Knotted by the Pack: Children of the Alphas

Howl's Edge Island #6

by Layla Sparks

When an omega gets kidnapped by vampires... I run a cute little shop for omegas instead of looking for an alpha pack to marry. And my only love is my childhood best friend, Lio, who’s a professional knotter at the local heat clinic, so he’s off limits for me. Until all that changes in one fateful night when an ancient creature kidnaps me and I don't have my heat suppressants. I go into heat. And the only place I can go to for help is the heat clinic on the island where Lio works at. Then I’m slapped with a shocking surprise two weeks later…

Knotted by the Pack is a standalone reverse harem duet with protective male alpha partners, a #whychoose story. Guaranteed HEA with all the steam you’re looking for. Each book can be read as a standalone, sharing the same world.

Genres: Omegaverse, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Vampires, Why Choose

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2023

Reviews

[Erin Reads Things ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah, I have questions. For starters, why is Alana the only one who doesn’t seem to know about vampires in their society? What exactly were the rules there? And, perhaps most importantly, why were “hairy thighs” brought up so many times?

[Leona ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

(This review may have spoilers!! Also trigger warning... mentions assaulted actions used in the book..)

Hate to be the one to do it...


But I'm done trusting tiktok.

I just don't think I enjoy her books well. I also didn't enjoy the time skips or the main character of this book.

Digging into the book, I was excited to start it. I had seen a video on tiktok that gave away part of the book. It was the middle, where the pack mates her. Well I misunderstood the video so when I started the book, it wasn't anything I was expecting. Which was not something bad. However. I'd say things went down hill the minute the vampire took her.

James shames her for having a pack but still takes her in front of his. No sense-

More over, the way each author handles Assult or Rape is to say the least interesting. This author was no different. It's confusing how she with holds information and then decides to spill her guts to her grandmother. In some ways, yes this is logical. In some others, no. If her trauma affected her into silence, she would have acted differently.

One more thing that irked me, was the time skips. I was sobbing- sobbing and laughing. I put my phone down several times and exclaimed how much the world hates me. (Jokingly...). Though this was understandable, skipping 5 years, then two weeks, then 5 months, then 4 months, then two weeks.

On a positive note, I thought the overall plot and idea of the book was very nice! And though the story wasn't exactly nice, the whole idea was enjoyable.

[Shell · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 55%
The premis was good.
This was horribly written and edited.

I've read a couple of Layla Sparks books now. Layla comes across as either extremely detached from her emotions or has lived an extremely sheltered life. I say this because the emotions she gets her characters to display thoughout the book do not match how someone may actually respond.

This will be my last attempt at reading anything from Layla Sparks.

[Shannon - a.court.of.fantasies · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this..

I love pnr romance books but I can’t deny that this felt like a poor wattpad romance 😭 it was just really choppy and while the spice was good it wasn’t nearly enough to salvage this story for me. I stuck it out in the hopes of a turnaround but sadly that did not happen. The beginning of the book immediately introduces r* pe and I’ve read books with SA before but this felt so haphazardly tossed in in an attempt to make the FMC more interesting via trauma.

There is a HEA and it is also a standalone so that was nice but overall I did not enjoy this book.

[Marta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm just done. I'm dnf'ing this one at 35%, and I'm done trying to power through this series. The writing just keeps getting worse. I've read pay per chapter novels in shady apps that are better written than this trainwreck. Even the smut is badly written. The dialogue is stilted and cringe worthy. There is little to no character development. I mean, did this series even go to beta readers? If the author paid as much attention to her writing as they do for the tok tok marketing of this series, it would not be such a waste of time.

[Hannah Hynes · Rating 1 out of 5]

This Omegaverse is different from others I have read. I was not a big fan of how and what was written.

[Maggie Fyvie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m just going to leave this here…😂

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knotted by The Pack by Layla Sparks Review.

❗️Spoilers ahead❗️

This was my first book with serious kn0tting. It was also my first book with a why choose trope/RH. I usually don’t go for this kind of stuff but you know what? I actually really enjoyed it! So that shocked me.

Hears the sum up.
Alana is an Omega. So it’s completely normal to have multiple mates. But after an incident that happened when she was seventeen (r@pe, on page) she hasn’t wanted to be around anyone. Especially her crush, Lio. So she runs away from the camp they were staying at for the night, leaving him alone, hurt and confused. She never told a soul about what had happened to her that night. Or about the man who saved her.

Fast forward a couple of years and she is now living with her grandmother after moving out of her home due to shame. She has opened her own store that she runs with her grandmas help. Then one day, after hiding in the back when he usually arrives, Lio catches her and talks with her. She tries to keep small talk to a minimum but you can tell that he still has feelings for her and her for him.

Fast forward for the festival happening that evening. She leaves early to wander the beach where she was violated and searches for the man who saved her. She stumbles upon a cave with a hidden entrance and winds up in the vampire part of the land, unknown to the wolves. She is kept there against her will but ends up being the charge of the man who saved her, James. As she stays in his care while the others plan to feed off of her, their feelings gross and they have a night of passion. Soon after, she is taken to the centre of the village where the feeding will begin. But unfortunately for her, she also starts her first heat and doesn’t have her heat suppressants with her. James risks his life for her and returns her to the wolf area and drops her off at the heat clinic.. where Lio works as a professional kn0tter.

There she is taken care of by the Alpha Lio himself, Markus, an old her Alpha and Owen, a beta. While taking care of her, they grow a heavy attachment to her and her to them. A few weeks after her visit, she finds out she is pregnant with James babies. (There is pregnancy and childbirth after the 50% mark in the book) Lio and his pack of Markus and Owen quit their jobs to claim Alana as their Omega and raise the babies.

After the babies are born they must go into hiding because being involved with a Vampire is punishable by d3ath. To her, her babies, family and mates. But she has to see James before she leaves so he can meet his babies. James meets them, much to her mates objection but it does work out for everyone in the end.

5/5 Stars!

[Ash · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book is horrifically written, she can’t write for the life of her.

[Catherine Leigh]

fantastic

I saw this book recommended on Facebook, so very glad I saw it as it was fantastic.
The storyline is captivating, I couldn’t put the book down.
Lots of hot AF steamy scenes with knotting.
Overall a really great read

[Manda · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. I didn't like the writing. There was some bits and pieces that felt like they were missing it just progressed too quickly in some parts and too slow in others. If I could give it 0 I would have. :(

[Leonor]

you didnt see me reading this

[Steph]

DNF at 73%.

Here’s the thing, it’s for someone but it’s not for me. The lack of communication just…ugh.

[Elizabeth Hillebrand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many time jumps for my liking and not enough story telling in my opinion.

[Lena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huh? Was habe ich hier nur gelesen…😭

[PageGoblin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fuck

[Addison · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Knotted by the Pack is an intense tale of an omega kidnapped by vampires and turned to an unlikely source for help: her childhood friend, Lio. The plot has an exciting mix of danger, forbidden attraction, and reverse harem dynamics. While the premise is promising, the story’s emotional depth is lacking, and the focus on steam over substance can feel a bit one-dimensional for some readers.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad it was free.

[Mylo Kitchener · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to try this book after seeing so many quotes on TikTok but let me say this is the last time to trust TikTok especially author recommendations.

Overall the whole book was so rushed and I finished it in 2 hours. So it’s an easy read but not a good read.
James was such a random character and I wished he hadn’t joined the pack after the babies. Owen was kinda unless too. Wish Lio had more character development cause he was having a complete toddler tantrum about James.

I love a good omegaverse book but this one really disappointed me.

2 stars cause I feel awful giving books 1 star.

