The Beta's Test

The Protection of the Pack #3

by Dessa Lux

A werewolf who's spent his life without a pack meets a werewolf whose pack is the only reason he's alive. When these opposites attract, they both find out what they've been missing all along.

Brody Marshall's parents never thought they needed any more pack than each other--but when they died and left Brody orphaned, he had no pack at all. Raised by a human foster mother, Brody has grown up into a geek who hides his wolf nature and is about to score his dream job. At his interview he meets genius programmer (and omega werewolf) Sam Hurley, and soon finds out that although Sam has a mate and a pack at home, he has more to offer Brody than just a job.

Nick Bellici has been a werewolf for a little over a month, since his best friend (and alpha werewolf) Rusty rescued him from his downward spiral by bringing him to California to join Rusty's pack. Unfortunately, wolf shifting abilities and sharing a bed with three hot werewolves haven't magically cured all of Nick's problems. He's still struggling to find his place in the pack when Rusty's mate, Sam, brings home Brody--a beta werewolf, just like Nick.

When Nick meets Brody, the attraction is instantaneous, but Nick has more scars than the ones that show on his skin, and when it comes to loving Brody, he's got to get it right without (much) help from his pack. Brody wants Nick, but when it comes to life with a pack who share everything and building something with Nick that's just between the two of them, he knows he's out of his depth. When these two betas join forces, will they sink or swim?

The Beta's Test is a steamy m/m (and m/m/m/m/m) werewolf romance featuring a sexy geek and a scarred veteran finding love and lots of happy endings with each other and with their pack!

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Shapeshifters, Paranormal, Fantasy, Menage, Erotica

185 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2016

Reviews

[Adrian Fridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book.
On one hand: Niiiiiiick ♥♥♥
On the other: feels disjointed from the rest of the series

So first the positive. Nick is continuing to deal with his depression/anxiety, with Rusty trying to condition him out of his panic around cars. In the meantime, Sam is interviewing new employees and stumbles upon Brody, a lone (black) Beta werewolf. Sam's instinct is to take him home. Nick's instinct is "omg I want to fuck him."

The relationship between the two Betas is adorkable. They are fun and hilarious, the silliness spilling into their sex scenes. But what you gain in light-hearted entertainment you lose in scorching heat. Personally, I didn't mind. After the serious sex-fest that was Book 2, Nick and Brody provide a breather for you to fan yourself, get a drink of water, and rest up for future sex.

Except, here's the rub: you don't get another scorching sex scene, not in this book anyway. You don't get much of pack feels, in general. While Book 3 is advertised as "M/M & M/M/M/M/M" it's primarily M/M. The pack gang banging happens off screen, so we're treated to the Nick and Brody show from start to end, with a mystery plot for the two of them to solve on their own.

It's disappointing how Nick and Brody become an entity separate from the pack. Part of the charm in this series is the interplay of the various personalities. I wanted to see Brody integrate into the pack; what I got instead were a few passing lines about him getting along with Sam and one brief paragraph with him gasping in pleasure from penetrating Sam. There is an inherent distance from Rusty and Mike that's never alleviated. Actually Mike pretty much disappears into the background, like an ornament that's kept around for the aesthetic but doesn't add any substance (supposedly because he's getting his own book later on, but that's no excuse for reducing quality of *this* book).

So while I'm extremely pleased that Nick has found someone to coax him out of his shell, I am not pleased by the absence of the pack as a unit, especially in the mystery portion of the conflict. *sigh* Still reading the next book, though.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2 Stars

So, I think I've mentioned that book 2 (The Omega's Pack) is like my go-to read for particularly porny werewolf sex with tons of knotting and inflation play with a heavy reliance on rimming and come-play...plus a nice side of emotion tacked on there to confuse my libido.

This one? It's mostly emotion with a lot of sex to confuse my heart. And while it had all the previous books' characters, it didn't have the same feel. That disparity might be why I didn't warm up to this one as much. Plus, IDK, maybe it's shallow but I'm a little, "meh" about Beta's hooking up. I mean, fucking hell, there was no full-moon screw Sam unconscious scene to initiate Brody (the Brody/Sam was basically fade to black - WTAF?) and I was so very much looking forward to that.

I think maybe it's in the next little novella? *crossing fingers*

Kinda/sorta/not-really though looking forward to Mike's book after that? I read the blurb when I added it to my TBR so I wasn't surprised by his thought process and seeming dissatisfaction with the status quo that came near the end of this book...but it breaks my heart a little, while making me happy that he'll get to be his OWN alpha.

[Eugenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Sexy Romp!

Another fun and hot shifter tale. This one focused on Nick and lone wolf Brody. The two become a couple and Nick finds strength in overcoming his PTSD.

This one had less sex than the previous ones, but Nick loses his v-card here and it’s a treat!

[Caroline Brand · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Bitchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, but I liked the first two books better. I liked Nick and Brody just fine, I thought they went well together, but the whole pack orgy thing was toned way down in this installment, and face it, the pack orgies are kinda the whole point to a series like this.

I also kept getting thrown out of the story when Nick called Brody "Bro", but I finally figured out it was a shortened for of his name, not the equivalent of "dude" and that made it a bit less annoying.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

I liked The Beta’s Test as much as I liked the previous two books in the Protection of the Pack series. It was a fun read with likable characters and an unusual issue that needs to be worked out before it becomes a big problem. I laughed a lot, and my eyeballs popped out of my skull as I read the sex scenes. They were smokin’!

This story is about Nick and Brody. The blurb makes it seem a bit more…pack-ish…than it was. All five men weren’t featured together very much at all. I wasn’t too disappointed in that, though. Nick and Brody have a great chemistry and work well together. I loved how Brody’s natural excitement complimented Nick’s ongoing feeling of isolation. I mentioned their instant connection. The Beta’s Test is not a very long book, so everything needed to happen quickly so there’d be time to tell the whole story. I’ve never minded an instalove plot as long as it’s well written, and Nick and Brody are definitely that.

There have been humorous moments throughout the series, but Dessa Lux turns it up here. I don’t want to give anything away, but there is a point in time when Nick and Brody go out to investigate one of the pleas for help from the security firm. It was hysterical. Sometimes, when I’m reading a book, there are situations you know are supposed to be amusing, but they just don’t hit the mark. These guys hit the mark and then some.

Read Kenna’s review in its entirety here.

[Moonlight · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bro and man???!!! What the f@#k was that?

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

A new character was introduced who was weak and did not fit well with the rest of the pack. The emotional intensity that really built up after book 2 was discontinued. The pack building and interactions from the previous installments suffered.

Brody was a disappointment. He was immature, shallow, rigid, and conceited. He just wasn't an equal mate for Nick. He did not contribute or add value to the pack. He was not the least bit sexy either.

Brody was a born wolf but he did not know how to act like one. Rusty the Alpha did not teach nor mentor him like he did the others in the previous books. Brody's foster mother taught him incorrect behavior. Surprisingly, Rusty's mother did not make an appearance like she did before to set things straight in the pack. Group bonding activities around the house were non existent in this book. Brody was paired off with either Sam or Nick.

I'm quitting this series because I don't care to see any more of Brody. If the shifters paired off I would just skip this book and continue on. Unfortunately, the cohesiveness of this shifter pack is dependent upon the omega and group sex with him.

The Omega's Bodyguard 3 stars
The Omega's Pack 4 stars

[Sakuko · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean, I already knew the series was not for me from the first book, but the sex scenes where incredibly hot, so I was willing to give it another try for that alone. And it was free.

