Title:  Promised
Series:  True Mates #1
Author:  Olivia Arran
Published:  September 7, 2015
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  Borrowed with Kindle Unlimited
Cover Description:

She’s fighting for her freedom…she never counted on finding her true mate…

Wolf Shifter Kara Smith is on the run from her old pack. Her only goal – to escape the man she has been promised to and live on her own terms. The problem is that her chosen protector – the Alpha of the Colstone Wolf Pack – is sexy as hell, making her wolf sit up and pant, begging for a taste. Definitely not part of her plan.

Alpha James Colstone has given up any hope of finding his true mate, the other half of his soul…until sassy Kara walks through his door. Desperate to claim her, to touch and possess her gorgeous curves, he has to convince her he’s not only good for protection duty…that he can give her so much more. But Kara doesn’t trust easily anymore. What’s more, her intended is hunting her – and he’ll do anything to get her back.
Will James’ dominance scare Kara away…or will she learn that with the right man, true freedom lies in surrender?

This Alpha is definitely 18+ readership worthy – hot, sexy and did I say hot?

Kara was afraid and trying hard not to show it.  Everything depended on this meeting.  She needed to be part of this Alpha’s pack, desperately need the protection of a Pack that was not her own.  The son of her Alpha has gone power crazy, and her Alpha was rarely seen these days so Eric went unchecked in his insanity.  He intended to force mate her, in spite of her protests – what he was proposing was rape and a life of servitude of every disgusting level possible.  There was no way she could stay with him and her pack – so she ran.  Lisa had found her in the wilderness in her wolf form and slowly brought her back to her senses.  She really was close to losing her humanness then.  So back to the moment – Kara really needs this sexy, handsome Alpha who keeps watching her so closely to agree to her joining his pack.

James could not take his eyes off of Kara throughout her stumbling story, knowing that she’s leaving out important parts.  He can barely control his wolf for they both know that here sits their true mate.  The woman he had given up hope of ever finding.  She was in trouble but now her worries were his as well.  And he would do anything to protect his mate – anything, even fight her stubbornness to keep her at his side.

Promised is the beginning novella in Olivia Arran’s True Mate series.  This is the first of Ms Arran’s works that I’ve read, and I’m enjoying her created universe very much.  Of course, every author’s shifter world is a bit different and unique, but all carry the basics and I can always work with that.

Kara is a very strong character, she’s simply been lied to and mislead into thinking that she is weak and useless.  She is an Alpha’s mate – she is so much more than she believes right now.  Stubborn, loyal and determined to do things her way.  She and James will disagree at times but in many ways they are true equals in leadership.

James is an Alpha male at the height of his powers.  In his discovery of Kara he is forgetting that an equally strong woman will push back, even leave if he tries too hard to bring her to him as his true mate.  She doesn’t even realize exactly what that is thanks to the sorry excuse for a pack that she’s been with.  Watching them shuffle for their own ways is amusing and such an important part of this story.  Kara need the chance to make her own choices – and the sooner James realizes that, the better life will be for them both.

I enjoyed Promise very much and I’m about to go download the second story in this series.  If you love really strong Alpha characters, male and female – and you really enjoy seeing a jerk/idiot getting exactly what they deserve… then this is a series that you should probably check out.  Like, now.

Available for the Kindle