Mate: Forbidden Desires Book 3, Piper Scott and Virginia Kelly

An unlikely bond between two alpha dragons has lasted for a century and if they don't fight for their future, the mandates of an archaic council could destroy everything they love.  When Geoffrey Drake's secret alpha mate Ian is given an omega to breed in the name of an experiment his heart is crushed.  Hiding his ache behind a haughty, cynical mask, he escorts Disgrace Matthieu Boudreaux to his lover's home where he must confirm their breeding.  Ian is determined to run from their situation, but it's Matthieu's unconventional solution that might give each of them everything they could have dreamed.  The plan doesn't start they way they hope and it puts their lives in jeopardy.  Magic and a helpful, yet lusty, outcast family might give them a chance to grasp their fate and change the future of dragons and their mates for generations to come.

Ian was brash, young, reactionary, and yet the guiding hand for this group.  I liked his boldness and love for Geoffrey that never waned.  Despite the difficult circumstance, he was humble enough to listen to reason and heart when he would have given up.  The surprise was really Matthieu.  He was not only the glue that kept them all together, but his immense inner strength was exactly what both alphas needed to fight for them.

But it was Geoffrey who made me ache and was my favorite.  I usually have a hard time with the sad characters who don't seem to know how to be happy in their own right, but there was something about Geoffrey that caught my attention and kept it jealously.  At nearly every moment of his perspective I was choked up, my eyes welling with tears, swallowing past the lump in my throat, and my chest constricting.  I literally ached for this man.  His moments of despair moved me beyond what I thought possible and his moments of passion, happiness, and peace were some of the most beautiful things I could ever feel.

I don't typically like menage relationships and pretty much choose not to read them on that basis alone, but I'm so addicted to this series that I jumped in with both feet despite my normal hesitations.  I'm so glad I did.  There's so much to love about this book and the dynamic Matthieu, Ian, and Geoffrey struggle through to find their roles and their path together.  Introducing the exiled Opal dragon and his immense brood was quite interesting and there were so many characters that I was a bit numb by the end of their "introductions".  He actually bothered me immensely and I couldn't grow to like him, though his role has many implications for dragons going forward.  Aside from his convivial creeper-ness, the rest of the story vacillated between passion, angst, discovery, and acceptance.  The way each person found their strength and their place together was beautiful and I'm glad to have read this book.  I seriously cannot wait for more!

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