Cherished

Luna & Sol Omegaverse #3

by Emilia Emerson

I’m destined to be alone. They think they can rewrite my fate.

One year after the fall of the Designation Government, Westin Anderson can barely comprehend her freedom. Now she can have a job and take part in the newly formed Omega Rights Committee, but she’s still barred from doing the one thing her heart desires—joining a pack.

Plagued by a mysterious illness that doctors continue to dismiss, Westin plays fast and loose with her new life. For every quiet day behind the bakery counter, there’s a reckless night she’s not sure she’ll come back from.

Then a broken bike, a vicious attack, and a stint on a "sugar alpha" site leads Westin to four

Gray, a protective alpha bodyguard whose priority is guarding his own heart.

Henry, a sweet beta lawyer who has always dreamed of pack life.

Liam, an alpha nurse who spends all his time taking care of others.

And Bear, an alpha motorcycle shop owner with a past that has left him convinced no pack would ever want him.

Suddenly, Westin has four different men vying for her attention and filling her head with dreams of becoming a pack. But she has always believed her time is running out — and her secrets are too heavy for anyone else to carry.

Cherished is part of the Luna & Sol Omegaverse but can be read as a standalone. It’s a first-person, multiple POV, reverse harem omegaverse romance featuring spicy MFMMM scenes.

Please be sure to read the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book for content warnings!

Genres: Omegaverse, Why Choose, Romance, Fantasy, BDSM, Contemporary, Dark

738 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 17, 2024

About the author

Emilia Emerson loves to embroider, take naps with her dog, read filthy smut, and do projects around the house. She works in mental health and loves that writing romance allows her to explore worlds with guaranteed happily ever afters, cozy characters who love each other, and found families who overcome challenges together.

Stay up to date on new announcements:

Facebook Group: Emilia Emerson’s Reader Group

Newsletter Signup: www.emiliaemerson.com

Instagram & TikTok: @emiliaemersonauthor

Reviews

[Emilia Emerson]

I wrote Cherished because I wanted people with chronic illnesses and disabilities to feel seen in a romance. What I wasn’t expecting was that I would feel so seen by my readers. So thank you for seeing Westin, for seeing me, and for loving these characters as much as I do.

[Lucie V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

✅ Multiple POVs
✅ Comfort/healing story
✅ Smut
✅ Age gap (between Westin and one of the alphas)
✅ Main character
✅ Illness rep
✅(🆗) Plot and villains
✅(🆗) Pace and action
✅(🆗) Alphas
❗️❗️Trigger warning: mentions of past abuse (sexual touch, neglect, manipulation, and psychological abuse), drugs, sex work, tentative of overdose of medication (but not a suicide attempt exactly), tumor and intense chemotherapy

There were a lot of plotlines in the first part of the book, but some of them fell flat. Just like the first book in the series, this one focused mostly on romance and healing, and the plot felt weak because of that. I thought more impotyance would be given to the omegas’ fight for their right, but it was mentioned and then forgotten, I also expected Westin’s unncles to play a bigger role in the story, seeing as they seemed to be the main villains, but they were also pretty quickly relayed to the background once Westin started spending time with the guys and having sex every other page.

Westin intrigued me in the second book of this series when we saw more of her, and I was pleasantly surprised. I love how she managed to keep her bubbly personality while also struggling with her physical and mental health issues. She is a fighter and a survivor, but while there were angsty and dark parts in this book, she never stopped being wild and reckless.

The alphas and the beta were all good love interests, but they also mostly felt the same. Sure, Henry was more level-headed, and Bear was the laid-back one, but besides that, there was not much to differentiate them. After a while, they all started to feel the same to me.

There is a lot of smut, and it is good and spicy smut, but sometimes you need to pick the time and place. I do not mind smutty books, and I was expecting it in an omegaverse series, but it also annoys me when characters can’t seem to have one shred of self control and they end up having sex everywhere and at anytime, even when it is not conveninent, not the time, or does not make sense. As as example, Westin is feeling suuuuuuper weak because of her chemo treatments. She is not eating, does not have energy for anything, and is barely able to function, yet she is in the mood for torrid sex with her guys. Maybe I am being too rational, but that part made me roll my eyes.

The author attempted to add MM to the reverse harem, I think, but it was underwhelming and fell flat. Westin mentions a few times that she would not be against something happening between her guys, but it is never pushed further, until suddenly, we have one chapter where one of the guys notices his attraction toward another guy in the pack, but it came out of nowhere, without any building. Even after that weird chapter, nothing really happens between them, so the MM tentative was a failure.

This was a good and entertaining book, but it didn’t need to be this long. The author could have cut a few (or a lot) sex scenes and repetitive scenes that happened in the second half and maybe focused a little more on the uncles' plotline instead of rushing to wrap it up in the end after barely mentioning it in the whole book. Still, I liked this series as a whole, and it was nice to see Josie and Westin overcome their challenge and heal from their traumatic past.


1. Forbidden: Part One ⭐⭐⭐
2. Forbidden: Part Two ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Follow me on Instagram 🙂

[Rayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, can we take a moment to appreciate how stunning this cover is!? Gorgeous!!

I was really enjoying this book for the first 400 pages or so. I like the author’s writing style and I really enjoyed all of her characters. It was such a cozy, fluffy romance. Unfortunately, this enjoyment didn’t last forever.

There was so much going on that it fell flat. None of the many plots were developed enough to feel the stakes. The shady government, her horrible uncles, her stalker, her health, and on top of all that, we had to discover Weston (whom I loved for the most part) and her guys. There was so much that was left without explanation or just brushed off that it left me wanting.

I don’t usually gravitate towards books where the MC
gets together with their love interest(s) so soon because I tend to lose interest. This was a pretty fast burn and there are only so many declarations of love and sex scenes I can read before they start feeling tedious and repetitive. I also found the MM part to have been completely out of left field and wasn’t handled the right way. There’s one or two very small indicators in about 700 pages then suddenly it’s a thing. I know there was a lot going on in the book so I guess something had to give but I would prefer either taking the time to develop it properly or cut it out entirely.

I loved the first 50%, liked the next 25% but, I could have went without the last 25%. I’m not saying that it is a bad book by any means. As I said, the writing it great, the characters were likeable and there’s potential in the plot. I think if it was trimmed down in half and cut some of the plot, this would have been an easy four start read for me.

[Amel · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 89%

This book took me 3 days to read it with 120 chapters for an RH it's long. All the reviews said that it was an MFMMM so no feelings or MM. So why when I started to understand the book and appreciated it, there are feelings that happen between the 2 men (89%) who were friends?? I hate it, I was so shocked, it happened like that without any explanation. They never talked about their sexuality so why now ?? . I have no problem with MM and FF, I love reading it but I prefer to read them separately. I consider it cheating in an RH it's my opinion so why does the author say it's an MFMMM??? Fuck of, it's been 3 days I've been trying to finish this book and now I'm learning that there's a bi-awakening??? WHY she didn't put that in her notes, even on GR it’s say it’s a MFMMM book so no an MMFMM. I'm still shocked, it doesn't make sense, this book was so long and getting boring but I would have put a 3⭐️ but now I put 1⭐️. Just for that

N : I just found out that There will be a bonus scene with their developed relationship (MM), why make a +100 chapters book without developing the relationship is useless and to say that I lost 3 days of my life for that.

[mads ꫂৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

୨ৎ .

3.25 stars | I absolutely loved the mental health and chronic illness representation throughout this book! I also really liked how most of the mc’s interacted with each other and their relationships. But unfortunately those were some of the only things that truly stuck out to me.

There was so much going on in this book that all together it kinda falls flat. There’s a bunch of plot lines that happen vicariously and don’t get followed through so we end up with plot holes. I also didn’t love the fast burn element that this book had. Based on the way that the characters are introduced to each other I would’ve liked and assumed that this book would follow along a more traditional slow burn. And this book is over 700 pages and I just felt that it really didn’t need to be that long. A lot of it could’ve been cut down/out.

I did like it overall but there were some things that just weren’t up to par.

~

”Although no amount of pain pills would be sufficient to dull the pain in my soul.”

“Westin was magic. There was no other way to describe her. Her silver hair was spread on the bedspread around her, giving her an ethereal quality as she slept. I couldn't take my eyes off her, almost afraid that the moment I did, this whole dream would vanish.”

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally stopped crying after 25 mins!!!

Would give it 10☆ If I could!

AMAZING!!! OBSESSED !!!!
I loved every min of this book. This is the next book in the Luna & Sol universe following Westin and her journey with her chronic illness and her guys.

This book is so much more than a romance book, though; emotional, sad, hopeful, romantic, funny, spicy... it has to be read to believe it's hard to find the words to describe it.

It will definitely be one of my top reads of 2024. I related to so many emotions Westin was having even though our illnesses are not the same at all. My heart was bleeding for her at times... book hangover of the best kind!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tropes: why choose MFMMM (MMFMM) omegaverse, grumpy x sunshine, chronic illness, disability rep, hurt/comfort, they fall first, beta MMC, motorcycle alpha, roadtrip adventure, daddy dom, DP & DVP, an*l play, sp*nking.
Rating: 2.75✨

First thing first, let’s take a moment to appreciate the cover because it’s seriously stunning.

I was pretty bummed about how it turned out this novel and I have mixed feelings about it. I didn’t hate this book, but unfortunately I didn’t love it either.
This is a 3 star rounded up reading because even tho I seriously disliked some of the author’s choices, I can’t say that I didn’t like the writing style, so two stars would have been too low as a rating for me.
If someone asks, I didn’t say it, but there is sooo much smut that at some point I got bored.

****SPOILER ALERT: PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK****

Okay, so this book is presented as an MFMMM, but there are two scenes that show us some kind of m/m actions, even tho I’m not sure they can be described like that since nothing really happens.
I like me some MM (or FF for that matter) in the harem, but only when it has a good representation and it’s well written. Unfortunately, it isn’t the case here.
The relationship between Bear and Henry comes literally out of nowhere. There isn’t any build up that take us to the start of their romance. We just have one chapter where Henry notices his attraction towards Bear, and then we have THAT scene (I won’t tell anything more because I don’t want to spoil anything more than I already have) and it’s not even from one of their POVs, and really again, nothing s*xual or emotional happens.
We have to read the bonus chapter to see a scene between these two, which is also “interrupted” by the FMC, so we don’t even get an entire chapter that is solely dedicated to them.
It is also implied that something is happening, or will happen, between Liam and Gray.
The author had almost 800 pages to develop these relationships. It's a shame that they were only thrown in the mix at the end of the story. I honestly would’ve preferred to have no MM at all at this point.

[BrittNeedsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Rating: 3.5/5

Spice Rating: 5/5 - Several explicit scenes, a variety of adventurous acts, dotted throughout the book.

Characters 6/10:

Okay, a 6 feels harsh but there was just a huge issue I had with Henry and Bears characters that is talked about in Logic. The rest of the characters I loved dearly, and I also love Henry and Bear (my favorites). Getting to know Westin and her pack was a treat. I really connected personally with Westin, I loved her.

Atmosphere/Setting 6/10:
I liked seeing the comparison of Luna and Sol, I wish we got to see more of that. But what we did get to see I really enjoyed. It was descriptive and most of the scenes felt like I was there.

Writing Style 10/10:
I love Emila’s writing style, I think it is descriptive, you feel like you are there most of the time. I truly feel in the characters head and feel their feelings when I’m reading their POV. I think Emila is a very good writer.

Plot 5/10:
I wish the story line with the stalker and her uncles was more fleshed out, I feel like that was dropped and not fully developed. I think that sometimes authors put personal things in their stories and that’s totally fair, we can do that. But I feel like we had two diseases, the OWD and the Tumor. It felt like once we targeted the tumor was the issue, our symptoms kinda stopped and it was fully chemo and how that affected her guys. Once they left Luna her symptoms barely popped up. I was so excited for the disability rep and it felt like it was amazing in the first half of the book then stumbled in the second half. The entire first half of the book I was thinking she had POTS with chronic pain or something similar and I was so excited to see my symptoms expressed on a page. But then it seemed that it just got dropped and then we mentioned OWD twice and that could have been tied into the abuse her uncles did, and the government could have been used during the kidnapping thing and then later it could have been used for the omega rights movement with Henry. But nope. I feel like I was expecting Forbidden Part 1 & 2 from this book but it just didn’t hold up to those expectations.

Intrigue 10/10:
I blew through this book. I had it marked on my calendar. I was so pumped for this book before and during my read!


Logic/Relationships 3/10:
My problem with Henry and Bear is that they are queer bated. It was suggested twice by weston that someone might be interested between the guys. Henry has one chapter that is solely focused on his feelings for Bear and how they interact together. Then nothing happens. But during the bounding ceremony Bear initiates bonding with Henry. It’s very sexual, Henry’s precum is even talked about. The tension for Henry was all there but for Bear it felt more like a weird power move/domination thing. Then after they do that, Gray says it was weird and everyone laughs it off. AND THAT WAS IT. I think that was a very wrong way to handle this story line, it was really disappointing. It also wasn’t like it was a pack bond, it was like the lover/omega bond type thing. Because if it was a pack bond, everyone would have bit everyone. It really disconnected me from both their characters.


Enjoyment 4/10:
I think my problem is I walked into this book expecting it to be Forbidden part 1 & 2 and it fell short. I think Emilia’s writing and complex world really flourishes with a duet. I think this book if it slowed down, fleshed out the dropped story lines and didn’t queer bait I think this would have been 10’s across the board like Forbidden was.

Videos:
https://www.tiktok.com/@brittneedsboo...

[Britney ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be a hard book to review because I’m not sure I’ll do it justice but here goes.

This book has definitely shot into my favorites of all time and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to leave the number one spot any time soon, if at all. I always love to see chronic illness and invisible disability rep. You never see it enough and more often than not when it is done it isn’t done well. Reading Cherished felt like someone had crawled inside my head and written down all my thoughts.

I have been chronically ill for the last ten years and I resonated with Westin so well. Emilia Emerson got everything right. The constant doubt from doctors who tell you it’s all in your head, you’re being dramatic, and that there’s nothing wrong with you. The constant feeling of being nothing but a burden and a job to those around you. The feelings that sometimes it would be better if you just never woke up. I had to stop several times and cry because I just felt so seen.

”Every request I made was an opportunity for it to be held against me in the future. It was safer to have no needs. To demand nothing. Then people couldn’t accuse me of being a burden.”

Westin and her guys are incredible. She is sassy, full of personality, so real and easy to relate to, and just everything you could want in a FMC. The guys are amazing. Each one has their own special place in the pack and in the book. I loved that there were both scenes of everyone together but also one on one. It was amazing getting to see their individual relationships blossom and grow alongside the pack dynamics. None of the character felt less than the others. Everyone was well thought out, dynamic, and individual. It was great getting the cameos from characters we met in Forbidden as well.

”I don’t care if I could only love you for a minute. It would be the best minute of my life.”

I think the length was perfect. I for one would rather have a long book than have it split into two and have to wait or have everything feel rushed. No part of this felt drug out or rushed. Things were detailed and concise without being overworked.

Can you tell I love this book? lol

I really couldn’t recommend this enough. I cried (a lot), I laughed, I got the warm fuzzies. It’s just everything.

~ found family
~ omegaverse
~ chronic illness rep
~ hurt/comfort
~ they fall first
~ groveling

[Morgan | morganrosereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I knew now with certainty that even death wasn’t strong enough to keep me from the ones I loved, because when I died, the dust of my body would find the stars of theirs.”

This book was EVERYTHING. Cherished is my first five star book of 2024, and these characters are going to have a permanent place in my heart.

This pack. THIS 👏🏻 FREAKING 👏🏻 PACK!!! I love how perfectly flawed these characters are, and how they fit together like the most perfect puzzle. Westin is our FMC, a sassy, feisty omega who has been through the wringer. Life in the aftermath of a restricting, dangerous government still presents challenges in Westin’s life. So alongside a rag-tag group of heroes, Westin leaves Luna for the first time in search of answers to a better life.

Enter our men! Bear: our motorcycle riding, goofy alpha who loves causing trouble. Liam: our protective, caring, nurse alpha who will do anything to keep Westin safe. Gray: Westin’s bodyguard, a broody, protective hunk of an alpha who is more insecure than he lets on. Henry: our sexy, rich beta lawyer fighting to overturn restrictive omega laws.

This book played on every single emotion. I laughed and I cried (I mean come on the acknowledgments???), and I just can’t explain how much I loved every minute of it.

I’m so thankful for this story. For these characters and their love. For the visibility Emilia is giving to people with less visible illnesses. For the vulnerability and feeling she put into the second half of this book.

[hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

I am so overwhelmed with emotion right now that I cannot write a coherent review. My heart feels so full.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

hands down one of my favorite omegaverse i’ve read.

i told myself going into it that it was a “palette cleanser” for me … ended up being a 700 page book HAHAHA. but it didn’t feeeeel like 700 pages 😭

i absolutely loved westin, our FMC. she surprised me a lot in this book because i read the forbidden duet and wasn’t sure how her character would play out!

i also LOVED how comfortable westin was about who she was (sex wise). she was honest about her past and what she did to be able to make ends meet, and her men didn’t judge her for it.

i just want to say a certain beta and alpha made SO much sense and i loved to see a buildup happen with them 🥹 team work makes the dream work 🗼i really thought it was gonna happen with a different two but i was pleasantly surprised 🤣

i love this pack so much. i laughed, i cried, i felt ALL the emotions on page. i’m so sad to be leaving their story but it was definitely worth it. 🥲

[carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emilia Emerson/the Forbidden books/Omegaverse was my hidden gem of 2023. Emilia's books introduced me to omegaverse and then I very quickly fell into paranormal romances which ended up becoming one of my favorite subgenres of romance. I loved Forbidden so much and I was ecstatic when I learned that we were going to get another book in the Luna & Sol world. I have been anxiously awaiting this installment and I was blessed to get the chance to read an early copy of Cherished.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from Cherished, but it isn't what we ended up getting (this is meant positively!!!!). The book surpassed all of my expectations. I love that Emilia is showing the various ways you can write omegaverse because I feel like there is a definite structure to these kinds of books and she is subverting it. I think that is why I keep coming back to her books as opposed to other authors in the genre. Hers are so empowering. Both as a woman and as someone dealing with some of the subject matter that she writes about. The way that Emilia wrote about depression, chronic pain, and feelings of inadequacy was deeply relatable to me.

The level of tenderness and care amongst all of the characters was so unlike any book I have read before and therefore makes Cherished stand out amongst its peers (is it weird to say a book has peers?). I have a running list of romance books that I read that make me remember that I DO believe in love and Cherished firmly cemented its place on that list. The way the pack cared for everyone, not just Westin, made it easy to see the love between them. It was so easy to see that they all cared for each other (Gray and Liam got there eventually haha).

If you've read Forbidden, I think you'll also love Cherished and vice versa. I will say that Cherished is a little slower pacing-wise and doesn't have as many big, dramatic moments in the plot. It's a quieter book focused more on the characters and their growth over the plot. This was only a tad disappointing because I wanted a big dramatic come-to-Jesus moment for [redacted] lol (no spoilers here).

Other rapid-fire things I loved: The road trip, Henry and Bear, just Bear, just Henry, the angst and hurt/comfort, Bear's motorcycle, Westin's journey with female friendships, the Ferris Wheel scene, the entire Fair scene, the spice, holy hell the spice, the club scenes (after the first one), love a good jealous MMC moment, Westin's hair, did I mention Henry?

Please consider reading Cherished by Emilia Emerson when it comes out on January 17th!

[Athanasia ♥︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved everything abiut this book!💖💜💙

The narrative, the characters, ...everything was immaculate. This story offered everything in the right amounts: fluff, smut, and angst. I felt like this was especially made for me, and the author has now become one of my favourites in the space of a week. Also, I loved the theme of chronic pain and the way many doctors and relatives often don't take the pain and symptoms of female patients seriously.

Tags:
Paranormal MMCs🧛‍♂️🧞‍♂️ 🧜‍♂️
Paranormal FMC👻👹😈
Chronic pain/Scarred FMC👀👀👀
Sex worker FMC👀💥 🔥
Reverse harem/MFMMM 🏳️‍🌈💖💜💙
Bisexual-Poly Relationship🏳️‍🌈 ⚤⚧
Omegaverse/Alpha,beta,omega dynamics 🅰️🅱️🅾️
Insta love-matehood❤️‍🔥 ❤️
SA 💥🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
PA 🪓 🔪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Heats/Ruts🥵 🥴👋
Orgies🎀 🎉⭕️
Interesting Anatomy👀✨🥵
Nesting🛌🏿🛌🏿🛌🏿
Angst😐😑
parental death(mentioned)❤️‍🩹 💔
Learning intimacy💁👌😍
HEA🌠 🎇 🎆

[Stephanie Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emilia Emerson is so good at letting her FMCs experience their trauma and go through the work of recovery without it all being *fixed* by the love interests. They're there to support her as she navigates through it all, but love doesn't just magically fix everything, and I appreciate that. Also, knowing that the author went through chemo herself lent a real authenticity to Westin's experience and the emotions she goes through internally during her illness. A wonderful follow-up to the Forbidden Duet, I can't wait to see who she writes about next (Lilah backstory???).

[Emily Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection. Crying. laughing. Everything.

I was lucky enough to be an ARC reading for this book and after reading the Forbidden Duology, I didn’t think anything would make me feel that way again but I was wrong. I found myself desperately wanting to speed through this book to consume everything as quickly as possible, while also dreading it being over every time I say the percentage go up. Emilia Emerson has a way of writing her MCs that makes it impossible for you to see some of yourself in them. She conveys mental health struggles in a way that I’ve never read before. So real and raw, and so perfectly that you know each character has a bit of her them. As someone who has struggled with anxiety, depression, and health problems that have very often affected so many moments of my life and as someone who has been made to feel like I had to hide those things for fear of being a burden or an irritance, I have never felt more seen and more grateful that this book exists. Thank you thank you thank you for writing this book.
Westin was perfect. I loved the ending. I loved that it wasn’t perfect. I loved each and every member of the pack. I know Bear will be everyone’s favorite!

I will enthusiastically read anything you put out. Forever.

[grace ᵕ̈]

LOL LISTEN. I powered through two omegaverse books with badly written and overdone smut all because I heard the main character of the third - THIS book - was chronically ill 😭. Too many cringey spicy scenes in here too, but let me tell you that representation really makes a difference. It’s terrifying and validating and just an experience to feel like you’re being seen by someone else. Who knew a character from an omegaverse universe would be a character I would come to relate to the most LOL

[Gray DiNola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wished I could’ve read this faster but I am dealing with stuff that was just too close to some plot stuff and it honestly made me sad. But it was so so well written and I adored each and every character so much. THAT BETA HAS MY WHOLE LIL HEART I LOVE HIM. And Westin is just one of best sort of FMC to read because she’s just so relatable. I constantly understood her POV and her attitude is so funny. I loved dem so much 😭🖤

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this book more than I realized ❤️‍🩹

[Merry Jayned · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally absorbed this series... Drama, spice, romance, and plot... so good.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cherished was a good companion to the duology. I really enjoyed Westin's character and I liked how the story followed her journey.

[Boo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another knockout for this author! Is was amazing. And I adored all the characters. Even though I wanted to shove my foot up greys but in the beginning. Shed some tears, laughed at the sassy omega and adored it all. Best part? The author didn’t just magically fix the character. While her character grew she didn’t magically get fixed and I love this author even more for it. A great read. An amazing read.

[Trisha Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! It’s so beautiful I had to just sit with it for a bit after I finished. I was so overcome with emotion afterwards I cried. Like a lot.

I have never wanted to hug and FMC more than I wanted to hug Westin. And the beginning we meet Westin, she is physically exhausted and mentally drained after years dealing with multiple undiagnosed, physical symptoms and horrible family members. She’s breaking little by little and feels unwanted by the community and too much of a burden for the few friends she has.

And just when she’s given up hope at having a pack and a family four big burley men weave their way into her life (more like she weaves into theirs😉)

First we have Bear- Badass biker who is secretly/not so secretly a huge freaking softy. I fell for this man before he was ever properly introduced. And I just kept falling for him 😫 He’s protective of Westin from the beginning but not in an overbearing way. He’s gentle and so in love with Westin it’s not even funny. I loved watching him support her and comfort her through all the crap that gets thrown at her. I would probably sell a kidney or something to get a a hug from Bear.

Henry- The beta lawyer who is also sweet and kind and so caring. But he’s also got a dirty talking dominant side and a hefty the collection of toys🌚 It’s quite literally impossible not to love him. And you never know, maybe his charms will work on more than just Westin 😉

Liam- when you first meet Liam’s he’s not quite who you think he is🌚 but from the very start this man’s main goal is taking care of Westin 🔥 He puts a lot of weight on his shoulders and does everything he can to try and help Westin get better. He can be a bit of a grumpy worrywart but we love him for it.

Gray- the Grumpy bodyguard who at first was a total dick to Westin. Don’t worry there’s groveling😉 I swear he redeems himself and is so so good to Westin. If anyone so much as looks at her wrong he’s ready to take ‘em out for her.


I feel like most ABOs already have a defined pack from the start so I really enjoyed watching Westin and her guys form their pack throughout this book. And in the very heart of that slowly forming pack is our girl Westin🥹 We watched her fight tooth and nail for the life she always dreamed of and it isn’t always easy for her, in fact most of the time it’s REALLY freaking hard. But she had her guys and they never left her side though it all🥹



-Triggers and Tropes-
Chronic illness representation
Thoughts of Suicide
Hospitalization/treatments
Bullying
Medical trauma

Found Family
Protective pack
Road trip!
Biker Alpha
Dom daddy
hurt/comfort
They fall first
Grumpy/Sunshine


ALSO THE CAMEOS WITH JOSIE AND HER PACK ARE EVERYTHING 🔥🤣

I was so excited to be an ARC reader for this book! It’s something I’d never done before but was THRILLED to get a chance to read this book a little early. Emilia Emersons books will forever be an automatic read/buy 🫶🏼

[meg ☾ ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ massive slay but stars deducted due to plot holes but mainly because we were deprived of more henry and bear romance!

[readwithmariaxoxo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, @emiliaemersonauthor, for providing me with an ARC of her amazing new omegaverse whychoose book coming out on the 17th of January.

We follow the story of Westin, a beautiful but overwhelmed FMC working in a bakery, living with her uncles, and trying to lead a simple life. Everything changes when she meets several men on her way who want to get acquainted with her, but she pushes them away. Despite others thinking she is creating illnesses for pity, a mysterious illness afflicts her.

I appreciated that the book was divided into several parts, showcasing the FMC's journey through different life periods. We witness genuine character development, exploring her worries, issues, past, and insecurities. Going into detail would be a major spoiler, but the path and challenges lead to personal growth. It was an emotional rollercoaster, and I cried several times over the unfairness of life towards Westin.

Unlike many why choose stories where MMCs already know each other, here Westin gradually builds her circle over time, forming emotional connections with each of her MMCs.

The real surprise came in the acknowledgments at the end of the book after the finale. While I can't share the details due to spoilers, it was the first acknowledgment I've read where the author expressed appreciation for writing the book and sharing the story with us, the readers.

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the way Westin’s chronic illness was handled in this book. I related deeply to the medical gaslighting and the feelings of despair and worthlessness as a partner. The MMCs all brought something unique to the table. They were able to develop a meaningful relationship. I didn’t love the way the MM relationship came in, because we don’t get any time to get to know them as a couple. I think they would be a very sweet couple though.

Spice: 5/5

Triggers: sex work, SA, stalking, medical gaslighting, suicide attempt, emotional abuse by caregivers, financial struggles, misogyny, parent death (past), references to past incarceration, brief discussion of medical SA, syncope, hospitalization, cancer, chemotherapy, emesis, past financial abuse, FMC dancing/grinding with other men while in committed relationship, recreational drug use, infertility, panic attack

[Jess 🫶🏻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Emilia has written something so incredibly thought provoking and I can’t quite leave this story just quite yet.
After loving Westin in Josies Story I’m so glad to finally get to know Westin a little bit more. I loved that Westin finally found her home within Four guys. Seeing her evolve over the course of the was a wonderful thing, her character growth was admirable.


I wished we had a lot more background on Westin past, like some flashbacks or something as it lacked the depth for me personally that I had with the Forbidden Series however I understand that the main focus of this storyline was her illness and discovering the true cause of all her pain.

Without spoiling too much I wished the person who was ‘stalking her’ was played into a little bit more, that it continued whilst she was away and that the letters were sent a few times more.


Her illness storyline was written so perfectly and I appreciated how it ended, I’m really glad we weren’t left with a full HEA and that the reality of her illness was at the forefront. As bittersweet as it is it was really needed, it gave the storyline something relatable and profound that not everything can be fixed the first time or even the third.

I think personally I’d love if this was duet as it took me sometime to get my head the size of the book however another part of me loved that we didn’t have to wait

Thankyou Emilia for allowing me to have An ARC Copy of Cherished in return for a honest review.

[Audra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive my very first advanced readers copy. I was not able to put this book down, it was honestly so good. I felt a deep connection with all of the characters it made me laugh and it made me cry. I cannot recommend this book enough everyone should read it when it comes out I believe on January 17th

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful and delicious and deep and dark. I see you. 

Omegaverse RH with new pack members, which is quite refreshing from the already formed packs I've been enmeshed with lately.

Plus, there is PLENTY of spicy times.

So well written, and I'm glad this was my first book of 2024. Sets the tone for the rest of the year!

[Vina]

Dnf
It wasn't for me but not going to rate it based on what I read. It was authentic but I read to get away not lavish in misery.