Em & M Books

Carter Griffin, enforcing officer for the Seattle Wolf Pack, has a problem. He's been offered the promotion of his dreams…if he can find a wife to prove he's over his playboy ways. But Carter's already walked the matrimonial road and bought the stinkin' T-shirt. Besides, a werewolf only gets one fated mate. Been there, done that.

All werewolf dog trainer Faith Hamilton wants to do is earn enough green stuff to put her younger brother through college. Okay, okay, so she also totally wants Carter, her sexy next-door neighbor, to look at her as more than a friend. It's too bad size 12 and plain isn't his type. At all.

The two friends strike a deal to help one another out. They must face a variety of challenges from a psycho ex-girlfriend to a Yorkie with a shoe fetish...and that pesky problem of only having one-fated mate in a lifetime. Will a relationship ruin their friendship…or spark a love neither anticipated?

Ah, the old “fake mates” trope, one of my favorites! Throw in the whole fated mates twist and this really made for a great read!

Carter was such an interesting character. He has already found his one fated mate…and even though she has passed away, she has left scars so deep in his heart it’s a wonder he can feel anything at all. So when he tells just a little white lie – yep, the little BIG one where he says he has a fiancé – to help land him the promotion he’s been working hard for, he’s got to think quick and find himself someone to play the part.

Faith is firmly in the friend-zone when it comes to Carter. Yeah, she thinks he’s hot, but she certainly isn't his type – the tall, model types he talks about with her when they have their Friday night movie nights. So when Carter shares his predicament with Faith and they can’t come up with any other candidates, Faith agrees to play part of Carter’s fiancé.

I just loved Faith – she was a woman after my own heart. Strong, determined, and looking to be the best that she can be. She does whatever it takes to provide for herself and her brother, and isn't afraid to take some risks along the way. She is building her own business, and, when things get a bit rocky in the fake marriage department, she doesn't let it get her down, instead she firms her resolve to be the best Faith she can be.

Carter was an interesting character for me. He was carrying around so much baggage from his marriage and refuses to let anyone in – he’s already found his one fated mate and that didn't work out, so how is any other relationship going to be different. What I did like was that he recognized his issues – like being overly possessive and having trust issues – but he also was so hung up on the fated mates thing I really wanted to shake some sense into him more than a couple of times.

As Carter and Faith navigate their way through their fake marriage, Carter gets thrown for a loop when he suddenly starts to have real feelings for Faith…and they may be even stronger than he had with his first mate, which just can't be right. Throw in the drama surrounding who is going to get the promotion, some mystery surrounding fated mates, some sweet and steamy times, and a cute little puppy name Humperdinck, and this was a great addition to the Seattle Wolf Pack series.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.