Guardian's Mate (A Shifters Unbound Novel)

Sometimes, you don't know what you're missing until you find it. It's possible to be complete yet still not whole. That's the situation for Rae and Zander. Race's confidence in herself is shaken by everyone's doubt in her ability to perform her new duties before she even has a chance. Zander is taking a much needed break to cleanse himself from duties that have overtaxed his mental and spiritual peace. They are thrown together when Rae is sent to Zander for training. What should be simple becomes an adventure that binds Rae and Zander together. Additionally, we get to see other characters from previous books in the series.

If you love shifters and haven't tried out Jennifer Ashley's Shifters Unbound series you're so in for a treat! Guardian's Mate? Total paranormal goodness complete with a sexy polar bear shifter. Noms!

The quick of it is that Rae has been chosen Guardian by the goddess. Only problem? She's practically still a cub and, well, female and there's never been a female Guardian before. And that has people nervous. Ergs! Training in her home town just isn't safe which lands her in the care of a polar bear. A polar bear who is just about as pleased about the arrangement as she is. Which is to say...not at all. lol

I loved Zander and Rae down to their paws! Both are rather isolated due to being "goddess touched" and without family (though she has an adopted one) and I loved seeing them start to put together their own little ragtag clan of sorts and heal that loneliness in each other. They're good people who will do anything for someone in need even when it hurts them in return and were just impossible not to adore and root for.

Heat-wise? Ergs. Their romance was a bit slower going but it was so damn fun watching them growl and nip and tease and finally figure out they were perfect for each other. They had that perfect combo of teasing fun, driving each other crazy and trying to resist which kept things entertaining. There's some stellar tension that just smoldered but it takes them a long while to seal the deal. It totally worked for me though.

Now. All the stuff that kept the nookie from commencing. There was a LOT happening in this one. It was non stop adventure and action as they dodged shifter bounty hunters and new enemies. Not to mention the Alaskan elements, fae magic and being goddess touched which is just a bitch all it's own. They had one seriously wild ride that brought about some interesting revelations and fascinating developments for the future of the shifters. It definitely kept me turning the pages to see what insanity would hit them next.

There were a lot of fun new characters as well that had me totally falling for them. Even Jake the Snake who was, indeed, a snake. <---impressive feat, that.

All in all, Ashley continues to knock out one fabulous read after another. Action packed and full of complex characters that are simply bad ass and rocking some awesome. Guardian's Mate delivered!

**I received a review copy in exchange for my opinions rather negative or positive.

I just love returning to the Shifters Unbound series. It never gets dull and their is always something new to relish; a new element, a new couple, a new direction, etc.

Guardian’s Mate has so much to savor and a few surprises along the way! It’s action packed, full of adventure, and sexy shifters.

There was a lot of action and adventure packed into this novel. Our characters don’t get much downtime since they are dealing with Fae magic, being Goddess touched, dodging shifter bounty hunters, and new enemies. We are treated, along with our character, to one wild ride that gives us some riveting developments and captivating revelations.

Our couple made a great pair. I enjoyed these two together. Zander's a crazy "big ass bear”, yep, Rae calls him that and I loved it. ^_^ He's also got some hidden depth to him that only Rae sees and can bring out. Rae is young and now she's saddled with being a Guardian. WOW a Guardian! The first female Guardian picked. Lets just say the shifters aren’t to happy and some don’t believe the Goddess chose her. Well even shifters can be prejudice to. I enjoyed Rae. She has a little mystery about her and she’s stuck with a very tough job.

The romance was slow going; between Rae and Zander, but fun to watch them banter and tease and finally figure out they are perfect for each other. Theirs this smoldering tension between them that adds to the build up, so once they do hook up, yumminess befalls. I liked seeing the ragtag clan they sorta put together along with healing the loneliness each have deep inside. Their are also a lot of delightful secondary characters to appreciate.

If you enjoy shifters and haven’t yet tried Jennifer Ashley’s Shifters Unbound series you are in for a treat! Complete paranormal goodness ensues. We are treated to another fabulous read after another in this series.

Rated: 4 Stars

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

There has never been a female Guardian, until now. Zander is the eccentric healer that everyone thinks is crazy and he has retreated back to his Alaskan home to find solitude and peace. What he wasn't expecting was for a favor to be called in and for him to have to take on the very first female Guardian and train her. Rae is really out of her comfort zone and doesn't like being left by her foster father with Zander, the crazy polar bear shifter. Well, adventure follows Zander and it doesn't take long until they are going into the environs of Alaska to release a dead shifter's soul, end up in a bar fight, get chased out of Alaska by bounty hunters, and end up back home in Montana with a broken sword on the hunt for feral shifters. It was fun and their banter back and forth was enjoyable to watch. I liked watching them try and resist each other because they really couldn't afford to let into their mating frenzy while dealing with everything they dealt with. Zander, I think is one of my favorite characters; you really don't know what to expect to come out of his mouth, how he will react to things, or the fact that he seemed less guarded than the other shifters. Part of it I think is because he was never collared and seems to be able to make friends anywhere he goes. I liked their story a lot. A lot happens in such a short amount of pages, only 336 pages. The size of the book is deceiving, it is jam packed with adventure, humor, passion, friendships, and experiences. I loved it.

She wasn’t ready to lead...

Chosen as the Guardian of her Montana Shiftertown, wolf Shifter Rae Lyall is facing opposition—for no woman has ever been selected for this powerful position. Still adjusting to the new authority thrust upon her, Rae travels to train with Zander Moncrieff, a Shifter healer, tasked with teaching her about her new role and its responsibilities.

He wasn’t ready to love...

A polar bear Shifter, Zander wears no Collar and follows no rules but his own. Rae finds him arrogant and demanding, yet compelling and intriguing. Zander has no wish to mate but the sassy Guardian is drawing him out of his shell, stirring feelings long suppressed. And when a new threat looms over Rae’s home, she and Zander must race to the rescue, forced closer to danger...and to each other.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

There was a lot I loved about this book, some I didn't but I still thought it was a good book. I was glad we got to get away from shifterville for awhile because that's kind of been annoying me its kind of like the hellmouth of buffyville, nothing happens outside the circle and it gets a little tedious.

I did like both Zander and Rae but I felt more time could have actually been spent training her or having her actually leading and or having to earn her trust as a leader with the others. I expected more tension and more road blocks as it were but it just seemed to be a slow progression instead of pulling everyone through the transition together it just sort of becomes instant in some places.

I am glad that Ashley has opened the grounds and future with female leadership which will continue to be an interesting political issue in later books for future characters but I was kind of hoping for more excitement out of this installment after reading the blurb.

All in all it was a good read, the intimate scenes were nice and its still find to find our way back home with a whole new angle on everything.

4 Stars

- Krissys Bookshelf Reviews

Disclaimer: Received a print copy in exchange for an honest review

The Shifters Unbound series is quickly becoming one of my favorites! I loved everything about GUARDIAN’S MATE!

Rae has a great honor bestowed upon her and many of the members of her Shiftertown believe that the honor should go to a man. Rae’s adoptive father and Shiftertown leader sends her away to protect her until she can harness these new powers and protect herself. Unfortunately, her father brings her to the craziest shifter of all and leaves her in his care.

Zander is a shifter healer and spends most of his time in solitude. Healing is a gift from the Goddess (Goddess to shifters equates to God to humans) but after Zander heals someone, it takes a hefty toll on his body and his mind. And now he has this little wolf shifter dropped on his doorstep and he’s got to teach her how to be a Guardian. Zander is not the most patient guy. He’s a large polar bear shifter that is batsh*t crazy…most of the time. And Rae may be a pretty young wolf, but she’s got fire in her veins and stubborn streak to rival Zander’s own.

