"Protector's Mate" by Katie Reus. A paranormal romance novella.Short, sweet and to the point. This novella was so good! This novella reads as a stand alone but the main character of Alaric was introduced in the previous novella "Destined Mate". It's OK if you didn't read that one first because enough information is given in this one that you, the reader, will know exactly what is going on.Felicia is coming back to Alabama after working as a nurse in Afghanastan for the last two years. No one is supposed to know that she's home but when she leaves the airport, Alaric is waiting for her. She only met him once when she was 19 years old and she had an instant crush on him. But now that she's older, is she still crushing on him even though she hasn't seen him in 5 years? He's been flirting with her in emails the last couple of months but there's no way he could be serious. Right?Alaric has been waiting what feels like forever for Felicia to come home. When he met her 5 years ago, he knew instantly that she was his mate. But she was way to young at the time for him to act on him primal feelings towards her. Now that she's back, he has some explaining to do. His Alpha has taken over her pack's territory and nothing is going to stop him from being with her. Especially not the people who are trying to kill them....Such a great story. Felicia's insecurities about herself from a sad past with her pack are really heartbreaking. And Alaric love for her is so strong. The chemistry between the two is smoking hot! This novella is the perfect romance hit when you're craving something steamy. I will definitely be reading the next one. I have mixed feelings about this book. On the pro side, I loved the romance. Felicia was a heroine that was easy to like and relate to. Because of her past, she has a lot of insecurities and fears yet she still left everything she knew to go to Afghanistan and help others. When she comes back and everything goes crazy, she tries not to let those insecurities impact the present.Alaric was equally great. He had known for years that Felicia was his mate but he also knew she was too young so he stepped back and watched her live her life without interference from him. The love scenes are both steamy and sweet. Alaric takes the time to earn Felicia’s trust and to make sure she knows how much he needs her. I adored these two together and I believed in their HEA.On the con side is the suspense aspect. I didn’t get it. Heroine in danger and hero forced to protect her is a storyline I love and it worked in the beginning. However, after everything was revealed I felt lost. I went back and reread that scene but I still don’t understand what the motivation was behind the stalking and what it was supposed to accomplish. That took a little of the shine off of what was otherwise a really good book.That being said, I’m glad I read it and I’m looking forward to reading more about this pack. Katie Reus has a knack for writing a romance that I can become invested in.
