“It didn’t matter. My bride was a fraud.”

On our wedding night, I planned to show her who was in charge. But the moment I touched her, I knew something was wrong.

Nyla. The name burned in my heart before I could stop myself.  She wasn’t my fiancée, not the woman I was supposed to marry. But here she was, standing before me, pretending to be someone else.  And yet, when she kissed me, I lost myself.

We are mates.

The rage inside me burned hotter than it ever had, but at the same time, I craved her touch like nothing before.

I was a tyrant. Bloodthirsty. Ruthless. I had killed, maimed, and destroyed without remorse. And yet, she… she was the only one who could calm the fury inside me.  It was her touch that brought me back from the edge of madness. Only she had the power to soothe the beast inside me.  This marriage was supposed to be a political game. She was nothing more than a pawn, a piece to move on the board.  Or so I have thought.

Now, the truth is, I’ve never felt anything like this. For her. For Nyla. I’ll show no mercy to anyone who dares harm her.

And the shocking twist? The one causing her pain right now? It’s my true fiancée.

Titles in the Runaway Wolf Mate series include:  Alpha’s Substitute Bride ~ The Prince’s Runaway Breeder ~ Alpha’s Chosen Replacement ~ Alpha’s Substitute Mate ~ Alpha’s Assassin Mate ~ Alpha’s Contracted Bride ~

This is an adult 18+ story that contains language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  Alpha’s Substitute Bride
Series:  Runaway Wolf Mate #1
Author:  Gertty Rudraw
Published:  February 13, 2025
My Rating:  4 stars

Alpha’s Substitute Bride is the opening title in the Runaway Wolf Mate series, and brings us the extremely complex romance of Nyla and Aaron.

I am so torn about this story.  While I think it’s basically a good story full of intrigue, complications, passion, and danger… the delivery frustrated me quite often.  From the earlier part of the story, it’s obvious that the wicked stepmother and stepsister are pulling a switch on both Nyla and Aaron, yet Nyla goes along with it for her own reasons.  Aaron isn’t fooled, but he senses his mate in the woman masquerading as his intended wife… and this sets him on a rage that is best dealt away from Nyla and his pack.  So, her introduction to the pack is very, very questionable; few will trust her, especially if the alpha (her groom) refuses to show up for the ceremony.

Then.  Aaron begins referring to her as “Nyla” her real name, not the name of his intended “Serena’, so that everyone in the pack thinks of her as Serena… but Aaron, and the reader will always see her name as Nyla, until, eventually, the switch is revealed to the entire pack at the most dramatic moment.  My frustration sets in with a Why?  Obviously, Nyla told Aaron at some point about the switch and why it came about.  Yet, the reader doesn’t know that; we assume it when Nyla is substituted for Serena constantly.  Every time the “wrong” name was used, it took me out of the story.  And that frustrates me to no end, and unfortunately, spoiled my personal reading experience by being yanked out of the story constantly with questions.

I believe Alpha’s Substitute Bride by Gertty Rudraw is a good story.  My frustrations with it do not take that aspect away.  It’s intriguing, passionate, with several plot twists that I didn’t see coming.  Do I love this couple?  Frankly, no.  But they grew on me, and I liked them by the midpoint of their story.  This review is only my opinion; your reaction may be vastly different.  So, I would suggest that you try Alpha’s Substitute Bride by Gertty Rudraw for yourself and see if it speaks to you.

I highly doubt that I’ll continue this series immediately.  I may give the second book in the series a chance in a few weeks, but not just yet.

I read this title through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)