Michael's Heart (Pack Mates #4) by Lynn Tyler

Michael's Heart (Pack Mates #4) Reviews

• 
  Meags

  3.5 Stars
  
  Here, we finally get Michael's story. Michael is a firefighter in Smooth Rock Falls and has been lurking around in the background for the majority of the series. He's a bit of a loner, one who shies away from making connections with other people because of past hurts he's not ready to deal with. That is until he meets Justin Blake.
  
  Justin was introduced in the previous story (
  The Wolf's Tiger) as a shifter mediator and a lawyer who assisted Grayson and Shannon with their custody battle. He's a different (definitely more uncommon) type of shifter, who is also a bit of a loner. He works tirelessly to help other shifters stay safe and find a true home. Unfortunately, he neglects his own happiness in the process. He's had his eye on Michael since he literally bumped into him months prior at the local deli, but has been too shy to introduce himself properly. That is until fate (or Grayson) intervenes.
  
  This was a little bit different in tone to the other stories within the series. That's not particularly a bad thing, but I seemed to find the stories overall structure a little bit off putting. There were a fair few time jumps, which I'm generally not a fan of. I like a lot of detail in my romances and I love a good slow-burn, but I didn't appreciate how this story would get good and then the next page/chapter would be weeks later and we'd missed a whole lot of the good stuff. This initially threw me off after Michael and Justin had been on their first date and then suddenly it was two weeks later and we never got to witness their first kiss and other memorable firsts, we were simply told they happened. Ugh!.
  
  Structure aside, I truly adore the characters in this series, in fact, I think I've yet to meet an MC I don't like, which is so rare for me in a long running series (of any kind).
  
  I absolutely love the pack dynamic that Tyler has created here and I appreciate the way all the past and future characters and couples feature so heavily in every single story. This series really has a great family vibe; these men are constantly there for one another unconditionally, whether as mates, friends or brothers, they've got each other's backs and would do anything to keep each other safe.
  
  Impressively, Tyler always keeps the reader hooked and eager for more by introducing new characters and hinting at new couple potential in the background of each story. As it stands, I have about 4 secondary characters that I look forward to reading about in more depth later on, but for now I'm really looking forward to tackling the next story (
  Pierce's Choice) and learning about the protected Omega Tiger and his adoring bodyguard.
• 
  Valerie ❈M/M Romance Junkie❈

  I’m sorry. I would have told Michael to kick rocks. Bad history be damned. Also, why were all of relationship milestones off page? It made it difficult for me to feel any connection between them to make Michael’s bullshit the heartache worth it.
  
  I make it sound like I hated this book. I enjoyed seeing all of the secondary characters and potential new MCs. I could have read this without the “romance” (if that’s really what you want to call it 🤷🏽‍♀️).
• 
  Shelby

  I really liked both the characters in this story as individuals and thought they were good matches for each other. But Michael's actions started to drive me a little nuts at time. I felt for Justin. He had some legendary patience here. I wanted them to work it out, but I wanted Michael to start talking and stop running quicker.
  
  I loved that Justin was such a unique shifter. He was different and I liked that about him. But that was another thing I wanted him to share with his mate sooner. The ending of this felt rushed and it took reading the short story after it to feel like I really got any sort of conclusion to these guys story. It really felt like the short belonged on as an epilogue in this story.
• 
  Bea

  First off, I always hate not writing glowing reviews. I never want to deter someone from purchasing a book and hurting someone's livelihood (even if that seems arrogant to say).
  
  I truly enjoyed the first and third book (did not read the second, it sounded boring). So maybe this is like Resident Evil movies and I should only read the odd ones.
  
  This might be a little spoilery (I know, not a word), so beware.
  
  This book leaves off after the third book and the introduction of the tigers. Michael is a pack wolf and Justin is the negotiator/lawyer that we saw in the other books. I was really excited to hear about him!
  
  And I loved Justin. He had issues, but his character seemed decently fleshed, even if I did want to know more.
  
  But Michael... well he is an angst-ridden A-HOLE. I never liked him. I was actually hoping someone else would come in and take his place.
  
  And that's the problem. He had issues, plenty of them, and we can forgive him to some degree for him to get his shit sorted. But here's the thing. This book is short. Way too short. So, angst until 82/90% while he makes up his mind is NOT ENOUGH TIME to develop a character.
  
  If the author had say 250/300 pages, to actually delve into the character's pain, show some more variety of emotion, then maybe I could have cared. I skimmed the sex scenes because there was no emotional connection between the characters.
  
  But as it was, the book was too short. I get that the author wants to show a variety of characters in a series, and I applaud this! The fact that they want to show more depth, awesome!
  
  But step one is to plan the book out so that we have time for plot and character development that is not solved in the last 99% of the book. Because that psychological scaring? NOT solved in a few weeks with no help.
  
  These books are always short. This is not a problem when dealing with external conflict where we can have rushing action and the two characters can basically fall insta-love. It might not be great character writing, but it would have been entertaining.
  
  When you do internal conflict to keep a story going, then you have to make the commitment to the characters to develop them. Otherwise, don't bother to create them.
  
  My suggestion to the author would be to write longer books. Your readers want it! I think they are capable of writing a more developed story and characters, so I can only assume the publishers are putting on constraints. Ditch them and write the book you want to write!
  
  That being said, there were many typos here. So much in the beginning that I had to rewrite the sentences in my head. I should not be yearning for my fan-fiction for better betas and copy editors.
  
  I hate to say it, but I would not recommend this book. I would read the 1st one and I would read the 3rd one.
  
  In fact, I am actually thinking about reading the 5th one, it sounds interesting! That's another thing. I found the intro of the next two main characters incredibly more interesting than the actual main characters of this book. That is not a good thing!
  
• 
  D.G. Taylor

  I have two issues with book 4 Michael's Heart. First one would be the grammatical errors that should have been picked up in the final reading of the manuscript...easy errors that any proof reader or editor worth their salt would have picked up automatically. Second issue and this is a big one for me is the lack of an epilogue or a satisfying ending. I don't know why writers/authors do this. If you spend so much effort and writing hours creating a good story then does it not warrant a good, complete ending. As a reader, I get invested in your characters and I want to be part of their HEA. This is another example of a book where the author might as well have written "...and they lived happily ever after. The End." and it would have made no difference to this one's ending. There was a long build up to the MC's finally getting it right (like another reviewer had pointed out, at the 70% mark they were still trying to find themselves).Like the author had spent too much time on the build up and was pressurized to keep it below a certain word count. I do like this series. It was great to see all the old characters from previous books and be introduced to a few new ones. I look forward to the next book and I hope the author puts more effort into a good ending giving her stories a 'complete' feel to it.
• 
  Pati

  The characters are the only reason that I gave this a three star rating. They're the only reason that I finished this book at all, honestly. I'm so glad that this isn't the first time that I've read this author because I know that the very poor editing and proofreading is not a common problem with her. I must admit that I fully expected to discover that this was self published because of all the errors in this book. I'm really disappointed that Liquid Silver Books did not apparently supply the author with top notch services and instead chose to publish an error riddled book.
• 
  Romancing the Book

  Reviewed by Lori
  Book provided by the publisher
  
  I love shifter books. I love the fact that the characters can shift into animal. That there is another soul living inside one body. The human side and the animal side are separate entities but are inherently the same. I love that the characters can have a conversation with their wolves and that their wolves can talk to them and let them know what they want. It's so cool and so not reality based, I love that I can get lost within a world where shifters are commonplace and talking to your wolf is the norm.
  
  I've read Lynn Tyler before and I haven't been disappointed by her work yet. Her shifter books are just so good.  This book is the fourth in the pack mates series, and while reading the other books will help the reader understand all of the characters and their mates, the book is it's own story. In the beginning, there is a list of the characters along with who their mates are, which is a big help.  This is also a M/M shifter book, which is something else that I love to read about. If the reader does not want to read about shifters or M/M shifters, then this book will probably not be to your liking.
  
  I also liked the fact that friendships played a huge part of the story. Within the pack, Michael has his best friend that he turns to for emotional support and help. Justin has friends that he's made as well that he also turns to for advice and emotional support
  
  Poor, poor Michael. He's had a rough time of it emotionally. He's a survivor though and he's got some good friends that will help and encourage him in his decision making. He's quiet and unassuming and has a huge wall around himself so that no one can get in emotionally. He's lonely and he wants to let someone in emotionally, he's unsure about how much to let them in.  Justin is just as lonely as Michal, although for different reasons. He has no problems letting someone in emotionally, he's just been busy with his job and lusting after one man.  Each of these men needs the other. They both evolve throughout the book. They both change and grow and become better shifters because they are together and are a couple.
  
  I love romance and passion and fighting for what you want and what you believe in. It's all there within the book and I'm so happy that I was able to read it and experience it all.  I hope that if you give this book a try that you feel the romance tug at your heartstrings and enjoy the story as much as I did.
  
• 
  Ramona

  Hab mir den Teil irgendwie emotionaler vorgestellt. Er war schön zu lesen, aber das gewisse Etwas hat gefehlt.
• 
  Shannon Boote

  3.50 stars
• 
  T.M. Smith

  Michael Ferris is content living his life as a fire fighter and a member of the Smooth Rock Falls pack. Recently though, more of his pack mates are meeting their mates, including his best friend since birth, Grayson. Michael feels the loneliness and continues to occupy his time with work, the pack and his friends. As much as he wants something more, he has an overwhelming fear of being hurt by anyone he loves. So he ignores his attraction to the sexy pack Lawyer Justin. Avoiding the man at all cost.
  
