but they will live the story! The quality of Charlie David's performance is excellent. His cadence and inflection literally make you feel as if you are living the story. I was immediately taken in by the story, characters, and theme and I devoured the book both written and audio straight through!

We meet the two main characters of this story as they are at a inner-pack meeting accompanying their fathers, the current Alpha’s, so they can learn and gain experience to use when they are Alpha’s of their packs. Yep, both of the boys are expected to grow up and one day be Alpha’s of two different packs! But that is not all that could potentially keep these two apart.. no it gets much more complicated as they grow up, I loved this scene when the two first meet --

“I’m Korban Keller.” He smiled so broadly his nose crinkled a little. “What’s your name?” I glanced up at my father to see if he could help me figure out how to deal with the unexpected interrogation, but he was busy talking with the other adults. “I’m Samuel Goodwin,” I said eventually.
I hated being called Sam. I also hated being asked questions when I didn’t know why they were being asked. And I didn’t like people poking their noses in my business. But on the other hand, I worried it’d be considered rude if I didn’t answer. I’d have to work with this boy one day because I’d be Alpha of my pack, he’d be Alpha of his pack, and my father said getting along with people was important. I wasn’t sure why or if I agreed, but he was a smart man and I tried to listen to him.
“I’m eight.” “Cool. I’m eleven.” He kept grinning and looking at me. I wondered if I was supposed to say something or if we were done talking and he’d go away so I could stop feeling nervous and focus on my dad’s conversation. “You want to go play, Sam?”
“It’s Samuel!” I snapped. His eyes widened in surprise, but that reaction to my obvious annoyance. “Do you want to go play, Samuel?” I looked him over and tried to figure out what he was doing.
“They have a football in the back.” I stared at him. “And the yard is really big.” Big as in big enough that nobody would hear me if I got hurt? Was he threatening me? “But if you don’t like football, they have checkers too.” Why wouldn’t I be able to play football? I was one of the strongest boys in my grade and, yes, Korban was bigger than me, but that was only because he was older. “If you like checkers.” He smiled again, but it wasn’t as big that time. There was something softer about it. “It’s okay if you don’t.” Oh, so now I wasn’t strong enough for football and I wasn’t smart enough for checkers. The nerve of that guy! “We can shift instead. I bet we can find good stuff to sniff when we’re in our wolf forms.” The conversation made me uncomfortable. He made me uncomfortable. I felt off-balance and confused, which was probably exactly what he intended. No way was I wandering off with him away from my father and the other adults. No way. “I don’t think I’m supposed to—”

And that is how Korbin and Samuel's story begins.

As stated, this story follows two different Packs, The Miancarem and The Yafenak Packs as we watch the two future Alpha's of the Packs, meet, grow up, deal with tragedy and finally come to recognize they are True Mates. To find a True Mate is rare, to find a True Mate of another Pack who is meant to be Alpha, oh and yeah who is the same sex as you - well that leaves the realm of rare and many feel enters the area of unnatural.

Thankfully these two are not the only shifters to find themselves in unusual situations they have heard the Alpha of the Etzgadol Pack Zev is also mated to a male, a male who isn't even all shifter but half "half-soul" - so Samuel and Korbin understand that while their mating may not be usual -- it is perfectly acceptable and they are each other's other half.

Another Highly Recommended Story from The Mates Series by Cardeno C. Please note that although this is a series each book is complete and can be read in any order. I would however recommend reading and/or listening to them in order at least once; if you are like me this series will be one you revisit.

Audio Copy Provided by Author for an honest review.



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