@debbiereadsbook, @am_arthur
An Omegaverse Story He didn’t want an alpha to save him, but fate had other ideas… Braun Etting was raised to know his place as an omega by his alpha father’s cruel words and fast fists, and he expects nothing but violence from the alpha who may one day mate him. His older brother Kell mated a cruel alpha who abuses him daily, and Braun is terrified of that seemingly inevitable future. When Braun’s father dies in a car crash, leaving Braun an orphan, he’s sent to a halfway house for omegas. But on his fourth night there, he witnesses a horrifying crime that sends him fleeing to the streets alone—and edging into his first heat. Tarek Bloom is settled in his workaholic, single lifestyle, even if it is somewhat embarrassing to be a twenty-eight year-old unmated alpha. He enjoys his job as a constable, helping people and solving problems, so he isn’t prepared for his life to flip upside-down when he walks into his beta friend Dex’s apartment to help with “a problem.” The problem turns out to be an unmated, nearly in-heat omega orphan who Dex and his husband rescued off the street last night. The even bigger problem is that Tarek feels the mating bond for this terrified omega immediately—and he’s pretty sure the omega feels it, too. But Braun hates alphas as a general rule, and no way is he giving in to the bond. All mating leads to is violence and suffering, so no thank you. But Tarek’s gentle kindness slips under Braun’s emotional shields, and Braun begins to want. To dream. All Braun has ever known is violent alphas, but Tarek is determined to make Braun trust him—and to trust in the idea of their happily ever after. NOTE: This is a non-shifter Omegaverse story with alpha/omega/beta dynamics, heats, knotting, and mpreg. In this world, omegas are second-class citizens with few civil rights and almost no protections under the law. Trigger warnings for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. 67,000 words.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I will be honest here, cos that's what reviewing is all about. I only picked this book to read as a "palette cleanser" an easy read, just for fun, between two heavier books. It sounded just what I needed so I jumped in, expecting a light fluffy read, that wasn't very long.
How wrong I was, because I started this book at 10.15pm and did not stop til I ran out of at 130 am and I had to be up for work at 6am!
I freaking LOVED this book! It totally came out of left field and blew me away! I mean, so much so, I made sure I had book two, which was also shared with me, and I purchased books three and four, so I was ready to go! I haven't come across this author before, but by God they are on my hit list now!
This book is set in the Omegaverse, there are no females and only certain pairings can produce children: alphas and omegas. But omegas are treated badly, as second class citizens, and Braun and his brother Kell suffer. First at the hands of their father, and later, Kell at the hands of his husband.
So it's understandable that Braun be scared of Tarek and what he represents: a lot of suffering for Braun. But Tarek is of a growing breed of Alpha, those who believe omegas should be treasured, not trod down. After all, their race would die out in two generations without any omegas. And Tarek LISTENS to Braun, wants to know if he can help when his heat hits. And Braun tells him: come ONLY when called for, NO knotting and condoms every time. And when Tarek abides by Braun's wishes, Braun knows he can be a trusted ally. The omegas rescued from the group home need one. Braun's brother needs one, and the newborn, but missing nephew of Braun needs one too.
Like I said WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY outta left field and totally blew me away!
It's dark: carries a strong abuse line, both from a parent and a spouse. The abuse Kell suffers goes far beyond the beatings Braun knows about (the full story doesn't come clear til Kell's book, I've already read that one on writing this review, and it is horrific) But so well told, sensitively. Tarek knows this happens, what happens to omegas at the hands of their spouses but he hates that it does. He knows he needs to help, starting with Braun.
It's emotional: the abuse line not withstanding, what Braun starts to feel very early for Tarek, as the bonds develop between them, hits him hard and he fights! He fights it so bloody hard! To be fair, they both do, and it's quite hard reading, what they go through before they get there.
It's sexy: I mean two guys? Always gonna float my boat! But refer to above: just because it's hot and heavy, doesn't mean it doesn't have the emotions along with it. Once Braun and Tarek give in to the bonds, they are IN, totally, emotionally and physically.
Both Braun and Tarek have a say, and their voices are strong and clear and so very well written.
I'm starting to gush and I don't want to, but just know this:
I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK! I am not ashamed to admit I was wrong, what I expected from this book was so very NOT what I got out of it, and I mean that in a very positive way!
But it's not an easy read, at all, and you need to be prepared for what is here. Some readers might have triggers, I don't, but some points made for difficult reading. Not the writing, just the level of abuse that is systematic for the omegas in this world. But with Tarek and his friends, maybe, just maybe, they can start to change things.
I gotta stop, I'll be writing all day!
5 very unexpected, but bloody amazing stars!
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* I was shared this book, via Amazon's family and friends thingie. *
An Omegaverse Story Hell is a six-by-six jail cell and no hope for the future. Kell Iverson has never raised his hand against another person in his entire life—and yet somehow he’s been arrested and charged with the murder of his alpha mate Krause. Sure, Krause brutalized him on a daily basis, and Kell hated his mate, but he never wanted the man dead. Not fighting the charge and accepting his fate is the easiest path—except Kell doesn’t think he’ll survive a week in prison, and he doesn’t want to disappoint his younger brother Braun by giving up. He also doesn’t expect to recognize the lawyer who shows up to defend him. Ronin Cross was barely eighteen when he felt the mating bond with then-fourteen-year-old Kell, but his family moved away before Ronin could decide what to do. For the last ten years, he hasn’t forgotten teenage Kell, hasn’t mated, and now he’s in Sansbury Province to defend adult Kell from a capital murder charge. The mating bond is still there, but now isn’t the time to pursue anything with his fragile, battered, emotionally-damaged client. For Kell, the term “kind alpha” is a contradiction, because he’s never known one. He went from abusive father to abusive mate, and for twenty-four years, he’s simply done what he’s told. But Ronin asks Kell what he wants. What he likes. Ronin sees him, and it’s both confusing and delightful. But Kell is facing prison time at best, execution at worst, and as his trial date looms, he can’t indulge in a fantasy that will never come true…or can he? NOTE: This is a non-shifter Omegaverse story with alpha/omega/beta dynamics, heats, knotting, and mpreg. In this world, omegas are second-class citizens with few civil rights and almost no protections under the law. Trigger warnings for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is book two in the Breaking Free series and I would STRONGLY recommend you read book one, Saved, before this one. More than strongly, I think it's very necessary for you to get a proper picture of this world and the men in it.
And, I was totally blown away by that book. This one? Equally blown away, but this is a far more emotionally devastating and difficult read.
Kell is Braun's older brother, and after three years of horrific abuse, snaps. Already reeling from the loss of his newborn, Kell now faces a murder charge. Ronin knew Kell ten years before, but moved away before their mating bonds could fully develop. Coming to Kell's rescue, via a court room, brings him back into contact with his mate, damaged though he is.
I wasn't able to read this book in one sitting, but I wanted to. It's just far too heavy a book for a one sitting read, but it was so f*cking good!
the full extent of the abuse that Kell suffered at the hands of his husband, and indeed, his father in law, is bad, even for this world, and through a series of witnesses, the story becomes clear. Braun knew about the beatings, but he didn't know how bad it really was. Kell thinks everyone will look bad on him for what was done to him. But Ronin?? He SEES Kell, makes Kell SEE, that there are better ways to live than in fear.
I don't know if the author has experienced of spousal abuse, or if they did a huge amount of research for these book, but either way, the way this is played out, it could be happening in any given court room across the globe right now. Ronin is an outstanding lawyer, and he systematically destroys the prosecution witnesses, one by miserable one.
And he pulls a blinder! Won't say what he does, but oh! I cried! For Kell, and for Ronin at that point.
Actually, there were a lot of tears in this book. Some heart breaking sobs, but also, some tears of joy too.
Attitudes they are a-changing, but these things take time. Fortunately, I have 6 more books to read to see how that all plays out!
Again, trigger warning are rife here, and you should probably not read these books if you have abuse triggers. It's a HUGE part of this story.
I can't really say what I want to say about this book, without spoilers, and I don't do spoilers, so I'll leave you with this:
READ THE DAMN BOOKS!
5 stars
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* I was shared this book, via Amazon's family and friends thingie. *
No stranger to the writing world, A.M. Arthur has been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance wasn't a thing yet) with her later discovery of and subsequent affair with m/m romance stories. When not writing, she can be found in her kitchen, pretending she's an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments. You can contact her at AM_Arthur(at)yahoo(dot)com