Blue Mountain

Publisher's Summary

Exiled by his pack as a teen, Omega wolf Simon Moorehead learns to bury his gentle nature in the interest of survival. When a hulking, rough-faced Alpha catches Simon on pack territory, he tries to escape what he’s sure will be imminent death. But instead of killing him, the Alpha takes Simon home.

A man of action, Mitch Grant uproots his life to support his brother in leading the Blue Mountain pack. Mitch lives on the periphery, quietly protecting everyone, but always alone. A mate is a dream come true for Mitch, and he won’t let little things like Simon’s rejections, attacks, and insults get in their way. With patience, seduction, and genuine care, Mitch will ride out the storm while Simon slays his own ghosts and Mitch’s loneliness.

©2014 Cardeno C. (P)2014 Cardeno C.

Loved it, too short...

A huge C. C. fan, this story did not fail to meet my extremely high expectations assigned to this author. I so enjoyed the story of Mitch and Simon! It was a sweet little romance and I thrilled at getting to know these characters. Sean Crisden is one of my favorite narrators and as typical, he added so much in this story. My only complaint would be that the story ran to short. There was so much more that could have been covered and addressed (in my humble opinion) and it made the story seemed rushed. But perhaps that will be addressed in the (hopefully) upcoming series. Either way, loved this book and certainly recommend....

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Excited about a new CC series!

*3.5 stars*

3 stars for the story and another 1/2 star for the narration, very nicely done by Sean Crisden!

I've read stories like this one before... but I keep coming back to them. You know what I mean. The big bad alpha male shifter falling for the formerly abused, more submissive mate. There is insta-love and insta-"MINE"... but I keep coming back! It is a theme that never gets old for me.

Cardeno C. does shifters often and does them well. I really like this author's HOT, uber-masculine guys that often border on romantic enough to be sappy. This story is no different. It was very sweet with some light angst and a fairly slow burn love story for a shifter book. I think that there is a lot of potential there, but there were some plot holes and details that left me wanting more.

I wanted to know a great deal more about the pack and pack structure. This felt like the intro to a longer book in a lot of ways. The way that the pack reacted in the beginning of the story to the news of a male omega in the territory was very different from how Mitch assures Simon that they will treat him. I'm curious as to what their reception of Simon will be and what challenges that would bring someone as skittish as Simon. Also, Simon hinted at a history of abuse of many kinds, and I thought that once his relationships with Mitch finally became physical, we would see some kind of trauma from that abuse peak through. It didn't happen. It was strange to me how Simon morphed from super shy/reluctant to mini porn star so quickly.

However, despite some issues, I enjoyed this novella. A great deal of that is surely from Sean Crisden's awesome audiobook narration. I loved his voice for Mitch (familiar from those used to listening to Crisden but no less sexy!), and I thought he did a great job bringing this book to life.

**Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review**

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Sean is one of my favorites, makes this book great

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I liked this book soooo much better in audio! I love Cardeno C, but Sean really brought her story to life for me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Simon and Mitch

Which scene was your favorite?

There first real intimate time together was sweet

If you could take any character from Blue Mountain out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Mitch, He learned to be so patient for love.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Promising new Shifter series from CC!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would, the combination of writing and voicing were a match made in heaven.

What did you like best about this story?

Mitch and the way you could hear his authoritative nature in his voice, but know when he was softened by his feelings for Simon.

What about Sean Crisden’s performance did you like?

Of course, I always like a Crisden performance, he's a great storyteller.

If you could take any character from Blue Mountain out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Mitch, who doesn't like a strong, large and in charge Alpha male type?!

Any additional comments?

Mitch Grant exudes the scent, strength and characteristics of an Alpha; but proudly stands by his twin brother Fredericks side as his Beta. The two twin alpha wolves took control of the Blue Mountain pack from a cruel and undeserving alpha and his men. The former alpha didn’t believe Omega wolves had any worth, but the Grant brothers believe differently, which is a blessing since Mitch turns out to be mated to one.

Simon Moorehead returns home to Blue Mountain to bury his mother and say goodbye. On the run since he was twelve from wolves that were of the same belief as his father, the Omega wolf has learned how to go against the grain and buck his instincts. So when his mate finds him, Simon doesn’t make the connection or trust the much larger wolf for quite a while.

Mitch doesn’t try to hide his attraction or the pull he feels toward Simon, but he does learn quickly to control it lest he run his mate off for good. Simon is shy, scared and haunted by his past and all those memories do is fuel the fire inside of Mitch, the innate need to protect his fragile mate. Simon has to learn how to trust, how to love and to accept the instincts he has long since trained himself to rebel against in order to understand the feelings he has for Mitch.

When I first listened to this story I skimmed a bit, but by the end I knew I’d missed something so I went back and listened thoroughly and found that little morsel. The angst of the story made me rush through, but the content and character development proved to be worth it in the end. I loved how the author wove everything together and all the lives and events were connected in some way, that was genius, the thread that ran through everything is what gave the story depth.

