3.75stars—CRUEL MATE is the eighteenth instalment in Sam Crescent’s contemporary, adult ALPHA SHIFTER erotic, paranormal, romance series. This is wolf shifters Ashley Simpkin, and nomad Phoenix Marshall’s story line. CRUEL MATE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Ashley and Phoenix) CRUEL MATE follows in the wake of Ashley’s rejection by her fated mate. Five years earlier, eighteen years old, high school graduate and having completed her first shift, Ashley was on top of the world until forty-year old, Phoenix Marshall, nomad and temporary pack alpha rejects his teenaged mate destroying her self esteem and heart in the process. Fast forward to present day, Phoenix realizes he has made a mistake, and is determined to claim Ashley Simpkin as his mate but all does not go according to plan when Ashley refuses to accept Phoenix has changed his mind. What ensues is the building relationship between Ashley and Phoenix, and the potential fall-out as Ashley wants to keep secret the truth going forward.

Phoenix Marshall grew up in the foster care system, rejected by one family after another. Never having been part of a pack, Phoenix knew nothing about fated mates, and refused to accept Ashley as his future wife.Ashley Simpkin never knew heart break like the rejection by her mate. Broken and destroyed, Ashley prepared to move on, move away, and change her appearance to make herself more attractive to a future mate. Falling for Phoenix means submitting to the man who destroyed her self esteem but living a life alone means loneliness for the rest of her life.The $ex scenes are intimate and erotic.


We are introduced to Ashley’s parents Ben and Lean Simpkin, as well as Ashley’s best friend Daniel who is desperate to find a mate of his own.

CRUEL MATE is a story of betrayal, secrets and lies, rejection and forgiveness, family and friendships. The fast paced premise is entertaining; the romance is steamy and fated; the characters are broken, energetic and dynamic.



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Liked the beginning and the start of their relationship. Was a little put of by the age diffrence and some of the wording. I would have liked if it was somthing more than just the relationship that was the problem and that the wolf part of them was more then just "mate".

This is my first Sam Crescent read. And I enjoyed it so much.

3.75 stars

This shifter story focuses on Ashley, a curvy, freshly turned shifter. And her mate, Phoenix, the nomad Alpha who is twice her age. Phoenix, having never grown up around in pack, felt like this wrong going by human standards. So he rejects her in a cruel way. Ashley is absolutely devastated and it shapes her very core.

5 years later, Phoenix finally comes to term that he can’t stay away. But is he too late? Will Ashley be able to find it in herself to forgive him?

This is a sweet shifter novella. Novellas are always a little hard because I always want more. More character development. More story. However, this was still a good read. Easily done before bed. Sam conveyed Ashley’s hurt so well. I was so devastated for her. I wasn’t sure if Phoenix deserved to be forgiven, but when you realize his backstory, you can at least understand his motives. Overall, a good read.

Really more of a 2.5 star but I will round up because it feels closer to a 3 than a 2.

This was a short quick read that was mainly focused on the romance and smut. There was no real plot outside of the relationship between the two leads.

I feel like Ashley reacted how anyone would receiving a rejection like the one she got from Phoenix. Like dude went for the jugular and went to the extreme with the threat during his rejection. I get where he was coming from but I think that he was so out of line.

The book was mostly him trying to win back her trust and forgiveness. I am a huge fan of groveling and Phoenix did do a decent amount but I would have liked to see him do more to actually earn her trust back after having left her for five years. I do not think I would have forgiven him as fast as she did but maybe that is more of a me thing, but after five years I feel like the man should be put through the paces.

I would have also liked to have seen Ashely heal her relationship with her body and food more. Which I know is asking a lot for a book of this length. I just think these characters could have had so much more done with them.

It was a sweet romantic read though and if you are looking for something short and heart warming this is definitely the right choice.


