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A review by _isabel_
The Tyrant Alpha's Rejected Mate by Cate C. Wells
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Well, that was a delightful (and brief) foray into M/F romances. I stopped reading non-queer books a while back, but after reading several glowing reviews on bookgram (and also because I could never resist a good ol' grovel-fest romance), my reader brain wanted to give this novel a try. I loved it, needless to say.
I absolutely adored Una: she's a fantastic protagonist, complex and a bit damaged, afraid but still very protective, a badass at heart, fierce and vulnerable at the same time. I think one of the reasons I stopped reading M/F was because I felt I never could measure up to how powerful and beautiful some of the female protagonists were and it made me feel insecure: although I won't be coming back to the genre on a regular basis, I now feel like I definitely have to find more romances like this, where the heroine is contradictory and realistic, imperfect but lovable and admirable, a definitely not one of those beautifully inhuman superwomen. I also absolutely adored all the other female characters: Annie and Mari were wonderful and Kennedy? I'll be forever praying she gets her own novel because I. LOVED. HER. SO. MUCH.
Killian, our hero, was a bit more difficult to like: he's tough and okay, yes, hot. But he's also a walking, talking caveman stereotype and I kept waiting for somebody to beat some sense into him. He eventually gets over himself and slowly, but surely, he starts acting less like an asshole. And yes, even though I still wanted to kick him near the end, all the groveling was absolutely glorious. And I loved how helplessly wrapped around Una's finger he was: the epilogue was *chef's kiss* peak comedy and romance.
All in all, this was a delightful romance: addicting and somewhat angsty, romantic and steamy and so, so satisfying. Definitely recommended.
I absolutely adored Una: she's a fantastic protagonist, complex and a bit damaged, afraid but still very protective, a badass at heart, fierce and vulnerable at the same time. I think one of the reasons I stopped reading M/F was because I felt I never could measure up to how powerful and beautiful some of the female protagonists were and it made me feel insecure: although I won't be coming back to the genre on a regular basis, I now feel like I definitely have to find more romances like this, where the heroine is contradictory and realistic, imperfect but lovable and admirable, a definitely not one of those beautifully inhuman superwomen. I also absolutely adored all the other female characters: Annie and Mari were wonderful and Kennedy? I'll be forever praying she gets her own novel because I. LOVED. HER. SO. MUCH.
Killian, our hero, was a bit more difficult to like: he's tough and okay, yes, hot. But he's also a walking, talking caveman stereotype and I kept waiting for somebody to beat some sense into him. He eventually gets over himself and slowly, but surely, he starts acting less like an asshole. And yes, even though I still wanted to kick him near the end, all the groveling was absolutely glorious. And I loved how helplessly wrapped around Una's finger he was: the epilogue was *chef's kiss* peak comedy and romance.
All in all, this was a delightful romance: addicting and somewhat angsty, romantic and steamy and so, so satisfying. Definitely recommended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment