Silver Medalist in the On The Far Side Best Paranormal Science Fiction Romance Contest
Enter the omegaverse world inspired by the Greek myths of Kassandra and Achilles from internationally best-selling author Jocelyn Montana.
The last citadel has fallen. The Warlord now rules. But he has one last conquest left …
Princess Kassandra was supposed to live her life dedicated to the gods in a mountain temple. But when the brutal Warlord Lodan topples her family from the throne, he takes Kassandra captive.
She’s a trophy of war. His sworn enemy. The focus of his wrath. An Omega of royal blood to trot out at his side proving his dominance of the world. And her. But he isn’t content with her captivity.
He wants her in his bed.
He won’t take her by force. He thinks he can use Alpha tricks to slowly seduce her. Make her crave him. Make her beg for him.
It’s a battle of wills. A battle against desire. Because every moment with him flames more passion. But she won’t give in.
She’ll never lie with her enemy. With someone who will never care for her.
And she will never, ever, beg.
Possible triggers are detailed on the author's website.
Oh wow, this was amazing! The two MCs start out as enemies, with her being the king’s sister and he being the rebel leading a war to overthrow the king. It’s very angsty to start, when he kidnaps her and plans to get her pregnant to show that he can conquer the enemy (and there’s a lot of sociopolitical reasons in there too). She is a virgin omega, never gone into heat, and she has always been taught there is something wrong with her. They are both inexplicably drawn to one another, and I *loved* seeing him grow soft for her. And she can’t help but eventually give in to her desire. So emotional, a bit of a roller coaster, and it is totally worth the read!
DNF @ 76%. I’ve been struggling to get through this for over 3 weeks and I think it’s me rather than the book. There’s nothing “wrong” with it, I just was growing bored. Which sucks because I LOVED the very beginning chapters, but then it started to feel insta-lust when I wanted more of a slow burn and for the heroine to resist the hero more.
Thank you to Netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.
❤️🔥👑The Warlord👑❤️🔥 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 5 Star Review!! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️- 4/5 Spice Level!!
I read The Warlord as an eARC from a new-to-me Author, Jocelyn Montana. I absolutely adore this book!! This is a Romantasy, 100% Enemies-to-lovers trope, MF, with kidnapping, forced proximity, dubious consent & KNOTTING 🥵. Lodan is an Alpha Myrdinian rebel king on a path set to destroy a tyrannical regime. He is really only morally gray when dealing with Kassandra, he is otherwise an upstanding & great leader. Kassandra is the shunned Omega Sardi princess of the enemy. She is a spitfire & fights her circumstances with Lodan every step of the way. Lodan takes Kassandra as a spoil of war and his plan to use her to help destroy lies told by the tyrant backfires. The war aspect of this story is more of a backstory, so actual writing about battles and fighting are sparse.
The story focuses on the main characters, which I love! It was a very enjoyable & rather quick read that would be great for a palate cleanser in between series or if you just need a spicy go-to for a HEA. That’s said not to take away anything from this book. The author did a great job of bringing the emotions out of me! I became completely immersed in the story & stayed awake to finish it! The spicy 🌶️ scenes were sooooo well written and I got butterflies in my tummy several times with anticipation & emotion. The ending is a hard-won & well-deserved HEA.
The Warlord is a standalone set in an omegaverse world of more books. You do not need to read any other of her books before this one. I look forward to reading more works by this author! Thank you Jocelyn Montana and NetGalley for allowing me this eARC! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
I instantly downloaded this when I scrolled through Nora Ash’s email and saw she recommended it. It had no tags on romanceio, but I took a shot anyway (if Nora Ash recommends it; it’s right up my alley).
And boy, was I right. This book WRECKED me. It is all my fave tropes, the yearning, the angst… UNFAJDJDKKSJSHD.
I neverrrrrr stay up after midnight. And I read this book from 8:30pm - 4am in the morning. “Just one more chapter” was said about 30 times. I slept for three hours, then resumed reading from 8am - 4pm.
This had a personal sprinkle sprinkle of crack in it for me. I’m going to be in the biggest book slump. I need MORE.
Jocelyn, you need to write more in this world. I. Am. Begging. BEGGING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book had soooo many funny moments. The heroine was smart and would fight/sleuth more competently than any other FMC ever is depicted like. The enemies to lovers was so believable and the slow burn was just … immaculate.
The grovelling. The love. UGH. I’m ruined.
This is an all time fave. I’m now going to be on a dopamine crash. Nothing will make me feel like this for the rest of the year.
