@debbiereadsbook, @am_arthur
An Omegaverse Story
A widowed alpha finds something unexpected with a rescued, pregnant omega…
Two years after his longtime mate passed away, Senior Constable Isa Higgs lives for his work solving crimes and protecting the citizens of Sansbury Province—and he won’t admit to anyone that he’s lonely. His three beta sons barely speak to him, he has no real friends to speak of, and his home feels too empty most nights. When he helps free five omega prisoners from a life of torture and abuse, Isa is unexpectedly drawn to one in particular—an omega six months pregnant with another alpha’s child.
Liam Haley lost everything in one single tragedy—his family, his freedom, and his ability to make choices. And then he’s whisked out of hell by an alpha constable twice his age who should terrify Liam, but instead, the man makes him feel safe. Protected. Wanted. But Liam is carrying a child he isn’t sure he wants to keep, and the last thing he needs is to get attached to a widowed alpha who can’t possibly want him back…right?
With Liam pregnant and Isa previously mated, neither man is sure exactly what they’re feeling—only the more time they spend together, the closer they become. And Liam is still sorting through the trauma of his kidnapping, so friendship is their only recourse—until someone from Liam’s past shows up to claim what he believes is his. Now Isa has to choose between letting Liam go, or fighting like hell for the damaged, young omega he’s unexpectedly fallen in love with.
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 4 in the Breaking Free series. personally, I would recommend that you read the other books first, before this one. It will give you a better picture of this world and how things are slowly changing, but still how badly the omegas are treated, and just what a workaholic Isa Higgs is! And they are rather brilliant too.
We met Isa in book one, he is Tarek's boss. And he pops up in all the other books too. He works a lot since the death of his mate two years before, and he is estranged from his 3 beta sons. So being hit with ANOTHER mating bond throws Isa for a loop. Especially since that mate is Liam, a man half his age and already pregnant with another alpha's baby. Liam isn't sure what he is feeling about Isa, but he knows he makes him feel SAFE, and Liam hasn't had that feeling for a very long time. But when Isa brings Liam home, Liam begins to feel the bond. He just isn't sure Isa is! It takes a threat to remove Liam from Isa's home that forces them to admit the bond, and then Isa might have a very difficult choice: his new mated omega and his FOUR sons (assuming the older three will stand by him) or his career.
Oh, these two! I loved these two! Well, I've loved each and every pairing so far, and I have no doubt that next pair will knock Isa and Liam off that top spot, but for now, these two are my favourites! Loved this one!
We met Liam (briefly) in book one, too. He is the omega that Braun sees being kidnapped that causes him to run. He has been held for the fight ring, but not yet fought. Not like the others rescued with him. Being held was bad enough. Liam is not sure what he wants to do about the baby, whether to keep him or not; but at least now he has that CHOICE. He is able to choose what he does. Isa taking him home doesn't help that choice about the baby, but it's very clear the Liam CHOOSES Isa. And once these two actually admit to feeling the bond, that they feel for each other, it's truly beautiful watching them grow towards making Liam feel safe enough and in control of his life enough, to physically mate, and to make Isa secure in Liam's life. He hasn't had much security for a long time, and he needs that to make his choices about the baby.
This one, while carrying the fight ring/kidnapping/Iverson story arcs from the other books, I found far more emotional. Liam is saved with 4 others, and they all suffer in this book (fight ring and physical abuse aside) some devastating losses and news. And bloody hell, I cried for these boys! Because they ARE boys, still really, and they have already been through so much before they get rescued, and they are STILL suffering. Differently, but still.
I loved that Isa's boys came round to Liam and to their father. Loved that they were able to reconcile and make good. Mistakes were made by Isa when his previous mate died, but he forgot the boys lost their omegin too. Loved that Tarius, Isa's 2nd son, was able to finally confide in his dad.
I can't fault these books, I really can't. But the next three will have to wait for the next payday, and I'm counting the days!
5 full, but very emotional stars.
* verified purchase Dec 2018 *
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
An Omegaverse Story
Two broken hearts…one perfect fit.
Alpha Morris Danvers likes his quiet life as a paralegal and as the uncle to his beta brother Morgan’s infant son Aeron. Raised by an abusive sire, Morris and Morgan have relied on each other for years, and Morris doesn’t trust himself to do right by an omega mate. When a tragic accident leaves Morris alone to raise a baby, he reaches out to his boss Ronin Cross for help—and gets more help than he ever imagined from Ronin’s mate and their friends. But Morris can’t take bereavement leave forever and Aeron needs a caregiver.
After surviving an abduction and months of torture, all omega Jaysan Rowe wanted was to give away the baby he never asked for and move on. But after months of acting out, Jaysan finally hits rock bottom on the one-year anniversary of his child’s birth. Desperate to get his act together, he meets with an alpha who needs full-time daycare for his infant nephew. But the instant Jaysan sets his sights on little Aeron he knows: Aeron is his biological child. Even Morris’s nose can tell the pair belongs to each other. His nose also tells him something even more shocking: Jaysan is his bondmate.
Both men feel the bond, but neither is ready to mate, period, so they come to a business arrangement. Jaysan wants a relationship with Aeron, and Morris needs a sitter. It should have been perfect, except for that pesky mating bond. A bond that draws them together, over and over, no matter how hard each man fights it. Jaysan swore long ago he’d never mate or let another alpha touch him during heat—except everything about Morris makes him feel safe. Wanted. Whole. But Morris deserves an unsoiled mate, not someone as dirty and used as Jaysan, and Jaysan will do anything to prove it to the stubborn alpha…even if it means giving up his son a second time.
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. This series is best read in numerical order.
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is book 5 in the Breaking Free series, and it would help you GREATLY to have read the other books first. I mean you SHOULD read them, because they are so bloody good, but for the full enjoyment of this one, it's probably best you do. You need to know how Jaysan got to this point in his life, and what happened to him, cos it ain't pretty. I'm not sure is Morris popped up along the way, he may have, and I just didn't register him.
A year ago, Jaysan made the biggest mistake of his short life, and gave up his newborn baby for adoption. He didn't even see the child. Now, on the child's 1st birthday, Jaysan does something to feel, to feel WHOLE again. Of course, that doesn't work so well, and his foster parent takes him to the emergency room where Jaysan catches the wiff of the most delicious basil scent he ever smelt. On the worst night of his life, Morris catches the scent of roses on the emergency room and his protective alpha instincts kick in. He has no idea who this young man is, but he is hurt and he is Morris'. But both Morris and Jaysan have sworn off mating, both men feel they are not good enough for another. However, Morris needs a carer for his newly orphaned nephew, and Jaysan needs a job. Then Jaysan meets Aeron and Jayson knows that this is HIS baby, the one he gave away. Morris knows it too, judging by the mixed scents and seeing aeron with jayson. Can Jaysan look after Aeron and keep his distance from Morris? Can Morris finally let go of his past?
Jaysan is, in his own words, soiled. He knows he is on a path of self destruction, even with the help of the omega/beta support group and his amazing foster parents. He does something entirely voluntary but incredibly stupid on the 1st birthday of his baby. He knows it is stupid, and dangerous, but he can't stop himself. Kell finds him a job looking after Morris' nephew. Morris works for Kell's husband, Ronin,. No one had any idea that Aeron could be Jaysan's. the province is huge and the chance of them meeting is slim. But meet they do, and Jaysan knows it the second he sees Aeron. Morris can see it, and smell it too, picking up that delicious rose scent from Aeron as well as Jaysan.
Morris doesn't want a mate. His own sire was a nasty piece of work, abusive to Mossis and his brothers and to their omegin. Morris doesn't want to be like that so has decided against taking a mate. Meeting Jaysan, though, and that rose scent, and Morris knows he will have to fight hard against the mating bond. So much so, he takes the suppressor that hides his own sweet basil scent from Jaysan.
But neither man can fight it, and after a heart to heart that made me cry (I cry a LOT with these books!) they decide to get to know each other, and maybe, just maybe, they can make it work.
Then Jaysan has what i can only call a brain fart, and it scares him and he runs. Runs into a situation of his own doing, but almost immediately he knows it is wrong, the other person s WRONG. He manages to get himself out of the situation and calls Morris, not even sure if Morris will come to help him. But Morris DOES come, and they finally decide they belong together!
The coming together of Morris and Jaysan is truly beautiful, for used as Jaysan feels, Morris is untouched. And Morris feels that this will affect his ability to please Jaysan. It's really great reading, watching the younger Jaysan bring the older Morris out of himself, it really is.
Time is moving in the world, and attitudes are changing positively towards the omegas. The children rescued from the fight ring are beginning to heal and bloom into wonderful young men, who meet their partners who help that healing all the more. Babies (lots of babies!) are being born to these couples and I find myself pairing them together, mix of alphas, omegas and betas that they are.
I also find myself wondering about the group of young omegas that were spirited off into the night in book one The ones Braun rescued from the group home that was feeding the fight ring. I'd love to catch up with what's happened to them, as they have grown into young men, and how they are fairing in the place they went to.
I'm trying not to read these book too fast, because I'm running out of books in the series, I only have two more left! I'm loving these so much. I bought the first three books in the Us series by Arthur, so i can still get my fix. Won't be this world, but still. I am in love with this author!
Book 5 of 8 and so far, they are ALL
5 star reads!
* verified purchase Jan 2019 *
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
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