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Fated Mates #0
Fated Mates and When to Keep Them
Noel is desperate for cash. So PA for the mafia boss it is, or he risks losing his childhood home. Too bad the job also comes with a grumpy vampire boss.
Family has been Fernando’s priority for centuries, so why does his adorable PA suddenly stir long-forgotten feelings?
Killing anyone that endangers Noel counts as a romantic gesture, right? Asking for a vampire.
Tags:
I am apparently writing this series backwards, so have book zero everyone, mafia, vampires, cute boys in trouble, this story is pure crack, I’m not even sorry, blood and sex, dino nuggies, hurt and comfort, bad guys get karma, stubborn to lovers, music is their love language, mindless violence and fluff, cinnamon roll protection squad assemble!, boss-employee trope
Family has been Fernando’s priority for centuries, so why does his adorable PA suddenly stir long-forgotten feelings?
Killing anyone that endangers Noel counts as a romantic gesture, right? Asking for a vampire.
Tags:
I am apparently writing this series backwards, so have book zero everyone, mafia, vampires, cute boys in trouble, this story is pure crack, I’m not even sorry, blood and sex, dino nuggies, hurt and comfort, bad guys get karma, stubborn to lovers, music is their love language, mindless violence and fluff, cinnamon roll protection squad assemble!, boss-employee trope
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 16, 2024
569 people are currently reading
832 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Sherwood
79 books1,937 followersAJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
She currently resides in Tennessee with aforementioned cats, dogs, and her editor/best friend/sister/partner in crime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
February 1, 2025
Fluffy and sweet. Possessive caring vamps are the best
And Noel is just too good to be true.
Fun.
And Noel is just too good to be true.
Fun.
September 7, 2024
Well, that was adorable.
I am usually not a fan of mafia romances with a ton of violence, but somehow this totally worked for me.
Noel is a sweetheart and I love that he is SO smart and with it. Fernando is also kind and loving, even if he is a bit murderous towards anyone who threatens Noel.
I love that they have real, honest adult conversations. While there is enough tension in the story to keep things moving, it feels pretty cozy overall. Yes, there is violence and threats, but the couple trust each other fairly quickly and are a great team.
Noel is a virgin, but this isn't treated like a big deal. He doesn't "confess" to Fernando which I appreciate. Most times it's treated as such a big deal and it becomes a weird dynamic. Thankfully, here there were no weird dynamics and awkward tensions. Just a really cute story with two guys having crushes that leads to more.
The only weird thing is that Noel is only 20 but is SUPER accomplished. It didn't feel right for his age. I think he could have been 30 and it would have made a lot more sense.
Safety deets
- minimal discussion of Fernando's past lovers. He was married 300+ years ago but has had casual relationships here or there since.
- Noel is a virgin and hasn't dated other men or women.
- They get their happily ever after at the end.
- Supportive sibling/family relationships for both (though Noel's uncle is pretty heinous).
- Violence. A LOT of violence. But thankfully, not super graphic. But if you're sensitive, this might be a little too much.
I am usually not a fan of mafia romances with a ton of violence, but somehow this totally worked for me.
Noel is a sweetheart and I love that he is SO smart and with it. Fernando is also kind and loving, even if he is a bit murderous towards anyone who threatens Noel.
I love that they have real, honest adult conversations. While there is enough tension in the story to keep things moving, it feels pretty cozy overall. Yes, there is violence and threats, but the couple trust each other fairly quickly and are a great team.
Noel is a virgin, but this isn't treated like a big deal. He doesn't "confess" to Fernando which I appreciate. Most times it's treated as such a big deal and it becomes a weird dynamic. Thankfully, here there were no weird dynamics and awkward tensions. Just a really cute story with two guys having crushes that leads to more.
The only weird thing is that Noel is only 20 but is SUPER accomplished. It didn't feel right for his age. I think he could have been 30 and it would have made a lot more sense.
Safety deets
- minimal discussion of Fernando's past lovers. He was married 300+ years ago but has had casual relationships here or there since.
- Noel is a virgin and hasn't dated other men or women.
- They get their happily ever after at the end.
- Supportive sibling/family relationships for both (though Noel's uncle is pretty heinous).
- Violence. A LOT of violence. But thankfully, not super graphic. But if you're sensitive, this might be a little too much.
October 30, 2024
DNF @ 56%
They have just shared their first kiss and are now in the music room, playing instruments and singing love ballads to each other.
Urgh, kill me now.
I’m out!
They have just shared their first kiss and are now in the music room, playing instruments and singing love ballads to each other.