I received an ARC copy of this book from net galley and this review is being provided for free :)

2.5 stars

Don't let the rating fool you, I did read this book relatively quickly and it was a nice quick read. I would absolutely choose to read another book by the same author. However, It just didn't hit the spot for me.

To start off, I am currently on an age gap kick. I went into this not realizing there was a gap at all only to find it was 22 years apart. A pleasant surprise indeed. Ashley reacted just how I'd expect an 18/23 year old to act while Phoniex sometimes just came off a little overkill sometimes. The "I'll kill your whole family" portion was a bit much especially for someone he just rejected.

I thought the romance was somewhat cute/predictable. The Fated mates troupe usually means that at some point biologically they will start to like each other even when I couldn't understand why. I think seeing Phoniex POV helped a bit with redeeming him, but I still was 100% a fan of him. Ashley keeping her bearings about herself was a positive I have for the book. Go Ashley!

Romance was cute and I thought the sex/smut was fine. Nothing too crazy although I was wondering about birth control logistics a few times. Would definitely give this author another chance.

This is not your typical shifter romance. Ashley grew up as a member of the pack and was eagerly awaiting finding her mate. The night of her first shift she found him and the attraction was off the charts for Ashley, unfortunately her newly found mate was the pack’s nomad alpha Phoenix, who didn’t seem to feel the same way as Ashley. Fast forward a few years of steadfast avoidance by Ashley and her worst nightmare has been realized. Phoenix is putting down his nomad roots and moving to the pack permanently, however she soon finds out there’s no way to avoid their predestined relationship. So at first Phoenix seems like the biggest jerk but when you find out what has hardened his heart and realize his cruel taunts were made out of desperation you come to realize he was trying to do right by Ashley. Those of you familiar with this author will not be disappointed by the super hot connection between the two leads and the steamy flirting attempts from Phoenix will have you looking for a fan. My only wish was that the story was a bit longer as everything seemed to happen super fast, especially give the flash forward of time, but still a nice quick and steamy alpha male (literally in this instance), shifter romance. 4 stars. I voluntarily read and reviewed an arc copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars! This was a shirt and sweet book! I thought it was fun and I liked the predictability of it!

Tropes:
Rejected mates
Second chance romance
Age gap
Plus size FMC representation
Shifter romance

The pacing was good, this was definitely a character driven story. No big climatic event/problems to solve - just our two main characters getting over their own stubborn selves to rekindle their romance. Thank you for sending me the arc!

This was a quick and spicy read!
Couldn’t put the book down and finished it in two sittings!

I like a fast read in between looong books. It was easy and accessible language and I had such a good time reading it. I love a good paranormal/fantasy romance, it’s my fave genre.

Never read anything by this author before but now I’m looking up her other books to read!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Evernight Publishing for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I liked this predictable book (the outcome). Phoenix is an on again/off again alpha, and is in his 40's. His mate Ashley just turned 18. He says some things that she misunderstands and 5 years later-he has to grovel. I liked this part, that Ashley didn't just submit. Fun read. 3.5 stars

Summary - After transitioning and joining the pack on her 18th birthday Ashley comes face to face with her mate. Who turns out to be none other than the pack Alpha Phoenix, a nomad who grew up without a pack. After noticing their age different Phoenix rejects Ashley. She spends the next 5 years avoiding him at all costs, when he is in town. Ashley wants to move on with her life and leave town, but Phoenix has other plans. Will these 2 become lifelong mates or will Ashley tell Phoenix to get lost?

Pros- Fun fast paced read

Cons- I wish the book was longer and more things happened

Trope- Enemies to lovers

TW- Rejection

Spice level – 2

ARC provided by NetGalley and Evernight Publishing in exchange for honest review.

This was short and sweet! I’m a fan of Sam Crescent’s writing style and I’ve enjoyed what I have read of this series so far. They can all be read as standalones.

I loved how Ashley was a plus-sized fmc. I feel like you don’t see that enough. The rejected mate trope is one of my favorites. I'm so happy Ashley didn't just roll over and accept him back. Make him work for that shit girl.

