Mating of Convenience

Second Chances #1

by Ann-Katrin Byrde

The first book in the Next Generation of Oceanport stories!

Nathan and Raphael were friends first, then lovers, then...nothing, when Raphael left to pursue his dreams of becoming a tattoo artist. But only one year after Raphael makes it out of his small-town home, bad news descends on him. His useless father has gotten their family into debt so deep it would take a thousand years to dig them out. With his siblings on the brink of becoming homeless, Raphael turns to his estranged but wealthy grandmother for help, and receives a deal: If he settles down and marries, he'll free his siblings of the debt.

When Raphael asks Nathan for a favor--to enter a marriage of convenience--Nathan agrees. After all, he's doing it so he can start his own pet shop, right? Wrong. Nathan just can't say no to the man who used to be his best friend--the man he's still secretly yearning for, even as he's doing his best to hide that fact. After all, he knows better now than to fall for Raphael again.

Haunted by the loss of their past relationship, Raphael regrets breaking Nathan's heart. Scars from the past are never easy to heal, though, and the more time he spends with his new husband, the harder it gets for Raphael to deny the sparks that Nathan ignites in him. Except... this is just a pretend relationship, isn't it?

Genres: M M Romance, Omegaverse, Romance, Second Chance, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Fantasy

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2018

About the author

Ann-Katrin Byrde is a writing duo comprised of Ana J. Phoenix and Kate Lowell. As a team they strive to bring you the best mpreg stories they can. They both love to write, read and dream. In their spare time, you can often catch them hunting wild plot bunnies in the fields of their imagination.

(Source: Amazon.com)

Reviews

[Shin Mon Thway · Rating 4 out of 5]

One irrefutable truth about MMramce industry is that a lot of authors write shifters or non-shifters Mpreg books and readers love them and devour them like starved men. 😁 And everyone has their preferred Mpreg authors. I also have some when it comes to Mpreg stories and one of them is Ann-Katrin Byrde. 💙 I love their stuff because the stories are low-angst, fluffy, sweet and very engaging. And usually John Solo narrates them so it’s a plus for me. 🥰 And I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet love story. 😉

Raphael left his small hometown and his first and only love to pursue his dream as a tattoo artist in a big city. Although he enjoys his work, he truly regrets leaving Nathan and that things didn’t end on good terms between them. Nathan left a void in his heart that no amount of happiness from doing his dream job can fill. When he got a call that his father has messed up and they are about to lose his family home, it’s time for Raphael to man up and go back to his hometown to take care of his incapable father and his younger siblings. Is he hoping he’d run into Nathan when he’s there? Yes, of course, but nobody has to know his undying yearnings. It took Nathan a long time to come to terms with that Raphael left him and he wasn’t enough for him to stay in Oceanport. But he has never stopped loving Raphael and he hasn’t dated anyone since they broke up. When he bumped into Raphael in town and when the man asked to marry him for a marriage of convenience, Nathan was speechless. He doesn’t want to pretend-marry Raphael. He wants to marry him for real. But on the other hand, if he doesn’t marry Raphael, the man is going to get married himself with someone else and he’s sure he won’t be able to just stand and watch it happen. So he agreed to marry Raphael ans help out his predicament. But what if their fake marriage turns into a real one? Is that too much to hope for?

Ok, there are a lot of surprises from this book. First of all, I didn’t realize these are second generation Oceanport Omegas. I have only read/listened two books from the original series but I loved them so much. 😊❤️ So imagine my delight when I realized these are the offsprings of original couples. 😱 Secondly, from reading the blurb, you would have assumed Raphael is the Alpha and Nathan is the Omega. So I was very pleasantly surprised that the opposite is the case here. 😉 Raphael is a very confident, edgy, independent Omega who’s brave enough to pursue his dreams and go for the man he wants. 👏 And Nathan is an Alpha only biologically because he’s very soft, sweet, homey and wants and loves babies. 😁 I love that a bit of role reversal here. 🥰 I won’t say this is completely angst-free because there’s a bit of a tragedy and some angst about two-third of the book but it was quickly remedied. The whole book is mostly very fluffy and sweet. 💜 And I think it’s more difficult to write about already established couples or second chance couples than fresh ones but Ann-Katrin Byrde did an excellent job here. 💎 I loved the UST, emotional conflicts and relationship development between Raphael and Nathan. And needless to say, John Solo did a wonderful job narrating this lovely story. 👏😍 The epilogue was very dreamy by the way. Loved it. ❤️ I cant wait to listen the next book in the series. 😊


4.5 Turtle is Angel’s cuddly hubby stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫






Audio rating

Story - 4.25 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

[J1B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can someone please explain to me how a female "alpha" gets a male "omega" pregnant? I get that some authors want to shoehorn females into the omega role alongside males, I think it betrays a complete misunderstanding of what "omegaverse dynamics" represent and unnecessarily assigns a "baby-carrying" role to a sex that CAN ALREADY CARRY BABIES, but I get it. What I have yet to see even an attempt at an answer to is how a male omega is supposed to be impregnated by a female alpha. I don't have nor will I ever have any experience with female anatomy, but I'm pretty sure females don't have a penis, so this construction is literally ridiculous and completely bananas. Authors, Please STOP using alpha/omega relationships as a stand-in for gender roles. It's lazy and nonsensical.

[Rachel Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

And now we get to find out their stories!

I love that the author has given us Oceanport - the Next Generation. The kids are all grown up and having life experiences for themselves. We've met Nathan and Raphael before, both in the story that bridged Oceanport and the Second Chances series, and from their fathers in their own books. I love that both of these two aren't the stereotypical roles associated with their status - alpha and omega. Raphael is strong-willed, determined, and wants to go out and have a career. Nathan is sweet, softer, quieter, all roles that might typically be associated with an omega. I love that they are the opposite and are just completely perfect for each other.

Throughout their reunion, the humor, their crazy grandmothers, there is also some heartache and pain and loss, but I love how they cope with everything that happens and move on. I really enjoyed their story. I can't wait for more characters - and to FINALLY get Jake and Conner's story! (I'm dying to know what's going on with them!)

John Solo is such a great narrator for this series. He does quirky, fun character voices (the grandmothers in this story are a hoot), and I'm always glad when I can tell the characters apart in an audiobook, and I always can with his. He really brings life to the characters and I enjoy books that he narrates!

I received an audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kim Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this author before. This is a mm mpreg contemporary story set in the USA. Main characters are Alpha Nathan and Omega Raphael. They had been best friends and lovers until Raph freaked out and left town. A year later family drama forced him back to town and back into Nate’s life. Their time together started as a convenience but love bloomed. And after a rocky start, babies too. I’ll read more from this author and series.

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um ... No More

This is probably the silliest story I’ve read. Not silly as in comedy but as in nonsensical, meaning it fails to make any sense. Raphael and Nathan are two of the most non-male men I’ve every read. Not effeminate because that would be OK and understandable, but just not-acting-like-men-at-all. It really threw me out of the story frequently, though perhaps that was for the best considering the story is just so full of nonsense. By the end I was just glad it was over.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was fun. It had me quite stuck to the pages until it was done. I did feel that we were jumping from storylines in a way that at times felt left them unfinished or half baked through. I liked it a lot though

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

AKB is one, or I guess actually two, of those authors who I can always count on to write a good Mpreg story. I haven’t read the original oceanport omegas stories (yet), but it’s completely unnecessary to enjoy this one. I loved that it was a second chance romance, and a true one at that, as there had been romance before that ended poorly. My favorite part though was that Nathan and Rafael completely turned alpha/omega traditional roles upside down. Nathan was more sweet and nurturing while Rafael was fiercely independent and more of a wild child. They still fit together perfectly though and their story was very sweet, sad at times, but overall fluffy and warm and happy.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This latest series by Ann-Katrin Byrde is a spin-off of her ‘Oceanport Omegas’ series and features the children that were introduced during those six books. Since I really enjoyed that first series, I was looking forward to what ‘Second Chances’ might have in store for me and I was very interested as to which young men were going to be featured.

Nathan is the alpha son of Ethan and stepfather, Rhys, featured in ‘The Wedding Planner’s Manny’, and I fell in love with him as a twelve-year-old-boy during that story. I fell for him all over again here with Raphael. Raphael is a strong omega who has been in love with Nathan, his best-friend, for years. He didn’t want to break things off with Nathan a year ago but he did, feeling that the information he had recently received meant he had to end his relationship before they got even more serious. Nathan was madly in love with Raphael, in fact has always been, and was devastated when he ended things and moved away. Raphael came back to Oceanport to help his family and marrying Nathan because he “has to” isn’t something he planned in advance.

Please find my full review at Rainbow Book Reviews

[Jane (PS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could easily have been a run of the mill omega/alpha story, except it really wasn't quite to the norm. We almost have a role reversal on the o/a in terms of personality, and the story delves into the fertility aspect far more than expected - including a pretty funny scene on birthing. These aspects pulled it up to 4 stars for me, retaining my interest beyond just general.

Narrated by John Solo - 4 stars.

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grandmothers 👵

This book had me laughing 😂 and smiling 😃.Loved the characters and story line. Just loved the happy ending 😍

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Commonplace Stereotypes

I'll start of by saying that in general I'm not a fan of omegaverse type stories, I find the usual dichotomy of alpha/omega to be demeaning and biased. However, I believe one should experience something in order to better understand it, so lately I've read some books of this type. Some were better than others, but this one, for me, reached a particular level of commonplace and stereotyping beyond the 'acceptable'.
The writing in itself is alright, it's simple the sheer amount of clichés that has me writing this review: the not being good enough, the feeling undeserving for possibly being infertile, the desire to please 'the alpha', the guilt for something that was beyond the omega's control; not to mention the seemingly not wanting something, but actually wanting it because it fits the ideia of what an 'omega' should want and is for. So incredibly predictable and banal and ultimately disappointing for me.
In the end, it only served the purpose of confirming my overall dislike for the genre.
Nevertheless for those who enjoy it, it might be worth the read, the writing is good enough and there is a sense of sweetness amongst all the triviality.

[Bb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author and my last. The story was superficial and totally unbelievable. I should have stopped reading it but feel compelled to finish books. Neither character is very likable. The way they get married is just odd. After getting his heart broken by Raph, Nathan is happy to cave in and resume a relationship within a few days. The writing was bland and the story had a lot of repetition. It's too bad because I usually love series and seeing characters in different books.

[the kevin (vaguely alive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet light read. Nothing too complex, but in a pleasant fluffy sort of way. I was a little disappointed how not relevant the fake relationship was - it was resolved almost immediately, and the rest of the story dealt with the infertility struggles they had.

[K.R. Phoenix · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
🔥🔥🔥🔥 Heat Level: 4
🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration: 4.5

Such a wonderful story!!!! Loved it!

I loved this story! I'm new to MPreg romances and Alpha and Omega stories but this one seemed different from the others. The Alpha, Nathan is sweet and romantic and not overbearing and 'alpha' like in other stories. I really enjoyed Ann-Katrin's take on the relationship balance between Nate and Raph. They were each hurt and broken but this second chance at their relationship was a perfect way to come back together!!

The story ebbs and flows so easily and so much happens as Nathan and Raph find their ways back to trusting each other again. What starts out as a marriage of convenience turns into an epic second chance romance! I dislike Raph's Grandmother and her use of money as power but Nate's Great-Grandmother is probably my favorite character with her lack of tact and unique knitted creations, she added the perfect moments of shock and hilarity when the story needed it most!! 

I really liked that while they got married quickly and was sort of a 'fake marriage' when they got married they actually communicated (thank goodness!!) and the 'fake' part dropped away quite quickly. I loved this, as many stories draw out the angst and the will they or won't they parts but Ann-Katrin knew what she was doing and allowed her characters to build their real relationship back up almost from the start. I also loved that the Omega, Raph was quite bold, more so than the stereotypical Omega. This created a wonderful balance between Raph and Nate and you can just feel their love for one another grow as the story moves forward. 

I loved this story and the narration was a joy to listen to and follow along with. I will definitely be re-reading/re-listening to this again. Now one of my favorites!!

