Claimed by Fate

By: Aiden Bates, Jill Haven

Narrated by: Aleks Esquire

Length: 8 hrs

Publisher's Summary

I don’t believe in fate, but this dragon makes me burn...

I want to be a playwright, not a trophy husband to whatever powerful alpha my family chooses. And when they go too far, I can’t take it any more. I’d rather be poor than their pawn. But when my past catches up to me, I do what I do best...make something up.

Mason Shanahan isn’t my fiancé, but my family doesn’t need to know that. A dragon as powerful as Mason shouldn’t be happy to play along, and a part of me is worried that he’s just as concerned with his status in society as my family. But if that’s true, why does he kiss me like me means it? He says there’s more than a fake relationship tying us together...he says we’re mates. 

No one believes in those stories anymore, myself included, but the more time I spend in Mason’s arms, the more I find myself wondering...are we really faking it? Or could it be fate?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Special Fiction Books (P)2020 Special Fiction Books

Interesting twist, but that's all

The story of the young human born to wolves and his dragon fated mate is an interesting twist on the usual tales in this subgenre. Levi Weiss was born human into his mother's pack, and his fate seems destined by a soothsayer's prognostications. However, at eighteen, Levi wants the freedom to choose, and his mother doesn't understand his reluctance to be mated to the son of his pack's alpha. His bold escape, on the very morning of his mating ceremony, ends with him in the village of Fate's Peak, Idaho, where he meets Markus Montlake, the son of a powerful dragon whom we find has been banished there by his sire as punishment for his continued irresponsibility. He is expected to find a way to revitalize the town which his grandfather had saved from bankruptcy and his family now owned. The need for independence in the young adult omega and the need for discipline in the reckless young alpha are well articulated, though I must say I find it hard to believe that Levi is only eighteen.

Neither Levi nor Markus believes in fate or fated mates, and both fight against accepting what they eventually become to each other, while the open challenge from Levi's pack and the unspoken strain between Markus and his dad adds to their increasingly tense situation. The buildup to a final physical challenge, a betrayal, and a fateful intervention are all clever additions to the story. I have three distinct complaints, however, two of them having to do with careless editing and proofreading. First, the blurb names the dragon as Mason Shanahan, NOT Markus Montlake. Did the writers not remember what name they had written in their blurb? Second, the blurb seems to indicate that it is Levi's idea to claim a relationship with Markus/Mason which the dragon doesn't deny, instead of the other way around as it plays out in the story, and that Markus/Mason has claimed their fated connection from the start, which he doesn't do until the end. And finally, the narration does nothing for the story whatsoever. As in the last story I listened to by this narrator, the reading is stilted, with both awkward and inexplicable pauses, poor enunciation of words, and sometimes an apparent lack of understanding how to breathe in order to make long sentences make sense.

Don't tempt fate

If you are a fan of the pretend boyfriend trope, try this shifter romance with a pretend fated mate trope. Levi runs away from an arranged marriage to a "fated" mate so designated by a spurious soothsayer. He ends up stranded in a small Idaho town where playboy, spendthrift Markus has been banished by his father to try to bring the declining town back to prosperity. Markus is immediately drawn to help Levi when an enforcer from the pack he fled tries to take him away, so he convinces Levi they should pretend to be mated. When the alpha of Levi's pack arrives to challenge Markus to the death, Markus wins but spares his life. Under ancient law that means Markus forfeits but it little matters as Levi has been abducted during the fight. Markus and his friend catch up with Levi and his abductors and an ending like you could never expect begins. Let's just say it doesn't pay to mess with Madame Fate when she decides two men are to be together. This is possibly my favorite ending to a fated mates shifter romance ever. I smile every time I think about it. The narration by Aleks Esquire was excellent. All the characters voices were distinct and well chosen. I was especially looking forward to hearing the ending I loved so much when I read the book and it was all I hoped for. All the emotion and passion was right there to hear.

A great Dragon Romance

Claimed by Fate was an enjoyable listen. Aiden Bates, and Jill Haven, make a wonderful team, both are imaginative and creative. The storyline is entertaining and sensual with charming character. Aleks Esquire did a great job with the narration, portraying the characters nicely. I received a promotional copy of this audiobook, and my unbiased review is given voluntarily.

A Delightful Book

What an delightful book the writing was good. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters wonderful. The characters were developed and thought out. Levi and Mason are the MC’s of this book and mates. There were issues with the narration. I can recommend this book as a good read/listen. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

Great Story

I really enjoyed listening to Aleks bring Markus and Levi to life! Shifter romance, especially dragon shifters, are my absolute favorites! These two have a lot to learn, and fate knows what she is doing. Highly Recommend!!

Being a dragon’s fated mate

I like shifter stories because they are short, hot and usually quite fluffy. And I think this one definitely suits my taste.

Levi is a rebellious omega who hates the idea of mating with someone he doesn’t even like. So when his controlling mother forced him to mate, he ran away from the home he only knew in his life. Mason is a dragon shifter who’s lying low in a small remote town after having some issues with his father. And he has always thought fated mates stuff is made up and pretty ridiculous. When these two people who don’t believe in fated love meet, things start to get real interesting.

Fluffy, intimate, fun and enjoyable. I enjoyed this story.


3.5 Being a dragon’s fated mate stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫



Audio rating

Story - 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Performance - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Fated Mates

An enjoyable story with fated mates, some action, some drama, and some twists. Levi escapes his pack when he doesn't want to marry who the pack believes is his fated mate. He runs into Markus and they start out as fake dating to help Levi. They have quite a few bumps along the way that they need to work through. The narrator was ok for most of the story but there are quite a few awkward moments and not much emotion put into it. I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this audio book.

Not what I expected

Maybe because the blurb doesn't really give you the right idea of what this story is about...Including one of the MC's names Mason is actually Markus. But OK, the story was pretty good had an interesting twist on fated mates. For me it was OK narration a little stiff and wooden here and there but nothing to make you stop listening.

Enjoyed!

I enjoyed this fated mate/fake boyfriend story. Can what starts out as phony turn into something real?
Levi, is a human omega, and Mason is his fated mate dragon.
I found Claimed by Fate to be an entertaining story with lots of chemistry between the two mc's. There is drama, action and so much more. Aleks Esquire does a great job of bringing these characters to life. Well done.

Fate made a wonderful match

Pseudo spoilers ahead:)
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So we have Levi who wants to write plays for a living and who is promised to Dex. Levi isn't having that so he runs. Fate has his car breaking down in the town that Marcus is in, is it meant to me? I know that's not telling you a lot, but I say give it a listen. I really did enjoy this story. Aleks Esquire does a good job on the narration. His various voices make it even more enjoyable. Bates and Haven's have written another great story.

A Good Listen

What a delightful book the writing was good. The plot was entertaining, and it was steady throughout the book. I found the story and characters wonderful. The characters were developed and thought out. Levi and Mason are the MC’s of this book and mates. There were issues with the narration. I can recommend this book as a good read/listen. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

Good story with good narration :)

I enjoyed the story overall, though the mix-up in names (blurb says Mason, actual name used is Marcus (sp?) took half a point off.
Other than that, it's an interesting story - Levi, wanting to be in charge of his destiny, flees his pack. Marcus, a rich, playboy dragon has been sent to a small town to take care of some business (and grow up in the process). As fated mates, they're drawn together, but before they can get their HEA, they have to deal with their differences in background, pack politics and their own issues.
Alex Esquire did a nice job with the narration, I enjoyed listening. Not a bad way to experience the story.

Fake relationship, slow-burn

Levi is tired of simply being a pawn in his family's demands of him.
He decides to present a fake mate in the hopes of being left alone.
When he meets Mason, sparks fly.
Suddenly the lines between pretending and reality are blurred.
Especially when Mason is so adamant that they're fated mates and he tells Levi in no uncertain terms that he believes in him Levi has no choice but to believe in himself as well.
This was really sweet with plenty of heat and I truly enjoyed Alexs Esqire's narration, he truly brought these characters to life.

Great

I really enjoyed this audiobook.
It was a great listen.
I really enjoy this series.
I can’t wait to listen to more.

Good story.

Really enjoyed the story completely different from other shifter books I read. Aleks did a good narration of the book. Recording there were a few mistakes like at the beginning there were few sentences that were repeated.

🎧 LesCourt Reviewer 🎧

Claimed By Fate by Aiden Bates and Jill Haven. I enjoy this sweet slow burn romance. This story develops nicely. A good combination of world building and character development. If you like M/Preg and shifter this was a good listen.
The Narrator Aleks Esquire did a good job bringing these characters and story to life.

interesting

this narrator is different for me.. not bad.. not my favorite either.. but overall i enjoyed it. i like this story a lot.. the narrator i felt like they mostly did a good job.. some parts not so much. other places amazing. lol overall i liked it

Wonderful!

As a huge fan of Aiden Bates and Jill Haven, I have read almost everyone of their books, so I jumped to the opportunity to re-read this book in audio. The plot is interesting, especially when the authors included different types of shifters, a fake-to-real love story, fated mates, lot of romance and hot scenes, some angst and a wonderful ending. Of course hearing all this in the charismatic profesional voice and acting of Mr Esquire is simply the cherry on top. Wonderful book!.

Great Listening

This book is one of my the best I had read, and Aleks Esquire done a brilliant job of bringing the book to life,

His voice drags you in so that it feels like you are truly there, he done a brillant job of bringing the characters to life as well as the story line.

Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.

Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars. There was a lot of things that I really enjoyed with this one. I thought that it was really interesting how different types of shifters and competing shifter politics was handled. I also really really enjoyed the take on fated mates here. That it wasn’t an instant we’re together forever, but that you had to work on yourself before you were ready for a mate was novel and interesting and I really enjoyed it. What I wasn’t sold on was the romance. When these two came together, it was so much heat, but I just didn’t believe their actual love was believable and it didn’t completely work for me.