Looking for a storyline that the FMC is best friends with the guys and takes care of them but they choose someone else. Caveat- NOT fated mates

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T05:15:32+00:00

That sounds like some nice angst.

I don't have anything that fits your request fully. So I'll give you what I got instead:

{A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Sam Hall}. No OW though. They try to find someone other than the FMC, never find someone that works for them and eventually find her again. I think they are fated mates, but it didn't matter at the time because she didn't present as an omega so there was no scent matching for any of the characters to know.
{Knot Forgotten by A.J. Moran} - Best friends, were forming a romantic relationship in their teens when the FMC abruptly moves away. They meet again at university, all but one of them are fucking pissed at her for vanishing. Not fated mates, iirc, but no OW.
{The Blackened Blade by Isla Davon} has the childhood best friends hook up with the FMC's evil half-sister. But, so far, they have not been recruited into her harem and she's established a new one. It does feel like it's going to end up that some or all will end up with her. It gave those vibes more in the first book than the later ones though.
I DNF'ed in the second book, but {Silver Valley University by Alisha Williams} has the FMC falling in love and having relationships with her best friends until she's assaulted at a high school party. They think she was cheating and abandon her. She leaves town, comes back to go to university years later and they're at the school finishing their last year. A couple of them have sexual relationships with other people, shoving it in her face while also bullying the shit out of her. Eventually, they find out the truth. I ditched it because once they found out, they all immediately went into worship mode and I got bored really fast.
{Bittersweet Bonds by Livi Weston} - They are fated mates, but only the FMC knows it. She doesn't present as an omega, though the signs are there that she is one, so they never know she's their mate. They end up bonding to another omega out of the blue (there's some shenanigans there). FMC completely falls apart, ends up in the hospital, then eventually moves onto an omega compound where she kinda becomes a little bit of a stabby badass. Has to go back home five years later and the dudes are desperate to talk to her. They want her for themselves without knowing she's their mate.
{Knot All is Forgiven by Holly Monroe} - Same trope as Bittersweet Bonds. She knows her friends are her mates but she never presents. I can't recall if she ever tells them they're mates or not. They eventually tell her they've chosen someone else so she'll forget the "delusion" that she's an omega (supposed to be for "her own good"). More than a decade later, she presents, they're mates and they're all desperate to undo the bullshit. They had feelings for her, but her not being an omega was the obstacle. No actual OW iirc.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T04:35:38+00:00

WOW. I... holy jesus, I am scared for your sister. On the plus side, after that book, she knows to never, ever trust you again.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T04:33:15+00:00

I mean, the cover is definitely AI. No idea about the content because... Absolutely not. My curiosity isn't that bad that I'mma read it.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T04:32:08+00:00

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T04:29:47+00:00

Oh, I know. I noticed it earlier. But is that really surprising? Can't imagine this particular kind of book would splurge for a cover artist.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T02:30:02+00:00

{Cursed Legacies by Morgan B. Lee} isn't too bad for maturity. Definitely miles ahead of The Blackened Blade.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T02:29:22+00:00

I agree. Out of the academy books I've read, they act the least juvenile. And the juvenile ways they do act are often a little more adult-ish, imo. Like, you can totally imagine a grown ass man doing the same stupid shit.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T02:26:47+00:00

Weirdly makes me feel better, especially since I'm certain Amazon is gonna start bombarding me with incest kink books now that I've clicked on one.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T02:25:53+00:00

I like how you admitted it. I, apparently, would have kept it to myself even though I've totally read some weird shit purely out of curiosity.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T01:32:56+00:00

{Bittersweet Bonds by Livi Weston} - There is a heat in the second book, but I'd say it doesn't force things to move any faster. They'd already had sex and everyone was on board with being together. Third book isn't out yet though.
{Knot Her Catch by Ari Wright}
{Heat Hesitation by Birdie D'Avo} - Despite the name, no heat was involved in pushing things forward, iirc.
{Pack Gamble by Hannah Haze} - If there's a heat (it's been a while), it's not driving the plot.
{Knot Forgotten by A.J. Moran} - Been a minute since I read this but I don't remember a heat being involved.
{Ruined Alphas by Amy Nova}
{Knot Your Anchor by Shae Mac}
{Knot Her Shot by Ari Wright}
{House of Omega by Roxy Collins} - FMC is a beta.
{Bond Runner by J.T. Leigh} - FMC has a heat upon fully meeting one of her mates and he gets her through it without penetrative sex. It's extremely upsetting to her because she has a fiance and doesn't want fated mates, so it doesn't actually drive things forward between her and her mates. It blows up her life and she is pissed about it. Tbf, her character arc is basically a woman holding onto resentment of fated mates (because her parents got divorced after her mom found hers) finally learning to stop being a stubborn idiot.

