Rating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Angelo knows his pack’s business morals are…ethically challenged at best. And as an enforcer, he has to do things he isn’t fond of, but there are lines Angelo won’t cross and his Alpha, Marco, has always respected those lines. But when Marco demands he protect a vampire assassin, Angelo isn’t sure he can’t do it. The same kind of creature butchered his family when he was a child and he is still haunted by the fact the killer was never caught. Now, the idea of playing bodyguard to one is utterly repugnant. But the pack is his life and Marco isn’t asking, which means Angelo has no choice but to do what he is told.
In a cramped safe house, Angelo must make his peace with the flirty, sexy Corvin, who is nothing like Angelo expected. Against his better judgment, Angelo finds Vin attractive and clever and strangely intriguing. Vin is no less caught off guard by his reaction to Angelo. The vampire is the love-them-and-leave-them type, but he’s desperate to keep the shifter close and safe. As their enemies close in around them, Angelo and Vin must decide what they mean to one another and what it means for the future.
His Mate By Vengeance was one of those books that was just okay for me. It has some good bits and some frustrating bits, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t the kind of story that ended up being very memorable. The biggest reason for this was the awkward world building. We’re given some information about New Trinity, the city that three main supernatural groups share control of, but there isn’t enough to really create a full picture of the place. Additionally, Corvin’s vampire powers are tossed out to readers haphazardly, but rarely used. Most of the time, it was hard to remember he was actually a vampire. The action is decent, but the plot has laggy periods where I found myself wanting something to happen. Now, this is the first in the series and it could be future installments will smooth out some of these rough edges, but there were just some uneven aspects to His Mate By Vengeance.
Vin and Angelo clearly have a case a insta-love, but the author does a good job setting up a measure of resistance on Angelo’s part. An assassin killed his family and falling for one is clearly a struggle for him and Aitchess lets this aspect develop naturally, which I appreciated. That said, when love does come, it’s sort of just there and all of Angelo’s resistance evaporates, which didn’t really ring true. Still, they’re a cute couple and they were the highlight of the book for me.
Overall, I enjoyed His Mate By Vengeance for the most part. It’s not one of those books that bowled me over or made me feel any particular emotion, but I thought it was a solid, if slow, start to this new series. I enjoyed Vin and Angelo’s relationship more than anything and felt like they were the most developed aspect of the book. I think most shifter romance fans will find something to enjoy here and my hope is the next in the series will be a tad stronger and more engaging.
