Amie is a wonderful heroine! This is a second chance romance with small town charm. The danger lurks ever present as Amie's family wants her dead for planning to testify against them. Amie is charming and delightful. I liked Frank as well. Their previous break up seemed ill defined and I wanted to understand it better. But, overall, this was a fun, fairly short read that I really enjoyed!

What's the old adage ... "not my circus, not my monkeys"? This type of shifter romance is definitely "not my genre, not my cougars."

Amerella Capone is the the great-grandniece of Al Capone, she however has no interest in being part of the Las Vegas Mafia and when her nephew gets involved she has had enough. Mother to a darling little boy, Amerella ends up in protective custody trying to put her Uncle away. However she never expects to see her lost love, Agent Francois "Frank" Dubois again.

Frank thinks Amerella rejected him, she is his mate and now has to protect her. He doesn't know about their child either. Frank has to protect his sassy mate who has a knack for trouble while thwarting the danger that is threatening her.

Very fun idea. I liked the background to Amerella and thought the story was full of humor. Unexpected shifter story that was a treat to read.

A good amount of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. I didn't love Amerella in the beginning but she grew on me as time went on. I enjoyed the story and there was a solid plot but the characters did fall a tad shallow for my tastes.
An entertaining read none-the-less

Mating Needs is book two in the A.L.F.A. series featuring Frank, a cougar trying to take a vacation in his hometown with his mom. He gets called into service when a mafia princess agrees to testify against her family and needs protection. Frank gets a shocking surprise when he gets to Vegas to find out Amerella Capone is actually his mate, Amie who left him four years before.

For Amerella’s protection, he whisks her off to his hometown and his mom’s house. Figuring an old dying shifter town would be the last place the mafia would look for her. Despite Amie’s awareness of shifters, she charms the members of the town with fun make overs and her input on design and improvements the townspeople can make with their businesses. She’s a big hit. Unfortunately, her popularity pretty much kills any anonymity she may have had in this small town.

Amie is such a great character. Milly Taiden once again does not create her character with the usual Barbie doll qualities and Amie’s confidence in herself, despite what others would consider a drawback, appeals to the town. She becomes sort of an idol and everyone is vying for her help. She is so gracious about it and just willing to jump in and be her old self. This was the girl Frank fell in love with and he’s not going to let her get away so easy this time.

Amie’s time in the town brings in a lot of fun. I got a good laugh at a lot of her antics in helping people in the town. Her assistance goes beyond the basic advice on decorating. Her ideas end up with some embarrassing times for Frank.

Once Amie returns to Vegas, the action gets heavy. Her family has some interesting plans for her. We are again treated with a visit with some demons and I was surprised by the end result of their playing with the demon realm.

Mating Needs was a quick, fun read with great reunion romance and a tale of a town coming together. The connection Amie has with the town is so much stronger than what she gets from her own family, she gets blown away. I enjoyed Mating Needs and am excited to meet more members of A.L.F.A.

When I read the first book in this series, while it didn’t blow me away, I found a lot of potential for this series to be something that I could enjoy. So I picked up MATING NEEDS quite excited about it. It started out promising but in the end I was disappointed with what I got from this story. Maybe it all comes down to expectations.

The first book introduces us to the A.L.F.A. organization and it’s very much a military shifter theme. There was danger and adventure. While this second book started out promising danger and adventure, it quickly changed to a simple, sweet, small town, shifter romance. The majority of this book didn’t deliver the military feel I was expecting, the action and adventure mixed in with sexy romance was missing. That’s what I mean about expectations. Had I gone in expecting a sweet, small town, shifter romance I might’ve enjoyed it more. It just didn’t fit with this series for me, even though the hero is part of the organization and yes, he is on assignment protecting the heroine during this whole book. The action only seems to really happen at the beginning and end of the story. That’s where it missed the mark for me.

Ok all that being said… I think this book reminded me of Vivian Arend’s Granite Lake Wolves series. There’s a nice small town vibe to it, with the whole community getting involved in the story and getting to know the heroine. Certainly they were all very likeable characters and welcome Amie into their fold, even allowing her to put her own stamp on the community. It’s also a second chance romance. Frank and Amie were together in college and he knew she was his mate but never told her the truth about what he was. She left him without a real explanation one day and has been gone for years. Now she’s hiding more than a few secrets and he’s assigned to protect her by taking her to his hometown.

The romance and chemistry was good, there wasn’t a whole lot of tension between the two of them because their old pull was there. I wasn’t completely sold on the why things didn’t work out before and why Amie hasn’t looked for him to tell him the truth. And that certain reunion at the end felt a bit anti-climactic for me. Still, this was a quick and enjoyable read and I think if you have an idea what you’re getting into it’s even more enjoyable. I happen to love these kinds of stories! I’m still curious to see what happens with the next book in this series and I’ll be picking it up for sure.

QuickShot Review 3 stars
I’m on the fence about this. I’ve read a few Taiden books, and most have alot of familiar elements. This is no different. Sassy BBW heroine, standard hero and some drama with alot of sex. What is different (and a definite step up), is the character development in this book, which is probably the best I’ve read from Ms. Taiden. It’s a sign of growth that I appreciate. However, there’s a couple of negatives. The characters are still a bit on the shallow end of the pool, and this is a second chance/secret baby trope romance. I have to say, I still struggled with Amie’s reasons for the secret baby. I will lay this on me though, because I tend to judge secret baby stories a bit more harshly because it’s a trope that I find more frustrating than entertaining. I do like the fact that Ms. Taiden spent some real time and detail in setting up this ‘verse, and I wouldn’t mind revisiting it to get to know some of the other agents of ALFA.

**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley for review**

The story is cute but I struggled with developing character connections. There are a few plot holes but the overall fun feel made this an enjoyable read.

I received this ARC copy of Mating Needs from Berkley Publishing Group - Intermix. This is my honest and voluntary review. Mating Needs is set for publication October 17, 2017.

My Rating: 3 stars
Written by: Milly Taiden
Print Length: 178 pages
Publisher: InterMix
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
Genre: Paranormal Romance | Shifter

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Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

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I really loved this book. I was drawn in from the very beginning.
This book started out action packed for sure.
Amie was no weak damsel in distress!
I'm so glad she found herself in Frank's town, and was able to help them even in little ways.
A great story

*I received my copy from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review

Mating Need

I love this author. She doesn’t let me down when I’m in need to an awesome love story that has a sassy, make no apologies type heroine. If y’all haven’t read her books you need to. The PDA series is one of my top paranormal series and I hope it never ends, and while this is part of a new series, I have to say I love it just as much.

Amerella was spunky and charismatic. She had such a huge heart when we get into the met of the story that you can’t help but be inspired by her. Frank was alllll man! Totally yummy and understanding. I couldn’t help it root for them from the start. Their attraction for each other and the fact that they are faded mates was easy to see and accept even through everything else that was going on.

The author has a real talent for pulling me in and keeping me intrigued from start to finish. There is action, heat, humor, and an awesome corky small-town that you can’t help but love. This book had a significant impact on my emotions while I was reading it.


The main thing I wish had been different and hard to rate was the lack of shifting. This is a shifter book with action and while it was an important aspect of the story, I felt that it was pushed back behind everything else. So because of that I can only give it 4 stars. even with that, I can’t wait to see what’s going to come next in the series. #2OCCJD

I always enjoy a good paranormal romance and Milly Taiden delivers! Her shifters are fun, sexy and always exciting to read!

A Cougar Shifter crosses paths with his Mafia Princess and a second chance at love, Mating Need is a great romantic suspense. This the second book in the A.L.F.A. series and it didn’t disappoint. I loved Frank and Amie their interaction was engaging and the well written storyline made for a superb weekend read. I will recommend this to readers

Ameralla is a Mafia princess with a heart and a conscious, trying to separate herself from the infamy surrounding the Capone family. Yes, THAT Capone! She found love once with her college sweetheart and she has their amazing toddler. But she ends up in the middle of a bank robbery undertaken by her family and she decides to testify against them.

But when the bodyguard she is paired with turns out to be Francois, said college sweetie, she has more to reveal to him than just her read identity, he is also a father!

Francois was left bereft when his mate left him after college. He enrolled in the ALFA programme right after and has been on the go from one assignment to the next ever since. When he and Amie are once again paired together, he can't believe Fate has brought her to him once again. But now he has to fend off the Mafia, magic wielders, demons, oh and tell her he is a Cougar Shifter!
on him.

Great read. I loved Ameralla and "French Fry" is totally an old soul in a wee body! Francois and his little town of shifters, well I wanna move there! They are a hoot and so close knit. I loves all the types of shifters and I can't believe I missed book 1. The wishlist has grown again!

A funny and cute story, but I struggled a little with the characters. They all sounded a little too similar and I didn't quite connect to the way they behaved. I still want to try the other books in the series to see if it was just Amie and Frank that didn't quite resonate.

Even for a work of paranormal fiction, I found most of the situations ridiculous and over the top. At times the constant referrals sought by the townspeople for her expert advice just because she was rich was disconcerting. The son's was a cute addition so that's why it got 3 stars instead of 2.

Mating Needs is kind of a cross between a Jennifer Crusie style rom com and a shapeshifter thriller. My only request for readers is that you read this for exactly what it is: a cute little story. There are several plot holes and unrealistic scenarios in this book. But that is to be expected in a rom com. The writing seemed a touch forced and unnatural at times, but I was willing to look past that.

I was also not a fan of the heroine, but I tried to keep an open mind. I'm sure there are some people who like the damsel who is trying ever so hard to not be a damsel. But she had her big strong man to protect her, so all went as it should. I mostly just grew weary of her frequent diatribes about shopping and being annoyed that she had to live the rich life. You know she would fall flat on her perfectly formed ass if she didn't have her family's money.

In any case, I gave this book a generous three because I can see it having appeal to some readers. If you want a fluffy read that has a shapeshifter element, give this a shot.

Mating Needs is a wildly sizzling and beautifully heart-melting journey of unrelenting danger and a stunning second chance at love that any serious romance fan MUST read. My favorite genre has always been romantic suspense, and this book fit that genre like a hand in a silk glove. I fell in love with every aspect of this story, and I so hated to see it end. Encompassing a wonderful romantic suspense storyline within a breathtaking world of the paranormal is the ultimate icing on the cake for me. This book has everything I love – soul-deep romance, ever-increasing danger, and a high-powered paranormal world. It was truly perfection!

The characters in this book will effortlessly seep into your heart and begin a beautiful transformation of your thinking that will literally take your breath away. I loved getting to know each and every one of them, and I so can’t wait to delve back into this fascinating world whenever possible. There is such power in a strong, original, and heart filled story like this one. It will creep into your very soul and make a home for itself where it will live within you long after you have savored every word of this marIvelous story. I loved how this story continued the same themes and threads of the first book in this incredible series. I still can’t get over how amazing and wonderful the characters and the storyline is!

Milly Taiden is one of my all-time favorite paranormal romance writers, and this book is one of those shining examples. She proves time and time again why she tops my author list without fail. Her heart is truly breathtaking, and her brilliant gift of writing blesses me over and over again. I will never get tired of reading her books, and I hope that she continues to write for a very long time to come.