- this was a weird book: a bad first half but then it got better. Interesting premise, very uninteresting male hero: Killian sucked, for most of the book
- I like "I will do anything for you", will work for it, 'guy falls first' kind of guys
- he does eventually acknowledge that Una has power over him, and he becomes more like ^that, AFTER the wise woman tells him that they're mates

Spoiler

- the whole childhood trauma element was confusing? They both repressed this memory? And it was a denial of their mate bond? A potion?
- Killian was a tyrant, a meathead, boring-- why root for him? He was better by the end, and listening more to Una
- Una was a capable, strong main female character, who had interests and personality and courage
- the setting of oppression was quite heavy, more than I had expected
- the setup of mates who sleep around / make other arrangements was interesting, but it lessens the 'value' of your true mate?
- Una still feels somewhat pulled toward Killian, and still finds herself attracted-- was the bond really 'removed'?
- Killian needed to grovel more

I'm on such a shifter romance kick. When I saw BOMM was doing a tour for the fifth Five Packs book I knew I had to dive into the series. I enjoyed this book and am excited to read more Cate C Wells. Una was such an empathetic, compelling character, and I love dual POV.

This book is so dang good. I've tried a few times to get into the rejected mates trope, because it seems like something I would enjoy, but until now, it always just seemed kind of meh. This book delivered on everything I've been missing!

Una is an unprotected female, who can't shift into her wolf, and has a disabled leg from an attack when she was young. As such, she is seen as bottom of the ladder in her wolf shifter pack. When she finally shifts for the first time, she claims the Alpha, Killian, as her mate, and of course, he rejects and humiliates her in front of the whole pack.

The protagonists are a little older than others I've read in this genre (late 20s), which I found refreshing. But most importantly, the grovel. Whoo boy, the grovel. After realizing he has messed up, Killian spends half the book trying to earn her forgiveness. Although he is the Alpha, Una really holds her own against him and has major strengths herself. She doesn't just roll over for him because he's hot and he doesn't make excuses for himself. Really, the thing that makes Killian so sexy is his accountability for his actions. He never puts what happened on Una or brushes off her feelings and is (nearly) endlessly patient in convincing her that he won't hurt her again.

Really, my only complaint is that I wish there was an additional full-fledged sex scene. There is so much agonizing build up, I would have liked to see more on page steam in the end. But that's personal preference. Even with that lack, the holding back from sex still manages to be incredibly hot.

I know there are going to be books about other couples in this world, and I am so excited for more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Un brin décadent et hors du temps !
Beaucoup aimée avec une histoire sympathique même si un peu tiré par les cheveux à certains moments …

Ready for the next book!

Okay, this was another book where I preferred the H over the h. Loved Killian, he was pretty great all things considered. Una was hard to get along with for me. That's not uncommon for myself, I tend to like the male leads more.

My biggest stepping stone was ask the inner dialogue, at times it went on so long I'd get a bit lost, but it was still written well so I enjoyed it.

All in all this was a good book and I plan to continue reading the series. The side characters keep you interested and wanting to see where everyone will end up. It's really a great read for those who love pack lore.