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Bride #2
Mate
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Romantasy (2025)A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Bride.
Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.
As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.
But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…
Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.
As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.
But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…
450 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2025
About the author
Ali Hazelwood
34 books186k followersI'm Ali, and I write contemporary romcom novels about women in STEM and academia. I love cats, Nutella, and side ponytails. I'm also currently learning to crochet, so as you can tell I'm a super busy gal with an intense and exciting life!
I only use Goodreads as a reader, to review and hype books that I've loved (many of these book are ARCs received from fellow authors).
I only use Goodreads as a reader, to review and hype books that I've loved (many of these book are ARCs received from fellow authors).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42,729 reviews
October 26, 2025
3.75!
“Her laughter adjusts the spin of his atoms.”
Mate, where do I even start 🧍
This was a very enjoyable book, and I'm glad that I am finally starting to enjoy her books again because I really missed that feeling. It was the perfect amount of cringe, the perfect amount of quirky, and what you would expect from an omegaverse, but that is also where my issues lie 😭 and honestly I had only three problems with this book, two was the issue with the book itself and one was the issue with me, but I know that it affected my reading experience a lot. Hence, the rating.
I just love how easy her books are to read. The world is exactly what you would want in a paranormal romance, and it had me in the perfect vibes. Also, it was the perfect weather to read this book 😭 I would say that I liked the balance between the plot and the romance. At first, it didn't feel that way at the start, but as we progressed through the book more, I started to see the plot build and develop more. I enjoyed the writing as well; it was easy to read and relatively smooth to fly past, which I always love in a book. I can also see that this book can't be for everyone because it catered to a very specific audience, which is also the reason why I kind of enjoyed Bride more than Mate.
Serena, was so pleasant to read about, different from Misery but I loved how similar their humor was and that is why I was able to enjoy her pov, I liked that she challenged Koen and fought for answers, everything surrounding her was kept very mysterious which kind of helped me like her and be invested in her character more to know what was happening. Koen, I love how sarcastic he was 😭😭 and I also loved how broody he was, but what I loved the most was how his thoughts were presented to us through small text poised as chapter headers. They give him and their relationship a much-needed depth. They were a bunch of cuties ❤️🩹 Misery and Lowen, just elevated this whole book. Esp because of the bond that Misery and Serena had.
Now, lets talk about the romance and the problems that I had with this book:
- The romance, I felt like it was more based on them needing each other because of their mating bond, and not because they felt something between them. I don't know if it makes sense 😭 but I just needed more depth from their romance, it just felt okay, very surface level, I wanted mooooreee.
-Also, this is more of a me issue, which is that the smut was disgusting for me in this one 😭 it was too much and I think I do have only myself to blame solely because I thought that since I read Bride and liked the smut while so many hated it. I would like this one as well, but I failed to factor in that here, both of them were werewolves, and the dynamic was vastly different.
-The third problem that I had was the length of this book; it was 100 or 2 pages longer than it should have been. As soon as part 2 hit, the book just started dragging more and more, and I sort of started to lose interest in the book, and the pacing, which was being managed very well, started slipping, but that was all.
Overall, a very enjoyable book!
__
I'm ready! Give me all the cringe you can, Miss Hazelwood 😋
__
Is Ali Hazelwood the Freida McFadden of the romance genre?!?
“Her laughter adjusts the spin of his atoms.”
Mate, where do I even start 🧍
This was a very enjoyable book, and I'm glad that I am finally starting to enjoy her books again because I really missed that feeling. It was the perfect amount of cringe, the perfect amount of quirky, and what you would expect from an omegaverse, but that is also where my issues lie 😭 and honestly I had only three problems with this book, two was the issue with the book itself and one was the issue with me, but I know that it affected my reading experience a lot. Hence, the rating.
I just love how easy her books are to read. The world is exactly what you would want in a paranormal romance, and it had me in the perfect vibes. Also, it was the perfect weather to read this book 😭 I would say that I liked the balance between the plot and the romance. At first, it didn't feel that way at the start, but as we progressed through the book more, I started to see the plot build and develop more. I enjoyed the writing as well; it was easy to read and relatively smooth to fly past, which I always love in a book. I can also see that this book can't be for everyone because it catered to a very specific audience, which is also the reason why I kind of enjoyed Bride more than Mate.
Serena, was so pleasant to read about, different from Misery but I loved how similar their humor was and that is why I was able to enjoy her pov, I liked that she challenged Koen and fought for answers, everything surrounding her was kept very mysterious which kind of helped me like her and be invested in her character more to know what was happening. Koen, I love how sarcastic he was 😭😭 and I also loved how broody he was, but what I loved the most was how his thoughts were presented to us through small text poised as chapter headers. They give him and their relationship a much-needed depth. They were a bunch of cuties ❤️🩹 Misery and Lowen, just elevated this whole book. Esp because of the bond that Misery and Serena had.
Now, lets talk about the romance and the problems that I had with this book:
- The romance, I felt like it was more based on them needing each other because of their mating bond, and not because they felt something between them. I don't know if it makes sense 😭 but I just needed more depth from their romance, it just felt okay, very surface level, I wanted mooooreee.
-Also, this is more of a me issue, which is that the smut was disgusting for me in this one 😭 it was too much and I think I do have only myself to blame solely because I thought that since I read Bride and liked the smut while so many hated it. I would like this one as well, but I failed to factor in that here, both of them were werewolves, and the dynamic was vastly different.
-The third problem that I had was the length of this book; it was 100 or 2 pages longer than it should have been. As soon as part 2 hit, the book just started dragging more and more, and I sort of started to lose interest in the book, and the pacing, which was being managed very well, started slipping, but that was all.
Overall, a very enjoyable book!
__
I'm ready! Give me all the cringe you can, Miss Hazelwood 😋
__
Is Ali Hazelwood the Freida McFadden of the romance genre?!?
November 21, 2025
howling at the moon and ripping my skin off like i’m going into heat. this book triggered a primal instinct within me! i think im gonna jump off a cliff and crack my head open for fun! 🐺💚
you come up to me and you mentioned this book and you’re never gonna escape the conversation that I’m about to put you in. i literally faltered reading this book.
it always hits me strongest when secret pining, longing, and yearning from the mmc is involved because “he easily resigned himself to a lifetime without her, but… simply put, he is unwilling to contemplate a universe in which she no longer exists” meaning even if he can’t have her that doesn’t mean she still doesn’t deserve the world! i’m melting 🫠
yall can gouge my eyes out but ill always be a sucker for the sunshine girl that’s oblivious to the mmc yearning for her x the buff grumpy mmc who would paint the town red (green) for her without blinking. and he bought her underwear in his favorite color?!! please kill me now 🤭
the plot outside of the romance was also like eating popcorn in front of a movie, i was invested. learning about serena’s past and how it interconnects with koen. i was eating it up. appreciated how the world expanded in this one and was so clearly imaginative. i’m sitting here saying “tell me more”
serena omg. her humor PEAK. it’s a good thing all of Ali’s books are primarily in the fmc’s pov because i get to imagine myself going to pound town with koen. the way she commands koen, him being alpha and all, how he folds like paper when she’s around and is incapable of saying no to her. his first instinct being to protect her. putting her first in every situation. ughhh i just might kill myself over this.
