In Your Eyes

Mates Collection

By: Cardeno C.

Narrated by: Charlie David

Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

Two very different men with a tumultuous history must overcome challenges from all sides and see past their society's rules to realize they are destined for one another.

Raised to become alpha of the Yafenack pack, Samuel Goodwin dedicates his life to studying shifter laws, strengthening his body, and learning from his father. But despite his best efforts, Samuel can't relate to people, including those he's supposed to lead.

When Samuel meets Korban Keller, the son of a neighboring pack's alpha, he reacts with emotion instead of intellect for the first time in his life. Resenting the other shifter for throwing him off-balance, Samuel first tries to intimidate Korban and then desperately avoids him. What he can't do is forget Korban's warm eyes, easy smile, and happy personality.

When a battle between their fathers ends tragically, Samuel struggles to lead his pack while Korban works to break through Samuel's emotional barriers.

©2014 Cardeno C. (P)2015 Cardeno C.

So much potential...

Any additional comments?

I love this series! Also, both Cardeno C. & Charlie David are favorites. [I've listened to Perfect Imperfections 5 x since sept., and the other two mate books are multiple listens] Sadly this book doesn't really start until half way through. Lots of great details/characters never really get fleshed out and then it is over! I think there is potential for an Excellent story here, but it needs a good editor to facilitate a major rewrite and more pages. The cover art & music both add to the book, and hopefully new entries into this series will be at least 4star offerings. C.C. & C.D. usually vary between good & great - unfortunately this one doesn't live up to their potential and is just OK.

In Your Eyes

What did you love best about In Your Eyes?

The connection Korbin and Samuel shared.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the first half of the first half of the book played out, Korbin and Samuel growing up, growing stronger and even though Samuel didn't realize then, growing closer.

Have you listened to any of Charlie David’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have and it's just as good as any others he has narrated. He's a great story teller.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was, but I had to split it over a couple of days.

Any additional comments?

Korban Keller is just 11 years old when he finds his True Mate. The problem is, young Samuel Goodwin doesn't recognize what it is he is feeling. He knows that there is something about Korban that throws him off, he just doesn't even consider a mate bound. After all, mating is usually a male and a female, so Samuel doesn't consider his mate might just be a man. Over the years Korban remains steadfast to his bond with Samuel, biding his time until Samuel comes to realize their destiny. When a tragedy forces Korban into Samuel's life, ready or not, it's time to learn how strong their bond truly is.

Another intriguing Shifter story from Cardeno C. I really enjoyed how this story showed the guys meeting as children and how they grew up, one knowing who they were and who they would become, while the other did not. Samuel grows into a strong, fierce alpha, completely unaware that the guy from the neighboring pack with the blue eyes that sets him on edge is his mate. Korban is steadfast and resilient, knowing that eventually Samuel will realize what they are meant to be. They have to go through a lot of heartache before the bond is formed and the first half of the book goes through that part of the story.

There was a bit of mystery and suspense in the storyline surrounding Samuel's fathers death, and I loved how all that played out, how it only strengthened their bond. Little things like the mating and what that entailed, how each shifter grew stronger once they fully realized what they were to each other, it all came together perfectly to create a passionate love story for Korban and Samuel.

Charlie David is back to finish out the series and I think I have figured out why I adore listening to his audio performances. I've watched him in several movies, read books he has written and narrated, listened to dozens of audio's from him and I think it's the fact that I can envision him while he is talking. Not only that, he gives each character their own voice, their own tone, and it is unique to them and usually encompasses exactly how that character is written by the Author.

Definitely a must listen, the entire series is. I believe these books are listed as stand alones, but I would recommend reading or listening in order as there are characters that weave through all the stories. If you start at the beginning you will better understand the characters, the packs and the time lines that are all woven together.

LOVE the narration!

Any additional comments?

This is what you get when you put together a story I already love with a narrator I love.

Samuel Goodwin and Korban Keller are both the prospective Alphas of their respective shifter packs and they meet initially at an interpack council meeting when Samuel is eight and Korban is eleven.

Told entirely through Samuel’s perspective, he's initially distrusting and suspicious of Korban and how bright, sunny, smiling, and seemingly carefree he is. Duty and responsibility is very important to Samuel. He takes his prospective Alpha status very seriously. Samuel desperately needs order, control, facts and rules to function.

QUOTE
My father said people shied away from me because I was strong and they knew I’d be Alpha one day. He said that meant I needed to make the effort to approach them instead of waiting for them to approach me. Apparently he didn’t realize I wasn’t waiting for them and I had good reasons.

As the boys continue to meet at different points in their lives at different interpack council meetings Samuel becomes more frustrated because he can’t figure out what it is about Korban. Spoiler: Korban is his True Mate! Samuel finds it strange that he has “feelings” for Korban, because Samuel doesn’t really have feelings per se, he relies solely on intellect and is a complete over thinker. He doesn’t know how to go with his gut, no matter how hard his father tries to teach him. He constantly studies oh-so diligently, reading all the old lore and shifter laws and runs and shifts to make himself into the strongest wolf he can be.

QUOTE
I was more a brain man than a gut man, always had been. When my father used to ask me what my gut said, I always wondered what he meant.
“How do you feel, Samuel?” he’d say. “Not what do you think up here.” He’d tap his head. “What do you feel down here?” He’d pat his belly. “Go with your gut.”
All those years and I never understood, but suddenly, I thought maybe I did. Maybe that feeling in my belly telling me to keep trying, telling me there was something I was missing, telling me to look harder, maybe that was my gut.

So, it doesn't really come as a real surprise that Samuel doesn’t have friends, or share normal pack intimacies, and that he’s completely awkward and socially backward, often saying the wrong thing and not knowing how to interact with others. Which is the absolute opposite from Korban in every way possible. (Personally, I think Samuel is definitely on the spectrum; from his mannerisms, to his thought processes I would lay a bet for high-functioning autism.)

QUOTE
“I like order. When things aren’t where they’re supposed to be, I can’t focus on anything else,” I explained, hoping that wouldn’t make me sound as rigid as I probably was. I didn’t want Korban to be worried about living with me.


I love the UST in this story. I love Samuel's father and I absolutely love Korban! The story takes a while for the guys to get together, but once they do, it's full steam ahead!

I won't lie to you - the first 40% or so of this story is a bit hard to take because Samuel isn't the most likeable of characters. It's juxtaposed with how he is once he is able to tie with his other half. In true Cardeno fashion once our two mates actually connect and get together they are each other's rock and strike a perfect balance. Truly two halves of a whole. It takes a while to get there, but once it does, Cardeno doesn't disappoint - the smexy times are awesome and abundant (thank heavens!).

I love visiting this world Cardeno has built and Charlie David brings to life through his absolutely wonderful narration.

RECOMMENDED!

Another hit...

C.C. has hit another homerun with In Your Eyes! A sweet story about never seeing what's right in front of you until the time is right. Another spin at the adage, You complete me! Loved this book!!

Great Series

each story just makes me love this series even more. They each face their own unique challenges and it's really a different take that I have read before. David continues to do an excellent job with the narration but we have that weird music again.

Creative Story, Nice Performance by Charlie David

This is a pretty clever twist on the theme of this series and the story certainly kept me guessing what would happen next. Good characters and an interesting romance between the two main characters.

Audio performed by Charlie David he does a really nice job with the different voices, and he manages to build the tension well up to the climactic challenge scene.

Samuel and Korban

Samuel came across as someone on the autism spectrum. Having a child with autism, I know what it looks like in some ways. I could feel his frustration and lack of connection with those around him, his dislike for touch, and his love of the rules all painted a very clear picture. Korban knows that Samuel is his mate from childhood. I liked that he reaches out to others for help and guidance. His sacrifice, knowing his mate would never hurt him, made him a true hero. Once they finally come together, the changes in Samuel are amazing. Korban is his balance and connection to others. The way Samuel handled a belligerent pack member was exactly what his father has spent his entire life trying to teach his son. There are bad guys that need to be dealt with and some things that need to be put right but together they create something amazing.

Highly recommended author and series

Audiobook: Fantastic narrator

The importance of seeing with your heart's eyes.

I love how the books in this series are played out. Following the two MCs from childhood, through all the significant moments in their lives and then to their final HEA.
Samuel and korban are both prospective Alphas of neighbouring packs and have known each other since childhood.
Bot, while Korban has immediately recognized Samuel as his true mate, such a concept is so foreign to Samuel, who seems to be incapable of feeling with his guts and only focused on learning with his brain, that he doesn’t recognize Korban as his mate until external, dramatic circumstances force him to.
Reading about Samuel was pretty frustrating at times: he’s so prickly and stubborn. But it all changes when he finally completes the mating bond with Korban. Then you really understand what it means that two true mates are half of the same soul and are meant to bring out the best in each other!

Stubborn mate

This book I think was the hardest for me to listen to. Don't get me wrong it was a great story but it was a bit angsty for me. Stupid Samuel is lucky he gets such a kind and patient mate. There were a few times I wanted to punch Samuel. Korban really made the story for me.

It's okay.

Some issues with the MC, he is so "intelligent" but forgets one of the most commonly known lores about ties until his father mentions it? Never find out what happens with the other pack at the end. And I love a dirt book but there was a LOT of sex at the end, like they were trying to make up for the lack of it in the first half. It was eh, first one was better.

as good as the ebook

The story is always full stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook. I can't listen to an audiobook without knowing the book, that's not possible for me.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. It took me a little bit, to come into the narrator, but at the end, it worked. I only have to take a few breaks between. I'm just not yet finish with the book, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening.
it's like a B