Not his

Book: Not His: Mated and Rejected Book One by Sophia Florenza

Reviewed by Your_bookish_fantasy

Rating: 3.75/5

𝓝𝓞 𝓢𝓟𝓞𝓘𝓛𝓔𝓡𝓢
⚜️𝔻𝕖𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕠𝕗- NOT HIS by Sophia Florenza

𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 BookSirens 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰, 𝐢𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤.

⚜️ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤-
(out of 5 stars)
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 MF 🌶️🌶️🌶️🫑 / 5 -𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑠
📚 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 / 5
Which books have I also given this same rating?
(𝑠𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛)
5⭐️ Fourth Wing / Bound by Inked Flame / Anathama / The Lies of Lena / Of Silver and Curses
4.75⭐️ Metal Slinger / The Pucking Comeback / Light Wielder / Wielder of Chaos and Carnage
4.5⭐️ Bitten / The Female / Quicksilver / Bride / Lights Out / A Bargain So Bloody
4⭐️ ACOTAR / Spellcaster / One Dark Window / From Blood and Ash / Phantasma / Butcher & Blackbird / Kiss of Basilisk / Hexes Go Well With Tequila
3⭐️ We Who Will Die / The Wolf King / Daughter of No Worlds / The Ex Hex

⚜️𝕂𝕖𝕪 𝕀𝕟𝕗𝕠:
Genre: Dark paranormal romance / Shifter romance

📖 Pages: 199

Release date: 12 November 2026

Series: Mated and Rejected, Book #1

Reading order? ✅ Yes, must be read in order

POV: First-person, multiple POVs

Plot or character driven? Predominantly plot driven

Available on KU? ✅

Pace: Fast, occasionally rushed

Memorable? ✅

Representation: ❌

Did I enjoy this book? ✅ Yes! Read it in one sitting!

Will I read the next book? ✅ YES!

Would I read anything else by this author? ✅ Yes!

🚨🅲︎🅷︎🅴︎🅲︎🅺︎ 🆃︎🅷︎🅴︎ 🆃︎🆆︎!🚨
Sexual assault/dub-consensual sexual activity, dubious consent, forced marriage and consummation, bullying, cheating, emotional and physical abuse, humiliation, rejection, infidelity, manipulation, betrayal, violence and death. This is a DARK romance, and the opening is particularly confronting. Please check the author’s complete content warnings.

⚜️𝕊ℙ𝔼ℂ𝕀𝔼𝕊 𝕀ℕ 𝕊𝕋𝕆ℝ𝕐:
🐺 Werewolves / Shifters
🧙‍♀️ Witches
👤 Humans

⚜️𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕤:
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 MF | 🌶️🌶️🌶️🫑 / 5
🔥 Explicit open-door scenes
⛓️ Forced consummation
🚨 Non-consensual and dubious-consent encounters
💔 Hate-fuelled intimacy
🐺 Overpowering mate-bond attraction
❤️‍🔥 Sexual tension and desperation
💋 Rough sexual encounters
The spice is dark in context, with some very uncomfortable consent dynamics, but there isn’t a great deal of kink involved. Only one scene felt truly dark to me, although it’s a particularly disturbing one. Most of the explicit sexual content appears in the final 30% of the book, so don’t expect the spice to be evenly distributed throughout.

⚜️𝕋ℝ𝕆ℙ𝔼𝕊
🐺 Fated mates
💔 Rejected mates
💍 Forced marriage
🥀 Enemies to lovers
🖤 Bully romance
🔥 He hates her
💔 Cheating / Other woman drama
👑 Alpha x Luna
⚔️ Power imbalance
🗝️ Hidden identity
🎭 Secrets and deception
🫂 Unexpected alliances
🥀 Betrayal
💪 Weak to strong FMC
🔥 Revenge / Karma
🩸 Past grievances
⏳ Second chances
🌙 Repeated fated connections
🕯️ Cliffhanger ending

✨𝖂𝖍𝖔 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖎 𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖔?✨
Readers who enjoy genuinely dark rejected-mate romances, cruel MMCs, bullying, cheating, betrayal and FMCs who have to hit rock bottom before finding their strength. If you love complicated fated bonds, other-woman drama, hidden identities and watching secrets unravel while waiting for a satisfying dose of karma, this could be for you. However, you really do need to be comfortable with the darker side of dark romance because the opening doesn’t ease you into it!

✨ TᕼᗴᗰᗴՏ ✨
Rejection • Betrayal • Survival • Revenge • Self-worth • Identity • Power • Manipulation • Loyalty • Fate • Deception • Independence • Redemption • Trust • Resilience

✨MOODS; ✨
Dark • Emotional • Frustrating • Addictive • Dramatic • Angsty • Suspenseful • Steamy • Betrayal-filled • Empowering

📝Cliff Notes Review-
I DEVOURED THIS IN ONE SITTING! A deliciously frustrating rejected-mate romance full of secrets, betrayal, cruelty and characters I loved to hate! There were some questionable writing choices, inconsistencies and a storyline that deserved more room to develop, but I was completely invested. And THAT ENDING?! Absolutely brilliant! I NEED BOOK TWO!

😥 𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕟𝕠 𝕗𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤?
My biggest frustration was the inconsistency surrounding the mate bond, particularly how differently it seemed to affect Selene and Hunter.

I understand the premise. Their wolves recognise one another as fated mates, but their human sides are enemies, with Hunter’s hatred rooted in their shared history. That’s an interesting foundation for a rejected-mate romance.

BUT!
Hunter can apparently despise Selene enough to resist the bond, reject her, pursue another woman and treat her absolutely appallingly. His hatred is so powerful that he can override the instincts supposedly pulling him towards his mate.
Yet Selene, despite having endured years of bullying, humiliation, rejection and an appalling sexual experience at his hands, repeatedly struggles to resist him physically.

EXCUSE ME?!
Why does his hatred have enough strength to overpower the bond, while hers apparently doesn’t?!
I don’t mind a complicated mate bond. In fact, I LOVE one! But I need its rules to make sense, and I really dislike this particular double standard.

I wanted Selene to have moments where her anger and resentment were equally powerful. Imagine Hunter finally giving in to his attraction, leaning in for a kiss, only for Selene to stop him halfway through and deliver a few devastating words of rejection.

Even one scene like that would have made the dynamic feel more balanced. Instead, his human side seems capable of overruling fate whenever he chooses, while hers repeatedly loses the battle despite having considerably more reason to resist. I know this creates sexual tension and emotional conflict, but it also undermines the strength and independence I admired in Selene. I don’t find that imbalance particularly believable, and it’s not a character dynamic I enjoy.

I also struggled with Hunter’s ignorance about what was happening within his own pack. As Alpha, he should have been considerably more aware of the people surrounding him, particularly Sandy. Her behaviour was hardly subtle, and the fact that he apparently failed to recognise the extent of her cruelty was infuriating.

The storyline relied on a few convenient coincidences and developments that happened a little too easily. Certain changes in circumstances were so dramatic that I wanted to see how the characters actually achieved them, rather than simply being presented with the results.

Finally, the potential for a more convincing redemption was there, but the groundwork needed greater depth. After the severity of Hunter’s actions, any movement towards forgiveness or reconciliation needs to feel properly earned. A powerful mate bond isn’t enough to excuse everything that happened. These issues didn’t stop me enjoying the story, but they certainly prevented me from rating it higher.

🌍 𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 𝕓𝕦𝕚𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕡𝕒𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕘:
The worldbuilding was relatively simple and straightforward, which worked well for this type of romance. We have pack hierarchies, Alpha authority, Luna responsibilities, wolf instincts and the influence of the Moon Goddess. Nothing was particularly complicated, so it was easy to visualise the different settings and understand the social structures.

What I really enjoyed was the web of lies surrounding Selene. There are so many little secrets scattered throughout the story, and I loved how they gradually accumulate, creating suspicion around practically everyone. Who knows what? Who’s telling the truth? Who’s manipulating whom? And how much of Selene’s past has been deliberately concealed?

I LOVE that sort of storytelling!

The author did a great job of creating questions that kept me reading. There were several moments where I suspected something wasn’t quite right, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to piece together the different motives and hidden agendas.

However, I really wish this book had been longer!
There was so much potential to explore the relationships, consequences and changing circumstances in greater detail. Instead, we move through some fairly substantial developments at considerable speed.

The time jumps were particularly frustrating. When a character undergoes a dramatic transformation, whether that’s emotionally, socially or in their circumstances, I want to experience at least some of that journey. Skipping ahead and presenting an entirely different situation takes away the opportunity to appreciate how hard-won those changes might have been.

I would have loved more time watching Selene rebuild her life, establish herself and grow into her new position. There was so much scope for character development, but some of those opportunities were lost between the jumps.

The frequent changes in POV also occasionally disrupted the flow. I enjoy multiple perspectives, especially in a romance involving misunderstandings and deception, but here the switches sometimes happened so quickly that I barely had time to settle into one character’s thoughts before moving to another.

A little more breathing room would have made the story considerably stronger. The foundations were already there, and the plot had more than enough substance to support a longer book.

I spent a good portion of the book wondering what the eventual twist would be, and I was certainly not disappointed!
The reveal was brilliantly timed, added an exciting new dimension to the story and left me desperate to discover what happens next. I genuinely loved that the book finished with something substantial enough to make me immediately want the sequel.

🧝‍♂️ ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤:
Selene: I really liked her! She’s fiery, intelligent, determined and has a strength of character that makes her easy to root for.
She’s spent much of her life being treated as inferior, particularly because she’s believed to be wolfless. The cruelty and prejudice she’s endured have shaped her experiences, but they haven’t completely extinguished her personality.
There’s something incredibly satisfying about an underestimated FMC beginning to realise that she doesn’t have to remain the person everyone expects her to be.

I was particularly invested in her journey towards independence. She deserves to build a life where her worth isn’t determined by whether a powerful man chooses to acknowledge her.

Hunter: WHAT AN ABSOLUTE ARSE! I loved it!
He’s cruel, arrogant, stubborn and so convinced of his own version of events that he rarely stops to question whether he might be wrong.

I do enjoy a morally questionable MMC, and I don’t need my fictional men to behave like perfect gentlemen. Far from it! But there’s a difference between enjoying a character’s darkness and actually liking the choices he makes.

Hunter is firmly in the category of characters I LOVE TO HATE.
His treatment of Selene is genuinely awful, and I found myself alternating between wanting him to discover the truth and wanting him to suffer the consequences of his behaviour.
I also enjoyed the contrast between Hunter and his wolf. Their conflicting desires added an interesting dimension to his character, particularly when his instincts challenged the assumptions he was determined to cling to.

He has an enormous amount to answer for, and if the author intends to redeem him, I want to see him work for every single inch of it!

Sandy: OH, I COULD NOT STAND THIS WOMAN!
And I mean that as a compliment to the author’s ability to write someone so thoroughly infuriating!
The jealousy, manipulation, cruelty and sheer determination to secure the position she wants made her a character I absolutely loved to hate. Every time she appeared, I was waiting to see what she’d do next, and I was practically itching for someone to put her in her place.

The supporting characters added plenty of drama and intrigue, and I enjoyed the different loyalties and relationships within the packs. I just wish we’d been given longer to explore some of them because there were several characters whose stories I wanted to know more about.

⏳ 𝕎𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕 𝕚 𝕣𝕖-𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕕?
Re-read? I would prior to next book but not for fun.
Recommend? ✅ Yes, with the content warnings!

🪧𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
This was one of those books where I found myself loving certain moments, loving to hate others and occasionally wanting to reach into the pages and give someone a bloody good shake!

I finished it in a single sitting, which says a lot about how invested I became, even when I disagreed with the direction of the story.

I just wish we’d had more pages, more development and more time with these characters before everything came to a head.

And now I’m left waiting for the next book!

Sophia Florenza, you cannot leave me with that ending and expect me to be patient! 😂❤️‍🔥

𝐹𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠;

𝕋𝕚𝕜𝕋𝕠𝕜
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IᑎՏTᗩ
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𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕊𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕞𝕤:
⭐️ DNF

⭐️⭐️
I managed to finish it but it was rubbish. I won't keep a physical copy and won't recommend it, but it's a shame as the plot could have made a good book in another author's hands

⭐️⭐️.5
It was OK. I wish I didn't start this one as it didn't do it for me as I struggled to read it. It had an interesting premise that fell flat but I had to see what happened in the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't regret reading it, and I will read the next one, but this one did have a few flaws. [These could be repetitive writing, gaps or plot holes, better character growth or world building, areas needing more detail]
Generally, the book lacked depth and became confusing. The plot resonated with me even though it annoyed me on the whole.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I'm glad I read it. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to the right people, but I wanted more! Sadly, it's easily forgettable with a few issues I just couldn't overlook/get past.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Good book! I loved it, but... I needed more! I really did enjoy it, but it had a few parts that needed more detail or added history/background or lore. But that's because the story or characters were memorable, and the plot was strong with brilliant twists. I would re-read if I needed to catch up for the next book and would recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Great book! I truly wish the story had been thought about more, or the author had been given more time as this book is so close to brilliance! I will likely read again and will definitely be recommending it to all!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WOW! Absolutely amazing book! Well written with great characters and a plot so memorable that it will stay with me. I will definitely read this again, I will be recommending it and sharing it with the whole world! Also- I NEED A PHYSICAL COPY!

🔥⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🔥
This is my God level tier. The book must be perfectly memorable. Even after reading 50+ more books, I will remember character names and emotions along with the plot. If there is a special edition, then I need to own it! If there is a conversation on books- I'm talking about this!

SPICE SCALE:
🌶️– segsual language and a little on-page action / fade to black

🌶️🌶️– a lot of segsual language and some on-page open door action, may be occurring a couple of times

🌶️🌶️🌶️– a lot of explicit action and dirty talk, occurring frequently with 2/3 lurvers

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ – super graphic and explicit, occurring 4 or more times, can be more grey and taboo themed.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ – Kinks and Fet!shism, explicit and super graphic. It is likely to be tushy play, toys, playrooms, and more dark / taboo fantasies and realities.

Read full review on ARC Library