Guardian’s Mate Audiobook

By: Jennifer Ashley

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart

Published by: Tantor Media 08/30/2016

Shifters Unbound #9

11 hrs and 7 mins

Guardian’s Mate Audiobook Sample

Guardian’s Mate Audiobook

4 Hearts

Shifters Unbound has quickly become a favorite series. I love this world that Jennifer Ashley has created. While shifters are powerful and cunning, the agreed to submit to humans to help save their species. They have taken collars that prevent them from being violent. They’ve moved into Shiftertowns around the country. They submit to not being allowed to own a business, have technology, cable and even smart phones. That only means that humans think that they have the upperhand. Truthfully, the shifters have a lot more than humans are aware of.

Within the clans, there is a Guardian. This shifter carries the Sword of the Guardian. This sword will send a dead or dying shifter to dust and the spirits to the Summerlands (shifter afterlife). This prevents the fae from taking control of the spirit. When the Guardian of the Montana Shiftertown dies, a new Guardian must be chosen. However, it takes a while and it does, everyone is very surprised. Rae Lyall is a wolf shifter right out of her transition and the adopted daughter of the Shiftertown’s feline leader. She knows nothing about her history other than her father and the previous Guardian found her alone in the woods when she was a very young pup. They chose to take her in, instead of leaving her to die alone. While she always felt loved, she knew she was always apart from the rest of them. Now that she’s the first female Guardian chosen by the Goddess, she feels even more apart from everyone. Her father takes her to Alaska to have her train with someone outside of the Shiftertown.

Zander Moncrieff is a polar bear, and an uncollared one at that. He is a character that has been on the sidelines for a few books, but right now he’s taking a break from everyone in Alaska. He just wants to rest, recharge and fish. Then Ian shows up with a young female Guardian and expect him to train her. Now, he’s never been Guardian, mostly to fight and use the sword. He’s a healer. He can take someone’s pain into himself. This also makes him very much a loner. People want him to heal every little paper cut, which takes a lot out of him. He tries to make it a little more difficult for people to find him, so he’s only contact when it is needed. People also think he’s crazy. He kinda is, but then if I did what he was doing, I would be crazy too. Zander is also one of those guys who always “have a guy”, no matter the situation, Zander “knows a guy” who can help.

These two don’t start out great together, but between the training and learning how much on the outside each of them have been and will be for the rest of their lives, it brings them together. They go through some tough trials. They make some loyal friends along the way. I had a lot of fun with this “big ass bear” and “little wolf”.

“Where did you get a rocket launcher?”
“Wasn’t hard. I know a guy.”

“I know I’m crazy… It lets me get away with a lot of shit.”

“I would guess Sean couldn’t say all he wanted to, no matter how good a firewall he has. He had to be vague. But he’s right—the runes on the sword are the key. I can transliterate the runes, but I don’t know enough Fae to trust myself to translate them. But that doesn’t matter. I know a—”
“Don’t say you know a guy!” Rae cut him off. “You can’t know everyone in the world.”
“Sure I can.” Zander’s amused look returned. “I know a guy who can read Fae—because he is Fae—not his fault. I just need to make a phone call.”

Guardian’s Mate Narration

4 Hearts

I really continue to enjoy Cris Dukehart’s narration of this series. I think she does a great job with all the different characters. The voices of both men and women are great. She does good with changing the accents for different parts of the US and even with Russian in this book. I love her pace and tone for the different scenes.

Reviewed by: