Three hot stories about sexy shifters from a trio of today’s hottest paranormal romance authors, headlined by bestselling authors Eve Langlais and Milly Taiden! Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais When Becka manages to escape her kidnapper, she finds herself asking help of the man with the nice brown eyes. Stavros can’t say no, not when he knows Becka is his mate, but he does have one dilemma when … he does have one dilemma when it comes to claiming her. He’ll have to find a way for her to bear his touch.
Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden
Looking for a mate to bring to a party? Wedding? Holiday gathering? Mates Fur Hire is right for you? But what happens when your fake mate ends up being your real one, from New York Times bestselling author Milly Taiden!
The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress by Kate Baxter
For centuries, Lowman, Idaho has been Ellie Curtis’s prison. A vengeful witch cursed her with immortality and locked her within the confines of Lowman’s borders, sealing Ellie off from most of civilization for eternity. She’s learned to make the most of it. But when she meets a cocky werewolf who’s part of the elite supernatural law enforcement group, all bets are off…
Colin instantly knew that Ellie was his mate, but when he discovers her secret, he’s determined to help set her free. But in doing so, he might just lose the one thing he knows he can’t live without…
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This anthology is a good mix of three different shifter stories to include bears and wolves plus throw in an evil witch who curses the human female and it makes for an entertaining read. They were long enough to suck you into the story and end with a happily ever after.
My Thoughts – 5 out of 5 Unicorns – I loved it!!!
***I choose what I read and review based on what intrigues me!! Yes, I got a review copy of this book, but no one tells me what to think, feel, or write about any book! I haven’t bought this one yet, but I will, probably in paperback.
This in the next book in the Fur series by 3 wonderful authors. I thought that last book I read with these 3 authors was the 2nd book in the Fur series, but now it says this is the 2nd book. It is always so confusing, but they are wonderful stories. Each story is a unique world created by the author. These stories are the 3rd stories in each of the worlds.
In the first story, Bearing His Touch, Becka escapes and bumps into Stavros who realizes she is his mate. He enlists some help from the family to keep her safe. It was a fabulous story that I couldn’t put down. Lots of twists and turns where you didn’t know what would happen next. It was mysterious and Stavros’ family is just awesome!
In the 2nd story, Fake Mated to the Wolf, it is rather comical how the two of them can’t see to get their acts together. There was drama, action, and danger. It was another awesome story in this series. I loved reading this story and couldn’t put it down either.
In the 3rd story, The Witch, The Werewolf, and The Waitress, Colin and Ellie start with a bang in their argument. There is all sorts of drama and misunderstandings with these two, but they eventually figure it out.
All 3 stories were a great read! I hope there is more to these series because they are all great worlds that I want more of!
I highly recommend to any shifter fans especially if you already love these great authors! I love when you can get 3 great stories in one amazing book!
In the Mood Fur Love by Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden, Kate Baxter is a compilation of short stories centering on shifters finding their mates. I am torn when faced with short stories. Reading novellas are an excellent way to sample new authors.
I enjoyed two stories out of the three. Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais has charming characters. The bear shifters are quite hilarious, and there is a unique take on vampirism. Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden was, unfortunately, not engaging to me. The dramatic undertone did not grip me. I felt the lack of full novel development most here. Perhaps if I knew these characters a little better, the struggle would interest me more. The Witch, the Werewolf and the Waitress by Kate Baxter was also enjoyable. I suspected as much, having read prior novels from this author, and her short story did not disappoint. A bonus was the setting takes place in my neck of the woods, which rarely happens in popular fiction.
Every couple experiences what is close to love at first sight. The men are very alpha, and the women slightly subservient. These are not bad traits, but, short stories can lack substance leaving the genre cliches more prominent. Overall I did enjoy In the Mood Fur Love. I was provided an ARC copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. I encourage all readers to form their own opinions.
I enjoyed all three stories which are basically paranormal romances with some action adventure thrown in to the mix. The length probably did adfect how quickly some of the romances developed but on the whole all of the stories were quite entertaining and a good window for each author’s writing style.
Really enjoyed The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress by Kate Baxter. It was exciting!
Eve Langlais- 4 stars!!!
Bearing His Touch
This is Stavros story and I freaking loved it!!!! Hilariously funny and witty and the most important part? He is a BEAR!!!! Love me some bears, Lol. Stavros meets his mate, Becka who has recently escaped her kidnapper and has to learn to be gentle with her, after her captivity. Stavros was awesome and we find out some great secrets about Becka and her family. Awesome read!!!