  Justin stays very busy as a successful attorney, the pack lawyer and the shifter negotiator. But he to feels the loneliness on the rare occasion he allows himself to think about being alone. From that first moment he ran into the large and in charge Fire fighter, literally ran into Michael and spilled his coffee down Michael's shirt, he's been smittin. And the spark only grows stronger when they finally shake hands and Justin feels the familiar tingle of electricity that is a sign to any shifter that they have found their mate.
  
  Michael fights him tooth and nail. Michael's wolf recognizes that the lawyer shifter is his mate and makes it difficult, and Michael going to Justin when the lust builds to take the edge off, then fleeing as soon as his mind clears is only making matters worse. Justin has fallen head over heals in love with his large, sexy fire fighter wolf. But he doesn't want to be hurt either, and every time Michael pulls away, it tears him apart. Can Michael sift through all the pain and anger he holds inside over what his parents did to him, and find a way to let Justin in? Or will Justin tire of the back and forth yo-yo-ing that Michael is putting him through and give up the man entirely?
  
  I am absolutely enamored with these characters that I fell in love with in book one. And throughout this current story, Tyler has set herself up for several new couplings in future instalments. This time around we not only have the Smooth Rock Falls pack but they are welcoming several Tiger shifters who wish to have as much protection as possible for their Tiger Omega. And since the pack has been successful in keeping their own Omega, Quinn the alphas mate, protected the Tiger counsel sends Pierce to the pack for added protection. This doesn't go without incident that was not fully explored, so perhaps that will be the core of the next book. Especially since Tyler briefly shows an attraction to Pierce from one of his most loyal bodyguards.
  
  Several things start their course in this book that didn't reach their final destination, so we have a ton of potential for this series going forward. I highly recommend you read these books, but start with the first one because all of the pack members are prominent characters throughout each and every book, so you'll need to start at the beginning to have the whole picture!
  
  ** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through MM Good Book Reviews **
  
  http://www.mmgoodbookreviews.wordpres...
  
• 
  Serena Yates

  The 'Pack Mates' saga gets a great fourth volume in 'Michael's Heart'. Not only do I love two wounded men figuring out how to heal themselves and each other, but the continuing revelations of the bigger picture behind the series is fascinating. Make no mistake, this is not an easy process, and the struggle they both go through is heartbreaking in places. Their determination to make it, and the fact they are extremely attracted to each other physically are probably the only reason they keep trying.
  
  Michael is the man who struggles most. He is a werewolf who has finally found acceptance in Declan's Smooth Rock Falls pack, but he might as well be a lone wolf. He is a firefighter and does his part, but other than a few close friends, he doesn’t have a social life. Not that he is interested – the wound from being rejected by his parents when they found out he is gay and his resulting fear of anything resembling love are very effective at keeping him lonely. Justin does tempt him, and he is Michael's mate, but Michael has an extremely hard time overcoming his fear of eventual rejection and the pain that will cause.
  
  Justin is a very rare shifter, and hides exactly what kind he is very carefully. I can't blame him – wolves and Justin's species don't exactly interact peacefully in the wild. Being abandoned by his parents when he was fairly young may be the norm amongst his species, but it left deep emotional scars in his human psyche. Trust doesn’t come naturally to Justin, and even though he is in love with Michael, the wolf's continued on-again-off-again attitude hurts him a lot.
  
  If you like wounded main characters, if you're interested to see them struggle and fight for every inch of progress in their relationship until they figure it out, and if you're looking for an emotional read that is as filled with tension as it is hot, then you will probably enjoy this novella.
• 
  Mike

  For those not already familiar with the author's excellent, heated, and entertaining work, this installment is another is a series of steamy relationships between two men who try to build a solid relationship while overcoming personal baggage as well as the occasional paranormal issues related to being shifters in a dangerous world.
  
  The fourth story in the Pack Mates series, this installment centers on Michael, an aloof but reliable firefighter. While Michael often is called upon to help out the pack, he often prefers to spend much of his time alone. His attraction and connection to Justin, a lawyer and a non-wolf shifter, is, of course, complicated by Michael's need for solitude and a fear of commitment fueled by his difficult past.
  
  Fans of the series should enjoy this excursion into two rather interesting characters briefly introduced in earlier stories. The protagonists from the first three stories also play small but sometimes important and interesting roles, giving readers a peek into some of their favorite characters, including Quinn, Shea, as well as Gray and Shannon. For those interested in the underlying "paranormal" story and plot, new characters and threats are briefly introduced, feeding into the current story and setting up interesting possibilities for future installments
  
  
  
• 
  Candice

  2.5 Stars
  
  I liked Michael in the previous books, maybe because we only saw glimpses and never got to know him? Now that I know him I want to punch him in his throat. OMG.
  