I just loved Rae so much! She’s been through a lot: orphaned as a pup, adopted into a family of felines, been chosen as a Guardian and then shuttled off to a complete stranger, far away from her family. When faced with a sink-or-swim situation, Rae swims every single time. I admire her strength, courage and her capacity to love.

Zander is cantankerous, stubborn, and sexy as hell. He’s also very alpha male and yet, his crazy sense of humor and flawless adaptability in any situation had me entertained and half in love with the big-ass polar bear! Zander and Rae paired beautifully together and I loved watching them fall in love!

This is not just a love story. There is danger, battles, kidnappings, ghost fog, bar fights and so much more! Tides have changed and what you thought you knew about your enemies…well, you can forget all that! Things are heating up in the series and it’s not just the mating frenzy. I’m excited to see where the storyline goes and I can’t wait for the next book!

***I want to thank the publisher for generously offering me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All conclusion reached are my own***

(PureTextuality.com) 4.25/5 stars Jennifer Ashley’s Shifter’s Unbound series is one that I intend to read in its entirety. You can count on a good romance with more than its share of adventure and/or suspense. These shifters are of all kinds of animals, but mainly wolves, bears, and big cats, although this book actually has a fox as a peripheral character. I had been reading them in order, but I am nowhere near to being caught up. When I saw this latest entry on Net Galley, I immediately requested it in exchange for a fair and honest review. I actually think this one can standalone, although there are lots of characters from previous books that show up-always a good thing in my mind.

When Rae, a wolf shifter, is chosen as Guardian of her Montana shiftertown, she is the last person the shifters wants for a Guardian. Guardian’s have always been men, and a woman Guardian is unheard of. But the Goddess has chosen her in front of all the shifters and Rae is completely dumbfounded. Guardians are tasked with attending shifter’s deaths and sending their soul to the Summerland, rather than have the evil Fae take their soul. To do this she will have to take the Guardian’s sword and put it through the hearts of the dead shifters. Rae’s adopted father, Eoin, takes her to Alaska to Zander, a polar bear, for training. Zander is not a Guardian, but he can show her how to fight with a sword, and keep her away from all the hostile shifters that don’t believe she can possibly be a Guardian. Zander has his own magic from the Goddess as he is a healer.

Zander was a interesting character. He keeps to himself and hides out in various places, as he is uncollared. Most uncollared shifters go feral and become pretty mindless, other than to kill. Not so with Zander and it may be because he is touched by the Goddess. He’s a huge man, one that spends his time in Alaska fishing on his boat. He seemingly knows shifters all over the world, all the while being a loner. He has no place in his life for a lupine shifter woman that thinks she is a Guardian. Rae was taken in as a small child by Eion when she was found wondering alone. She’s happy in her home with cat shifters and has never wanted for love while there. She’s feisty as they come and a beautiful woman. And this is going to sound weird, but another of the main characters is the Guardian Sword that Rae has to carry with her always. It seemingly has a mind of its own and makes its pleasure or displeasure known whenever it strikes it. Actually any humor in this read mostly came from the antics of this sword and I enjoyed watching it unfold its magic to get what it wanted throughout the read.

I really enjoyed getting to know the two main characters and rooted them on to find their happily ever after. Along the way, they get way more adventure and near death moments than either one of them bargained for. Because shifters are collared by humans and put into shiftertowns to live, there are bounty hunters just itching to find a feral shifter and turn them over to the authorities. Rae is collared, but Zander has so far been able to stay under the radar. That changes with this book. New villains to the shifter world are introduced and major things happen, some bad and some good. Through it all, the romance between Zander and Rae is woven in amidst all the excitement and drama caused by the bad guys. It ended up being a complete page turner for me, especially during a whole section of the book that takes place in a thick fog, while on a boat, as they are being chased. And to make it even more fun, they are in the middle of an area filled with half sunken ships. This was good stuff!

I am going to leave it at that, except to say, if you love adult shifter stories and paranormal romance, good writing, with a fast pace, they don’t get much better than this series. I think this is probably one of the best of this series that I have read so far, and I highly recommend it. Good Read!

GUARDIAN’S MATE is the ninth full length installment in Jennifer Ashley’s contemporary, adult SHIFTERS UNBOUND paranormal/fantasy romance series. This is polar bear shifter/healer Alexander ‘Zander’ Moncrief, and lupine shifter/Guardian Rae Lyall’s story line GUARDIAN’S MATE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but for cohesion and backstory I recommend reading the series in order.

SOME BACKGROUND: Thousands of years in the past, the Fae created the shifters-a cross between beast and man-and in the ensuing time the Fae lost control and power over the creatures they had created. Approximately twenty years ago shifters were exposed to the human population. Out of fear, discrimination and specieism, the shifters were collared with Fae magic in the belief that it would control aggression; then they were forced into segregated communities known as Shiftertowns. There are several Shiftertowns located throughout America where shifters live in a relative but strained peace amongst their own kind.

Told from several third person perspectives GUARDIAN’S MATE focuses on the first female Guardian, chosen by the goddess, and the resulting fall out when the shifters of the Montana Shiftertown don’t take too kindly to a woman in charge. Hoping to protect his daughter from potential harm, Montana Shiftertown leader Eoin Lyall sends Rae to Alaska and reclusive polar bear shifter Alexander Moncrief for training and protection. What ensues is the building relationship between Zander and Rae, and threats against out couple when a vigilante bounty hunter takes aim at everything shifter. A group of feral shifters has targeted both human and shifter populations, and Zander and Rae are caught up in the fight.

Xander Moncrief is a healer imbued with magical, empathic powers that have forced our hero into a reclusive life where the pain and suffering of others is far from his mind. Rae is a young shifter, barely past her transition, and the first woman chosen as the Guardian of her kind. The Guardian is tasked with ‘sending’ their dead to the Summerland-the shifter ‘after life’-but Rae has never been trained to handle the magical sword that is usually passed down from father to son. Xander Moncrief must temper his emotions as it pertains to the feisty lupine Guardian but attraction and the mating frenzy begin to over power our couple even as they are on the run from the people trying to destroy their lives. The romance is very slow to build; the $ex scenes are intimate and provocative.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several shifters we have met in previous story lines, as well as the introduction of lupine shifter Ezra Wilcox, a man whose aging father recently passed away; Miles Keegan, a boat captain who hides a secret from the people with whom he works; Zander’s friend Piotr Ivanov who adds a little bit of humor and fun; and human Carson McCade, a man out to avenge the attack on his wife.

GUARDIAN’S MATE is a story line that follows a new arc for the series focusing on an impending war between the shifters and the Fae. The premise is entertaining; the romance is a bit of push and pull as Zander tries to keep his distance while the couple is on the run; the characters are an eclectic and colorful mix of shifters and humans. GUARDIAN’S MATE is an imaginative tale of adventure, action and romance. If you like paranormal story lines about shifters and their struggle in a world controlled by humans and the Fae, check out Jennifer Ashley’s SHIFTERS UNBOUND series.

After my disappointment with White Tiger, this was a breath of fresh air! It reminded me quite a bit of the first books.

Rae is an orphan wolf shifter taken in by a feline Montana Shiftertown leader when she was just a small child. She was left alone in the woods after her father and mother both died, although she can't remember the circumstances. Years later, when Daragh, the Guardian of her Shiftertown is killed, she is the one Chosen by the goddess to be the new Guardian - a first that's not accepted by anyone except her family, even some other Guardians. There's never been a female Guardian before. In an effort to protect her, and have her taught the information she needs to be a Guardian, her adopted father takes her to the one man he believes can help - the goddess touched healer Zander.

Zander is a polar bear shifter and a goddess touched healer. He's also slightly crazy if you ask other shifters. Zander recognizes a kindred spirit in Rae and while reluctant at first to train her, he knows that he is truly the only one that is willing to take her in and help her discover her own powers. He can't understand why the other Guardians and shifters are disputing her claim, after all, isn't the goddess herself a woman?