Thanks for reading! For great stories, reviews and more please visit https://bookstattoosandtea.wordpress.com 📚

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger warning: there is an unexpected miscarriage that happens around 60% through. It occurs off-page, but it was still unexpected. Also, there's an omega shelter that's prominently featured in this series, so there is some brief narration about abuse, etc.

For those of you who just want to know what the reason for the break-up was: Raphael found out he was infertile and "freaked", so he broke up with Nathan and left town. Nathan wanted kids but Raphael wasn't really into the idea; just as Raphael was sort of warming up to it, there was a broken condom situation and he went to the doctor to figure out what to do when he was told that he was infertile.

So I'm not really sure where I stand with this book. The writing was ok; it definitely held my attention and I'm looking forward to Conner and Jake's story. But I think Raphael kind of tainted this book for me, and I thought the reason he left Nathan was a bit weak, even though I understand. Raphael--- especially in the beginning--- came across as selfish and kind of judgy. He kind of mellows out after a while, but I still didn't like him that much. I think what I didn't like was that after his break-up with Nathan, he slept with other men, including his boss several times. Yes, I am completely aware that they were separated at the time, but I suppose I prefer MCs to be celibate during separation. In a way, it makes the love story more believable. So because of that and because of this weird selfish vibe Raphael had in the beginning, I didnt really believe that he would be genuine in his part of the impending romance with Nathan. Raphael did become more believable in his affection, but his introduction left a bad taste in my mouth throughout the story and I couldn't let it go. So even though Raphael kind of redeems himself, I still didn't think he was worthy of Nathan.

[Grace ❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book!

It was well written and I liked the premise but I had a hard time getting into it. There was a lot going on and it almost felt too easy in places. For example Nathan just trusted Raph again pretty much right away and they barely even spoke about it then it switched almost instantly to raph wanting to get pregnant without addressing any of the other conflict plot points like how exactly his dad was supporting the other kids, even with the debt paid off he still didn’t have an income. Or why Raphs grandma suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to help in the first place when she let them basically starve before. So many questions and not enough development in my opinion!

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tattooist, Raphael, convinces still-pining ex-boyfriend, Nathan, to get married so Raphael can access his grandmother’s wealth to help out his family. I guess I don’t have a very sweet tooth, so this ticked a lot of boxes for me: I liked the two MCs; the omega social work balanced out the sweetness of the romance; this was a story where the omega struggled to conceive and didn’t pop out a baby like a vending machine; and the story didn’t spend the bulk of its time on being pregnant, giving birth, or child rearing. I would have liked more exploration of Nathan’s hurt and mistrust, and of Raphael’s family situation - it would have given the story even more depth. John Solo provided his always playful, fun, and expert narration.

[L.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mating of Convenience is the first book in the Second Chances series. This series is a sequel to the Oceanport Omegas and follows the grownup kids from the first series. However, these books can be read as standalones quite easily. I suggest reading them all in order to get the maximum enjoyment from all the worldbuilding.

Nathan and Raphael are best friends who are also in love. They were dating until Raphael left Oceanport to pursue his tattooing dreams. But now Raphael is back, and all the feelings that were between Nathan and Raphael are free to bloom again. I loved this book and all the drama of the fake-yet-not-so-fake relationship between the two of them. The romance was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed all the fluff and sweetness.

[Dawn Siemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet

Raph and Nate are super cute together. This is pretty formulaic second chance romance. The fake relationship is pretty silly and wasn't necessary to get them together.

The only problem with this book is the grandmonster. She makes no sense. The money situation is urgent, so if she didn't want Raph to marry for money, she shouldn't have made it a condition. Also, Raph's mother was married, wasn't she?

The only thing I could think that would've made sense of a marriage requirement was if it was all about the money. Gran couldn't stand her daughter's mate and didn't want him to be able to touch the money. Having an alpha would be an extra level of security that Raph/Nate would control the inheritance and Raph's dad couldn't screw it up.

[Jennifer Dyal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent start to a new series

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It is the perfect follow-up to the Oceanport Port series as well as the start of a new series. Nathan and Raphael each struggled with the end of their relationship yet came back together under an unlikely circumstance. They quickly realize the love never went away and they begin to forge a new relationship. There's a little heartbreak along the way but in the end everything works out. This is a must-read!

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I love about this author is her way to take a cliche setting and make it into everything you want. As corny and magically unrealistic as the scenarios were, I didn't care. I was too focused on the chemistry of gay love. Also some real, slightly dark stuff happened which nicely counterbalanced the magical fluff. I loved that Turtle was a romantic and Angel was romantic-impaired. It was just so cute. Jake and Connor both made appearances!! And I need them to have their own book already!!!!

[Teal Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!!!

Mating of Convenience is the first book in The Second Chances Series by Ann-Katrin Byrde. It is a second chance romance and it's amazing.

Nathan and Rafael are adorable and sweet together. They are so meant to be but have to deal with a major issue before they can accept that. They didn't communicate the real issue the first time around but luckily They get this second chance. The story is fantastic. I got the feels reading it and yup, even had some tears. I cant wait to read more in this series.

[Esther Alayeto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super cute and awesome story that I loved! Nathan and Raphael are just perfect together and I'm so glad they got a second chance at love. Their chemistry is incredible which leads to some really hot and sexy scenes. I really enjoyed that Nathan is not your typical alpha, he's incredibly sweet, forgiving, and loving towards Raphael and doesn't try to stop him from accomplishing his dreams. The narration on this one was great and a true joy to listen to. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Augura · Rating 2 out of 5]

So why Raphael's grandma put the rule again?

She literally forced Raphael & Nathan to marry, where Raphael had to beg her so that his family still have roof over their head. If she's that kind, why didn't she give him the money without this "silly rule" to be married? Why did they have to be at least a year to stay married? In the beginning, Raphael was wary for other shoe to drop... and I can't find another shoe until ending. The whole notion for Raphael is forced just for the sake of their story.

They don't feel real.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Meh” That’s exactly how I would describe this book. It’s a simple story. Nothing new. Nothing interesting or thrilling.

I didn’t care about the characters and their thoughts were kind of repetitive.

The writing is also simple and there’s a lack of descriptions. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a fan of super long and complex descriptions, but they’re necessary from time to time to be able to imagine the situation, the characters, the place where they are, etc. But there’s nothing. Just the dialogues and the characters’ thoughts.

I was really bored.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to forget how much I love Ann-Katrin's books until I start reading one, then I'm hooked again. She is one of my favorite MPreg authors. This is a spin-off of the wonderful Oceanport Omegas series, focusing on the next generation, but you can definitely read it as a standalone. It is a sweet second chance romance with a marriage of convenience twist. I loved watching Nathan and Raph rediscover their love for each other and even shed a tear or two for their struggles. It was just a great book.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Raph and Nathan's second chance at love. These characters had been friends than lovers but than nothing and fate brings them back together. It is an easy story to read because the words put you under its spell. You want to know what is next, you need to know. I think that the scenes were really well written especially the one where Raph tattoos. I just really enjoyed it.
I received this as an arc and freely leave a review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet

I really enjoyed this book, another look into the residents of Oceanport. Nathan was the sweetest, most wildly romantic Alpha I have read about in quite some time. He’s tender and caring, and forgiving. I admit I cried at one point. Raph was funny and quirky, and it was easy to see how much he loves his alpha. The authors consistently create interesting characters that feel like family when you sit down to read about them.

[Usagi Shin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was very good. I laugh so hard some times and my heart got little at others. I really loved the way they evolved and how this actually makes sense as a "second chances" story. I was so sorry for Laurence! Jesus, that got me really mad!! And sad! And so relatable to real life. I really liked to see the story getting that real without rewarding that kind of behaviour. These girls rock everytime!

[Patdbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely second chance mpreg love story

Ralph returns to oceanport to sort out his dad andvsublimgs after leaving the alpha he loves. More of an alpha than his alpha Nate, he struggles to come to terms with why he left. Through the scheming of his grandmother, they marry for money. It is a story of how both men deal with heartbreak. The author creates a story full of twists and turns. Read it and enjoy