Milly Taiden- Fake Mated to the Wolf
2 stars
This is Shawna and Hawke’s story. This was an okay read for me. Not my favorite, I read it and it was just okay. That’s it.
Kate Baxter-The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress. 3 stars
In this next read, Owen’s brother, Colin finds his mate. Ellie has been cursed by a witch to live forever, stuck to the land. I’m just a bit confused when she starts off about how long she has been stuck there. At first, she says 100 years, then it became 200 years, then at the end 300 years? Huh? So yeah, other than that, it was a good read.
Overall all three stories rate a 3.5 stars.
*****ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press thru NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*****
In the Mood Fur Love: 3 book anthology
1) Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais
This was a fun and interesting story full of Ms. Langlais’ signature humour and heat. 5 stars
2) Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden
Good story with Ms. Taiden’s usual snark and super smexy-times (I did find myself skipping a few of those extremely descriptive scenes just to move the story along.) 3 3/4 stars
3) The Witch, the Wolf, and the Waitress by Kate Baxter
I’m just starting to read books by this author but I’m enjoying her style of writing and her characters. 3 3/4 stars
I really enjoyed each of the books in this anthology and give it 4 stars overall. I hope there will be more anthologies in the future.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias.
In The Mood Fur Love
BEARING HIS TOUCH: Eve Langlais
Becka has been held hostage and abused for a month when one day she manages to get away, run for her life and run into Stavros (bear-shifter) who immediately knows she is his mate and is compelled to do all in his power to keep her safe. This is a fun read that includes humans and paranormal creatures and is quirky and funny and definitely left me with a smile on my face. I am still smiling at the variation in fairytales that were-bears tell their children.
FAKE MATED TO THE WOLF: Milly Taiden
Shawna has family, work and money problems so when her inept and nasty boss fires her life becomes even more difficult. She does have good friends who stand beside her and a man who knows she is his fated mate BUT getting her to see it is so takes some doing on his part. Enjoyable read with a HEA for Shawna and Hawke.
THE WITCH, THE WEREWOLF, AND THE WAITRESS: Kate Baxter
This story had the feel of a fairytale with the princess cursed by a wicked witch. Ellie has lived for centuries after Witch Sarah cursed her. Her life has been long and lonely and she has endured but when Colin the werewolf shows up he realizes she is his mate and both their lives soon change bigtime. This story has a quest that if and when completed will impact both Colin and Ellie. Thoroughly enjoyed this story!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4 Stars
Hilarious, adorable, intriguing, and exciting boxed set
This boxed set has 3 never-before-published paranormal romance novellas that feature shifters. I am quite pleased by 2 out of the 3 novels, so I think it is an excellent anthology to buy.
1.) “Bearing His Touch” by Eve Langlais: 5 stars. I love this hilarious, adorable book! This is a real gem among shifter romance books. It is so funny and adorable. There are also some thrilling action scenes. The first chapter starts out dark and gritty (because human Becka escapes from being held captive by a psycho), but the atmosphere quickly lightens up after she gets rescued by Stavros. I adore Stavros. He is a bear shifter and a private investigator in a modern world where humans don’t know about shifters. Stavros’ heart is like a big marshmallow when he falls for his mate, Becka. He is so careful to make her feel safe and not startle her. Also, his internal monologue and his matchmaking family are hilarious! I also like and admire Becka. The minor characters are pricelessly unique, and I am definitely tracking down any related books concerning Stavros’ family members. Moderately steamy.
2.) “Fake Mated to the Werewolf” by Milly Taiden: 2 stars. I have never read anything by Milly Taiden before, but judging by this story, I hate this Paranormal Dating Agency series. I can’t deal with a hero by the ridiculous name of Hawke Hawke. The hero and heroine were stupid and overly stubborn. The heroine even endangered her mother’s health by refusing to ask her capable, rich friends for help. I couldn’t connect with any character at all.
3.) “The Witch, the Werewolf, and the Waitress” by Kate Baxter: 5 stars. It is longer than the other two novellas, probably novel length. This shifter romance is out of the ordinary and intriguing. The heroine’s magical predicament is quite unusual. The author has a talent for vivid, relatable characters. I also love the descriptions of the rugged landscape of Idaho. I had never read Kate Baxter’s work before, but now I definitely plan to do so again.
