Format:
Audiobook
At the time of this review, there’s a box set of Books 1-4 that’s whispersynced, so if you have Kindle Unlimited it’s only $7.49 for all 4!
Publisher’s Synopsis:
An all wolf-shifter police force has been the only thing between humans and an unknown evil for centuries, but the pack is in danger of dying if they don’t find their promised mates soon.
Trevor Burbank is a shifter cop in a world of humans who don’t know the evil that wants them dead. If he does his job well, the humans will never need to know, but he feels like he’s working against the clock, because his pack is about to die. The females have all been killed, and the half-breeds they make when they mate with humans aren’t skilled or strong enough to fight.
Gabriela Carmi has lost everything that means anything to her way too fast and now she feels like she’s losing her mind, too. On a quest to find something that won’t reveal itself to her, she feels as if she’s pining for someone who may not exist, so when an evil presence begins to follow her, she isn’t sure if her mind is slowly falling apart, or if the impossible is actually coming true. When an instant attraction sparks between her and the dangerously sexy police officer sent to help her, it makes matters worse and better at the same time.
It’s a race against time to find the angel/human hybrid One True Mates that the pack’s spiritual leaders say truly exist. Saving the shifter clans is on everyone’s mind, except for the chosen, the One True Mates, most of whom don’t even know who or what they really are, or why they seem to be slowly losing their minds.
You’ve NEVER read a shifter romance, or a fated mates romance like this before.
Point of view:
3rd person. Mostly from Trevor & Ella’s perspectives, but some sections are from other characters’ POV.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
This is book 1 in Lisa Ladew’s One True Mate series. I’m one of those people that LOVES massive world building. I think I enjoyed this more than some folks because it didn’t bother me that the romance is actually more of a secondary plot line to the establishment of this completely unique take on Shifters – which Ladew calls “Shiften” – and the current disarray of their world. I also have the advantage of having binged books 1-4 a few years ago and am now back relistening and writing reviews. I do remember being a bit more confused/overwhelmed the first time through.
While most of the story is from Trevor & Ella’s perspectives, Ladew does write a few sections from secondary characters’ points of view – including the main enemy. And there is a HUGE cast of characters and it’s a lot of information to take in. I think audio helps with that a bit as Michael Pauley does a decent job of giving some distinction between the characters and Ladew has given them very distinct mannerisms and characteristics.
It’s a lot of history of both the Shiften as well as Trevor and Ella to culminate in how they end up together and what it means for the world at large. From the romance aspect, this isn’t a cliffhanger as it ends in an HFN for the main couple. However, Ladew absolutely has several story arcs winding their way through the series so more questions remain to be answered. Overall, I enjoyed it and wanted to dive right into the next book, Dragon’s Heat.
Narration:
I’ve listened to tons of narrations by Michael Pauley… and at times he does have the tendency to sound a bit robotic or like an AI. So while he give the various characters unique “speaking lines” the main narration fell pretty flat for me, especially considering his other work. It gets better after the first book, but some folks may need to read this one.
Rellim Reads 