Review & Excerpt: An Impossible Mate (Strength of the Pack #1) by Joy Lynn Fielding
- Merissa
- 4 hours ago
- 6 min read
Book Details:
Book Title: An Impossible Mate
Author and Publisher: Joy Lynn Fielding
Cover Artist: GetCovers
Release Date: January 29, 2026
Tense/POV: alternating dual third person pov, past tense
Genres: Paranormal MM Romance
Tropes: Fated mates, found family, forced proximity, slow burn, reluctant mates, pack dynamics.
Themes: Trust, belonging, self-forgiveness, letting go of guilt, found family.
Length: 65 000 words/252 pages
Heat Rating: 4 flames (Graphic, but not frequent)
The story has a complete romance arc. One element of the larger series plot continues into the next book.
It does not end on a cliffhanger.
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The line between order and chaos, heartbreak and happily ever after, has never been thinner… or more tempting to cross.
Alpha shifter Matt Urban is always in control. He has to be. Keeping his territory, his pack, and himself tightly leashed is the only way to protect his precarious peace. So when a defiant, smart-mouthed lone wolf stumbles into his territory, Matt’s first instinct is to drive him out. His second instinct? Quite the opposite, unfortunately…
Jesse Turner learned a long time ago that his safety depends on never belonging to anyone. No packs. No family. And definitely no bossy, overbearing, disturbingly hot alphas. Which means he should stay as far away from Matt as possible. Too bad doing what he should has suddenly lost all appeal…
It's not long before Matt will have to decide how far he’s willing to go to protect the mate he never wanted, and Jesse will need to decide if running from Matt is survival, or the biggest mistake of his life.
Easy, right?
Try impossible…
An Impossible Mate kicks off Strength of the Pack—a complete series of character-driven MM fated-mates romances with standalone love stories, an overarching series plot, slow-burn tension, and shifters who absolutely do not talk about their feelings (until they do).
Content note: This series includes material that some readers may find distressing. Full details are available on the author’s
website: https://joylynnfielding.com/cw.
Note: This novel is a substantially reworked and expanded new edition of the novella originally published by Siren Bookstrand in 2013.
Bookshop.org | StoryGraph | Goodreads | Smashbomb | BookBub
available in #KindleUnlimited,
“What’s your name?” Matt asked abruptly, swinging around the chair Bryce had been sitting on and straddling it, his wrists resting loosely on its back.
“None of your damn business.” There was a mutinous spark in the blue eyes that glared at him, and the mulish jaw was set even more firmly.
“You don’t speak that way to an alpha.” Bryce’s voice sounded gentle, but Matt could hear the warning in it.
The guy didn’t even blink at the warning. Just curled his lip like he’d had too many people try to make him bow down before. “He ain’t my alpha.”
As Matt rose slowly to his feet, six foot two of coiled power and authority, the guy seemed to rethink the wisdom of his attitude.
“Jesse.” It came out sullenly.
“Jesse what?”
“Turner. And who the hell are you?”
“I’m Matt Urban, alpha of this pack. That’s my beta, Bryce. What are you doing in my territory, Jesse?”
Jesse shook his head and fisted his hands in the blankets he was holding to his bare chest. Like he was some kind of modest maiden. Or, Matt realized an instant later, like he was vulnerable and scared. The way his fists were twisted in the blanket looked like he expected to be yanked out of the bed.
“Didn’t know it was your territory,” Jesse said. Then he let out a little huff. “Sorry if I was trespassing.”
Matt didn’t believe him for an instant. It was impossible for any shifter to have missed the fact this was a pack’s territory. His best guess? Jesse was frightened of them, and he was saying what he thought Matt wanted to hear.
Matt stepped closer, holding his gaze. His wolf pushed against his skin, hungry for something. Truth, he thought.
“Are you trying to tell me you didn’t pick up our scent markers?”
“Well, hell, the place smelled of a whole bunch of wolves, but I didn’t know it was your property,” Jesse protested. “Listen, this has been all kinds of nice, but I gotta go. I need my boots.”
It sounded snarky, but Matt heard the fear behind it, sharp and sour. He turned away to straighten the chair, using the movement to keep his wolf tamped down. He’d figure out later just why his wolf was so front and center tonight.
“How long since you found him?” he asked Bryce.
Bryce tipped his head as he thought back, working it out. “Must be about an hour.” He evidently saw the way Matt was clenching his jaw. “There was no point in letting you know when you were driving. Figured I’d fill you in as soon as you got home.”
Matt supposed that was fair. But it didn’t mean he liked it. The safety of the pack was his responsibility, and it was a sacred trust.
Jesse was practically vibrating with adrenaline. If Matt kept pushing, he’d only get more lies. He’d try a different tack. Not least because that corporate catered lunch had been hours ago, and the scent of food had made its way in from the hallway until Matt wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into a juicy steak.
He’d get Jesse to let his guard down, to lose that snarky defiance he clearly used as a defense. Then, it would be easier to wrest the truth out of him.
“I’ve only just gotten in, and I need to eat,” he said casually. “You can join us for whatever Jason’s cooked up tonight before you go.”
He hoped Jesse would agree. Otherwise, he’d have to make him, and after a long and frustrating day dealing with shifter bureaucracy, he didn’t want to go to the effort.
“Think he’s doing steak and baked potatoes,” Bryce said. His voice was just as casual as Matt’s, but he knew what he was doing. “And cheesecake for dessert.”
Jesse’s stomach gurgled. They all pretended not to notice.
“Reckon I could stay just a while longer,” Jesse said, after due consideration, as if he were doing them a great favor.
“Do you want a shower before you get dressed?” Bryce asked.
“You sayin’ I need one?”
“Hell, yes,” Matt said, before he could stop himself.
To his surprise, Jesse suddenly grinned. Without the strain in his face, and with a smile like that, he was a goddamn heartbreaker.
Matt turned away.
“Ten minutes,” he said. “We eat in the kitchen. Bryce will show you.”
He left. If he stayed, he might just do whatever it took to see that smile again, and Matt didn’t get to want things like that anymore. Not when he still tasted blood in his dreams.
4 out of 5 (very good)
AN IMPOSSIBLE MATE is the first book in the Strength of the Pack series, and features a small pack of stragglers and strays who all ended up in Elk Ridge, under the care of Matt, the alpha, and Bryce, the beta. Matt and Bryce are also the sheriff and deputy in town.
This is a world where shifters are known about, even if they aren't 'mainstream'. They have their own history, which you learn a little about, but they still keep a lot of things separate.
The pack is doing okay when Jesse comes along. He has been raised amongst non-shifters, so doesn't know about scent markers or anything else like that. After injuring one of the pack members and being injured himself, Jesse stays on the ranch, just for the short term. He is mouthy and funny, and Matt can't get him out of his head.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially seeing how the small pack meshed with each other. Matt's striving for calm orderliness was completely understandable, as was watching it descend into chaotic madness with all of the individual personalities that lived under one roof. The description of the photo at the end perfectly embodies all of them.
This was a great introduction to the series, and I can't wait to continue it. Jason's story is next (I think). Definitely recommended by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
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Joy Lynn Fielding lives in a small English market town, where she nurtures enthusiasms for vintage aircraft, horses and gardening. An avid researcher for her books, she delights in uncovering unusual facts and sharing them with anyone within earshot. She insists this has never led to anyone hiding behind the furniture.
Joy writes at the pace her health allows, powered by enthusiasm, optimism and, above all, coffee. She hopes her books offer good company to anyone navigating their own winding paths.
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