I received a free advanced reading copy from the publisher via Netgalley, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
I knew this would be a great book when I first saw the previews of who each author was. I am so glad I had a chance to read this one. All three stories are fun to read and follow an easy pace to follow. The characters are well matched with each other as well. I highly recommend taking a chance on this book!
These authors are back with more yummy reads.
Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais
First up we get a story with a woman named Becka who is being severely abused and her rescuer Stavros turns out to be her mate there is only one issue. Becka is human and Stavros not so much. Stavros will have his work cut out for him though trying to find Becka’s abusers while trying to stop Becka from running away. This story was all kinds of yummy we get suspense, funny and a lot of hot…
Fake Mate to the Wolf by Milly Taiden
Again another great story here.
Matchmaker strikes again in this one.
Loved it…
The Witch, the Werewolf, and the Waitress by Kate Baxter
I loved this one.
We get a woman who is more and cursed.
We get a male who knows he has found his mate
and now he has to break the curse before he loses her.
In this one I entered into worlds by authors I hardly get to read thanks to everything out there. This one is one that can not be resisted.
With Eve’s you get drama with Starvos and Becka that takes you to the edge. Their story will keep you captivated until you get all the answers.
In Milly’s you are given something different which is a plus for this threesome. Curiosity will play a big role in this one as you read it wanting to know yourself the answer to the questions presented. Hawke and Shawna will be the ones presenting the answers.
In Kate’s you will be given intriguing story with the law and whom is in prison but not a normal one at that. Ellie and Colin will bring this one front and center with the paranormal twist to the everyday. Secrets come to light which adds spice to it all.
In all the theme of mates was there which is paranormal ingredient in relationships that love has a hand in which gives you such a filling reading experience with them all.
I was so glad to see this book coming out. I had read stories by these 3 authors in The Big Alpha in Town and Thanks Fur Last Night so I was so excited to get the chance to read and review this book that I jumped right on it when I received it from Netgalley. I find it hard to review anthologies but here I go.
Book 1 is Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais. It starts out with Becka being in a very bad situation. She has been kidnapped and her Poppa has been killed. She meets Stavros when she was able to get away from the kidnapper. Stavros is a PI and a bear shifter. This was a fast-paced book with a lot happening. There’s some action of every kind going on from the first page to the last. The chemistry between these two is hot and very sexy but not overboard. I highly recommend this story.
Book 2 is Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden. Shawna has just been fired from her job! She was working for mateforhire.com and really enjoyed it. Hawke just happens to own the company that owns mateforhire and he also knows that she’s his mate. So, he decides there’s more than one way to get her to like him. This was such a good book that I couldn’t put it down. There’s a lot of action and
romance in here so you really need to get it.
Book 3 is The Witch, the Werewolf and the Waitress by Kate Baxtor. Ellie is a waitress at the Sourdough restaurant in Lowman. Her family had settled in the area long before the town was there. Ellie wanted to leave town and explore the world, but she was stuck in town for eternity thanks to a jealous witch in her past. Colin comes to town and their first meeting was in an explosive situation over a cinnamon roll. They meet again, and things begin to heat up. This was such a good book. I can’t wait to read more by her.
In the Mood Fur Love combines 3 amazing authors and my favorite trope: fated mates! Woohoo!!! Bearing His Touch brings all the campiness that Langlais is known for, plus the hijinks of bear shifters! There is even a bit of suspense! Overall, perfect for a quick binge.
Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden was not my favorite because there were a lot of misunderstandings; that is my least favorite plot device. But, I liked Hawke and Shawna so in the end, it was a 3 star read!
Finally, The Witch, the Werewolf, and the Waitress by Kate Baxter was a bit heavier than the other two. Baxter’s book didn’t have an undercurrent of humor or levity which isn’t a bad thing, but you have to be in the mood for a story like this. Ellie’s story is sad and her loneliness is palpable! It was a sweet story though and I enjoyed it!
So, if you like fated mates, quick and easy reads, and a promise of an HEA, In the Mood Fur Love is a perfect pick to curl up with!
Three fantastic shifter romances in one must-read set!
Bearing His Touch
Stavros rescues Becka after she escapes her captor during an attack by another group. He instantly recognizes her as his mate, and, with the unrelenting help of his family – his sleuth – he vows to keep her safe while eliminating all threats against her.
The action is terrific in this story, but it is surpassed by the whip-smart humor and heartfelt moments between these two. Such a wonderful story, lots of laugh-out-loud moments, enough to make any girl want her very own growly teddy bear.
