Book Review: The Lone Wolf's Rejected Mate by Cate C. Wells

The Five Packs series is pure fun and I'm having a fantastic time reading it. The Lone Wolf's Rejected Mate was a great addition. Can't wait to dive into the next one!

The Lone Wolf's Rejected Mate (Five Packs #3) by Cate C. Wells

After one night, he walked away. He’s going to live to regret it.

Mari
Growing up alone in Quarry Pack, I always dreamed of a mate who’d sweep me off my feet and carry me away to our very own cottage that we’d fill with pups and love and laughter. A real family.

What I got?

Wham, bam, thank you ma’am.

The pack sees Darragh Ryan as a tortured hero with a dark past, protecting the pack from afar.

I know better. He’s a jerk who can’t deal with people so he’s chosen to live in the wilderness and—I don’t know—brood. One thing I do know is that he doesn’t get to reject me.

I reject him.

Darragh
Mari doesn’t understand what she doesn’t know. She’s naïve, soft, and way too young and sweet for a life of self-imposed exile.

She’s a grown female who sits in trees, reading books, and wears party dresses to garden. Everything she owns is pink. Her wolf is probably pink.

She can’t handle the real world, and she sure can’t handle my wolf. No one can.

One day, she’ll understand why I won’t claim her, and she might not thank me, but she should.

Because my wolf? Given half a chance, he’d tear her apart.

The Lone Wolf’s Rejected Mate is the third novel in The Five Packs series, but it can be read as a standalone. No cheating. HEA guaranteed. Intended for adult readers only.

4 out of 5 stars

The Lone Wolf’s Rejected Mate was so freaking good and I had a great time reading it. As soon as I started, I was immediately invested. It was fast-paced, exciting, and super entertaining. I loved learning about Darragh and Mari and watching these two complicated shifters come together. I was hooked right from the start!

Darragh and Mari had a heck of a ride. There’s a pull between them, but also an age difference, and Darragh has some issues, so he tried to stay away. Once they knew they were mates, there was a lot of back and forth, and Mari felt confused and rejected. I felt so much for her, and after learning about her past, I understood why that rejection stung so much. There was a lot of emotion, tension, and pain. But Darragh keeps coming around, and even though he could be frustrating, by the end, I loved him because he kept doing sweet things. I loved learning about Darragh’s past and why he held back. Even though these two could have a lot of strain in their relationship, there were a lot of heated and endearing moments too. Their wolves together were so cute! By the end, when the epilogue came around, I was so ridiculously happy for Darragh.

There were a lot of things I liked. I loved learning more about the pack dynamics and Mari’s friendship with the other unclaimed women. I loved learning about Mari and Darragh’s wolves and their interactions together. I liked the element of danger involved and how Darragh was there for Mari. There's a nice amount of drama and a heck of a fight scene too. There were just a lot of great moments and scenes and I was into it all.

I liked the details and build, and I enjoyed the growth of the characters. I do think there could have been a bit more development between them but in the end, it was the overall story and the way I got lost in the world and characters that made this a winner for me.