Elemental Mating by Milly Taiden was just okay for me. Nothing super special. A good little PNR story if you're looking for a book without a bunch of substance to get lost in for a while.

I'm afraid I'm getting a bit burnt out on paranormal romance as all of the plots are beginning to blend into one another. This book is good, but nothing out of the ordinary.

I found Elemental Mating while browsing NetGalley and was intrigued by the premise. Alpha shifter vs nerdy scientist? GIMME! Unfortunately, it wasn’t as successful as I’d hoped it would be.

Melinda Castor is a research scientist who discovered a new strand of virus that seems to give those infected supernatural powers (ESP, telekinesis, etc). Parish Hamel is an A.L.F.A. (Alpha League Federal Agency) agent and a jaguar shifter. He’s assigned to watch Melinda and keep her – and her research on the virus – safe. When Melinda is attacked and her lab broken into, both Hamel and Melinda race to find out who is after her information..and more importantly, what they want to do with it.

Since Hamel is essentially a Black Ops solider for the US government, I expected a certain level of competence from him. Sadly, he seemed like a bumbling amateur. He didn’t guard Melinda when he should have, ignored critical evidence in favor of flirting with her and, in general, put them both in danger when he could have avoided it. Melinda wasn’t much better. She constantly put herself in danger without considering the consequences. From following a wild jungle cat into the woods after dark to trusting the suspicious janitor with vital information, she didn’t often employ common sense.

Around Chapter 15 or so, a demon possession happens and Melinda is whisked off to Hell. Aside from some subtle hints here and there, it really came out of left field (both the demon possession and the trip to hell).
As much as I wanted to like this, I just couldn’t read any farther once a woman in Hell introduced herself as “The Head Harem Ho.”

This may be a case of the book just not being to my taste. I may have been looking for something a little more serious. Elemental Mating was just too campy.

DNF

I really had trouble getting into the book initially and getting caught up in the emotions of the characters.  The storyline was good, but it just didn’t stand out in my mind amongst other books in the genre.  The blurb was great, but overall the book just fell flat for me.

I love Milly Taiden books! She does something special with shifters and is able to captivate her readers from the start. I was excited to see she was going to have a new series and once I started I knew it would quickly because one of my favorites. 

Hamal was awesome! Watching him from right the mating Instincts was funny but at the same time, he's protective nature was amazing to see. I loved his personality. 

Melinda was headstrong, and very smart. I'm not sure this author knows how to write a week heroine. It's a very good thing in my book. You could see her live for her job, and I love that. 

The plot was interesting. I will say that some of it confused me with the whole viruses and it trying to understand the different things, but the author did a good job at outing in layman terms. It was fascinating to see not only working inside the lab, finding out the results, but I love the mice!!! Once you read the book, you will understand why. Towards the end, we get a whole new setting that blew me away. I would love to see more about it! 

Overall Milly has done it again. She makes not only the settings seem so erotic, but each character has they one unique characteristics. I can't see where the author is going to take the rest of this series and the other characters. I wish we had gotten a chance to really meet them, so that we could anticipate their books, but I'm still excited! 4 Stars

This was a super fun sexy shirfter read that was non stop from the very start. I love a Mates-at-first-sight type of book. I feel like they are full of need and I love the angst that seems to come with them.


A brilliant, headstrong, and wonderfully sassy scientist, and the man sent to protect her under the guise of being from the CDC. From he very tart I loved the tension between these two. Hamel was smart, alpha, and still a bit goofy. I loved that he tripped over himself for Melinda but truly just wanted to protect her and to things the right way.

Then there was Melinda. She WANTED this man like no other, but she has no idea he isn’t who he says he is, or thats he is a shorter and her mate.

ALL THE SECRETS. It was fun. Throw in a demon plot and a virus that could change the world as we know it and things for messy fast.

In the end Melinda had her SMH moments, but I got the ending I was hoping for and the answers I wanted came out.

Milly was a fun author. I loved how she gave us dual POV for some chapters and gave us the depth of insight into other secondary characters. She has a real talent for setting her plot up for success without being too transparent. I can’t wait to read more from her.

3.5 stars - I'm on the fence with this one.  I like the strong female lead and the beginning of the book has some witty parts, but as the book goes on it veered off and left me questioning the characters & story.

Book 1 in a Brand New Series – Featuring  alpha sifters . First up Jaguar agent Hamel who is sent under cover up protect scientist Melinda Caster in Africa. But instead he finds his mate in trouble with Demon and wanting her research.

An enjoyable book with great characters  and leaves you wanting the next book in the series.  If you haven’t read it Do- also this authors other books are a winner too.  Lisa

I couldn't get into this book. I wasn't a fan of the heroine, Melinda. I couldn't relate to her. I wasn't too fond of Parish either. He went undercover as a scientist, but couldn't keep up the guise because he didn't have that level of education. I know it's a small thing, but it took me out of the story and the plot just wasn't keeping my interest. I'm going to try the second book to see if I have better luck.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book with a good plot line. I think it could have been even better. The main lead at the start is awesome. Some of her decisions and thought process annoy me at times but I guess that could be a good thing. Love the start of the story and the quick pace. I do say give this a try if you want a quick read.

In this fast-paced paranormal romance, the reader will quickly see the author's' creative genius as she weaves an exciting story around the Zika virus and the unusual anomalies it creates. Her portrayal of Melinda as a klutzy extraordinary scientist is done to perfection allowing some humorous scenes that will cause the reader to laugh. This part of her personality takes the could be boring scientist and gives her an adorable quirk.

Parts of the story involving jaguar-shifter Agent Parish Hamel at times felt too plain for his larger than life personality but those instances are rare because this man knows how to be in charge and get what he wants. It is quite adorable how he forces himself to be patient, focus on his mate's welfare and not try to bulldoze her into accepting him.

Additionally, secondary characters such as Sefu, Lamozierus, and Cuzork expand on the mysticism and danger in this story creating a very exciting plot that will keep the reader mesmerized to the very last page.

I give this 4.5 stars for the author's superb manner of keeping the forward movement of the story intricate, exciting and smoking hot.

I was so disappointed by the second half of this book that I only kept reading out of disbelief that a book with such a promising start had taken such a weird turn for the terrible. ELEMENTAL MATING began with an intelligent protagonist, living in Africa, doing her thing. By the end of the book she had not used her brains or her photographic memory in about a hundred pages.

The author made a strange decision to go from a hyper-scientific story with surprise magical elements to a fully magical story with no basis in science at all. I don’t know why the story couldn’t be as exciting in the human world. When the characters end up in a dimension where they can basically wish their troubles away, It just feels like lazy writing.

I was thrilled by the first part of the book, and it’s hard for a book to burn through so much goodwill that quickly. Add to that the “communal dream space” that mates share, and I was totally turned off this book. A brilliant premise and a brilliant heroine, dashed against the clichés of alpha males and “it was all a dream”.

Fabulous start to a series, Elemental Mating is the book 1 in the A.L.F.A. series. Parish Hamel is a member of the Alpha League Federal Agency. A jaguar shifter Hamel is tasked with protecting the brilliant scientist Melinda Caster. The chemistry is hot the mating call hotter but will the danger cost them everything. I look forward to reading more of this series

As a fan of shifter novels, I'm always on the look out for new books & authors that will fill that paranormal craving and Elemental Mating's blurb interested me from the start. Maybe because of my obsession, and having the bar high because of that, Elemental Mating fell short for me. I couldn't connect with the characters or feel the natural rhythm of the story. I was very much aware of what was being told to me rather than falling into it and becoming a part of it. I'm disappointed because I really wanted to love it, but I can see where others will really adore it. Maybe I had an off week, but I'll definitely give Milly another try in the future.

Just when I start to think it’s too difficult to find a good shifter romance series that brings back those feelings I used to have when reading these years back, here comes Milly Taiden with the A.L.F.A. series.  And I’m so glad for that!  Light, fun and sexy shifters, yes please.

ELEMENTAL MATING is a classic fated mates story with “some” military elements.  The hero, Hamel, is a jaguar shifter (OMG MY FAVE!) and part of the ALFA team.  Think CIA but for the paranormal.  His mission is to protect a known scientist working in Uganda that has found a new virus strain.  When he meets her for the first time, his jaguar recognizes her as his mate immediately.  But he still has a job to do to protect her and figure out who is after her, her research and why.

The premise here really worked for me.  I am a big fan of jaguar shifters and the author used the animal side of the hero really well.  Cuddly and cute while also growly sexual.  This is definitely a more character than plot driven story and we don’t get a whole lot of world building in it.  The main focus are the two main characters and luckily I was so on board with both of them.  The heroine is super smart, the virus issue was also interesting, and I can’t wait to find out more about the ALFA team in general since we don’t get much of it in this one.

There is also a deviation from a straight up shifter world here including some magic and demons.  I’m not so sure this was done to my liking necessarily and this was where I lost some of my interest.  But it was still entertaining and I’m happy that this will be a more complete paranormal world.

If you’ve read Vivian Arend’s Tahkini and Granite Lakes series, then you’ll definitely enjoy this one as well.  I can’t wait to see the overall world building develop more in the next one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B06XVQZSS7/R3F4UJGIOP8MOE?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

My Thoughts - 5 out of 5 Unicorns - I loved it!!! 
***I choose what I read and review based on what intrigues me!!  Yes, I got a review copy of this book, but no one tells me what to think, feel, or write about any book!  I will be adding this to my collection in the future!

The cover is awesome, and it is also my favorite kind of shifter cover because it shows both forms of beautiful beasts!

This is the first book in a new series!  It is for adults only due to the steamy content.  For whatever reason that is beyond me, this is my first time reading Milly’s work yet I own 35 of her books on my kindle.  I am going to have to get to work reading them because I know they will be good; it’s why I bought them all.  At any rate, I collect her books!

I couldn’t put the book down.  It was exciting, and I didn’t know what was going to happen next.  I was knocked for a loop several times because I didn’t see it coming.  Melinda is interesting because she was held back by her family and their beliefs when she had to abide by their rules.  She realized that she wasn’t really learning the facts from her family, and she became a student of facts, then a scientist and researcher.  She had some bumps along the way which we will call her baggage.  Hamel is the sexy agent under cover, and he has his work cut out of him with Melinda and her brain.  Their adventure had me pulled into the story, and I loved every moment.  I don’t want to give anything away, but if you love adventurous shifter books…you should read this!

I highly recommend to any shifter fan who wants action and a HEA in the end!!

**3.5 Stars**

Melinda, a scientist, has discovered something exceptional, something I can't even begin to describe. LOL But, suffice it to say, it could change everything, and some people will do anything to acquire it, including breaking into her lab, which means someone has been watching her and knows exactly what she's found. When vital data is accidentally lost, you'd think the threat to Melinda is over, however, this brilliant woman has a certain ability that makes her invaluable in recovering said data...her infallible memory.

Parish, an A.L.F.A. agent and jaguar shifter, is given the assignment of uncovering who's after the virus and why, and is doing so under the guise of being a doctor. His mission becomes personal though upon meeting Melinda. She's his mate and sends his jaguar into a frenzy, a yearning to make Melinda his, but he knows he needs to tread very carefully as Melinda has no clue paranormals exist. Parish will do everything withing his power, and then some, to ensure Melinda is safe. Unfortunately, that's hard to do when she disappears, along with the only known sample of the Zika virus.

Parish is now tasked with prowling the underground that caters to supernaturals in order to find Melinda before it's too late. What he discovers though is a potential nightmare for all paranormals. Melinda hasn't had an easy life thanks to her childhood. They used their religious beliefs against her, and once Melinda turned eighteen, she left and hasn't had contact with them since. Unfortunately, that's not the only heartache she's experienced from those who are supposed to love and protect her. Melinda's previous employer was the CDC, but after being betrayed by a lover, she left and has since guarded her heart, not allowing anyone else in. But there's something about Parish that calls to her, tempting her to take just one more chance on love.

How will Melinda react upon learning Parish is there under false pretenses? Will she accept his story that not only is he a jaguar shifter, but that she's his mate as well? Will Parish be able to convince Melinda that she never has to fear him betraying her in anyway? Can Parish find Melinda and protect her? Who is after the virus? What are their motives and how far will they go to accomplish them? Will Parish and Melinda prevail and live to have a HEA?

One-click now and follow along as two people meet under false pretenses, but find a love so true it can overcome any obstacle. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.*

Awesome book!!! Loved reading it, it was suspenseful and sexy hot at perfect levels!!