koen. omg my sarcasm king, come to my bed IMMEDIATELY. never has one been so protective and primal the way he has. i totally understand the vision when serena mentioned he “looks like he chops wood” because goddamn i couldn’t have asked for a clearer image. he seemed very passionate and whimsical to me whenever he would wolf out in some way. whether that was the fucking that was 30 pages long or him building chairs. in every possible way a woman can want a fictional man, i fucking need koen.
no one can make me feel guilty about eating this up. because i’m planning to electrocute my brain to serve myself some memory loss so I can read this book again 🙂↕️💕
you come up to me and you mentioned this book and you’re never gonna escape the conversation that I’m about to put you in. i literally faltered reading this book.
it always hits me strongest when secret pining, longing, and yearning from the mmc is involved because “he easily resigned himself to a lifetime without her, but… simply put, he is unwilling to contemplate a universe in which she no longer exists” meaning even if he can’t have her that doesn’t mean she still doesn’t deserve the world! i’m melting 🫠
yall can gouge my eyes out but ill always be a sucker for the sunshine girl that’s oblivious to the mmc yearning for her x the buff grumpy mmc who would paint the town red (green) for her without blinking. and he bought her underwear in his favorite color?!! please kill me now 🤭
the plot outside of the romance was also like eating popcorn in front of a movie, i was invested. learning about serena’s past and how it interconnects with koen. i was eating it up. appreciated how the world expanded in this one and was so clearly imaginative. i’m sitting here saying “tell me more”
serena omg. her humor PEAK. it’s a good thing all of Ali’s books are primarily in the fmc’s pov because i get to imagine myself going to pound town with koen. the way she commands koen, him being alpha and all, how he folds like paper when she’s around and is incapable of saying no to her. his first instinct being to protect her. putting her first in every situation. ughhh i just might kill myself over this.
koen. omg my sarcasm king, come to my bed IMMEDIATELY. never has one been so protective and primal the way he has. i totally understand the vision when serena mentioned he “looks like he chops wood” because goddamn i couldn’t have asked for a clearer image. he seemed very passionate and whimsical to me whenever he would wolf out in some way. whether that was the fucking that was 30 pages long or him building chairs. in every possible way a woman can want a fictional man, i fucking need koen.
no one can make me feel guilty about eating this up. because i’m planning to electrocute my brain to serve myself some memory loss so I can read this book again 🙂↕️💕
October 19, 2025
"He would die for her, and he would kill for her. More importantly, he will live for her. She'll be the purpose driving every second of his every day."
Well, that was unexpectedly pleasant and worth reading. I was initially a bit wary given how Ali Hazelwood's books are mostly a miss for me but her paranormal books seem to be going well with me compared to her usual STEM ones.
I found this one to be better than Bride which I also loved. The writing here is more balanced, the relationships and plot more developed and of depth. More purpose driven rather than filler. It's clear she knew what she was doing here and I wasn't in any Misery reading the smut for once. Of course there are phrases and terms which are quite cringe but didn't really bother me.
The vibes and atmosphere of the book is so cozy, I just wanted to immerse myself in it. This was easy to fly through 😩😩 Koen and Serena have such good chemistry and their banter was chef's kiss. I loved how their romance developed and the tension between them was so good. I liked Serena far more than I liked Misery if I think about it. There's more personality and charm to her. As for Koen , he was exactly what I wanted from an Alpha werewolf- commanding, dominant, possessive and a smartass 👀🤭
For once I was surprised that the smut didn't make me cringe in her books. This was far more refined and balanced in the sense that it didn't come across as immature or too forced. It came off as natural. Well, it's either that or my smut standards were extremely low 🤷♀️😂
Anyhoo, loved it. Now I want to binge more werewolf books.
~•~•~
I wanna get my fix of werewolves and read some cringe Ali Hazelwood smut
Well, that was unexpectedly pleasant and worth reading. I was initially a bit wary given how Ali Hazelwood's books are mostly a miss for me but her paranormal books seem to be going well with me compared to her usual STEM ones.
I found this one to be better than Bride which I also loved. The writing here is more balanced, the relationships and plot more developed and of depth. More purpose driven rather than filler. It's clear she knew what she was doing here and I wasn't in any Misery reading the smut for once. Of course there are phrases and terms which are quite cringe but didn't really bother me.
The vibes and atmosphere of the book is so cozy, I just wanted to immerse myself in it. This was easy to fly through 😩😩 Koen and Serena have such good chemistry and their banter was chef's kiss. I loved how their romance developed and the tension between them was so good. I liked Serena far more than I liked Misery if I think about it. There's more personality and charm to her. As for Koen , he was exactly what I wanted from an Alpha werewolf- commanding, dominant, possessive and a smartass 👀🤭
For once I was surprised that the smut didn't make me cringe in her books. This was far more refined and balanced in the sense that it didn't come across as immature or too forced. It came off as natural. Well, it's either that or my smut standards were extremely low 🤷♀️😂
Anyhoo, loved it. Now I want to binge more werewolf books.
~•~•~
I wanna get my fix of werewolves and read some cringe Ali Hazelwood smut
November 13, 2025
me, howling at the moon hornily
ali said actually edging & incredibly sticky sweaty sex is hot? and i said "it smells like a sizzling fajita skillet in the boudoir? bet."
i enjoyed this, though i didn't enjoy it quite as much as Bride. i wanted a leeeeettle more relationship dev beyond "i am so horny i want to rip my skin off when you're near, my sweet knot- taking girl"
but even with that minor complaint, i'm not mad. i spent the day leisurely reading this and giggling and kicking my feet. nothing beats the way that ali pulls my favorite microtropes out of my head and puts them to the page. like two of the reveals? i was foaming at the mouth & panties.
also i'm gonna say ali is my favorite romance author writing today ok bye
ali said actually edging & incredibly sticky sweaty sex is hot? and i said "it smells like a sizzling fajita skillet in the boudoir? bet."
i enjoyed this, though i didn't enjoy it quite as much as Bride. i wanted a leeeeettle more relationship dev beyond "i am so horny i want to rip my skin off when you're near, my sweet knot- taking girl"
but even with that minor complaint, i'm not mad. i spent the day leisurely reading this and giggling and kicking my feet. nothing beats the way that ali pulls my favorite microtropes out of my head and puts them to the page. like two of the reveals? i was foaming at the mouth & panties.
also i'm gonna say ali is my favorite romance author writing today ok bye
October 17, 2025
god has blessed me with eyes and ears. i abused them.
October 25, 2025
Ate this up. Although I didn’t care for the use of the terms “fuckwaffle, “jizzmuffin,” etc.
Read
November 17, 20254.5 stars! Maybe even 5 stars 🤔 going to have to think on my final rating but I LOVED THIS BOOK!! It felt like my perfecttttt romance! It has...
1. a small mystery plot. Serena is an orphan, so she's trying to figure out who her parents are and how they might into the politics of the world. I LOVE when there's a little mystery in a romance
2. great fantasy vibes while still keeping the focus on the romance. There's werewolves, vampires, fantasy politics, light history to the world, etc.
3. Koen 😮💨 is truly my kind of book boyfriend. He's a little brooding, serious, and mysterious until you start to peel back his layers and realize he's also kind, protective, has a rich backstory, etc.
4. The spice was spicing 🥵
5. I loveddd Serena!! She's fun, brave, and smart, but also has flaws.
I also just think Ali Hazelwood is suchhhhhh a good writer!! Shes so witty and funny
1. a small mystery plot. Serena is an orphan, so she's trying to figure out who her parents are and how they might into the politics of the world. I LOVE when there's a little mystery in a romance
2. great fantasy vibes while still keeping the focus on the romance. There's werewolves, vampires, fantasy politics, light history to the world, etc.
3. Koen 😮💨 is truly my kind of book boyfriend. He's a little brooding, serious, and mysterious until you start to peel back his layers and realize he's also kind, protective, has a rich backstory, etc.
4. The spice was spicing 🥵
5. I loveddd Serena!! She's fun, brave, and smart, but also has flaws.
I also just think Ali Hazelwood is suchhhhhh a good writer!! Shes so witty and funny
October 24, 2025
I am an outlier here but this book was not for me. I won't go into too much detail but my main issue in the book was the fact that I was just so.. bored. I loved Bride so much and fully expected to enjoy the vibes in this one, but there was something off.
I usually love dual timelines, but here?? it made no sense and it served absolutely NO PURPOSE other than annoying me.
There were a few funny moments here and there but for the most part, the humor here just fell flat. I also HATED the plot twist regarding Serena's condition; like it made the book so much less enjoyable for me. I WANTED TO LOVE THIS BOOK SO BAD I SWEAR😭 Alas, the vibes were not vibing for me😭 The book edged us FOR SO LONG, and when we got to the spice it was.. lackluster.. again I am an outlier here so this might be a me problem?
As always, Teddy thank you for blessing my ears🙌 the way he says "baby" is just sooooo😩😩
Read
January 4, 2026normally i hate it when male love interests act cold and uncaring towards the MC but dammit ali pulls it off and gets me once again!!
October 12, 2025
I devoured this and left no crumbs!!
These books feel like drugs to me, I'm obsessed, how could I knot be.. It was more plot heavy than I was expecting, which was amazing, and the tension, the angst and the banter were absolutely amazing!!
Serena was hilarious and determined and infuriatingly secretive, but I get that part. I would be too honestly. She always stood her ground and considering in how many, not so ideal, situations she found herself, she really rolled with the punches.
Koen, I loved him so much, broody and sassy and so protective. I loved how he showed her he loved her, so sweetly, you wanted to punch him.. It's part of his charm, of course. I loved the way he was with her and the "touch her and die" vibes were immaculate.
Their banter was top tier, absolutely hilarious, and the tension so palpable. The forbidden part made it even better, and so did the forced proximity. It was a slowburn, but still not long enough. I loved them together, loved all their small moments... Her touching him, the porch moments, the coffee, Twinkles, the flannel, the piano, him showing her around the pack, him threatening to chain her to the bed, to the radiator, absolutely adorable 🤭
Seeing Serena fall in love with him, was everything.
And Koen fought so hard to hide his feelings, but you could always see his love for her, he was always there for her, no matter what.
“𝓢𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓷𝓾𝓲𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮.”
I really didn't expect this to go in the direction it did, with Constantine and all that, but I'm not complaining, it was a great plot line. I also knew what was going on with Serena since the beginning, my mad obsession with omegaverse wasn't for nothing. I can't believe it took them so long to figure it out, I guess men are incompetent in every universe.. At least it was fun, when they finally did!! Like, really, really fun!!
I also loved learning about the history and politics and how everything functioned in Koen's pack. I really liked the pace of the story, it suited me perfectly.
I was so happy to see Misery and Ana and Lowe again, I missed them so much. Serena and Misery and their friendship is my favourite, their connection so special. Just the thought of the letters made me emotional.
Also, I absolutely loved Koen's pack, they were so fun and they always had Koen's back and I loved how they immediately accepted Serena as one of their own.
She cooking for them and them always being around, was so sweet.
That epilogue, I adored it with every fiber of my being, I really hope we get more stories in this universe. I'll never tire reading about them.
༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺
𝓗𝓮𝓻 𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓭𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓶𝓼.
“𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓘 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓪 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓮 𝓭𝓻𝓸𝓹 𝓸𝓯 𝓻𝓮𝓭. 𝓞𝓴𝓪𝔂?”
𝓗𝓮 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓲𝓶𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓽𝓸 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 . . .
𝓢𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓾𝓽, 𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓾𝓷𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓪 𝓾𝓷𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻 𝓮𝔁𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓼.
“𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻”
“𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓘’𝓶 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓰𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓹, 𝓷𝓸 𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽.”
“𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓬𝓴, 𝓚𝓸𝓮𝓷.”
“𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓮, 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓪.”
𝓗𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓭𝓲𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓴𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻. 𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓵𝔂, 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻. 𝓢𝓱𝓮’𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓾𝓻𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓭𝓪𝔂.
.·:*¨ ¨*:·.
I'm so excited!!
I loved Bride so much and I just knot I will devour this.. 🤭
These books feel like drugs to me, I'm obsessed, how could I knot be.. It was more plot heavy than I was expecting, which was amazing, and the tension, the angst and the banter were absolutely amazing!!
Serena was hilarious and determined and infuriatingly secretive, but I get that part. I would be too honestly. She always stood her ground and considering in how many, not so ideal, situations she found herself, she really rolled with the punches.
Koen, I loved him so much, broody and sassy and so protective. I loved how he showed her he loved her, so sweetly, you wanted to punch him.. It's part of his charm, of course. I loved the way he was with her and the "touch her and die" vibes were immaculate.
Their banter was top tier, absolutely hilarious, and the tension so palpable. The forbidden part made it even better, and so did the forced proximity. It was a slowburn, but still not long enough. I loved them together, loved all their small moments... Her touching him, the porch moments, the coffee, Twinkles, the flannel, the piano, him showing her around the pack, him threatening to chain her to the bed, to the radiator, absolutely adorable 🤭
Seeing Serena fall in love with him, was everything.
And Koen fought so hard to hide his feelings, but you could always see his love for her, he was always there for her, no matter what.
“𝓢𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪 𝓯𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓷𝓾𝓲𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮.”