Fake Mated to the Wolf
Shawna’s life threatens to fall apart when she’s unjustly fired from a subsidiary company of Hawke’s corporation, just as he was beginning to figure out how to cross paths with her more so he could get to know her better. Her family is in deep trouble, and she needs all the money she can earn to buy their freedom.
Hawke is not a man to take no for an answer or let anything stand in the way of what he wants, so he quickly gets to the bottom of things and sets out to find solutions for Shawna, and for the now-failing company under his umbrella.
This story has a cast of truly memorable characters, including Shawna’s friends who are mated to Hawke’s friends, as well as Shawna’s sweet protector, Robbie and Hawke’s delightful tormentor, Rebecca. The connection between Hawke and Shawna shoots off the page like fireworks, and once she finally realizes what he’s known all along, the HEA is as sweet and satisfying as can be.
The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress
Colin and Ellie are so perfect together, yet separated by a centuries-old curse that threatens to destroy them before they even get started! Ellie has all but given up on ever finding someone to love, being cursed with immortality as well as the inability to leave her small Idaho town. Colin’s inner wolf instantly recognizes her as his mate, but his pack life – and his loyalty – lie outside of her restricted area. Together they embark on a quest to free Ellie from the curse so she can live the life she was meant to live, even if it means moving away from Colin.
This was such a tortured, but romantic and sexy love story! The author does an amazing job of developing the characters despite the shorter novella length. I do wish their HEA had included a bit more closure, though I do understand the reasoning behind leaving that one thread hanging.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Overall a great book. Did it hook me? Not really. I was not so drawn in that I forgot the world around me. Three very different stories by three different authors. There was a different feel to each of the stories, so you were not reading the same thing over again. There is a common thread among the three. Women being held captive in one way or another and they, with their mates, breaking free.
Bearing His Touch~ Eve Langlais : This story was a tough one. Tough as in Becka was held captive by a sicko who thought he was a vamp. (Vampires do not exist… or do they?) Her escape and the eventual HEA. My heart went out to her and my stone heart even shed a tear or two for her. Stavros is a bear shifter (hmmm why not?) and a former cop. Now he is a PI and bodyguard and one sniff of Becka tells him that he would die to guard her body. But he needs to take care of her captor and get her to trust him, while keeping her from sacrificing herself to keep everyone else safe. Geeze why do the women do that?? I loved how this entire story played out. The action, the mystery, the heat. OH and the twist I did not see coming too!
Fake Mated to the Wolf ~ Milly Taden : Shawna is the last of her friends with no mate. Well she did work with the program that matched them but now she has been fired. Oh hell! Her family is in danger and now that she lost her job it is even more dangerous. What is she going to do? Hawke is the owner of the company and has no clue his mate has been fired. Ok, so she doesn’t know she is his mate…yet. Stubborn and overprotective he launches into why and also why are there so many complaints about the system now. I enjoyed watching these two get together and also the light bulb ah ha moments that occur as well. Hawke will do anything and everything for his mate. (Alpha much?) There is an HEA, but it was a hard fight.
The Witch, the Werewolf, and the Waitress ~ Kate Baxter : This was really my least favorite of the three, it was still good don’t get me wrong, it just did not keep my attention like the others. Ellie is immortal. She was cursed by a witch 200 years ago and is doomed to stay on the land, never to leave. Oh she has tried to leave and to off herself because she did not believe. This leaves her lonely and missing the what could have been. Colin is stale with his job. He wants more but what he wants will cause a rift with his alpha. Oh he has work ahead of him there. These two were explosive when they first met. Sparks flying, and not the good kind either. But things change (no spoilers) and the two must work together to get rid of the curse. Will this really help bring them together or tear them apart?
In the Mood Fur Love contains three stories by three different authors. The stories in this one are: Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais, Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden, and The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress by Kate Baxter. I read all three and they all were good. My favorite is Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais. I loved Becka and Stavros story. Stavros is a bear shifter. Becka has no knowledge of shifters before she runs from her kidnapper and into Stavros. Their story was action packed and fun too read.
Oddly enough, this wasn’t like the other books in the series for me, where it took me forever to read them, and ultimately weren’t enjoyable to me because it sent me out of my normal comfort zone. I actually enjoyed the bulk of these stories!
Bearing His Touch by Eve Langlais-4 stars
Finally! A decent story in this universe! Some of it was very far-fetched, but I loved Becka as a heroine, and Stavros was amazing as her mate! Becka’s poppa was the best part for me! The story kept me engaged and engrossed for the entire time, and I wasn’t bored like I had been with the previous anthology stories! Way to step up your game, Ms. Langlais, and end the “series” on a really high note!