Sadly, I was even more disappointed with this part than the first. Just, nothing really worked for me here. The relationship is insta-everything. Like, Sam sees Brody at work and pretty much just takes him home and he's part of the pack in less than an evening. I found it really weird. Also, a lot of the werewolf idiosyncrasies in this series just feel strange and off putting to me.
There are some sex scenes, but they are kinda vanilla and not particularly interesting. Not horrible, but also nothing special. I loved the primal rawness of the first one, this is a lot more domesticated. Also, no 5-man orgy on page, we get a kinda threesome, nothing more.
Near the end there's also some kind of crime/mystery thing, with the most convoluted, nonsensical plot I have ever read. I still have no idea wtf that was about. I mean, I did skip a book, but it certainly doesn't spell anything out, so I have no idea if I missed information from book 2 or I just missed some subtext in this book.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I liked all the characters in this individually, I had a harder time liking the unit of them. Lux is obviously making an effort to split them into smaller subgroups so that readers can get to know them better outside of the orgy-like scenarios that this trope in this genre tends to lead to, but it worked with only limited success for me, especially when it came to Brody and Nick. I also found it particularly jarring that the conflict they ended up solving appeared so late in the story, since the first half or more of it was dedicated to try and work yet another important character into a pretty closed system.

[Cadiva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abrupt ending spoils what had been a good story

2.5* This one had the best actual storyline on which to hang the multiple sex scenes but for some reason it was dropped like a hot potato and abruptly ended along with the book itself.

There's no resolution to the potential threat from the Baker pack, I guess were supposed to assume they have given up, and we don't find out more about the ghost investigation Nick is working on.

It's a shame as this had been the most well rounded of all the books on this series so far.

[FoxClouds · Rating 2 out of 5]

After book 2, this book could have used all that built up angst to create something great. But it didn't. Instalove sucks. Suddenly at 70% there was another subplot (and ACTUAL plot) that was hastily dealt with and came out of blue. I got irritated reading the end of this book as I was hoping that it would be better than a 2 star read but it was not.

[Walford · Rating 2 out of 5]

As others have pointed out, this is underwhelming, compared to the first two in the series. I skimmed a lot of it. Does have a nice sex scene early on; Lux can fold sweet and funny into a scene without losing the heat. No small feat.

[DeeNeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was more heartfelt and romantic, focusing on Nick finding his heart, his love, his self being when he meets Brody. A different story, compared to the orgy smut of the previous books. It was a nice change, but I expect this is only a pause in the smut fest. Can t wait for Mike’s story.

[Penumbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Beta’s Test is the third book in the ‘Protection of the Pack’ series. We again meet the previous members of the pack: Sam, Rusty, Mike, Nick, and a new lone wolf, Brody Marshall. As in the other books in this series, the povs are from each member of the pack.



This story is mostly focused on Nick and the new wolf, Brody Marshall. After the death of Brody’s werewolf parents when he was young Brody was raised by a human, foster mother. For some reason, I got the impression she knew he was a werewolf but told him to not to let others know, which was confusing to me. Why would a human know about werewolves? Maybe I missed something but that’s what I understood. That was one of the main reasons Brody was a lone wolf. He traveled by himself in his van until he landed a job at Sam’s company. Sam immediately knew Brody was a wolf without a pack and invited Brody back to his home, where Nick freaked because of his attraction to Brody and then ran off. And so began the very quick ‘courtship’ of Brody and Nick.

Nick is still my favorite character in this series, maybe it’s because he’s the most realistic with his emotions. He doesn’t fit the mold of an alpha male or omega’s personality traits. He’s not boring. The other characters seem to be stuck in a role. Brody was a bit hard to decipher at first, but he was the right partner for Nick. Brody tended to remain calm and think rather than react. He was controlled compared to Nick’s impulsiveness. I also got the impression Sam, Rusty, and Mike felt a kind of sadness for Nick and handled him carefully. They didn’t really know how to deal with him. Brody connected with Nick on an equal level, not as someone who had to be obeyed like the Alphas, or as an omega who could coerce Nick to do something with his omega ‘magic’. Both Brody and Nick grew in the story, which I liked. The other characters remained the same.

There’s still too many words like ‘knew, felt, obviously, clearly,' etc, which means the author hasn’t improved their writing skills over the series. There’s also still too much telling instead of showing. I want to feel but the overuse of words like I mentioned don’t make that happen. There is however, fewer sex scenes, which I liked. I prefer character development. However, when there was sex between Nick and Brody, it was hot. The pack didn’t really have any sex scenes, except for this very strange abbreviated scene, which is no more than a paragraph or so. There's never a full scene of the whole pack having sex with Sam including Brody. All there is, is Nick whispering in Brody's ear as Brody is penetrating Sam. Very, very disappointing.

I was set to give this story four stars until I read the ending chapters and the conclusion. Nick gets involved with Mike and Rusty’s business and his involvement and subsequent investigation seemed tacked on. Then when Sam and Rusty confront a local pack involved with the investigation, the book reaches an abrupt halt and I mean abrupt. It read like a cliffhanger and I couldn’t figure out why it ended the way it did. So in the end I can’t give The Beta’s Test any more than 3 Stars. I’d still recommend it to others because it gives background on Brody and Nick.

[Danyelle Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the one on one relationship but missing some things

3.5 rating
Sam the omega of the pack runs into Brody a beta interviewing at his job. What's an omega to do he brings Brody home to his pack. The connection between Nick and Brody happens fast. Now Brody and Nick have to navigate how their relationship will work. One is damaged from his time at war and the other doesn't know what it means to be pack.

It was a good read I felt as though I could have used a bit more back story with the character. I really liked the fact that Brody was super geeky and came up with some pretty funny nicknames. We got to see more of Nick's PTSD and how they deal with it which I really enjoyed. There wasnt much pack loving in this book, but I enjoyed the one on one with nick and Brody. That being said I mentioned it in the last book I need more Mike. Even though it was focused on Brody and Nick I still saw the others and mike was once again a footnote in the book.

[Laina Gruver · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

While the story is still based on the pack, this book focused on pack member Nick and ‘new-wolf-in-town’ Brody, both Betas.

While the story was good, it didn’t hold my attention like the other 2 books did. This book features PTSD, new love, a relationship separate from the pack, and someone attempting to set up Nick.

*****
POV... third person

Standalone or series... book 3 in a series (I suppose it can be read as a standalone)

Did it give me a hangover... no

Would I recommend it... sure

Would I reread it... someday

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable story in the series. It was nice seeing Nick come out of his shell, and I liked that this was maybe 5% less smutty than the others. Like, actual pants-wearing plot happened too. A couple things I didn't love, though - I wasn't keen on not getting a really clear resolution to the last-minute mystery, and I get that it's short for his actual name, but I could NOT get past Nick using "Bro" as Brody's nickname. I was also really confused by the VERY brief allusion to Brody and Sam. It seemed to come out of nowhere and I honestly thought my file was somehow missing a page or two.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skimmed through this book. I really didn't care for Nick and his new lover, Brody. Plus they were super cringy with their cheesy nicknames.

I also don't understand the pack dynamic. Why get intimate as a pack and then couple up as well? They'd pretty much just become some big orgy pack. It just seems unnatural and forced. Like Rusty randomly telling Brody that he was Sam's type. Might as well just be a community pack and stick solely to their own partners.

[Wendy Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

I believe that Nick and Brody are my favorite couple in this series. They're so cute together. I'm glad this book focused on the 2 of them than the rest. This book was funny.

[Grace]

DNF ~40%

Honestly, this is on me. I had to stop reading because sleep, and I just can't muster the desire to keep reading. I probably would have finished and generally enjoyed this one, but the series is kind of losing steam and interest for me.

[Lori Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm

I like that Nick gets his "mate" in Brody. I'm not super thrilled with their story. It's felt flat. I did like the Rusty, Sam, and Mike cameos, which helped push the story along.

.

3/5 stars

[Li Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Loved it and I love this entire series. Can’t wait for more . A exciting and omegaverse storyline that will keep you reading

[Charlotte Hodrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

It's great and awesome novel for the series. The characters are incredibly wonderful, and I love the book that much.

[Anja · Rating 2 out of 5]

This whole book doesn't make any sense at all. It's just confusing - from the beginning all the way till the end.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still loving this world ❤️

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides]

I'm not hugely into werewolf stories, but on the fanfic side I read A/B/O stuff from time to time, and this seemed like it was at least adjacent territory. (This is not particularly a fantasy genre story, other than the existence of werewolves; its main roots are in m/m erotica mainly written by women for women. Yes, slash, I said it. If this isn't your thing, that's okay; this review is written on the assumption that it is your thing, to avoid getting bogged down in an explanation of terminology or fannish history.)

This is book three in a series, and coming into the story in the middle was unavoidable. This is still very much an introductory story, though, as its main focus is a new character and the relationships he develops. So I feel like there was enough background explanation for me to understand what had gone before and to have a sufficient idea who the characters were. If you aren't familiar with the tropes of m/m werewolf stories as commonly written in fanfiction, the beginning of the series might be a better place to start. And if you really like seeing a world and the character relationships within it unfold over time, then you would probably also be better served by starting with book one.

But near the end I realized something: Dessa Lux made me care about the characters. (This is harder to manage than you might think.) So if you like A/B/O-type werewolf stories with lots of erotic content and are ready to get invested in a series that is planned to be long-running, consider giving this a try.

So, funny story. I won a free copy of this in a tumblr giveaway, but I was actually only reblogging to bring it to the attention of a friend who I thought might like it. Once I won, though, I figured I'd give it a try.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Protection of the Pack series review

Any author who can provoke a reader to giggles, sexy gasps, and the occasional choked-up tear in the course of the same book can write for me any day. Dessa Lux is one of these. Her MM paranormal werewolf series “The Protection of the Pack” is just too much fun to read. Fair warning: if a line like “But as far as Rusty was concerned, they might as well have been wearing matching varsity jackets and snapping their fingers in a menacingly synchronized dance rhythm” (referring to a ragtag bunch of young wolves invading the heroes’ territory) doesn’t amuse you, you may not be the target audience here. There’s plenty of snarky banter sprinkled among the wolfy mating here.

Dessa Lux also enriches her version of the Omegaverse with interesting customizations. One of the fun features here is the amount of latitude each author has in their world building: the details of Omega anatomy, types of shifters, pack structures - the details will vary from author to author and sometimes book to book. In “The Protection of the Pack”, the werewolves’ unique and specific responses to the moon are well-conceived and well-implemented (and are applied with internal consistency, which is always nice!)

The Beta's Test

This third entry in the Protection of the Pack series sees a new beta added to the merry crew: a born-wolf named Brodie who has been packless all his life. I loved seeing him forge relationships with the other werewolves and end up enfolded in Rusty’s pack.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just really, really, love these guys. This was a very captivating read and the guys in this pack are so supportive of each other and very funny sometimes also. :) Sam, the omega, brings home a new member of the pack, Brody who is a Beta. Brody falls for Nick who is also a Beta and is suffering from PTSD. Nick has always felt much more comfortable being a wolf than in his human skin but with the caring and patience of Brody he becomes stronger and begins coping with things a lot better. Those two were super precious together and the names that Brody kept making up for Nick were too cute. :D The author definitely knows how to get inside the head of each character. I like all of the guys and I even thought that Sam was adorably impressive at the end when he was threatening that other Alpha. He was a little toughy. However, the story does end a bit abruptly but other than that I loved it. :)

[Vfields Don't touch my happy! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting Better But Still Lite This was a fun way to end this series and in my opinion, the best because Lux invested a solid amount of time exploring and developing Nick’s character. Brody was an excellent counterpoint for Nick but we didn’t really get a deep look at all of Brody-bummer. The little mystery could have been handled with more care but I guess this is all there is and the ending was abrupt if you ask me. I didn’t get why they did what they did. This was fun don’t get me wrong, I never looked away from the page and that’s a good thing. I’m wondering if Lux has it in her to become a stronger writer. This definitely gave me a hint that she could if…
 
The Protection of the Pack #4 is really part of #3. It is too aimless to stand alone. So I'll treat it as such.