I really didn't expect this to go in the direction it did, with Constantine and all that, but I'm not complaining, it was a great plot line. I also knew what was going on with Serena since the beginning, my mad obsession with omegaverse wasn't for nothing. I can't believe it took them so long to figure it out, I guess men are incompetent in every universe.. At least it was fun, when they finally did!! Like, really, really fun!!
I also loved learning about the history and politics and how everything functioned in Koen's pack. I really liked the pace of the story, it suited me perfectly.
I was so happy to see Misery and Ana and Lowe again, I missed them so much. Serena and Misery and their friendship is my favourite, their connection so special. Just the thought of the letters made me emotional.
Also, I absolutely loved Koen's pack, they were so fun and they always had Koen's back and I loved how they immediately accepted Serena as one of their own.
She cooking for them and them always being around, was so sweet.
That epilogue, I adored it with every fiber of my being, I really hope we get more stories in this universe. I'll never tire reading about them.
༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺
𝓗𝓮𝓻 𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓭𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓶𝓼.
“𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓘 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝔂𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓪 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓮 𝓭𝓻𝓸𝓹 𝓸𝓯 𝓻𝓮𝓭. 𝓞𝓴𝓪𝔂?”
𝓗𝓮 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓱𝓲𝓶𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓽𝓸 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 . . .
𝓢𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝔂 𝓹𝓾𝓽, 𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓾𝓷𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓪 𝓾𝓷𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓮 𝓲𝓷 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓼𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻 𝓮𝔁𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓼.
“𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓹 𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻”
“𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓘’𝓶 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓰𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓹, 𝓷𝓸 𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽.”
“𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓪𝓬𝓴, 𝓚𝓸𝓮𝓷.”
“𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓮, 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓪.”
𝓗𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓭𝓲𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓴𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻. 𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓵𝔂, 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻. 𝓢𝓱𝓮’𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓾𝓻𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓭𝓪𝔂.
.·:*¨ ¨*:·.
I'm so excited!!
I loved Bride so much and I just knot I will devour this.. 🤭
October 9, 2025
HOWLING AT THE MOON!
🌙🐺 Ali remade my brain cells with this one because wdym the fmc is literally (AND I DO MEAN LITERALLY) dying for that D!!
💚✨🐺🔥🪢🔥🐺✨💚
“She tore him apart and remade him. It took her less than a second.”
Serena is new to the whole Werewolf thing and all of the sudden the Alpha of the Northwest is claiming she’s his mate 🐺✨ Koen says it’s not that deep and he just thinks she’s a little cute. She tells him “no, thanks” but all of a sudden she’s dealing with a mysterious illness & seeks his shelter. However, it might be all his fault….
“Her laughter adjusts the spin of his atoms.”
The EFFORTLESS banter & BREWING chemistry between these two had me inhale the book in a single sitting 🔥 It’s definitely a slow burn romance but…WHAT A PAYOFF!! The were smut was raw, phenomenal & most importantly unforgettable. Favorite moments:
🐺 she always ends up wearing his oversized clothing
🌙 OMEGAVERSE SMUT with scenting & knotting
🐺 when she leaves the bed for food & he gets upset so he knots her fast just so she can’t leave again “poor killer. She didn’t do as she was told, and now look” *screaming in horny disbelief*
🌙 naked werewolves everywhere you look/read
🐺 she plays piano while sitting in his lap
🌙 the way he takes care of her when she’s the….sickest
Koen is a total ALPHA BAE! Every chapter begins with a sentence or two in his pov and every single time it had me clawing at my chest. He was a grumpy laid back ass to everyone but just couldn’t pull it off with Serena. The AGE GAP with size difference but she holds his will in the palm of her hand.
Ali’s writing is absolute brilliant! The witty banter between characters highlighted by her chaotically hilarious analogies. I’ve never had so many paragraphs highlighted!! How does her brain work like that??
grumpy x sunshine
age gap
size difference
forced proximity
slow burn
“illness”
kidnapping
cult plot
cozy Pacific Northwest vibes
found family
single pov
HEA
💚✨🐺🔥🪢🔥🐺✨💚
“She tore him apart and remade him. It took her less than a second.”
Serena is new to the whole Werewolf thing and all of the sudden the Alpha of the Northwest is claiming she’s his mate 🐺✨ Koen says it’s not that deep and he just thinks she’s a little cute. She tells him “no, thanks” but all of a sudden she’s dealing with a mysterious illness & seeks his shelter. However, it might be all his fault….
“Her laughter adjusts the spin of his atoms.”
The EFFORTLESS banter & BREWING chemistry between these two had me inhale the book in a single sitting 🔥 It’s definitely a slow burn romance but…WHAT A PAYOFF!! The were smut was raw, phenomenal & most importantly unforgettable. Favorite moments:
🐺 she always ends up wearing his oversized clothing
🌙 OMEGAVERSE SMUT with scenting & knotting
🐺 when she leaves the bed for food & he gets upset so he knots her fast just so she can’t leave again “poor killer. She didn’t do as she was told, and now look” *screaming in horny disbelief*
🌙 naked werewolves everywhere you look/read
🐺 she plays piano while sitting in his lap
🌙 the way he takes care of her when she’s the….sickest
Koen is a total ALPHA BAE! Every chapter begins with a sentence or two in his pov and every single time it had me clawing at my chest. He was a grumpy laid back ass to everyone but just couldn’t pull it off with Serena. The AGE GAP with size difference but she holds his will in the palm of her hand.
Ali’s writing is absolute brilliant! The witty banter between characters highlighted by her chaotically hilarious analogies. I’ve never had so many paragraphs highlighted!! How does her brain work like that??
grumpy x sunshine
age gap
size difference
forced proximity
slow burn
“illness”
kidnapping
cult plot
cozy Pacific Northwest vibes
found family
single pov
HEA
Want to Read
October 9, 2025"Fate—she . chose . me.... Mate—did she!?"🤸♀️💥
Mhm Ali Hazelwood literally said, “What if Bride had even more fangs, claws, and feral energy?” And thus, Boom Mate is born.✨🐺
જ⁀➴°⋆✧･ﾟ What to Expect･ﾟ✧:
~Enemies-to-Reluctant-Alliance-to-Mates 🤝 (Serena: “I don’t even like you.” Koen: “That’s fine, I like you enough for both of us.” 🫠)
~Fated Mates with a Twist ✨ (Serena did not sign up for this, but the universe had other plans)
~Alpha Male Energy (he growls, obviously)
~Vampyres Lurking in the Shadows🦇– Because it’s not enough that Serena’s packless and hunted—let’s add bloodsuckers to the mix!
~Politics, Betrayal, & Power Plays 🤺 (Weres, Vampires, and Humans in a constant Game of Thrones–level mess)
~Possessive Alpha Energy™ 🐺 (Koen is giving “you’re mine” in every language possible)
Slow-Burn Tension That Could Burn a Hole in the Ozone Layer 🌡️ (Serena tries to resist, fails spectacularly) "Touch her and die"—and yes, someone will test that!!