The passion and eventual mating dance between Rae and Zander was magical (no pun intended). I loved every second of their coming together, first as companions and then as friend and lover. They had incredible chemistry together, something that I found lacking in the last several books. It was just a pleasure to read this. I'm glad Jennifer Ashley got her mojo back.

5 stars

Guardian’s Mate by Jennifer Ashley was interesting and I liked the lead characters, Rae and Zander. The premise that Rae is the first female guardian and the fact that despite her divine selection she is still ostracized by her pack are relevant to our society today. Both Rae and Zander are, because of their gifts, outcasts which makes the reader sympathetic to them. The details of their harrowing journey off the coast of Alaska is written with very good detail. For all these reasons, I wanted to really like the book but instead I struggled some with it. The story was slow to progress. During their attempt to escape bounty hunters, we’re introduced to characters who participate in the climactic scene and spend some time watching Rae and Zander get to know each other but this portion of the book was too long. Rae and Zander spent too little time training (her entire purpose of being there) and the man hunting them was a little too easy to win over to assisting them. The two spent too much time resisting each other and too little time finally acting on their instant chemistry. I’d have liked to have seen more of Rae gaining skills, coming into her talents and responsibilities as a guardian, interacting with the pack and a buildup to the pack’s acceptance of her as guardian. The return to Shiftertown and the tracking down of the feral shifters should have been a larger part of the story.

With that all said, the book was still interesting. Ashley is imaginative and writes well and I’m sure fans of the series will enjoy this book as well. I give the book a 3 1/2 star rating.

Reviewed for The Jeep Diva

Shape Shifters trying to live by human rules. Held captive by the Fae created collars they wear. Living in Shiftertowns where they must seek permission to travel. What has the Shifter world come to? And now, the worst thing ever, a female chosen by the Goddess to be Guardian!

Rae is a Shifter Wolf adopted into a Shifter Feline family after she was found as a cub abandoned in the woods. No one knows her Clan but her adopted family love her and the Montana Shiftertown accepted her until the night of the ceremony of the Choosing. Now she is regarded with suspicion as is her adopted father Eoin.

For her safety, her father takes her to a crazy healer called Zander, a Shifter Polar Bear, a recluse, and uncollared. This Big-Ass bear is going to teach her how to be a Guardian and protect her and the Guardian’s sword? Little does her father know that Rae, Zander and the Guardian’s sword will be heading for one adventure after another while trying to ignore their mutual attraction. Zander is a loner and isn’t suited to have a mate and Rae is now a Guardian who is feared by most Shifters. Two lonely Shifters, hmmmm.

Looking for romance, excitment, a bit of fantasy and a total escape from reality? This book is exactly what you are looking for. This was a two day read for me and that only happens when I’m really into a book so, yes, I really enjoyed the story.

Guardian's Mate starts with an unlikely event in a shiftertown in Montana. The next guardian that was chosen was a female named Rae. Even Rae a wolf shifter couldn't believe what was happening. Everyone including other guardians thought that somehow the selection process was rigged. Fearing for Rae's position, her adoptive father sent her to Zander to be trained in all things guardian.

Zander, a polar bear shifter, is also gifted. He was gifted as a healer by the goddess. He also was slightly disbelieving that she had been chosen by the goddess until he was a witness to her gift when she had to help a shifter crossover before the Fae has a chance to steal the shifter soul.

After the emotional event of helping the shifter, Rae manages to do the impossible by breaking the Sword of the Guardian. The story then becomes a race to fix the sword before anyone finds out. There are many obstacles in their way and many that would like to see Rae fail as a guardian.

This was the first book I read in this series and I really enjoyed it. Rae and Zander's banter was great. Rae was a strong character that you wanted to get behind to prove everyone wrong. I also was really touched by all the emotional aspects of this novel. I plan on going back to the beginning of this series to learn about all the characters that make up the different shiftertowns.

