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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
LMAO okay listen was this book good? No. Did I have a great time? Fuck yeah. It's good to be back to my shitty PNRs. I've been reading too many reputable books lately I need my brainrot back.
Listen, this book is 98% miscommunication, 1% smut, and 1% overt sexual tension. A single conversation could've taken this from like 320 pages down to 3. Was that annoying? Yeah. Do I expect anything better from these characters? Nah. They all collectively share a single braincell. They're running on wolf instinct and orgasms.
So listen, the plot?? Essentially nonexistent. Like I said, this is just 320 pages of miscommunication mixed with moon-approved horniness. That said, there wasn't even that much smut! Maybe like 2 pages. It was honestly kind of tasteful, though slightly underwhelming. I will never understand how these virgins always manage to have such mindblowing bedroom skills, but I will continue eating that shit up every single time bc it is obviously significantly better than reading about bad sex. (Don't get me wrong, I hate the virgin trope with every fiber of my being, BUT it wasn't really a big deal here. They were pretty chill about it. I just don't understand why every MC has to be a virgin).
But yeah nothing happened lmao the summary on the back is literally the whole plot. 1. They're fated mates but he rejects her and she leaves. 2. He hunts her down and tries to claim they're mates so she should be with him. 3. She grumpily falls for him bc she's horny and kind of desperate and he's way hotter than anyone else she's ever met. That's the only plotline really. Sure, there's some annoying subplot w a friendzoned vampire, and yes, the fact that she's the only female alpha (apparently since the literal moon OG shifter) is like... a thing... but it's almost inconsequential. They tried to play it up like a big deal, but it really wasn't.
The characters are exactly what you're expecting. She's stubborn and confident ('alpha') but still has the everyday insecurities that every female character is required to have in order to be relatable, and he's... hot. It's really not any deeper than that lmao.
Am I rooting for them? Eh. I mean yeah, I guess. It's not like there's anyone else for them to be with. I still don't understand why he refuses to say he loves her tho. Lowkey embarrassing that she was literally chanting it during sex meanwhile he just keeps shouting mate at her. Kind of making it hard to trust his intentions when he's like "I've known you were the one since we were teenagers" but literally will not say he loves her like??? Idk man how do you expect her to trust you. I think my biggest problem is that he's kind of an idiot. He cannot for the life of him figure out why she's fighting the attraction, despite the fact that he literally rejected her in front of everyone. Like. He just thinks she's supposed to know he wasn't serious??????
Also wtf was the basement scene??? Didn't get that. Can't figure out why he thought she 'wasn't safe from him' like no offense but he was very clearly not feral. Also don't get why he didn't want to fuck. Like was that not the source of the problem or what.
Yeah so I talked a lot of shit here, but like, I had a great time with this lmao you just need to have low expectations. The Big Bad is literally called The Wicked Wolf of the West like come ON I couldn't make that shit up if I tried 😠So just keep that in mind. This is for sure your average shitty shifter romance, and while I probably won't be continuing the series, I can't say I wouldn't recommend it (if this is the vibe you're looking for).
Listen, this book is 98% miscommunication, 1% smut, and 1% overt sexual tension. A single conversation could've taken this from like 320 pages down to 3. Was that annoying? Yeah. Do I expect anything better from these characters? Nah. They all collectively share a single braincell. They're running on wolf instinct and orgasms.
So listen, the plot?? Essentially nonexistent. Like I said, this is just 320 pages of miscommunication mixed with moon-approved horniness. That said, there wasn't even that much smut! Maybe like 2 pages. It was honestly kind of tasteful, though slightly underwhelming. I will never understand how these virgins always manage to have such mindblowing bedroom skills, but I will continue eating that shit up every single time bc it is obviously significantly better than reading about bad sex. (Don't get me wrong, I hate the virgin trope with every fiber of my being, BUT it wasn't really a big deal here. They were pretty chill about it. I just don't understand why every MC has to be a virgin).
But yeah nothing happened lmao the summary on the back is literally the whole plot. 1. They're fated mates but he rejects her and she leaves. 2. He hunts her down and tries to claim they're mates so she should be with him. 3. She grumpily falls for him bc she's horny and kind of desperate and he's way hotter than anyone else she's ever met. That's the only plotline really. Sure, there's some annoying subplot w a friendzoned vampire, and yes, the fact that she's the only female alpha (apparently since the literal moon OG shifter) is like... a thing... but it's almost inconsequential. They tried to play it up like a big deal, but it really wasn't.
The characters are exactly what you're expecting. She's stubborn and confident ('alpha') but still has the everyday insecurities that every female character is required to have in order to be relatable, and he's... hot. It's really not any deeper than that lmao.
Am I rooting for them? Eh. I mean yeah, I guess. It's not like there's anyone else for them to be with.
Also wtf was the basement scene??? Didn't get that. Can't figure out why he thought she 'wasn't safe from him' like no offense but he was very clearly not feral. Also don't get why he didn't want to fuck. Like was that not the source of the problem or what.
Yeah so I talked a lot of shit here, but like, I had a great time with this lmao you just need to have low expectations. The Big Bad is literally called The Wicked Wolf of the West like come ON I couldn't make that shit up if I tried 😠So just keep that in mind. This is for sure your average shitty shifter romance, and while I probably won't be continuing the series, I can't say I wouldn't recommend it (if this is the vibe you're looking for).
This was actually a pretty solid read. The only reason it doesn't get four stars is because I feel like the "miscommunication trope" went a little too far and the main female character relies was too much on her trauma and claims it has her entire personality. The reason it doesn't get five stars is because the world building and character development could have been expanded on more. But the plot is solid, and the story is actually a fantastic concept. It's more like a 3.5 star read.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Welcome back to another installment of I picked this up because of BookTok. This time, I was sucked into Never His Mate by Sarah Spade. This was an unexpected treat! I think more than the story itself, I loved the worldbuilding, though the romance was certainly a fun time.
This book will be frustrating to some readers, particularly those that hate the miscommunication romance trope. And though I will gripe about it as I read, I definitely, secretly love it because there’s no actual betrayal and a conversation can fix everything. We’ve got main characters Gem and Ryker, a pair of fated mates, that fell apart when Gem believes Ryker has rejected her. She’s left, rebuilt her life (alongside a vampire no less), when Ryker comes back wanting to claim her. Why’d he reject her? Who knows because he still can’t give her a clear answer. The push and pull between them is deliciously frustrating. We can feel how much they want each other but are too stubborn or proud or dumb to work through it.
I know I say I’m always surprised by this, but the fact that there was a plot outside of romance was pleasant to see! We get only hints of it with Spade never going heavy handed on the were or vampire politics, but that’s what makes me want to continue with this series and this world she’s built. I want to learn the intricate ins and outs. I want to get into the gossip of every relationship and see how they each piece together. Honestly, I did not expect the reason for the rift to be what it was, which was a nice surprise (for me.) While the pacing did heavily favor the romance, feeling a bit rushed toward the end, I can rationalize this to myself by saying there is a very direct follow-up which likely will answer all the lingering questions.
Never His Mate by Sarah Spade is a quick paranormal romance that opens up a vast new world to explore. If you’re okay with miscommunications and fated mates, I think you’ll really like this one. If you can’t stand angst that could be cleared with a conversation, you might want to steer clear.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I really enjoyed the story but it wasn't as spicy as I was expecting especially after having read how much shifters love to "fight and fuck" in every chapter but almost nothing coming out of that 🤔 but still it was a fun potato chip book to read!!
Although at time I found the internal monologue quite tedious and the amount of times "because I am an alpha" and "I am a predator" was mention was a bit grating but I still enjoyed reading
Although at time I found the internal monologue quite tedious and the amount of times "because I am an alpha" and "I am a predator" was mention was a bit grating but I still enjoyed reading
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No