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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
If I could give this book 7 stars I would!! Cate outdid herself.
IF you want HOT, strong alpha, but a green flag hunk this book is for you. LISTEN TO ME (sorry Im excited) This is the best book she ever wrote. I was scared because at one point she mentioned that its giving her trouble but HOT DAMN . The way this was written, the way their characters were made, the way last pack was integreted in this story is magnificent. I thought nothing could ever beat Kilean and his pack but this. I have a feeling like Jane Austen wrote this book. Not that other books werent great, but its like she had some epiphany and wrote like shifter book 9000. His feelings bashful looks, the hurt. I was longing to read something that would give me that squeeze in my chest for a while. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD U DONT NEED SPICE, BUT MIND U, WE STILL GOT SPICE
IF you want HOT, strong alpha, but a green flag hunk this book is for you. LISTEN TO ME (sorry Im excited) This is the best book she ever wrote. I was scared because at one point she mentioned that its giving her trouble but HOT DAMN . The way this was written, the way their characters were made, the way last pack was integreted in this story is magnificent. I thought nothing could ever beat Kilean and his pack but this. I have a feeling like Jane Austen wrote this book. Not that other books werent great, but its like she had some epiphany and wrote like shifter book 9000. His feelings bashful looks, the hurt. I was longing to read something that would give me that squeeze in my chest for a while. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD U DONT NEED SPICE, BUT MIND U, WE STILL GOT SPICE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have been a somewhat ambivalent reader of Cate C. Wells’ Five Packs series. I don’t generally enjoy omegaverse or fated mates, I particularly don’t love rejected mates. But, I always enjoy Wells’ writing and I have appreciated the way she moves the Five Packs world from dismissive/abusive towards women to somewhat more equitable. It’s still a society with built in inequality and the pack members rights are only as strong as the alpha is willing to grant and enforce. There is quite a bit of social commentary along with some deeply emotional romances. This is why I love Wells’ books, the romance and the social commentary are the same story. I adore The Wild Wolf’s Rejected Mate. This book takes the previous four books and whacks them on the snout with a rolled up newspaper.
When Annie was a child she witnessed the men in the pack commit an act of sexual violence against the women in the pack, sanctioned by the alpha, resulting in one death. Annie has carried that trauma and the attendant anxiety since. Men aren’t safe, and men from the Last Pack are even more dangerous because they steal women away from the more civilized packs. So things don’t go well when Annie, at 18, finds out that Justus, from Last pack is her fated mate. Her trauma is triggered and Justus is too immature and inexperienced to understand that her fear is not weakness. He speaks unkind words that stick in Annie’s mind. When he approaches her again years later, he carries her off to his pack.
Finally, he lifts his chin to look her in the eyes, and he says, “Annie, I would give anything for you not to be afraid of me. Your fear is the greatest shame of my life.” He straightens, collecting a breath. “But we can’t stay here if you won’t shift. I’m sorry.”
He rises to his feet and scoops her up, too quickly for her to do anything but stiffen into a plank. He tucks her to his chest, his forearm supporting her belly, her rump in the crook of his elbow. She presses her nose to his damp skin. “I won’t hurt you, sweetling,” he says, his voice bitter and tired.
My wolf nuzzles him with her snout and inhales. All four of her limbs relax and dangle, swinging as he takes off toward the river.
He’s going to drown us. Bite him! Fight!
The voice is fighting her corner alone. My wolf begins to whack Justus’s bicep with her wagging tail as if she can’t even hear it. Maybe she can’t. The elders say the wolf and the man are one, but I can’t imagine ever letting a male carry me like a football.
This is where The Wild Wolf’s Rejected Mate gets really good. Justus has done a lot of growing up and has become a thoughtful mate and leader. Justus rejects the alpha structure of the “civilized” packs, pointing out that it’s based on observations of wolves in captivity, not wolves in the wild. Justus is sweet, thoughtful, and playful. He learns how to support Annie as she works through her anxiety and trauma. Annie talks about having a voice in her head. She calls it her “pecking voice” because it pecks at her about everything that can go wrong. I have something like that, but it’s more like a hyper vigilant part of my brain sends me a constant stream of memes. Sadly, I can’t shift into a wolf and be carried off by a mate who is willing to fight my devils (which would either be barking at the news, or disabling a whole bunch of cars).
I’ve read too many of Wells’ books to still be gobsmacked by how she gets me to read subgenres I don’t like. At this point, if she writes it, I’ll read it. There’s a yearning for community and belonging in her books that resonates with me. I don’t know if she’s trying to point us somewhere, or working through ideas in her own head. Either way, many of her books have become part of my emotional support library.
You can read The Wild Wolf’s Rejected Mate as a standalone, but it will make more sense in the context of the series.
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief
Annie and Justus story!! I have been waiting for Annie’s story since we met her in Book 1. She is what you might describe as skittish and in this book we finally figure out why. Justus is from the another pack and when Annie goes into heat he shows up. After a brief encounter Annie runs from Justus and Justus being young says some horrible things about there and leaves. Years past and Annie continues to live her life and ignore the fact she has a mate. Justus being older and wiser and seemingly the alpha of his pack comes back for and takes Annie back to his pack but can Annie overcome her fear long enough to see her mate for who he truly is?
I have read most of the books in this series and I have been waiting to read Annie’s story. This book deals with buried trauma and how one traumatic event can change the entire trajectory of a life. Annie’s trauma leads her to be fearful of everything and need to have order in her life to combat the chaos in her head. Justus is swoon-worthy. He is so earnest when he first meets Annie and has their who life planned, then he is heartbroken when she asks him to leave and remains afraid of him and he lashes out. Years later when he returns to finally hash things out with her he ends up taking her and doing everything he can to make her feel safe. I loved how he catered to her and was patient with her while she worked through her emotions. Each book keeps adding more and more to this world. I love the way there characters grow and change through this book. Great read.
I have read most of the books in this series and I have been waiting to read Annie’s story. This book deals with buried trauma and how one traumatic event can change the entire trajectory of a life. Annie’s trauma leads her to be fearful of everything and need to have order in her life to combat the chaos in her head. Justus is swoon-worthy. He is so earnest when he first meets Annie and has their who life planned, then he is heartbroken when she asks him to leave and remains afraid of him and he lashes out. Years later when he returns to finally hash things out with her he ends up taking her and doing everything he can to make her feel safe. I loved how he catered to her and was patient with her while she worked through her emotions. Each book keeps adding more and more to this world. I love the way there characters grow and change through this book. Great read.
This book follows Annie of the Quarry Pack.
Annie's always been anxious and scared of men, due to some trauma she experienced from when the Quarry Pack was in a shittier place. She finds her mate, Justus, long before any of the other girls in the house do, but as this book series go, gets rejected by him.
Years pass by before he's back, and this time, Justus isn't willing to let her go. She's taken to the Last Pack, a "wild" pack known for stealing the women of other packs, including the Quarry Pack. They're seen as backwards and uncivilized.
This book is the first in the series where we get to know the Last Pack, and it's pretty cool. They see themselves differently than the other packs both see them and see themselves. I think I prefer the Last Pack over any of the other packs in the series because of how they treat each other and view wolves.
Justus was nice as well, though I don't love the name, and I love the way he viewed his pack and acted. Didn't love the initial rejection; it seemed immature and inconsistent with both his character at the time and later.
Annie was alright. Not my favorite MC, though I was glad to know how her story played out.
This book was pretty good and on par for the series in general, so if you like the other books in this series, omegaverse-adjacent literature, romance, and the rejection and groveling tropes, you'll like this book.
Annie's always been anxious and scared of men, due to some trauma she experienced from when the Quarry Pack was in a shittier place. She finds her mate, Justus, long before any of the other girls in the house do, but as this book series go, gets rejected by him.
Years pass by before he's back, and this time, Justus isn't willing to let her go. She's taken to the Last Pack, a "wild" pack known for stealing the women of other packs, including the Quarry Pack. They're seen as backwards and uncivilized.
This book is the first in the series where we get to know the Last Pack, and it's pretty cool. They see themselves differently than the other packs both see them and see themselves. I think I prefer the Last Pack over any of the other packs in the series because of how they treat each other and view wolves.
Justus was nice as well, though I don't love the name, and I love the way he viewed his pack and acted. Didn't love the initial rejection; it seemed immature and inconsistent with both his character at the time and later.
Annie was alright. Not my favorite MC, though I was glad to know how her story played out.
This book was pretty good and on par for the series in general, so if you like the other books in this series, omegaverse-adjacent literature, romance, and the rejection and groveling tropes, you'll like this book.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This might be my favorite in the series. Who doesn't want someone to recognize they suffer from trauma? The emotional journey was exquisite.