I really enjoyed the voices that Crisden gave the characters as well. I could hear the authority in Mitch’s voice and then catch when he took on a softer tone for Simon, his emotions were always right there on the surface. Overall I really enjoyed this story. I’m excited to see what story develops in this new pack world CC has created next, and I hope she keeps Sean Crisden as the narrator, perhaps the glue holding everything together.

A must read for fans of CC’s work, Shifter stories and those hard sought Romances that are worth every drop of sweat in the end.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

All the right feels!

One of my favourites, not only in general but within the pack collection. It's definitely a classic kind of love story with Cardeno touching all the right notes.

Great character development and believability. Have listened to it over and over again. The pack books are so good. Crisden also does a wonderful narration and gets the voices perfect. Don't miss this one!

it is so worth it

i love this series it is one of my favorites i wish that it would never end

I really don't get why so many five star ratings

I really don't get why there is an abundance of five-star ratings. It isn't the writing that is the problem with this story, it's the subject matter. Simon is basically imprisoned by Mitch, but it is what happens after that that I have a problem with. By the end of the story, in my opinion, Simon is suffering from Stockholm syndrome. It was not a good read for me, actually, I am surprised I made it to the end.

Great read!

A really great read. Story has a plot, emotional, and I truly wished the book was longer than it was, because I wasn't ready for it to end. I really love the story.

Sweet and powerful

Gonna warn you now that by the end of this you are going to want more but in this case it's a good thing. I've come to expect a well choreographed story and this did not disappoint.

The main characters are sweet together and fiercely independent and strong apart and that makes watching the story unfold so much better.

Sean does a great job at expressing the complexity of emotion that drives the story and as I said if there's only one thing to say negatively about the story it's that you want more and that's not really a negative at all. :-)

like but short

I always love the story and story line along with your reader but when I need more it's over Cardeno C just a little long into there life can help

thank you

Cardeno C and Sean Crisden are a winning combo.

Would you listen to Blue Mountain again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this story again. It's a lovely story by a favourite author narrated by a favourite narrator. I think it's going to become my go to story when I need to cheer myself up.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blue Mountain?

There were so many memorable bits it's hard to pick just one moment.

Have you listened to any of Sean Crisden’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have a vast collection of Sean's works as I think he enhances my pleasure in the books with his style and diction. I think this one is as good as all his others.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I liked the story a lot but I didn't cry or laugh out loud but I think that is because it was not gloomy or funny. It was just a pleasant romantic story with great Characters.

fabulous book!

Any additional comments?

Simon is a rare Omega male. But when its discovered, he is banished from his pack, and spends the next 13 years fending for himself and his mother. Mitch moved to be with his brother, his twin brother, to be Alpha in the Blue Mountain Pack. Mitch is an Alpha male, but has no plans to become ALPHA of a pack. When SImon is discovered on Blue Mountain land, and injured, Mitch steps up. But Simon can only go on his past experience. Will he let Mitch be his mate, or will he run away again?

As I've said before, I love Cardeno C's work. And I will probably say it again, and again, until you get the message :-P

This is the first in a new series, about a wolf shifter pack on Blue Mountain. Cardeno C's work of the non-shifter variety works slightly differently to her shifter work. The shifters have issues, proablems, drama, denial, and all the angst that does not tend to appear in the non-shifter work.

BUT BUT and its a big but!

Most of the dram and denial comes at the beginning of the book, NOT the end. As in here. Simon is afraid, going on his past experience with Alpha shifters, and rightly so. Mitch is 6 foot 7 inches of pure muscle, he and his brother, Freddy, have a reputation, and Mitch embodies all of that reputation and more. While Simon is in denial, Mitch is not. Mitch learns he has patience, he can love and be loved, and Simon just needs time. So he gives all he can, in the hope that Simon will see sense.

I loved the house twist, I really did. And that Mitch won't allow anyone in there besides himself, and Simon, once he arrives. Freddy's wife, Donia is amazing too.

Once Simon makes up his mind to stay, all bets are off and they take their relationship to the next level. One thing I noticed though, there was no biting! Not in the mating, anyway. Made a change. In a very good way, I might add!

5 full fangs

I also had the opportunity to review this book in AUDIO form, and it was just as delicious that way, as when I read it!

Sean Crisden narrates, and in the beginning, I wasn't sure he was gonna work for me. He has a higher "reading" voice than other male narrators, and I have a hearing problem that is specific to speech tones. HOWEVER, once I found myself fully immersed in both the story AND the narration, all was good. Sean's ability to flip from Simon and Mitch's voice was clear, and even, and very obviously different. It was easy to listen to converstions with multiple speakers, and there was no confusion as to who was speaking. I will certainly listen to other work narrated by Mr Crisden.

When I began using audio books, I tried to keep to either listening to it, or reading it, but not both. Since then, I have been asked to audio reviews books I have already read and I am finding that I get different things from both reading AND listening. I'm fast changing my ways!