What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mate Masquerade #1
The Rejected Shifter's Required Bride
Promised to a stranger in an arranged marriage masked ball he wasn't supposed to attend. Paired for life with a monster she doesn't know how to tame. The last thing either expected to find was love.
Wolf shifter Malin Fenren of the Dark Claw Pack should have been celebrating his first days as a happily mated future Alpha. Instead, the woman he thought was his forever mate left him at the altar for someone else and his exciting future turned into something far more horrific- a fate where he turns into the worst kind of monster he could imagine before succumbing to his own destruction. In a last ditch effort to save him from a quick decline into madness and death, Malin's parents swap him in for a spot in the Mate Masquerade, where volunteers from each supernatural community are paired in arranged marriages with strangers to maintain peace between them all.
As part of the often-maligned human community, Isabella Thompson stepped up as a volunteer for this year's Mate Masquerade in exchange for payment of her father's debts. She doesn't quite know what she's gotten herself into, but if it saves her sisters from poverty and destitution, she's going to make the best of things. Getting paired with a monster who might kill her at any moment was a risk she'd have to take. But falling for her assigned mate definitely wasn't part of the plan.
This book is part of a collaboration with other authors. All books are separate standalones and can be read in any order. Each features an arranged marriage that takes place at a masquerade ball.
Wolf shifter Malin Fenren of the Dark Claw Pack should have been celebrating his first days as a happily mated future Alpha. Instead, the woman he thought was his forever mate left him at the altar for someone else and his exciting future turned into something far more horrific- a fate where he turns into the worst kind of monster he could imagine before succumbing to his own destruction. In a last ditch effort to save him from a quick decline into madness and death, Malin's parents swap him in for a spot in the Mate Masquerade, where volunteers from each supernatural community are paired in arranged marriages with strangers to maintain peace between them all.
As part of the often-maligned human community, Isabella Thompson stepped up as a volunteer for this year's Mate Masquerade in exchange for payment of her father's debts. She doesn't quite know what she's gotten herself into, but if it saves her sisters from poverty and destitution, she's going to make the best of things. Getting paired with a monster who might kill her at any moment was a risk she'd have to take. But falling for her assigned mate definitely wasn't part of the plan.
This book is part of a collaboration with other authors. All books are separate standalones and can be read in any order. Each features an arranged marriage that takes place at a masquerade ball.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2024
236 people are currently reading
354 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 1, 2025
I was amazed by this book. Usually when there's a rejected mate the one suffering is the female but not the case in this one that's why I was surprised.
Almost the half of the story or even a little further you read it in the slowest pace and I love a good slow burn. But the fact is despite being slow it got me so hooked I couldn't even put it down.
I loved the silent strength of the heroine and her witty moments. The hero is somewhat confused and tries to do the right thing but everything is explained in the end.
Almost the half of the story or even a little further you read it in the slowest pace and I love a good slow burn. But the fact is despite being slow it got me so hooked I couldn't even put it down.
I loved the silent strength of the heroine and her witty moments. The hero is somewhat confused and tries to do the right thing but everything is explained in the end.
September 3, 2025
- shifted fun
- rejected male mate
- light humor
I wasn’t expecting much going in but was pleasantly surprised, it’s not often we get a male rejected mate. The storyline was unique and fun - if only the execution and attention to detail was better this could have been a 5* read.
- rejected male mate
- light humor
I wasn’t expecting much going in but was pleasantly surprised, it’s not often we get a male rejected mate. The storyline was unique and fun - if only the execution and attention to detail was better this could have been a 5* read.
January 1, 2025
It was a nice quick read. Twist (if you could call it that) was easy to spot but let's be honest we don't read shifter books for the mystery and plot line 😉 😂
Felt a bit rushed at the end and I would have loved a little epilogue to let us know what happened and how the pack changed but it still made for a lovely little read
Felt a bit rushed at the end and I would have loved a little epilogue to let us know what happened and how the pack changed but it still made for a lovely little read
February 5, 2025
This was silly. Made a couple of interesting points but neither the world building nor the plot concocted by the “villains” made enough sense to make up for it.
July 14, 2025
Kinda disappointed because this novel had so much potential..
August 10, 2025
At first, I really thought this book was going to be a winner. The opening was fairly decent, and I was optimistic… right up until the masquerade ball scene. That entire ball felt like it dragged on for two hours of reading, and there simply wasn’t enough happening to justify the length. It killed the pacing for me.
From there, things started to feel… odd. The plot and themes didn’t flow together. Early on, it felt like we were in a horse-and-carriage era, but then as the book continues there are movie theaters? It was weird and made the worldbuilding feel inconsistent. And I have to say this, if an author uses the word “sus” in what’s supposed to be a fantasy romance or honestly in any book I’m instantly going to DNF it from here on out.
Character wise, Isabel started out as a frightened, fragile, careful heroine (which I was fine with) but then, out of nowhere, she became overconfident, sassy, and talks back. I mean she wouldn’t even stick up for herself during the masquerade but all the sudden has the balls to talk back to her now husband’s parents who are wolf shifters. Make it make sense. There was no gradual character development; it just flipped like a switch, and it didn’t work for me.
By the time I hit 80% of the book, I almost DNF’d. I pushed through the last 50 minutes of reading, but honestly, it wasn’t worth it. I went in thinking this could be a 5-star read, but unfortunately, it’s nowhere close.
From there, things started to feel… odd. The plot and themes didn’t flow together. Early on, it felt like we were in a horse-and-carriage era, but then as the book continues there are movie theaters? It was weird and made the worldbuilding feel inconsistent. And I have to say this, if an author uses the word “sus” in what’s supposed to be a fantasy romance or honestly in any book I’m instantly going to DNF it from here on out.
Character wise, Isabel started out as a frightened, fragile, careful heroine (which I was fine with) but then, out of nowhere, she became overconfident, sassy, and talks back. I mean she wouldn’t even stick up for herself during the masquerade but all the sudden has the balls to talk back to her now husband’s parents who are wolf shifters. Make it make sense. There was no gradual character development; it just flipped like a switch, and it didn’t work for me.
By the time I hit 80% of the book, I almost DNF’d. I pushed through the last 50 minutes of reading, but honestly, it wasn’t worth it. I went in thinking this could be a 5-star read, but unfortunately, it’s nowhere close.
July 24, 2025
love the plot!
This is an absolutely wonderful read. For a shifter book it definitely has a unique plot with unique twists and turns unlike other shifter books that I have read.
Spoiler
The only problem that I have is that there is a scene where a male shifter is rejected by the female shifter And the male shifter loses his mind and dissolves into an absolute mess and it’s explained that when rejected that shifters go into this depressive state turn into monsters and have to be put down, but it doesn’t explain why the person that is doing the rejection isn’t affected when they are supposed to be goddess assigned crewmates you would think that it would say something explaining why the other person isn’t affected at all That was my only problem it does at the end of the book. Explain why this particular situation didn’t affect the female that rejected the male, but they all acted like it was normal for the other person not to have issues so it would’ve been nice for a little bit of an explanation.
This is an absolutely wonderful read. For a shifter book it definitely has a unique plot with unique twists and turns unlike other shifter books that I have read.
Spoiler
The only problem that I have is that there is a scene where a male shifter is rejected by the female shifter And the male shifter loses his mind and dissolves into an absolute mess and it’s explained that when rejected that shifters go into this depressive state turn into monsters and have to be put down, but it doesn’t explain why the person that is doing the rejection isn’t affected when they are supposed to be goddess assigned crewmates you would think that it would say something explaining why the other person isn’t affected at all That was my only problem it does at the end of the book. Explain why this particular situation didn’t affect the female that rejected the male, but they all acted like it was normal for the other person not to have issues so it would’ve been nice for a little bit of an explanation.
June 10, 2025
4 Stars
This was quite an unexpectedly fun read!
So much going on, but could be easily followed
Betrayal
Madness
Sisters
Lost love
New mates
I loved how the author was able to make the readers feel the impact of the rejection so completely
For the wolf to be rejected and the Beta to be such a conniving $h!t, you could feel the heartache and then the power of destruction when all the truths finally to light.
I loved Geena, Izzy’s little sister who snuck through the portal to attend the masquerade. She provided an excellent comedic relief, but also helped the new couple navigate based on her knowledge. And all through the act of reading!
Such a fun story. Definitely recommend.
Would have been 5 stars if the betrayal portion had been pieced out a little more thoroughly and made more public for the pack to be apart of.
I also would have enjoyed a little more time with the other supernatural creatures that Izzy and Malin met at the masquerade!
This was quite an unexpectedly fun read!
So much going on, but could be easily followed
Betrayal
Madness
Sisters
Lost love
New mates
I loved how the author was able to make the readers feel the impact of the rejection so completely
For the wolf to be rejected and the Beta to be such a conniving $h!t, you could feel the heartache and then the power of destruction when all the truths finally to light.
I loved Geena, Izzy’s little sister who snuck through the portal to attend the masquerade. She provided an excellent comedic relief, but also helped the new couple navigate based on her knowledge. And all through the act of reading!
Such a fun story. Definitely recommend.
Would have been 5 stars if the betrayal portion had been pieced out a little more thoroughly and made more public for the pack to be apart of.
I also would have enjoyed a little more time with the other supernatural creatures that Izzy and Malin met at the masquerade!
January 13, 2026
really liked this
What happens: Isabella is a human whose father essentially sells her to an alliance between species to absolve his debt and ensure her younger sisters have dowries. Malin is a wolfshifter who is becoming a berserker after being publicly rejected by his mate, and in an effort to save his life, his mother puts him in the mate masquerade alliance.
How I feel: this book had me FEELING for Malin. This sweet man wanted nothing but his mate than only thought of the pack’s greater good after he lost her. To see such a strong, protective man hit with depression and self doubt was heartbreaking.
Bella is the strong to his weak. She grabbed that man by the hand and would not let him fail. Without knowing the whole backstory, even with her own fears, she stood tall and knocked down all of Malin’s walls, and stood against his adversaries. She showed him unconditional love from the moment she decided she wanted him.
What happens: Isabella is a human whose father essentially sells her to an alliance between species to absolve his debt and ensure her younger sisters have dowries. Malin is a wolfshifter who is becoming a berserker after being publicly rejected by his mate, and in an effort to save his life, his mother puts him in the mate masquerade alliance.
How I feel: this book had me FEELING for Malin. This sweet man wanted nothing but his mate than only thought of the pack’s greater good after he lost her. To see such a strong, protective man hit with depression and self doubt was heartbreaking.
Bella is the strong to his weak. She grabbed that man by the hand and would not let him fail. Without knowing the whole backstory, even with her own fears, she stood tall and knocked down all of Malin’s walls, and stood against his adversaries. She showed him unconditional love from the moment she decided she wanted him.
May 30, 2025
The cover is atrocious. The editing is hit or miss, often miss. The plot is pretty predictable, and the necessity of the mate-ball being a masquerade makes little sense. (It's my understanding that this was initially written as part of a multi-author shared world involving the mate masquerade.) Despite all of that, I enjoyed this. Isabella is immensely practical, and I love a practical heroine who will just get on with what must be done. Malin is just incredibly sweet and trying to hold it together to do the right thing in what is, for him, a very challenging situation. And the sister offers a little comic relief. All in all, it makes for an endearing read.
June 26, 2025
damn…fantastic!
Malin and Isabella are so damn cute!!!! What the heck. They fit so well together!!!!! I picked this book on a haste because I was in a book slump. It was kinda hard to get into in the beginning however, once I started getting into it, I legit couldn’t stop. This was fantastic. I love the POV done in this way. The writing was fantastic. Characters were everything. Absolutely wonderful. Malin’s wolf is also one of the best I’ve ever read. His personality is just top tier and deserves more recognition. 100% recommend.
Malin and Isabella are so damn cute!!!! What the heck. They fit so well together!!!!! I picked this book on a haste because I was in a book slump. It was kinda hard to get into in the beginning however, once I started getting into it, I legit couldn’t stop. This was fantastic. I love the POV done in this way. The writing was fantastic. Characters were everything. Absolutely wonderful. Malin’s wolf is also one of the best I’ve ever read. His personality is just top tier and deserves more recognition. 100% recommend.
December 19, 2025
I finished the book. So it was good enough to finish. There were so many different ways that the story could’ve been expanded upon and made more enticing to the reader. I feel like it was too short. I’m really cut out any opportunities to show meaningfulness in the story. It’s one of those short romance than another friend short romance. But could’ve suspended you more and giving you real life day today point of views. But it just fell short. I like the book. But it needs more detail and more planning and ultimately less rushed of a plot.
June 11, 2025
this book is AMAZING
This book is excellent. It is a perfect balance between romance and intrigue. I think the “villain” is pretty obvious from early on but that honestly works for the story. I absolutely loved Isabella and Malin. Their chemistry and their love was exceptionally written. Also, the masquerade was so vivid with details! I want more!
Also, I was supposed to be to sleep 3 hours ago and I couldn’t stop reading the book was so good!
This book is excellent. It is a perfect balance between romance and intrigue. I think the “villain” is pretty obvious from early on but that honestly works for the story. I absolutely loved Isabella and Malin. Their chemistry and their love was exceptionally written. Also, the masquerade was so vivid with details! I want more!
Also, I was supposed to be to sleep 3 hours ago and I couldn’t stop reading the book was so good!
June 16, 2025
good quick read
Loved the story. You could really connect with malin and Isabella. The story portrayed the characters perfectly because I started to have a bad vibe about Hedrick every early on in the story. Loved that Izzy was stubborn and spoke up. She had a backbone and it helped when dealing with the pack.
Loved the story. You could really connect with malin and Isabella. The story portrayed the characters perfectly because I started to have a bad vibe about Hedrick every early on in the story. Loved that Izzy was stubborn and spoke up. She had a backbone and it helped when dealing with the pack.
June 23, 2025
Small mystery meet fantasy world
The way she was able to calm him. I’m more disappointed in the way the pack treated him before he met his true mate. Seems like a very vulnerable and not like I’d expect shifter. It did give a twist that it played into and made the book better. It kept me in my toes and wanting to know what happens next. Had a good amount of spice.
The way she was able to calm him. I’m more disappointed in the way the pack treated him before he met his true mate. Seems like a very vulnerable and not like I’d expect shifter. It did give a twist that it played into and made the book better. It kept me in my toes and wanting to know what happens next. Had a good amount of spice.
August 4, 2025
I was very surprised by this book. I will add I believe it was ticktock that had me going in looking for this book. I want more of these characters this story was wonderful and the FMC was not some sometimes strong whiny girl she stood up for herself. And said what she wanted to i loved it can’t wait to read the next book
October 20, 2025
So good!
I really really enjoyed this story. I'm very new to this whole Luna/rejected mate stuff, in the old school paranormal romances I used to read on the 90s that wasn't a thing and I tend I think it's absurd. But this story was so good! I loved the main characters and the entire world and concept. What a great read!
I really really enjoyed this story. I'm very new to this whole Luna/rejected mate stuff, in the old school paranormal romances I used to read on the 90s that wasn't a thing and I tend I think it's absurd. But this story was so good! I loved the main characters and the entire world and concept. What a great read!
January 12, 2025
The rejected shifters required bride
I really enjoyed this one, it was an unusual play on the mate ball trope and i liked how it was done, although you could see the plot and the villain from a mile away i still enjoyed getting there.
I really enjoyed this one, it was an unusual play on the mate ball trope and i liked how it was done, although you could see the plot and the villain from a mile away i still enjoyed getting there.
June 7, 2025
Beauty and the Beast
It's almost like a supernatural version of Beauty and the Beast. Quick read. I finished this in a day. Haven't decided if I want to read book 2 as this ended well enough.
It's almost like a supernatural version of Beauty and the Beast. Quick read. I finished this in a day. Haven't decided if I want to read book 2 as this ended well enough.
December 28, 2024
I would have rated this higher if the proofreading and editing had been better.
June 5, 2025
very enjoyable
This was a fantastic palette cleanser for me. I’m a dark romance girly most of the time, but I was having some “burnout”. This was a fun read; I recommend it.
This was a fantastic palette cleanser for me. I’m a dark romance girly most of the time, but I was having some “burnout”. This was a fun read; I recommend it.
June 6, 2025
This was a good easy read. Wasn’t spicy and the plot was nice and easy. A happily ever after.
June 18, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶🌶/5
This is a good quick read. The writing isn't the greatest and the "plot twists" are pretty obvious early on but I loved the main characters and the little sister.
🌶🌶🌶/5
This is a good quick read. The writing isn't the greatest and the "plot twists" are pretty obvious early on but I loved the main characters and the little sister.
July 22, 2025
How this book has good reviews is beyond me. It was terrible.
July 26, 2025
Great story line
While I did enjoy the Realistic Storyline At times got sloppy and lost. Not a fast read but steady. Good story
While I did enjoy the Realistic Storyline At times got sloppy and lost. Not a fast read but steady. Good story
July 26, 2025
cute
Liked the story very well written, definitely a page turner and you’ll be left wanting more..
your typical mate and protectiveness wolf book
Liked the story very well written, definitely a page turner and you’ll be left wanting more..
your typical mate and protectiveness wolf book
August 28, 2025
The idea of this book was better than the actual book. I did finish it but, it was really long and drawn out, but it also felt rushed when the conflicts were resolved. I am just really disappointed.
September 3, 2025
Un put down able
I flew threw this on the edge of my seat, exciting and thrilling. The torment they both put themselves threw to still end up exactly where they belong.
I flew threw this on the edge of my seat, exciting and thrilling. The torment they both put themselves threw to still end up exactly where they belong.
September 9, 2025
Fun little book, nice as an easy, quick, not too heavy, entertaining read. I'll definitely give the others in the series a go.
September 24, 2025
A fun romp!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews