Review: Wolf’s Mate by Chantal Fernando

Wolf’s Mate
(Wind Dragons MC #5)
by Chantal Fernando
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: Aug. 16, 2016
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Vinnie was once the youngest prospect at the infamous Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club but finally, he’s going to be initiated as a full-fledged member! But when Vinnie (now known as Wolf) puts on that WDMC leather for the first time, little does he know what he’s in for. The Wind Dragons have made enemies, and being a member means being on the front lines…

When Talon calls on Wolf to pay his debt, Wolf figures it would be something club related. Maybe he’d rough someone up, or take care of something for the club. What he doesn’t expect is to be called upon for babysitting duty. Talon’s cousin is in over her head and has the Mafia after her. Since Talon knows his MC is a bit shaky and not the safest or most secure place for her, he decides to move her around to secret locations and have a few trusty people keep her safe. Which is how Wolf gets the call to go out and be Shay’s bodyguard for a week. However, Wolf realizes really fast that Shay isn’t safe and there’s no way he’s leaving her to be protected by the next person in a week. So, he takes her back to his club and asks them to have his back in protecting her. And this is how Vinnie, aka Wolf found his old lady.

I have to say, this might be my favorite thus far. I had a rough go the last few books. It seemed like the men were so heavily stereotyped as a macho men in a motorcycle gang. They cheated, they made awful decisions, they even treated their women as if they were just objects. Even the ones that I thought were decent, did the most stupidest stuff. But finally, FINALLY we have a hero who doesn’t have his head up his ass. Vinnie was a breath of fresh air in this series. Was Vinnie happy to be stuck babysitting Shay? No! However, he took his job seriously and made she she was as safe as she could be. When he started to develop feelings for her did he push her away and go hook up with someone else? NO! He owned it. He said, “Ya know what?! I ain’t trusting no half-witted lackey to protect what’s mine. I’m taking Shay home to the clubhouse with me!” Okay, well clearly he didn’t say that but I’m paraphrasing, reading between the lines if you will. He didn’t mess around on her. He didn’t treat her like she was beneath him. His big mess up in the book wasn’t even a huge mess up for him. He was just trying to let her know his feelings and how he viewed the world, and it just so happened to be poor timing for him to say some of those things. However, he never really did anything wrong. Gosh, I just freaking loved Vinnie.

Shay was also pretty freaking spectacular. She handled some accounting stuff for her dad, who just so happened to piss off the wrong people. Now daddy-o is in prison and Shay finds herself as target #1. Thankfully her cousin, Talon, is able to help her out and keep her safe. However, when Vinnie shows up, something about him piques her interest. He takes this job very seriously and quickly changes the way things are run. He also takes her out of the house and allows her time to just get out and stretch her legs. Pretty soon she’s falling in love with him and settling into life as his woman at the clubhouse. I loved that even though she had a lot going on, she never allowed herself to be pushed around. She always seemed to be an equal to Vinnie and the rest of the people at the club. I don’t know what it was about Shay, but she fit in so well while still maintaining herself.

I will admit that I haven’t read the previous book in the series. I wanted to but I’m pretty sure my library lost their copy of the book since my request to borrow it has been pending for a couple of weeks now. So, with that being said, you don’t have to read Rake’s Redemption in order to read this one. Of course, there’s a favor that Vinnie owes Talon, and that pops up in the previous book, but it wasn’t anything that really detracted from the story. If you’re looking for a MC romance where the hero isn’t a douche-cannoe and the female isn’t a doormat, then I would pick up Wolf’s Mate.

Previous reviews from the Wind Dragons series
Dragon’s Lair
Arrow’s Hell
Tracker’s End