Alpha & Omega

by Isabelle Arden

As the youngest son of his pack’s Dominant Alpha, Nicolai Jensen has always had to fight for whatever he can get. Tired of the struggle, he’s decided to strike out into the world to search for someone to call his own – his fated mate. But the other half of his soul is the last man Nicolai expects: an unprotected Omega without a pack, who doesn’t even know he’s a werewolf.

For Father Aden O’Hanlon, the closest thing he’s ever had to a family is the Church. He’s always looked to it to find a sense of safety in the world – a world where he still feels out of place, even after taking his vows. But when the handsome, mysterious Nicolai walks into his life, everything Aden thought he knew is turned upside down. Nicolai might hold the answers to every question Aden has ever had about himself – but at what cost?

With Aden about to enter his first heat and a group of rogue Alphas searching for a vulnerable Omega to add to their pack, Nicolai doesn’t have a lot of time to explain to Aden who and what he is. The only thing he has to rely on is himself – and his strong Alpha instinct to protect Aden at all costs. Will his bond with Aden be enough to gain his trust before it's too late?


Alpha & Omega is a 54,000-word standalone romance novella, featuring HEA and no cliffhangers.

It contains explicit scenes of sexuality and is not intended for anyone under the age of 18.

Genres: M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Romance, Werewolves, Paranormal

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2015

About the author

Isabelle Arden is a good girl by day - but when she gets home from work, she likes to kick off her sensible heels and write some seriously dirty fiction.

Isabelle writes a wide variety of stories, from gay to straight, historical to contemporary, kink to vanilla - but she's always a sucker for a happy ending.

Any comments or questions at all, please never hesitate to send her a message!

Reviews

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omega in Heat + Possessive Alpha = One Hella Smexy Story

Throw in some suspense and a slow burn, and I was in hog heaven.

The story focuses on Nicolai, an alpha taking a leave from his pack to find himself, and Aden, a lone omega who doesn't even know he's a werewolf.

Also, Aden is a celibate Catholic priest. Oh, no?

Oh, YES.

I am so NOT into books where religious angst plays a big role. I can barely deal with that shit IRL. But this book is not heavy on the religion or the angst. It's also fairly sexy but not gratuitously so.

So I was really digging this story until the end happened.

Or rather, DIDN'T happen.

I cannot believe the author would build so much emotional tension into the story, have Nicolai and Aiden briefly separate and reunite, only to leave them UNMATED.

That's right. No mating. No knotting. No NOTHING.

WTF, Isabelle Arden? WTF?

Would it have killed you to write ONE MORE SCENE?


Serious fuckery is serious.

The ending made me ragey; only three stars for you.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a big fan of the priesthood trope, i.e. some conflicted priest, whose vows of celibacy are tested and eventually fail because of true love. But this sounded like fun and I neeed something silly to chill out.

I don't really buy the idea of werewolves, that are so far removed from human society, that they don't know the inns and outs of that society. Is that a believable setting? It's nice though, that there are female alpha wolves and that it doesn't make a bit of a difference, what gender everybody is.

Decent characters, plot and sex scenes. Aden is a little wishy-washy, after being so conflicted at first, he gave up the goods pretty easily. The story is predictable and straight forward, but entertaining enough.

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note to Self,

Things I liked:
-Aden not knowing he was a werewolf

Things I didnt like:
- It took long for them to acknowledge they were mates
- not a lot of romance/feelings focused a lot on Aden questioning what to do and worrying about breaking his vow

[Jean Malherbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conceptually sound...

Once I began reading this book (by totally new to me author, Isabelle Arden),
I was really intrigued and excited.
This concept of the much ignored (of late) wilder nature of wolf shifters, was just what I've been waiting for, after grinding my through far too many doctors, lawyers, billionaires and other modernised and urbanised shifter stories. I was dying to find an author that would bring wolf shifters back to their basic nature. Let them shift, hunt in the forest, run and answer the call of the wild, as it were.
Isabelle did a stellar job here... The story was new, exciting, and wrought with just the right amount of edgy suspense to make me hold my breath... Until it suddenly wound down to a tepid pace toward the end of the book.
Then it just came to a grinding halt with gravel flying and screeching brakes... Then.... Nothing!
I'm sorry. I wish the author had kept pace with how the story began.
I award 3.5 stars.
Standalone story
Heat level about 3 flames
(heat frequency: two incidents).

[Trip · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read i adored Aden and Nicolai from the first moment, they're both rather awkward and trying to figure themselves out which in the end brings them together. I enjoyed the alpha, beta & omega theme its done incredibly well and the conflict was great i liked the history into the packs/werewolves past in general. The ending was adorable and rather fitting closure i feel to Adens past, he will keep it a part of his life but not with those who don't accept him.

Overall a rather easy, adorable and sweet read with a beautiful relationship building at the heart of the story. I especially enjoyed Nicolai showing Aden how to shift for the first time, along with their admiration for each other throughout is lovely to read.

[Jennifer Holzapfel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicolai is an alpha wolf who is taking some time away from his pack to avoid the omegas going into heat. Aden is a priest who grew up to work in the church he was abandoned at in infancy. Nic smells an omega in the town he has gone to, which is odd because no packs are located nearby. Nic follows his nose to the cathedral and sees that a priest is the omega about to go into his first heat. Aden doesn't know he is a wolf and has never shifted. How will Nic convince Aden that he is a wolf about to go into heat that will drive him crazy with sexual need, when he is a priest who took a vow of celibacy and has been told homosexuality is a sin from childhood?

[Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~~ 3.75 Stars ~~~

I liked this book but even though Aden was Nicolai's mate Nicolai never did claim Aden with a mating mark by the end of the book it just never happened and also I think this book could have been better if it was mpreg considering Omega's do have heats so why do they have heats if they don't get pregnant? But besides for that I did like this book but thought it could have been better

[Ed Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet short story.

[Baberaham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to start this review by saying I've never been so turned on by a handjob scene in my life. (spoiler alert?)
Okay, now that's out of the way. I loved Nicolai and Aden so much! Nicolai wasn't your typical meat head, overly confident alpha male, and I wasn't a fan of that at first, but I really grew to love his character. They were both so sweet in their own way and it made me really love their love, giving me happy warm feelings through the entire story. It wasn't overly sappy or sweet though, just the right amount of emotional. I really loved this book, found the plot engaging, and thought the religious aspect was done really well without going overboard one way or the other. It added a real richness to the story, and omg, Aden's struggles just melted me.

That being said, I have to say one thing that disappointed me, and yes, unfortunately it was the sex. I really hate to say it, but I was looking so forward to it from the moment we met Aden and Nicolai and I pictured them sweetly boning. The first little intimate scene (with the previously mentioned HJay) really had me going and only got me more excited for the real boning. And when it happened, it was... okay. It was well written enough, and yeah, pretty hot, but I found at that point, the stiff language that worked well with the religious tone took away from the passion of the moment and I felt like I could have been reading a sex scene between any two people, not the two boys the author had made me fall in love with. I just didn't feel the intimacy or emotional explosion that I'd gotten excited for. Aden had his little epiphany mid-coitus, but maybe I just didn't buy it. I'm sure other people will really enjoy the sex so check it out for yourself and then come back and disagree with me.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story of two men struggling with their conscience. This is a great story concept and I didn't feel as conflicted as a believer as I thought I would about the way Aden's faith was approached or his questioning his role as a priest. This doesn't venture into the role of m-preg (for those who like that in Omega stories) but does have the first-time-heat element that I personally love so much. I really want to read more m/m and shifter stories by this author!

[Ms. Cyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forbidden romance

To start out as an orphan and then becoming a priest I am amazed how wonderful Aden turned out. Really loved to watch him bloom.