Just when I think I've escaped my troubled past, everything around me blows up.
My life with the Corbyn pack feels like a fairytale. I have friends, a great job, a hot boyfriend, and a rich, successful pack offering to bond with both of us.
But my cheating ex has secrets of his own, and he'll do whatever it takes to make sure I can't bring him or his slimeball family down. When he uses my men as leverage against me, I'm not sure my new relationships will survive the carnage.
Will my pack stand by me, even when I'm on my knees?
* * *
All for Knot is a 153,000-word non-shifter duology, first published on Kindle Vella. It contains M/M. Don't let the slow burn fool you; this pack is scorching hot.
Ember Blaze is either three toddlers in a trench coat, or the new reverse harem omegaverse pen name of USA Today Bestseller R. A. Steffan. If you figure out which, let her know. In the meantime, enjoy growly alphas, sweet omegas, and hawt pansexual lovin’—all with a heaping side order of consent, because that shit’s important.
The couple: Angel/Spencer/Xavier/Hamid and Juniper
Romance trope: omegaverse; rh Series: The Packverse Length: 269 pages
Plot: The pack is coming closer together after the events of the last book, with the exception of Xavier, who is still a holdout because of his past romantic history. Juni is on board with the idea of joining the pack and Angel wants to but is scared. Hamid and Spencer have extended an offer to the omegas, regardless of Xavier's hesitation. But there's also danger lurking in the background and the pack will have to come together to save Juni from the trouble stalking her.
Commentary: Just like the first book, this one definitely follows the recent tropes for omegaverse (which seem to have become almost strictly rh with mm): one teddy bear who's all in from the first, one snarky damaged dangerous alpha, one who doesn't want anything to do with a new omega, and one established omega (male) who is scared to have someone usurp his place but then is the first one to really bond with the new omega. It's a bit predictable, honestly, but a lot of people like that. There's an omega trauma - in this case, both omegas have suffered (tangentially related to being an omega) and have to overcome that trauma with the love of their alphas (and sex, obviously). Also, one of the alphas (it's always the snarky, edgy one) also has a trauma that he must overcome with the help of the pack. In this case, the one thing that saves the book from total sameness as others is the conflict with the ex, who happens to be a . This wasn't a bad story, but I felt like I had read it before.
Towards the end of the book I just didn’t care about these characters anymore. Juni seemed to be pushed to the side a lot of the book. Her relationship with Xander made zero sense. He goes from wanting nothing to do with her to being in love with her and her just being all for that. It was a weird book and the ending got so boring. Not sure I’ll read anything else from this author.
I read this one right after I finished book 1 and I feel like this duology reads more like one long book, so I am glad I could read it that way. All for Knot Book Two continues the story of Juni, Angel, Spencer, Hamid and Xavier. There is some more danger and political troubles coming their way, Xavier starts off being distant and has to overcome some internal struggles, while Hamid has a secret as well, then there is Angel and Juniper who have to decide whether they want a mate bond. So plenty going on in this sequel.
I really liked this series and reading about these characters. There's plenty going on plot wise and I liked seeing that play out. I especially liked seeing the romance develop more and these 5 characters bond even more strongly. This book has some great scenes especially some really sweet and emotional ones. There's plenty of steam as well, with a great variety of steamy content as well as a variety of kink.
The epilogue wraps things up nicely. I really liked the high note on which the epilogue ended things and it made me happy. Although I was a bit confused how something with a side character got resolved, but then it made sense when I realized she gets her own book. Still it felt a bit out of character how they acted especially after their previous meeting.
To summarize: This sequel wraps up this duology really well and these 2 books read like one long book, I was happy I was able to read it that way. There is plenty going on this book and I liked seeing it all play out. This book has a bit more suspense than the first book. I liked seeing the romance develop and deepen even more. There are some really sweet and emotional scenes as well as plenty of heat as well. All in all I really enjoyed this series and I look forward to the next book which features a side character from this one.
All For Knot, book 2 of The Packverse series, by Ember Blaze.
I absolutely loved this conclusion about Juniper, Spencer, Hamid, Xavier & Angel! Tropes: Contemporary, Omegaverse, Female & Male Omegas, Three Alphas, Piece of Crud Ex, 🐝D$M, Age Gap, Found Family & HEA!
⭐️2.75 stars⭐️ I really didn’t like this duet. There was no solid relationship building, none of the characters really had personality, it was fairly boring, and it mostly focused on Angel. Most of spice was a letdown, especially the heat scenes. And the male omega biology was just a little too much for me personally. Plus everything else I said in my review of book 1. Lol
I enjoyed this book as much as the first one with a couple of differences.
Pros: It jumped right into the story. I get annoyed with re-reading plot lines and characters that many authors do for new readers. The same care and realism with trauma occurred. It was very LGBTQ inclusive. The first one was too but I noticed it more in this one. I liked the ending, and there is an equally hot follow up scene in the hot tub!
Cons: I didn’t notice this in the first book, but the novels are very white centered. This stood out when the author specifically mentioned a Black Alpha for a random side character. But didn’t say White when describing a judge. It was so random that it felt like a token attempt at racial diversity, but all it did for me was highlight how white-centered the books are. Don’t describe non-white characters by their color unless you also identify white characters by their color.
4.5/5 - it would have been higher but for the con.
To be honest I'm disappointed, Xander and the fmc had zero development. Their whole relationship can be summarized like this; * I will shun you, and be cold to you *Okay, idk why you hate me. * Tells the story about his mate * Then suddenly he wants her, they start kissing a bit here and there. * They kinda don't talk anymore in this book but suddenly they love each other, despite barely talking to each other.... *And mating.
Another thing i didn't really like was how much of this book was focused on Angel, it was like the FMC was a side character. And her trauma didn't really get to be focused on as much as Angel , and I didn't like that. Juniper was there for Angel after his heat but he wasn't there for her, idk it just felt like he hurt her feelings a lot in this book. And ik its because of his trauma. But still their relationship, and her relationship with Hamid and Spencer I love and understand. But i can't really call it a relationship with Xander... Because it doesn't even feel like a relationship, i can't feel that he loves her and it happened suddenly with zero development. And like I said this book focused way too much on Angel when i wanted to read more about the FMC
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The first half of this was better than the second half. Then it fell into predictability and the ending was incredibly unsatisfying. I'd give 2.5 stars if I could but here we are. Such a shame.
I read the first book, it wasn't great, it was a solid 3 stars. In the very beginning of the second book the FMC has some kind of brain fart and turns too stupid to live. Like actually should have died and I kinda wish she had. In my opinion authors who write plots like this show no respect for the intelligence of their readers. We take the time to read your book, don't insult us with plot twists that make no sense and stupid characters.
SYNOPSIS (Duet): The FC, Juniper, discovers her rich, powerful Beta fiancé has been cheating on her and dumps him at the alter. He takes revenge by ruining her life leaving her having to call on the help of a stranger who takes her back to his pack house. There she meets Angel, a traumatised omega who had been the victim of omega trafficking and the 3 Alphas whose pack he forms a part of (although he is not mated as he has a fear of being mated). The story covers how Juni and Angel bond and help each other get over their trauma and develop a relationship with the 3 Alphas each with their own damage. This is against a backdrop of Juni’s ex finance trying to get revenge. Book 1 ends on a very low level cliffhanger.
Heat Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/🍆🍆🍆🍆 The amount of sex and the heat increases through the duet and there is a lot of kink with a fair amount of sado masochism. Whilst the sex scenes are well written and hot personally I found they had too much of a cruel sado element to them for me. Everything is consensual but I felt that certain scenes just went too far into the cruel arena. 😵💫
The Duet is well written but takes a slightly different path with the male omega. It goes down the route of the male omega not being as well endowed as the alphas or having the same biology as well as being able to give birth and being more of a “female” sexually. I found it a bit creepy as it essentially feminised the male omega and that didn’t work for me at all (shudder).
There is a bit of background development on the characters although it is all fairly superficial and whilst almost all of the characters have their own “damage” this is dealt with as a brief descriptor for each MC almost as if it is only designed to give a bit of angst to the story and a short cut to make the characters more interesting. The result is that whilst you get to know the characters at a high level you don’t really connect with them or to fully understand their background. I also found the description of Xavier, the pack lead, a bit over the top in depicting him as older with repeated references to his creaking joints and groaning as he kneels down etc. which made me feel like he was more of a grandfather - again, that didn’t work for me in a romance.
The FC is nice enough with a bit of spine but overall I found her wishy-washy. There was nothing to her except for what the MCs made her. The author tells us that she is afraid of alphas because of her abusive alpha father but we don’t really hear anything specific about her upbringing other than her father killed her mother. The FC quickly overcomes any fears however once she meets the MCs though. Again, just a cheap plot mechanism by the author to create a character with depth.
