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Broken Mate: A Wolf Shifter Romance
Finding your fated mate should be a dream come true, right? For Bonnie, it's a nightmare. Three weeks after meeting her intoxicating Alpha, Calder, at an inter-pack ball, she's ready to walk away. His coldness and neglect have become unbearable. But as she begins the rejection, Calder stops her, imprisoning her in his dungeon. What dark secrets lurk beneath the surface of Iron Valley pack? And can Alpha Calder Blackwood win back his Luna before it's too late?
- GenresShapeshifters
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 30, 2025
195 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Ivy Myst
16 books38 followersRomance addict, book lover, & eternal believer in happily-ever-afters whether it's an MC romance, the redemption of a groveling hero, or the mystical allure of fae, wolf shifters, or dragons! I write what I like to read.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 5, 2025
The word “diplomatic “ was used 181 times. This book was absolutely exhausting.
November 18, 2025
I read back-to-back books by this author, and they had completely different writing styles. This one took an effort to finish, but I enjoyed the next (The Space She Left) so I’m glad I stuck with her because I almost returned it when I saw it was from the same author. My point, if you struggle with this, give a different book a shot because this might be an off book.
The blurb sets this up, Bonnie met Calder at a ball and went home with him (they are mates), but as soon as they arrived, he started ignoring her and pushing her off on his gamma. The book opens with her attempting to reject him because she overheard a conversation where he said he didn’t want a Luna.
The rest is a misunderstanding that causes major trust issues (not a safety issue), an ex coming on the scene causing issues, and a traitor trying to take down the pack.
I had a few issues….
❌ This is a Jac thing, but I dislike the dynamic when their wolves are separate entities within them like alter egos that they have toddler talk conversations with. Calder has Steele and Bonnie has Lyra.
❌ After the first few chapters the couple and all the yummy parts take a backseat to the “traitor mystery” which wasn’t a mystery at all because they knew in chapter six who forged the docs and it was obvious. Then when they finally have them, they SAVE them and let THEM ESCAPE knowing they want to kill Bonnie. 🤦♀️
❌ The writing style and overuse of the word diplomacy or variation was insane. (over 215 times) I’m not sure if she doesn’t understand what the word means or didn't want to come up with more suitable words, but it was very off-putting.
For example…
Her diplomatic mind (clever, bright, perceptive?)
The way she held herself – confident but not arrogant, diplomatic but not fake. (genuine?)
She's strong. Diplomat. (resilient?)
I turned, diplomatic instincts giving way to more primal survival ones. (self-preservation, intuitive, reactive, sharp?)
Ethan's diplomatic mask had shattered completely, revealing the protective brother beneath. (stoic, emotionless, reserved, detached?)
Death would be too merciful." Diplomatic indeed, but with a core of steel no less fierce than my own wolf's. (merciless, ruthless, pitiless?)
My diplomatic mask remained firmly in place, but inside I was practically glowing. (professional, businesslike?)
Bottom Line- Not great for me. I wish she would’ve just focused on the couple and had the evil ex come back to cause problems without all the diplomacy, traitor side plot that quickly became the main plot because it left me pretty bored. No action, no real mystery, a needless investigation, no relationship development, no real OW drama… there just wasn’t anything to sink my teeth into.
The blurb sets this up, Bonnie met Calder at a ball and went home with him (they are mates), but as soon as they arrived, he started ignoring her and pushing her off on his gamma. The book opens with her attempting to reject him because she overheard a conversation where he said he didn’t want a Luna.
The rest is a misunderstanding that causes major trust issues (not a safety issue), an ex coming on the scene causing issues, and a traitor trying to take down the pack.
I had a few issues….
❌ This is a Jac thing, but I dislike the dynamic when their wolves are separate entities within them like alter egos that they have toddler talk conversations with. Calder has Steele and Bonnie has Lyra.
❌ After the first few chapters the couple and all the yummy parts take a backseat to the “traitor mystery” which wasn’t a mystery at all because they knew in chapter six who forged the docs and it was obvious. Then when they finally have them, they SAVE them and let THEM ESCAPE knowing they want to kill Bonnie. 🤦♀️
❌ The writing style and overuse of the word diplomacy or variation was insane. (over 215 times) I’m not sure if she doesn’t understand what the word means or didn't want to come up with more suitable words, but it was very off-putting.
For example…
Her diplomatic mind (clever, bright, perceptive?)
The way she held herself – confident but not arrogant, diplomatic but not fake. (genuine?)
She's strong. Diplomat. (resilient?)
I turned, diplomatic instincts giving way to more primal survival ones. (self-preservation, intuitive, reactive, sharp?)
Ethan's diplomatic mask had shattered completely, revealing the protective brother beneath. (stoic, emotionless, reserved, detached?)
Death would be too merciful." Diplomatic indeed, but with a core of steel no less fierce than my own wolf's. (merciless, ruthless, pitiless?)
My diplomatic mask remained firmly in place, but inside I was practically glowing. (professional, businesslike?)
Bottom Line- Not great for me. I wish she would’ve just focused on the couple and had the evil ex come back to cause problems without all the diplomacy, traitor side plot that quickly became the main plot because it left me pretty bored. No action, no real mystery, a needless investigation, no relationship development, no real OW drama… there just wasn’t anything to sink my teeth into.
September 25, 2025
2 plots that didn’t blend
The use of “diplomatic” was so tiresome. All throughout the story, diplomat, diplomatic beta, diplomatic mask…ad nauseam. . It actually made me stop reading here and there. I couldn’t even decide why it was being overused until late in the book. It seemed it was supposed to show the unification of a military style pack/alpha with a mate who was, dare I say, a diplomat. Lol. But there was nothing shown in the story that really depicted that. The storyline was first set on the drama with traitors (which was so obvious I wanted to punch Calder and crew) and what happened to Bonnie (side note, why does everyone have a more modern name except Bonnie?). There were no scenes showing different styles or viewpoints between them at all or push back from the pack regarding her style. I didn’t see any of that to understand the constant reference to “diplomatic”. Until almost the end. Suddenly it was a huge deal what Bonnie has done, unifying all these packs who some were hard won, apparently, to join the alliance. Most of the story wasn’t about that at all so it was disconnected, 2 plots in 1 that never really overlapped or were built into a cohesive story build.
The use of “diplomatic” was so tiresome. All throughout the story, diplomat, diplomatic beta, diplomatic mask…ad nauseam. . It actually made me stop reading here and there. I couldn’t even decide why it was being overused until late in the book. It seemed it was supposed to show the unification of a military style pack/alpha with a mate who was, dare I say, a diplomat. Lol. But there was nothing shown in the story that really depicted that. The storyline was first set on the drama with traitors (which was so obvious I wanted to punch Calder and crew) and what happened to Bonnie (side note, why does everyone have a more modern name except Bonnie?). There were no scenes showing different styles or viewpoints between them at all or push back from the pack regarding her style. I didn’t see any of that to understand the constant reference to “diplomatic”. Until almost the end. Suddenly it was a huge deal what Bonnie has done, unifying all these packs who some were hard won, apparently, to join the alliance. Most of the story wasn’t about that at all so it was disconnected, 2 plots in 1 that never really overlapped or were built into a cohesive story build.
November 8, 2025
Bonnie met her mate Calder at a ball held by her pack. They immediately travel back to his pack land. He has her installed in a guest room and never speaks to her again. Another guy named Luke is assigned to be her companion (or really to spy on her?)
One day, when walking around with Luke, Bonnie overhears Calder talking to someone, saying he's never going to take a mate because a mate is just a distraction. He tells them that Bonnie is just a diplomat sent from her pack. She tries to do the formal rejection so she can leave his pack land, but he simply puts his hand over her mouth to stop her (easy), and puts her in their pack jail as a prisoner.
So, we get Calder's POV. He's pretending not to want her, "to keep her safe," but we aren't told safe from what or whom. The trope of "the asshole Alpha who's secretly doing it for your own good" is really not my favorite trope. But anyway, he was acting indifferent to her for weeks so that the "traitors," whoever they are, would "reveal themselves." She's moved to another cell which is like solitary confinement, with a solid door and no windows.
Then the traitors attack several of the pack houses at once, so Calder has to go deal with that. He's hoping Bonnie will understand once he can come back and explain everything to her. They both make a big deal about her being a diplomat and understanding there's always politics at play, so hopefully she will understand.
It turns out his orders were to free Bonnie from the jail and bring her to the Luna suite, but someone changed the orders and had her taken to solitary confinement instead. By the time Calder returns after dealing with the attacks, it's been a week, and Bonnie is nearly dead, because everyone thought Calder ordered her to receive no food or water.
They try magic healing and stuff, and it doesn't work, because Bonnie just wants to die. So they call her brother, and when he gets there he talks to her and she wakes up.
After that, they spend a lot of time investigating the attacks. The order for solitary confinement was also a forgery, and involved magic. So whoever planned the attacks has a witch for a helper.
I DNF at about 50% because it was all about the investigation and there had been no relationship development. Also all variations of the words diplomat, diplomacy, diplomatic, etc, were used 214 times, and it was ridiculous because everything Bonnie did was described as "diplomacy," but was actually just normal reactions to things. There was nothing that actually required any diplomatic training.
One day, when walking around with Luke, Bonnie overhears Calder talking to someone, saying he's never going to take a mate because a mate is just a distraction. He tells them that Bonnie is just a diplomat sent from her pack. She tries to do the formal rejection so she can leave his pack land, but he simply puts his hand over her mouth to stop her (easy), and puts her in their pack jail as a prisoner.
So, we get Calder's POV. He's pretending not to want her, "to keep her safe," but we aren't told safe from what or whom. The trope of "the asshole Alpha who's secretly doing it for your own good" is really not my favorite trope. But anyway, he was acting indifferent to her for weeks so that the "traitors," whoever they are, would "reveal themselves." She's moved to another cell which is like solitary confinement, with a solid door and no windows.
Then the traitors attack several of the pack houses at once, so Calder has to go deal with that. He's hoping Bonnie will understand once he can come back and explain everything to her. They both make a big deal about her being a diplomat and understanding there's always politics at play, so hopefully she will understand.
It turns out his orders were to free Bonnie from the jail and bring her to the Luna suite, but someone changed the orders and had her taken to solitary confinement instead. By the time Calder returns after dealing with the attacks, it's been a week, and Bonnie is nearly dead, because everyone thought Calder ordered her to receive no food or water.
They try magic healing and stuff, and it doesn't work, because Bonnie just wants to die. So they call her brother, and when he gets there he talks to her and she wakes up.
After that, they spend a lot of time investigating the attacks. The order for solitary confinement was also a forgery, and involved magic. So whoever planned the attacks has a witch for a helper.
I DNF at about 50% because it was all about the investigation and there had been no relationship development. Also all variations of the words diplomat, diplomacy, diplomatic, etc, were used 214 times, and it was ridiculous because everything Bonnie did was described as "diplomacy," but was actually just normal reactions to things. There was nothing that actually required any diplomatic training.
October 20, 2025
Eh, it was okay, but the H was not really "alpha" enough. He let the OW roam around freely despite a true threat to his mate. He was a bit dense when dealing with his mate, the h. She was an acclaimed diplomat, but couldn't be trusted with his pack's political machinations??
OW drama = typical, OW who was ex girlfriend of H and makes play to be the luna by taking out the actual fated mate...Comeuppance = fades to the background and gets justice given to her by court not by the H or h
Rejected-mate = h is disgusted and tired of how the H is treating her and tried to reject the H who responded by putting the h in the dungeon. Nice.
OW drama = typical, OW who was ex girlfriend of H and makes play to be the luna by taking out the actual fated mate...Comeuppance = fades to the background and gets justice given to her by court not by the H or h
Rejected-mate = h is disgusted and tired of how the H is treating her and tried to reject the H who responded by putting the h in the dungeon. Nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2025
Good story
Overall plot was good. Bonnie is a strong FMC. She faces abandonment; isolation; magical, physical and emotional threats; PTSD and overcomes adversity by clinging to her diplomatic training. She is logical and uses her training to come out the other side stronger and more a force to be reckoned with. Calder is a tstl alpha mate MMC. He thinks he us protecting his mate but he just keeps screwing up and putting her in danger multiple times. I love the side characters. Betrayal, Grovel, Redemption, OW drama...Overall a good read with a pretty good plot. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Overall plot was good. Bonnie is a strong FMC. She faces abandonment; isolation; magical, physical and emotional threats; PTSD and overcomes adversity by clinging to her diplomatic training. She is logical and uses her training to come out the other side stronger and more a force to be reckoned with. Calder is a tstl alpha mate MMC. He thinks he us protecting his mate but he just keeps screwing up and putting her in danger multiple times. I love the side characters. Betrayal, Grovel, Redemption, OW drama...Overall a good read with a pretty good plot. I look forward to reading more from this author.
November 10, 2025
Good book
Despite the flaw others have already pointed out. We are somewhat hammered with the fact that she had diplomatic training.
I wonder if it was a deliberate decision, though possibly subconscious. An attempt to drive home the fact that she's not like far too many female characters in shifter books: submissive/subordinate to the alpha.
Despite the flaw others have already pointed out. We are somewhat hammered with the fact that she had diplomatic training.
I wonder if it was a deliberate decision, though possibly subconscious. An attempt to drive home the fact that she's not like far too many female characters in shifter books: submissive/subordinate to the alpha.
November 13, 2025
Tags: betrayal, boring-yaawn, grovel-remorseful, hero-hurts-heroine, hurtful-words-overheard, ow-drama, pnr-werewolf, read
It would've been better if the term "diplomatic" wasn't used over and over again; it was really annoying 😒! If I come across the aforementioned term again... it would be too soon .
It would've been better if the term "diplomatic" wasn't used over and over again; it was really annoying 😒! If I come across the aforementioned term again... it would be too soon .
December 5, 2025
Bonnie and Calder
It was a dream come true: finding your fated mate but it turn to disappointment when she arrived to hus pack and he proceeded to ignore her and spending time with an ex girlfriend. So she made the decision to refuse their bond and go back to her very successful life. What came next nobody would see coming. Recommended
It was a dream come true: finding your fated mate but it turn to disappointment when she arrived to hus pack and he proceeded to ignore her and spending time with an ex girlfriend. So she made the decision to refuse their bond and go back to her very successful life. What came next nobody would see coming. Recommended
December 15, 2025
good
The book was good but if i had to read one more time that they were diplomats I was going to throw mu phone against a wall. Every chance they got they mentioned Bonnie and her brother are diplomats. Like I get it, you don’t need to mention it 5,000 times. Other than that I enjoyed the book.
The book was good but if i had to read one more time that they were diplomats I was going to throw mu phone against a wall. Every chance they got they mentioned Bonnie and her brother are diplomats. Like I get it, you don’t need to mention it 5,000 times. Other than that I enjoyed the book.
December 12, 2025
repetitive and boring
If you want to read the word “diplomatic” 100 times go ahead and read this. Not even sure why it need to be said that much, literally almost every page had the words.
If you want to read the word “diplomatic” 100 times go ahead and read this. Not even sure why it need to be said that much, literally almost every page had the words.
November 13, 2025
See Athena’s review
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews