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The Alpha's Son #4

Marked by the Alpha's Son

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The epic final instalment in Penny Jessup's best-selling Alpha's Son series.







A year has passed since Max and Jasper faced a deadly attack.







Now that they can mind-link, Jasper and Max have never felt more connected.







Despite life's usual challenges––deciding which college to attend in the fall, defining their roles as leaders within the pack, and facing mounting pressure to confirm their love in a very public marking ceremony––things are looking up for the star-crossed werewolves.







Until a surprise attack heralds the resurgence of a hidden threat.







Walter Bridgers has been amassing allies in the shadows, building a new and dangerous wolf pack. His objectives are Kill the alpha and decimate the Elite Pack.







Facing the biggest threat of their lives, Max and Jasper must grapple with who they want to be to their pack, to the world, and to each other in order to survive the coming onslaught.







But when the dust settles, will their connection remain unbroken?

354 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2026

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Penny Jessup

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5 stars
57 (54%)
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24 (22%)
3 stars
20 (19%)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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February 25, 2026
I am so excited for this to release!!! I am really hoping that these characters can get a hoa. I have been a fan of this series since the begining! cant wait! also, I am still lowkey curios what max smells like because jaspers scent is always stated but never max's
Profile Image for Jason King.
16 reviews
July 2, 2026
THE ALPHA'S SON TETRALOGY by Penny Jessup.⁣ I reviewed the entire series as opposed to the last book.

I don't say this lightly... THE ALPHA'S SON is my favourite M/M young adult series of all time. In fact, it sits comfortably amongst my favourite M/M series full stop. Four books. Four perfect scores. Four occasions where I thought, "Surely this one can't be as good as the last," only for Penny Jessup to casually prove me wrong.⁣

The series follows Max Remus, a teenage werewolf who would much rather spend his days sketching, eating his dad's steak sandwiches and hanging out with his best mate than worrying about fate, mates and all that wolf destiny nonsense. Unfortunately for Max, fate has other ideas when he's thrown together with Jasper Apollo - the ridiculously handsome, frustratingly perfect, alpha heir who initially has all the charm of a wet sock.⁣

Think HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON meets TWILIGHT, sprinkled with werewolves, politics, family drama and one of the sweetest romances you'll ever read.⁣

The comparison to HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON isn't accidental. Max is honestly like someone merged Hiccup and Toothless into one gloriously awkward, lovable character. Every time he found himself standing in front of Jasper's intimidating father, Alpha Jericho, I couldn't help picturing Hiccup nervously trying to impress Stoick. It gave me exactly the same warm, awkward, "please don't stuff this up" energy that I absolutely adore.⁣

Jasper, meanwhile, might divide readers. I loved him from start to finish, but my mate Kris from Queer Audiobook Club found him completely insufferable. And... I kind of get it. He's rich, privileged, wolf royalty and carries the weight of an entire pack on his shoulders. It's almost a PRETTY WOMAN setup in reverse—one kid from the everyday world colliding with the richest, most powerful family around. Watching those worlds slowly merge is one of the series' greatest strengths.⁣

Speaking of Kris, he made another observation that perfectly sums up why these books work so well. Max isn't simply Jasper's boyfriend. He's the catalyst for change. He's constantly questioning centuries of rigid wolf traditions, outdated attitudes and "this is how we've always done it" thinking. Watching this awkward teenager quietly dismantle generations of conservative wolf culture is incredibly satisfying, and somehow never feels preachy.⁣

One thing that's worth mentioning—especially for readers browsing M/M romance—is that these books are very PG.⁣

If you're looking for pages of spicy scenes... keep walking.⁣

The raciest thing you'll find is kissing.⁣

There was actually one scene where Jasper was heading off for a shower in a gorgeous holiday house, turned around and told Max, "You're next."⁣

My reaction:⁣

GO WITH HIM, MAX! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY, GO WITH HIM!⁣

Sadly, my enthusiastic encouragement failed miserably. Penny Jessup keeps everything beautifully innocent.⁣

And honestly... I wouldn't change it.⁣

This romance feels like first love. It's awkward, uncertain, emotional and genuine. The relationship develops through trust, vulnerability and friendship rather than bedroom scenes, and because of that, every hug and every kiss carries real weight. I genuinely wish books like this had existed when I was a teenager. They're reassuring, hopeful and quietly tell LGBTQ+ kids that things can get better.⁣

Well... except for all the attempted wolf murders.⁣

Those are admittedly less reassuring.⁣

I also need to issue what might be my strongest audiobook recommendation ever.⁣

DO. NOT. SKIP. THE. AUDIOBOOKS.⁣

Michael Mola is, quite simply, one of the finest narrators working today. His performance is extraordinary, but it's his Max that absolutely steals the show. Somehow, he voices him almost exactly like Hiccup (HTTYD). It's one of those rare narrator-character pairings where I genuinely can't separate the two anymore.⁣

The supporting cast deserves just as much praise. There are so many characters to fall in love with throughout these four books that saying goodbye genuinely hurt. Even the Bro Twins wormed their way into my heart. Every character feels like they belong, and every friendship matters.⁣

By the time MARKED BY THE ALPHA'S SON reached its closing chapters, I was an emotional wreck. I cried. Properly cried. Not because the ending disappointed me, but because I simply wasn't ready to leave these people behind.⁣

Penny Jessup has confirmed this is the end of Max and Jasper's story.⁣

I respect that.⁣

I don't like it...⁣

...but I respect it.⁣

If she ever decides to throw vampires into this world and give me a TWILIGHT-style wolf-versus-vamp saga, I'll be first in line with my wallet already open.⁣

If you're after a beautifully written coming-of-age story, a wonderfully wholesome M/M romance, memorable characters, brilliant humour and a world you'll desperately wish you could keep visiting, I honestly can't recommend THE ALPHA'S SON series highly enough.⁣

Now, excuse me while I go and mourn the fact that I don't get to spend time with Max and Jasper anymore.⁣

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Elite Packs out of 5) 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺
Profile Image for Just Mima.
20 reviews
July 4, 2026
Be prepared for all the sentimentality I poured into this one.
(Also spoilers, idk how to use the spoiler tool.)

I remember seeing a post on social media a few year ago, listing "The Alpha's Son" as an upcoming release. Thinking nothing of it, I marked the date into my calendar, not knowing just how much would this series mean to me in the future.
Each book ending made me feel so many emotions.
I still remember finishing each book, as if it was yesterday. Staying up extremely late for the first one, focused like I never was before.

Then came the second book, I was pacing around the room while reading, screaming at the end of the book, then not being able to read anything for at least a week, because I was still thinking about it.

The same could be said for the third book. Penny, as a reader your cliffhangers are criminal, but as an aspiring writer, I admire the heck out of you for them. You know how to "flat line" (for lack of other words) the book well.

This one had a perfect ending, in my opinion. The parallels with the first book were kinda like a warm blanket after a bad day. There was a scene that made me think of Avatar the last airbender, I had to reread it a few times, because it the mental image.
I was screaming with joy when two new ships became canon, mostly because I wished for YEARS that would happen.

My only problem was the lack of Jodie, I know why she wasn't present, but if you ever write a spin off just about her and Jasper doing siblings shenanigans, I would devour it. Honestly I would love a spin off with just the side characters.

This has been a journey and one emotional rollercoaster after another, one which I'm glad I was a part of, even if I wanted to tear my hair sometimes. That being said, a part of me is saying goodbye, but another part is saying: till next time.
Profile Image for Eve.
212 reviews2 followers
June 28, 2026
This book wasn't at all what I expected. First off, I started reading it before the blurb came out (early on the day it was released). So I had no clue that the book takes place a year after the previous one. It's a bit of an odd choice imo, to leave a book on a dramatic cliffhanger and then let a year pass and pick up the story on something seemingly unrelated.

Then as the story progressed Max and Jasper spent very little time together. They spent most of the previous book getting closer than ever and in this book there are big chunks where they hardly even interact. Sometimes Jasper seems to get less of Max's time than his friends, it feels rather odd considering this is a "fated mates story". And the romance plot that was somewhat important in the previous books, even if it wasn't the only important plot, hardly makes an appearance in this one.

At times it feels like the book is written by another author. I mean, what the heck is up with this "crisscross applesauce" thing? Every time someone sits down with their legs crossed, that phrase is used. It works some of the times, but it really breaks the mood when it's used just before a battle. And perhaps most importantly, that expression hasn't been used in any of the other books (I checked). There are other words and sayings that feel really out of place as well. And that's one of the reasons why it feels like this book is written by someone else.

I loved the three previous books in this series. This one? It was okay. It was a bit long winded and most of the characters were acting a bit strange in one way or another. But it's nice to have an end to the story, even if it went in a way that had very little (if any) foreshadowing before this book.
Profile Image for Casso Briggs.
67 reviews
June 27, 2026
I’m so sorry I really wanted to like this. It just didn’t work for me and the last couple of chapters were just not for me and kind of bad.

I feel like the whole war conclusion and aftermath was really rushed and I got lost through that part at times because it felt like nothing was really explained well. The ending I am not a fan of either.

I feel like Jasper was just a background shadow of himself for like the whole book. We basically skip over him being shot at the beginning and he’s given basically nothing to do the whole time it just feels like a huge disservice to his character. The ending where it seems Max basically forgoes college to world travel and be some kind of white savior is also really weird.

There were some lines that kind of implied that they were in like an open relationship? I’m hoping it was just poor wording because it felt really weird and out of character. I’m assuming they meant like it’s been a while since I like masturbated or whatever because it’s odd. He also never gets marked and has this weird thing against it seemingly out of nowhere. It’s basically brought up randomly and never really explored in favor of the war and he’s just like lol I’ll mark you instead. It’s just a very weird way to end the story.

I really loved the first three books and while this is a technically better written book (since they’ve been writing longer now) it just isn’t as good as the other books in the series. It was just really a disappointing end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2026
overall 4/5
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i do like the plot. i think that it was an awesome conclussion to the series but at some points it was a little weak.

here's just a little list of my random thoughts:
--------------------------------------

- im happy that omar got his happy ending along with mason. that part was so cute. i wish that max played more of like the gay mentor role for mason though. cause i feel like he was going through it and needed the support

- i also feel like jasper was a bit bland. he had like kinda the same thinking the same time towards max it was like the "your my mate everything's okay we will figure this out our plan will work" even if it was clear that it had holes and alot of people didn't like it. i feel like that all of them were kinda oblivious to what all of the rogues or really "rouges" were feeling. they were close to like mia and olivia but really didn't think about their actual feelings

- i liked the little reunion that max and jasper had with jaspers mom. i think that was a very nessasary emotional connection for jasper to have.

- i liked how the ending chapters kind of mimicked the first book with max going to the hamptons, seeing jericho in his office, then going to the beach. it was a cute little easter egg for fans.

------------------------

ratings:

- characters 4.5/5
- plot 4/5
- the flow of the book 3.5/5
- ending 5/5
Profile Image for gregory_paperback.
20 reviews
July 5, 2026
So not going to lie, the way book three ended on a huge cliffhanger and then this one jumps ahead to it being resolved annoyed me. However, that quickly passed as I fell back into this world I love so much. Max is still probably one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read. He questions everything and pushes back on a lot of pack decisions because he wants the world to be better. It’s not what the future Luna should do, but Max doesn’t care and he has Jasper’s support the whole time.
Max really comes into his Blood Wolf abilities and what it actually means to be the Blood Wolf. He wants to be a great uniter and hates the way the war is tearing apart everything he holds dear. He hates how the rogues are treated and strives to have them feel supported and safe.
Jasper and Max also make their own rules much to the pack’s chagrin but it all just works for them and is perfect.
I’m so sorry and sad to have to say goodbye to this world, but it ended so beautifully and perfectly for each character.
2 reviews
June 26, 2026
Nah sry, this books was boring and tbh i don't like either the ending nor that Jasper and Max spent half the book apart.

Also is their relationship open in the end? cause they both talk about how they didnt have sex for a while.
I'm really disappointed in this las installement and honestly think the wait was not worth it. The first two books were fine, the third already annoyed me cause i really dislike Omar.

The amount of time between any Character and Max felt more meaningfull than the actual pairing.
Also it being called marked by the alphas son when he wasnt even marked by him is kinda ironic in its own way.

i really enjoyed all the bloodwolf stuff, but anything else was a huge letdown.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jeanca.
64 reviews
July 12, 2026
Can’t believe it’s over. Max and Jasper will always have a place in my heart. ❤️

But what is it with every YA books these days that the MC has to choose staying by their partner or being long distance to fulfill their dreams and make everything come true?
Don’t get me wrong a relationship should not hold you back to follow your dreams and study abroad etc. If it is meant to be than it will work. But still, this trope is very overused nowadays and there has been plenty of drama already going on in the book. MCs can also be close (geographically) to their destined partners and still have an epic romance story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rod Lujano.
130 reviews24 followers
June 25, 2026
3.5 ⭐️


It was so much better that the other 3 books… but

I don’t know what it says about the durability of the relationship of your MCs if they have spend in each book half the time apart and they end up in a very long distance relationship.

Is it too hard to keep them geographically together for an entire book?

Also, did they end up being open? Based on the last interaction they had before having sex

Jasper: “it’s been a while for me”
Max: “yeah, for me too”


This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Marian Divilek.
92 reviews6 followers
July 2, 2026
Mark my words

It was definitely worth waiting for this book. It really feels like a closure to the series. A synopsis would be nice, since I had troubles to remember the characters and how it all ended. But I read the last chapters of the previous book and it helped.
There were moments in the story which were odd, but I liked how it all ended. A lot of action and moments when you might even shed a tear.
40 reviews
June 25, 2026
A good light series, a nice enough ending. The only complaints I had were editing. "It's already in my Calander." And Century 21 is a real estate company, Forever 21 is the clothing shop. Both were near the end of the book, so it felt like Senioritis, just being done and rushing to turn things in.
Profile Image for Dexter Dowd.
24 reviews
July 4, 2026
What an amazing conclusion to Max and Jasper's story! I was tense, full with emotion and celebrated their happiness. It's sad to say goodbye but happy that it happened. Thank you for an amazing story Penny.
Profile Image for Jon Borbone.
75 reviews2 followers
July 5, 2026
What a fantastic conclusion. I’m so sad to say goodbye to Max and Jasper but this was such an exciting and all around lovely way to wrap everything up. I cheered quite a few times and got teary eyed a few as well. I’ll miss this little world.
5 reviews
June 23, 2026
Great ending to this series. Loved the growth and development in all the characters. The end felt a little rushed but other than great read overall.
5 reviews
June 30, 2026
all wrapped up

This was a great series to get into. A lot of angst but in the end it always paid off. I’ve enjoyed watching these boys grow into men and seeing their relationship grow. If you’re looking for a cozy mm ya fantasy novel, this one checks all the boxes!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews