Mated

A Beastly Romance #1

by Jenika Snow

I was born a princess, a bargaining chip in a kingdom desperate to survive.
Across the twenty realms—ten ruled by humans, ten by monsters—alliances were rare, fragile things.
When my father promised me to the monster king of one of the savage realms, I knew it wasn’t a love match they bargained me for.
It was to forge a powerful alliance.
I told myself I could endure it—that it was for my kingdom and people. I’d sacrifice myself for the hope it helped others.
I could stand proud and bold at my monster husband’s side, untouched by the darkness that surrounded him. But the moment I met him, all my carefully built walls crumbled.
He was brutal, clever, and dangerous. He didn’t want a queen to parade in front of the realms.
He wanted a mate to own. Possess.
My monster husband took me, claimed me, and shattered everything I thought I knew about my life and the world.
And somewhere between the bruising kisses and the cruel tenderness only I ever saw, I knew the truth.
I could never tame him.
And the secret I’d never admit to anyone else?
I didn’t want to.

Genres: Fantasy, Monster Romance, Romance, Novella, Monsters, Paranormal, Smut

104 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 19, 2025

About the author

Jenika Snow is a USA Today Bestselling Author, and has been a published writer since 2009.

She can be found at:

www.jenikasnow.com
FB: www.facebook.com/jenikasnow
Twitter: twitter.com/jenikasnow
Email: Jenika_Snow@yahoo.com

Reviews

[Jen ♥]

Okaaay, this is a monster x human smut novella. Throughout the book, I couldn't help but wonder how they made it work—after all, he's this huge monster, and she's just sooo tiny. 😅🫣 Oh well, but it looks like they actually did! 🤣

[Kate V · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - 3 smut-scale stars!

This was honestly weird. And felt like forced girl power just for the sake of writing girl power. Girl falls into some other land and finds her mate. He promises her they’ll rule together. The end.

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be really honest with you, I only read this one because I couldn't read anything else. I get antsy whenever I couldn't read and hence picked any short easy novellas in my reserve. So, that clearly translated to what I felt about the book. It was short and okay.

A girl didn't want to marry to a lecherous prince, went ahead and ran away from her wedding straight to a beastly realm where a beastly king caught her and made her into his queen. It was cheesy and smutty and fast.

It was fine, guys. Nothing else to report here.

[Cristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

¿Qué ha sido esto? No es un buen monster romance, no es una smut novella, no hay buen plot...
Si me dices que no lo ha escrito Jenika, me lo creo.

[destiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I NEED MORE OMG 😩

🌶️🌶️

[bree | breesbookmark ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I understand that it's smut. But it's bad smut. Wdym she's running from a man who taunts how he's going to own her, so she runs off and ends up with a monster who... taunts how he's gonna own her 😭 And then she just lets him do her like that omg

(If that's your cup of tea that's FINE but I am aghast and feelings ungenerous right now 💀)

EDIT: I think this book made my reading slump worse, if that's possible.

[Selena Spiropoulos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jenika Snow was my first introduction to “monster smut”. I love her spicy writing but for some reason I had a hard time getting into this one.
It felt really rushed, there was ALOT of repetition.. it read like a draft. Lots of grammar and spelling mistakes.
Spice was there but the story was disappointing.

Not to say I won’t read the second book in the series, I’m sure it will get better.

[Kellyythoralabatalla · Rating 2 out of 5]

este claramente podría ser un libro de la otra saga de monstruos.

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth)]

DNF. I love monster romances. And I usually love Jenicka Snow. The words just weren’t wording on this one, which was very disappointing.

[Syria · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire time I kept thinking “why” to everything, the author wanted to write a story with this kind of plot but really she didn't have the tools available to do so, both from a linguistic point of view of writing, and for lack of imagination, the story and the protagonists are one-dimensional.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun short story, but I had a hard time figuring out what the Hero was supposed to look like. There was an image at the end of the book, which made sense to the description, but by the end, I was so confused that I was just frustrated. But besides that, it was quick and dirty, which was just what I needed.

[Willie Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mated is Book 1 in the Beastly Romance series — where each book is a standalone fantasy romance full of magic, monsters, and HEAs that don’t play by the usual rules.

Princess Elowen was supposed to marry for duty. Her kingdom needed the alliance. Her father promised her hand. But right before the ceremony? She ran.

Enter Draxus, the monster king of Bone Ash. He’s not just offering her a crown—he’s offering freedom. Her own realm. Her own power. All he wants in return? Her submission 👑🔥

If you love dark fairytales, morally grey monsters, and romances where the monster gets the girl (and treats her like a queen), this one’s for you.
Think: twisted fairytales + spice + a little Bowser/Princess Peach energy 💀👸

Things to know

Lizard Monster Hero / Virgin Human Heroine / Hero with Retractable Monster Peen / Special Fiery Monster Cum—Literally / Interspecies Sex / Size Difference / Kidnapping / Captivity of Heroine by Hero / Cum Play / Claw Play / Fang Play / Slight Blood Consumption / Breeding / Pregnancy / Horn Kink / Tail Kink / Graphic Sex Scenes / Biting and Marking / Hand Necklaces / Slight Breath Play / Unprotected Sex / Fated Mates / Discussion of SA and DA by Secondary Character to Heroine / HEA / Instalust

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh

I love me some Jenika, & am a huge fan of her so don't get me wrong when I say this just wasn't the book for me. It felt very rushed hopping from one scene to the next without much detail, the writing was bland, & had a lot of repetitive words/phrases; for example when the MMC (monster? lol) keeps saying "you're mine" over and over in different ways, yes a lot of other books do that but, with this one is felt weird and cringey and I got tired of reading the same thing over and over. Wasn't a fan of the spice either because that also fell flat. Again I LOVE Jenika and her books but this is just me being honest/giving honest feedback. Personally, I wouldn't recommend and it's 3/5⭐️ for me.

[Allia Reads (semi hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was spicy as hell😼, but the art of Draxus at the end of the book ruined my imagination of him, ngl.🤠 He looks like a ninja turtle😭

[Missshea86]

hot

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good and Dark

Good dark monster romance, but I wanted a bit more from the story. There could've been so much more depth. However, it was a good read.

[Breylin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I highly recommend reading this on kindle so you can see the PHENOMENAL character art for this man… made whatever this was worth it

[Trip · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Submit to me, rule beside me, and I promise you’ll be my everything.”

It was a fast, spicy read and that's all I can really say. There was potential in areas, but it was simply too short that didn't exactly grab me. Also felt like a lot of telling and like she goes from one arranged marriage, to technically another...

Like obviously the situation is more exciting with Draxus, his offering her to be queen of a kingdom but like other then that he is rather claiming similar to the guy she hated. It was just way too rushed for me to understand her change of heart or instantly trusting the situation be different.

Draxus is charming yet his obsession with her is rather instant and abrupt, their relationship feels purely lust focused. They don't know enough about each for anything else, so I didn't really build up connection to either of them.

I did enjoy the setting and world building explored though, the details of the realm and the other monsters. The scene with them all kneeling, her and Draxus in the centre - the potential is there.

Overall I think it's a case wanting too much from a novella, yet I was entertained and I enjoyed the writing. So hope to try a longer read from this author some time, see if works any better for me.

Still it was fun and if looking for something short & spicy. The epilogue was glimpse at the future and rather darkly fitting, Elowen gets her happy ending with Draxus 🔥

[The Dragon Den Book Blog]

Review of Mated by Jenika Snow
* * * * *
Deliciously naughty and an erotic start to a series I am eager to dive into. Want some hot monster smut? Amazing chemistry? Your dream nightmare castle? Look no further, as there is more to come!

Princess Elowen is once again a chess piece for her father in a world where the beasts are evil monsters and the men in gold are all that are good and right.
Wrong.
Thrust into a marriage with a man that makes her skin crawl, she's had enough, and flees only to end up in the hellscape of a king who promises to treat her as the queen she is, ruling over his kingdom together and take revenge on those who did her wrong.
Draxus is a monster. It's wrong to want to stay, to be with him, but the pull is magnetic and euphoric.
Should she stay and be his?

Always can rely on Jenika Snow for a quick hit, and even better when she gives me some good monster smut! She's also introduced another character and promised a second book in the series, so I am very eager, especially after this read. You are sucked in and imagining the people, the beasts, the castle and the world she has painted. Cannot wait for more!

[Tehmeena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content Warnings;
Check Your Triggers: The full list is available on the author's website.

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀;
🖤🐍𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓼𝔂 𝓝𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪
🐍🖤𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮
🖤🐍𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰/𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓮𝓷/𝓡𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵𝓽𝔂
🐍🖤𝓛𝓲𝔃𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓜𝓒
🖤🐍𝓥𝓲𝓻𝓰𝓲𝓷 𝓗𝓾𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓕𝓜𝓒
🐍🖤𝓘𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓪-𝓛𝓾𝓼𝓽
🖤🐍𝓕𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓜𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼
🐍🖤𝓡𝓮𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓓
🖤🐍"𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓮"
🐍🖤𝓑𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰/𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓷𝓪𝓷𝓬𝔂
🖤🐍𝓗𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝓬𝓴𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓮𝓼
🐍🖤𝓜𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼
🖤🐍𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓵
🐍🖤𝓢𝓶𝓾𝓽/𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓬𝔂
🖤🐍𝓗𝓔𝓐

Book one in the "Beastly Romance" series - a standalone.

Princess Elowen is promised to marry for duty. Her father promises her to another man for an alliance for their Kingdom, but she doesn't want that. So what does she do? Right before the ceremony, she runs away. Next, we encounter Draxus, our morally grey MMC and lizard monster with a special kind of c*m - ahem, ahem - who offers her a way out - freedom! In return, he wants her submission...

It's spicy, magical, and delicious. A dark fairytale with a twist! Monster romances have a special place in my heart. I can't wait to read he next one.

🐍🖤𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝗳 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Genesis · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5⭐️

Didn’t love this like It felt like chat gpt or AI helped this author write this. There were way too much exact repetitions like there’s literally a paragraph that has the same exact sentence twice … also for such a short novella it had way too many descriptions of unimportant stuff. Also the size difference made no sense like he was so big that I couldn’t imagine them doing anything that was described lol
And another thing like I’ve read a bunch of short novellas , love them and they’re usually fast but also well paced. But this one was so random like a random human meets a monster king or whatever and there’s no real explanation or intro she just stumbles into his kingdom and he’s like you human will now be my queen and reign with me.. lmao what???? You’re telling me a random being of another race that you don’t even know her name or anything about her will now be your queen and lead your people ?? Uhm ok. Like it would’ve been better if they had met before and he knew of her or something
Also the smut wasnt great.. so yeah

[(betts) ⚜ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐ / 2🌶️
[📱] ebook

— vibezz
👑 arranged marriage
🐢 different species
👑 insta love

mini blurb — ✍🏻
The human princess is arranged to marry with the monster/demon king of the realm.
He becomes obsessed with his future queen.

//

This is not my first JS novella so you'd know you'd get thrown instantly into a new world, everything is fast paced and every interaction evolves quickly, no time to think about it and no time to think about the logic of it all lmao.

SO imagine my face when AT THE END I find this image representing the MMC:


🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

I'm so sorry **kudos** and everything to the artist responsible for creating this piece of art BUT WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK that was not IN THE LEAST how I pictured him 😭😭😭

did I read a dark ninja turtle novella? 🙃

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Princess Elowen was to be given to an evil man when Draxus saved her. Draxus is the king of his own realm. He knows Elowen is the perfect human to be his Queen. Jenika is right. If you ever played any Mario games, you can just imagine Princess Peach and Bowser in this. It was a dark turn but romantic as well. With Elowen, Draxus learns a bit of compassion. He imparts his world to her. She is protected and loved. And is there a story coming about the other human woman that Elowen meets and her “guard” Baylock. I hope so.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cember · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enthralled

This smut filled tale gives a peek into a unique world where monsters rule and care for the women they save. Elowen gets pulled in mid-run, falling into the depths of this new experience after escaping a future as a breeding vessel princess, but she is hardly scared.

Draxus, the king of his realm, rules with a strong fist, but when he meets Elowen, his world changes. The instant infatuation, love and care ❤️ I adore it all. He may be KING, but he will bend to his knee and cherish his QUEEN.

This may have been a quick read but it brought so much more into this compact space and I need the next installment to the series.

[OooLaLa Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beastly Romance Worth the Bite!

"Mated: A Monster Romance" by Jenika Snow was a short read and man, did it pack a punch! My first dive into beastly romance, and it did not disappoint. It was suspenseful, intense, and dripping with spice from start to finish. The pacing kept me hooked, and the tension—both plot-wise and romantically—was deliciously addictive. It was definitely an interesting twist on romance that surprised me in the best way. A fun, steamy, and wild ride that I thoroughly enjoyed. Looking forward to more of Jenika Snow's works!

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one didn't feel like a Jenika Snow book.

It had repetitive paragraphs, same wording and all. The chemistry between the characters was non existant. I cant for the life of me find them introducing each other, but he knows her name and she does his, the descriptions of the palace/word took more page than any kind of conversation between the MCs and, even expecting instalove/lust, this was so rushed it felt icky.

Having read and loved her other monster romances, this didn't feel like one of her books at all, super sad about that.

[Ash Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

So Weird

This was so so weird. Like I could not get into it at all. There was no plot. There was no story. It was so weird. The tension was so uncomfortable. Everything about this made me feel confused. Even the male protagonist had me confused. He’s a lizard, dragon dude with four clawed fingers and a turtle shell? What?? What?? I can’t even imagine this in my head and when I do, it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever thought of. Even the fan art I’ve seen of this is laughable. This is just weird. If you’re into monsters and really short no plot reads, I guess go for it.

[Sil Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kingdom of Bone Ash

The Kingdom of Bone Ash was ruled by Drexus. D saved Elowen, who was used a bargaining chip in her own father’s kingdom. Her dad was mean and treated so poorly that he basically sold her to a cruel man. She ran away and directly into the arms of Drexus. He was everything she ever dreamed of. This one was fast paced, spicy, and full of love. I liked it and want to see what’s coming up with the rest of the kingdoms!

[Jax’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

A runaway bride finds her mate

I loved that Draxus actually treated Elowen like a queen and not like property as her family and the man she was to married treated her. Also, I love that once it’s realized that Elowen and Draxus are mates, the kingdom becomes alive/awakens. The bath scene is so intimate and such a great build up to the very spicy smut. I love that Draxus cares for Elowen and treats her like an equal partner.

[Kira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spicy as ever. Jenika Snow really knows how to wire goooooood spice. I think this story had potential to be a great full length novel but it was shortened well. I define Italy will read more in the series to come.


Note: there’s a few typos but nothing that messes with the reading flow. Minor grammar errors like missing quote marks and lowercase letters at the start of the sentence. By no means any hit against the author or the story.