Wake Me Up Inside has a great balance of romance, sweetness and angst.

Can I just say O.M.G. Cardeno took a concept that should never have worked and not only made it work, but made it work well. ... There are some very touching moments that we can all remember from our youth ... some will pull on your heart strings; some will make you so ANGRY you want to scream; and some will make you laugh so loudly you will disturb anyone within a mile radius of you while you are reading them. But what they all do is tell the love story these three men share over two decades. They all end up going their own way, but fate has a way of making decisions for us that we would never have expected. This isn't the average M/M/M story. In my opinion, this is a very unique take on the concept and it just works. ... I think this is one of Cardeno C.'s best works, and I have never laughed as hard as I did while reading the scene about the lentils. That was just brilliant! If you have liked Cardeno's work in the past, I think you will love this one. I know I did.

Like always, the heart and soul of this engaging love story is the chemistry and connection that CC always manages to portray beautifully between it's two MC's. The sexual tension crackles as you're drawn into their battle of wills and the pull/push nature of their relationship. ....What I love about all Cardeno's shifter series are that they're just so easy to read. Enjoyable because they're all about getting lost in the story, caught up in the romance and living the happy ever after. The perfect story to curl up with when you've had a stressful day and all you want to do is wind down. The sex is hot, the stories are sweet and you always know that you'll end with a smile and a sigh of contentment. What more can you ask for. Resident Cardeno fans will not be disappointed and new ones will definitely be made. Enjoy!

Pack dynamics and interesting shifters made this an enjoyable romance with some great action sequences. …Robert isn't interested in shifting, and, therefore, doesn't recognize Vy as his mate. Vy struggled with wanting to be with Robert while at the same time feeling very frustrated that Robert wouldn't recognize him as his true mate. Instead, Robert is just interested in Vy as a person. This leads to the biggest conflict between these two mates, and gives the story an interesting twist on the instant love we usually see with mates. … I enjoyed the focus on the different issues with the pack members, and the trouble that they were having with another pack.

Within the first ten pages of this book, I was already chortling and I realized this was going to be a cracker of a book and that Eli and Seth were going to leave a lasting impression....I adored this story, watching as Eli grows into an incredible man who cultivates his friendships with care and holds on to what is most important to him by holding back on his feelings was incredible, Eli is an astonishing character who develops wonderfully throughout the book. Seth is a wonderful character who is sure of who he is... until he meets a grown Eli who makes him question everything he thought about himself, we watch as Eli admits truths to himself and explores what he has discovered about himself and we pause with breath held as he struggles with his choice to act on his feelings. Eli and Seth has an exceptional friendship that we have the pleasure of seeing evolve, and when it finally evolves into a relationship it takes our breath away....I recommend this story to those who love brilliant stories that have you smiling and grinning, that leave you aching for the young man who had to wait years to finally get his man, that draws you in as soul-searching is conducted and doubts are examined and a beautiful relationship is fulfilled.