Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: Smoking Teacup Books

Genre:  Gay PNR Romance. **Not a Standalone

Tags: PNR, Alphas & Mates

Length: 119 Pages

Reviewer: Kazza

Purchase At: amazon, Eliot Grayson

Blurb:

Out with the old, in with the new… enemy werewolf pack? Fantastic…

The Armitage pack’s finally getting the electric bill is paid off, the pack house has a new coat of paint, and the future looks as bright as the suitcase full of stolen diamonds that’s paying for it all. What could go wrong?

But two days before New Year’s Eve, a family on the run are found half-dead from the cold on the border of the territory. When their past comes to hunt them down, the Armitage pack has a They can obey the old shifter laws, or they can fight for a new path forward, one they never expected…

A Happy Armitage New Year continues the stories of Nate, Ian, Matthew, Arik, Jared, and Calder, and it references the events of The Alpha’s Warlock, Captive Mate, A Very Armitage Christmas, and Lost and Bound. All of those books ended with HEAs, and this one does too! Happy holiday feelings are guaranteed.

Review: 

I am so, SO glad Eliot Grayson gave us one more Mismatched Mates book. I know in the beginning of this book, Eliot said she may give D’or and Charlie Fenwick a book at some stage. If that happens, yay! If not, I’m all good. Once again, the Armitage pack is ready to throw down for a cause because a few of them never had that as they grew up. A few had been mistreated later on, before the Pack became their sanctuary. If you’ve never read this series start at book #1, The Alpha’s Warlock. 

There’s triggers for Calder, Jared, Nate, and Arik around the close shave with death of a little family in a car that skidded off the road near pack land. Luckily, Calder and Nate were on their way back from a pick up. Nate used his magic, also mobilised Arik, their pack shaman, and Calder secured the car off a ledge so they could get them out. 

Calder got to his feet faster than anyone that big had a right to. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he said, leaning down beside me and looking in the window. “There’s a fucking baby.”
“That must’ve been what the wise men said, too. Fuck.”

And while this is the backdrop playing out, the mum and her two little ones, one who’s definitely a shifter, it’s a lot to do with catching up on characters we love. Which also means their feelings for each other as mates and pack. In all the original books there is only one POV so to get all POV here, like A Very Armitage Christmas – totally worth it.

“He’s a shifter, I can feel his magic,” I said as Calder got the door open on the other side. Well, ripped it off the car and tossed it over his shoulder like I’d throw a piece of cardboard, but details.

As the mother is slowly recovering, they notice she has bruises that are more consistent with an arsehole partner then a car accident, meaning whoever did this, especially with sharman magic involved, they’ll be coming to get them back, and no one likes that idea.   

I loved how everyone worked like a well oiled, and funny, machine, and how they also found time to let their individual mates know they loved them. However, when they are all together, they’re just this awesome group of family and found family who won’t let some children and their mum be treated badly. 

Hawthorne and Armitage had a mystery to solve—like the Scooby Gang, only usually with a lot more fatalities. We were awesome.

Because this series has always had plenty of sex, each couple gets down and dirty because these alphas are big everywhere, so A Happy Armitage New Year is plenty sexy.  Nate and Ian clearly roleplaying. 

Damn it. He’d be asleep in a few seconds. “Get up, or I won’t pretend I’ve never seen an alpha cock before later on when you want to fuck me.”

The Eliot Grayson humour was out in full force, I loved being reminded of a spleen, definitely not a replacement for the heart, and how Nate loves to write snark with sharpies on a never ending supply of mugs. And Matthew went there – telling Arik that he and Nate are best friends. Matthew, you took your bloody life into your hands and you did what everyone else was too worried to say out loud – Nate and Arik are besties! My god, the irony is delicious. They’re magical snark buddies for life.

Even if that obnoxious, skinny-jeans-clad warlock who’d once knocked me out with a fucking water bottle had somehow become my best friend. Gods help me.

All’s well that ends well…. with no fatalities, Nate. But, for me personally, I can meet my maker tomorrow a happy person having had one last dip into the ragtag Armitage pack. Their craziness, snark, their feral and determined care were all here. I laughed so hard and I wrote awww so many times in my notes. I know my boys are deliriously in love, even if they annoy each other at times – what can I say, relationships –  and that makes me very happy. 5 Stars!