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Luna of the Pack #0
The Rejection
Kairi Samuels, a young college student and werewolf just waiting to meet her mate. In the meantime, as the alpha's younger sister, she's taken on the role of acting Luna to help grow the pack that her brother Lincoln inherited. With her brother and best friend beside her, she's ready to take on the world. But how will the world treat Kairi when her best friend betrays her in the worst way possible?
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 4, 2021
727 people are currently reading
739 people want to read
About the author
S.J. Hayslett
6 books35 followersAhhh this is why I have an aversion to online dating! I hate talking about myself but I love telling stories. When I was little, I had the pleasure of telling my grandmother that one day I was going to write a book and I finally did it. I'm an avid reader and a lover of all genres, but I'm partial to supernatural and romance stories. If you can combine the two, there's an virtual gold star for you. I used to have a secret obsession of reading and writing Twilight fan fiction and I think I'll stop rambling now.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
January 20, 2023
If you love this genre as much as I do, you’re probably used to digging through KU searching for a good one… and this one is a pretty solid rejection story. With that said, this is self-published from a newish author; it’s not flawlessly polished… so if you don’t have patience for editing/new writer issues… I’d skip.
"You are not my mate anymore. Comfort your whore."
The Rejection grabbed me from the start. Kairi has just turned 18 and found her mate when she’s betrayed by the two people that should always have her back. It was yummy- I love this genre.
It had several things that I love in a rejected mate book.
✅ I loved the heartbreak.
✅ I loved that we got angst AND a strong h.
✅ I love a second chance mate.
✅ I loved the karma for the assholes.
✅ I loved all the OW drama.
✅ I loved the comeuppance.
There were some issues that kept this from being a 4⭐ read for me.
❌ Wordy sentences/filler
❌ The pace was slow at times.
❌ Grammar/editing issues.
❌ A few plot holes.
Bottom Line- I liked it… I could’ve loved it had the focus been more on relationship building and less on filler. (school, witches, rogues, her laptop, etc.) Kai was quite mature for an 18-yr-old which I appreciated, but wish Thorne had been a bit alpha-ier. (less blushing/bashfulness, more growly) It looks like the next book will focus on Julien and the rogues.
"You are not my mate anymore. Comfort your whore."
The Rejection grabbed me from the start. Kairi has just turned 18 and found her mate when she’s betrayed by the two people that should always have her back. It was yummy- I love this genre.
It had several things that I love in a rejected mate book.
✅ I loved the heartbreak.
✅ I loved that we got angst AND a strong h.
✅ I love a second chance mate.
✅ I loved the karma for the assholes.
✅ I loved all the OW drama.
✅ I loved the comeuppance.
There were some issues that kept this from being a 4⭐ read for me.
❌ Wordy sentences/filler
❌ The pace was slow at times.
❌ Grammar/editing issues.
❌ A few plot holes.
Bottom Line- I liked it… I could’ve loved it had the focus been more on relationship building and less on filler. (school, witches, rogues, her laptop, etc.) Kai was quite mature for an 18-yr-old which I appreciated, but wish Thorne had been a bit alpha-ier. (less blushing/bashfulness, more growly) It looks like the next book will focus on Julien and the rogues.
February 18, 2022
Wow. I was scrolling through the reviews, and this one had quite a few low ratings. Tough crowd, I guess. Anyhow....
This had a smidgen of betrayal and rejection angst, and a lot of angry feels for the betrayers. Personally, I would have loved to have seen our heroine kick ass on both of the backstabbing shithead and then purge them from the pack, but that would have made for a VERY short story. I adored the OW drama in this entire story, and I loved seeing the assholes get what they had coming to them.
This had a smidgen of betrayal and rejection angst, and a lot of angry feels for the betrayers. Personally, I would have loved to have seen our heroine kick ass on both of the backstabbing shithead and then purge them from the pack, but that would have made for a VERY short story. I adored the OW drama in this entire story, and I loved seeing the assholes get what they had coming to them.
February 16, 2022
The Rejection
By S.J. Hayslett
When Kairi is betrayed by her fated mate and best friend she is determined not to let it destroy her. So when an Alpha of a nearby pack offers a solution she takes him up on it.
I really tried to like this story, but various things about it prevented me from doing so. I didn’t like the way it was worded as a whole. There was also a lot of filler scenes that would have made it so much better if they weren't included. There was a TON of drama and rarely was it in a positive -draw the reader closer to the characters- kind of way.
It just wasn't for me.
DNRA
By S.J. Hayslett
When Kairi is betrayed by her fated mate and best friend she is determined not to let it destroy her. So when an Alpha of a nearby pack offers a solution she takes him up on it.
I really tried to like this story, but various things about it prevented me from doing so. I didn’t like the way it was worded as a whole. There was also a lot of filler scenes that would have made it so much better if they weren't included. There was a TON of drama and rarely was it in a positive -draw the reader closer to the characters- kind of way.
It just wasn't for me.
DNRA
March 28, 2022
This could’ve been so good. The premise was promising and there was an angsty setup, but the execution was disjointed. The MC’s motivations for their actions were unclear most of the time. I didn’t feel any emotional or sexual chemistry between Thorne and Kairi. We were told rather than shown about the developing relationships in the book. Characters were impulsive and emotionally-immature. There was OW drama galore, which I enjoy, but the drama didn’t add much to the plot except confusion and chaos. Lots of spelling, grammatical, and continuity problems.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2021
Nope! Unreadable! DNF 45%
So manny problems with characters and plot. The heroine is petty and it’s not cute. The hero is not sexy. He was alright at first but then they sat down and talked and all that faded away:
“I meant, you're not like other females that I've been with. They keep talking about unnecessary shit just to hear themselves speak.”
“YoU’Re NOt lIkE OtHeR GiRls.” *GAG*
The circumstance around the heroine’s mate’s rejection is so wooden and ridiculous that I was more annoyed at the heroine for being pathetic than at her idiot mate. Things just keep getting more and more annoying. Time to bail!
So manny problems with characters and plot. The heroine is petty and it’s not cute. The hero is not sexy. He was alright at first but then they sat down and talked and all that faded away:
“I meant, you're not like other females that I've been with. They keep talking about unnecessary shit just to hear themselves speak.”
“YoU’Re NOt lIkE OtHeR GiRls.” *GAG*
The circumstance around the heroine’s mate’s rejection is so wooden and ridiculous that I was more annoyed at the heroine for being pathetic than at her idiot mate. Things just keep getting more and more annoying. Time to bail!
January 27, 2021
Great rejected mate series
Woah! I had no idea this book was going to be a secret hidden gem. I have a huge love for rejected mate books, and this one totally rocked me. Ugh talk about in the feels. This book has so much anguish, I don't even know how our new luna can take it all. I loved how strong kia was, how she had serious vulnerabilities but somehow strived above them all. Honestly idk how she wasn't a complete mess. And Thorne, ugh, I loved him for kia, I think I might have wanted a bit more love and romance from them, but that might be because I just loved them together and needed more! The ending, dear god! Idk how to feel! I never felt bad for a bad guy before, yet my heart broke for Julian. why do I want him to be happy!! Ugh! Anyways Great rejected mate series. Highly recommend
Woah! I had no idea this book was going to be a secret hidden gem. I have a huge love for rejected mate books, and this one totally rocked me. Ugh talk about in the feels. This book has so much anguish, I don't even know how our new luna can take it all. I loved how strong kia was, how she had serious vulnerabilities but somehow strived above them all. Honestly idk how she wasn't a complete mess. And Thorne, ugh, I loved him for kia, I think I might have wanted a bit more love and romance from them, but that might be because I just loved them together and needed more! The ending, dear god! Idk how to feel! I never felt bad for a bad guy before, yet my heart broke for Julian. why do I want him to be happy!! Ugh! Anyways Great rejected mate series. Highly recommend
March 14, 2021
This book surprised in all the right ways! Kairi helps out her brother being an stand in Luna until her brother finds his mate. When she turns 18, she realizes that her mate is her best friend boyfriend Julian who also happens to be the Beta of the Pack. They both realize it and quickly let the mate bond control their need and they almost finish having sex until they are interrupted. That takes us to club where you realize that Julian isn't going to break up with her best friend and Kairi realizes that they already mates and marked each other.
You watch and man do you feel the emotions that she is going through being rejected. She doesn't tell her Brother because she doesn't want anyone to know and be embarrassed by it. Once they are heading to the summit she realizes that Alpha Thorne is interested in her and knows that the Beta rejected her and gives her deal she can not refuse since she finds out that she is pregnant with Julian's Baby. The events that happen after are a roller coaster of emotions and man did this book bring all the stops. It has action, steam, and love that you can't help but love them!
The ending leaves off to where I think their will be another book based on Julian but I wasn't sure, I would love for it to continue and Watching the events happen in Julian's eye after everything was over was awesome. He was so stupid and he knows it.
If you love wolf shifter romance with rejection then this is the book for you.
You watch and man do you feel the emotions that she is going through being rejected. She doesn't tell her Brother because she doesn't want anyone to know and be embarrassed by it. Once they are heading to the summit she realizes that Alpha Thorne is interested in her and knows that the Beta rejected her and gives her deal she can not refuse since she finds out that she is pregnant with Julian's Baby. The events that happen after are a roller coaster of emotions and man did this book bring all the stops. It has action, steam, and love that you can't help but love them!
The ending leaves off to where I think their will be another book based on Julian but I wasn't sure, I would love for it to continue and Watching the events happen in Julian's eye after everything was over was awesome. He was so stupid and he knows it.
If you love wolf shifter romance with rejection then this is the book for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2021
OK, so this book was good. Really good, if not for the unanswered questions. Firstly, why after meeting his mate, did Julien mark Natasha? How could he, after meeting his mate, still have sex with another? Why did his wolf go dormant after Kairi rejected him, but didn't come forth when he was having his moment of passion with Natasha? Then, how did Kairi's baby survive, but Natasha's die because of the marking? In theory, Kairi was pregnant when her mate marked another, yet she only got light headed and vomited.
Other than those questions, This book was fantastic.
Other than those questions, This book was fantastic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 20, 2022DNF 20% I just couldn’t finish this…no rating.
One of my fave tropes but the h made me want to tear my eyes out.
One of my fave tropes but the h made me want to tear my eyes out.
March 17, 2023
Shifters, second chance mate, a betrayal of a bff, a rejection, hea
August 3, 2021
Could have been better.The h was only 18 but acted much older in some ways, but Young and stubborn in other ways.
March 14, 2024
Definitely very slow and relationship development between MCs is lacking. A few plot holes.
March 21, 2021
Shifter story
I love a good rejected mate story and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s got everything the rejection, the strong heroin, the swoon worthy alpha hero.
I love a good rejected mate story and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s got everything the rejection, the strong heroin, the swoon worthy alpha hero.
January 23, 2023
The Rejection by S. J. Hyaslett was a rejected wolf, second chance mate book. Kairi who act as a temporary Luna for her brother's Willohaven pack since she's a alpha in her own right finds her true mate on her 18th birthday who's none other than her BFF's boyfriend and her brother's beta. But soon she was betrayed and finds herself at an impasse with a broken heart. She finds comfort and a rare friendship from the alpha of Stoneforest pack Wesley Thorne. However she has to fight the odds to reach her happily ever after.
I was fully invested in the first half of book with its angst galore and while the second half seemed quite dragging, the storyline was OK. However that writing sucked major eventhough the story kept me going. Yes, the book is in need of serious editing.
What I liked,
✔️ I liked how the author maintained that angsty ride throughout the book what with all the OW drama with both her mates.
✔️ I also loved Kairi the heroine, who was a strong alpha female with a soft sensitive side to her. I liked how rational and logical she was when it came to the pack business, but was also slightly insecure and had this 'take no crap attitude' when it comes to her personal life.
✔️ I also liked that I couldn't point out who the heroine's other half would be or who she's going to end up with until after almost 25% of book.
✔️ again the storyline was good which kept me hooked up despite that awful writing.
What I didn't like,
❗ofcourse that awful editing.
❗eventhough this is an angsty rejected mate book, I think the author failed in maintaining it's pace, energy and the clarity it needed, and it's mainly because of that disarrayed writing.
❗I expected an in-depth world building and some explanations on few characters of why they did of what they did. Especially Julian and Natasha's mating other than just mentioning they were already a couple.
❗there was an incident with the rogue wolves and a witch being behind it, but it was never given any importance to other than only mentioning it in the epilogue.
❗Thorne, hero of this story, wait slash that Kairi's second mate was a sweet guy who was also an alpha of the biggest pack came across as a dull, beta hero rather than a powerful alpha. To be honest, there's nothing wrong with him, he just didn't make an impact on me as a reader like I would have wished.
I feel that the author had a good idea of a neat storyline and how the plot would progress but then she failed miserably in delivering it, otherwise it would have been a 4 star book.
I was fully invested in the first half of book with its angst galore and while the second half seemed quite dragging, the storyline was OK. However that writing sucked major eventhough the story kept me going. Yes, the book is in need of serious editing.
What I liked,
✔️ I liked how the author maintained that angsty ride throughout the book what with all the OW drama with both her mates.
✔️ I also loved Kairi the heroine, who was a strong alpha female with a soft sensitive side to her. I liked how rational and logical she was when it came to the pack business, but was also slightly insecure and had this 'take no crap attitude' when it comes to her personal life.
✔️ I also liked that I couldn't point out who the heroine's other half would be or who she's going to end up with until after almost 25% of book.
✔️ again the storyline was good which kept me hooked up despite that awful writing.
What I didn't like,
❗ofcourse that awful editing.
❗eventhough this is an angsty rejected mate book, I think the author failed in maintaining it's pace, energy and the clarity it needed, and it's mainly because of that disarrayed writing.
❗I expected an in-depth world building and some explanations on few characters of why they did of what they did. Especially Julian and Natasha's mating other than just mentioning they were already a couple.
❗there was an incident with the rogue wolves and a witch being behind it, but it was never given any importance to other than only mentioning it in the epilogue.
❗Thorne, hero of this story, wait slash that Kairi's second mate was a sweet guy who was also an alpha of the biggest pack came across as a dull, beta hero rather than a powerful alpha. To be honest, there's nothing wrong with him, he just didn't make an impact on me as a reader like I would have wished.
I feel that the author had a good idea of a neat storyline and how the plot would progress but then she failed miserably in delivering it, otherwise it would have been a 4 star book.
March 31, 2024
slump somewhat lifter
So I’ve been in a huge reading slump. Ive been reading rejected wolf and omega etc books and I’ve sadly think I’ve gone through any that are actually good or quality at this point.
This was good. It was Defn a much better book than sooooo many others.
I usually never not finish books because of my OCD. Like it just never happens. This reading slump just straight up has created a situation where I constantly DNF crappy Shifter books.
This was Defn better. The ending made me want to read book 2. I kept having this feeling something would happen w julien so that will be interesting
So I’ve been in a huge reading slump. Ive been reading rejected wolf and omega etc books and I’ve sadly think I’ve gone through any that are actually good or quality at this point.
This was good. It was Defn a much better book than sooooo many others.
I usually never not finish books because of my OCD. Like it just never happens. This reading slump just straight up has created a situation where I constantly DNF crappy Shifter books.
This was Defn better. The ending made me want to read book 2. I kept having this feeling something would happen w julien so that will be interesting
February 8, 2024
3.5
Good rejected shifter books are hard to come by. so when I find one I gobble it up.
Kairi is a great character. For being only 18 she was strong headed and calculating. She handled each of the many challenges with strength and confidence. There was a lot of OW/OM drama.
My only complaint was it wrapped up so quickly. It was disappointing that the two huge scenes happened at 90% and the book was then quickly wrapped up. I would have liked it more if there had been more details during each scene.
Good rejected shifter books are hard to come by. so when I find one I gobble it up.
Kairi is a great character. For being only 18 she was strong headed and calculating. She handled each of the many challenges with strength and confidence. There was a lot of OW/OM drama.
My only complaint was it wrapped up so quickly. It was disappointing that the two huge scenes happened at 90% and the book was then quickly wrapped up. I would have liked it more if there had been more details during each scene.
January 16, 2026
Story is good if you have patience enough with the fact that this book NEEDS A COMPETENT EDITOR! I didn’t love the h as I thought she seemed somewhat vindictive and arrogant. I liked the H character.
March 23, 2024
3.5 stars
Read
October 7, 2021Reminded me why I stopped reading these kinds of books.
February 12, 2021
Excellent
Not to gritty but not to high school. The main character was worthy and didn’t make me cringe with terrible week emotional choices. It wasn’t super predictable. More than just the main two characters had personality and depth. Only used the F word six times and for good reasons. The bedroom scenes were not too explicit but more the PG13. Also they didn’t endlessly forgive their enemies that needed to DIE. I hate that, just kill the bad guys for goodness sake. And it’s OK to slap the mean girl sometimes!! The world building was reasonable without losing that nice fairytale feel. I will definitely read this author again. My favorite scene was when the ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend are in the closet. LOL 😂
Not to gritty but not to high school. The main character was worthy and didn’t make me cringe with terrible week emotional choices. It wasn’t super predictable. More than just the main two characters had personality and depth. Only used the F word six times and for good reasons. The bedroom scenes were not too explicit but more the PG13. Also they didn’t endlessly forgive their enemies that needed to DIE. I hate that, just kill the bad guys for goodness sake. And it’s OK to slap the mean girl sometimes!! The world building was reasonable without losing that nice fairytale feel. I will definitely read this author again. My favorite scene was when the ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend are in the closet. LOL 😂
December 10, 2024
So... I liked this one up to about 70-80% then it kind of took this weird witch teaming up with the rogues thing that lost me. Don't get me wrong, I like pnr but I don't think this story needed that particular tangent.
Story was totally solid with the rejected mate trope - LOVED the consequences for H1 for rejecting our h.... brutal but so so soooo satisfying. H1's ow (h's bff. btw) wasn't so smug after said consequences lol lol
I loved that our h had an H2 that was FAR superior. Some ow drama but she's just more of an annoying nuisance and I'm glad that H2 sees her for the evil and conniving bitch that she is, and h and H2 get their very deserved HEA.
H1's regret and grovel were super satisfying as was h's strength and integrity. I wish she was more confident and forthcoming with conversations sometimes as loads of things could have been cleared up with H2 with a simple conversation...but that's the storyline lol the frustration and the anticipation of will they/won't they. I'm glad they finally do!
All in all, a great read - I just think the whole witch thing wasn't necessary.
Story was totally solid with the rejected mate trope - LOVED the consequences for H1 for rejecting our h.... brutal but so so soooo satisfying. H1's ow (h's bff. btw) wasn't so smug after said consequences lol lol
I loved that our h had an H2 that was FAR superior. Some ow drama but she's just more of an annoying nuisance and I'm glad that H2 sees her for the evil and conniving bitch that she is, and h and H2 get their very deserved HEA.
H1's regret and grovel were super satisfying as was h's strength and integrity. I wish she was more confident and forthcoming with conversations sometimes as loads of things could have been cleared up with H2 with a simple conversation...but that's the storyline lol the frustration and the anticipation of will they/won't they. I'm glad they finally do!
All in all, a great read - I just think the whole witch thing wasn't necessary.
August 10, 2025
Kairi is 18. Her brother became Alpha 4 years ago when their parents died. Since he hasn't met his mate, she has been acting Luna. Since she was 14. That was unbelievable so I just ignored her age. Now that she's 18, she's hoping to meet her mate.
She has a best friend Natasha, who is dating her brother's BFF Julien. They are not mates, and the pack frowns upon them dating, but it's not illegal. Natasha is obviously trying to rush their relationship to climb rank. Julien is higher ranking. They plan to mark each other as chosen mates tonight. (You can chose a mate, but that's illegal unless you have lost your fated mate.)
So, Kairi is getting ready to go out to a nightclub owned by the pack, and someone comes into her room. It's her mate. It's Julien. They have sex, but they get interrupted by her brother knocking on the door so he doesn't get to finish. But she tells him not to mark her until he talks to Natasha first and breaks it off with her, so she won't find out through gossip or whatever. When she gets to the club, she catches Julien and Natasha having sex in the club manager's office. They have marked each other. They get punished by the Alpha for breaking the law about chosen mates, but not a huge punishment. Kairi just ignores them and doesn't care how badly they are punished.
When her brother (Linc) asks her if she found her mate at the club, she lies. That didn't make sense to me, because she can never have a chosen mate unless she tells her brother that she was rejected by her fated mate. She's going to have to tell him at some point. Her reason was that she didn't want her brother to punish or possibly have to kill his BFF, and being cheated on is humiliating. So I guess she'll just deal with it later.
A couple of weeks later, Linc, Kairi, Beta Julian and Natasha all go to a conference together. That gets Kairi thinking she really doesn't want to have to see Julian and Natasha together for the rest of her life. There's an Alpha of a larger pack at the conference who is willing to form an alliance with them (Alpha Wesley Thorne, 24). Thorne was at the nightclub the night of the Julien fiasco. He figured out Kai had been rejected by her mate, so he proposes an arranged second chance mating to form this alliance, that will give him a second chance mate and allow Kairi to leave her pack. (But the arranged marriage isn't in the alliance paperwork so Linc doesn't know about it.)
Thorne wants a second chance mate because his mate Venessa left him for another man several years ago and he hasn't seen her since.
So then Kai and Linc get into an argument about her switching rooms with Julien, and she has to take their room that smells like sex, which she doesn't want to do, and Linc calls her a tantruming child and tells her he won't let her go back to university next semester. That makes her consider Thorne's proposal, but she has to tell him she's pregnant. He says "We'll talk tomorrow," but she avoids talking to him. I think she needs to talk to someone about something, please for the love of god, say something to someone, for fuck's sake!
Julien learns he can't shift anymore, and he's told that marking someone else after meeting his true mate has caused his wolf to retreat. The only way to fix it is to get his true mate to take him back and mark him. So when he hears that, he looks at Kai. Linc is standing right there, that's how Linc learns Kai is Julien's mate.
There's a suspense plot about witches planning something to attack wolves in Europe.
Kairi and Thorne tell Linc about the arranged mating after the conference is over. Now that Julien can't shift and Kai won't take him back to fix his problem, Linc demotes him because a Beta who can't shift is useless. So Natasha failed at climbing rank.
Kairi suggests that it's time for Linc to go out and actually try and find his true mate, since she will be joining Thorne's pack and Linc will need a Luna. So while he does that, Kairi and Thorne stay at Linc's pack to hold a competition to find a Beta to replace Julien. While all this is going on, Julien and Natasha are still allowed to live there, just at a lower rank, so there is all this tension between Julien and Natasha the whole time. This all takes up a lot of pages but really isn't that important.
After a week and a half, Linc comes home with his mate an kairi and Thorne go home to his pack. They are touring the house (for several pages) then there's a knock on the door, an it's Venessa. He introduces Kairi as if she's there for business or something, not as his mate. So Kai gets all upset about no one being willing to fight for her, or stand up for her. Venessa's there because her chosen mate died and her in laws kicked her and her kids out with nowhere to live. She wants Thorne back. As to why he didn't tell her Kai is his mate, it was for manufactured drama, because there was no actual reason. He's going to let Vanessa and her kids stay, but not in the Alpha's house. She tells him her oldest child is his son. And this is so full of stupid drama bullshit I'm just gonna DNF at this point.
She has a best friend Natasha, who is dating her brother's BFF Julien. They are not mates, and the pack frowns upon them dating, but it's not illegal. Natasha is obviously trying to rush their relationship to climb rank. Julien is higher ranking. They plan to mark each other as chosen mates tonight. (You can chose a mate, but that's illegal unless you have lost your fated mate.)
So, Kairi is getting ready to go out to a nightclub owned by the pack, and someone comes into her room. It's her mate. It's Julien. They have sex, but they get interrupted by her brother knocking on the door so he doesn't get to finish. But she tells him not to mark her until he talks to Natasha first and breaks it off with her, so she won't find out through gossip or whatever. When she gets to the club, she catches Julien and Natasha having sex in the club manager's office. They have marked each other. They get punished by the Alpha for breaking the law about chosen mates, but not a huge punishment. Kairi just ignores them and doesn't care how badly they are punished.
When her brother (Linc) asks her if she found her mate at the club, she lies. That didn't make sense to me, because she can never have a chosen mate unless she tells her brother that she was rejected by her fated mate. She's going to have to tell him at some point. Her reason was that she didn't want her brother to punish or possibly have to kill his BFF, and being cheated on is humiliating. So I guess she'll just deal with it later.
A couple of weeks later, Linc, Kairi, Beta Julian and Natasha all go to a conference together. That gets Kairi thinking she really doesn't want to have to see Julian and Natasha together for the rest of her life. There's an Alpha of a larger pack at the conference who is willing to form an alliance with them (Alpha Wesley Thorne, 24). Thorne was at the nightclub the night of the Julien fiasco. He figured out Kai had been rejected by her mate, so he proposes an arranged second chance mating to form this alliance, that will give him a second chance mate and allow Kairi to leave her pack. (But the arranged marriage isn't in the alliance paperwork so Linc doesn't know about it.)
Thorne wants a second chance mate because his mate Venessa left him for another man several years ago and he hasn't seen her since.
So then Kai and Linc get into an argument about her switching rooms with Julien, and she has to take their room that smells like sex, which she doesn't want to do, and Linc calls her a tantruming child and tells her he won't let her go back to university next semester. That makes her consider Thorne's proposal, but she has to tell him she's pregnant. He says "We'll talk tomorrow," but she avoids talking to him. I think she needs to talk to someone about something, please for the love of god, say something to someone, for fuck's sake!
Julien learns he can't shift anymore, and he's told that marking someone else after meeting his true mate has caused his wolf to retreat. The only way to fix it is to get his true mate to take him back and mark him. So when he hears that, he looks at Kai. Linc is standing right there, that's how Linc learns Kai is Julien's mate.
There's a suspense plot about witches planning something to attack wolves in Europe.
Kairi and Thorne tell Linc about the arranged mating after the conference is over. Now that Julien can't shift and Kai won't take him back to fix his problem, Linc demotes him because a Beta who can't shift is useless. So Natasha failed at climbing rank.
Kairi suggests that it's time for Linc to go out and actually try and find his true mate, since she will be joining Thorne's pack and Linc will need a Luna. So while he does that, Kairi and Thorne stay at Linc's pack to hold a competition to find a Beta to replace Julien. While all this is going on, Julien and Natasha are still allowed to live there, just at a lower rank, so there is all this tension between Julien and Natasha the whole time. This all takes up a lot of pages but really isn't that important.
After a week and a half, Linc comes home with his mate an kairi and Thorne go home to his pack. They are touring the house (for several pages) then there's a knock on the door, an it's Venessa. He introduces Kairi as if she's there for business or something, not as his mate. So Kai gets all upset about no one being willing to fight for her, or stand up for her. Venessa's there because her chosen mate died and her in laws kicked her and her kids out with nowhere to live. She wants Thorne back. As to why he didn't tell her Kai is his mate, it was for manufactured drama, because there was no actual reason. He's going to let Vanessa and her kids stay, but not in the Alpha's house. She tells him her oldest child is his son. And this is so full of stupid drama bullshit I'm just gonna DNF at this point.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2023
Este libro ha resultado ser mejor de lo esperado porque la verdad era que mis expectativas eran bastante bajas. No por el libro en sí, sino porque había leído bastantes cosas negativas de este género en concreto (rejected mates) que me habían condicionado a esperar lo peor. No obstante, el libro no está tan mal. Es el primer libro de rejected mates que leo (siempre había leído sobre shifters con mates HEA), y la verdad es que básicamente me ha dado lo que me apetecía leer en este momento: saber cómo era el drama del rejected mate.
En general, es un libro rápido y fácil de leer. El world-building no es complicado y si has leído otras novelas de mates y shifters es fácil comprender este. Entra dentro de los parámetros de lo que normalmente te puedes encontrar en un libro de este estilo.
En cuanto a los personajes, los protagonistas me han gustado. Es cierto que a veces Kairi tiene algunas actitudes inmaduras que hacen desesperar, pero teniendo en cuenta su edad supongo que es más o menos lo esperado. En general, creo que es una buena protagonista con la que es fácil simpatizar aunque sea a nivel superficial por todo lo que tiene que pasar con la traición (siempre y cuando uno esté familiarizado con la importancia que tienen los mates para los shifters, si no es así, puede parecer un poco dramático que ella reaccione así cuando todo pasa (SPOILER) Julien y Natasha llevan años juntos y lo lógico sería que siguieran así pese a encontrar a una pareja predestinada (FIN DEL SPOILER). Sin embargo, si se comprende la importancia de los mates, es fácil entender y empatizar con lo que Kairi siente y cómo los dos la traicionan a conciencia). Por otro lado, Throne me ha parecido un muy buen protagonista masculino a nivel de 0 toxicidad, me ha parecido gracioso, tierno, atento y leal, y por eso me ha gustado. No obstante, me ha parecido un personaje algo plano, ya que apenas sabemos de él durante el libro. Sí, conocemos algunos datos que se nos muestran como resúmenes de su pasado, pero realmente no hay una profundidad. De Kairi sabemos siempre qué siente y piensa y cómo se ha sentido en el pasado, pero no es así con Throne. Es por eso que ese desequilibrio entre los protagonistas hace que tampoco me haya encantado el personaje masculino. A pesar de eso, repito, me parece un buen protagonista masculino.
Una cosa que me ha tenido algo fuera de la novela es que tanto Kairi como Throne parecen en muchas escenas mucho más mayores de lo que realmente son. Hubo veces en las que parecía que él tenía como treinta años y ella veintitantos, pero cuando recordé que ella tenía solo dieciocho y se desvela que él tenía solo veinticuatro años me chocó muchísimo. Por el contexto de la historia no me cuadra que tengan tan pocos años, me parecen demasiado pequeños para muchos comportamientos que tienen y que son parte esencial de la trama. Aunque sí es verdad que luego tienen comportamientos que sí que reflejan más su edad (o incluso más pequeños, a veces).
La trama es bastante sencilla y no representa ninguna dificultad ni plot twist. Aun así, es entretenida y fácil de leer. Te divierte, te frustra y te engancha lo que va sucediendo con la protagonista. Si bien es cierto que cuando pasas de la mitad del libro hasta el final, el argumento y la calidad del desarrollo de los acontecimientos decae, dado que es precipitado y poco definido. (SPOILER) El secuestro de Kairi a manos de Natasha y Brittany (que resulta ser su prima) no me parece un mal recurso, pero la ejecución deja mucho que desear. Apenas hay un par de frases intercambiadas entre las villanas y Kairi cuando esta se desmaya y lo siguiente que sabemos de las villanas es que son asesinadas por Julien cuando descubre que el hijo de Kairi es suyo. Después, no se vuelve a hablar de ellas ni Kairi vuelve a pensar en Natasha una vez más a pesar de que se pasa casi todo el libro pensando en su falsa amistad, su traición con Julien y su embarazo y posterior pérdida. No me cuadra esa falta de interés de repente. Natasha es la principal antagonista desde el comienzo del libro y, sin embargo, es despachada al final como un personaje extra. Esto le quita algo de credibilidad a la novela en vez de darle un final un poco más largo y currado. (FIN DEL SPOILER).
En definitiva, el libro está bien para pasar el rato una tarde: una historia donde los personajes principales son aceptables y fáciles de empatizar con ellos. Tiene algunas buenas escenas de drama y cuyo final es más o menos lo esperado. Lo recomiendo para aquellas personas que quieran leer una historia de rejected mates entre shifters sin complicarse mucho la vida. No obstante, creo que tiene potencial suficiente para llevar la historia un poco más allá y ejecutar mejor el final y así conseguir una novela con un poco más de sentido y acción. A pesar de eso, por el epílogo y algunas escenas sueltas de la trama te dan una idea de que puede haber una continuación dentro de poco. La cosa sería saber si con los mismos protagonistas o con otros que estuvieran relacionados con ellos.
En general, es un libro rápido y fácil de leer. El world-building no es complicado y si has leído otras novelas de mates y shifters es fácil comprender este. Entra dentro de los parámetros de lo que normalmente te puedes encontrar en un libro de este estilo.
En cuanto a los personajes, los protagonistas me han gustado. Es cierto que a veces Kairi tiene algunas actitudes inmaduras que hacen desesperar, pero teniendo en cuenta su edad supongo que es más o menos lo esperado. En general, creo que es una buena protagonista con la que es fácil simpatizar aunque sea a nivel superficial por todo lo que tiene que pasar con la traición (siempre y cuando uno esté familiarizado con la importancia que tienen los mates para los shifters, si no es así, puede parecer un poco dramático que ella reaccione así cuando todo pasa (SPOILER) Julien y Natasha llevan años juntos y lo lógico sería que siguieran así pese a encontrar a una pareja predestinada (FIN DEL SPOILER). Sin embargo, si se comprende la importancia de los mates, es fácil entender y empatizar con lo que Kairi siente y cómo los dos la traicionan a conciencia). Por otro lado, Throne me ha parecido un muy buen protagonista masculino a nivel de 0 toxicidad, me ha parecido gracioso, tierno, atento y leal, y por eso me ha gustado. No obstante, me ha parecido un personaje algo plano, ya que apenas sabemos de él durante el libro. Sí, conocemos algunos datos que se nos muestran como resúmenes de su pasado, pero realmente no hay una profundidad. De Kairi sabemos siempre qué siente y piensa y cómo se ha sentido en el pasado, pero no es así con Throne. Es por eso que ese desequilibrio entre los protagonistas hace que tampoco me haya encantado el personaje masculino. A pesar de eso, repito, me parece un buen protagonista masculino.
Una cosa que me ha tenido algo fuera de la novela es que tanto Kairi como Throne parecen en muchas escenas mucho más mayores de lo que realmente son. Hubo veces en las que parecía que él tenía como treinta años y ella veintitantos, pero cuando recordé que ella tenía solo dieciocho y se desvela que él tenía solo veinticuatro años me chocó muchísimo. Por el contexto de la historia no me cuadra que tengan tan pocos años, me parecen demasiado pequeños para muchos comportamientos que tienen y que son parte esencial de la trama. Aunque sí es verdad que luego tienen comportamientos que sí que reflejan más su edad (o incluso más pequeños, a veces).
La trama es bastante sencilla y no representa ninguna dificultad ni plot twist. Aun así, es entretenida y fácil de leer. Te divierte, te frustra y te engancha lo que va sucediendo con la protagonista. Si bien es cierto que cuando pasas de la mitad del libro hasta el final, el argumento y la calidad del desarrollo de los acontecimientos decae, dado que es precipitado y poco definido. (SPOILER) El secuestro de Kairi a manos de Natasha y Brittany (que resulta ser su prima) no me parece un mal recurso, pero la ejecución deja mucho que desear. Apenas hay un par de frases intercambiadas entre las villanas y Kairi cuando esta se desmaya y lo siguiente que sabemos de las villanas es que son asesinadas por Julien cuando descubre que el hijo de Kairi es suyo. Después, no se vuelve a hablar de ellas ni Kairi vuelve a pensar en Natasha una vez más a pesar de que se pasa casi todo el libro pensando en su falsa amistad, su traición con Julien y su embarazo y posterior pérdida. No me cuadra esa falta de interés de repente. Natasha es la principal antagonista desde el comienzo del libro y, sin embargo, es despachada al final como un personaje extra. Esto le quita algo de credibilidad a la novela en vez de darle un final un poco más largo y currado. (FIN DEL SPOILER).
En definitiva, el libro está bien para pasar el rato una tarde: una historia donde los personajes principales son aceptables y fáciles de empatizar con ellos. Tiene algunas buenas escenas de drama y cuyo final es más o menos lo esperado. Lo recomiendo para aquellas personas que quieran leer una historia de rejected mates entre shifters sin complicarse mucho la vida. No obstante, creo que tiene potencial suficiente para llevar la historia un poco más allá y ejecutar mejor el final y así conseguir una novela con un poco más de sentido y acción. A pesar de eso, por el epílogo y algunas escenas sueltas de la trama te dan una idea de que puede haber una continuación dentro de poco. La cosa sería saber si con los mismos protagonistas o con otros que estuvieran relacionados con ellos.
December 27, 2025
So... right off the bat there's some pretty gross stuff here. Tasha is not yet 18, and 'two years ago' she started going steady with her bf, which means he was at least 19 to her 15 (it also means he was 18 and flirting with a 14yo. I'm sorry but I just couldn't be into someone who'd do that. Gross). Apparently that's not an issue since 'it wasn't physical' until she was 16. Tasha, the groomed child, is framed as a harlot that no one likes.
FMC thinks she's been drugged, but instead of telling her brother, her alpha, or the owner of the club... or even just the dude who is all three of these things, she runs off. Can see why she's the temp Luna. Really looking out for the other ladies there, Luna. Of course everyone in this pack is cool with the beta screwing a child so, I guess the ladies were never that safe in the first place.
OK so she's STILL not going to tell her brother and instead is going to somehow live by herself in her own house with a baby and go to school full time? This chick was in charge of finance for her pack? I guess rich girls sure have different ideas about how life works (has she told you she's rich yet? because boy she has told the reader several. times.).
Finds out she's pregnant and immediately starts slamming back the wine. Classy. FYI she's wrong. Even one glass of alcohol in early pregnancy is too much.
At one point she starts crying from the emotional pain then tells herself she would laugh at someone else struggling like this. She's such a sweet, compassionate person.
This is more just cringe than a gripe, but when the MMC describes himself he says he 'loves being a wolf, I can't imagine being a regular human'. I feel like this is the equivalent of a human dude saying 'I just love being human, I can't imagine being a regular ape.'
Anyway I just can't get into the OW drama because Tasha is a groomed child, who has always been a weaker member of the pack, who is now pregnant at 17 to a faithless older male who has repeatedly cheated on or betrayed her, but somehow she's also 'the bad guy'. While the FMC is a rich girl who, yes felt some momentary pain, but by the midpoint of the book knows she will soon be even more wealthy, and even more powerful and beloved by everyone and pain-free forever.
I'm sure the pregnant, miserable teenager is going to make more mistakes throughout the rest of the book, but I'm fine stating at this point that I'm team Tasha. It's a shame she's not gonna get a Thorne to solve all her problems because, again, she was groomed as a child to mate an adult who immediately got her pregnant at 17 and then tried to discard her.
So. Gross.
FMC thinks she's been drugged, but instead of telling her brother, her alpha, or the owner of the club... or even just the dude who is all three of these things, she runs off. Can see why she's the temp Luna. Really looking out for the other ladies there, Luna. Of course everyone in this pack is cool with the beta screwing a child so, I guess the ladies were never that safe in the first place.
OK so she's STILL not going to tell her brother and instead is going to somehow live by herself in her own house with a baby and go to school full time? This chick was in charge of finance for her pack? I guess rich girls sure have different ideas about how life works (has she told you she's rich yet? because boy she has told the reader several. times.).
Finds out she's pregnant and immediately starts slamming back the wine. Classy. FYI she's wrong. Even one glass of alcohol in early pregnancy is too much.
At one point she starts crying from the emotional pain then tells herself she would laugh at someone else struggling like this. She's such a sweet, compassionate person.
This is more just cringe than a gripe, but when the MMC describes himself he says he 'loves being a wolf, I can't imagine being a regular human'. I feel like this is the equivalent of a human dude saying 'I just love being human, I can't imagine being a regular ape.'
Anyway I just can't get into the OW drama because Tasha is a groomed child, who has always been a weaker member of the pack, who is now pregnant at 17 to a faithless older male who has repeatedly cheated on or betrayed her, but somehow she's also 'the bad guy'. While the FMC is a rich girl who, yes felt some momentary pain, but by the midpoint of the book knows she will soon be even more wealthy, and even more powerful and beloved by everyone and pain-free forever.
I'm sure the pregnant, miserable teenager is going to make more mistakes throughout the rest of the book, but I'm fine stating at this point that I'm team Tasha. It's a shame she's not gonna get a Thorne to solve all her problems because, again, she was groomed as a child to mate an adult who immediately got her pregnant at 17 and then tried to discard her.
So. Gross.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2023
New to me and enjoyed it!
This is a new to me author and I enjoyed this.
I have been in the mood for a rejected Wolfie book for the longest but the ones I picked up could never keep my attention long enough but this one surely did. It had a twist to your regular rejection books which I liked. I enjoyed that it gave me what I wanted but also had a twist enough that I wasn’t bored or able to predict what was going to happen. The writing style was different. It had a Wattpad feel to it but I didn’t mind. I actually used to love Wattpad so this was great.
The characters were great. I liked how Kairi didn’t wallow or use the self-pity card through the whole book. As a matter of fact, I really liked how she handled the whole rejection and the events after. The pregnancy was definitely a surprise especially how it came about very quickly but I enjoyed that element. I enjoyed that Kairi and Thorne also took the time to actually build a relationship as opposed to just jumping into bed as soon as she accepted his offer. The whole journey and story felt realistic and genuine as opposed to fluff and spice. It had real substance and I really enjoyed watching their journey.
The world build was lacking a little bit for me only because it was very vague in some places and then I found it really hard to imagine the Stoneforest pack built into the mountain yet still have a backyard with the sun shining? I Don’t know. Either I wasn’t reading right or my mind just couldn’t conjure up what the location was supposed to be. The plot was great and I liked how there was an underlying mystery to the whole story that I can’t wait to see unfold more in the next story.
Ill definitely be checking out more of S.J Hayslett’s work. So glad I gave this a go.
This is a new to me author and I enjoyed this.
I have been in the mood for a rejected Wolfie book for the longest but the ones I picked up could never keep my attention long enough but this one surely did. It had a twist to your regular rejection books which I liked. I enjoyed that it gave me what I wanted but also had a twist enough that I wasn’t bored or able to predict what was going to happen. The writing style was different. It had a Wattpad feel to it but I didn’t mind. I actually used to love Wattpad so this was great.
The characters were great. I liked how Kairi didn’t wallow or use the self-pity card through the whole book. As a matter of fact, I really liked how she handled the whole rejection and the events after. The pregnancy was definitely a surprise especially how it came about very quickly but I enjoyed that element. I enjoyed that Kairi and Thorne also took the time to actually build a relationship as opposed to just jumping into bed as soon as she accepted his offer. The whole journey and story felt realistic and genuine as opposed to fluff and spice. It had real substance and I really enjoyed watching their journey.
The world build was lacking a little bit for me only because it was very vague in some places and then I found it really hard to imagine the Stoneforest pack built into the mountain yet still have a backyard with the sun shining? I Don’t know. Either I wasn’t reading right or my mind just couldn’t conjure up what the location was supposed to be. The plot was great and I liked how there was an underlying mystery to the whole story that I can’t wait to see unfold more in the next story.
Ill definitely be checking out more of S.J Hayslett’s work. So glad I gave this a go.
July 29, 2021
Good Plot w/ Horrible Editing
A WattPad story become real on Amazon.
What was great about this book is it was different than most werewolf shifter books. This was not a fated mate, second chance, or rejected mate plot. This was a chosen mate plot, maybe relationship of convenience… in the beginning. This is a romance novel after all. 😉
The FMC was a strong and driven woman w/ a heart and attitude of gold. Choosing the high road and path that met her values despite all she was going through.
I thought the plot was great and overall storyline was good. However, there were inconsistencies, not horrible, but gave me pause to question - “uh?”
The dramatic ending felt a little forced.
The editing was horrible and I am being very critical on this matter with this specific book.
I understand that the authors may not be full time writers, and reading app followers and writers will state writers do not have time to edit or cannot afford a professional editor.
The thing is on WattPad, and some other reading apps, the writers are able to use the readers themselves to do the heavy lifting and could do most of the editing for the writers for free.
Regardless if an author is going to publish work for purchase then the author owes it not only to themselves, but to the readers to put out quality work worthy of purchasing.
If this was truly finished work I would recommend purchasing this book, as it stands - a hard “no.” This is money out an open window and would be embarrassed to put this on my bookshelf.
I struggled between a 2 or 3 star rating. Gave 3 because of the plot line.
A WattPad story become real on Amazon.
What was great about this book is it was different than most werewolf shifter books. This was not a fated mate, second chance, or rejected mate plot. This was a chosen mate plot, maybe relationship of convenience… in the beginning. This is a romance novel after all. 😉
The FMC was a strong and driven woman w/ a heart and attitude of gold. Choosing the high road and path that met her values despite all she was going through.
I thought the plot was great and overall storyline was good. However, there were inconsistencies, not horrible, but gave me pause to question - “uh?”
The dramatic ending felt a little forced.
The editing was horrible and I am being very critical on this matter with this specific book.
I understand that the authors may not be full time writers, and reading app followers and writers will state writers do not have time to edit or cannot afford a professional editor.
The thing is on WattPad, and some other reading apps, the writers are able to use the readers themselves to do the heavy lifting and could do most of the editing for the writers for free.
Regardless if an author is going to publish work for purchase then the author owes it not only to themselves, but to the readers to put out quality work worthy of purchasing.
If this was truly finished work I would recommend purchasing this book, as it stands - a hard “no.” This is money out an open window and would be embarrassed to put this on my bookshelf.
I struggled between a 2 or 3 star rating. Gave 3 because of the plot line.
February 3, 2021
This book was a fun wild read full of twists and turns from betrayal after betrayal. I am quite impressed that Kairi and Thorne kept up their great communication skills to work through every single smackdown that came every few chapters.
There were quite a few typos such as "they're" for "their," "you're" for "your," a confusing scene in the beginning between Kaira, Lincoln, and Julien where the dialogue and descriptions made absolutely no sense, and a paragraph that cut out mid-sentence, but I think the plot and pacing made up for these issues. All the evil wolves were taken down quite neatly by the end of the novel, and the epilogue set up quite nicely for another book in the series.
There wasn't too much shifter society world-building other than intermingling packs and alpha/beta ranking issues - the focus was definitely on Kaira's relationship development with Thorne.
A few additional issues - I don't quite think that the 18yo and 24yo ages given to the MCs are quite that believable, especially with so many children thrown into the mix. Some resolutions were quite cheesy, and the smut scenes really weren't that great.
However, I would put this book on my re-read list because of the unpredictable story with epic betrayals left and right alone.
There were quite a few typos such as "they're" for "their," "you're" for "your," a confusing scene in the beginning between Kaira, Lincoln, and Julien where the dialogue and descriptions made absolutely no sense, and a paragraph that cut out mid-sentence, but I think the plot and pacing made up for these issues. All the evil wolves were taken down quite neatly by the end of the novel, and the epilogue set up quite nicely for another book in the series.
There wasn't too much shifter society world-building other than intermingling packs and alpha/beta ranking issues - the focus was definitely on Kaira's relationship development with Thorne.
A few additional issues - I don't quite think that the 18yo and 24yo ages given to the MCs are quite that believable, especially with so many children thrown into the mix. Some resolutions were quite cheesy, and the smut scenes really weren't that great.
However, I would put this book on my re-read list because of the unpredictable story with epic betrayals left and right alone.
November 16, 2025
There were quite a few plots holes in this story. Rejected mate, new H werewolf story.
-It truly doesn’t make any sense why Kairi didn’t tell her brother who her mate was and why they didn’t formally reject each other. Based on the situation, there is just no way that she would’ve been able to keep it the secret so I didn’t understand the pointless lies. All it did was cause a lot of miscommunication.
-virigin h first time having sex without the guy finishing and she gets pregnant? I mean highly unlikely.
-I don’t know why no one was horrified to learn that the H’s dad cheated on mom multiple time. Aren’t mates supposed to be sacred? And the mom obviously knew because she felt the betrayal pains so why would she stay with him? He had an affair baby and the child is only 3 years old and the parents are only concerned about an apology tour from dad to mom?
-how is Vanessa only two years older than kairi if she found her mate 4 years ago? She should be 22. And why didn’t Thorne and Vanessa mark each other if they were mates. Why don’t Thorne feel the betrayal pains when Vanessa was with his dad?
I really liked the premise of the story and it had a good foundation but it needed some more fleshing out and editing. Writing also felt a bit YA.
-It truly doesn’t make any sense why Kairi didn’t tell her brother who her mate was and why they didn’t formally reject each other. Based on the situation, there is just no way that she would’ve been able to keep it the secret so I didn’t understand the pointless lies. All it did was cause a lot of miscommunication.
-virigin h first time having sex without the guy finishing and she gets pregnant? I mean highly unlikely.
-I don’t know why no one was horrified to learn that the H’s dad cheated on mom multiple time. Aren’t mates supposed to be sacred? And the mom obviously knew because she felt the betrayal pains so why would she stay with him? He had an affair baby and the child is only 3 years old and the parents are only concerned about an apology tour from dad to mom?
-how is Vanessa only two years older than kairi if she found her mate 4 years ago? She should be 22. And why didn’t Thorne and Vanessa mark each other if they were mates. Why don’t Thorne feel the betrayal pains when Vanessa was with his dad?
I really liked the premise of the story and it had a good foundation but it needed some more fleshing out and editing. Writing also felt a bit YA.
Read
April 12, 2021Thank you to S.J. Hayslett, your friends and family for the time and energy you invested into this book. Writing is a mixture of science and art and I appreciate that you were willing to invest so much into your craft.
I wanted to like this book.
Started it, almost quit.
Convinced myself to keep going.
Ended up quitting.
I'm not a big fan of the rejected mates scenario and honestly, the heroine handled herself very poorly. The entire situation was just... Uncomfortable. And inconsistent.
No rating because there's a chance that maybe rejected mate books are just like this and the trope doesn't appeal to me - and that's not an actual reflection on the book, just my tastes.
But I think that the characters themselves are 2 dimensional, the story just made me tense and was unenjoyable, and some of the details were inconsistent. (Like in a pack, where dominance determines rank, how is the beta so submissive?) Maybe I would have liked it if I just soldiered through. But I had already tried that and couldn't keep doing it. It shouldn't take that much effort to read a book that I'm reading for enjoyments' sake.
I wanted to like this book.
Started it, almost quit.
Convinced myself to keep going.
Ended up quitting.
I'm not a big fan of the rejected mates scenario and honestly, the heroine handled herself very poorly. The entire situation was just... Uncomfortable. And inconsistent.
No rating because there's a chance that maybe rejected mate books are just like this and the trope doesn't appeal to me - and that's not an actual reflection on the book, just my tastes.
But I think that the characters themselves are 2 dimensional, the story just made me tense and was unenjoyable, and some of the details were inconsistent. (Like in a pack, where dominance determines rank, how is the beta so submissive?) Maybe I would have liked it if I just soldiered through. But I had already tried that and couldn't keep doing it. It shouldn't take that much effort to read a book that I'm reading for enjoyments' sake.
August 2, 2022
Good Read, Feels Unfinished.
I read this in 1 day it captivated me that much. There’s a few things that feel unfinished which is why I gave it 4 stars. This book eludes to witches attacking in Europe early on, leading to a request for help that we never see. Maybe it’s a segway into book 2 but it started early so it’s confusing. That and there was a premonition of Thorne and Kairi having a baby of their own that was glossed over in 1 paragraph towards the end, like WTH? What a let down to us readers! They didn’t even have a pregnant free coupling. Again, a giant let down! Julien suffers the most and while he’s a giant weaka** coward I hope he finds a second chance mate and can learn to own up to his mistakes and let go of Kairi. She didn’t do him wrong at any point. He made his own decision (on her effing birthday a**hat move!) to sever their bond and every time he fooled around without formally rejecting her. What a scumbag! I never saw a formal rejection from either though, which again huh??? A lot of loose ends.
I read this in 1 day it captivated me that much. There’s a few things that feel unfinished which is why I gave it 4 stars. This book eludes to witches attacking in Europe early on, leading to a request for help that we never see. Maybe it’s a segway into book 2 but it started early so it’s confusing. That and there was a premonition of Thorne and Kairi having a baby of their own that was glossed over in 1 paragraph towards the end, like WTH? What a let down to us readers! They didn’t even have a pregnant free coupling. Again, a giant let down! Julien suffers the most and while he’s a giant weaka** coward I hope he finds a second chance mate and can learn to own up to his mistakes and let go of Kairi. She didn’t do him wrong at any point. He made his own decision (on her effing birthday a**hat move!) to sever their bond and every time he fooled around without formally rejecting her. What a scumbag! I never saw a formal rejection from either though, which again huh??? A lot of loose ends.
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