Urgh, kill me now.
I’m out!
August 29, 2024
I'm a sucker for fated mates. The obsessive possessive behavior always gets me giddy. When Fernando made that dude shoot himself in hand for touching Noah's butt.
SWOON 🤭
The banter was fun. I love how Noah fit in with the family/guys at work.
The plot kept me interested. I felt bad for Noah and Hunter. Their uncle was a douche.
The romance was hot and melty.
Sexytime bites, singing together. oh, and HE CALLS NOAH, HIS HEART 😍 🤭
I loved it.
I would have liked to know if Fernando turned Noah? It's not really talked about.
"Waiting a year to wake up every day with Noel at his side? A year before, he could turn whenever he wanted to talk with him, play music with him, snuggle in on the couch? That sounded terrible. He’d already waited many lifetimes just to find the man. Waiting even longer sounded like torture."
SWOON 🤭
The banter was fun. I love how Noah fit in with the family/guys at work.
The plot kept me interested. I felt bad for Noah and Hunter. Their uncle was a douche.
The romance was hot and melty.
Sexytime bites, singing together. oh, and HE CALLS NOAH, HIS HEART 😍 🤭
I loved it.
I would have liked to know if Fernando turned Noah? It's not really talked about.
"Waiting a year to wake up every day with Noel at his side? A year before, he could turn whenever he wanted to talk with him, play music with him, snuggle in on the couch? That sounded terrible. He’d already waited many lifetimes just to find the man. Waiting even longer sounded like torture."
September 4, 2024
(2.75/5) This was a simple, straightforward story. I found it entertaining for the most part, but the story was exceptionally predictable and a bit boring. No wonder it took me so long to finish a two hundred page book....
August 19, 2024
This was honestly so cute. I had wondered about Fernando and Noel when we meet them in the first book that came out so this kind of back tracks and gives us their story. It’s still easily read after reading the other two first.
I loved both of the characters. They were so sweet. Especially Noel. He was a great character. He’s only twenty but he has an old soul and it definitely shows. He falls for his boss and vice versa. I loved how possessive Fernando was of Noel. He didn’t let anyone disrespect his Noel. Touch him and die, literally. I like how Noel just accepted that Fernando was both and vampire and a mafia boss and just kind of rolled his eyes whenever Fernando killed someone for him instead of getting mad about it. It was so cute lol.
I loved all of the secondary characters. They were all so sweet and protected Noel like he was there brother. I really wish we could see some books with them and also Noel’s brother but I’m not sure that’s in the cards.
There was a part where Fernando asks his brother for the number of an escort service. His brother knows he’s only doing it because he doesn’t want to acknowledge his feelings for Noel, his PA. It’s not stated whether or not Fernando uses the service. I took it as he didn’t only because he talks about how “I’ve been thinking about what my brother told me last night and I’ve decided to take his advice and put myself out there with Noel” so I would assume he didn’t use the service. Especially since this author usually has safe books.
Another thing is Fernando has 26 “children” they are not biological but since he’s a vampire, anyone he’s ever turned he considers them his child. This threw me off at first.
I was kind of expecting this to be a little more like the other two books where they have drama with Noel being a perfect mate. I actually would have liked to see that a little but it wasn’t in this book at all. I still enjoyed the read though.
NO CHEATING
NO OP DRAMA
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP
AGE GAP 20/300 yrs old
MURDER
I loved both of the characters. They were so sweet. Especially Noel. He was a great character. He’s only twenty but he has an old soul and it definitely shows. He falls for his boss and vice versa. I loved how possessive Fernando was of Noel. He didn’t let anyone disrespect his Noel. Touch him and die, literally. I like how Noel just accepted that Fernando was both and vampire and a mafia boss and just kind of rolled his eyes whenever Fernando killed someone for him instead of getting mad about it. It was so cute lol.
I loved all of the secondary characters. They were all so sweet and protected Noel like he was there brother. I really wish we could see some books with them and also Noel’s brother but I’m not sure that’s in the cards.
There was a part where Fernando asks his brother for the number of an escort service. His brother knows he’s only doing it because he doesn’t want to acknowledge his feelings for Noel, his PA. It’s not stated whether or not Fernando uses the service. I took it as he didn’t only because he talks about how “I’ve been thinking about what my brother told me last night and I’ve decided to take his advice and put myself out there with Noel” so I would assume he didn’t use the service. Especially since this author usually has safe books.
Another thing is Fernando has 26 “children” they are not biological but since he’s a vampire, anyone he’s ever turned he considers them his child. This threw me off at first.
I was kind of expecting this to be a little more like the other two books where they have drama with Noel being a perfect mate. I actually would have liked to see that a little but it wasn’t in this book at all. I still enjoyed the read though.
NO CHEATING
NO OP DRAMA
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP
AGE GAP 20/300 yrs old
MURDER
August 31, 2024
Enjoyable read.
August 21, 2024
I liked the story, but the writing style was difficult to get used to. There were times when the author switched between third person and first person narrative out of the blue (at least that's what it seemed like to me). I understand that it was done to convey the character's internal struggle, and inject humor in some cases, but it was confusing, and I believe it could have been done better/smoother. There were a few spelling and grammatical errors as well, and I believe a good editor/proof-reader should have caught those.
It was as if the author was in a hurry to complete the book and didn't spent a lot of time going over it to make sure it was well formed and readable.
I liked the story, however. After reading several of the author's other books, it seemed to follow the same tropes/themes: A good-looking young man (often in his early twenties to thirties) who has some sort of "hidden" talent/ability/condition meets a supernatural being (often stoic/gruff/moody/sullen/in some cases murderous, yet very good looking, older and supposedly wiser. Oh, and very, very wealthy because, of course. Otherwise, why bother, right? /s). The young man's "hidden" talent is then discovered by the older supernatural (or his brother/best friend/etc...), and then he is very much coveted by him. The younger man then shows us that he is more than meets the eye, the older man becomes possessive, and they discover that they were basically meant for each other, "mates" or "fated mates", fall in love (often very quickly, in my opinion), have passionate/rough/mild sex (and somehow all the "virgin" men in the stories are "porn-star" ready to be taken after just a bit of prep - I know, I know, it's a FANTASY). There's also a lot of hemming and hawing about should I/Shouldn't I leave everything and everyone I know for this new life, and new love I've discovered (I suppose to create some mild angst and drama). And in the end, of course, there's an HEA.
Yes, I've read a lot of these kinds of books, and this author is not the only one who follows this pattern. That said, I still liked the story, but not enough to give it four or even five stars. If you can get past the spelling, writing style, and grammar issues, then you may still enjoy the story. Who knows, maybe the author will take the time and fix some of these "issues" in the future if they feel it necessary to do so, and re-publish.
It was as if the author was in a hurry to complete the book and didn't spent a lot of time going over it to make sure it was well formed and readable.
I liked the story, however. After reading several of the author's other books, it seemed to follow the same tropes/themes: A good-looking young man (often in his early twenties to thirties) who has some sort of "hidden" talent/ability/condition meets a supernatural being (often stoic/gruff/moody/sullen/in some cases murderous, yet very good looking, older and supposedly wiser. Oh, and very, very wealthy because, of course. Otherwise, why bother, right? /s). The young man's "hidden" talent is then discovered by the older supernatural (or his brother/best friend/etc...), and then he is very much coveted by him. The younger man then shows us that he is more than meets the eye, the older man becomes possessive, and they discover that they were basically meant for each other, "mates" or "fated mates", fall in love (often very quickly, in my opinion), have passionate/rough/mild sex (and somehow all the "virgin" men in the stories are "porn-star" ready to be taken after just a bit of prep - I know, I know, it's a FANTASY). There's also a lot of hemming and hawing about should I/Shouldn't I leave everything and everyone I know for this new life, and new love I've discovered (I suppose to create some mild angst and drama). And in the end, of course, there's an HEA.
Yes, I've read a lot of these kinds of books, and this author is not the only one who follows this pattern. That said, I still liked the story, but not enough to give it four or even five stars. If you can get past the spelling, writing style, and grammar issues, then you may still enjoy the story. Who knows, maybe the author will take the time and fix some of these "issues" in the future if they feel it necessary to do so, and re-publish.
September 26, 2024
just… no.
You mean to tell me these men from 17th century Italy have BLONDE HAIR BLUE/LIGHT EYES?!?! They would have more likely had golden tan skin, deep brown eyes and wavy to curly brown hair.
I just… of all the things to fumble, it’s that? I’ll never understand why authors insist so heavily on self-insertion. If you wanted them to look that type of white you should’ve made them Norwegian or British something. Ugh.
You mean to tell me these men from 17th century Italy have BLONDE HAIR BLUE/LIGHT EYES?!?! They would have more likely had golden tan skin, deep brown eyes and wavy to curly brown hair.
I just… of all the things to fumble, it’s that? I’ll never understand why authors insist so heavily on self-insertion. If you wanted them to look that type of white you should’ve made them Norwegian or British something. Ugh.
October 3, 2024
I skipped through most of the second half. Not as gritty as it should be for a mafia boss book, in fact it was tediously saccharine.
October 17, 2024
tbh I just didn’t like this book at all (at times it made me cringe) i probably should’ve just dnfed it
Read
October 28, 2024I’m convinced Sherwood hates women. I’ve yet to read one of her books where there isn’t a “bitch”. This one we got the double combo of “my bitch wife” —paired with her murder in the first chapter— and “I’m not one to slut shame but”.
Don’t ask me why I read these, the well is running dry my friends
Don’t ask me why I read these, the well is running dry my friends
October 21, 2024
VOY A EXTRAÑAR TANTO ESTE LIBRO incluso lo dejé de leer ayer para darme más tiempo de terminarlo y no leerlo todo de una pasada pero apenas pude aguantar las ganas hoy😭 así que solo lo terminé… Me encanta A. J Sherwood yo soy fiel a esta persona póngale que diga AJS hasta la muerte
September 23, 2024
Was this perfect? No. But it was easy to read, entertaining as fuck, and super adorable.
October 29, 2024
Very low stakes, light reading.
I picked because of the cover it was pretty, thought it would have elaborate magic system and world building, but nothing like that
Just a standard vampire-meets-boy story.
It was very boring for me.
I picked because of the cover it was pretty, thought it would have elaborate magic system and world building, but nothing like that
Just a standard vampire-meets-boy story.
It was very boring for me.
August 13, 2024
Fated Mates and When to Keep Them is technically the first book in the Fated Mates series but AJ wrote the series in reverse. The books can be read in any order but I would read them in this order, Fated Mates and When to Keep Them, Fated Mates and How to Woo Them, and Fated Mates and Where to Find Them. With this book we finally get the story of Fernando and Noel. We also get some insight into how vampires came to be in this world. Noel needs a job making good money so ends up working for the mafia boss Fernando as his PA. Everything takes of from there. I just love the way AJ tells a story and this one is amazing. I loved watching these two figure everything out. I couldn't put this book down once I started but that's not really surprising because we are talking about AJ Sherwood after all. I loved the world building and the characters. I really hope we get more stories in the Fated Mates universe as there are a few others I would love to see find their mates. I would definitely recommend this book and series as 5 star reads.
August 18, 2024
I used to read some by this author but I guess those times are gone, huh? It just gets worse and worse based on this trilogy. I don't know what's happened to them because they didn't used to write this bad stuff. I give up. Good luck, bye!
January 24, 2025
DNF at 32% - reads like a poorly articulated, conversational fanfiction with one-dimensional characters who have zero chemistry. So disappointed, and I know a lot of people love this (sorry), but clearly it’s not for me.
July 30, 2025
DNF at 50% because this is just badly written. Book starts off with one MC murdering his wife by choking her and throwing her out the window, and I kept expecting that to be addressed somehow but no. I'm not here for happy endings for perpetrators of domestic violence. Pass.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2025
August 2025
Kindle edition
An easy read. Confused by the reading order or whatever was going on. Noel was pretty easy going and had the vampires wrapped around his fingers. I did like the cheaters going through the window. Pretty smooth sailing apart from the blip with the uncle. Funny how both brothers ended up working for the family.
Kindle edition
An easy read. Confused by the reading order or whatever was going on. Noel was pretty easy going and had the vampires wrapped around his fingers. I did like the cheaters going through the window. Pretty smooth sailing apart from the blip with the uncle. Funny how both brothers ended up working for the family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2024
Really like both MCs! This may be a re-read for me. On to book 1.
November 9, 2024
This was a delight. I loved it. I hope we get more books in this series
December 26, 2024
the way these books live rent free in my mind should be studied. literature.
February 26, 2025
3 stars. it was good. sweet romance with vampire x human trope, fated mates, boss x pa. cute moments with little to no angst and intelligent character. found family too!
April 8, 2025
Cute but a fucking mess. Respectfully. My bad, I didn’t make it that way.
3.75/5. *insert he needs some milk gif here* I still loved it, but it needs to maybe work on itself a little bitty bit.
3.75/5. *insert he needs some milk gif here* I still loved it, but it needs to maybe work on itself a little bitty bit.
September 5, 2024
4.25-4.5 stars
This is the third book released but first book timeline wise. I was very happy to see how Fernando and Noel came to be a couple as well as reading how Fernando became who he is. We get a few chapters from Fernando’s past and then jump to how he and Noel meet. While we don't get who or how, we learn that Fernando (and some of his family) are generation zero vampires. We also learn that Noel is a vampire mate (YAY!)