There’s a bit of drama around the ex fiancé but it comes across as manufactured and whilst there is a bit of drama in the build up there is no real follow through. It was all a bit lame.
Overall I found this Duet wasn’t for me. From the lack of time and effort spent on the characters to the sado masochism and the male omega physiology. Also, what the hell is Alphamic? This was referenced throughout the book but never explained. 🙄
Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I would say the second part was better than the first. It delved deeper into the details and resolved some of the unresolved issues from the first part, leading to a logical conclusion.
However, there were still aspects that I didn't like. For instance, the Alphomic Accords and similar concepts were never fully explained. They were hinted at in the story's timeline, but never fully revealed. Additionally, the circumstances surrounding Spencer giving up his surname were left unexplained.
The story's order was also a bit unusual. I initially thought Percy would be present until the end, but his situation was resolved early on. Nevertheless, I appreciated that the focus shifted to the pack and their trauma issues, showcasing how they overcame them. It was an interesting approach compared to the typical narrative of leaving the threat until the last moment.
I was thrilled to see that the story had an epilogue. As evident from my previous reviews, I've mentioned multiple times that I enjoy a good epilogue and getting a glimpse into the main characters' future. Unfortunately, in this case, I realized that the epilogue had nothing to do with the pack. One of my pet peeves is when things are mentioned but not shown in the end.
Instead, the epilogue served as an introduction for the next installment, which is another practice I dislike. I don't need a teaser for the next part; there is plenty of time to do that in the next book. An epilogue, in my opinion, should be an extra segment focused on the main characters of the current book.
Furthermore, the author's other books that delve into the unexplained aspects (such as the "Alphomic Accords") should have been mentioned earlier. Personally, I prefer reading chronologically, and knowing about Hamid's great-uncle's story beforehand would have allowed me to start this series with a better understanding of its context.
"No matter how deep the ocean of how dark the night, I will hold both of you in my hands until my last breath." book 2 pg. 197
**Review shared for series**
Okay... my biggest complaint is I feel like the MAIN MAIN character was Angel. It just seemed like it was mostly about him healing from his past rather than Juniper healing from everything that happened/happens to her throughout the duet. I feel like Juniper was used as a bridge between the alphas and Angel.
Our main crew:
Juniper an omega that gets cheated on by her beta fiancé and decides to humiliate the politician at their wedding and then walk away. Spencer, an alpha and ex-police officer, that can't help being a knight in shining armor for omegas. Hamid, the oldest alpha and leader of the group with a traumatic background that keeps him from accepting his feelings for Juniper. Xavier, a suave alpha and the jokester of the group. Angel, a tortured omega that has spent the last nine years keeping his distance from the alphas upstairs who love him but is able to accept Juniper for the damaged omega she is.
Who knew a kinktastic, omegaverse, Reverse Harem, with trauma would leave me so healed. Honestly, my heart is happy, and my soul is content from this shockingly wholesome story.
Without spoilers, I think I cried more from this smut-filled duology than I did watching videos of dogs seeing their owners come home from war. Seriously, how does that make sense?!?
**spoilers**
Holy crap, I did not see the crime syndicate coming. Seriously?! It was well written and completely out of left field, but I am here for it!! And having 70% of the book be the pack bonding and you know, actually becoming a pack, was the best decision ever.
Kind of like when I say I would read Rick Riordans grocery lists if it gave me more content, I could read the day-to-day work and sexcapades of this pack all day every day. Nothing is ever boring. Always write down the smut. Always.
3.5 stars? Not as good as the first. My problem with this book is twofold.
First, Angel and Juniper’s relationship was great in the first book, but I felt like it lost focus once they let the three alphas in. By the end, when they’re all bonded, the special connection those two characters had is all but gone. Subsumed by the pack. It makes sense, but the pack relationship felt dull compared to the two omegas together.
Second, I’m not into dom-sub culture. That’s not to say I don’t like to read about bondage or dub con occasionally, but the actual culture of real life dom-sub relationships, with the rules and the safe words and all of that just isn’t fun for me to read. While I’m sure it’s all very necessary in real life, it’s boring for me to read about.
🔥🔥🔥🔥 whew! This book would have been 5 stars for the smutt alone if there wouldn't have been so many political opinions shoehorned in. The CNC and kink plays were so exciting & were well written. I feel there was some serious DP action missing (especially with the male omegas anatomy just begging to service 4 at once), as well as some clarification on Spence/Hamids boundaries. The trauma was handled very tastefully and realistically - no sunshine and rainbows just because they've met their mates. Looking forward to finding the prequel that was continuously mentioned & Emma's story in the US.
Whew! The ending of this duet was stressful but so good.
The angst was perfect. The stress from bad guys was perfect and the conclusion of their pack coming together was so perfect.
I love the trials and tribulations they went through to get to their HEA. I really appreciated them overcoming their hardships.
I also love how male omegas were explained in this. I really love the OV and all the little differences that authors come up with! The imagination is amazing to me. ❤️
This story picks up right after part 1, with the guys wanting to mate bond both Angel and Juni. This book focused a lot on the relationships, and Angel’s fears and trauma. I liked how they were all supportive and talked through things. However, there is still Percy lurking in the background trying to create more problems for Juni and her guys. There was some interesting twists, but I felt like those were resolved a little too quickly. My favorite parts were the relationship development. Great conclusion overall.
All For Knot Part Two is the second book in The Packverse series and concludes Juni and the pack that’s not a pack’s story.
I loved this book and really enjoyed the story. I loved how characters that deserved it got their comeuppance and also that the pack found their HEA. I loved the characters by the end of this book and there was plenty of chuckles to be found as I was reading.
Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to Juni’s story and I would recommend reading it.
I've read other works by this author and was interested in other books. Book 1 in this series was ok. Not great but good enough to want to read book 2. Here's where the 1 star comes in. As a whole, I love this genre. Omegaverse has become a favorite of mine. I have no issues with the dynamics. Mostly. What I can't do is male pregnancy. It's definitely something that should be mentioned in the blurb. The pack was not your usual pack but had redeeming qualities. But male pregnancy, yeah, I'm out.
All For Knot Book Two by Ember Blaze is the second book in the Packverse series. This is the conclusion to Juni, Angel, Spencer, Xavier, and Hamid's story. I was so happy to see this pack get their HEA. There is so much love between all of them and I'm glad that Angel finally decided to let them love him. Some political intrigue. Some TW to watch out for. Loved it. Looking forward to reading Emma's story.
I liked the premise of this book in the first book, and I liked the characters well enough, but some of them needed to be fleshed out more, namely Spenser and Xavier. They were just types. The nice guy and the old guy. Nice guy just hung around being nice and doing what he was told. Old guy went about being dignified with creaky joints. Yep, that last little bit was described over and over until I felt any romantic scenes were elder abuse. It was really weird.
The fact that you can have five people with all their neuroses, along with all their outside problems, put them together with Love, made reading this story Totally Awesome 😍. We've forgotten that it takes a village to raise adjusted human beings and now very few people are happy in life 😒. Thanks again Ember, I can't wait to see what happens next 🤓.
I really enjoyed seeing the pack fully come together, but I think part of me still feels like there needed to be more. In reality I'm a sucker for stories with two omegas and they can be a bit scarce so even though this wasn't the best omegaverse I've read, it still kept me pretty riveted the whole way through. Hurt-comfort is also one of my favorite tropes, but for some reason, that aspect just quite feel right/satisfactory to me
I really enjoyed this duology, great characters, interesting and easy to read dialogue, and so many times that the book just made me grin while reading!!
Omegaverse, Reverse Harem, kinky(range of intensity), trauma/recovery, and sub-space/sub-drop representation (at least I think so)! Honestly it’s only missing a F/F relationship, although there IS an omega/omega relationship, and genderqueer rep in side characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don’t care about male omegas. I think they are hot. I’m not too sure about how I feel about them giving birth though. I don’t know if that was a warning or not but I think it should be if it’s not. This series was just an awkward read from start to finish. I did like the CNC scenes with H though.
I REALLY loved this duology. The author represented bdsm and safety well, and described in great detail the thoughts and feelings and Sensations going through one's mind during play. The plot was really good but that last spicy scene had me MELTINGGGGG omg.
I also really loved the plot twist of an alpha switch!
Another volume in a serial story from a talented writer
As Juniper Maslow meets, and furthers her relationship with three strong alphas, and a male omega, and finds herself being drawn into a relationship with all four. I’ll not include “spoilers,” or drop hints. Read, and enjoy it yourself.
i feel like i always do this to myself where i read a book where i know i wont like it but still try to read it anyways whoopsie
but one thing i LOVED was the mention of UTIS and peeing after sex! I don’t know if this was mentioned in book one or two but it was so refreshing seeing things like this mentioned!