[Kelly Reilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The trouble I find with this authors books isn't the concept for the story or the spice. Those are great! It's the amount of detail put into the character building, their relationships, the characters themselves. It's very minimal and often times feels like a rush to get to the next step of the book.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite book so far because of the storyline it’s like twilight 2.0 however, low-key kind of better because they’re not in high school anymore. Here are my issues tho I wish the world and the characters were a lot more flushed out like I said in the other one I wanna fucking Geo political class on this I want a history class. I want to know the things that are going on because I’m not reading it for the omega verse shit I’m reading it for the lore I think this storyline has the best potential to be like a beefy great book, but it kind of fell short. However, I did enjoy the storyline. I have questions about vampires, though, like they can breathe they Sleep. And they age I don’t know shit about vampires, but I think they don’t do those things I kind of didn’t like the rape aspect of it I guess that’s a thing why did they have to do that? Like I understand like I could’ve introduced James a different way but I don’t know I like the storyline I don’t really understand why introduce vampires. Just make it a human like we didn’t have to like vampire it unless she wants to start a new series of vampires, then that’s kind of fucking genius I think I just want to know more of the history of the world because I’m so confused why do they have a royalty system? Why do they have magical creatures? Like is it just this island or is the whole world because they talked about Seattle, so that Has to say that the human world is here and they said that they’re escaping to the human world, but like they kill people who go there I don’t really know and like again I think this thing is an analogy for racism again. I just have a lot of thoughts. Also, why do you think James care about people when I get there like your family or whatever but they literally hurt him after he saves her. I just got a lot of questions no answers. Maybe I’ll write an email to the author probably not though. Can’t wait to read the next book though. October cannot come soon enough I’m not into the omegaverse stuff I’m actually into the storyline. I know that’s a lot like I just watch porn for the plot but I really enjoy the storyline and the world. I just wish it was more focused on the world and character development because I really don’t care about the rest of it.

[Booklover Judy Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Paranormal #FatedMates #WhyChoose #Shifter #Vampire #SurprisePregnancy
Written in first person from alternating multiple POC, this book 6 in the series can be read as a standalone and ends with a HEA. This is my first book by this author, who recommends the series be read in order. I was able to obtain this free book on stuff your kindle day, and dove in anyway. There are probably a few spoilers from recurring characters from earlier books, but I have no regrets.
Alana is an omega shifter who has avoided relationships and romance since an attack took her innocence at 17. This does happen on-page in the prologue. (Sensitive readers should consider the author’s CW at the front of the book.) When she ends up among a vampire encampment, her life changes forever. I loved the relationship she formed with James from the start. I loved the idea of the heat clinic and how the pack handles her heat. Lio has loved her for ages. I loved how he always wore his feelings on his sleeve. Markus falls hard and fast for her. I adored his possessive, but gentle gruffness. Owen is the ultimate caretaker. His tender care of Alana is special and touching. I loved the characters and their development throughout the story.
There are a lot of moving plot parts. There is entrenched animosity between the packs and the vampires that has to be addressed. Alana’s love and relationship with James are completely illegal in the pack world. Political change, acceptance of others, found family, and consuming love are right along side sizzling spicy hot times.
This was my first book by this author but I am looking forward to going back and staring this series from the beginning.

[Bo0kSLoth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has a lot of twists for me. I thought it was going one way only to have the everything turned upside-down and be led down another path. As soon as I was comfortable with where things could be going -- about-face and things are spinning again with all new possibilities and new characters.

Don't know what our who is important; where the story is going or who is going there? It's definitely an adventurous story. Yes there is that standard miscommunication that seems to happen with every book that gives you both genders POV. There is that guilt and pain, longing and hope. I really enjoyed this book as it was the first time I've read something by this author. I was able to easily feel a sense of this world and still want to know more so I read the stories of Lio and Alana's parents. Read the changes in the society the author wrote about. Whether a gateway to other books or a continuation, the reader should enjoy this read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jen Reads Smut Pen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a quick read, I did not find it to have a lot of substance, it was very much A, B, C, D. And that’s it. I did like that it has a HEA, that there is a FMC that is being an entrepreneur that is making a way in life for herself, that has positive role models in her life. I wanted to read this as I do love a good paranormal book with werewolves and vampires, and add on a why choose, I am will eat it up, but I was not really impressed, it was a very nice palate cleanser, but why do I saw that when it does have a HUGE trigger such as SA immediately in the book, well its not mentioned except for a few times, and when it is talked about, well its almost dismissive. One of her mates is someone that cannot ever see sharing her with three other people, and in the last chapter with no build up to it, all of a sudden it is an orgy between the 5 of them, when not even 10 pages before it was just discussed that he would provide baby sitting services instead of partake of spicy time, will I read further books in this series, personally for me, no I wont.

[Jacquelyn G · Rating 1 out of 5]

fast

This story flew by super quick, but I never connected with any of the characters.

The author tried to pack a lot of situations, time and events into a small book and the story suffered greatly.
The speed of events made everything feel like a fast-paced summary, rather than a story. There was a LOT of telling instead of showing. A lot of the "bonding" happened off page, so there wasn't even a clear sense of connection between the guys and Lana. James was probably the inly exception but that's because he really risked himself freely for her and all her pack did was rut and speak sweetly. Lio seemed like a man child because he was always having little fits, but supposed to be friends for ages with Lana.
The intimate scenes were sloppily written.. there was weird transitions from different positions and the dirty talk was cringy and repetitive.
I'm absolutely not continuing this series.

[Jasmine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fair warning to some: this starts out with an on page rape scene.

I think this had some promising concepts, but I don't know if they should have been all meshed together like this, in so short a span. It felt like we were playing with playdough and mixing too many colors with the different plot threads.

Lots of fast burn story - and some of the pack members felt like tropes (like the older alpha just being there to say he wants to make her pregnant and felt like he didn't add anything else). We start with the assault scene, then time skip, then she meets a vampire and sleeps with him, then she goes into heat at a clinic, and so on. It's really one scene after the other, and the mixing of the vampire society mystery, the heat clinic, the friends to lovers, the enemy sides to lovers stories really causes it to be disorienting and not cohesive. I think this should have been multiple stories that were built up more and had more time, character building and world building.

[Amy May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better

Six books in and still some things that come in all the books. Purple dress? Check. Sideburns? Check. Red lingerie/pajamas? Check. The words creepy, boobs, anus and tons of the p word? Check,check,check and check. Weird incident thrown in for no reason? Check,but at least this time it formed the basis of why alana treated lio coldly. Super rapid conflict resolution, which seems to be a hallmark of this series. I kind of liked james,but the path from naked illiterate pooping in holes in the ground to dapper village leader and businessman was a stretch. I obviously want him to be a success,but he was so poor,powerless and unconfident it made me uncomfortable. Not how i like my heroes to be. Was happy that he ended better than he began
Loved june and jay. Overall,a less frustrating read than the previous six books.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wtf did I just read.

This book was recommended to me by Amazon. Seeing that there was a 4 star rating on Amazon Canada and the series is 8 books long, I figured it would be decent. Especially since it is about vampires, wolves, and fated mates. BOY WAS I WRONG.

This book is an absolute mess. I dislike leaving negative reviews but it was truly awful with a jumbled plot and poor execution. The author introduces new characters out of the blue all the time (like 3 main characters plus a whole species) without any prior backstory. The way that the MMC (James) speaks gives me the ick. Also, James had stated that he would “never share” his mate/lover, unlike omegas/alphas. Well, guess what? He randomly does? Where did his standards and morals go? They also talk about being “fated mates” but they don’t provide any insight or significance in that matter.

[iesha Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.6 stars

this book starts off pretty quick with a terrible thing that breaks my heart a bit. then it jumps ahead to the now older Alana working in her shop and keeping Lio at arms length. alana then is kidnaped by vampires and james ends up taking a liking to her and saving her when she starts her heat. he takes her to the one and only lio and his boys who help her through it to only fall for her. five months later she is pregnant and doesnt know who it belongs to. there is some unique qualities of this book. it has spice for sure but i would have liked a more steady pace of the book. it all seemed to go by in the blink of the eye jumping away from her trauma she had for years never talking about it but one or two times. overall a good read and i look forward to more.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like an omegaverse Breaking Dawn but why choose, heat clinics, and vampires really were (mostly) the bad guys outside of the one good one for the majority of the story. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, my brain is latching onto Breaking Dawn and another movie Kristen Stewart is in: Speak. Blend the bare bones of those two, put an omegaverse twist, and that’s this story.

It jumped around quite a bit timeline-wise which made the story difficult to connect with. Lio made me want to hit him a majority of the time, but the other males were all decent. The best moments were when the story slowed down and allowed readers to just spend time with the characters and their interactions rather than rush around, jumping months and years through their lives in under 260 pages.

⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5)