Matefinder

How can I describe the writing in this book? Clunky.

One of those books where the heroine just has every conceivable kind of magic power and she gets all of them in a very short space of time to save the day every time. After a few times you just know that in every dangerous situation some new power will emerge so she is saved.

Could not like these characters as the writing just made everything feel awkward. Weak plot and one dimensional characters. Just can't recommend this book to anyone. I gave it two stars for effort.

Great read! After reading so many paranormals, it's has been difficult for me to find books that catch and hold my interest. This book had me hooked in the first chapter. I'm so happy I took a chance and bought this. Great job Leia, I am looking forward to the second book in this series.

***Spoilers Ahead*** Yes, Yes, Yes! Thank You SOOOOOOOOO much for finally writing a Supernatural Romance that did not make me want to gauge my eyes out! I read ALL the time, some times 2 books a day depending on the length of the book. I have read countless wearwolf, gargoyle, vampire type romance. This one takes the cake of them all. For once you don't have to spend half the book with the newly transformed ("changed") girl running from her new "life" and refusing to accept what has happened etc. No, instead, we have a main character who is fierce, loyal and intelligent. I am also pleased that her mate does not follow the typical physical appearance of the lead male. In fact, almost everything about this book is pleasing. I wish the whole "real parents" thing wasn't used as it's really over done, but they added a unique twist to it that I felt was appropriate. Everything else I loved! I cannot wait to read the next part of this journey.

The author strives to provide an action packed adventure of the supernatural variety. And for the most part the story delivers. The action is constantly moving forward, and as it does our heroine gets stronger and stronger. She's a werewolf, and a witch, and a matefinder, and an alpha (or close to it). Anymore powers and I think Aurora would combust. It's almost too much, after a while I was saying enough already! Yet despite the over the top skills given to her, I was still caught up in the story. The one thing I really frowned upon, was the very open ending, a real cliffhanger. All this build up and then the story ends flat. Clearly a part two is in order. While that is fine, I would have preferred to know this was a part one story up front, this way the ending wouldn't have left me dissatisfied, the story feels incomplete.

Kept me intrigued and though the relationship developed quickly, the description for the magnitude of power that a "mates" pull has makes it understandable. The plot was not predictable and was unique. 5 out of 5 stars for me!

As someone that has been delving through truck loads of paranormal romance in the past few months I can claim with confidence that this book occupies one of the lower tiers in quality of premise, plot, character development, and style. I'm not sure that I can explain all the reasons why but to list a few:

1. The main female lead is changed to a werewolf and would you know it, she's a mate finder (the title is rather self explanatory but in application she gets glimpses of the couples that are 'meant to be') making her a critical member of the pack. Never mind the radical life altering changes, the story focuses on her great and wonderful and RARE power (and yes the capital are intentional).

2. The rarity of her powers mean that our main character has immediately been dumped in the damsel-in-distress role (a awful place to be since it makes her about as interesting as a plateful of over cooked veg.). From this point onwards she's protected by the pack (fragile cargo may as well be tattooed on her head and a target on her back). I didn't get far enough in reading to be able to give examples but this plot device probably gives the main romantic interest plenty of opportunities to save her, be a manly-man and generally strut his stuff (none of which makes him and interesting character or attractive but rather relegate him to a fate of single dimensionality).

2. The main female aggressor (competition for the love interest) is one dimensional but that doesn't mater for too long as she's neatly dealt with via the main characters new mate finding abilities. Post mate finding said rival graciously and miraculously has an immediate change of heart and is forever in the main characters debt. May as well have gone from enemies to 'besties'.

3. Now for the romantic lead - he's handsome beyond compare, top dog, and prepared to become the main characters 1-D knight-in shining armor.

I got through about a third of the book to give it a real shot but in the end it was too painful. How it got the stars it has I will never understand. Either the people that read it and were as disappointed/disgusted as I simply didn't bother to rate and comment or they were wiser than me, took one look at the teen cover art and never bought the book.

Kept me intrigued and though the relationship developed quickly, the description for the magnitude of power that a "mates" pull has makes it understandable. The plot was not predictable and was unique. 5 out of 5 stars for me!

As someone that has been delving through truck loads of paranormal romance in the past few months I can claim with confidence that this book occupies one of the lower tiers in quality of premise, plot, character development, and style. I'm not sure that I can explain all the reasons why but to list a few:

1. The main female lead is changed to a werewolf and would you know it, she's a mate finder (the title is rather self explanatory but in application she gets glimpses of the couples that are 'meant to be') making her a critical member of the pack. Never mind the radical life altering changes, the story focuses on her great and wonderful and RARE power (and yes the capital are intentional).

2. The rarity of her powers mean that our main character has immediately been dumped in the damsel-in-distress role (a awful place to be since it makes her about as interesting as a plateful of over cooked veg.). From this point onwards she's protected by the pack (fragile cargo may as well be tattooed on her head and a target on her back). I didn't get far enough in reading to be able to give examples but this plot device probably gives the main romantic interest plenty of opportunities to save her, be a manly-man and generally strut his stuff (none of which makes him and interesting character or attractive but rather relegate him to a fate of single dimensionality).

2. The main female aggressor (competition for the love interest) is one dimensional but that doesn't mater for too long as she's neatly dealt with via the main characters new mate finding abilities. Post mate finding said rival graciously and miraculously has an immediate change of heart and is forever in the main characters debt. May as well have gone from enemies to 'besties'.

3. Now for the romantic lead - he's handsome beyond compare, top dog, and prepared to become the main characters 1-D knight-in shining armor.

I got through about a third of the book to give it a real shot but in the end it was too painful. How it got the stars it has I will never understand. Either the people that read it and were as disappointed/disgusted as I simply didn't bother to rate and comment or they were wiser than me, took one look at the teen cover art and never bought the book.

I really liked the intensity of the story, plot and characters. There is so much potential with this book but it felt quite clumsy to read and I think it was because there was so much happening that it all felt rushed. I felt with that the scenes didn't have time to mature because of this rush which gave the whole thing a clumsy feel. 2 stars is a bit harsh because it was still an ok read, but it could be an epic series but just wasn't.

Absolutely loved this book. I absolutely love werewolf anything and Leia Stone gave a unique twist to them. I couldn't put this book down, it was superb. And I am patiently waiting for the second one.

I've really become enamored with these werewolf novels, and Matefinder has managed to land on my top ten list. I think the things that make a werewolf romance novel stand out among all the rest is good world building, a strong emotional connection between the main characters and conflict that is original instead of overused. The author did an amazing job with these three things and much more.

World building: The pack's rules concerning dominance were so interesting. I've never encountered a werewolf novel that goes into detail about the physical and emotional toll that sustained eye contact will take between two wolves. The way they ascertain a wolf's position in the pack through eye contact instead of physical violence was a stroke of genius, and it happens within the first few pages of the book so you're already immersed in the culture and customs of this author's take on werewolves and you're given a reason to cheer for Aurora as she determines where her place is in this new world she's just been thrust into. The hierarchy of the race is intricate and logical though supernatural in nature. A paranormal author always has to strike that balance between what is supernatural and what is believable. They take a species that doesn't exist and ask the reader to believe in them for the few hours they have with them. The rules of this world were laid out and followed perfectly, making every aspect of this fictitious plot a momentary reality for me. Beautifully done there.

Strong multi-dimensional characters: I am a fan of dominant males, the kind that take charge and want to protect their women, but I am also a fan of women who are fierce and ready to take care of themselves. This book had both of those types of characters falling in love with one another which made for steamy scenes that still managed to be teen appropriate for which I was grateful. On the other side of these fierce personalities we find a soft aspect to Kai where Aurora is concerned, and a vulnerable side to Aurora due to some seriously taumatic experiences she's suffered. These different facets to their personalities gives their characters more scope and likability. Kai and Aurora are simply magical together, and the give and take of their relationship coupled with the outer conflicts they are faced with helps to develop not only their individual characters, but their relationship as well. Plenty of set-ups and payoffs in that department.

Plot: This plot is super interesting. The author has given Aurora the gift of Matefinder, a crucial supernatural power that enables Aurora to help members of her race find their mates. Throw in the ever growing threat of extinction for werewolves, vampires who are interested in Aurora for their own plans for dominance and furthering their race, intelligence agencies out to determine if werewolves are friends or foes, and Kai's determination to protect Aurora at all costs and you've got an explosion of plots and sub-plots filled with the best kind of outer and inner conflict imaginable. Can you tell how much I loved this book?

I could go on and on about Matefinder, but then I would be revealing too much and ruining the book for you. So I'll just say, "Buy the book, dangit," and then you can enjoy it as much as I did. I highly recommend his novel to all paranormal romance fans whether they are fans of werewolf novels or not. Leia Stone, you are my new favorite author!

This review can also be found on my blog, Author and Book Spotlights, http://authorcjanaya.com/blog

Aurora is a domestic abuse survivor that becomes a werewolf after swerving to miss a deer (because she is a vegetarian) and careens off the side of a mountain (page 1 of book). Kai, her romantic interest and mate later on in the book, is the Alpha of that stumbles upon her, after they briefly meet in a gas station, and changes her (page 2). What first interested me about this book was the prospect of a woman who is strong, independent, navigating a new culture, and has struggled in the past yet has recovered and thrived and is continuing to thrive in new circumstances. Aurora is not this woman.

Within the first few (really 4 or 5) pages, we receive all the plot information of her character and Kai's, Aurora running a woman's (not inclusive to men, which I think would have added some character development and shown opinions of a strong woman, being aware that men are abused too) domestic abuse shelter where she teaches self defense. Kai (although his name is not revealed till page 4 of the book,displayed as page 9 because the numbering is weird) is introduced to us as a hottie with a body, tanned with Middle Eastern skin (Indian) and a possible 8 pack. She has spent 6 month in Delhi, India, but this is only relevant in her relationship with Kai and is not used for plot, character, or relationship development and is not revealed until later.

(*Major Spoiler Alert in this paragraph*) Aurora discovers her powers quickly in the book, rising instantaneously to second through a series of staring contests that makes Kai's previous lover jealous while becoming friends with the most submissive member in the pack, Emma. Kai and Aurora discover they are mates, fights ensue with other packs, her Matefinder ability is revealed, she finds the jealous lover her own mate, discovers her true parentage, discovers that she loves Kai after less than a week, meets his family, argues with Kai a lot, has a shaman help her navigate her Matefinder ability, combats Vampires, opens another domestic violence shelter in Oregon with Kai's money as he is a 200 year old millionaire, is kidnapped, meets the Vampire queen, discovers she is currently infertile but will not always be, has an argument with werewolf council and much much more.This all happens within two weeks or less ( a majority of it takes place within a week) (*Spoiler Alert Over*).

My biggest regret in this book is the lack of: real depth, emotion, true doubt, feelings, character development, back story, relationship building, character development (yes I put it twice), and plot. The writing is fast paced, and I feel as if Leia could have done better with her characters. The plot is everywhere, anger from other minor character displayed with no real reason, and their is no attachment to Aurora or her friends. The one thing I did like about it was the fact that changed wolves receive gifts while born wolves do not, because I believe (i.e. not stated within the book) that this would be incentive to turn humans and take care of other wolves besides your family. The fighting scenes were what I believe is the most redeeming quality about this book. Over all, the book was a major disappointment and I believe needs to be reedited.

Below is a list of characteristics that Aurora displayed, most coming out within the first 5 pages of the book. I wrote them on page 99 when I realized there would be no further character development.

Traits that Aurora Possesses:
• Domestic Violence survivor ( does not appear to struggle with this as much as initially thought)
• Teaches self defense
• Curious
• Totally okay with being a wolf (no adjustment period needed)
• Enamored with Kai pretty quickly
• Indian culture discussed but not with depth (unclear if she is Indian or not but did live with host family)
• Vegetarian (“Casually” slipped in every couple of pages in the beginning)
• Loves happy endings
• Calls herself a do-gooder (holds herself above the vampire queen because Aurora has two non-profit domestic violence shelters while Layla owns a few night clubs and an anti-aging crème)