I went into this book hesitantly after all of the warnings, but I really enjoyed the story I found inside! Nat and Caleb really grew up together and would do anything for each other. They are the perfect example of friends to lovers and I am looking forward to reading more books in this series!

When Nat, a shy young girl who grew up too quickly, stumbles upon a terrifying yet gorgeous wolf boy in the woods, she takes him in.When I started reading I couldn't put it down. Lexie Talionis is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book

This book is excellently written and described but I just couldn't get into it when reading. I normally like this genre however it is not my favourite. For someone who loves this genre, you would love this book without a doubt.

A fantastic and unique erotic love story. I have always loved the "founding true mate" trope. But this book was the total opposite, and in a odd paranormal way, it made total sense. Though I have read about choosen partners in Throne Of Glass series, they were not really very clear about it. Their were just human falling for witch or fae and vice versa. But in this book Caleb fell for Nat and defied every rule, which are supposed to be so called nature's rule. Entirely in love with it.

"Twilight" fans (and Jacob stans) rejoice, this steamy shapeshifter romance will be right up your alley.

Following the story of a teen girl who stumbles upon a werewolf boy living alone in the woods, "Unfated Mates" attempts to turn the tried-and-true mate troupe on its head but ends up transforming it into several others, namely a forbidden romance with a touch of destined-to-be-together tones.

A Wattpad fiction turned published novel, this story certainly reads as such. Jam-packed full of grimness, the characters are put through the wringer by the unbelievably terrible adults in their lives and face challenge after challenge to the point of their suffering being almost gratuitous (and chock-full of trigger warnings like addiction, rape, sexual assault, violence, murder, abuse, homophobia…you name it).

The mix between teen novel and adult erotica was a little strange at first. The synopsis warns that the characters in this story are young, but be aware that they start out at a mere 15 and remain naively so for half the novel, which may be unsettling for some. The story does skip ahead to when the characters become a ripe 18 before things get really naughty, but the pair remain quite innocent throughout and are certainly still teenagers. At times, consent and violence were also questionable at best, but this could be considered to add to the alpha-male romance elements and serve to make the story even grittier.

Despite its faults, this story was quite devourable and, I must admit, everything my younger self once craved. Aside from a few brief moments where descriptions get somewhat muddled and confusing, the story is gripping and charged with relentless energy, with a steady pacing that will keep readers interested until the very end.

Overall, the novel is a very solid taboo/shifter romance that’s greatest fault is being published too late…and that its blurb spoils most of its plot. I rated "Unfated Mates" 3 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Ceteris Paribus Publishing and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
I was intrigued by the plot and looking forward to this one. However, let's just say this was not what I was expecting. To sum this up, think annoying Bella Swan with no father and a drug addict mother who befriends and has sex with Jacob Black.
So Nat is a shy and bullied young woman who befriends a wolf and feeds it. One day the wolf turns into a human male named Caleb. They bond and fall in love. Caleb is a sex crazed boy/wolf. And yes they have forms of sex while he's in wolf form. 😳 Nat to me was very naive and annoying. She let Caleb do sexual things to her and then would turn around afterwards and scold him for doing it. Um okay...
Caleb was way too controlling and didn't like being told no.
This was just not for me.

Trigger warning for (mild) mentions of sexual assault, especially on a minor.

I typically do not like shifter romances, but I was intrigued by the concept of fated mates fighting against that predetermined fate, and this did not disappoint.

Deliciously awkward characters. Sex scenes are sensual, not vulgar.

My only complaint is how quickly Caleb seems to accept what he is once he meets others of his kind, despite being a 'lone wolf' for so many years.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book**
I just couldn’t get into it and it just isn’t my style.

I almost didn't bother with this book because I'd read another of the author's books, and it sucked so bad it tainted me. This, however, was actually decently written. There were lots of times I became almost emotional because of the way the suffering of the characters was portrayed. It was done really well, and I felt I was able to connect with them and care about what happens to them, which is really important for me.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I thoroughly read the warnings on this, but I guess I didn't expect the dog sex to be like.. like dog sex lol. That didn't really do it for me, but there were a lot of scenes between the MCs which were well-done steam aside from the dog bits. I'm an open-minded gal. I can get into some objectively weird shit. If things were a bit more anthropomorphic, I could have suspended the disbelief, but this was a bit too realistic for me and just mostly made me uncomfortable. I'm not docking anything for that though. It's like drinking a can of orange pop and complaining that it tasted too orange. *shrug*

Unfated Mates is a paranormal romance between a shifter and a teen girl. Nat finds Caleb in the woods as a wolf when she's a young teen and convinces her mom to pretend he's her brother so he can live with them.

The story then jumps to around the 17-18 age range, at which point the teens are in lust with one another, but are hampered by the fact that Caleb has already been mated to another shifter. I loved the idea of the fantasy of having a relationship with your dog that could turn into a teen boy because I'm sure many teen girls out there would find a relationship with their dog preferable to dealing with teen boys. (I'm kidding - sort of...) Nat was depicted as this fairly naive teen, but any kid who's been caring for their own alcoholic parent is typically much more worldly than she is. Overall, I thought it was an interesting plot, fast-paced, and had interesting characters.

Not my first Shifter book and won't be my last. I have suddenly got an urge this type of book and the Dreame app has been supplying many. However, they are full of grammar and simple errors that make them hard to read. This was refreshing in that sense.

I did feel the characters were a little younger than I was used to, but I enjoyed the spice, even if it did feel a little odd that they were so young.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I felt there were elements that should have further trigger warnings for readers. As someone who has experienced some of them, it would have been better to have them specified at the beginning of the book.

If Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater crossed and resulted in an erotica? It would be Unfated Mates.

