TO CATCH HIS MATE is a novella and Book 5 in Savannah Stuart's Crescent Moon series. This Crescent Moon series is a favorite of mine and always a lot of fun. There is no villain in TO CATCH HIS MATE and the conflict comes from Alyssa and Reece's lack of communication. This is a story in which the romance and the evolving relationship between the hero and heroine take center stage. There is a secondary romance involving Alyssa's widowed father, but that secondary story is interesting without taking the focus off his daughter's love story.

Unlike many of the other books in this series, TO CATCH HIS MATE opens with a man and woman already in a somewhat romantic relationship. Alyssa and Reece are courting and plan on mating in the near future, thanks to some maneuvering by her father. Alyssa soon believes Reece only wants her for political reasons and flees, thus leading Reece on a quest to prove his love. I like the direction Savannah Stuart takes the story and these characters. In a lot of other romances, Alyssa would have been correct and the hero would have started out with more neutral feelings and have them change over the course of the story. In TO CATCH HIS MATE, Reece is a young man - in shifter years - but is mature enough to realize his mistakes with the woman he has loved from the moment he first saw her.

Reece is the kind of hero that makes these Crescent Moon stories by Savannah Stuart so appealing. I love his ability to humble himself when his relationship with the woman he cherishes is at stake, while still being strong and seductive. The story moves at a fast pace as Reece wins back Alyssa's trust and affection. I like how Alyssa is a woman who sticks up for herself and won't compromise when it comes to holding out for love. The path that Alyssa and Reece take toward total happiness is filled with some self-discovery, moments of eroticism, and friendship. The supporting characters in TO CATCH HIS MATE help the hero and heroine realize the depth of their feelings for each other.

TO CATCH HIS MATE is a bite-size bit of sexy shifter misadventure. This is a great book for paranormal romance fans who like their alphas to have a sweet side. I enjoyed seeing characters from previous stories. I look forward to the next Crescent Moon book by Savannah Stuart, and to hopefully read more about characters like Sybil and Andrew.