Forgiving Thayne (A True Mates novel) by @jrloveless - Tam's e-book & Audiobook Reviews #giveaway #mmromance @Dreamspinners @VoiceofDerrick ~ '

Written by: J. R. Loveless
Narrated by: Derrick McClain
Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:06-04-15

A True Mates novel

Nicholas Cartwright has done everything in his power to forget that night six months ago in Senaka when his true mate rejected him, leaving him shattered and disillusioned. Burying himself in his work, he pushes himself to the point of exhaustion while finding the touch of another unbearable. Suddenly his mate needs his help, and he may be asking for more than Nicholas can find it in himself to give.

Thayne Whitedove has always been a wanderer, spending his days on the road and his nights wrapped in the arms of whatever random hookup he meets, until a fateful mistake sends him rushing for the comforts of home. To his utter dismay, the only way to correct his error in judgment is to accept the one thing he's never wanted: his mate. Thayne must decide whether to keep running or to stay and fight for Nick's forgiveness.

Buy links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon Audio | Audible | iTunes

Tams gives this one 4 Stars...

"4 stars for the story 5 stars for the narration."

Overall

Performance

Story

Where does Forgiving Thayne rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was quite good, I'd listen to it again.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Loved the ending, more so than the book version I think.

Which character – as performed by Derrick McClain – was your favorite?

The Chapter where they have to face the created one.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope.

e-book Review Nov 2013

Thayne Whitedove is a loner, he doesn’t rely on anyone but himself and pushes away anyone that threatens to get close. When he was a boy, he and his best friend and fellow shifter Dakota, found Dakota’s father dead by a self inflicted gunshot wound after the man’s mate had die. Thayne and Dakota swore an oath that day to never succumb to the mate bond, to never let themselves be that vulnerable because of their love and loyalty to another. So Thayne has spent his entire adult life hopping from one bed to another in a quest to quench the thirst the loneliness leaves in its wake. He’s brash, standoffish and contemptuous at best with just about everyone.

When Nicholas Cartwright steam rolled his way into Thayne’s life all those months ago, Thayne rejected him, rejected their bond and did what he does best, he ran. When Thayne’s past and poor choices come back to haunt him, he has no choice but to accept help from the one person he hurt more than anyone, Nick.

Nick is everything that Thayne is not, everything about them is a contrast of colors and personalities. Thayne is big and broad with long, dark hair and equally dark eyes that match his almost black personality. Nick is lithe and lean with dark blonde hair and mesmerizing green eyes. He’s smart, successful and committed to everyone in his life. He was the protector of his best friend Seth, Thayne’s brother Kasey’s husband, for many years. All Nick has ever wanted in his life was to find his mate, settle down and live their lives together, happy. Fate has a sick and twisted sense of humour sometimes, especially when deciding that Nick and Thayne were mates.

If these two can stop fighting and learn to actually communicate with each other, they just might make a deadly duo. But all they can manage to do is let their emotions get the best of them, fight like cats and dogs and continually deny the pull and the attraction to one another. Nick is an open book, he doesn’t hide his feelings from Thayne. But Thayne is so dead set against fulfilling his mate bond, so scared of a memory and an ages old promise that he very well might let his bad attitude cost him the love of his mate. That is if the worst mistake he ever made doesn’t kill them first.

I have waited for this story for over a year, and for the most part it was well worth the wait. The push and pull between Thayne and Nick was nerve wracking at best. I loved that Thayne didn’t fall over and submit, that he and Nick had to fight for their love story, for their happy ever after. But there comes a point where enough is enough, and Loveless crossed that line about mid way through this story. Were I not a fan of this author, these characters and this story, I would have thrown this book against the wall a couple times. I’m glad I stuck it out in the end, because the reward was worth it. But the constant lack of communication between these two did cause me to rate under 5 stars, because it was a strain on the overall content of the story.

If you can deal with the two steps forward, three steps back and almost teenage angst undertones in this story, then it’s a pretty good read. It’s very much an unlikely love story between two strong, stubborn and sexy alpha males that have to learn the beauty of compromise if they are going to stay together.

Audiobook Review August 2016

Derrick McClain did a magnificent job bringing these characters to life. I could literally hear the pain in both Nick and Thayne's voices at different times. Both shifters are confused for different reasons. Thayne feels like being mated will make him weak and vulnerable, he doesn't realize it will only strengthen him. Nick is beside himself with grief and the guy is seriously in agony over being rejected by the one person on earth that the fates have designed to be his. Subtle tones and inflections really took the story to a different level. And when the created one is taunting Thayne, calling his name, my skin was crawling, McClain really put as much menace and hate in that one word as possible.

Still though, as excellent a listen as this was, the two steps forward, three steps back drove me insane. I thoroughly enjoy this series and this Author, but good lord the angst needed to be dialed down a notch. 4 stars for the story 5 stars for the narration.

JR Loveless - Where Love comes softly

I love to write, read and watch anything to do with m/m romance as long as it has a happy ending! I work a full time job and write as much as I can in my spare time. And I've had three books accepted, two are out now and one is due in September along with a short story! Follow JR Loveless via blogger: http://jrloveless.blogspot.com/