"What a dynamic! So often with men, communication is forgotten, and the assumption is that the other person should know what is in someone’s head. There is a definite Dominant/submissive piece here, with Todd wanting and needing to be directed, but also I think because it helps with his focus. At the same time though, Richard feels it is wrong to be that type of person, so they must learn to communicate what is best for each other.
They do a good job of finding that happy place in order to be what the other person needs, and I really enjoyed their journey towards an HEA."

Wake Me Up Inside is the first book in the Mate series from Cardeno C and I can't wait for more. Cardeno C has a straightforward narrative that delivers the story in a manner that makes it easy for the reader to follow the timeline of Jonah and Zev's relationship as it grows from childhood to adult. ... Take a good long look at that marvelous cover and it gives you an accurate picture of a scene in the book. Boy and wolf pup and Jonah and Zev, always together no matter the form Zev is in. How does that idea not draw you in? It is the characterizations that make or break a story for me and in Zev and Jonah we get two characters to connect with immediately.

I really loved watching these men change and meld together. Their relationship definitely isn't an easy one. They have to overcome their differences and their insecurities to make it work.

In Your Eyes is a lovely story that looks at the way two men with different strengths complement and support one another, making them both stronger. ....we see how Korbin helps Samuel connect with his heart, to finally make room for emotion and feeling in the midst of all the intellect. It is the perfect true mates fantasy, two men who are only complete when they are together, who need one another to become whole. Outside of the relationship, the story also focuses on the larger pack conflicts... Cardeno C really writes such romantic, heartwarming stories and In Your Eyes is no exception. I loved both Samuel and Korbin, and especially loved the way the two men make each other full and whole. I especially enjoyed seeing Samuel finally find the other side of himself, to learn to feel instead of just think with Korbin's help. It is sweet and romantic and really wonderfully done.

Extremely well-developed characters, minor characters who helped contribute to the story, great dialogue, and solid relationship development made this a fantastic story!