~Serena Being an Unbothered Queen While Chaos Reigns👑 (Girl’s just trying to live, but nope)
Plot Twists That Will Leave You Screaming into the Void 😵
~Serena’s past returning with a vengeance—and Koen is not letting her face it alone!!
Mark your calendars, besties—this feral, unhinged, fangs-out romance drops. Ali Hazelwood is about to own us all again. Get ready for claws, chaos, and a love story that refuses to be tamed.He’ll protect her. She’ll resist him. Destiny is laughing in the background. This book is about to be ANGST CENTRAL. Buckle up. 🚨 Get ready to scream.🐺🩸
Mhm Ali Hazelwood literally said, “What if Bride had even more fangs, claws, and feral energy?” And thus, Boom Mate is born.✨🐺
જ⁀➴°⋆✧･ﾟ What to Expect･ﾟ✧:
~Enemies-to-Reluctant-Alliance-to-Mates 🤝 (Serena: “I don’t even like you.” Koen: “That’s fine, I like you enough for both of us.” 🫠)
~Fated Mates with a Twist ✨ (Serena did not sign up for this, but the universe had other plans)
~Alpha Male Energy (he growls, obviously)
~Vampyres Lurking in the Shadows🦇– Because it’s not enough that Serena’s packless and hunted—let’s add bloodsuckers to the mix!
~Politics, Betrayal, & Power Plays 🤺 (Weres, Vampires, and Humans in a constant Game of Thrones–level mess)
~Possessive Alpha Energy™ 🐺 (Koen is giving “you’re mine” in every language possible)
Slow-Burn Tension That Could Burn a Hole in the Ozone Layer 🌡️ (Serena tries to resist, fails spectacularly) "Touch her and die"—and yes, someone will test that!!
~Serena Being an Unbothered Queen While Chaos Reigns👑 (Girl’s just trying to live, but nope)
Plot Twists That Will Leave You Screaming into the Void 😵
~Serena’s past returning with a vengeance—and Koen is not letting her face it alone!!
Mark your calendars, besties—this feral, unhinged, fangs-out romance drops. Ali Hazelwood is about to own us all again. Get ready for claws, chaos, and a love story that refuses to be tamed.He’ll protect her. She’ll resist him. Destiny is laughing in the background. This book is about to be ANGST CENTRAL. Buckle up. 🚨 Get ready to scream.🐺🩸
November 2, 2025
I don’t even know where to start except to say that there are probably spoilers in this review.
Or maybe with the fact that Serena went to two werewolf-specific doctors with her very obvious issues, and neither one could tell that she was not dying but simply going into heat. I figured that one out pretty easily, and I’m neither a doctor nor a werewolf. But then again, I’m also not a man, so maybe that was the author’s point all along, you know, gender bias in medical diagnosis and all that fun stuff. If so, then that’s the only good point this book made.
Just to be immediately ruined by the fact that, of course, Koen’s dick was the only thing that could help her. Why did I read this book...
Speaking of Koen, though, he was such a terrible hero. He treated her horribly for most of the book, by the halfway mark, he was so horny that he became slightly more affectionate, and immediately she was all I’M FUCKING IN LOVE WITH HIM. Don’t get me started on the sex. Ali Hazelwood smut is not for me, I recognise that.
The writing was honestly just bad. I’m not the biggest fan of this author, but she can usually write a story that is paced evenly and easy to read. This, however, was neither. The plot was barely hanging on, as the author seemingly couldn’t decide on what the main point should be, which resulted in lukewarm, convoluted and drawn-out storytelling. The other reason why this book had to be this long was the excessive ‘banter’ between the main characters. Which was actually just him being an asshole for over 500 pages and her not being able to say a single sentence without being sarcastic; it was so tiresome. Plus, there’s a lot of inner monologue that just made her seem a bit dumb, tbh.
Also the way Koen talked made me want to never read again. I mean, look at this: shitdump, shartstain, jizzmuffin, cockwomble, cumduck, twatwaffles… and that’s just from the first half of the book.
All of this made me question if maybe I just don’t get the author’s sense of humour? Because I’m actually supposed to laugh at all of that, right? I didn't, though. Her need to involve genitalia and/or faeces in everything he said was just kinda weird and gross to me. And listen, I usually don’t mind cursing or whatever you want to call this at all, but the sheer amount of it was off-putting to me.
So in conclusion, I think I just have to accept that this author is not for me.
Or maybe with the fact that Serena went to two werewolf-specific doctors with her very obvious issues, and neither one could tell that she was not dying but simply going into heat. I figured that one out pretty easily, and I’m neither a doctor nor a werewolf. But then again, I’m also not a man, so maybe that was the author’s point all along, you know, gender bias in medical diagnosis and all that fun stuff. If so, then that’s the only good point this book made.
Just to be immediately ruined by the fact that, of course, Koen’s dick was the only thing that could help her. Why did I read this book...
Speaking of Koen, though, he was such a terrible hero. He treated her horribly for most of the book, by the halfway mark, he was so horny that he became slightly more affectionate, and immediately she was all I’M FUCKING IN LOVE WITH HIM. Don’t get me started on the sex. Ali Hazelwood smut is not for me, I recognise that.
The writing was honestly just bad. I’m not the biggest fan of this author, but she can usually write a story that is paced evenly and easy to read. This, however, was neither. The plot was barely hanging on, as the author seemingly couldn’t decide on what the main point should be, which resulted in lukewarm, convoluted and drawn-out storytelling. The other reason why this book had to be this long was the excessive ‘banter’ between the main characters. Which was actually just him being an asshole for over 500 pages and her not being able to say a single sentence without being sarcastic; it was so tiresome. Plus, there’s a lot of inner monologue that just made her seem a bit dumb, tbh.
Also the way Koen talked made me want to never read again. I mean, look at this: shitdump, shartstain, jizzmuffin, cockwomble, cumduck, twatwaffles… and that’s just from the first half of the book.
All of this made me question if maybe I just don’t get the author’s sense of humour? Because I’m actually supposed to laugh at all of that, right? I didn't, though. Her need to involve genitalia and/or faeces in everything he said was just kinda weird and gross to me. And listen, I usually don’t mind cursing or whatever you want to call this at all, but the sheer amount of it was off-putting to me.
So in conclusion, I think I just have to accept that this author is not for me.
October 8, 2025
At her heart, Ali Hazelwood is a science fiend (one does not dedicate their life to obtaining a PhD in it if they are not) and she always entwines her knowledge of nerdy stuff into the love stories she writes. It’s a consistent, unique theme in her books, and this is no exception. Except it kind of is, because this is the least Ali Hazelwood-ish book Ali Hazelwood has written, in that the science is 100% horny. Is it accurate? Werewolves don’t exist so it’s hard to say for sure but like, yeah, why not? The science was also horny in Bride but that was an appetizer to the absolute buffet of turgid-flesh-meets-soft-warmth that is Mate. It’s still a Hazelwood production (Koen is very tall, they’ll always be very tall) but it’s creeping towards the unfamiliar (not a single miscommunication for no reason?!) in a refreshing twist. I’m in it for life with Ali (we Alisons need to stick together) so it’s good that I was sort of a straight-up freak for this one. Mate: we don’t ick licks, so if you don’t like it, scoot.
March 17, 2026
5 ⭐️
2nd review:
When I found out there was a sequel to Bride, I immediately assumed it couldn't possibly live up to the first book. So I did what any rational reader would do: I avoided reading Mate for a while to delay the inevitable disappointment.
Turns out Mate was just as good as Bride. In fact, it was so good it might have ruined other werewolf books for me and I'm totally fine with that.
1st review:
Rue!? When was this?
2nd review:
When I found out there was a sequel to Bride, I immediately assumed it couldn't possibly live up to the first book. So I did what any rational reader would do: I avoided reading Mate for a while to delay the inevitable disappointment.
Turns out Mate was just as good as Bride. In fact, it was so good it might have ruined other werewolf books for me and I'm totally fine with that.
1st review:
Rue!? When was this?
October 16, 2025
⋆˚࿔ review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
5⭐️
If this is trash, then glue a raccoon tail on me because I devoured it like last night’s leftovers 😌🫡
This book was everything. I went in excited, but I was not prepared to be this feral.
The slow burn? Oh, it burned. It wasn’t a spark; it was a bonfire that had me kicking my feet, giggling, and occasionally wheezing into my pillow. When it finally went off… fireworks. Absolute fireworks 💥💋
The moments? Cinematic.
The spice? I had to pause my audiobook and stare into the void to recover 🤭
Serena, my dramatic, hilarious queen. I love her brain. Every thought she has is gold. She’s chaotic in the best way, funny without even trying, and then she goes and has the nerve to be selfless and thoughtful too? A perfect bbg through and through 🥹
And then there’s Koen. New husband alert (yes, I collect fictional men like Pokémon, let me live). He’s prickly, broody, and pretending he doesn’t care while simultaneously radiating “touch her and die” energy. He acts like he can’t stand her, but he’s so far gone it’s laughable. The way he’s obsessed while trying to keep up the grumpy act? Sir, we see you 😏
The forbidden vibe between them was just… chef’s kiss. And the banter oh my god. I will always, always fall for mild dislike to-lovers banter, and these two delivered like they were on payroll. He’s protective over her in that quietly intense way that has me feral. No one else is allowed to fuss over her. Just him 😭
And even without his POV, the little notes at the start of the chapters? Pure gold. I don’t need a man’s internal monologue; I just need a glimpse of how stupidly obsessed he is. And boy did we get it.
Mysery my sarcastic, hilarious icon. I’ve missed her so much. Her friendship with Serena is literal serotonin in book form. Their dynamic gives found-family energy with a side of chaotic besties and I ate it up.
The audiobook… oh, the audiobook. This is how you do a duet narration. I was not simply listening; I was experiencing.
Miss Ali, if you’re reading this telepathically, THIS is your lane. I thrive in this lane. Please keep feeding me stories like this. I’ll eat every single crumb.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
I’m expecting a lot from this one… don’t let me down, pretty please 😭 also teddy 🙂↕️
5⭐️
If this is trash, then glue a raccoon tail on me because I devoured it like last night’s leftovers 😌🫡
This book was everything. I went in excited, but I was not prepared to be this feral.
The slow burn? Oh, it burned. It wasn’t a spark; it was a bonfire that had me kicking my feet, giggling, and occasionally wheezing into my pillow. When it finally went off… fireworks. Absolute fireworks 💥💋
The moments? Cinematic.
The spice? I had to pause my audiobook and stare into the void to recover 🤭
Serena, my dramatic, hilarious queen. I love her brain. Every thought she has is gold. She’s chaotic in the best way, funny without even trying, and then she goes and has the nerve to be selfless and thoughtful too? A perfect bbg through and through 🥹
And then there’s Koen. New husband alert (yes, I collect fictional men like Pokémon, let me live). He’s prickly, broody, and pretending he doesn’t care while simultaneously radiating “touch her and die” energy. He acts like he can’t stand her, but he’s so far gone it’s laughable. The way he’s obsessed while trying to keep up the grumpy act? Sir, we see you 😏
The forbidden vibe between them was just… chef’s kiss. And the banter oh my god. I will always, always fall for mild dislike to-lovers banter, and these two delivered like they were on payroll. He’s protective over her in that quietly intense way that has me feral. No one else is allowed to fuss over her. Just him 😭
And even without his POV, the little notes at the start of the chapters? Pure gold. I don’t need a man’s internal monologue; I just need a glimpse of how stupidly obsessed he is. And boy did we get it.
Mysery my sarcastic, hilarious icon. I’ve missed her so much. Her friendship with Serena is literal serotonin in book form. Their dynamic gives found-family energy with a side of chaotic besties and I ate it up.
The audiobook… oh, the audiobook. This is how you do a duet narration. I was not simply listening; I was experiencing.
Miss Ali, if you’re reading this telepathically, THIS is your lane. I thrive in this lane. Please keep feeding me stories like this. I’ll eat every single crumb.
⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
I’m expecting a lot from this one… don’t let me down, pretty please 😭 also teddy 🙂↕️
October 8, 2025
4.5⭐️
October 12, 2025
ella realmente pensaba que tenía una enfermedad terminal y se iba a morir en tres meses y al final era que necesitaba PITO
October 17, 2025
was so feral reading this that i gnawed on my Kindle
Want to Read
June 25, 2025i’m knot going to make any knot jokes this time. (just kidding, i caknot help myself) 😭😭
November 6, 2025
life is worth living
October 14, 2025
she has a very specific target audience for this series and i’m once again happy to be that audience😌🫶🏻
~~~~~
I KNEW ITTTTTT I KNEW AFTER THE BRIDE’S EPILOGUE SHE WAS GONNA WRITE A BOOK FOR SERENA AND KOEN🤭🤭🤭
One single step inside the house, and Koen halts as though he just walked into a pile of bricks. His palm reaches for the wall in search of support.
“What the hell?” Lowe stares at him with a frown. When no reply comes, he turns to study his friend. His body is vibrating, ever so slightly. His pupils contract, like they often do when a Were is on the brink of shifting. And his eyes . . .
Lowe follows Koen’s gaze. It’s trained on a small figure crouched on the living room floor. She’s currently scratching the chin of a purring Sparkles and murmuring apologies at him.
Serena.
Koen’s gaze remains there for a long time, as though captured, or maybe unwilling to let go.
“Well, well, well,” he drawls. His voice is gruff. Too deep. “I’m fucked, all right.”
