Rating: 4.5🌈

Mismatched Mates is a series I stopped because one book , First Blood, in it just disconnected me from the arc in that it was more of a side storyline. Unlike the other couples and relationships, that one of a sex worker and enforcer just wasn’t fully developed and I lost the momentum to continue onto the rest of the series.

It’s taken a while but I’ve meandered, via the story , Twice Bitten, back to the Armitage pack, related packs nearby and mismatched matings. So now I’m picking up where I left off earlier with The Alpha Experiment .

It’s a wonderful best friends to lovers or mates in this case storyline, with a sideline of drama, a morsel of clueless scientist, hot sex, and HEA. No mpreg.

A human born into a werewolf family by virtue of a human mother and were father, Dr. Newton McEwen has felt weaker, somewhat less than the rest of his family, although they’ve never given him reason to think that they love him any differently from his sibling because he was born without the werewolf genes. So his research has been to further develop human healing and other properties using shifter DNA. Research that’s brought shady tech company executives to his door.

Poor Newton. You feel for him immediately. He feels inadequate next to his shifter family, even his human mother. His research isn’t conclusive and he’s frankly living in a dump. Next comes the threatening emails.

I do like that he’s smart enough to realize he requires help and asks for it. And then agrees, mostly, with Colin’s advice about how to proceed with the situation.

So many times I’ve read stories where the MC blindly goes ahead putting everything and everyone in danger, earning them a TSTL title from me. Thankfully it’s avoided here. There’s a tiny section where you think it’s happening but all isn’t lost.

Newton makes mistakes. But it’s his trust , faith , and feelings for Alpha werewolf Colin Kimball that holds true. Colin, a known figure here, is a lifelong best friend of Newton’s. It’s easy to pickup on the vibes that Grayson’s written into the dynamics here for the couple. We know what they don’t early on, and have the enjoyment of watching the clueless mating dance.

Grayson builds a great bit of tension into the narrative. Sexual tension between the two main characters, the tension and suspense involved in the blackmail plot, and schemes to overturn it.

The author does all this while working to build a romance within a long-standing friendship and sorting out new conflicting emotions.

If it all came together a bit quickly, well, it was so satisfying that I was willing to look beyond that because the resolution was not a simple one and contained multiple elements to meet the conflicts that led into this situation.

I was left feeling happy, satisfied, and looking forward to the next installment.

I’m recommending this book. I like the series but recommend that you read the reviews as not all need to be read as a part of the arc flow. I have now read a couple out of order, Twice Bitten being the most recent. So the book order seems to be a suggestion rather than a requirement.

See the list below.

Mismatched Mates:

🔷The Alpha’s Warlock #1

🔷Captive Mate #2

🔷A Very Armitage Christmas #3

🔷First Blood #4

🔷The Alpha Experiment #5

🔷Lost and Bound #6

🔷Lost Touch #7

🔷The Alpha Contract #8

🔷Twice Bitten #9

🔷The Alpha’s Gamble #10

Buy Link:

The Alpha Experiment (Mismatched Mates Book 5)

Description:

Studying shifter genetics takes brains, patience…and sometimes simulating mating rituals with your alpha-werewolf bestie. You know, for science…

Brilliant geneticist Newton McEwen, the only human in a family of werewolves, has devoted his life to researching the scientific key to shifter magic. Now he’s being blackmailed and his life’s work is threatened if he can’t produce results.

Alpha werewolf Colin Kimball is a newly-minted pack leader with a mountain of responsibilities, but when his lifelong best friend tells him he needs help, Colin drops everything to run to his aid. But Newt’s not just looking for a brawny bodyguard to watch his back—he needs help with an experiment, one he can’t carry out alone.

Out of academically approved methods, and desperate to accelerate his research, Newt’s trying a last-ditch approach, with himself as the test subject. And the very alpha Colin as the catalyst.

Determined to succeed, Newt’s willing to get up close and personal with Colin as many times as it takes. Only feelings weren’t a variable logic-minded Newt took into account. Now not only is Newt’s career on the line, his most important relationship is at stake. Can they outwit Newt’s blackmailer and move on from their experimentation…or will they lose the friendship that means everything to them?

The Alpha Experiment features not-so-scientific mating rituals, magical handcuffs, some very inappropriate outdoor activities, knotting, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Even though it’s number five in the Mismatched Mates series, it can be read as a standalone. The series does not contain mpreg.