All Of Me

June 2, 2014 by d.blue

Title : All Of Me

Author : Cardeno C

Publisher : Dreamspinner Press (BUY HERE)

Genre : M/M, Paranormal

Length : 54 pages (ebook)

Published : June 1, 2014

Rating : ★★★★

B L U R B :

Part of the Dreamspinner Press Daily Dose “Mended” Anthology 2014

Bonded by their parents before they were conceived, Abel Nasa and Zakai “Kai” Berura adored each other since they were children. As teens, the two future Alphas took the next step in their bonding process and vowed to remain true to one another until Kai came of age. But when tragedy struck, Abel felt betrayed and ran from Kai instead of completing the mating bond.

Years pass with no contact between the two, but Abel never stops yearning for the man who was supposed to lead by his side. When Kai returns, broken and on death’s door, Abel must look past what he saw and trust his heart so they can fulfill their destiny and merge their packs.

R E V I E W :

All of Me is a short story that is part of the Dreamspinner Press Daily Dose “Mended” Anthology 2014.

Able and Kai are destined to be together. Their parents, both Alphas of their packs, stepped outside the norm for wolf shifters and became best friends. They thought it would be a good idea if their children were bonded mates as it would bring strength to both packs. With this in mind, Abel and Kai were bonded before they were even born. Even though there was a five year age difference between them, it did not stop the bond that they felt for one another and their love and friendship grew as they approached adulthood.

Per custom, Abel and Kai must wait until Kai turns eighteen before they can complete the mating bond. This does not stop them from secretly keeping in contact with one another and planning for the day they will be mates. When Kai’s father dies, Kai is still too young to take his role as Alpha. His mother remarries, then when tragedy strikes again, Abel does not hear from Kai for over a year. He is concerned but thinks it is due to Kai grieving. He waits until Kai turns eighteen before deciding he is going to go to him and find out what is happening so they can then finish the bonding. When he arrives at Kai’s home, what he finds shatters his dreams and he leaves without even asking why.

For ten years he leads his pack alone, always wondering why his mate betrayed him, until one day an unexpected visitor arrives at the pack house demanding to speak with Abel and opens old wounds that have never healed. When he is asked to help Kai, can he put those feelings aside?

All of Me is an interesting take on Alpha mating/bonding and pack politics. It moves quickly, as it is a short story rather than a full length novel, and pulled me into the world and the relationship between Able and Kai. The story is told from Abel’s point of view and although it has some serious and tragic events, it is interspersed with the humor that I have come to associate with this author. The lack of communication between them was a little frustrating but the reuniting and rekindling of their love for one another was sweet. The story had some fun secondary characters, I especially enjoyed Kelly, Kai’s younger sister and Ben, Abel’s youngest brother.

Overall, I enjoyed how the story unfolds, and how the relationship develops. I was also very happy with how the epilogue wrapped up the story.

Rated 4 stars by Deb