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20th October 2025
11:45am BST
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Fantasy seems to be one of the most popular genres at the moment, but it's hard to know where to start.
As a newbie to the genre, you don't want to dive headfirst into something too heavy, but we may have found the perfect book for you.
Ali Hazelwood has been at the helm of the rise in rom-com books ever since the release of her novel The Love Hypothesis.
However, she has now turned her focus to the fantasy genre, and her novel Mate is set to impress fans of The Vampire Diaries.
The new Ali Hazelwood novel is a follow-up to her novel Bride, which focused on the dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf.
The paranormal romance Mate is a follow-up to the bestselling novel 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...
