Alpha's Exiled Mate

Secret Legacy #1

by Flora R. Leigh

I was the backup bride handed to the cursed prince—just to keep him alive.
What did I get?
A kiss. A betrayal. And a baby.

They said he was a monster.
Every wife before me? Dead.
I expected fangs and chains.
Instead, I got—tall, gorgeous, and lethal.

One look into his amber eyes and my wolf Mate.
But I was never his choice.
Just a stand-in for a runaway heiress.
He kissed me like he meant it—while calling someone else's name.
And when the real bride came back for her crown?
I got the boot—pregnant, pissed, and very much done.


Five years later, I walked back into his palace—not as his wife, but as the heir of another throne.
And I didn't come alone.
He recognized me the second he saw me.
Now he's offering a kingdom to fix what he broke.
But the curse is closing in.
And this time, it might take both him and our child.

Genres: Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance, Romance

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 25, 2025

About the author

Flora R. Leigh writes love stories for readers who like their romance with a twist—where fake dates turn real and enemies turn to bedmates.

Her books are all about:

• Mates who shouldn’t work—but do anyway

• Alpha bosses, fake dates, and oops-there’s-a-baby moments

• Heroines who don’t back down (even when the wolf is hot)

• And second chances that hurt a little before they heal

If you like your paranormal romance steamy, messy, and impossible to put down, welcome to the pack.

Reviews

[Rachel’s Coffee & Rain Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was… a mess. 1.5 stars. In dire need of editing. Repeated paragraphs, grammar mistakes, etc. Lilia the FMC was likable, a little meek but kind. Perock was a mess. Unhinged, in the worst way. Delusional. Cruel for no reason? His POV’s made no sense. His actions made no sense. He thinks he loves Lilia, doesn’t have interest in Sophia anymore, and yet chooses Sophia at every turn? Shuts Lilia out? To teach her a lesson? To make her jealous? I know he’s only 25 at the start but come on. In what world does rubbing your old flame in the face of your new wife/woman you’re falling in love with make sense? If he wanted to know if she felt anything for him (after he treated her like dog shit btw) he should have just talked to her. I don’t know. This whole thing made no sense to me. The curse wasn’t explained well. The rogue wolves made no sense. The “action” scenes were ridiculous, too long, and yet very little happened. The miscommunication trope was WAY overdone, and I ended up rolling my eyes and hating everyone by like halfway. Perock’s “pride” and reasons for acting how he did just didn’t land for me. Maybe if the author explored his upbringing more with a cruel father it would have created some understanding for Perock’s actions and thought processes but not dice. He just came off as a spoiled, cruel, hypocritical jackass. His “redemption” was awkward too and I just couldn’t get a read on the guy. Their love story felt disingenuous and forced. The epilogue was ok, maybe the reason I rounded up to 2 stars. That could have been a sweet novella. All in all.. do not recommend.

[Marissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was this written by AI?

1.5 stars
The idea is there, but this story needs a lot of work. I really wanted to like it as it has many tropes I'm interested in.

Many times I questioned if this was written by AI. It feels like every popular trope was entered into chatgbt with the expectation of a 340 page story to come out of it.


The writing is very immature and reads as a first ever creative story written by a middle school aged child.

There is a sever lack of editing with constant tense changes, missing words, incomplete words (example: "this is a warn" instead of 'warning'), inconsistencies of plot, and if you were to remove the repetitive information the page count would likely drop to 150.

Ultimately this should be a DNF as I basically skimmed the last 140 pages. I'm honestly shocked people have reviewed this so highly.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one wasn’t too bad …kept me interested, almost like written by a ghost writer.

[BiblioDarling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐

Rating System (as of 8/14/2025):
⭐: It was a struggle to read. I almost DNF
⭐⭐: This could have been so much better.
⭐⭐⭐: Good/Average
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Great book. I will probably reread it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: I absolutely loved this book.
***********************************************************************
Triggers:
🚩Bullying
🚩Harassment
🚩Violence

Tropes:
💕MF Romance
💕Shifter Romance
💕Secret Identity
💕Surprise Pregnancy
💕Arranged Marriage
💕OW Drama
💕Suspense/Mystery

Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥

Spice Level Rating System (as of 9/4/25)
🔥: Clean. Handholding. Kissing.
🔥🔥: Non-Descriptive/Implied on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥: Hot-Descriptive on Page Sex
🔥🔥🔥🔥: So Hot—Do Not Read in Public
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥: Oh My-BDSM. Blood Play. Smut.
************************************************************************
Quote:
"His first love," Thornfield said, his voice cutting. "They grew up together, betrothed since childhood. When she left him for a lesser noble Perock nearly died of grief-five days without food or water, wasting away. He's never opened his heart ever since."

Summary:
FMC is a maid of the lowest order. She has not shifted. She is unsure of her history but has been told that her hair color resembles that of a royal family. The FMC is convinced to take a potion that will make her look like the princess that she serves. This princess is being given in marriage to the MMC. He has a reputation of women leaving him.

Once the FMC and MMC are married their relationship begins to build. This lasts until the MMCs first love returns. This causes a lot of drama in the marriage. Especially when the MMC saves his first love and not the FMC.

At some point the princess comes to the FMC and demands that she leave. The princess is now ready to be the Queen. The FMC agrees and leaves not knowing she is pregnant with the MMCs child. The MMC recognizes the change because his wolf knows the FMC was his fated mate.

The FMC returns five years later with a child and as a representative of another kingdom. She has found her family and is next in line to be Queen. The MMC has been looking for the FMC all this time. He is happy she has returned and goes out his way to try and win her over.

In the meantime, the MMCs kingdom is being attacked. He suspects that one close to him is behind these attacks.

Review:
This book was way too long. It felt to me like let's take every trope that a romantasy has and put it in one book. I found the first part of the book to be ok. But once the OW appeared it just became a mess. I found myself pushing through at times and at other times skipping pages. There were significant plot holes in my opinion. Honestly, I felt like this could have been three different books with three different couples.

Recommended Werewolf/Shifter Romance Authors:
Lexi C Foss
Dreia Wells
Sadie Seas
Kayleigh King
Kira Nightingale

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[Shelley G · Rating 4 out of 5]

a wonderful story well written richly detailed with an exciting and complex plot. lilia is a slave who is forced to marry a prince who is rumoured to have killed his 4 previous wives. she is magically made to look like the person who really was supposed to marry him and can never tell anyone under penalty of death. Perock suffers a curse and needs an heir but his 4 wives all died soon after the marriage mysteriously. his one true love chose another so he has shut off all emotions and is only interested in a child to break the curse. however something in him recognizes lilia as different and despite trying to keep her at a distance, her soft gentle ways, her kindness and concern soon creep into his heart but he can't get past his old hurts esp when he sees her at ease with another man so ends up acting in a horrific manner which tears her heart and world apart leaving her shattered. then sophia comes back around and he tries to use her to his advantage but it only makes things worse. then the female she is impersonating comes back wanting her life so the spell is broken and lilia runs away to protect her broken heart. 5 yrs pass and her life has completely changed and she now returns to perock's kingdom as a completely different person with a job to do, determined not to have anything to do with perock except formalities for her duty. perock recognizes something in her as familiar esp her smell yet she looks different and he never learned what her real name even was before she ran from him. he too got his heart broke when she ran away realizing he actually cared about her but couldn't find any trace of her. but the curse is still active and lilia was hiding a secret and enemies are working hard to destroy everything he holds dear and take his kingdom away. a complicated richly detailed plot with twists and turns that keep the excitement coming. an emotionally gripping read which has u feel a wide range of feelings from highs to lows and keeps u cheering and hoping for perock and lilia to finally work out their complicated past and come together as fate intended. with a surprise epilogue and an extended ending that really finishes off the book in a spectacular way, this book really has all the thrills and action u could desire.
book is badly in need of editing. multiple mistakes.

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

[Manuela Molteni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewing Alpha’s Exiled Mate by Flora R. Leigh feels a bit like being invited to a royal ball only to find the orchestra hasn’t tuned their instruments. The idea? Glorious. The execution? Let’s just say the glass slipper doesn’t quite fit—yet.

The bones of the story are genuinely compelling. We’ve got a cursed “Beastly Prince” with a reputation for killing his wives and feasting on their hearts (charming dinner companion, isn’t he?), a mistreated FMC plucked from servitude and thrust into a dangerous scheme, and enough palace intrigue, betrayal, curses, and dark fairytale energy to keep the pages turning. Echoes of Beauty and the Beast? Absolutely. A sprinkle of Cinderella? Without question. And I’m always here for a fantasy romance that dares to dip its quill in gothic ink.

But here’s the rub: the book feels unfinished. The promise of the plot gets tripped up by issues that yank the reader right out of the story—names changing spelling mid-chapter (is it Orin or Olin? Martha or Marsha? Pick your fighter), grammar stumbles, typos, and gaps in the narrative that make you stop and blink rather than swoon. The result is frustration where there should be enchantment.

And that’s the real heartbreak, because the potential is there. With sharper editing and polish, Alpha’s Exiled Mate could transform from rough draft to dark gem. I’d honestly be more than happy to return to it after some revisions because the storyline deserves to shine, not stumble.

In short: this book has the ingredients of a deliciously twisted fairytale, but right now, it’s still stuck in the kitchen. Ms. Leigh, please—give this story the editorial love it deserves. I’ll be first in line for a second taste when you do.

[Lenna Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story of rags to riches, from pain to love, from lies to truths. From orphan slave to Queen of Royal and magical bloodlines. Broken Cursed Prince to Honored King whom survived a curse and black magic.

We actually get one full story of Prince Perock of some kingdom. When we met him, he isn't loving or caring towards his 4th new bride, pervious ones have disappeared causing rumors of the monster he is. His bride is a tool to break his curse, to create an heir to be used to extend his life past 30 year age mark.
Lilia Fellinger, she doesn't know her background or who her parents are since she was raised as an orphan, a girl who can feel her wolf but unable to shift. Later she will discover her truths and history of being a Princess of Fellinger. 5 years prior she is ordered under her masters orders is transformed against her will as noble family's only spoiled daughter, Vossi.
Only thing that didn't chance was her eyes and her scent. As fake Vossi, Lilia scented Perock as her fated mate but her life will not be for the good where Perock is involved. He will make her life hell in his castle, and yes there is other woman drama from his first love, Sofia, whom is married to another but wants Perock back and he will use Sofia to test Lilia emotions. Unexpected visitor will give Lilia the freedom she's wants due to her heartache of Perock with Sofia. 5 YEARS LATER time will tell if Perock changes, his kingdom, his enemies and his queen.

The second mini story is Anna, oldest daughter of Perock and Lilia, heir to the two Kingdoms and her story of finding her fated mate and the heartbreak of his departure behind her back...

[Victoria Golby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilia & Perock's romance

A great story full of fated mates, rejection, misunderstandings, romance, politics, second chances and love, with a wonderfully strong willed FMC, a protective Alpha MMC, some wonderful twists and a HEA.

Lilia is an orphan who's made to look like the daughter of the Lord she works for, with magic, so she can marry a prince in her place, but can't ever tell anyone, though the magic can't change her eyes or scent. But when she meets the prince her wolf perks up, recognising him as her mate, but she can't say anything.

Prince Perock is cursed and needs an heir but has lost his first four wives mysteriously as they all died soon after marrying him and he's gained a reputation that he murdered them. When he goes to meet with his new bride he senses there's something different about her, but he tries to keep his distance having already lost his love when she chose another.

After having her heart broken Lilia runs and five years later she returns as a princess of her own kingdom wishing to have nothing to do with the prince other than business. The prince recognises something familiar about her, but she now has her own face and he never knew her real name. But he is still cursed and enemies are trying to destroy everything he's worked towards.

Lilia hasn't come back alone and she will need to find a way to work with Perock to help him and protect their daughter.

A lovely story with a brilliant epilogue, a mini extra story.

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

[I’m a Paula too… Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

And there’s a bonus story!

I like this author a lot, and I really enjoy her work. I think I’ve read several of her books lately, when I was on a wolf binge. She’s got great characters and her plots are usually pretty good.

This was really interesting. There’s black magic being cast to imprison the FMC’s heart, literally to crush it if she tries to run away. Because she’s been turned into a physical copy of the awful princess, Viossi. She’s been treated as a slave, basically, and her wolf is bound within.

The MMC is a king naturally, but there are a couple of things happening here. He’s been cursed and will cease to exist when he turns 30. Somehow it has been determined that she will break the curse.

Then we have Sophia, who he grew up with. She married someone else but she’s back to cause trouble. And of course he keeps on favoring her and ignoring his wife. This alone took the rating down to 3 stars. The way this guy’s thinking was written is totally wrong and weird. He gets illogically angry and just verbally abuses her.

The real Viossi shows up and wants to take over, now that she’s bored. She removes the black magic curse on Lilia’s heart, I think. Regardless she throws her out of the castle.

Then, five years later, Lilia returns…

KU read, and it was enjoyable except that the characters are not written well this time. Specifically the MMC, whose inner thoughts are outright illogical. Good for shifter fans.

[Nancy Koske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lilia has nightmares which she doesn't understand;she is a slave in the Thornfield household. She also knows that she's a wolf-shifter who can't shift which is why she is treated badly even by the staff except for Martha the cook. Now she will be become a pawn in a political deceit; Viossi,the Thornfield daughter is to marry Prince Perock whose 4 previous wives all died within a brief time after their marriages. The Prince is cursed and needs an heir or he will die when he turns 30. Perock's cousin is also planning to seize the throne. How does Lilah appear to look like Viossi? Follow the marriage and why Viossi forces Lilia to flee the country? How does Lilia learn that she is the heir to the neighing country? Plus she's carrying Perock's child. What does the future hold? Will Perock ever learn about his child? Will Lilia ever shift?-- A page turner to learn the truth!--.

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

[Merry One Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of love and heartbreak

This is book one in the series and wow, the author gave an entire story. I am glad that I took a chance on this story as it was intriguing and in depth. It follows a young maid Lilia who was treated badly. That was awful. Lilia was a pawn. But, eventually she found her own way in truth, almost by fate. I would say this is a tale of love, forgiveness, and courage. A story of finding light in the darkest moments. The last few chapters given even more insight into the future. Also I would say keep reading as the beginning chapters are the background of the world building. Read On!

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I took issue with tgis book beyond the repeated rewritten paragraphs that weren't deleted and other grammatical errors. The world building was non-existent, which is sometimes fine in romance, but not for this book. Because we didnt know how the world works (I still don't after finishing this), none of the crazy and unexpected things that happened actually landed or had any real impact. Characters were introduced almost exclusively to do one thing right at that moment, making it all feel even more hollow. Also, starting right around the half way mark it was one "deus ex machina" moment after another which made the plot just feel incredibly scattered and not thought out.

[Kimberly Gordon-Bercich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illusions

18+, XXX. Adult content, reader discretion advised. One could argue this is Anna's origin story. In a way it is, as it is her parents and then her love story. It is Lilia, a lost princess made a slave, and Perock's, a broken and prideful prince, love story. It's full of stupidity, manipulation, betrayal, abuse and blackmail. Don't worry there is also forgiveness, healing, insta-family and battling enemies together. It's a sexy, fun, fast read. Jackson and Viossi got fitting ends for their villainy. Though I feel Viossi deserved more for all the pain she inflicted on everyone. Have fun reading.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alpha’s Exiled Mate is a gripping second-chance shifter romance with all the emotional punch I was hoping for. Flora R. Leigh brings out the heartbreak, longing, and slow-burn redemption beautifully. The world is well-crafted, the stakes feel real, and the connection between the main characters kept me turning pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of fated mates with a side of exile, regret, and irresistible tension.

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

[SANDRA BAGWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

exiled mate

Loved this story! Great writing! Betrayal, rejection, love, hatred, fated mates, destiny are all part of this story. The format as other books but the twists and turns kept me interested in reading. Sadness and laughter along with hope I kept riding along as the story progresses. Dark magic that takes hope and tosses it away only to find beacons that guide you back to true love were woven throughout. The epilogue was emotional and perfect ending to the book. Appreciated the author bringing closure to the story unlike other stories I’ve read. Recommend it!

[Athena Que Será, Será · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tags: abuse, betrayal, cruel-cruel-hero, damaged-broken_hero, damaged-broken_heroine, emotional-cheating, grovel-remorseful, hero-hurts-heroine, hero-loved-or-loves-ow, hero-married-to-heroine, heroine-leaves, heroine-maid-housekeeper, love-triangle, marriage-arranged, mean-mean-girls-women, om_drama, over-the-years, ow-drama, pnr-werewolf, poor-heroine, possessive-mine-mine-mine, read, rich-hero, rich-hero-poor-heroine, second-chance, secret-accidental-baby, shy-heroine, virgin-heroine, widower

[Caroline Buck · Rating 1 out of 5]

While there was promise in the story line, the execution didn’t deliver. Massive editing issues such as duplicated paragraphs, bad grammar, and incorrect punctuation pulled me out of the story constantly. Add to it poorly executed telling (All those previous wives killed by enemies, but somehow no one even takes a pot shot at Viossi (imposter) or Viossi (real)? The world seems primitive yet has photographs and crayons? A curse that will kill the prince, that he has to have a child to reverse, but he treats the newest wife terribly? This book is in desperate need of a solid editor.

[Edi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, let me get this straight… she brings her own daughter back to the men who might potentially sacrifice her to break his curse? 🤔
Easiest DNF of my life. The moment that happened, I mentally checked out and couldn’t keep going.
Also, I have to agree with other reviews: at times it honestly felt like parts of this were written or heavily edited by AI.
Definitely avoiding this author in the future.

[Elree Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Beth

At first I thought the main male character was MEAN. I had no ideal how Flora was going to save this story. But boy did she save it.

You have two halves that kept making choices that drove each other a part. You have treason, hate but love rules.

Now the add bonus bonus scene, where you request it. It don't not go with the current story. I was lost and disappointed but not with the love ending.

Anyway good story.

[Jamie Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alpha’s Exiled Mate

This book was enjoyable. The storyline was intriguing and somewhat different than other shifter/fated mate stories. I give it a solid 3.5 stars because I felt the writing was a bit immature in places. I almost liked the epilogue more than the initial book, seeing Anna’s future was heartwarming.

[Emily J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better editing needed

Love the concept but really hate when editing is either shoddy or haphazard. Example first paragraph in chapter 9 states Sophia FMC's competition for MMC is described as having golden hair, however very next chapter 10 states she has ebony hair.
It's the small things that matter when trying to envision an environment and characters.

[charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page Turning

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I finished it in two days of binging. It had a few twists and always ended happily. Due to the intense sharing of marital relations, I would not recommend this one to young readers. Older women might be able to enjoy it as it kindles some warmth.

[Elizabeth Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excited mate

I hung in there as long as i could but in my opinion this book is a dud. The book offers two pots of view and the author can't seem to keep the scene straight from one pov to the next. The entire plot relies on miscommunication and secrets. It gets annoying and old really quickly.

[Ronda ritter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good read

I truly enjoyed reading this book. There was some disconnect that I did not catch. Like how did the blood curse get broken? What happened to the mean Queen was she excuted, exiled, or put in prison. It jumped to the getting married. That whole section of the story I did not follow. I will read it again to see if I just missed the explanation.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fated mates

The story started out with the main character being treated so poorly, and then forced to don another’s appearance to be married to a prince who seemed to go through wives. Things got worse before they got better and the story turned into a true romance, with a lovely ending and a special additional epilogue.

[Grace H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

First time reading this authors book and I had a hard time reading this book seriously. To be fair I skimmed through it.

It was hard to relate to both characters and everything felt superficial. I do like the whole rejected mate trope and coming back stronger, but I don’t think it was executed well.

Not sure if I’ll pick up another one of her books.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many grammar errors, plot holes, actions that didn’t make sense and just rushing through the story. The first part was decent paced, but didn’t do too much world building. Second part was accelerated and some big sweeping plot points happened in a paragraph. I don’t know how either curse worked. It seems the author forgot about Lilia’s curse altogether in the 2nd half.

[Lisa Rammell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did an editor even glance at this?

I knew it would be a trope, but some of them can be a fun quick read. This is not. The way it is here, it could pass as the first draft. Put another 200+ hours into crafting a plausible plot line without gaping holes and it would be a solid 3.5, entertaining but to be forgotten moments matter the last page has turned.

[Lou Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grammar problems kept this from a 4.

Little things like wrong verb tenses, unnecessary or necessary plurals. One of the bigger problems was not acknowledging a mate mark and putting a scar in the wrong place.

This is a good story with a need for better editing.

[Mary Ellen Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alpha's Exiled Mate

I found it difficult to understand at times. I was confused when she switched back to herself. It turns out the daughter was a spy also who plotted against the prince and the found princess.