Rating: 4.5 š
Captive Mate , second in Eliot Graysonās Mismatched Mates series, picks up after the events in The Alphaās Warlock. Wildly traumatic ordeals that saw Ian, a alpha werewolf and Nate, a warlock long imprisoned by his father, mated. And the Armitage pack under siege by mage and were.
And the worst was the betrayal by Matthew Armitage because of a curse.
Captive Mate begins with the pack dealing with the ramifications of Mathewās actions, Ianās assuming temporary leadership, and the shaman who worked with their enemies now their prisoner.
Arik, shaman , who cursed Mathew, the one responsible for pack deaths, and the near deaths of Ian and Nate, is one complicated character.
One of the two POVās, Arik is resolved to escape by any means possible. Heās not particularly interested in those heās hurting or may have hurt . Heās only interested in his survival. He knows no remorse, and shows little compassion.
Not a easy character to like. It takes time to see or understand that Arikās a long term abuse survivor. Heās still running and has no reason to trust anyone to help him. His actions and mentality come from a deep place of brokenness and pain.
And to the credit of Grayson, Arikās not fixed here. Whatās broken, is truly broken in a lot of ways. Tiny bits might be on the path to healing as the book winds it way down, but even in the next story, Arikās sharpness and pain whips out like a knife at a whisper.
Trying to balance Arik against the basic strengths and character of Matthew is a challenge for the author. Because the element of making Matthew seem weak under the manipulations of Arik might undermine the readerās connection to the coupleās romance.
Itās a tightrope to walk narratively speaking. One I think the author threads through exactly right.
All the extremely tough personalities that are having to negotiate new relationships while the pack is still under attack by enemies old and new.
Thereās major suspense. High action, great magic scenes, and real poignancy.
Captive Mate really balanced tricky characters, major themes, and complicated relationship dynamics. Just a fantastic book.
Iām highly recommending this story and series to date. Read them in the order they are written to understand the series plot progression and characters.
Mismatched Mates:
š¹The Alphaās Warlock #1
š¹Captive Mate #2
š¹A Very Armitage Christmas #2.5
š¹First Blood #2.6
š¹The Alpha Experiment #3
š¹Lost and Bound #4
š¹Lost Touch #5
š¹The Alpha Contract #6, only loosely connected to the above series
https://www.goodreads.com āŗ showCaptive Mate (Mismatched Mates #2) by Eliot Grayson – Goodreads
Synopsis:
Captured, imprisoned, andā¦falling in love?
Arik is many things. Shaman, necromancer, a little on the snarky sideā¦no one could ever accuse him of being boring. But one thing he never intended to be was imprisoned by angry werewolves. Maybe casting that love spell on the sexy alpha pack leader wasnāt such a great idea after all.
Matthew Armitage has a problem. Several of them, actually. And the biggest one is Arik. The shaman canāt be trusted. Heās dangerous enough to get the entire pack killed. Matthew knows that. But knowing doesnāt make it any easier to keep his mind (and hands) off Arik. Surely everything heās feeling is a side effect of the spellā¦right?
Itās not long before enemies of the pack start circlingāincluding one intent on claiming Arik as his unwilling mate. If they have any hope of surviving, Arik and Matthew will need to work together. And if they want a shot at happily ever afterā¦well, theyāll just have to cross that bridge when they get to it.
If they get to itā¦
Captive Mate can (sort of) be read as a standalone, but works best when read in order as part of the Mismatched Mates series, beginning with The Alphaās Warlock. This book contains a vivid memory of a sexual assault, but the assault occurs in the past and off-page and is not between the main characters. This series does not contain mpreg.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 