Fake Mated to the Wolf by Milly Taiden-5 stars
As usual with these anthologies, Milly Taiden’s story steals the show! I loved seeing the minds behind Mate for Hire get matched up! Hawke was a great hero, and I loved how Shawna stood up for herself, and cared about her family and friends. Things jumped around a bit in this story, giving it a glossed over feel at times, but it wasn’t enough to detract from my enjoyment of the story. I’d love to read more in this universe
The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress by Kate Baxter-2 stars
Every time I read one of the Lowman stories, I usually round up to 2 stars on them, because I find them boring and uninteresting. This one was more of a 2.5 star read, but wasn’t worthy of a 3 star rating. The premise was unique and somewhat interesting, which made up for a lackluster romance and “courtship”. I felt for Ellie, and was able to empathize with her plight, but couldn’t connect to Colin much at all. I think I’ll avoid this author in the future.
Bearing his Touch
In the typical style of Eve Langlais, Bearing His Touch is a funny, slapstick comedy romance involving Becka and Stavros. Funny antics throughout and a HEA too!
Fake Mated to the Wolf
This is another funny story with such an alpha shifter in Hawke who has found his mate in Shawna. But Shawna is no wallflower but is cautious about proceeding. Hawke comes up with the idea of Shawna posing as his fake mate while looking for his “true” mate. Strong characters and great supporting characters, too!
The Witch, The Werewolf and The Waitress
Sorry, this one was a “miss” for me…
This is kind of a painful review for me to leave because I’ve read and enjoyed books by Eve Langlais and Milly Taiden before. The last thing I want to do is leave a less than glowy review for them. But…
All three of the stories in this anthology feature instalove. And it’s not just instalove, either, it’s the whole fated mate trope. If you’ve read any paranormal romance before you know what I’m talking about: big bad alpha shifter sees damsel in distress, realizes she’s his fated mate, falls ass-over-elbow in love with her, defends her to the death against all comers. It’s tried and true in PNR, and while I understand it, it’s gotten kind of old. Why can’t a shifter meet a nice girl, date her for a while, get to know her, THEN decide that she’s going to be his one and only mate for forever? Is that too much to ask?
The Eve Langlais story is actually fairly decent. I like the hero, Stavros. He’s sweet and protective and funny. And while I hate reading about what Becka went through (and I hate that she was so reluctant to just take the help Stavros was offering), I thought she was a pretty decent heroine, too. All in all, Bearing His Touch was easily my favorite of the three stories.
I loved the premise of the Milly Taiden story, Fake Mated to the Wolf. I mean, a computer program and dating agency designed to help shifters find their mates? How fun! It’s just too bad that I didn’t care for the hero or the heroine. The hero’s name bugged me to no end. Hawke Hawke. I thought it was a typo at first, but no, that was really his name. I also hated how the heroine (whose name I can’t remember because I didn’t like her enough to care) was pretty rude to Hawke at all times. (There’s a fine line between sassy/independent and bitchy, and this chick marched right over it a time or two) And why Hawke wouldn’t just come out and tell her that she was his mate was beyond me. Why keep it a secret? So by the time the heroine referred to herself as a “wanton hussy”, I was over the whole thing. Has anyone seriously used that phrase since 1944? I think not. Overall, the whole thing was just blah, despite having a very interesting premise.
I’m sorry to say that I totally skimmed the Kate Baxter story. After the heroine, Ellie, had a hissy fit over a cinnamon roll, I can’t say that I was too interested in learning much more about her. (*shrugs*)
And finally, while I understand that these are three bestselling authors, I think $9.99 is a bit expensive for what essentially amounts to a few short stories. There’s not much of anything in the way of character development or real romance in any of these stories. (Not because of poor writing, mind you, just because of the length of the stories. There’s only so much an author can accomplish in a short story, you know?) That makes it hard for me to imagine paying almost $10 for this book.
Long-story-short: I think this is an overpriced anthology of instalove stories, and the only one I really enjoyed was the first. I wouldn’t recommend this one to anyone, unless you’re just a diehard fan of one of these authors and feel an obsessive need to own everything they’ve published. In that case, more power to you.
Full disclosure: I received an ARC from NetGalley free of charge.
And check out the Romance Rehab blog for more rants, raves, and other fun romance-y stuff: http://www.romancerehab.com/