Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Finding his mate should have been Patrick Holland’s greatest day, instead it turned into a nightmare with one phone call. His mate didn’t want him. His heart broke, but at sixteen he was too young to do anything. The next ten years—ten long years— of Patrick’s life are spent at odds with his mate. Split by forces he can’t comprehend and a long line of misunderstandings, Patrick doubts he’ll ever get the man he’s both loved and hated.
Jake Richmond never expected to come home from Uni to find the youngest Holland brother was his mate. Knowing the news might uplift his still grieving father, Jake shares the news only to have his young mate threatened. Jake does the only thing he can think of, protect Patrick. The next ten years are nothing but torture for Jake as he watches his mate grow into a remarkable young man.
They say time heals all wounds, but how much time?
This is a wonderful addition to the Holland Brothers series. Throughout the other books in the series I could tell there was something about Jake and Patrick, but didn’t know for sure. Patrick and Jake have known each other forever and when they learn they are mates they are ecstatic, but Jake pushes Patrick away to protect him causing them both years of pain.
Jake has been watching over his mate from afar for years, hurting himself knowing he was hurting Patrick. Both of them have reached their limit, Patrick can’t take his heart breaking over and over anymore and Jake decides to deal with his father and see if he has any chance for a future with his mate. This story is heartbreaking to watch these two danced around each other, but still keeping everything a secret. It’s a bit hard for me to believe the brothers never noticed anything, but I still loved this story.
Dominic M. McCartney did a wonderful job narrating this story. I was able to understand the characters through the voices and emotions he portrayed. The voices didn’t quite match what I had thought of for the characters, but it didn’t hurt the storytelling. Even though this is a book I have read it felt new to me listening to him tell it.
Cover art looks great and follows the pattern for the series.
Sales Links: Mischief Corner Books | Audible | Amazon | iTunes
Audiobook Details:
Audiobook, 7 hrs 50 min
Published: October 21, 2016 (ebook, 2nd edition, published February 5, 2014) by MCB
Edition Language: English
Series: The Holland Brothers #4
Filed under: Audio Books, Book Reviews, Books, LGBTQ Audio Books, M/M Book Reviews, M/M Fiction, M/M Paranormal Fiction, M/M Romance, M/M Supernatural Fiction, Shifters, Weres Tagged: An Alisa Audiobook Review, An Alisa Audiobook Review: Forbidden Mate (Holland Brothers #4) by Toni Griffin and Dominic M. McCartney (Narrator), Forbidden Mate (Holland Brothers #4) by Toni Griffin and Dominic M. McCartney (Narrator), gay audiobook, M/M Audiobook Reviews, Mischief Corner Books - audiobooks, Narrator: Dominic M. McCartney, Toni Griffin 
