I picked up an ecopy of Emma Eden‘s Mates and Other Obstacles to Accidentally Saving The World as an Amazon freebie, probably during a Stuff Your Kindle event.
All I wanted for my birthday was a cake. Instead, I’m a snake… on a quest.
Yep, an honest-to-scales, snake. Did I mention I hate snakes?
Apparently not everyone does, because when my birthday explodes along with the bar, I’m stolen by a smoking hot shifter to his bear lair against my will.
I was supposed to be keeping a low, low profile before heading back to my secret human village. Instead I’m on a magical quest with Ward who claims we have a Fated Mates situation.
A what now?
I didn’t sign up for that. Or the uncontrollable shifting. Or his Goddess spritzing a rampaging shifter problem across the realm. Somehow I end up the only person who can find her relics because I maybe, accidentally, ate the first one. Though I don’t think they’re in the one bed we end up in. Which is probably a good thing since they don’t seem to fix my snake problem, they only make me stranger.
The quest wouldn’t be so bad if the whole continent wasn’t determined to separate my soul from my body. Even if I don’t trust him, sticking with Ward is the only chance I have to not be a snake and stop the realm from being torn apart by claws and fangs. What choice do I have? I’ll need to find a whole bucket of courage with some trust on the side to try out this mate thing and maybe save the Harrowlands.
Meh, I mean, I’ve read worse, but this one just didn’t do it for me. It’s trying to be silly like Kimberly Lemming’s books, but it didn’t manage the balance. Yes, it’s meant to be funny and lighthearted, but it too often leaned into humor when plot or character development would have served the story better (not every time, but maybe some more of the time would have been nice). Plus, it went on far too long, considering how little variation there is in events, dialogue, or internal monologues. Frankly, the bottom line is that I’m sure this will be great for the right reader. I thought it was cute the way the characters supported one another, but I was ultimately bored with the whole thing.
Other Reviews:
Book Review—Mates and Other Obstacles to Accidentally Saving the World by Emma Eden