Fated Mates Anthology: My Review and Guide
**This article is being updated as I finish reading each of the stories in the anthology**
Fated Mates is a paranormal romance charity anthology. All the royalties from sales of the anthology will be donated to the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund and the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund.
This is an epically long anthology with a total 1,692 pages of content. The pieces vary in length from a few chapters to over 15. Each story in the anthology contains a fated mate M/M paring. Read on to see which short stories are worth reading and which you should skip from this fated mates anthology.
Fated Mates Anthology: What to Read and What to Skip
Many of the authors that wrote in this anthology are familiar names whose work I have already greatly enjoyed. There were also quite a few authors that were new to me. I enjoy paranormal, fantasy type M/M romance, so I was excited to be exposed to so many new authors.
Each story contains a fated mate pairing, but each story varied greatly in how they tackled the prompt. I have really enjoyed reading all of the different takes on what a fated mating looks like and what it means for the characters. I have read some seriously look stuff, and I would love to share it with you!
In order, I am going to walk you through each story. I will give a rating and a heat score. I’ll share any epically memorable (and non-spoilery) quotes. I will tell you what you need to know to decide if you should read or skip that story. Enjoy!
“We’re mates, Perry.”
This morning a meth lab fell through my kitchen ceiling, I lost my job, and my car broke down, officially making today the worst day of my life. The last thing I need to deal with is a naked, green-haired man with a loose grip on reality.
Or is it just reality that isn’t what I think it is?
The anthology starts out so strong! I absolutely loved the pairing of Perry and Aether. These two are fated mates through reincarnation. I am a pretty big sucker for reincarnation books, and here it was done so well with Aether being aware of the reincarnation and Perry stuck being completely oblivious.
The novella was seriously hilarious. Initially, Perry decides that Aether must be a gorgeous psyche ward escapee. This scenario leads to one of my favorite quotes:
"Yep. He's still standing in front of me, still naked. His smile is wide and warm and makes part of me relax. That's the part I like to refer to as my inner dumbass. The part that decided living downstairs from a meth cooker in a roach-infested dump was worth it to not have roommates."
I don’t want to share any more for fear of spoilers, but needless to say, run don’t walk to check this one out!
A stolen amulet. The demon hellbent on getting it back. And one powerless human just trying to survive the night.
When Jamie summons a demon in a Hail Mary attempt to survive a ghoul attack, he quickly realizes that he’s bitten off more than he can chew. with a soul-debt to pay and an angry warlock on his heels, Jamie must steal back the coveted amulet before time runs out. Unfortunately, his life isn’t the only thing hanging in the balance, and in the fight to save his soul, Jamie might just lose his heart.
Some people will really like this novella, but I am not sure it’s for me. I enjoyed myself while reading, but I did find myself skimming a fair bit of the story. There was both too much information at some points, and not nearly enough to explain what was going on at other points.
The demon, Lyn, had some great lines and was a fun character. Here is one of their best lines:
"You've killed an enenra? Socially? Yes! He was a little bitch, and by the time I was done with him, not even El Diablo invited him to his Day of the Dead celebrations. And literally everyone gets an invite to that."
However, honestly, there was nothing that made this feel like M/M romance. Lyn was described as being very effeminate the entire novella, which I often enjoy and can be a very fun aspect of M/M books, but in this case, especially with the fade to black of the intimate scenes, I was left feeling like this was an M/F romance. Which is… not my thing.
On a late night run, Ammon crashes into Bacchus – literally. Now, he just has to convince him that they’re mates.
This was a short and sweet little story. There isn’t a lot of drama or information given. I got the sense that the author expects I’ve read their five book series before starting this novella. Which I have not. Without that background, I was left wanting.
The one quote I got from this story is:
"Bacchus, I think you might be the sweetest demon I've ever met
There isn’t a whole lot to work with here, so I think it is safe to call this on a skip. On we go!
Luca Galioto is just coming into his powers when he meets a new arrival in town, Ash Montgomery – and sparks fly.
Yet the pair are like oil and water. Luca is a tatted and pierced ancient Cale progeny, aka a witch, whereas strait-laced Ash is a squirrel shifter who’s just joined the Salem Police Department.
Opposites attract? Sure – but can two men so vastly different trust that Fate got it right?
Soooo, this really wasn’t my thing. The over-the-top dramatics of the story along with some pretty questionable logic issues left me skimming like I’ve never skimmed before. It is a bummer, because all of the right pieces are there. A mysterious new shifter with a tragic past who is a cop falls for the tattooed witch. Love it! Unfortunately, the execution was a big miss for me with nearly every other aspect of the book flopping. The only quotes I noted while reading were things that really bothered me, so I won’t share.
Needly to say, you can pass on this one.
We’re total opposites merely passing through each other’s lives until one kiss unlocks Fate’s plan for us.
The townsfolk of Ravenbrook would likely describe me as reclusive and odd, both true, but I keep my distance for their safety and mine. Interacting with mortals never goes well. My life is lonely, a truth I long accepted, but I’d rather be alone than risk them finding out my true nature.
Unfortunately, I’m forced to seek assistance in repairing my home and can only hope there’s a mortal brave enough to do the work. When someone new blows into town smelling of candy and dreams, and unaware of my reputation, he lands on my doorstep, in need of work and a place to stay.
We couldn’t be more opposite, but I’m sure once the work is done, he’ll move on. Until we learn with one heated kiss he’s so much more than a passing fancy. Calix is my fated mate, and now that I’ve found him, I’ll do anything to keep him and make him happy. Even interact with the locals when trouble shows up. Shudder. But Calix is worth it and I’ll prove I’m worthy of him if it’s the last thing I do.
Soooo, this really wasn’t my thing. The over-the-top dramatics of the story along with some pretty questionable logic issues left me skimming like I’ve never skimmed before. It is a bummer, because all of the right pieces are there. A mysterious new shifter with a tragic past who is a cop falls for the tattooed witch. Love it! Unfortunately, the execution was a big miss for me with nearly every other aspect of the book flopping. The only quotes I noted while reading were things that really bothered me, so I won’t share.
Needly to say, you can pass on this one.
"Bacchus, I think you might be the sweetest demon I've ever met
There isn’t a whole lot to work with here, so I think it is safe to call this on a skip. On we go!
Hey, I’m Heather!
I read M/M romance books exclusively, and I help other readers find their next great M/M romance read.
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