Unfated Mates by Lexie Talionis

A cocky orphan wolf boy. A shy human girl. And a love forbidden by fate itself.

Wandering deep into the winter woods to escape her mother’s boyfriend, Nat fears she may have run from one horror only to be devoured by another. A terrifying giant of a wolf lurks in the shadows, hunting for prey.

And only one thing will satisfy his hunger…

A sweet TABOO fated & rejected mates trope twist on an angsty high school teen coming-of-age shifter / werewolf romance. YA part 1; steamy / explicit NA part 2. Dual POV. This book pushes boundaries!

My Review

This story is about a damaged MC, Nat, and a lone wolf shifter, Caleb; it is an engaging coming-of-age, chosen mate romance but very teenage and new adult with some very animalistic, steamy scenes. The author brings the story to places I’ve read before, such as knotting and interspecies mating. But all that being said, the book has some animal intimacy that needs to be added to the content warning. The story overall is okay, but definitely for an older audience than the characters are written in. They initially seem very naive and eventually grow up, but their experiences are still very high school. However, I wouldn’t recommend this to a young reader because the content is so brazen. I do like the emotional response in the book. Overall, it was a weird read. 

This story began with two parts and a content warning. We start the story with Nat. She is an outcast in life with a larger-than-average height, an addicted mother, and a home that isn’t like everyone else’s. The book is set in Missouri, which is fascinating to me as many books are less specific in the setting. Her encounter with the wolf in the woods is so well described. Apparently, the wolf she has befriended is actually a wolf shifter. 

Caleb is a little wild. A child who grew up in the woods by himself, he doesn’t know the rules of society. He is sweet with Nat but also slightly inappropriate, but he doesn’t mean to me. This isn’t intimacy as much as it is childish behavior as he strives to understand her. 

They both seem to have the same affliction: it hurts to be away, but it hurts to be close, and as their relationship and intimacy grow, this pain seems to interrupt them. This part ends with teenage love, but they are still very young and riding their emotions. 

Part two 

This begins with Caleb. He is still the fierce, protective, crazy-in-love teenager, except now he is a senior. In this story, the author explores animal intimacy with more steamy scenes between humans and not-so-human characters. This second part is beyond steamy for young adults. 

This is the first paranormal and wolf shifter romance I have stumbled upon without warning from the author. I’m unsure how I feel about it being out of the blue. Overall, the story is excellent and interesting, if not a little young, but it does mention coming of age as a trope. 

This book was reading very well until Vick, Ethan’s older sister, appeared in the story. Now Natalie’s world is shattering around her. Interestingly, the author has discarded so much of the lore for an everyday wolf-shifter romance. Also, there appeared to be a minor spelling mistake. 

Okay, so I like the chosen mate trope in this book, but if you’re not comfortable with animal/human interspecies mating, don’t read this one, as the author totally went there. The book ends on a buoyant but weird note, and I don’t know why it brought up the past just so that it would walk away. It’s a dramatic ending, but it’s kind of pointless as well.

If you would like to read Unfated Mates by Lexie Talionis, you can find it on Amazon. As an Amazon Assocaite, I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Chosen Mate, Coming of Age, and Wolf Shifters.