Sarah O'Connor

“He would die for her, and he would kill for her. More importantly, he will live for her,” (Hazelwood).

Serena Paris is the first Human-Were known to the world. Orphaned and without a pack, Serena thought that her existence might have repaired the rift between Humans, Weres, and Vampyres but if anything it’s only put a target on her back. Serena realizes she can’t survive this alone and so she turns to Koen, the Alpha  of the Northwest pack, who also happens to be her mate. Koen won’t let anyone harm Serena even if she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, but with the threat of dangerous Vampyres and a strange group of Weres as well as Serena’s own inner conflict, she isn’t sure if there is anyone who actually can save her.

I surprisingly loved Bride and was happy to learn it was getting a sequel where we’d get to learn more about Serena. She appears only briefly in Bride, but I found her character so interesting that I was excited when Mate came out. But honestly, it was pretty disappointing.

Hazelwood is a great writer and that’s probably the only saving grace for this book because otherwise it was pretty dull. It was clear in Bride that Hazelwood wrote it for her own enjoyment, but Mate felt like it was written because she was forced to. It isn’t as fun as it’s predecessor and it’s ending gets so conveniently wrapped up in every way possible.

Serena is still an interesting character, but I found the conflict she was dealing with to be a bit much (and honestly, I kind of called it early on) and it felt like Koen and Serena really were only together because they were mates. I didn’t feel the build of romance that existed between Misery and Lowe, and there was just so much that didn’t happen in the book. While I did like a rival faction of Weres that came in and thought there was some interesting plot points, that also is conveniently solved. I understand that Hazelwood didn’t want to return to the series, but maybe just don’t write it if everything is just going to be magically fixed in the end?

Mate is an easy book, and maybe bigger fans of the Omegaverse will love this, but I’ve always been a vampire girlie. But I’m not going to stop reading Hazelwood, her books are fun and light and the perfect palette cleanser for me!

Publication: October 7 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 457 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Library
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Romantasy
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤
Summary:

Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey for the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her. 
As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe. 
But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…