~~~~~
I KNEW ITTTTTT I KNEW AFTER THE BRIDE’S EPILOGUE SHE WAS GONNA WRITE A BOOK FOR SERENA AND KOEN🤭🤭🤭
One single step inside the house, and Koen halts as though he just walked into a pile of bricks. His palm reaches for the wall in search of support.
“What the hell?” Lowe stares at him with a frown. When no reply comes, he turns to study his friend. His body is vibrating, ever so slightly. His pupils contract, like they often do when a Were is on the brink of shifting. And his eyes . . .
Lowe follows Koen’s gaze. It’s trained on a small figure crouched on the living room floor. She’s currently scratching the chin of a purring Sparkles and murmuring apologies at him.
Serena.
Koen’s gaze remains there for a long time, as though captured, or maybe unwilling to let go.
“Well, well, well,” he drawls. His voice is gruff. Too deep. “I’m fucked, all right.”
May 14, 2026
"He told her that he would never touch her because he didn’t want her enough; in truth, he will never touch her because he wants her too much. "After surviving the harrowing kidnapping from book 1, Serena is back (if a bit traumatized) with a whole new problem on her hands.
Turns out she's half werewolf, and it feels like the whole world is waiting for a chance to snuff her out. On top of that, she feels like absolute shit, can't shift, and did she mention feeling like death warmed over?
When Serena gets her diagnosis, she decides that she needs to be apart for a bit - and that works, almost. Everyone gives her space, except for her mouthy Alpha Koen, who just so happens to be her mate...and who has publicly declared that he absolutely refuses to be with her.
Great. Just great. Well, hopefully she will find a way to get over him as well...cause the more time she spends with him, the more she wants to be by his side for every moment of the day.
UGH.
The whole time I was reading this one, I kept thinking: book 2 better be half as good at book 1!! Cause hotdamn, I finished the first book in a single day.
Careful what you wish for...cause this one was half as good...but that means we went from 4 stars to 2.
Ultimately what threw me out of the book was the meanness, the circular plot, and the overly gratuitous sex.
The Meanness
Look, I get Koen is supposed to be the gruff-exterior-fluffy-inside kind of character but I really grew tired of the shtick.
“She’s an adult Were who doesn’t require coddling,” Koen interrupts. Once again, a bit jarring to hear, especially as he rolls thick, soft socks up my shins.
His insults were supposed to be funny, but they just came off as mean to me - maybe it was the aggressive way that the audiobook narrator threw each barbed comment at the audience.
"I’m simply going to lock you up, killer. If I have to chain you to my fucking bed to keep you alive, I will not hesitate."
The whole time that Serena was falling for him, I kept feeling disgusted by his behavior and verbal "quips".
Seriously, if someone I loved said even half the stuff he threw at her or treated me the way she was treated, I would seriously consider cutting them from my life.
He sighs. tightens his hold on me. "Such a fucking nuisance".
And I get we're supposed to use the whole 'he was traumatized' and 'it's for the better good' excuse...but seriously. He was being a fuckwaffle to her. And I'm tired of being told that guys who treat girls like that are supposed to be the love interest.
The Circular Plot
Aka, it took freaking forever to get anywhere. I don't want to give away too much, but basically we have a bit of plot in the beginning, lots of spiraling, worrying, and more spiraling, then a smidge of plot at the end.
Oh and like 5 hours of sex scenes.
The Overly Gratuitous Sex
It was just... a lot.
A lot of pining over whether sex would happen, a lot of buildup to the scenes and a freaking lot of scenes.
I grew bored with it. I much preferred the first book which had a lot of spice, but that was after a lot of plot and mystery happened.
This book, I figured out the cause of the mystery right away (well, anyone who's read werewolf fanfic would know this answer) and then had to waste a lot of time waiting for the rest of the characters to catch up...and then decide what to do about it (sex, the answer was always sex).
Overall Thoughts
I really enjoyed this world the first time around, the second time was such a meh time that I am starting to question why I liked book 1.
October 9, 2025
they weren’t werewolve-ing here enough because they ended up looking more like non union stray dogs.
![Profile Image for Ashley (permanent [?] semi-hiatus).](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1776041277i/168400322._UX200_CR0,30,200,200_.jpg)
Want to Read
February 27, 2025wow rent must be exorbitantly high
October 18, 2025
4.5 rounded up. I’ll come back with a review after the weekend … the audio narration was 1000/10 (minus how she did Misery’s voice dirty. Why did Mjsery sound like a 60 year old senator?
October 8, 2025
There are two wolves in me. One is cringing. The other is kicking her feet and giggling. 🐺 ✨
October 10, 2025
ᝰ. 2.5 ✰
I read Bride over a year ago. I don't remember much, other than I enjoyed it at the time, so I was looking forward to this one. Sad to say it was a miss.
The humour in this book didn’t work for me (maybe wrong mood/time). I found it forced and overdone instead of naturally funny.
Koen’s meant to be this big, bad thirty year old something alpha but then he’s saying stupid shit like jizzmuffin and twatwaffles ??
The plot was all over the place. Serena getting misdiagnosed by multiple doctors, Koen with his celibacy covenant, then there's the cult situation 😭 I know this is a vibe read but everything felt disjointed—the dual timeline was confusing, the pacing was off, writing was messy.
That said, the spice was really good 5/5. Unfortunately, everything else fell flat.
I read Bride over a year ago. I don't remember much, other than I enjoyed it at the time, so I was looking forward to this one. Sad to say it was a miss.
The humour in this book didn’t work for me (maybe wrong mood/time). I found it forced and overdone instead of naturally funny.
Koen’s meant to be this big, bad thirty year old something alpha but then he’s saying stupid shit like jizzmuffin and twatwaffles ??
The plot was all over the place. Serena getting misdiagnosed by multiple doctors, Koen with his celibacy covenant, then there's the cult situation 😭 I know this is a vibe read but everything felt disjointed—the dual timeline was confusing, the pacing was off, writing was messy.
That said, the spice was really good 5/5. Unfortunately, everything else fell flat.
November 2, 2025
1.) Bride ★★★★
let me make the preface shorter than i wrote for bride, but paranormal romance (on my mom’s bookshelves) raised me, so i will forever have a really big soft spot for the subgenre. and i fear that ali hazelwood’s pnr is elite and just extra works for me and my reading taste!
mate stars misery’s best friend, serena, who is half werewolf, and is isolating herself for many different reasons. she has just had a really hard life and doesn’t know much of her past, but has recently received news that has made her harbor many secrets that are very much building up inside her. oh, and the alpha of the northwest pack, koen, is her mate, but they are both choosing to just accept that and not attempt to form any sexual or romantic relationship - serena, because of her secrets, and koen, because he has taken a vow of celibacy to prove his pack will always come first. and both of them truly just need to focus on the danger that is slowly coming for them both.
but the thing about werewolves is that sometimes you only want your mate to help you with… certain things™️. which leads to making the sexual tension build up in this so insanely good. like, some of the best “forbidden” edging (for lack of a better word) i’ve read in a long while! koen was truly sexy and really did make me wonder why i haven’t been reading more werewolf romances. i will say, i did enjoy bride more, but i still really recommend this one, and i can’t wait for more in this series.
content warnings from the author (please use caution for potential spoilers): death of several people within the context of a war between different species (vampires, werewolves, and humans) is mentioned, frequent mentions of blood, abductions, descriptions of suicide, threats of assault, including sexual, and of violence, poisoning and attempted murder, attempted kidnapping/harming of a child (she is unharmed), death of parents, explicit and graphic sexual content, knotting, cursing and vulgar language, cults/brainwashing, mating cycles, child neglect (in the past), discussions of terminal illness, drugs, discussions of infertility, discussions of pregnancy
other trigger + content warnings i found while reading (ali's books really do have such good tws - i am always so thankful and impressed): threat (and maybe insinuation) of sa to a young girl in past, misogyny (negative light), vomit, drugging, gun violence, bomb/explosion violence threat, amnesia, a medical professional wrong diagnosis / not seeing the whole picture
blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | substack
♡ The Love Hypothesis ★★★★★
♡ Love, Theoretically ★★★★
♡ Not in Love ★★
♡ Two Can Play ★★★★
♡ Cruel Winter with You ★★★★
♡ Deep End ★
♡ Hot for Slayer ★★★
“I would throw away my pack, my life, and my entire world for you. Which is the exact reason I cannot have you.”
let me make the preface shorter than i wrote for bride, but paranormal romance (on my mom’s bookshelves) raised me, so i will forever have a really big soft spot for the subgenre. and i fear that ali hazelwood’s pnr is elite and just extra works for me and my reading taste!
mate stars misery’s best friend, serena, who is half werewolf, and is isolating herself for many different reasons. she has just had a really hard life and doesn’t know much of her past, but has recently received news that has made her harbor many secrets that are very much building up inside her. oh, and the alpha of the northwest pack, koen, is her mate, but they are both choosing to just accept that and not attempt to form any sexual or romantic relationship - serena, because of her secrets, and koen, because he has taken a vow of celibacy to prove his pack will always come first. and both of them truly just need to focus on the danger that is slowly coming for them both.
but the thing about werewolves is that sometimes you only want your mate to help you with… certain things™️. which leads to making the sexual tension build up in this so insanely good. like, some of the best “forbidden” edging (for lack of a better word) i’ve read in a long while! koen was truly sexy and really did make me wonder why i haven’t been reading more werewolf romances. i will say, i did enjoy bride more, but i still really recommend this one, and i can’t wait for more in this series.
content warnings from the author (please use caution for potential spoilers): death of several people within the context of a war between different species (vampires, werewolves, and humans) is mentioned, frequent mentions of blood, abductions, descriptions of suicide, threats of assault, including sexual, and of violence, poisoning and attempted murder, attempted kidnapping/harming of a child (she is unharmed), death of parents, explicit and graphic sexual content, knotting, cursing and vulgar language, cults/brainwashing, mating cycles, child neglect (in the past), discussions of terminal illness, drugs, discussions of infertility, discussions of pregnancy
other trigger + content warnings i found while reading (ali's books really do have such good tws - i am always so thankful and impressed): threat (and maybe insinuation) of sa to a young girl in past, misogyny (negative light), vomit, drugging, gun violence, bomb/explosion violence threat, amnesia, a medical professional wrong diagnosis / not seeing the whole picture
blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | substack
♡ The Love Hypothesis ★★★★★
♡ Love, Theoretically ★★★★
♡ Not in Love ★★
♡ Two Can Play ★★★★
♡ Cruel Winter with You ★★★★
♡ Deep End ★
♡ Hot for Slayer ★★★
December 16, 2025
6⭐️
Perfection. Amazing. Koen😮💨😗
1) He loves her so much and I'm always a sucker for that
2) Their dynamic is SO MUCH funnier than Misery and Lowe (and here I was thinking that no couple cld top them)
-They had me laughing almost every damn page.
3) I also am a huge sucker for Misery+Serena scenes and this book delivered just that. M is so funny I js can't. Oh also huge shout out to Ana 🦄🌌‼️❕
4) Amazing smut. (dont blame me)
💌MAIN THING:
—I was thinking why I loved Koen so much despite him being just.. there, in this book (in a good way. men shld js stfu🤐- but you get what i mean)
Koen is just the epitome of show, not tell. He doesn't show how much he loves Serena, but you can just see it through his lil actions and concerns throughout the book🥹 Im begging the universe to show me the irl ver of "lumberjack Koen" so i can hv a crush on him🙏🏻🙏🏻
💌Scenes that made me CACKLE:
💌Final note:
I'd LOVE to reread this series again, as soon as I get a physical copy. cus yum.
--
My Bride series reviews:
1. Bride
2. Mate
Perfection. Amazing. Koen😮💨😗
1) He loves her so much and I'm always a sucker for that
2) Their dynamic is SO MUCH funnier than Misery and Lowe (and here I was thinking that no couple cld top them)
-They had me laughing almost every damn page.
3) I also am a huge sucker for Misery+Serena scenes and this book delivered just that. M is so funny I js can't. Oh also huge shout out to Ana 🦄🌌‼️❕
4) Amazing smut. (dont blame me)
💌MAIN THING:
—I was thinking why I loved Koen so much despite him being just.. there, in this book (in a good way. men shld js stfu🤐- but you get what i mean)
Koen is just the epitome of show, not tell. He doesn't show how much he loves Serena, but you can just see it through his lil actions and concerns throughout the book🥹 Im begging the universe to show me the irl ver of "lumberjack Koen" so i can hv a crush on him🙏🏻🙏🏻
💌Scenes that made me CACKLE:
I need to be isolated to properly rot in my dysfunctions. "Thing is," I try again, "I really like living alone."**oh how i love silent love languages.
"Maybe you had shitty roommates," he says casually, opening a closet. He grabs a set of fresh sheets and lifts them to his nose. They must pass muster, because he drops them on the mattress. "I, on the other hand, am a fucking delight."
I watch him unearth several pillows. "Does it not bother your back, Koen?"
"You mean, the supermassive weight of my ego? No, it does not."
"Oh, come on. How did you know-"
"You're gonna have to come up with more creative insults than that, Serena." On the way to the bed, he taps my nose with two fingers and starts unfolding one of the pillowcases.
Poor Koen is probably grinding his teeth to stubs. I wonder if he's called Amanda a testicle yet, just for siding with me about the plan. I wonder if this is shaving a couple of years off his life. I wonder if it'll be better for him, once I'm back in the Southwest. Out of sight, out of mind will never be our thing, but maybe not knowing whether I'm in danger will save the lining of his esophagus?**context: her life's in danger.
💌Final note:
I'd LOVE to reread this series again, as soon as I get a physical copy. cus yum.
--
My Bride series reviews:
1. Bride
2. Mate
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