a wonderfully sweet book

The story was told from Rafi's point of view, and he was a great character with a sarcastic sense of humor. Rafi is intelligent, hard-working, and a bit lonely. Although he has some good friends, he hasn't fallen in love yet. Isaac might be a major star, but he wasn't arrogant. Instead, he was kind, loving, and a bit possessive. At first glance, it didn't make any sense that Isaac liked Rafi based on how he treated Rafi in high school. However, as Rafi starts to remember some of the nice things Isaac did for him, the story took on a different feel. It was almost like a reminder to the rest of us not to let negative feelings cloud our pasts and block the good memories. There were several extremely steamy sex scenes during which these two continued to grow their relationship. The conversations were wonderful, and I really felt like I got to know the characters. The story takes place over a reasonable period of time, and we get a glimpse into what their future would be like together. I really enjoyed this wonderful steamy relationship story with a great sense of humor and interesting characters!

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.

A very strong message is conveyed in this one - treasure the life that has been granted to you. In Another Life is a story that enlightens how precious human life can be. It's a gift, and losing that gift just because of one depressing phase in it would only mean that you are losing on so many happy moments that you could have experienced. ... Read it for the magic of Cardeno C's fantastic writing. It grips you till the end. I, for one, was impressed by author's creativity with this book. The execution of that unique idea was perfect. The jumps from the real life to dream life and back weren't weird at all. It all flowed in a perfectly sensible manner. ... In Another Life is a food for thought. We ought to have those every now and then. So thank you Cardeno C. for writing such a masterpiece. this story will never be forgotten.

While In Your Eyes is part of the Mates series, it can most certainly be read as a standalone. It is a lovely contemporary shifter read with engaging, fully realised MCs, and well developed secondary characters. I fell for Samuel and Korban and I had some really strong reactions to events in the book as well. It tugged at my heartstrings and it made me smile. The well named In Your Eyes delivers a well paced, gay shifter romance with much love and a HEA.