Belladonna De Luca. As poisonous as her namesake. An Omega with a chip on her shoulder so sharp it'll cut you if you get too close. Too bad nobody warned the damaged Alphas of Pack Carbone. From one crime family to another, Bella's rebellion from tradition threatens to unravel decades of carefully laid plans. The question is, will the Carbone Alphas expose her secrets, or will they stand behind her as she brings every corrupt pack to their knees? Heat is a dark, why choose, OV, standalone novel.
I spend 95% of my life huddled in my little office, at my little desk, vividly hallucinating about characters and scenarios that don't exist. Then I write it all down for you to enjoy!
Heat is a gripping omegaverse romance novel that is a rollercoaster ride of danger, passion, and unexpected love.
Bella is a headstrong and resilient omega, breaking the designated mold as a hitwoman from the notorious DeLuca crime family. Her fierce determination and deadly skills create an aura of mystery and unpredictability that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Penn has created complex characters who find solace and redemption in each other's arms. The chemistry between omega Bella and Dante, Hector and Silas, alphas with a troubled past, is electric. Their contrasting backgrounds and shared sense of danger make their relationship both intoxicating and perilous.
The tension and suspense throughout the story is captivating. I finished the book in one sitting desperate to unravel the next twist in the plot.
Heat is an fantastic, darker, whychoose omegaverse romance that pushes boundaries leaving readers wanting more. With its complex characters, thrilling plot, and intense emotional connections, this book will leave you anxious for the next book in the duet.
I’m on the edge of my seat, I love a badass fmc who knows who she is and what she wants. As always Penn’s succeeded in crafting a fast paced thrill ride of a novel that I finished much to quickly. I can’t wait for the next installment!
Wow, that was intense, but in a very good way. So many things left unresolved! I am going to be going crazy waiting for the next book😉. If you don't mind some darkness in your reads, then I suggest giving this interesting book chance.
This is a brand-new omegaverse series with the second book following 31st August. Penn writes about a badass, take-no-prisoner omega mafia heir who just wants to get out of the thumb of her parents and their lifestyle. She struggles with a traumatic experience as well as the loss of her siblings, just wanting to find her own way towards freedom and independence. The relationship with her men is complicated with a smidgen of enemies-to-lovers and their own family struggles.
If you’re sensitive to the „regular“ mafia topics such as violence, death, murder as well as physical and sexual abuse, skip this book. For all others, I definitely recommend this story! Penn’s writing style makes you feel as if you’re living the story with her characters, so I would suggest checking out her other books, but in my opinion this omegaverse romance is one of her best. I can’t wait for the next!
This is a four to five star read however I scored it one because of no trigger warning. In this day and age there’s no reason this shouldn’t have a trigger warning discussing SA. While I don’t have trigger warnings, not having one is super not cool. If the blurb saying it’s a “dark why choose” or author’s note is your trigger warning “become really cool with a lot of things really fast” that’s garbage. In the writing world there are so many flavors of “dark” that not giving a small overview is just lazy garbage and takes away from how really awesome the fmc is and the general plot of the book. There are some books out there that are dark but don’t get into it. Explain dark to your readers Penn, do better.
Heat, part one, was a quick read with a pretty easy to figure out cliffhanger.
**SPOILERS**
Belladonna (Bella), an Omega, is an Omega unlike any other. She is the daughter of the Elder Alpha of New York — she’s also an assassin. She was trained, at an early age, in all the ways to kill her targets. Unfortunately she IS STILL an Omega and therefore under her father, the Elder Alpha’s control. Her father gives her ONE YEAR to leave home, finish college, and basically be free of any “assignments” i.e. killing for the family, until he chooses a Pack to “sell” her to. She moves to a small town, into a huge mansion and immediately is confronted by one of her neighbors, Alpha Heir of the Carbonne family, Hector. Hector has two Alpha brothers, Silas and Dante, and all three of them become obsessed with Belladonna. Silas, however fights his attraction the entire way because five years ago the brothers first pack Omega, Sage, died (under very suspicious circumstances). It’s pretty clear Sage was murdered by the brothers fathers because he was a rare male Omega, and wouldn’t be able to give the Carbonne family any children. Belladonna goes into Heat unexpectedly because of a lack of suppressants, and being around three hot, compatible Alphas. Hector and Dante help her through her heat, and at the end, Silas finally relents, and sleeps with her too. These packs are set up as Mafia-like Packs. And we find out some very, very, unpleasant stuff about the Carbonne Pack, as well as the DeLuca (Belladonna’s Pack) toward the end of the book. Part One ends with the 3 Carbonne brothers killing their fathers to save Belladonna — not to mention they (the Elder Alphas) were despicable men. The reader is left to guess what will happen once the bodies are discovered…and will Belladonna and her guys (who were all anti-pack people) come together to form a pack and claim one another?
Again, I liked Belladonna’s character. I thought the three Carbonne Aphas were a good “fit” for her. Her bodyguard/Beta lover, Sam (although in love with Belladonna, felt a little unnecessary to the plot). And the fact that the Carbonne brothers had a previously male Omega rang a little wonky in the story as well. Especially since Hector and Silas made it clear that they had always preferred women over men, and that they kind of just claimed Sage because he went into an unexpected heat at the age of 17. The guys having all grown up together, decided to help him out, and then because hey, why not, they claimed him as their Omega. There isn’t enough backstory about Sage and the brothers together as a Pack to make their “love” believable. Therefore that love didn’t feel entirely necessary to the current happenings. Those two points were a little unbelievable, and didn’t “fit” as well into the plot line. So, to finalize, Discoveries (pretty horrifying secrets) are uncovered within the course of book one that clearly will be addressed in book two.
Heat, part one, is an easy, quick, pretty run of the mill, Mafia romance, except with Alphas, Betas and Omegas, lol. It’s enjoyable, and you’ll breeze through it.
I am so sorry but this was a wreck. A mess. Just sloppy.
Typos, ok, it happens. Punctuation, well, that’s a bit odd. The weak world building, ooo, that’s not good. The shallow characters, ugh, just, yikes.
I was pumped to read this OV. It looked totally juicy and unique when I stumbled across it on KU but when I finally got into the flesh of it I felt robbed.
Like, a supposedly bad arse FL who knows how to fight, is an experienced assassin, is also a genuine mafia princess, constantly looses her head and then proceeds to do stupid stuff.
When she accidentally stumbles upon a spooky event going on in the woods at the ML’s house? The sneaky assassin training leaves her body and viola! *branch snaps*
And, mind you, a branch snapping considering her years in a profession where she has to learn to be a ghost in order to unalive her prey, isn’t too big of a deal for me… but then she does it again.
This time she catches a smack down going on through a window with one of the ML’s. Her curiosity draws her closer and closer and closer until- she literally loudly smacks her nose against the glass of the window. What. The. Heck.
If that weren’t enough, she makes these odd decisions that counteract who she’s supposed to be as a character for me. Then there’s the way the main characters all got together. Like a race to the finish line. And the FL’s shift to low key not-so-begrudgingly accepting this slow pack formation towards the end with all the ML’s felt so random.
This FL constantly defied what it was she said she wanted. Her decisions in this novella consistently counteracted against themselves with nary a proper “why” behind it to explain the change.
None of these characters felt properly formed. All of this novel felt disjointed or uncoordinated leading into the Heat, a pack and the end. I’m sad this wasn’t more. It had potential but everything was improperly sussed out and rushed and so became absolutely nonsensical.
In a world of guns and drugs, what's a little extra blood here and there going matter? Especially if it's being added by Belladonna. She may seem like a sweet omega socialite by day, but this girl can take on even an alpha as the mafia's hitman by night.
All good things must come to an end, and so too must her carefree days of murder and mayhem. Belladonna has a year to go away from The Family to finish her omega training before she will be sold off to her pack to be claimed for a lifetime of indentured servitude. Or so her family thinks
When this omega meets the 3 alpha brothers next door, things progress in unexpected and entertaining ways. No one wants to form a pack or claim a mate. Heavy backstories lead to these uniquely damaged characters. Despite that, this feral chemistry is hard for them to ignore, but still they try. You are left with a story that makes you feel like you may be reading a familiar plot until . . . Haha sneaky girl goes and changes it. Looking forward to how things progress.
Interesting take on omegaverse world. I like it, though.
I'm a sucker for a strong FMC, regardless of what her "title" is. This first book in the Heat Duet was a good read. I found the FMC to be likable. She's tough, but she can still feel, unlike some other novels I've read where the strong female is just dead inside and out. Don't get me wrong, they end up with emotions, but it takes quite some time.
The alphas and even beta MMC in this book were likable. You get the flirt, the moody broody one, the sad one, and the neutral one that fits well with the others.
This novel failed to receive 5 stars due to some editing needs throughout. Nothing too bad that would take away from the storyline.
That ending was a really good one. I am looking forward to the next book and am so glad it's scheduled to be released soon, instead of next year.
Belladonna, a name that definitely resonated with me as the first thing that I thought of was Atropa Belladonna, Deadly Nightshade. Perhaps the author was driven by the Italian connotation here, but either way this was such a fitting choice for the FMC. She has been living through toxicity for quite some time until she crosses paths with Pack Carbone and from where I stand that was the turning point for her. In a similar manner to the properties of the plant itself, one could see how little by little the main heroine unleashes her healing properties that have quite the effect not only on the gentlemen in question, but on herself as well. But apothecary is all about accurate measurements and I wonder what shall happen when Bella is faced with such turbulent events. I loved this and considering the ending of the book I cannot wait to dive into the next one.
Penn Cassidy's Heat features a strong female lead despite her omega nature. This isn't one of those omegaverse books where her heat leads her to act out of character, or brings a normally strong woman to her knees and makes her feeble and needy. When it does finally hit, it drives the men around her wild while she fights it off until they can't stand it any more and give in to her.
I also appreciate that Bella is into consent, even in the throws of her heat. When one of the men isn't ready to be hers, she refuses to be with him even though they are drawn together.
She's a great character with a lot of qualities to love. The men grow on you, opening up slowly and showing you more as the book progresses. The plot has a lot of potential and the spicy scenes are as hot as the name suggests.
I'm only 59% in but I have to say something already the fmc is supposed to be all badass but then the author literally keeps writing her doing tstl things and messing up every which way and asking to many questions point blank where people could hear her. Idk it just annoys me when authors write the characters to have a specific trait but then that trait isn't reflected in actions, it's annoying.
Honestly I only made it about 87% in. The typos and incomplete quotations was insane. The author needs to definitely do a round of editing. All this and the stupidness of the fmc just got to me so I'm ending it here which kinda sucked cuz it could of been so good.
All this is just a me problem you may enjoy it immensely.
While I enjoyed this book, in my opinion it should not have been a duet. I think the story is too short for that, it could easily have been told in 1 book. A missed opportunity. The story is exciting, full of intrigue. Although all the main characters have no illusions about their families, things come out that they did not know and that cannot tolerate the light of day. Bella is not a normal omega and that is what attracts the Alphas so much. The big question is will they get their HEA?
What more can you ask for when you actually have an omega FMC who is literally a well trained, blood thirsty, bad ass woman. With a dark and tragic past, under the thumb of one of the most feared and dangerous packs, she’s a living legend in my eyes. I can not wait for book 2.
Sometimes we need something spicy, something unique and has you entranced from the get go. There is a dark side we know nothing about and we have only got to the tip of that iceberg.
Heat is the 1st book in Cassidy's new dark Omegaverse series, The Heat Duet. I devoured this book! I loved the FMC Belladonna, she is an Omega, but don't think the sweat, and submissive kind, she can be submissive to her men but she is also a bad ass who knows what she wants and goes after it! Loved it!! Mind the cliff though.....now the waiting begins.....I really need the next book now please!!
Definitely enjoyed this book. Omegaverse is totally my jam. And hard-core omegas I live for! This is really heartbreaking for all parties. The dynamic is always hard in these books, and just like The real world, someone is always taking advantage. I honestly hope both packs crumble. As the story progressed, sage, rosa, and these guys are all casualties of these corrupt packs. I hope these 5 burn the world down. Its the only happy ending I actually want.
This story builds well, and the FMC is compelling as someone doing their best to maintain what autonomy they can muster after trauma and the way omegas are treated in society.
The effect is somewhat minimised by the pervasive godawful editing, with missing/unnecessary punctuation marks, phrases used repetitively, names misspelled, typos that are actually errors from software used to import text to the digital copies.
This was amazing!!! I love a good strong fmc and Bella is just that!! She is not your typical omega and will fight for her freedom from her family. I loved her interaction with her men and how she starts forming her pack. This book does end on a cliffhanger but completely worth it!! I can't wait for the next book I'm hooked!!!
I enjoyed this book.. Spoilers But I was a bit confused about these guys being previously mated to and, sharing a male omega. It just didn't ring true at all. And felt forced into the story. I don't have a problem with the characters being gay/bi but here it just came out as awkward and unbelievable with these characters.
Throughly enjoyed the book, but was promised a stand-alone that seems to have turned into a first of a series with so many unanswered questions. There were also moments where the FMC made blunders that felt like incompetence that contradicted the boasts of being a bada**. I definitely wanted to see more of the bada** side to her.
When I tell you I love everything Penn Cassidy writes! Once again she gives me new book boyfriends that I need! And Bella our FMC is definitely goals! She will not be made to do anything she doesn't want to and her men love her for her strength. I can't wait for book two!
Ok I was not expecting this book to be as good as it was ! This author managed to capture the inclusion of darkness without it being too dark so so well! I love how each of the relationships are slowly forming and I hope we get to see a bit more emotion involved in the second part of this story!
I couldn't put this book down. My only complaint was just that Bella was made out to be some baddie, and in a few spots, she really didn't live up to that. But I loved the ending of the book. It ended differently than I thought it would, and I'm so here for it. Time for pt 2 Hunt.
So good! I've haven't read a book like it & thought it was great! Belladonna is such a badass & when I found out about Rosa I felt bad for her. Would definitely recommend this book! 💜
If you read any of Penns books you know she always writes a super strong female and Bell is no different. The men like always are alpha and hot!!! I I would read an instruction manual if she wrote it so who am I to judge lol. It's a great book read it!!
This read was hot and so much happens it kept me glued to each page! Poor Rosa, and all of the other omegas - I can’t wait to see what’s really going on behind the scenes and what Bella and her guys do about it.