JOCELYN PLEASE WRITE MORE MF OV I AM PLEADING 🧎♀️🙏🏻
Kassandra, the female omega princess lead, has spent years in exile in an austere temple. Now retrieved by the warriors invading the land, her expectations are low. Lodan, the male alpha lead and the commander of the invading army, expects to secure the Princess as his omega and show the world that the “Blood Rules” Kassandra’s people used to subjugate the rest of the people groups are lies. Kassandra is determined not to submit to Lodan for a variety of reasons but they seem to feel drawn to each other. Then Kassandra sees a vision of Lodan’s past and realises why he’s leading the army; she’s also certain that he could never truly want her as his bondmate, so when she’s offered an option other than remaining with him, she takes it.
This story is dual POV, well written, and a fast-paced, emotional, enemies-to-lovers, fated mates omegaverse romance. I enjoyed Kassandra’s strength and resilience, especially given her childhood and recent past. I enjoyed Lodan’s shock at Kassandra’s responses to him, and his gradual acceptance that not all of her people were evil, as he’d thought. I enjoyed the building intimacy and the steamy intimate scenes. I enjoyed that Lodan provided Kassandra genuine opportunities to make choices and respected those choices, even when they weren’t his preference. I enjoyed the secondary characters and the world building. This is one of my favourite stories so far this year; emotional without being overwhelming, steamy and character focused, whilst retaining a significant plot arc, and a strong affectionate connection by the end.
I received a complimentary copy from the author and this is my voluntary honest review.
The Warlord has taken Princess Kassandra prisoner and plans to get her with child. He won't take her by force. She isn't the spoiled pampered princess he assumes.
Initially everyone distrusts her but over time she gets to know some of them, even saving some lives when she admits she sometimes sees the future and warns of an attack.
This is an interesting enemy to lovers' theme and the story has quite a few interesting sub plots. You gradually get to know the characters as they become more fleshed out. There is also great world building.
The Warlord is the first omegaverse novel I’ve read. It was easy to follow along, despite only knowing the basics of the omegaverse. It’s inspired by Greek mythology which you can see in some names, but it’s not a retelling. Likeable characters, interesting plot that had depth, no instalove, war scenes weren’t too drawn out. I enjoyed the balance of plot and smut. I think it’s hard to pull off a kidnapping where the prisoner is forced to have the Warlord’s kid without coming across as rape-y. I think this book handled it well. This is an easy read for anyone looking for an introduction into the omegaverse.
Whoa. Sometimes I forget how bonkers omegaverse is. This is set in a fantasy kingdom, loosely based on Greece. In this world there are Alphas, Omegas, and Betas at least. This is a show, not a tell, so if you don’t know the lore around Omegaverse you might be a little lost. Alphas are the dominates, Omegas are naturally attracted to Alphas and compelled to mate with them. Betas are just there in the mix.
There’s some real questionable consent issues because biology that raised flags, but I think the author carefully navigated around those.
Kassandra is the heroine. She’s a Sardi Princess, Omega. She’s been the black sheep of the family, banished to a nunnery. As the story opens, Sardi has been taken over by the Myrdinians and she is captured. The leader of the Myrdinians is Lodan, and he is planning to keep Kassandra as a mate, get her pregnant, and prove to everyone that the Sardi’s ‘blood laws’ are a sham. It’s eventually explained that the Sardi’s have been controlling who gets a mate, forcing relationships, and taking Omegas from everywhere. They treat women awful, have crazy rules about people only doing jobs because of their race (kind of reminded me of Hunger Games). So its pretty shitty that to free everyone else from Sardi tyranny Lodan is planning to do the same thing to Kassandra. But, he’s got a REVENGE plan and can’t stop now.
So the first 1/3 of the book is pretty rough. Lodan and his crew are assholes to Kassandra. She has been super sheltered and isolated in Sardi, but she is slowly figuring out maybe she’s been fed a lot of bullshite by her brother and dad. What’s rough is Lodan uses her Omega nature against her. Even though he says she will consent, its mostly because of biology that she’s so horny she can’t say no. It’s pretty ick. But we also see from his POV that is very obvious she’s his fated mate and he just doesn’t know it. So he says she’s a slave, but he hand feeds her dinner, insist she sleeps in the bed, makes sure she’s taken care of.
These 2 dummies take a long time to figure out they are fated mates though, and there’s a lot of drama and action in between. There’s also a lot of Alpha & Omega sex that is hot. I was getting embarrassed reading this on my e-reader in public.
Overall, great read. If you like omegaverse in a fantasy/historical kind of setting this is perfect.
Lodan and Kassandra’s story was an intriguing omegaverse twist on the myth of Kassandra the Oracle; from the very first chapter I was pulled into their world and became very invested in how the FMC and MMC were going to reconcile and get their HEA after an incredibly rocky start. However, Jocelyn Montana never disappoints when it comes to building chemistry and tension between her characters, and it wasn’t long before I was rooting for them. I also found myself quite interested in some of the side characters, especially the bonus couple we end up with by the end! I really liked Greta, the elder beta healer, in particular though because her character felt like a very important softening point for Lodan’s rather harsh character in the beginning.
I don’t want to get too into detail about Lodan and Kassandra’s relationship because this is one of those stories that is just better read yourself, but I will say that their relationship progression is one of the best enemies-to-lovers progressions that I’ve read. Do with that information what you will!
Other key points: The world-building was enough that I felt like I had a good grasp of where they were and what was going on, but not too much that it felt overwhelming or dull. The pacing was fantastic; I truly didn’t feel any lulls or places where I got whiplash, and I didn’t want to put the book down at any point really. I think the omegaverse elements were great too, I enjoyed her subtle spins on some of the typical OV elements. The spice was really good and felt like every scene was necessary for their romantic development or added to the plot.
Overall, a fantastic read, definitely one I would recommend for any fans of her work as well as anyone that enjoys omegaverse, especially omegaverse outside the modern setting. Thanks for letting me be an early reader!
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**Content notes: -Violence, war -Tyrannical government that uses selective breeding on humans, controls information, unalives dissenters (they're who is overthrown, not the MCs) -Kidnapping & captive power dynamic when romance starts (including threats) -Dubcon (standard omegaverse stuff, like pheromone and purring influence, heat cycle) -Sex work (not MCs)
OMG! A HIDDEN OMEGAVERSE GEM! FRIENDS, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS. I FREAKING LOVED IT!
I went into this totally blind, never heard of this author either but I was VERY, PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. It's the kind of story you'll enjoy if you're fans of Zoey Ellis, Zoey Draven or Tiffany Roberts.
KASSANDRA a Princess by name but an Omega outcast at a temple and a prisoner in her own home - forgotten and ignored by her dead Father and ruling brother was captured by the enemy as a means to an end. Conditioning from young can truly shape the way one thinks, and Kassandra doesn't know the truth of what her Father and brother's ruling had done to the people, or their enemies. An Omega virgin, she's surprisingly resilient, vibrant and sure as hell ain't no doormat. I like heroines who are sweet but also tough enough not to break, and doesn't come off as bitchy. Kassandra may fight her attraction to Lodan, but biology knows best. Oh, and she also has the power of foresight.
The romance and falling in love was a good slow process, but not exactly slow-burn either. I like how attraction and sexual lust brought them together, and yet forced proximity is a double-edged sword that "forces" Kassandra and Lodan to get to know each other.
LODAN was a typical alpha male bent on revenge for the death of his family. He has gone through hell and high water to become the ruthless male he is today, and not even this beautiful Omega can stop him - or could she? Lodan may be gruff and rough in the beginning, but it made my toes curl to see his iciness thaw over time, and realize that he may have judged Kassandra wrongly. Wouldn't have minded for him to grovel a little.
OVERALL I wished it never ended! The story wasn't perfect, maybe the ending felt a little rushed. I personally could do with a heavy dose of angst, even some OW drama. Anyways....after the bad guy was defeated, it would have been nice to see a little downtime between Lodan and Kassandra. The best part of the story was seeing these two enemies realizing how wrong they had assumed of each others' lives and to see them appreciate what they liked in each other AFTER.
A very wholesome omegaverse romance. Highly recommend!
***Disclaimer I received ARC in return for my honest review****
I've loved all of Jocelyns books! her writting is just fantastic, the way she can get the story across is amazing! l was a bit late to finish this as outside work commitments, but once you got into this book it was hard to put down usually I would have read this in one sitting but you knownlife gets in the way!
after reading a series that had put me into a reading slump this opportunity was given to me to read The Warlord and let me tell you it did not disappointment.
this is an enemies to lovers trope where the Warlord kidnaps the princess to get back at the kingdom. Grumpy hot Lodan, omg chiefs kiss, he's everything (he can leave his armour underneath my bed anyday or better yet I'll take it off of him).
Kassandra is just a badass FMC she fights but can't stop thinking about jumping his bones.
This is a good book if you are in-between series or need to get out a reading slump after a certain series especially if you want a HEA. This can be read as a standalone. I don't have many words i may change this at some point but yea this is an amazing read
BTW the spicy senses HOT!!! And just CHEF’S KISS**** i still want my own warlord!!!
This really is a must-read for 2025, especially if you have read/like any of Jocelyns the other books, then this one you will love as well! As always, please check trigger warnings before reading! Otherwise, happy reading!!!
Sweet victory - Lodan only seeks to avenge his family, killed by the Sardi king so long ago. Taking the Sardi princess to his bed will be but a slap in the face to those who think his people beneath them. But Kassandra is not at all what he expected. A pampered princess she is not, doing her assigned chores like everyone else in the camp. And he feels a pull to her that torments him, even as he seeks to seduce her into begging for his attention. A battle in the bedroom will be waged, with soft kisses and touches meant to beguile. He is the feared Warlord but she does not cower in his presence. Surely they should have figured out their true connection as they engaged in the dance of love.
This was a very enjoyable read, with battles waged of the heart and of war. Lodan is actually quite gentle with his stolen companion, belying his initial harsh demeanor. Kassandra is leery of her oversized Alpha captor, but her Omega soul is drawn to him like no other. Their passion is explosive, his teasing touches seducing her senses until she can no longer resist him. Encamped with the MCs is a cast of great characters who have their backs. Even the bad guys are great, their sinister deeds seeds that helped grow this story into a great read. My first story by this author, but surely not the last.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Thank you so much for the chance to eARC The Warlord. This was such an enjoyable quick read. I am such a fan of historical based romantasy types of books, and this one was no exception.
I appreciated the mix of ABO dynamics with an almost star-crossed lovers and slow burn feel. I really enjoyed getting to enjoy this slow process of lust turning to love and for how few pages this book is, it did truly draw out the smut so as I reader, I was begging for it before Kassandra was.
I feel the two mains, Kassandra and Lodan, had this interesting dynamic of ignorance about each other. They were heavily products of their history, and it was an added layer to get to watch those walls come down. I love the princess x warrior dynamic, and throwing enemies to lovers on top does add an air of deliciousness, especially with the two of them. Watching the two of them have to slowly learn about each other and gain trust made their relationship feel more real than it would have with instant love.
I also really liked how, to me, it seemed Kassandra fell first. She seemed to be the one who bent and understood they were more similar than she had imagined. So commonly in ABO, and in reality romantasy style books, we all love he falls first. Kassandra falling first was the right choice for this, though.
This book is filled with fun tropes, and I wanted to take the time to list a few of them: -enemies to lovers -star crossed lovers -forbidden love - forced proximity - ABO dynamics - Gay best friend (done right) - Found/chosen family. None of these tropes felt forced. They were so natural to the story, and all felt like a force driving the plot forward.
The plot felt very character driven for me, and the book was fast-paced for me.
My only gripe in this would be I wish Kassandra's fits were further explored. I think she was so special, and I would have loved to see more of who she truly was with the twist we get.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
War rages on the battlefield and bedroom in this spicy omegaverse story that is inspired by Greek myths from Author Jocelyn Montana. The Warlord follows the paths of MFC Sardi Princess Kassandra who becomes the war prize of MMC Warlord Lodan after his forces defeat her family and takes their throne. Finding her in the temple of Suilani he dismisses her claims of being a priestess and accuses her of using the temple to hide herself. Lodan needs the princess to bring down the sacred blood laws which maintained the strength of the Sardi family lines. Kassandra was captured to carry his child and with the mingling of their Myrdinian and Sardi bloodlines prove his mastery of the world, and the royal now by his side. But there is more to Kassandra than he knows, and reasons why she was hidden away in a temple. Lodan also has demons from his own past that haunt him and turned him into the man he has now become. Fated to meet, fated to love! This story was such a good enemies-to-lovers romance that was wonderfully written, with mesmerizing characters, and a blend of danger, vulnerabilities, spice, intrigue, prophecy, emotion, and an Alpha/Omega battle of wills told in a fast paced dual POV narrative. Absolutely splendid read that shouldn’t be missed!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
OMFG this was a excellent book. So well written. It pulls you in and won't let go to the last page.. The Warlord Lodan/ Vasick had lost everything. His family, friends and home. All because your sister did not want to be the concubine of the heir to the kingdom. When he survived he swore his vengeance. Along the way he built up an army of men that wanted to be free to choose their mate and choose what they wanted to do with their life. He planned on using Kassandra as a way to show people that the old ways were done and that the old laws were false. Turns out she was his bond mate but he had so much anger and Vengeance that he was unable to see it or accept it at first. For her part she may have been the sister of the king but she been treated like less than an animal. She never had any real freedom or choice in her life. She was also a seer and until him nobody had believed her visions. One Vision in particular saved his men and the healer. She finds Refugee with her mother's family and thinks that's the end of her time with him. But when she gets a vision of her brother killing him she knows she has to go to him.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was so much better than I was expecting. Wartime stories are not really my thing but I love greek mythology, so I figured I'd give it a try. There are no chapters-long descriptions of battles or discussion of war strategy; war just happens to be the setting.
This was such a slow burn romance when it came to accepting that the MCs were bondmates, but I loved every second. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so i was thrilled that they actually stayed enemies for more than 2 chapters before giving in. The spicy was spicy, but not so over the top that it distracts from the story.
This is the first book I've read in a while that doesn't rely on female friendships to drive the FMC's development, but I did love Cian. The GBF can sometimes come across as a caricature, but Cian had depth and was an interesting character because of his personality, not because of his sexual orientation. I wasn't a fan of the Kassandra versus Briseis conflict because it felt forced and unnecessary. Once their conflict comes to a head, Briseis is not mentioned again for the rest of the story which was weird.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Jocelyn Montana for the free ARC.
3.5⭐️ entertaining enough, but just missed the mark to truly being a favorite read for me.
Going into this I actually wasn’t aware that there was a Greek mythology inspired story line. I loved that about this book since I’ve always enjoyed learning about Greek mythology. Combine that with the AO universe and I was excited to read this.
Loden captures Kassandra and they start out as enemies. They learn more about each other and eventually grow to appreciate and care for each other. The enemies to lovers trope is alive and well and that’s all good and fine but then a betrayal occurs and the groveling hardly happens?!? So disappointed, I feel like that would have been a great opportunity to really show their relationship progressing. Another mark down for me was the occasional sprinkle of modern terminology where it doesn’t belong. Some examples include “oh gee” and “nope”…. I couldn’t get past that and it threw me off while reading.
This was a quick and easy read for me in between some heavier books so I appreciated the palette cleanser.
Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Independent reviewer for BookSirens, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I really REALLY enjoyed this book! First I've read of this author and I want to read more.
Kassandra is taken captive by Lodan, who needs her to have his child, to show his enemies that their laws are no longer. Kassandra is such an enemy. But she is so much more than he expected, and the time they spend together leads him to think that maybe, just maybe he had her wrong.
What I especially liked about this, was Lodan was adamant he would NEVER force Kassandra, and he doesn't. She has to come to him and she does, eventually. It takes a lot to get there though and I wasn't sure how they would. I loved the path this took.
It's dark in places, with one race holding power over another and all that entails, but while there is steam and smex, I found it on the cooler side. Not ever so explicit and I really liked that.
It's more about the emotional connection between Lodan and Kassandra, and I loved watching that grow.
I’m not usually one for mythology retellings but the omegaverse aspect piqued my interest. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was apprehensive about the war elements of the plot but it wasn’t a huge focus, i felt that there was enough detail to demonstrate the culture and environment of the setting, but without the pages long repetitive descriptions of battles. The enemies to lovers plot wasn’t rushed which I enjoyed and the bonds between the characters felt natural and well paced. Jocelyn Montana did a great job of writing Lodans plan to for Kassandra without it coming across as crude and balances intense power dynamics with slow-burn seduction, making every interaction between Lodan and Kassandra a charged mix of defiance and desire. Their initial prejudices of each other gave way to a slow and twisty love story with some very steamy moments.
I received an advance review copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
—This review will be on Goodreads, Amazon, and LibraryThing if book is present on those sites. —
An enjoyable read with some good spice. The biggest thing I liked about this book was the relationships—especially between Kassandra and Lodan. I loved their characters and how they interacted with each other. They’re both sharp-witted and charismatic, but each have their own hopes and dreams.
The fight scenes and Lodan interacting with his soldiers was another thing I liked; It gave really strong found family vibes. Kassandra slotted in nicely as she proved herself more than what she seemed.
The descriptions during the visions were also super well-written, and I liked how off-putting they were.
Definitely check it out if you want a Greek mythology inspired enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
My first omega verse read, and I absolutely loved it. It felt like reading a historical romance, but without twist.
A story about how love can make one see things differently and help one heal.
Lodan is on a mission for revenge and to freeze people from a tyrannical rule. Kassandra has been sheltered from the world around her and has been shunned and overlooked all her life.
Lodan intends to use Kassandra to show that the ruling class bonding laws are untrue. He’s expecting a spoiled princess, but he finds a resilient, strong and warm woman and he can’t stop himself from wanting her.
Kassandra starts by seeing Loden as her violent captor, that just wants to use her and she’s just biding her time until she can run. Before long she’s discovering a fair and loved leader, a caring and patient man that is determined to seduce her.
As much as both of them feel like love is not meant for them, and they feel like their past makes it impossible for them to be together, they can’t help but fall in love.
This was such a beautiful story about love, self acceptance, and redemption. I definitely want more from this author.
I have received an ARC for this book and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.
This is a omegaverse, historical novel that focuses on The brutal Warlord, Lodan. This also features enemies to lovers. Logan has won and the compound Princess Kassandra was living in falls. Logan takes Kassandra as a prisoner. Kassandra and Lodan are from 2 different cultures. Neither of them really care to understand or respect the other. Lodan has plans for Kassandra. Kassandra is far more special than anyone realizes. Obviously there's a ton of angst between Lodan and Kassandra, and sexual tension. Logan is an alpha, so he thinks it will be easy to manipulate Kassandra anyway he desires. Not my usual book to read but I liked it was different. I mean there's also a scene involving nakedness and reading poetry 🤷♀️.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed the story about Kassandra and Loden his hatred and war that killed his family was his main goal to avenge the Saudi killers. Also with the king and his family he wanted to steal Cassandra and knew she was in a temple, but thought she was a spoiled princess, but in fact, her life for the last four years was dreary with Hard work and suffering but he did get a hold of her and treated her horribly. He said he wanted to only use her to get her with child and drag her through the streets to show everyone that the Saudi blood lines were now tainted, but in the end, they both realize that things are more than what they seem really but felt they could never be together because of their bloodlines Kassandra was stronger than he the warlord realized but could they overcome his hatred?
This is my first read from Jocelyn Montana, but it won't be my last.
To begin with, the writing is lovely--imaginative and technically proficient, with rich descriptions engaging multiple senses. Niche authors can be a gamble in that regard. If the blurb got you worried about a predictable plot, using tropes often seen... Well, while this may be the case, the writer's skill and style elevates the story to a point of being comfortably familiar while still having its own flavor. I especially appreciate that the Alpha Warlord MMC has more layers than simply being a grumbly, overprotective manly man, and the FMC has some useful skills but isn't "not like other omegas".
The mix of ancient Greece-inspired setting and mythology notes with omegaverse world-building was a fascinating change of pace, as you often get something either totally fantasy or contemporary without much in between. Additionally, the enemies-to-lovers tension was delicious--lots of it but not exaggerated, body betrayal on both sides, and spice that, when it hit, was ~spicing~. Expect vibes along the lines of Zoey Draven's Horde Kings of Dakkar or Khal Drogo/Daenarys from GOT. Happy to say this one is a 5/5.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Warlord An omega verse Romance By Jocelyn Montana I demolished this is a couple of days (in w work week!) it’s fast paced in a sense you keep finding new things out about the FMC and the MMC. it’s a classic case of enemies to lovers where they both think each other is wrong at what they are doing the right thing. It has a little omega verse twist in that she’s his prisoner and he wants to use her to make an example of to the ruling royal family proving their rules are wrong. Small twists and turns later and you get a HEA Highly enjoyable and perfect little read that has got me out my reading slump. Would definitely recommend. I would also say it’s not super spicy for an omega verse , but was perfect for the story line.
Enemies, Prophecy, Visions, One Unique Love Story: My first time reading this author and she writes a compelling complex love story with lots of passion. A strong well thought out story with two intriguing characters. The plot revolves around Ladan and Kassandra. One a captive and one the conqueror. One to demand, one to obey whatever happens and try not to fall in love I felt the Omega, Alpha names got a bit tedious, and the games they played were cute and fan worthy. I would certainly read another of this authors stories. Mature Advisory: Descriptive intimate scenes:🌶🌶🌶 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy for my honest thoughts and opinion.
The book made me cry four different times. I was emotional by the end. when I saw how it came together at the end got scared for a second not gonna lie. I don't usually read omega verse so this is my first book that's on my universe and it's so good. I did not put the book down. I am a fast reader so I got it done real quick but it's so good. Just be prepared to cry there's some misunderstanding, but it's all beautifully written so just wait if you have a question it'll be answered eventually like it's that good.
I did received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.