Customer Reviews

Mated (A Paranormal Romance in the Blood Lust trilogy, 3)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If vampires are the James Bond of monsters, then werewolves must be the Clint Eastwood, man-with-no-name gunfighters. The wolves take center stage in Mated, the third and final novella in the Bloodlust Trilogy by Zoe Winters.

I had no expectations going in to the first book of the trilogy, but Zoe's fun and snarky style won me over instantly. The action is fast-paced and the sex is steamy with werecats as the focus of the story. The second book continues the tales of Carytown's supernatural inhabitants, delving into the politics of vampire society.

With Mated, Zoe gives us a look at the vampires' age old enemies: werewolves. She paints these creatures as feral and dangerous, but with a healthy dose of humanity. The werewolf leader, Cole, is a likeable hero with a very deadly side. The heroine, Jane, has been tormented by vampires for years, but has only become stronger from her ordeal. Of all of the characters in this series, she is my favorite.

Be warned: This is the third novella of the series so it does contain some spoilers for the first two books.
Whether you are a fan of paranormal romance or not, the action-packed story will keep you turning the pages until the end. I cannot wait for Zoe's next foray into this world of hers.

In the previous novella "Claimed", Jane was dating the vampire Paul, who seemed like an alright guy. You soon find out how awful he is -- at the beginning of "Mated", Paul has incurred a load of debts and decides to literally use Jane to pay them off. Cole takes her as a hostage/guarantee and she ends up living with him for the duration... but Cole's pack don't make living arrangements simple.

"Mated" was a fun and entertaining read, the kind of light-hearted fiction which you devour in one sitting. The werewolf society is rather different: I love how they live in underground cave systems of a sort, and their magical protection (thanks to Cain the incubus) is pretty unique. Of course the usual pack politics remain, making "Mated" an instant hit with werewolf fans.

However, I have to say that despite enjoying the story, "Mated" was my least favourite of the Blood Lust trilogy. The characters and plot didn't quite capture me, and I wonder whether it's because all three novellas share a similar plot that, with familiarity, loses its effectiveness. In all three the heroine is endangered by a preternatural force beyond her control. Then the male lead, reluctantly at first, takes the female under his wing to protect her. The two proceed to live in close quarters, leading to arguments and sexual tension. They get together, solve the looming menace, and live HEA. It's a formula that works, but I couldn't help noticing the similarities when reading the three novellas back-to-back.

The other issue I had was with the characters. Now, I like Cole. He's one of those dark and dangerous bad boys who's a sweetheart inside, a sexy combination. But I wish he was darker, more conflicted, perhaps more like vampire Anthony from "Claimed". Jane, on the other hand... I didn't really connect with her. She lacks the sparkle that Winters' characters normally have, the snarkiness. Yes, she's got the darkest history, and I admire her strength despite all the adversity, but she felt more passive compared to Winters' other heroines.

Despite my nit-picking, I must reaffirm that I enjoyed reading "Mated" -- it was a fun, light-hearted read with great world-building. I especially liked the hell dimension, where Cain the incubus was, and look forward to reading more about that in the sequel to the Blood Lust trilogy, "Save My Soul".

I really liked this book and think its the best one yet, But it seemed like Jane was a diffrent person from the previous book. I really loved Cole though and think he's the best charcter in the series. Can't wait for more books!

This is exactly what I wanted. A fun, interesting short story to entertain me for a night. Winters definitely delivered. This was by far the best in the trilogy.

This was my first werewolf romance book and I loved it. The story is complete in itself, apart from the other two novellas in the series, and can stand alone. The story has everything: well developed characters that make you want to know more about them, mystery, tension, and a pace that keeps you turning the pages. I highly recommend this one and look forward to reading more of Zoe Winter's writing. She gets better with everything she writes.

I enjoyed the first book in this series. It had an interesting plot and characters, and an entertaining romance. I did not care for the second one very much, because the hero although better than most other vampires in the story was still more of an anti-hero. Also, for me, the story got too grim, especially near the end. This third book, I thought, was very enjoyable. The story has characters who are strong, but have vulnerabilities and the plot is suspenseful. While there was the element of wildness, the main characters had a code of behavior they believed in. I liked this one a lot.

Great read! It was longer than I expected which was nice. I will be getting more of Ms. Winters work.

Between the three of them this is the best one so far for me. I really could't put down the book till the end, well developed characters, Really enjoyed the world of werewolfs and the interaction with a no so human girl who's blood is mix up with vampire blood, this gives her trouble in the vampire world, but really becomes an asset in the werewolf one, allowing her to find love in the most unexpected character, really awesome!!!!

The book was what most romance novels are. It had a decent story line (2 people thrown together in a seemingly unavoidable tangle)and relationships progressed rapidly into sexual relationships.

I think I liked this one the best of the three Blood lust novellas by Zoe Winters. If you have not read the first two, do, you will enjoy them thoroughly! This one is about werewolves...

I didn't give this a 5 star because I think a 5 must be just outstanding and this was close... I wish the novella was fleshed out to a full length book.