The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg (MM)
Mate or Meal 2

Professional Reviews

4 CUPS: "Shiloh has spent his life searching for his mate; someone to finally call his own. His enthusiastic search has brought him great pain, and just when he gives up, his mates arrives in the most feared beast; a wolf. Liam is tired of the endless search for the man who is fated to complete his life. When he runs into him in the woods, his initial greeting brings great pain to them both. A shadow from the past lurks, waiting for the moment he can break them apart. Will someone put an end to them before they ever get started, or will their feelings be enough to keep them together? Who could ever imagine there would be a sweet love story between a wolf and his swan? Ms. Hyacinth is an amazing woman who lives to make the reader view life from a different point of view. The Mate or Meal series gives people who perceive themselves as different, hope that there is someone out there who can appreciate them for who they are. I love Shiloh for his sweetness, but Liam is a man of depth who looks past all the differences and pain and sees a man who he needs to be with no matter what. I appreciated the updates on Carson and Brody as well. If you have missed the pleasure of Ms. Hyacinth and Mate or Meal, then I encourage you to give them both a try." -- Delane, Coffee Time Romance

4 STARS: "THE WOLF WHO HATCHED AN EGG is a very good GLBT romance of two shapeshifter men working to build a family together. The romance is emotional, tender and spicy, while the plot is tight and builds the "Mate or Meal" shifter world beautifully. This is book two in a series about predatory wolf shifters finding mates among non-predatory shifters. Liam is the beta in a wolf pack and visits the couple featured in book one (The Lamb Who Cried Wolf), Brody and Carson. Carson's friend, Shiloh, is a swan shifter who has been searching for his mate since he was a teenager. When Liam sees Shiloh, he immediately recognizes Shiloh as his mate. Unfortunately, their initial contact is only sexual in nature, causing Shiloh to mistakenly think Liam is like all the other men who only want to use Shiloh. Liam and Shiloh slowly build a trust and relationship with each other. But just when it seems these predatory and vegetarian shifters are becoming a couple, a mysterious egg is left at their door. Can a wolf and a swan really build a family together? I really enjoyed this book. I adored the trust that Liam and Shiloh build together. Shiloh had been so hurt by others that he nearly misses seeing Liam as his mate. Liam, though, refuses to allow Shiloh doubt and emotionally pulls Shiloh to him with compassion and tenderness. This is best illustrated when the couple first makes love; Shiloh is used to men using his body for their own gratification but Liam shows Shiloh how making love is a sharing between two people. Liam recognizes Shiloh's worth even when Shiloh doesn't and this made for a compelling story. I also enjoyed how their emotional and sexual relationship felt like a real couple figuring out how to have jobs, pay bills, and where to live amongst their love for each other. The dialogue between the couple was honest and open and added a perfect emotional balance to their highly sexual relationship. I read book one of this series and though it was decent but THE WOLF WHO HATCHED AN EGG is much better. The author did a lot of the world building in book one so in book two readers are just reintroduced to the different shifter species. The world building here is more delicate than in book one and made for a much easier read. I enjoy the mythos created that predatory shifters have preyed on the non-predatory ones and thus the animal groups are fractured and xenophobic. The only agency which governs all the shifters is the adoption agency for shifter children and this plays a big role in both books of the series. Of course, at heart this novella is about the romance between Liam and Shiloh but when the mysterious egg is left on their apartment steps, the couple starts becoming a family. I enjoyed this progression of both the plot (where did this egg come from) and Liam and Shiloh's relationship (can they raise a baby together successfully). In addition to the egg drawing Liam and Shiloh into a family, their friends and extended family morph into the community to help them raise the egg. I enjoyed revisiting Brody and Carson from book one, Shiloh's friends (a squirrel and hummingbird shifter), and Liam's Alpha, Soren. I think this community of shifters is a real strength in this book and will make me read subsequent books. THE WOLF WHO HATCHED AN EGG is a very enjoyable romance with plenty of heart and spice. It continues to build a strong animal shifter world with wonderful characters who fall in love and have charming families. Readers who enjoy M/M romance will love this story."-- J9, The Romance Reviews

Excerpt

ADULT EXCERPT

All his life he’d waited for this moment, for this man. Now, it didn’t matter that they were so very different. It didn’t matter that their positions on the food chain should have marked them as sworn enemies. The only thing Shiloh cared about was this amazing person, who touched him like no other and made him feel things he hadn’t thought possible. “Make love to me.”

He couldn’t remember ever saying that to any man. Even with all the guys who’d fucked him, no one had made love to him. Liam seemed to understand, and he simply smiled back.

Leaning even closer to Shiloh, he pushed a finger inside Shiloh’s anus. The digit slid into Shiloh’s pass easily, and Shiloh moaned, begging for more. All of a sudden, his body seemed to burn with a flame only Liam’s touch could quench.

Liam added another finger, scissoring them gently, with exquisite care. Shiloh didn’t manage to suppress the urge to thrust back onto them, needing a stronger, deeper invasion. But whatever Shiloh did, Liam still took it slow. He rubbed Shiloh’s prostate with merciless insistence, and at one point, Shiloh lost control of himself, thrashing against Liam.

And then, Liam pulled his fingers out of Shiloh’s ass and hugged him tight. He lifted Shiloh’s legs, and he positioned his prick at Shiloh’s opening. “Shh,” he murmured. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

With that, he pushed inside. His cock stretched Shiloh’s anus so perfectly that Shiloh thought he must have fallen in a dream. Shiloh was no virgin—he couldn’t be farther from it—but he still felt like one when Liam touched him. The penetration hurt, but it was also better than anything Shiloh had ever felt. Shiloh bit his lip in a futile attempt not to cry out. He clung to Liam’s shoulders, choking, needing an anchor in a world that no longer made sense. How could this be? How had he never known this type of pleasure? Why was it that only Liam reached a place no one had ever before?

“Just let go, baby,” Liam whispered against his lips. “Don’t be afraid.”

He pulled out of Shiloh and thrust back in, a quick, hard motion that somehow still managed to be tender. Shiloh released a sob. How could he not be afraid? Liam was inside him, inside his body, his heart, and his mind. What would there be left when the man dumped him?

“I’ll never, ever abandon you,” Liam said. “You’re safe now.”

Shiloh didn’t know how Liam had guessed his fears. Perhaps they were written all over his face. Perhaps the wolf could read his mind. Either way, Liam’s words seemed like a balm for the wounds he’d never even realized he carried. He wanted to be safe. He wanted to be with Liam, always.

Liam started a gentle rhythm, in, out, in, out, rocking rather than thrusting. He went slow, always holding Shiloh’s gaze. He didn’t say another word, but it wasn’t necessary, not anymore. Everything Shiloh needed to know was right there, in those gorgeous eyes, along with the reassurance, the acceptance, the lust, and oh, God, the love.

At one point, Shiloh’s vision went blurry for a few moments, and Shiloh realized he’d lost the battle with his tears. He pushed them back angrily, hating looking weak in front of his mate. The thought sent a wave of shock through him, especially because it came so out of the blue and felt so natural.

When Liam gently swept his finger over Shiloh’s cheek and wiped away a stray tear, Shiloh knew there was no way back. For good or ill, he’d already chosen his path, and it lay with this man.

* * * *

Shiloh’s tears would have broken Liam’s heart had they been of pain. But Liam sensed the true emotions behind them. There was so much need, confusion, relief, and affection hidden behind them that they were a treasure. Shiloh himself was a treasure. Unfortunately, the man didn’t know it, but Liam would take the rest of his life to make sure the man understood his own worth.

He continued to push in and out of Shiloh, loving the tight grip of his mate’s ass on his cock, but at the same time, feeling the swan’s pleasure echo inside him. His beast snarled its satisfaction, but he still took it slow, knowing it was what Shiloh needed—making love, not fucking.

On and on it went, and Liam felt each and every one of Shiloh’s barriers break. He held his mate through the passion, reassuring him with soft words. “I’ll always be here, baby. Always.” He’d never tire of saying it, either, because it was true, and he wanted Shiloh to remember it, to never doubt again.

The pleasure increased slowly, like the sea that came closer with the rising tides. Shiloh moved with him, and their bodies fell into a perfect rhythm, into complete harmony. They fit together just right. Shiloh’s scent, the hold of his anus around Liam’s prick, the sparkle of his unshed tears, the beauty of his swollen lips, and his eyes, God, his eyes… Everything about him made Liam want to prolong this moment, to have it last forever.