Their story is so sweet (and sexy). I can’t wait to read who’s next!
*****
POV… third person
Standalone or series… book 1 in series CAN be read as standalone
Hangover… slight
Recommend… yes
Reread… yes
This is the third book released but first book timeline wise. I was very happy to see how Fernando and Noel came to be a couple as well as reading how Fernando became who he is. We get a few chapters from Fernando’s past and then jump to how he and Noel meet. While we don't get who or how, we learn that Fernando (and some of his family) are generation zero vampires. We also learn that Noel is a vampire mate (YAY!)
Their story is so sweet (and sexy). I can’t wait to read who’s next!
*****
POV… third person
Standalone or series… book 1 in series CAN be read as standalone
Hangover… slight
Recommend… yes
Reread… yes
November 8, 2024
An editor is a real thing.
Okay so.
I downloaded this book as it was recommended.
The premise is cheesy so I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece, just some light entertainment BUT…
It’s all over the place.
To call these characters 2D would be a gross exaggeration.
The spelling mistakes are the funniest thing about this book.
The main character, an odd fellow who could probably walk into a hail of gunfire without batting an eyelid, is (at 20 years old) a multilingual, computer genius, with the baking skills of a Michelin star chef. He is also a musical master who can play the piano like Elton John, and the guitar like Slash- while also singing. Despite absolutely no back story to explain this he also somehow manages to be the best PA that has ever existed.
He is completely unfazed by murder, drugs and mythical beings and has never really considered his own sexuality or anything else in any way…
Unfortunately, despite all of these skills he is lacking in two things… a personality and safety awareness.
This walking CV who I will now call Mr No Personality is hired by a Vampire Mafia Don, at least i think that’s what this character is portraying.
At no point is it clear what being a Vampire Mafia Don entails as said vampire spends most of his time waxing lyrical about the baking skills of Mr. No personality and walking around warehouses… with a gun (presumably for mafia don purposes.)
This inexplicable Vampire takes protectiveness to a whole (ridiculous) next level by basically having a meltdown every time Mr No Personality moves.
He realises quite quickly that he is in love with Mr No Personality - despite that fact that this genius nearly dies every time he is briefly out of sight.
Mr No personality may also fall in love but as he has the emotional range of cabbage I imagine this would be hard to tell from carrying on with the book and subsequently losing additional brain cells.
No storyline, no editing, no world building, no personality.
Suffice to say I DNF and I really don’t understand how anyone else did either.
Okay so.
I downloaded this book as it was recommended.
The premise is cheesy so I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece, just some light entertainment BUT…
It’s all over the place.
To call these characters 2D would be a gross exaggeration.
The spelling mistakes are the funniest thing about this book.
The main character, an odd fellow who could probably walk into a hail of gunfire without batting an eyelid, is (at 20 years old) a multilingual, computer genius, with the baking skills of a Michelin star chef. He is also a musical master who can play the piano like Elton John, and the guitar like Slash- while also singing. Despite absolutely no back story to explain this he also somehow manages to be the best PA that has ever existed.
He is completely unfazed by murder, drugs and mythical beings and has never really considered his own sexuality or anything else in any way…
Unfortunately, despite all of these skills he is lacking in two things… a personality and safety awareness.
This walking CV who I will now call Mr No Personality is hired by a Vampire Mafia Don, at least i think that’s what this character is portraying.
At no point is it clear what being a Vampire Mafia Don entails as said vampire spends most of his time waxing lyrical about the baking skills of Mr. No personality and walking around warehouses… with a gun (presumably for mafia don purposes.)
This inexplicable Vampire takes protectiveness to a whole (ridiculous) next level by basically having a meltdown every time Mr No Personality moves.
He realises quite quickly that he is in love with Mr No Personality - despite that fact that this genius nearly dies every time he is briefly out of sight.
Mr No personality may also fall in love but as he has the emotional range of cabbage I imagine this would be hard to tell from carrying on with the book and subsequently losing additional brain cells.
No storyline, no editing, no world building, no personality.
Suffice to say I DNF and I really don’t understand how anyone else did either.
August 2, 2025
Not sure how I truly feel about the morally grey characters here, but since most of the mafia's dealings were kept off-page, it did not bother me too much.
Other than that, I was delighted to read this, and was thoroughly entertained. On to the next!
Other than that, I was delighted to read this, and was thoroughly entertained. On to the next!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews