297 ratings (3.95 avg)
82 reviews

Nicole

Add friend

http://beacons.ai/nicole_thereader

https://www.goodreads.com/nicole_thereader

Nicole’s currently-reading shelf

The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk by Carissa Broadbent

More…

Nicole’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (602)
currently-reading‎ (6)

read‎ (295)
did-not-finish‎ (8)

dnf‎ (15)

Stats | More…

Nicole is Currently Reading

Nicole is currently reading

Darkest Destiny (Darkest Destiny Trilogy #1)

by Pepper Winters (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Feb 22, 2026 10:43AM

Nicole is currently reading

The Long Game (Game Changers, #6)

by Rachel Reid

bookshelves: currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in December 2025

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Nicole said: " 4🌟
Love Ilya and Shane!! I liked Heated Rivalry just a little bit more (I’m a sucker for the forbidden romance, tension, yearning from book 1), but loved reading more of Ilya and Shane as a couple. Can’t wait to see how this part of their story will b ...more "

progress:

(50%)
— Feb 01, 2026 09:32AM

Dec 21, 2025 07:07PM · see review

Nicole is currently reading

Mate (Bride, #2)

by Ali Hazelwood (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in October 2025

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Nicole said: " Rating: 4 ⭐️
Spice: 3🌶️

Tropes/Themes:
- Paranormal romance
- Interconnected series standalone
- Wolf-shifters / Werewolves
- Hybrid FMC
- Alpha MMC
- Rejected mates / Forbidden romance
- Tension & yearning 🔥🔥🔥
- Age-gap
- Mystery / mild stalking
- Knotting, sli Rating: 4 ⭐️
Spice: 3🌶️

Tropes/Themes:
- Paranormal romance
- Interconnected series standalone
- Wolf-shifters / Werewolves
- Hybrid FMC
- Alpha MMC
- Rejected mates / Forbidden romance
- Tension & yearning 🔥🔥🔥
- Age-gap
- Mystery / mild stalking
- Knotting, slicks, heats, etc

This was such a fun, quick read!

Mate follows Serena, who was introduced in book 1 of the series, Bride, as Misery's best friend. In this book, Serena is trying to come to terms with being one of the only werewolf/human hybrids, while also trying to figure out her past and navigate her complicated relationship with her mate Koen.

I really loved the dynamic between Serena and Koen. There is an aspect of rejected mates/forbidden romance in this book, that I just absolutely loved! The tension between these two characters was written so well, and you can just feel the yearning they have for one another. At first, I was a bit unsure about how I felt about both of the main characters, but they grew on my very quickly, and I was rooting for them to be together, even though many circumstances prevent them from doing so. I loved how their story played out!

There were familiar elements of typical omegaverse stories found in this book, though I would not classify this as a true omegaverse. But it does delve into things like knotting, slick, heats, etc. The spicy scenes were definitely amped up in this book (compared to book 1), and while they were overall done really well, I actually found them to be a bit too drawn out at times (it just became somewhat repetitive and I didn't feel like the extra scenes necessarily added anything to the plot or the development of Serena and Koen's relationship).

Overall, this is a solid 4 star read. I found the plot to be a bit slow in the middle and didn't always enjoy the banter/dialogue between the two main characters, especially Koen, who is a 36 year old alpha male who liked to use really cringey and childish words to name call people (sorry, this just really gave me the ick!). I still would recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of Ali Hazelwood. I find her writing to be easy to read and consume, and I generally love the characters she creates. As a reader of mainly fantasy and paranormal books, I really hope she continues writing in this genre! ...more "

progress:

(35%)
— Dec 25, 2025 09:59AM

Nov 02, 2025 08:36AM · see review

See all 6 books that Nicole is reading…