Mate

De: Ali Hazelwood

Narrado por: Ellie Gossage, Teddy Hamilton

A Human hybrid and an Alpha Were claw against the bonds of fate in the highly anticipated companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Bride.

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 to 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....

©2025 Ali Hazelwood (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Ali Hazelwood can write IKEA instructions & I will read it

As my most highly anticipated of this year, Mate did not disappoint. I have no idea when Ali sleeps but at this rate, I will read anything she reads & I know I will always have a good time.

As far as this world goes, I was wondering how she was going to make this story different enough from Bride that it would still be interesting but Koen was the perfect grumpy MMC. The banter was there, the cute nicknames were there and the tension was there. Serena was the right mix of bold, insecure and witty.

The narration for this particular book was far superior than Bride.

Spice level 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Even Better Than The First!!!

I absolutely adored this book! Ali Hazelwood outdid herself again. This book is written so well and compels you to binge listen to it as much as you can. Perfect ending to such an amazing duology! So much happens in this book and it dives so much deeper into the were-world. (WHAT ABOUT THAT HEAT THOUGH!)

This book has everything - spice, banter, grumpy/sunshine, intensity. SO, SO, GOOD!

If you loved Bride, then you will adore Mate.

The duet narration in this book was superb! Both Ellie Gossage and Teddy Hamilton did an excellent job. I said so for Bride, but I also love that at the beginning of each chapter, there is a brief POV from Cohen.

Love! Fantasy! & 🪢

Ali once again weaves a masterfully captivating tale filled with chemistry and charm. The storyline draws us in with the taste of unrequited love and only once we think we understand does she throw the next thing at us. You will love the characters' witty banter and Ali’s gentle nods to real life anecdotes. Ali has an incredible ability to infuse each scene with palpable tension and emotion locking us readers in for the ride as we dive through past traumas and finally cannonball into the heart of the characters' love and passion. This book is a masterpiece but of course it is, Ali is a true visionary. 💚

Serena & Kohen 💚🖤

Holy cow! I didn’t think I could love another book in this series more than Bride, but here I am… in LOVE with Mate! Ali Hazelwood is magical. That’s the best way I can describe her writing. I’ve never been a fan of “shifter romances” or “knotting” until NOW! 🥵😮‍💨 Have mercy! The dynamics between Serena & Kohen are so angsty & tension-filled I felt like I was being edged! 🥵 The way Serena was described while she was in heat made me feel like I was in heat! 🥵🥵🥵 Brilliant BRILLIANT job by Teddy Hamilton and Ellie Gossage with narration. Chef’s kiss! 😘 🤌🏻

Second book is much better

Everyone was super hyped over the first book (Bride) and to be honest it was OK, but it wasn’t like a super great book. I do feel like it was overly hyped but with the second book, I did enjoy it a lot more,The banter the chemistry the slow burn was actually very enjoyable, I definitely recommend the second book overall how complex everything was and the spice scene was very worth the wait.

Loved!

Great intro into the Omegaverse world if you are new to it. The best witty banter, yummy alpha male. Audio performances were perfect! Will def re read/listen

Ali did knot disappoint!

I was anxiously waiting to read Serna and Koen's story! Ali did not disappoint.

Was the slow burn, burning? For the LONGEST time. Did it frustrate me enough to DNF this book? HELL NO! Lol
I ate it up so fast, Serena did not get a chance to get kidnapped a fourth, fifth (?) time 🤣 And of course, it did not hurt to see the knot resurface (lol)

I loved Serena's character, it is OBVIOUS why she and Misery work so well and I love their sisterhood and bond. I also loved Serena's almost seamless integration into the pack and the way they didn't miss a beat with her intro into the group dynamic.

I do wish the Prologue had been explored a little deeper, I saw that twist coming but would've still liked a deeper insight into that whole scene/scenario. I also would've loved to have seen more Serena/Misery/Ana interactions but it's Serena's journey to discover herself and herstory.

Perfection

I loved the slow build of this book. The spicy scenes are beautiful. The gradual love building between the two main characters is so sweet. The banter…. I loved this story. The narrators did a fantastic job.

Perfect Mates

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Mate. I enjoyed Bride so much that I didn’t think Mate could be better.

But it is. It’s so good. The banter was so good - honestly top tier. Really appreciated the sarcastic and witty quips that don’t feel forced at all. Loved that Koen and Serena got a storyline that really stood alone compared to Bride. The Bride and Mate worlds were connected enough to build upon the backstory we already knew but it didn’t rely on the connection too heavily. It was just super entertaining and a great listen!

The writing and dialogue around knotting in Mate also felt so much more natural than it did in Bride. I’m not sure if it was just the narration in Bride, but the knotting dialogue made me cringe a little. In Mate it just felt right and fit with the story line - and the mix between instinctual exploration and actually talking things through all felt very natural and enhanced their connection and relationship.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the narration. Koen and Serena were so excellent and the perfect fit. Didn’t love the voice of Misery (probably because it’s not the voice used for her in Bride), but it wasn’t too distracting in the grand scheme of things.

It was worth the wait

I couldn't put this down, so I listened until I finished it. I don't think I have ever questioned whether or not to pick up a book by Ali Hazlewood and this is a good reason not to question because you're just gonna love it. Not to mention one of my favorite tropes is shifter, although there wasn't much shifting but you knew they were shifters with all the nakedness as much as it was the attraction between Serena and Cohen and when he tells her she's his mate. She pretends to despise him and he's just grumpy and moody but mostly because of the rules of being the pack alpha. He has to decide between the pack or having a mate. When she goes into heat and he has to help her through it OMG, and the whole we can do things but I really can't touch you, the slow burn leading up to it. All the elements of this story is a good one.