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Secret Darling #1
Knot What She Seems
All my life, I was told an omega had to be three things—docile, dependable, and demure.
Three qualities I am most definitely not.
Darling Academy is designed to teach adult omegas how to please their alphas, but I’ve never fit in with the other girls. I don’t know the difference between a salad fork and a regular one, and I certainly don’t care where people sit at a dinner party.
My entire life is turned upside down when my dying twin brother is conscripted to attend Eros Academy, a brutal war school designed for the strongest of alphas.
The decision is easy—I’ll pretend to be him and go in his stead. It shouldn’t be too hard to balance two lives, right? All I’ll need is a scent blocker, a body suit, and a penis. Easy.
But Eros is not like Darling. Instead of dance classes, we learn how to shoot guns. Instead of politics, we discuss war tactics. Instead of planning dinner parties, we organize assault missions.
I also didn’t plan on Alpha Team X.
They’re huge, vicious, psychotic, and the newest instructors. All four of them are capable of instilling fear in anyone who looks directly at them.
Quickly, I find myself balancing two lives, both of which center around Alpha Team X.
I’m the “alpha” they torment on a daily basis…
And the omega they obsess over.
Either way, I have a feeling if they discover the truth, I’m dead.
That is, if the school doesn’t kill me first.
Knot What She Seems is a non-shifting, contemporary omegaverse that takes place in a world different from our own, where all of the countries are ruled by monarchies. In this book, you can expect knotting, nesting, heat, ruts, and possessive alphas who worship the ground their omega walks on. There are minor bully elements. This books contains no MM, no FF, and no OW drama. It is part one of a duet.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2025
About the author
Katie May
122 books2,738 followersKatie May is a romance writer of numerous genres! She writes everything from horror to fantasy to contemporary. #whychoose
She has a gorgeous tabby cat who she adores, and she’s obsessed with coffee and horror movies.
She has a gorgeous tabby cat who she adores, and she’s obsessed with coffee and horror movies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
May 24, 2025
Beware! Itʼs part one of a duet with no release date for part two in sight
I ordered this because I saw one of the authorʼs posts in RHR on FB. NOTHING IN THE POST MENTIONED IT HAS A CLIFFHANGER. THE COVER DOES NOT SAY PART ONE OR LEAVE ANY INDICATION THAT IT ISNʼT A STANDALONE. I CHECKED AND IT NOW IS LINKED BY A SERIES WITH NO RELEASE DAY FOR PART TWO BUT I AM REALLY UNIMPRESSED WITH THE FALSE ASS ADVERTISING
THIS IS WHY SO MANY OF US GET PISSY ABOUT JUMPSCARE CLIFFHANGERS. JUST BE HONEST. I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT ANY WAY BUT NO WAY I WOULD HAVE STARTED READING IT!
I DO NOT READ BLURBS BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS HAVE SPOILERS. DO NOT PULL THIS KINDA THING. THANK YOU. NOW I WONʼT BE PICKING UP PART TWO.
I ordered this because I saw one of the authorʼs posts in RHR on FB. NOTHING IN THE POST MENTIONED IT HAS A CLIFFHANGER. THE COVER DOES NOT SAY PART ONE OR LEAVE ANY INDICATION THAT IT ISNʼT A STANDALONE. I CHECKED AND IT NOW IS LINKED BY A SERIES WITH NO RELEASE DAY FOR PART TWO BUT I AM REALLY UNIMPRESSED WITH THE FALSE ASS ADVERTISING
THIS IS WHY SO MANY OF US GET PISSY ABOUT JUMPSCARE CLIFFHANGERS. JUST BE HONEST. I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT ANY WAY BUT NO WAY I WOULD HAVE STARTED READING IT!
I DO NOT READ BLURBS BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS HAVE SPOILERS. DO NOT PULL THIS KINDA THING. THANK YOU. NOW I WONʼT BE PICKING UP PART TWO.
May 24, 2025
We have:
- the country of Hypso (a monarchy)
- the country of Nothos (neighboring country they’re at war with)
- mythical diseases
- Lana Del Rey
- Taylor Swift
- The Office
- 365 Days
- Luke Eisner
- Charlie Hunnam
This is a jumbled mess and reads like one. Make a contemporary omegaverse in the world as we know it or make a fantasy omegaverse in a different world. Trying to do both doesn’t work. Maybe it does for some people, but for me it comes across as lazy and jarring. Hard sell to be like “oh yeah this mystical monarchy has been at war with a neighboring mystical country for decades. The alpha males are sent to fight and omega females take classes to learn how to be a subservient homemaker.” All the while “Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey is playing in the background.
- the country of Hypso (a monarchy)
- the country of Nothos (neighboring country they’re at war with)
- mythical diseases
- Lana Del Rey
- Taylor Swift
- The Office
- 365 Days
- Luke Eisner
- Charlie Hunnam
This is a jumbled mess and reads like one. Make a contemporary omegaverse in the world as we know it or make a fantasy omegaverse in a different world. Trying to do both doesn’t work. Maybe it does for some people, but for me it comes across as lazy and jarring. Hard sell to be like “oh yeah this mystical monarchy has been at war with a neighboring mystical country for decades. The alpha males are sent to fight and omega females take classes to learn how to be a subservient homemaker.” All the while “Summertime Sadness” by Lana Del Rey is playing in the background.
May 31, 2025
Damn - I really liked this! It's kind of like a mulan-inspired omegaverse (think ~she's the man~). The characters are pretty well done, and I liked the story a lot. My one complaint is that sometimes it felt like the chapters didn't seamlessly flow into the next one, but overall, it was enjoyable.
June 27, 2026
Book 2 was finally published so went right into this and it did not disappoint 😊. Gender swap Omegaverse, with a great fmc and 🥵af alpha team X.
January 18, 2026
Omfg this is if Aran from psycho shifters was ABO MACEE YOU MUST READ THIS
Okay edit book 2 isn’t out which is, frankly, rude. Especially because the cliffhanger at the end made my heart rate skyrocket.
Okay edit book 2 isn’t out which is, frankly, rude. Especially because the cliffhanger at the end made my heart rate skyrocket.
May 28, 2025
4.75⭐️
“𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦—𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦—𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦? 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴.”
once again i hurt myself by reading a book i know has a cliffhanger without the next book being out. it also feels CRIMINAL to not have a release date yet for the next book after that cliffy.
me currently:
i didn’t know how much i liked gender swap stories and seeing how authors make it work. Brylee is an omega who doesn’t want a pack or be the typical omega at Darling Academy. but she wasn’t always like this and she has walls built up around herself. enter in Alpha Team X, 4 slightly psychotic alphas, now teaching at Eros Academy, and her scent matches. but since Brylee is taking her brother Teddie’s place at Eros, they work “Teddie” to the ground, not knowing it’s Brylee everytime. this book has so many secrets, like why Brylee doesn’t want a pack of trust anyone, why Alpha Team X is actually at Eros, and obviously Brylee pretending to be her brother.
“𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘭𝘦𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴.”
this book had great banter and humor. Brylee’s humor and jokes had me cracking up. as well as the different personalities of the guys. all slightly unhinged but also wanting to impress Brylee so badly it’s cute and hilarious when they get nervous.
“”𝘊𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮?” 𝘒𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩. “𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴.””
Colter is my fav of the alphas. he’s the scary one everyone one is afraid of who is scarred and wears a mask. but he’s obsessive over Brylee and soft only for her.
there is so much going on in this book. not just about Brylee pretending to be her brother, but the war going on between Hypso and Nóthos. and with the cliffhanger, i can’t wait to see how everything plays out.
if you’re looking for an omegaverse where the fmc will do anything for the ones she loves and doesn’t want go fit into the mold of a typical omega, this is perfect for you. just mind the cliffy.
MFMMM, 1st person multi POV
1 omega fmc, 4 alpha mmcs
scent matches, slow/medium burn, cliffhanger
“𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦—𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦—𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦? 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴.”
once again i hurt myself by reading a book i know has a cliffhanger without the next book being out. it also feels CRIMINAL to not have a release date yet for the next book after that cliffy.
me currently:
i didn’t know how much i liked gender swap stories and seeing how authors make it work. Brylee is an omega who doesn’t want a pack or be the typical omega at Darling Academy. but she wasn’t always like this and she has walls built up around herself. enter in Alpha Team X, 4 slightly psychotic alphas, now teaching at Eros Academy, and her scent matches. but since Brylee is taking her brother Teddie’s place at Eros, they work “Teddie” to the ground, not knowing it’s Brylee everytime. this book has so many secrets, like why Brylee doesn’t want a pack of trust anyone, why Alpha Team X is actually at Eros, and obviously Brylee pretending to be her brother.
“𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘭𝘦𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘴. 𝘉𝘦𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴.”
this book had great banter and humor. Brylee’s humor and jokes had me cracking up. as well as the different personalities of the guys. all slightly unhinged but also wanting to impress Brylee so badly it’s cute and hilarious when they get nervous.
“”𝘊𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮?” 𝘒𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩. “𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴.””
Colter is my fav of the alphas. he’s the scary one everyone one is afraid of who is scarred and wears a mask. but he’s obsessive over Brylee and soft only for her.
there is so much going on in this book. not just about Brylee pretending to be her brother, but the war going on between Hypso and Nóthos. and with the cliffhanger, i can’t wait to see how everything plays out.
if you’re looking for an omegaverse where the fmc will do anything for the ones she loves and doesn’t want go fit into the mold of a typical omega, this is perfect for you. just mind the cliffy.
MFMMM, 1st person multi POV
1 omega fmc, 4 alpha mmcs
scent matches, slow/medium burn, cliffhanger
June 5, 2025
June 2025
Kindle edition
Picked for the cross dressing and disguise. Started off good. Bit of bullying and toughness for 'Teddie', insta attraction/scent match for Brylee. Awful mother alpha mother queen and stereotypical meek omega father. The lack of care for the brother was heartbreaking. But with the way the location of the medicine kept getting thrown around, it was gonna end up with Brylee in their clutches.
Paused at the halfway mark when things started getting wishy washy with the arranged pack confrontation, moving into jealous territory. It was messy. Lack of communication as a whole. Given her past surely there should be some in the know as a matter of protection. That she didn't tell them or at least mention the threat was bizarre. The ones that sold her were still walking around no problem. It was a wtf moment.
For being the top alpha team the guys were pretty clueless. Focusing on Teddie, first bullying for trying to get them fired, then to toughen him up for the sister's sake. Obsessing over wooing Brylee. They were an alright bunch but the only one that really stood out was Colter. All in silent violent type, figured things out and was just there for her.
Cliffy ending that wasn't that much of a surprise. It was either going to be Sam or Harper. Him getting randomly attacked was a hang on are we trusting this moment. Looks like the hidden identity is done with now. Might give the next one a go, see how I feel at the time.
Kindle edition
Picked for the cross dressing and disguise. Started off good. Bit of bullying and toughness for 'Teddie', insta attraction/scent match for Brylee. Awful mother alpha mother queen and stereotypical meek omega father. The lack of care for the brother was heartbreaking. But with the way the location of the medicine kept getting thrown around, it was gonna end up with Brylee in their clutches.
Paused at the halfway mark when things started getting wishy washy with the arranged pack confrontation, moving into jealous territory. It was messy. Lack of communication as a whole. Given her past surely there should be some in the know as a matter of protection. That she didn't tell them or at least mention the threat was bizarre. The ones that sold her were still walking around no problem. It was a wtf moment.
For being the top alpha team the guys were pretty clueless. Focusing on Teddie, first bullying for trying to get them fired, then to toughen him up for the sister's sake. Obsessing over wooing Brylee. They were an alright bunch but the only one that really stood out was Colter. All in silent violent type, figured things out and was just there for her.
Cliffy ending that wasn't that much of a surprise. It was either going to be Sam or Harper. Him getting randomly attacked was a hang on are we trusting this moment. Looks like the hidden identity is done with now. Might give the next one a go, see how I feel at the time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2025
It’s Definitely A NO From Me. ❌
The “idea” of this story was there& definitely was the reason for me picking it up in the first place. however … much to my dismay …the execution longevity was horridly lacking. Here’s my opinion on this poor state of work … (without spoilers)
I’m starting to loose faith in the “Omega-verse” trope. I swear … the laziest writers attempt this thinking it’s an easy sell and I guess it has become so. However, I expect way more. In this case and with all books that fail to deliver … they focus too much on outwardly (bad ass)*strong female leads …then continue to write these females into a traumatic drama filled , emotional wrecks… with zero common sense, zero rational, I mean Zero nothing…but air and bluster… why?!?! That math ain’t mathing no more.
And btw… we so over— pages and pages of one sided filler busters 👀 and boring dragging untimely dialog because of all this cosmetic fillers. Zero plot. No excitement. No flow.
Slow burns we all can handle if the characters are well developed and the plot is heavily driven to enagege us with the scenery and introspection and backstories etc.… with slow-burns we expect more story than heat. Talk about “Heat” … laaawd Jesus…if the story & characters was so bad… (the heat build up factor) was darn near none existent … hellllloooo.… because these types of authors continue to kill the vibe of our female lead by turning her into a mental-rambling- dialogue-talking-dribbling-jibber- jabber mess… with severe PTSD… I can’t. They solely focus on these bad development female characters leads and then have a nerve to dominate these females dialog with utter dribble that never push a plot. Leaving us as severely wanting, mentally parched and really perplex… quietly or not so quietly annoyed, thinking how did something with so much potential go so horridly wrong?!?!
As women who have a great tender spot for this genre … please stop thinking we foolish enough to continue to support such mediocrity in writing. There are better stories out here, stories we are willing to actually pay an arm and a leg for rather than waste our precious time on this malarkey. Arghhh!!!
I haven’t been this disappointed with a story in long awhile and I don’t think I’ve ever rated a book a dismal 1 star.
It’s clear …I had enough…
The “idea” of this story was there& definitely was the reason for me picking it up in the first place. however … much to my dismay …the execution longevity was horridly lacking. Here’s my opinion on this poor state of work … (without spoilers)
I’m starting to loose faith in the “Omega-verse” trope. I swear … the laziest writers attempt this thinking it’s an easy sell and I guess it has become so. However, I expect way more. In this case and with all books that fail to deliver … they focus too much on outwardly (bad ass)*strong female leads …then continue to write these females into a traumatic drama filled , emotional wrecks… with zero common sense, zero rational, I mean Zero nothing…but air and bluster… why?!?! That math ain’t mathing no more.
And btw… we so over— pages and pages of one sided filler busters 👀 and boring dragging untimely dialog because of all this cosmetic fillers. Zero plot. No excitement. No flow.
Slow burns we all can handle if the characters are well developed and the plot is heavily driven to enagege us with the scenery and introspection and backstories etc.… with slow-burns we expect more story than heat. Talk about “Heat” … laaawd Jesus…if the story & characters was so bad… (the heat build up factor) was darn near none existent … hellllloooo.… because these types of authors continue to kill the vibe of our female lead by turning her into a mental-rambling- dialogue-talking-dribbling-jibber- jabber mess… with severe PTSD… I can’t. They solely focus on these bad development female characters leads and then have a nerve to dominate these females dialog with utter dribble that never push a plot. Leaving us as severely wanting, mentally parched and really perplex… quietly or not so quietly annoyed, thinking how did something with so much potential go so horridly wrong?!?!
As women who have a great tender spot for this genre … please stop thinking we foolish enough to continue to support such mediocrity in writing. There are better stories out here, stories we are willing to actually pay an arm and a leg for rather than waste our precious time on this malarkey. Arghhh!!!
I haven’t been this disappointed with a story in long awhile and I don’t think I’ve ever rated a book a dismal 1 star.
It’s clear …I had enough…
June 29, 2026
Knot What She Seems is my exact brand of guilty pleasure read. A multiple POV omegaverse that has me smiling and blushing the entire time? Yes, please.
The story itself? Think “She’s The Man” but make it an omegaverse war college and she’s royalty posing as her twin brother — the crown Prince. Then add political intrigue, past trauma, Omega heats and unhinged Alpha-X scent matches. This is where I smirk and give you my best Tom Selleck eyebrow waggle.
Honestly, I just had so much fun reading this. It’s the crossover I never knew I needed and I want more. Anxiously awaiting book two in the duet!
The story itself? Think “She’s The Man” but make it an omegaverse war college and she’s royalty posing as her twin brother — the crown Prince. Then add political intrigue, past trauma, Omega heats and unhinged Alpha-X scent matches. This is where I smirk and give you my best Tom Selleck eyebrow waggle.
Honestly, I just had so much fun reading this. It’s the crossover I never knew I needed and I want more. Anxiously awaiting book two in the duet!
June 15, 2025
3.25 ⭐️/1.5 🌶️—This is a weird book. It’s a fantasy but we have all of today’s music and movies and Taylor Swift mentioned? It reminded me of Pack Darling meets Cassandra Featherstone’s Discordia University. It was entertaining but you really had to ignore the weird moments when our reality encroached into the worldbuilding.
May 24, 2025
This is one of the best "gender swap" books I've read *at least in the romance genre*.
Yes, some things were a little far fetched and there are plenty of plot holes that will need to be plugged, but overall a pretty solid read.
Yes, some things were a little far fetched and there are plenty of plot holes that will need to be plugged, but overall a pretty solid read.
May 24, 2025
Overall, I enjoyed the story and will probably read the next book, but there were a few things that felt out of place or didn’t make sense.
Their parent’s coldness towards Brylee and complete ignorance of Teddie’s illness is odd. I also didn’t have a clear sense of what society is like for female omegas. On one hand, Brylee seems to have a lot more freedom than omegas in similar dystopian books, but on the other hand, attendance for female omegas is mandatory at Darling Academy with its alpha centric curriculum. And her parents have given her the find a pack or we’ll find one for you ultimatum.
Finally, one of my pet peeves is mentioning contemporary music, celebrities, and tv shows when writing about a different world. It takes me out of the story. There has to be a way to describe entertainment that gives the reader the same feeling without naming names.
Their parent’s coldness towards Brylee and complete ignorance of Teddie’s illness is odd. I also didn’t have a clear sense of what society is like for female omegas. On one hand, Brylee seems to have a lot more freedom than omegas in similar dystopian books, but on the other hand, attendance for female omegas is mandatory at Darling Academy with its alpha centric curriculum. And her parents have given her the find a pack or we’ll find one for you ultimatum.
Finally, one of my pet peeves is mentioning contemporary music, celebrities, and tv shows when writing about a different world. It takes me out of the story. There has to be a way to describe entertainment that gives the reader the same feeling without naming names.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2025
The plot was interesting. However the art of writing was ok. Meaning there were a number of times I found myself skimming or skipping to move along in the story as the narrative itself failed to hold my attention.
This book ends on a cliff hanger. Anticipate at least one more book to conclude the story arch.
This book ends on a cliff hanger. Anticipate at least one more book to conclude the story arch.
March 1, 2026
I kept waiting for the alphas to realize shes actually a girl. But these men are the biggest idiots on the planet. Im not sure how they didnt realize shes a women with how she talks, acts, and her looks. Upset that this led to a cliffhanger with no word of a second book.
June 15, 2025
4.5 Stars
May 24, 2026
Uhhh not AT ALL what I expected. With that embarrassing cover and name I was expecting like straight smutty trash. It had like an actual plot and everything and basically no smut and I was very pleasantly surprised. NOT pleased by the huge cliffhanger and no second book thank you very much.
December 17, 2025
A painful read
Some spoilers: This book was a very difficult read for quite a few reasons. Overall, it was hard for me to get invested in this story as it didn’t dive beyond surface level story development. This story also lacked character development or depth of personality which was a shame. Everything just felt flat at best, stereotypical, and very unbelievable. There wasn’t enough deepening of relationships and the storyline to carry the plot. There is also quite a bit of subtle, but consistent, potential prejudices that show up with the character who is a poc.
Overall, there were just so many things happening and it all felt a bit chaotic and the entire premise was hard to get lost in. Details rushed and not thought out like they mixed all the hottest clickbait literotica themes (academy, enemies to lovers, omega-verse, royalty, RH) and just slapped a story around it all. Much was lost for each genre and the royalty aspect was believable to me. This filtered into the details of the book, like the logistics of a wig staying on unglued, in hand to hand combat, lol. I just kept getting slammed by the crazy unbelievable plot and details keeping me from deeper immersion and overall enjoyment.
The biggest thing that was extremely difficult to read is the narrative and storyline with Kylian. In every scene his skin color is mentioned. Granted it is mentioned as beautiful but it is how he is referred to often and this is paired with an even more severe lack of character development and humanizing details and narratives that give the other characters some depth and life. Saying his skin is beautiful does not diminish the weirdness of it being in every single description of him. It was extremely uncomfortable and after a while, inappropriate especially considering how he is portrayed as a whole. He was the most static (main) character in the novel and this is in stark juxtaposition to his pack mates. At times it leans to ignorance in his depiction without the necessary offsetting depth to make the recurrent mentions of his skin meaningful. It felt like the authors were trying to write a character they don’t understand, while (hopefully) unaware of biases and subconscious prejudices that might bleed into their novel and thus to their audience. The other character’s skin color is never mentioned, though I believe Luka is Hispanic. The lack of ability to write for, include, and understand this character is also paired with the fact that he doesn’t get a date or meaningful time with Brylee, and he has no significant connection with her aside from small moments here and there that are again, very surface level. There is no tenderness or rising relationship (yet). They mention, of all the men, that he was a “manwhore”, further playing into stereotypes without any additional supporting character enrichment to offset it. The highlight of this is a scene where they talk about each man’s past during a group date. This narrative is not, by any means, deep but they do dive into small, more intimate, memories and familial connections with each pack member. Giving them life and touching on something endearing and memorable about each man. Except Kylian. Kylian…likes mountain climbing. That’s the extent of depth to him. Does he have family? Who knows! He climbs mountains, while another pack mate played the piano, love their grandma, etc. This is subtle and I’m not shaming, but it is the responsibility of the authors to cover people outside their culture with more depth, research, and care. We are all biased and blind to what we don’t know. Not every culture is yours to write on. Maybe it’s completely different in book 2.
This book overall felt harried and slapped together, lacking the roots it’s complex storyline needed to thrive. The lack of synchronization may be from having two authors, I am not sure. Overall, I am a picky reader, but I do not shy away from a simple read. I do try to read all books in their entirety, and I struggled here. I try to see the book through where the author is and who their audience is, so this will be great for many do don’t need deeper storylines, foundations, or character development. This book is straight forward, deals with light enemies to lovers, and touches on what a lot of women crave, which is strong men, physically AND emotionally, that are safe enough for us to let go with. If you’re looking for the holy grail of all the romance genres in one story and don’t need to get too deep, you may enjoy this. It has high stars so it looks like I’m amongst the few who don’t.
Some spoilers: This book was a very difficult read for quite a few reasons. Overall, it was hard for me to get invested in this story as it didn’t dive beyond surface level story development. This story also lacked character development or depth of personality which was a shame. Everything just felt flat at best, stereotypical, and very unbelievable. There wasn’t enough deepening of relationships and the storyline to carry the plot. There is also quite a bit of subtle, but consistent, potential prejudices that show up with the character who is a poc.
Overall, there were just so many things happening and it all felt a bit chaotic and the entire premise was hard to get lost in. Details rushed and not thought out like they mixed all the hottest clickbait literotica themes (academy, enemies to lovers, omega-verse, royalty, RH) and just slapped a story around it all. Much was lost for each genre and the royalty aspect was believable to me. This filtered into the details of the book, like the logistics of a wig staying on unglued, in hand to hand combat, lol. I just kept getting slammed by the crazy unbelievable plot and details keeping me from deeper immersion and overall enjoyment.
The biggest thing that was extremely difficult to read is the narrative and storyline with Kylian. In every scene his skin color is mentioned. Granted it is mentioned as beautiful but it is how he is referred to often and this is paired with an even more severe lack of character development and humanizing details and narratives that give the other characters some depth and life. Saying his skin is beautiful does not diminish the weirdness of it being in every single description of him. It was extremely uncomfortable and after a while, inappropriate especially considering how he is portrayed as a whole. He was the most static (main) character in the novel and this is in stark juxtaposition to his pack mates. At times it leans to ignorance in his depiction without the necessary offsetting depth to make the recurrent mentions of his skin meaningful. It felt like the authors were trying to write a character they don’t understand, while (hopefully) unaware of biases and subconscious prejudices that might bleed into their novel and thus to their audience. The other character’s skin color is never mentioned, though I believe Luka is Hispanic. The lack of ability to write for, include, and understand this character is also paired with the fact that he doesn’t get a date or meaningful time with Brylee, and he has no significant connection with her aside from small moments here and there that are again, very surface level. There is no tenderness or rising relationship (yet). They mention, of all the men, that he was a “manwhore”, further playing into stereotypes without any additional supporting character enrichment to offset it. The highlight of this is a scene where they talk about each man’s past during a group date. This narrative is not, by any means, deep but they do dive into small, more intimate, memories and familial connections with each pack member. Giving them life and touching on something endearing and memorable about each man. Except Kylian. Kylian…likes mountain climbing. That’s the extent of depth to him. Does he have family? Who knows! He climbs mountains, while another pack mate played the piano, love their grandma, etc. This is subtle and I’m not shaming, but it is the responsibility of the authors to cover people outside their culture with more depth, research, and care. We are all biased and blind to what we don’t know. Not every culture is yours to write on. Maybe it’s completely different in book 2.
This book overall felt harried and slapped together, lacking the roots it’s complex storyline needed to thrive. The lack of synchronization may be from having two authors, I am not sure. Overall, I am a picky reader, but I do not shy away from a simple read. I do try to read all books in their entirety, and I struggled here. I try to see the book through where the author is and who their audience is, so this will be great for many do don’t need deeper storylines, foundations, or character development. This book is straight forward, deals with light enemies to lovers, and touches on what a lot of women crave, which is strong men, physically AND emotionally, that are safe enough for us to let go with. If you’re looking for the holy grail of all the romance genres in one story and don’t need to get too deep, you may enjoy this. It has high stars so it looks like I’m amongst the few who don’t.
August 17, 2025
And now we wait for the sequel...
June 4, 2025
I LOVED THIS. Perfect for people like myself who loved She’s the Man and Mulan. Brylee is an omega who is hating her life while going through a program Darljng, which teaches omegas how to be perfect, simpering dolls for their alphas. She takes her twin brother, Theodore/Teddie’s place at Eros. Eros is a training ground for alphas to teach them how to be soldiers. Also teaching at Eros? Turns out, Brylee’s scent matches. Brylee is NOT into trusting fate and doesn’t believe in scent matches due to her past experiences. This story was funny but also serious in places. Our girl is working through some trauma and these alphas are going slow and trying to help. I loved their personalities and it was comforting to have them just be cinnamon rolls for Brylee but just straight up unhinged for their students.
That cliffhanger did us dirty though(not actually though- it was perfect)! So good. I was watching as I had less and less pages left and my mouth was agape at that last page. When is the next one coming out again? I’m desperate.
That cliffhanger did us dirty though(not actually though- it was perfect)! So good. I was watching as I had less and less pages left and my mouth was agape at that last page. When is the next one coming out again? I’m desperate.
January 20, 2026
2.5 stars. This book follows Brylee, princess to the kingdom and an omega. He brother, an alpha, and future king suffers from a rare disease. Not wanting this weakness exposed to the people, Brylee takes on her brother’s identity and begins a double life. Half herself at her omega finishing school, and half disguised as her twin brother at an alpha war camp. Except, the people tormenting her as her brother are also her scent matches. Throw in a troubled past with alphas and a war with the neighbouring country, its chaos.
Tbh I wouldn’t have started this if I’d realised it was not a standalone - worse that the sequel is not released. It just left me with too many unanswered questions. I also felt like the world building and character relationships were lacking. My favourite relationship was definitely with the FMC and her female best friend and also the one with Colton. I just felt as if the authors left too many questions to be answered in the sequel, which gave this first book little depth. For example, they could’ve expanded on Colton and his mask in this book for sure.
Tbh I wouldn’t have started this if I’d realised it was not a standalone - worse that the sequel is not released. It just left me with too many unanswered questions. I also felt like the world building and character relationships were lacking. My favourite relationship was definitely with the FMC and her female best friend and also the one with Colton. I just felt as if the authors left too many questions to be answered in the sequel, which gave this first book little depth. For example, they could’ve expanded on Colton and his mask in this book for sure.
May 26, 2025
Knot What She Seems had something I couldn't resist: the secret girl trope. I don't know what it is about that one, but I need to give the story a chance whenever I see that.
KWSS has two layers of identity deception.
1. Brylee, an omega, is pretending to be a male alpha so that she can attend Eros Academy.
2. The alpha she's masquerading as just happens to be her twin brother, the crown prince.
Personally, and this doesn't mean it doesn't exist, the secret girl isn't a trope I've seen much in omegaverse. Secret omega, sure, but the gender isn't usually a part of it, so it was refreshing to get that added twist to keep the storyline more unique and fresh.
Brylee was likable, and I can totally admire her devotion to her twin. She's willing to put her body and her mental/emotional health at risk to give him the time to (hopefully) get better. She's a loner, though you start to learn more about why she keeps herself so separate from others pretty immediately. A little further in, we find out why she doesn't have the desire for a pack and is very skittish around alphas.
She's reminiscent of other non-pack-oriented or non-omega-oriented omegas that I've read before, but that doesn't detract from whether I enjoyed her.
Her pack...
1. Ridge: the pack lead. He's a little aloof and matter of fact, but he's in charge of wrangling the rest of Alpha Team X. Later, we do get a little information about his history, which helps give him a bit more dimension.
2. Kylian: aside from my aggravation with the spelling of his name, he's likeable. He's supposed to take on that playful psycho kind of role, though so far, I feel like he has the reputation of psycho without us seeing that reputation play out on the pages.
3. Luka: the "secret" academic, who enjoys research likely more than he enjoys fighting. He's a bit of a neat freak and nervous cleaner, and he's god some awkwardness to him and less self-confidence when it comes to the wooing that has to ensue. I feel like we got maybe the most development on him.
4. Colter: the scarred giant. Colter is the strong and mainly silent type, though he doesn't seem to have any issues with sharing his thoughts or communicating when he wants to. He's got an ooey gooey center when it comes to Brylee, surrounded by that kind of "she's mine? she's mine!" type of vibe.
Denton and May did a good job of bringing out Brylee's past and gradually developing the world of KWSS. Sometimes, when there's a governmental/political aspect to a story, it feels like that gets info dumped, but they made good choices about when to bring information in and how much to share with the reader at a time.
I think their co-writing helps balance some of the things that sometimes irk me a little bit in May's solo writing, like the way the comedy is done and how often it relies on crudeness to get a laugh. Don't get me wrong, there's still some of that, but it felt like it was done more strategically, so it had the intended effect (laughter) rather than being too much.
Overall thoughts...
I enjoyed the story, I really did. I binged through it and stayed up a bit later than I should have to finish it, which is one of those signs that a storyline has grabbed me. There were some things that poked at my brain a little bit, hence the three stars instead of four. One of those non-spoilery things were the way the characters were depicted, particularly the men.
Here's the thing, if the word "Darling" wasn't such a prominent part of the story, I can't guarantee that the connections would be fresh in my mind, but here we are.
The way Kylian is written, he's very reminiscent of Flynn, from Pack Darling. Now, the cheerful psychopath with boundary issues is not a character type that's "owned" by any author, but I couldn't help but think of that. Alpha Team X, and the reluctant omega being their scent match, has that superficial overlap with Lilah and her guys.
Colter, with his mask, gives me Wraith vibes from Feral Omega by Lenore Rosewood. Now, his backstory, the bits we know, are very different from Wraith's, so that's a good thing. But the mask to hide the scars, being the biggest/most physically intimidating, being the most silent, and even the way some of his narration is structured with fragments and those shorter sentences that stand alone... it just gave me Wraith vibes.
Truly, none of this is meant to be a drawback. If you love those types, take this as a positive that you're going to find what you want!!! As a whole, I did enjoy the story, though I know a lot of people think three stars means you didn't. Personally, I'll reread KWSS and I'll enjoy doing it. There are just some things that I'm hoping are smoothed out as the series continues.
Some spoilers below the arrows, so continue on if you don't mind.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
KWSS has two layers of identity deception.
1. Brylee, an omega, is pretending to be a male alpha so that she can attend Eros Academy.
2. The alpha she's masquerading as just happens to be her twin brother, the crown prince.
Personally, and this doesn't mean it doesn't exist, the secret girl isn't a trope I've seen much in omegaverse. Secret omega, sure, but the gender isn't usually a part of it, so it was refreshing to get that added twist to keep the storyline more unique and fresh.
Brylee was likable, and I can totally admire her devotion to her twin. She's willing to put her body and her mental/emotional health at risk to give him the time to (hopefully) get better. She's a loner, though you start to learn more about why she keeps herself so separate from others pretty immediately. A little further in, we find out why she doesn't have the desire for a pack and is very skittish around alphas.
She's reminiscent of other non-pack-oriented or non-omega-oriented omegas that I've read before, but that doesn't detract from whether I enjoyed her.
Her pack...
1. Ridge: the pack lead. He's a little aloof and matter of fact, but he's in charge of wrangling the rest of Alpha Team X. Later, we do get a little information about his history, which helps give him a bit more dimension.
2. Kylian: aside from my aggravation with the spelling of his name, he's likeable. He's supposed to take on that playful psycho kind of role, though so far, I feel like he has the reputation of psycho without us seeing that reputation play out on the pages.
3. Luka: the "secret" academic, who enjoys research likely more than he enjoys fighting. He's a bit of a neat freak and nervous cleaner, and he's god some awkwardness to him and less self-confidence when it comes to the wooing that has to ensue. I feel like we got maybe the most development on him.
4. Colter: the scarred giant. Colter is the strong and mainly silent type, though he doesn't seem to have any issues with sharing his thoughts or communicating when he wants to. He's got an ooey gooey center when it comes to Brylee, surrounded by that kind of "she's mine? she's mine!" type of vibe.
Denton and May did a good job of bringing out Brylee's past and gradually developing the world of KWSS. Sometimes, when there's a governmental/political aspect to a story, it feels like that gets info dumped, but they made good choices about when to bring information in and how much to share with the reader at a time.
I think their co-writing helps balance some of the things that sometimes irk me a little bit in May's solo writing, like the way the comedy is done and how often it relies on crudeness to get a laugh. Don't get me wrong, there's still some of that, but it felt like it was done more strategically, so it had the intended effect (laughter) rather than being too much.
Overall thoughts...
I enjoyed the story, I really did. I binged through it and stayed up a bit later than I should have to finish it, which is one of those signs that a storyline has grabbed me. There were some things that poked at my brain a little bit, hence the three stars instead of four. One of those non-spoilery things were the way the characters were depicted, particularly the men.
Here's the thing, if the word "Darling" wasn't such a prominent part of the story, I can't guarantee that the connections would be fresh in my mind, but here we are.
The way Kylian is written, he's very reminiscent of Flynn, from Pack Darling. Now, the cheerful psychopath with boundary issues is not a character type that's "owned" by any author, but I couldn't help but think of that. Alpha Team X, and the reluctant omega being their scent match, has that superficial overlap with Lilah and her guys.
Colter, with his mask, gives me Wraith vibes from Feral Omega by Lenore Rosewood. Now, his backstory, the bits we know, are very different from Wraith's, so that's a good thing. But the mask to hide the scars, being the biggest/most physically intimidating, being the most silent, and even the way some of his narration is structured with fragments and those shorter sentences that stand alone... it just gave me Wraith vibes.
Truly, none of this is meant to be a drawback. If you love those types, take this as a positive that you're going to find what you want!!! As a whole, I did enjoy the story, though I know a lot of people think three stars means you didn't. Personally, I'll reread KWSS and I'll enjoy doing it. There are just some things that I'm hoping are smoothed out as the series continues.
Some spoilers below the arrows, so continue on if you don't mind.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
July 24, 2025
2.5/5 Intriguing Plot, Poor Execution
2.5/5.
This book (novella?) had an intriguing plot of a sister who disguises herself as her brother to keep him safe as he battles a deadly illness. Now, that said, the execution left me wanting. I was never able to suspend disbelief that none of the FMC's alphas was able to figure out her secret... One did later, and he was easily the best of the bunch. Also, I really didn't care for the FMC's not-like-the-other-girls mentality. I get that she had been hurt in the past by other alphas, but that doesn't give her a sufficient reason to dislike other omegas. All in all, I got bored 40% of the way through and just began skimming for dialogue. Probably won't read the sequel.
2.5/5.
This book (novella?) had an intriguing plot of a sister who disguises herself as her brother to keep him safe as he battles a deadly illness. Now, that said, the execution left me wanting. I was never able to suspend disbelief that none of the FMC's alphas was able to figure out her secret... One did later, and he was easily the best of the bunch. Also, I really didn't care for the FMC's not-like-the-other-girls mentality. I get that she had been hurt in the past by other alphas, but that doesn't give her a sufficient reason to dislike other omegas. All in all, I got bored 40% of the way through and just began skimming for dialogue. Probably won't read the sequel.
July 2, 2026
Now that the second book is out, I am reading this again and I love it all over again! Brylee is a pretty cool FMC. She is both soft and bitter about the limitations of omegas. I actually liked all the characters and can’t wait for more.
Wow…okay, I am a bit upset that the next book isn’t out yet. I didn’t realize this wasn’t a stand alone. That said, I devoured this book, told from all POV (though mostly the FMC). It kinda reminded me of the movie, She’s The Man. It was funny, sad, intriguing and slow burn…seriously slow. I will probably read it again when the next book comes out, if it ever does…grrrr
Wow…okay, I am a bit upset that the next book isn’t out yet. I didn’t realize this wasn’t a stand alone. That said, I devoured this book, told from all POV (though mostly the FMC). It kinda reminded me of the movie, She’s The Man. It was funny, sad, intriguing and slow burn…seriously slow. I will probably read it again when the next book comes out, if it ever does…grrrr
September 28, 2025
Sigh....
I'm bored with the whole I'm not like other girls spill.
I just couldn't connect with this whole book. There's a war going on but my girl there is on another level completely taking over an actual plot. Yes yes she's anxious.... Yawn. I think there being a more solid plot would have been better.
Thing is I skipped to the end, I lost interest half way... There was absolutely no need for this to have a book 2.
I'm bored with the whole I'm not like other girls spill.
I just couldn't connect with this whole book. There's a war going on but my girl there is on another level completely taking over an actual plot. Yes yes she's anxious.... Yawn. I think there being a more solid plot would have been better.
Thing is I skipped to the end, I lost interest half way... There was absolutely no need for this to have a book 2.
August 3, 2025
dnf at 70%, i dont believe the characters are 25 and older, they all behave and think like teenagers, so imature. The mmcs represents the classic toxic masculinity, they are jerks to everyone but completly change their behaviour for the fmc, very double faced. The author trys to redeemed their personalitys, but its not convincing. The political plot is very confusing.
July 1, 2026
29Jun2026: re-read in preparation for the sequel.
20Nov2025: 3.5 stars. Quite different to the usual OV RH lore, with a fun role reversal and secret plot. A good range of interesting characters, too. Perhaps the only downside was the occasional injection of pop culture references, which didn’t fit with the rest of the world building. Hoping it won’t be too long a wait for book two.
20Nov2025: 3.5 stars. Quite different to the usual OV RH lore, with a fun role reversal and secret plot. A good range of interesting characters, too. Perhaps the only downside was the occasional injection of pop culture references, which didn’t fit with the rest of the world building. Hoping it won’t be too long a wait for book two.
August 9, 2025
And wheres the next one like..
July 10, 2025
I actually really liked this and would have given it four stars, but I'm pissed because the second book is not only not published yet, it's doesn't even have an estimated release date. I won't be coming back for the second book.
June 26, 2026
What a wild ride! I can honestly say that I enjoyed 100% of this book and the only thing I am reeeeaaaaaalllllyyyyy mad about is that I don't know how to recover from that cliffhanger without knowing when I can read the second book
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