I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✦Review & Giveaway: Guardian's Mate: A Shifters Unbound Novel by Jennifer Ashley (...)
Publication Date: September 6, 2016
Reviews by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated: 5 Stars #TopFav2016

REVIEW:
I truly enjoyed reading about Rae and Zander. Their story takes the reader through a lot of territory, while seamlessly building their relationship. I felt an instant connection with them both right away and loved that neither of them fit into a stereotype, other than a sexy one. I even began to think of the sword as a character and really enjoyed that. It was a fast yet smooth story that pulled in people we knew and some new interesting players that I hope will pop back in now and then. Fun all the way around. I can’t wait to see where it brings us next.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

Note from Cori: Totally loved this one too!

I loved this book. Jennifer always delivers an exciting tale . This book was different . The Guardian, who must use the sword of the guardian to free a dying shifters soul is a female. This is not received well by the clan but she was chosen by the goddess. To train she was I taken to the polar bear shifter Zander.He is an uncollard shifter and a great healer who likes to fish in the Alaskan waters on his boat. The last thing he wants is a female with him. All that changes when the bad guys come after them and they have to fight for their lives and learn to depend on each other. If you like paranormal romantic adventure stories you will enjoy this one. It can be read as a stand alone but has characters from previous books in it.

New and exciting things are happening in the world of Shifters Unbound. Wolf Shifter Rae Lyall is chosen by the Goddess as the first female Guardian. Rae is a young orphaned wolf shifter raised by big cats and just barely out of her transition. Traditionalists are not happy with her being picked so her Alpha and step father takes her up to Alaska to be trained by polar bear Shifter and healer, Zander. Zander knows that being chosen of the Goddess is not an easy path. He is not happy with the task being thrust upon them both nor is he happy with the feelings she engenders in him. The Goddess knows what she is doing and the rest are along for the ride. This book is a roller coaster ride of emotions action and adventure.

I will always love the Shifters Unbound series. This is a ride or die for me and like all the others, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Guardian’s Mate and learning more about the elusive Zander whom we’ve seen in previous installments. I loved the characters in this series. Rae is no wallflower. She knows what she wants and she goes for it. Watching her and Zander find one another was sweet and heart-melting at times. I will say, Yes I enjoyed the book, though no, it isn’t a favorite of mine in the series. So far, Tiger Magic has been the book to beat for me in this series and Guardian’s Mate wasn’t quit there. Still a great read though and if you’re a fan of the series, you won’t want to miss it!

I love the SHIFTERS UNBOUND SERIES by Jennifer Ashley...I have just finished the last book until RED WOLF which will not be out until next year. GUARDIAN'S MATE was Zander the polar bear shifter healer and Rae the orphaned wolf who was raised by lions and is the new Guardian picked by the Goddess. I have spent a month reading this whole series and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Rae and Zander were awesome and the story flowed very well. It was fast paced and interesting with every page. I love the mate theme and the shifter characters are very interesting with all the twists throughout this book that makes it so much fun to read.

This 9th full length installment in the shifters unbound series is great... LOTS of action and the story line gets better and better. I have loved all the books and have read them more than once. I will be rereading this one too while waiting for the next book in the series. Way to go jennifer!

I love this author. She makes shifters seem real. Her stories have content. Passion. Fabulous characters. Did I Mentioned great hot sex? Also it looks as if this book is opening up a few more books in the series. Wonderful I can't wait

Guardian’s Mate is focused around Zander, a zany healer that we got a little taste of in previous books.
Rae is the first female guardian and many shifters are skeptical, but Zander recognizes the goddess touched. After being dumped together, the adventures they experience are exciting and new. I also like the way this book took place out of a Shiftertown for a bit, it was a nice change. That being said, you get plenty of appearances from past characters.
Guardian’s Mate is an excellent read and a fantastic addition to the series.