Claiming Her Mates by Dia Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Claiming Her Mates: Book One is the first book in A Paranormal Shifter Romance Series by Dia Cole. This is quite an original take on the shifter romance story, as it incorporates Lykos shifters (wolves), military experimentation, a worldwide flu pandemic- with a zombie apocalypse. There is action aplenty in this steamy reverse harem/ménage story. There’s danger, drama, action, adventure, tension, suspense, some mystery, intrigue, sizzle, passion, and romance.
Havana James (Vana) has been on her own since she was 16 years old- doing whatever she needed to do to get by. She’s beautiful, seductive, independent and sassy. Her past could have made her hard and cold, but instead, she’s resilient, compassionate and caring. She’s at work one night when some sexy strangers swoop in and demand she leave with them. She mistakenly thinks they’re the police- but soon realises that she’s wrong. In the process of trying to sneak away from them, she places herself in a very deadly situation- but luckily for her the strangers are there to save the day. They finally convince her that they are there to make sure she stays safe and to take her out of harms way. She is a little wary, but as danger mounts, she’s really left with little choice but to let them ‘help’. As the four of them spend time together, it is apparent that there is a strong attraction between them, a powerful force that is hard to deny. But not everyone is pleased to have her around. The tension mounts and sparks fly. What happens when their sizzling chemistry bubbles over and their passions ignite? Will they make it to safety? Who are these ‘men’ and why are they helping her? What happens when secrets are revealed- will Vana be strong enough to handle the truth?
This book started off a little slow, and for the first half of the book the story lacked the depth that I was hoping for….. But the second half of the story really got really interesting and really made up for the slower start. The characters were really great, especially throughout the second half of the book. They each had their own unique personalities, quirks, and flaws- which made them realistic, believable, and likeable. I must admit that I really didn’t take to Gabriel for the first half of the book- he was difficult, prickly, and cold. But when the story evolved, I got an understanding of what made him the way he was, my heart ached for what he’d been through. So, my feelings for him did a complete flip from hate to love over the course of the book. Mason is such a sweetheart, the kind and nurturing one of the group- he made my heart go pitter-patter! Liam is a sexy giant of a man- he had me at 7 foot bearded protector, and I loved his cheeky, flirty nature, too (swoon).
The story is told from these four points of view, which gives the reader a well-balanced/complete perspective of what’s happening and what they’re all going through.
I loved the unique take on the whole shifter romance, I thought it was very clever of Ms. Cole. I enjoyed the story a lot, especially the second half. This is the first part though- as the story is set to continue in in part two, which I can’t wait to get my hands on. There’s also a prequel coming out soon, which I am excited to read, too!

Thank you, Ms. Cole!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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