I absolutely love how Talionis is very explicit in the summary: you know what to expect from the Monster F*cking and you go in expecting a YA-ish story in the first half (both mid teens), followed by a very New Adult Second half (both late teens).

This book just worked for me! Clearly it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but oh heck was it mine!

Nat is a social outcast, just trying to stay under the radar of child services so she can continue to live with her mother in their trailer at the edge of town. She is fourteen when she first discovers a large wolf in the woods. But this wolf doesn’t hurt her, instead she learns that he is a boy, Caleb, who has been fending for himself without a family. Nat takes him in as her “long-lost brother” and Caleb begins to live his life in the human world, but their connection ignites when they both grow older, until it becomes something neither can resist.

There is something so nostalgic and charming about all of the characters in Unfated Mates. They’re all awkward teenagers that try to do their best, fail sometimes, but keep getting up to try again. The chemistry between Nat and Caleb is absolutely explosive and just delicious. You get your drama from them hiding from the people in their town who think they’re actually siblings and from them trying to keep Caleb’s wolf under wraps, all while Caleb fights a reaction in his body that makes it painful to give and recieve pleasure from Nat in his human form… but only in his human form - if you catch my drift.

If you love drama filled paranormal YA, but want more monster spice? I think you might just have a good time with Unfated Mates. Just be sure to read all of Talionis’s summary beforehand so you know exactly what you’re signing up for.

Originally I had this at 4 stars, but I just had to add on an extra star for how good it hit my own personal itch of older YA stories cranked up extra hot.

*I received an eARC from Ceteris Paribus Publishing & NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

This book just wasn’t for me. I didn’t feel like I could connect with the story and stay interested. I thought it would be more adult as in the characters would be older than high schoolers. I thought that the premise of shift romance and a rejecting of a mating bond was so brilliant. This just fell short for me. There are a few explicit scenes and they just weren’t for me.

*thank you to netgalley for the arc

If you’re going to read this, please heed the warnings.

To start off, I have read my fair share of shifter romance and Unfated Mate was interesting, to say the least. It follows the story of Nat and Caleb who are trying to fight fate to be together. They faced many obstacles, but their love overcame it all. The storyline uses several romantic tropes to create an intriguing story to capture the reader's attention.

I had no problem reading through this book in one day, but I did find it a little uncomfortable considering that they’re younger than the characters I normally read about. Other than their young age, I did find the story concept unique. I also adored the side characters and can’t wait to read about Preston and Ethan.

This book was not my favorite I wished I had more writing dive into of their relationship together.This was ok read for me.

I enjoyed this book! This book is much more than taboo. Its a love story about a couple trying to fight against fate to be together. The way Nat and Caleb met was so sweet. I am a huge animal lover so I related to her need to care for the wolf regardless of how huge and scary looking he was. The amount Caleb and Nat love each other was evident throughout the entire book.

It took a while for Vik to show up in the story but once she did, it started to get really interesting. I enjoyed the drama and tension she caused but my heart broke for Nat when Vik came into the picture.

I also loved Preston and Ethan's relationship. I knew there was something there when Ethan kept asking Caleb questions about his body and his fated mate. I was rooting for them by the end of the book. I'm looking forward to reading their story next!

This wasn’t for me. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but this book just overall confused me. I tried to stay engaged with the characters but it fell flat. I wasn’t able to invest myself in the plot. I think it had potential, just wasn’t for me.

I really enjoyed this book - it is very spicy so keep that in mind when reading. It keeps you engaged and wanting to know what happens next. As always check tw/cw before reading but overall it was a great story!

Unfated mates by Lexie Talionis.
Nat, a shy young girl who grew up too quickly, stumbles upon a terrifying yet gorgeous wolf boy in the woods. She takes him in, pretending he's her brother, making it awfully difficult for them when they find themselves falling in love. That and the fact that he can't seem to get hard, no matter how much he wants to be with her.
When they discover his body won't work because he already has a fated mate, Nat is devastated. But Caleb refuses to heed his body's call. No drug of destiny is going to tear him away from the girl he's wanted so desperately for so long but could never take...as a human. And if clinging to her means becoming a rabid monster, so be it.
A good read with good characters. Likeable story. I did like the cover. 3*.

Unfated Mates: A Fated Mates / Rejected Mates Trope Twist on a Coming-of-age Werewolf Romance by Lexie Talionis uses several romantic tropes to propel this intriguing story. The storyline uses elements of forbidden love (everyone thinks they are related), impotent love, protector, orphan (Caleb is an actual orphan and for all intents and purposes, so is Nat), and coming of age (we watch them grow to young adulthood). However, the most interesting and mind-bending trope is the one related to soul and/or fated mates. When Nat encounters Caleb she thinks he is a hungry wolf, it is only when she continuously tries to care for him by feeding him a variety of unappealing food choices that he reveals that he is a wolf shifter. Caleb sees the enormous heart that Nat has; she is literally starving but can not bear the thought of him going without food. Caleb has lost his parents and has no one else in the word; while the thought of leaving the woods to live with Nat is a hard decision to make, he knows that the love they have for each other is real and worth the sacrifice. Unfortunately, because Nat is not his fated mate, they are unable to consummate their union and act out their physical love. Or can they? I have read many stories from the shifter-verse and this one has one of the more unique concepts. The author was kind enough to tell us that we might end up clutching our pearls, but frankly, I have read more graphic depictions of shifter sex and found Caleb and Nat’s initial union to be more cute than shocking. In conclusion, this book was soulful and heart breaking; Nat’s home and school life was dismal until she met Caleb. They faced obstacles but their extraordinary love overcame them all. I loved the secondary characters, especially Preston and Ethan; I look forward to reading their story soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ceteris Paribus Publishing for this ARC for an honest opinion!