  Then the ending. What WAS that? Major spoiler! Seriously, after all that time on half assed talk outside the station and they are all lovey dovey? I mean, Michael told Justin he loved him via a flower card. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Now they are going to plan a house together and it's all going to be roses? I don't buy it.
  
  It's going to take me a bit to read Pierce's story, but I'll get there...eventually.
• 
  DaisyGirl

  3.5 Stars
  
  Michael and Justin. Both had suffered greatly in their respective pasts and, therefore, insulated themselves from intimate relationships. Despite this, their attraction was undeniable. The chemistry and "rightness" of their union, however, had Michael running for the hills and Justin feeling wretched for being abandoned ... repeatedly.
  
  I enjoy the Pack Mates series and the characters Lynn Tyler created. Michael was frustrating and my heart bled for Justin. But happily, it all worked out in the end. This one had a good dose of angst (yay) and some interesting plot developments that I hope will be explored in future installments.
  
  Bottom line: pretty good.
• 
  Kevin

  This was a great read. It took a few chapters to remember that I had read the previous stories in this series. It's full of love and drama and heartache. I especially enjoy the shifter setting.
  Having said that, these stories are a bit formulaic. They're a couple who are destined to become mates, with misunderstandings and eventual reconciliation. This particular one didn't have too much of a plot other than the couple's journey. There are stock phrases ("like that, do you?"). The author shows disrespect to her buyers with sloppy writing, such as a number of missing words and misspellings. How much does a competent proofreader cost?
  I am glad I read this send eagerly await more.
• 
  Beth doesn't write enough reviews

  this one had a little emotion in it.
  
  Michael annoyed me to no end. His parents beat him and kicked him out when he told them he was gay. His Alpha rescued him, banished his parents and he was given love and understanding in the home of his Alpha and Declan loved him as a brother. Yet he still kept everyone at arms length so he wouldn't be betrayed again. Because of his fear of being hurt he hurt Justin more than once. Ridiculous!
  
  I felt really bad for Justin until he forgave Michael again.
  
  Seriously, except for the sex Michael gave no reason for Justin to love him. We didn't see most of their dates, just the sex so I missed any reason for Justin to feel so strongly.
• 
  Denise White

  I have read all the books in this series but this one was just not good.. I had no emotional connection with Justin or Michael.. Michael pushing Justin away was just stupid to me it made no sense.. There was just no feeling in this book for me I'll quit reading it at 88% I couldn't even finish it... The last book was good... The writing wasn't bad the book is just boring... I only gave it 2 stars because all of the other books in the series was actually 4 and 5 stars.. Have to think about if I'm going to continue to read this series
• 
  Cheryl

  If you can get past the missing words, extra words and typographical errors this was an interesting story.
  Both Michael and Justin have issues caused by their parents but it's Michael's actions that drive the story. If not for the actions of their friends, and the new members of the pack, these two probably would not have a chance at being together.
  A good addition to the series.
• 
  Hc

  There's a lot of pussyfooting around! On and off again basically. Not that Michael doesn't have issues but it felt like too many times on the run for me to be really comfortable.
  
  Justin.. I liked him.. not willing to be a pushover and just keep on giving without getting something back. Plus not a lot of confusion over his character. Michael.. I got the impression of him being shy but he's actually very controlling in the bedroom.
• 
  Coral Mitchell

  Michael thought he healed from the damage caused by his father's abuse and mother's indifference. Meeting Justin and realizing the depth of feelings he has for him has Michael running scared. Opening himself up to another person is overwhelming and is incapable of moving passed the trauma from his youth. Justin wants Michael, but cannot be in a casual relationship, used, or constantly in fear of losing him. Michael must decide what he wants more and if he is willing to heal.
• 
  Renee Henshaw

  I enjoyed this book and the mc's had great chemistry, but it badly needs editing. There were words missing from sentences, or the wrong word was used often enough to take me out of the story. Apart from that it is a good book, and a fantastic series, that I hope continues.
• 
  Laurel

  Good story - I couldn't wait for Michael to let himself accept a relationship with Justin. Shifter Eagle was cool. Hope there is another book in the series so i can see if Dec & Quinn get to adopt and if the omega tiger and his guardian mate.
• 
  Debfirpo

  Great story
  
  This is book 4 in the series. It's Justin and Micheals story. This was a great story but it jumped alittle bit to much for me. I wanted more of their beginning but it jumped a month into their dating. Over all it was a great read.
• 
  Katy Beth Mckee

  These guys are tough but past family drama cropping up can be the thing that spoils it all. To see how hard Michael has to fight through his past makes you want to give him a hand. I love how their friends do what they can to support both them both as a couple and as individuals.
• 
  Lila Hunter

  Nice addition to the series. I just wanted a little more at the end. Maybe the MCs shifting together for the first time.