Still love Sam Crescent. There was a depth of emotion in this book that is sometimes missing in past books in the series. I also liked the character development and the groveling, and that Ashley didn't give in to easily.

I will say that any rejection from a mate is brutal and this was one of them. I didn't know what to expect but his reasoning was enough for me to forgive him. I liked how everything in the story unraveled and came together. I enjoyed reading it. It's sad for just a moment and then the warmth of instant mate connection is there.

When Ashley was eighteen, she had her first transition into a wolf and found her mate. Phoenix was a nomad biker and a wolf shifter. He arrived in town just in time to save the pack and ended up becoming the Alpha. He never stayed more than a few days. One day he goes into a bar and smells something heavenly. He has found his mate but she's only eighteen and he says some things that hurt her.
Five years later, Phoenix comes back to town and is ready to claim his mate. Ashley was terribly hurt by him and tries to avoid him. Phoenix will do anything to get Ashley to forgive him.

Sex. A biker. A full figured woman. Secrets. Wolf shifters.

* Received from Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it *

Let me start off by first saying, i have found me a new author!!! This book was awesome! My emotions were everywhere. It kept me on edge and intrigued the whole time! Some of the parts of the plot I could relate to. If you want a HEA that sends your emotions haywire, this is the book for you! Now on to read the next one in the series!!!!

Huh... The rejection scene was... not kind. Poor Ashley. Unfortunately, on the day of her transition, Phoenix struck her with his brutal rejection. This shapes her accordingly and leads to the fact that she does everything in the following 5 years to avoid him.

- Well, if Mister nomad biker didn't lay an egg with it himself. Because at some point you can no longer escape the pull of the mate bond. He also has to realize that Ashley interpreted his words completely differently than he meant them.
- So what to do? - Grovel (Big time)! And be sneaky (The big boy plays the alpha card here).
... Ah.. I really liked that part. Also that the plot primarily revolves around the couple; without other distractions. That fitted very well here. The story was nice to read.

The pacing was fine, it was an interesting scenario, charged main characters with spirit, and existential problems that need to be dealt with.

This book was super predictable. While. the main focus is the love story. Generally, within this genre, there is a side story/plot going on at the same time. Not here, and the book suffered for it. The characters are not rememberable and while the struggle the main female character goes through in regards to her body is very real that is the one very relatable thing about any of the characters. The story while lacking wasn't wholly bad and if you're looking for a quick read then this would work.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARN to review this book.

ARC Review of Cruel Mate by Sam Crescent
* * * * *
A shifter/mate rejection romance that is another added favourite from this fabulous author.

Ashley has just turned eighteen and shifted into her wolf for the first time. Happy and excited, she did not expect to walk outside and meet her mate so sudden...and to be cruely rejected by him all at once after a steamy first kiss.
To make it all the more complicated, her mate was her pack's nomad alpha, and after breaking her heart he has left again.
Pheonix was too old to be with Ashley, a beautiful curvy young woman just having entered adulthood. Five years later, he's had enough of the travelling. His bike no longer appeals to him. The open road means nothing. He misses the little community he became responsible for...as well as certain young wolf who is making sure to avoid him.
He cannot keep ignoring her.
The issue of her age still lingers but he can no longer fight the urge to claim her as his.

Another fantastic shifter romance that I love getting from Sam Crescent. Having being raised from two different worlds really puts the perspective of the age gap issue into play, and how a love can overlook it. Love that Ashley's extreme dieting came up and how it can be very unhealthy.

This was a fun quick read! This is a second chance after Ashley’s (heroine) fated mate rejected her in a brutal way. They have to build a relationship and reconcile those lost 5 years. I loved both main characters. I felt so badly for them and Phoenix’s background was so tragic. I understand why he rejected her. Their chemistry was 🥵!

Trope:
Second chance
Rejected mate
Age gap 10+years