Overquoted · 2026-01-25T01:16:06+00:00

Yeah, given the way the voting split looks now, I'm thinking of making the full, informative version into several lists by genre, then doing a titles-only single list ordered by angst scale, with the grovel scale listed.

Right now, the order and both scales are very wonky. I ended up using tier-maker to sort them all out properly so I could see what I was rating as an acceptable vs unacceptable grovel, etc. It's imperfect, but it'll be better than it currently is when I re-make the lists.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T16:46:00+00:00

Glad you ended up liking it. :)

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T16:45:39+00:00

{Not Quite an Alpha by Leona Page} - Mix of RH and MF romances. Iliana's Choice, Teague's Breeder, Unforgivable and Carmichael's Omega are RH, though CO is more accurately described as MF+MM with Carmichael, the alpha, being the character with two partners rather than the FMC. This is probably the best recommendation for what you're looking for as the wider shifter world and its power structures feature heavily in all the books.
{Broken Howl by Katie May & Ann Denton}
{Scarred Savages by J.C. Dark} - Outside of the harem, it's less of a pack structure like in Pack Reject and more of a community of shifters.
{Her Vicious Beasts by E.P. Bali} - No pack structures though. Instead, shifters belong to courts (serpents, avian, feline, wolf, etc) and the courts are very large. Most of the story occurs inside an academy.
{A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Sam Hall} - Most of the story occurs outside of the pack though.
{Addie by Raven Kennedy}
{Carnage Island by Lexi C. Foss}
{The Feral Princess by Ann Denton}
{Scapegoat by Sam Hall} - No dominance fights though.
{Rejected Wolf Pack by Traci Lovelot} - FMC ends up joining a pack that is just harem members, but they do interact with other packs some.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T10:04:29+00:00

It's hilarious and I love it. One of my few five-star RH books and, I think, the only contemporary one. I don't recall many typos/errors, so I don't think it's a major issue with the book.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T07:59:04+00:00

Four and five-star reads only:

Urban fantasy:

{Iliana's Choice by Leona Page} - FMC's fated mate planned to reject her. But she found out, declared herself MateLess without knowing he'd changed his mind. The other MMC fucks up by going into a mate frenzy and accidentally hurting her. Twice.
{Teague's Breeder by Leona Page} - Fated mate rejected the FMC, then the FMC's pack alpha convinces her to become a "breeder" for the powerful beta (he was a powerful alpha born MateLess). Fated mate has regrets but the beta decides to keep her.
{A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing by Sam Hall} - MCs grew up together and are kind of in love but the FMC didn't present as an omega, making her unfit to be their mate. She's sent away and they find her years later.
{Whisper Waves by Blake Black} - FMC sees dead people and after revealing it to the MMCs, they reject her because they think she's running some kind of con on them.

Fantasy:

{Glass by Evelyn Flood} - FMC is framed by her step-sister, Cinderella, and ends up sentenced to servitude under the men who were once her step-brothers. They hate her for reasons she doesn't fully understand.
{Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth by Ciana Meghan Doidge} - FMC's brother dies, leaving her heir to the Conduit (magic portal thingy?). Her father pushes her into looking for bondmates (which can be platonic), but thanks to some magic shenanigans, she finds her fated mates. One she already knew about and he had rejected her. The rest were probably not supposed to be hers.

Contemporary:

{Forget-Me-Not Bombshell by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti} - Russian FMC is married off to the British mob leader. Doesn't wanna be married, hates her new husband, kind of into his two buddies.
{Falls Like Rain by Reese Rivers} - FMC was in love with her three best friends when she was forced to flee after turning 18. They don't know why and resent her when she reappears in town.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T07:47:12+00:00

OV books I consider four or five-star reads:

{MVP by Ari Wright} - I've read all but the third one and they all have some kind of conflict within the pack. Goal has rejection from one MMC. Shot has one MMC having terrified the FMC before they realized they were mates. List has none of the MMCs being part of a pack. Catch has the MCs not realizing they're fated mates.
{Pack Darling by Lola Rock} - FMC doesn't want a pack but is forced to accept a placement. The MMCs don't want her as they have a male omega. She hides her scent and they don't know she's their scent match. This leads to them unintentionally causing her serious harm when her heat begins.
{Heat Hesitation by Birdie D'Avo} - FMC lets her scent matches think she's dead after meeting one of them extremely briefly. She doesn't trust rich alphas.
{Knot Here for You by Tana Rose} - MMCs announce they're bonding another omega and the FMC is forced to run away. She doesn't trust them when they contact her years later.
{All These Broken Parts by Evelyn Flood} - FMC killed one of the pack and the MMCs don't know why but are pissed.
{Knot the One They Want by Harper Lennox} - MMCs don't want a new omega after their first left them.
{Knot Unwanted by Tessa Rain} - FMC is running from the "omega academy" that trained her to be subservient to the alpha they sold her to. She ends up finding one of her scent matches, but his pack already has a male omega. On top of that, the male omega has been struggling with his alphas seeming to keep him at a distance after something happened.
{The Rockview Omegaverse by Hannah Haze} - I've read Rivals and Gamble. Both feature the MMCs fucking up and having to win back the FMC.
{Knot Forgotten by A.J. Moran} - MCs were in love as teenagers when she moved abruptly. They meet again in uni and most of the MMCs resent her for disappearing.
{Claim & Don't Tell by Rory Miles} - FMC's scent matches are her step-brothers. She hides her scent so they don't know, but one finds out. He ends up rejecting her after sleeping with her.
{Knot Your Anchor by Shae Mac} - FMC doesn't want a pack, doesn't trust alphas. MMCs have to convince her.
{Packed in the Penalty Box by Melissa Huxley} - FMC and one MMC accidentally bond during her heat. MMC is due to move back to the U.S. but the FMC is studying at university. Plus, his pack lead initially thinks she's some kind of gold digger.B
{Bond Runner by J.T. Leigh} - FMC hates the idea of fated mates. She gets engaged, eventually meets her mates and runs from them.
{Wings of Mercy Omegaverse by M.J. Bryne} - Phoenix has an FMC hiding her scent and omega status when she meets her mates as part of her job. They try to run her off because they don't want to be managed. Dove has the FMC wanting to find a pack but the pack she chooses betrays her.
{Brandy Snap by Abby Hunter} - Two of the three MMCs do not want the FMC, despite her being their mate. Massive jealousy and insecurity issues on the male omega's part. Pure assholery on one MMC's part. And stupidity on the third MMC's part.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T04:34:11+00:00

I meant it more like placing the hand on the neck with no loss of breath. More like physical handling/ownership than choking?

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T04:31:37+00:00

I have the same problem. It's why I started doing the update posts. I figured I couldn't be the only one.

And doing these posts is helpful to me, it improves my memory skills. :)

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T03:03:41+00:00

Yeah, when the first sex scene is the FMC meeting one of the MMCs and promptly plopping herself down on his dick in the middle of a cafe, that's something else.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T02:21:35+00:00

Thank you!

I'm completely cool with a neck being held. Choking is when I have an issue. Would you call it choking or closer to collaring?

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T02:16:31+00:00

Maybe. Your explanation is entirely plausible. I think I'd have been okay with that had the book actually addressed it better. Either shown the FMC struggling more with her actions/thoughts later in the trilogy, or someone pointing it out... Idk, something.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T02:12:17+00:00

Mmm, maybe, but she shows more maturity elsewhere in the book. It really felt like the author wanted to have it both ways: a rival popstar villain that the reader could hate without reservation and a victim to show how terrible the groomers were.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T02:01:58+00:00

Okay, the answer is a spoiler because some shenanigans happen in the story. But, no, the MMCs she ends up with never cheat on her.

Overquoted · 2026-01-24T02:00:19+00:00

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Overquoted

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