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The Elements #1
Hurricane
Lieutenant Azure Lynwood’s latest mission with the Space Corps is turning into a complete disaster. A routine inspection of a remote outpost on Titan unexpectedly turns into a murder investigation. Then a blizzard hits, trapping the five crew members in the tiny base, cut off from any contact with civilisation. And now, without access to his supply of hormonal suppressants, Azure realises he has only a couple of hours until he goes into heat.
Without medical assistance, omegas in heat experience twelve hours of the worst pain imaginable. The thought of what he has to endure is terrifying, but Azure knows that being mated wouldn’t necessarily be any better. Alphas in rut are notoriously violent and aggressive, and matings invariably leave omegas with brutal injuries and emotional scars that can last a lifetime.
But just when Azure thinks his situation can’t get any worse, he finds out one last, staggering piece of news. Major Tor Savan, his commanding officer, and one of the most respected men in the Space Corps, is an alpha. And once he gets a whiff of Azure’s heat pheromones, there isn’t a force in the entire galaxy that could keep them apart.
Without medical assistance, omegas in heat experience twelve hours of the worst pain imaginable. The thought of what he has to endure is terrifying, but Azure knows that being mated wouldn’t necessarily be any better. Alphas in rut are notoriously violent and aggressive, and matings invariably leave omegas with brutal injuries and emotional scars that can last a lifetime.
But just when Azure thinks his situation can’t get any worse, he finds out one last, staggering piece of news. Major Tor Savan, his commanding officer, and one of the most respected men in the Space Corps, is an alpha. And once he gets a whiff of Azure’s heat pheromones, there isn’t a force in the entire galaxy that could keep them apart.
135 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2019
146 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Laura Taylor
24 books100 followersLaura Taylor is a pseudonym for Gabriel Danes. Gabriel is a bisexual, transgender writer of fantasy and romance novels. He likes watching ice hockey, reading about vampires and werewolves, cooking, and has fantasies of one day becoming a firefighter.
Gabriel lives on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.
Gabriel lives on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
September 14, 2025
I’ll start with the good: the ABO setup is more layered than most, with omegas conditioned to fear alphas as violent and abusive, and alphas are forced into celibacy (everyone is VERY repressed here). There is a murder investigation, a blizzard on Titan, and a crew cut off from civilization.
Tropes/themes:
ABO dynamics
Gay romance
Military sci-fi setting
Forced proximity
Forbidden/reluctant mates
Zero gravity sex
HFN, cliffhanger
Now the not so good: The logic gaps drove me nuts. The idea that a military crew would cover up the truth because “it wasn’t going to benefit anyone”? Whaaat, the murders might not have happened had this person done their job!
Then there’s the premise itself, why on earth (lol) would omegas be allowed in high-risk positions if suppressants can fail? In a society advanced enough to fly ships across space and explore planets, you’re telling me they’re still operating with Stone Age ideas about biology and sexuality? How do they not understand heats or how to have healthy relationships around their own drives? It makes zero sense.
The sex is really hot, but at the same time, not very descriptive. Maybe I’m just used to reading Horvat, who floods his omega stories with enough ass slick to fill a stadium.
And don’t get me started on the legal/consent angle. The government requiring written permission from omegas, otherwise an alpha can be charged with rape.
Society had gone so far along the path to an omega’s right to refuse sex that they’d completely forgotten they also had the right to accept it.
*Not a huge fan of mpreg (it doesn’t sound healthy for either the baby or the dad), but
Despite the cliffhanger, not sure I’ll continue the series.
Tropes/themes:
ABO dynamics
Gay romance
Military sci-fi setting
Forced proximity
Forbidden/reluctant mates
Zero gravity sex
HFN, cliffhanger
Now the not so good: The logic gaps drove me nuts. The idea that a military crew would cover up the truth because “it wasn’t going to benefit anyone”? Whaaat, the murders might not have happened had this person done their job!
Then there’s the premise itself, why on earth (lol) would omegas be allowed in high-risk positions if suppressants can fail? In a society advanced enough to fly ships across space and explore planets, you’re telling me they’re still operating with Stone Age ideas about biology and sexuality? How do they not understand heats or how to have healthy relationships around their own drives? It makes zero sense.
The sex is really hot, but at the same time, not very descriptive. Maybe I’m just used to reading Horvat, who floods his omega stories with enough ass slick to fill a stadium.
And don’t get me started on the legal/consent angle. The government requiring written permission from omegas, otherwise an alpha can be charged with rape.
Society had gone so far along the path to an omega’s right to refuse sex that they’d completely forgotten they also had the right to accept it.
*Not a huge fan of mpreg (it doesn’t sound healthy for either the baby or the dad), but
Despite the cliffhanger, not sure I’ll continue the series.
January 11, 2022
O livro parece mais um manual de instruções do omegaverse. Sei que cada autor cria seu universo omegaverse, mas no fundo, é praticamente à mesma coisa. Boa parte do livro é mostrando como funciona o lance de alfa e ômega no universo desse livro, é sempre bom quando o autor tenta nos fazer entender seu universo, mas aqui ficou cansativo. Tirando essa parte " manual de instruções" o resto do livro é bonzinho, tirando tbm os jargões vergonha alheia dos personagens. Um jargão mais esquisito que outro, fiquei constrangida com jargões dito pelos personagens 😅
Entendi que à maioria dos ômegas eram tratados como os personagens do conto de aia, depois de muita luta os ômegas conseguiram serem livres da escravidão. Achei essa parte interessante e tal, mas nada muito incrível e tal.
Não foi um livro memorável, mas quem sabe o 2 seja melhor. Irei lê-lo por curiosidade, por mais defeitos que tenha o 1, quero saber onde dará essa história.
Entendi que à maioria dos ômegas eram tratados como os personagens do conto de aia, depois de muita luta os ômegas conseguiram serem livres da escravidão. Achei essa parte interessante e tal, mas nada muito incrível e tal.
Não foi um livro memorável, mas quem sabe o 2 seja melhor. Irei lê-lo por curiosidade, por mais defeitos que tenha o 1, quero saber onde dará essa história.
June 30, 2019
Unexpectedly detailed
I expected porn without plot In Sssspaaaacccceee.
This is actually a sci-fi story and I’m very pleased.
It’s also a commentary on certain current societal/political problems we are dealing with now.
I’m disappointed it ended on a cliffhanger giving it a serial feeling but am looking forward to the next book.
I expected porn without plot In Sssspaaaacccceee.
This is actually a sci-fi story and I’m very pleased.
It’s also a commentary on certain current societal/political problems we are dealing with now.
I’m disappointed it ended on a cliffhanger giving it a serial feeling but am looking forward to the next book.
December 17, 2022
A nice, kinda short, omegaverse story with both a secret omega and a secret alpha in space. I liked it a lot, although the times I felt like the non-romance plot and the romance plot weren't woven together that well which made me care less about the non-romance stuff, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I also found it refreshing that they were actually in zero gravity since I could count on one hand the amount of MM romance sci fi books I've read that bother with that.
September 16, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.5 stars
There are alphas and omegas and all the dominance kink you could want. There is an added layer of psychology here though. Omegas like Azure have been conditioned to fear and even hate alphas and there are horror stories of alphas raping and hurting omegas during heats. And given that omegas have only recently gained equal rights, the idea of being a slave to one’s biology is abhorrent to most omegas. But alphas haven’t exactly got it easy. Aside from a stigma that purports they are all monsters and abusers, alphas have essentially been forced into celibacy. Omegas hate them, betas can’t handle them, and basically no one else wants them. This was a slightly different spin on the alpha/omega trope and it showed that both groups were often hampered due to circumstances of biology.
The story is a bit wonky and it seems stretched given the confines of the book. Large chunks focus on Tor and Azure as you’d expect, but the rest of the story reads as somewhat chaotic, especially during the last portion of the book. The author seems to be setting things up for the next book in the series, but the transition from Tor and Azure’s isolation to a military crisis is abrupt and jagged.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
3.5 stars
There are alphas and omegas and all the dominance kink you could want. There is an added layer of psychology here though. Omegas like Azure have been conditioned to fear and even hate alphas and there are horror stories of alphas raping and hurting omegas during heats. And given that omegas have only recently gained equal rights, the idea of being a slave to one’s biology is abhorrent to most omegas. But alphas haven’t exactly got it easy. Aside from a stigma that purports they are all monsters and abusers, alphas have essentially been forced into celibacy. Omegas hate them, betas can’t handle them, and basically no one else wants them. This was a slightly different spin on the alpha/omega trope and it showed that both groups were often hampered due to circumstances of biology.
The story is a bit wonky and it seems stretched given the confines of the book. Large chunks focus on Tor and Azure as you’d expect, but the rest of the story reads as somewhat chaotic, especially during the last portion of the book. The author seems to be setting things up for the next book in the series, but the transition from Tor and Azure’s isolation to a military crisis is abrupt and jagged.
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
June 17, 2019
I was a little apprehensive about grabbing this at first since there were no rating on Amazon, but surprisingly it was a decent read.
The ABO setting is unique compared to most out there and I loved the sci-fi/military plot. The only thing I didn’t like was that the story ended with a cliffhanger and I am rarely one to read multiple books that involve the same couple. It just irks me for some reason, cause it practically guarantees one of the next books will include hurt feeling and to some om/ow drama.
Of course that is my personal preference, I am sure many others don’t mind such plots and will really love this series, as for me I’m not sure yet if I will continue it or not. But I do have another one of this authors books on my Amazon wishlist so I will probably snag and read that next.
The ABO setting is unique compared to most out there and I loved the sci-fi/military plot. The only thing I didn’t like was that the story ended with a cliffhanger and I am rarely one to read multiple books that involve the same couple. It just irks me for some reason, cause it practically guarantees one of the next books will include hurt feeling and to some om/ow drama.
Of course that is my personal preference, I am sure many others don’t mind such plots and will really love this series, as for me I’m not sure yet if I will continue it or not. But I do have another one of this authors books on my Amazon wishlist so I will probably snag and read that next.
December 26, 2022
Tags: omegaverse, hidden alpha and omega, unexpected heat and forced proximity, sex in space
This was enjoyable, and I really liked the sci fi elements. They were closer to current technology than a lot of sci fi romance stories, which lead to a very interesting description of how to have sex in zero gravity. The forced proximity was fun, as was the omegaverse worldbuilding.
Stuff I didn’t like -
- non MC PoVs
- cliffhanger ending
This was enjoyable, and I really liked the sci fi elements. They were closer to current technology than a lot of sci fi romance stories, which lead to a very interesting description of how to have sex in zero gravity. The forced proximity was fun, as was the omegaverse worldbuilding.
Stuff I didn’t like -
- non MC PoVs
- cliffhanger ending
February 10, 2026
Read October 2021
2 stars = okay
MM Omegaverse in Space
A 4-star read until about 70%, when the story faltered and sank. It was very disappointing.
The writing is decent and the A/B/O story is fairly interesting, but for the reasons below, I didn't fully enjoy it.
𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬:
🔻 The morning-after pill: After a 12-hour heat-induced sex marathon, the omega is likely pregnant. He's given the pill to abort, which really ruined the book for me. I enjoy mpreg mainly for the babies, but this was the first time I've read where the baby is eliminated. 😥
🔻 Lack of descriptions. The alpha is vaguely described, but nothing for the omega.
🔻 It's a terrible world for alphas & omegas.
Alphas are:
▪️ considered too high-strung and reckless.
▪️ feared and not able to have normal relationships.
▪️ said to become violent, uncontrollable beasts when near omegas in heat. It's called alpha-rut.
▪️ reportedly abusive to omegas.
Omegas are:
▪️ considered too weak and unreliable.
▪️ the only ones who can get pregnant.
▪️ unfairly treated. Their babies are given to beta couples.
▪️ afraid of alphas. To get pregnant, they go to breeding centers where alphas are kept drugged.
🔻The MCs' relationship isn't satisfying. They have lots of sex while the omega is in heat. Afterward, the main focus switches to the sci-fi plot.
🔻 The book ends with a final sex scene. The only time love is mentioned is when the omega was in heat and driven by hormones. It felt like their relationship was based on sex rather than love, with no romance.
I skimmed the last 30% up to the cliffhanger. It’s a trilogy, but I won’t be reading book two.
2 stars = okay
MM Omegaverse in Space
A 4-star read until about 70%, when the story faltered and sank. It was very disappointing.
The writing is decent and the A/B/O story is fairly interesting, but for the reasons below, I didn't fully enjoy it.
𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬:
🔻 The morning-after pill: After a 12-hour heat-induced sex marathon, the omega is likely pregnant. He's given the pill to abort, which really ruined the book for me. I enjoy mpreg mainly for the babies, but this was the first time I've read where the baby is eliminated. 😥
🔻 Lack of descriptions. The alpha is vaguely described, but nothing for the omega.
🔻 It's a terrible world for alphas & omegas.
Alphas are:
▪️ considered too high-strung and reckless.
▪️ feared and not able to have normal relationships.
▪️ said to become violent, uncontrollable beasts when near omegas in heat. It's called alpha-rut.
▪️ reportedly abusive to omegas.
Omegas are:
▪️ considered too weak and unreliable.
▪️ the only ones who can get pregnant.
▪️ unfairly treated. Their babies are given to beta couples.
▪️ afraid of alphas. To get pregnant, they go to breeding centers where alphas are kept drugged.
🔻The MCs' relationship isn't satisfying. They have lots of sex while the omega is in heat. Afterward, the main focus switches to the sci-fi plot.
🔻 The book ends with a final sex scene. The only time love is mentioned is when the omega was in heat and driven by hormones. It felt like their relationship was based on sex rather than love, with no romance.
I skimmed the last 30% up to the cliffhanger. It’s a trilogy, but I won’t be reading book two.
July 11, 2019
I read one of Laura Taylor's other books and fell in love with her larger universe and her style of writing, which means I'm currently working my way through her entire catalog, because they really are that good. They are intense, packed full of a lot of emotion, but not overly angsty, and enough conflict to keep you really interested.
I love both Tor and Azure on their own. They are brave, strong, loyal warriors, who are going to stand by their team, do their duty, and do everything they can to the best of their ability and the best of their judgment. So, there's a whole lot of stuff that goes in between them together personally, but then there's a whole lot of other stuff going on politically, both in the space service they are in and in the intergalactic world.
I also love Tor and Azure together. I think that they complement each other well.
I love both Tor and Azure on their own. They are brave, strong, loyal warriors, who are going to stand by their team, do their duty, and do everything they can to the best of their ability and the best of their judgment. So, there's a whole lot of stuff that goes in between them together personally, but then there's a whole lot of other stuff going on politically, both in the space service they are in and in the intergalactic world.
I also love Tor and Azure together. I think that they complement each other well.
September 21, 2020
I was originally SO EXCITED when I read this book because I was looking forward to embark on a Sci-fi adventure with a respected crew captain and his dutiful lieutenant. So my enjoyment was sky-high even when this book dragged because surely, this is all just set-up for exciting space adventures.
spoiler: there were no space adventures in the two books after this :(
spoiler: there were no space adventures in the two books after this :(
May 18, 2021
Not very convincing omegaverse OR sf, but not bad either, with some enjoyable heat.
April 27, 2022
FR then ENG
Si je n'avais vu, l'avis d'Alexis Woods sur ce roman, je ne me serais peut être pas intéressée à cette histoire et n'y serais pas arrêtée.
J'avoue ne pas l'avoir regretté.
J'ai adoré cette autre facette du monde omegaverse ou l'Oméga n'est pas qu'une victime et l'Alpha une brute épaisse.
Voir l'Oméga dépasser ses peurs et croyances limitantes sur sa condition et celle des alphas était aussi passionnant que de voir un Alpha si attentionné, faisant preuve de maîtrise dans la pire période de la vie d'un Omega, celles de ses chaleurs incontrolées
Leur interaction etait si touchante que je n'ai pu que soupirer d'aise devant leur amour naissant, malgré le danger alentour.
Laura Taylor est désormais quelqu'un dont je vais suivre les écrits avec plaisir.
.
---------
If I had not seen the opinion of Alexis Woods on this novel, I might not have been interested in this story and would not have stopped there.
I confess that I have not regretted it.
I loved this other facet of the omegaverse world where the Omega is not just a victim and the Alpha a brute.
Seeing the Omega overcome his fears and limiting beliefs about his condition and that of the alphas was as exciting as seeing such a caring Alpha, showing mastery in the worst period of an Omega's life, those of his uncontrolled heat.
Their interaction was so touching that I could only sigh with relief at their budding love, despite the danger all around.
Laura Taylor is now someone whose writings I will follow with pleasure.
Si je n'avais vu, l'avis d'Alexis Woods sur ce roman, je ne me serais peut être pas intéressée à cette histoire et n'y serais pas arrêtée.
J'avoue ne pas l'avoir regretté.
J'ai adoré cette autre facette du monde omegaverse ou l'Oméga n'est pas qu'une victime et l'Alpha une brute épaisse.
Voir l'Oméga dépasser ses peurs et croyances limitantes sur sa condition et celle des alphas était aussi passionnant que de voir un Alpha si attentionné, faisant preuve de maîtrise dans la pire période de la vie d'un Omega, celles de ses chaleurs incontrolées
Leur interaction etait si touchante que je n'ai pu que soupirer d'aise devant leur amour naissant, malgré le danger alentour.
Laura Taylor est désormais quelqu'un dont je vais suivre les écrits avec plaisir.
.
---------
If I had not seen the opinion of Alexis Woods on this novel, I might not have been interested in this story and would not have stopped there.
I confess that I have not regretted it.
I loved this other facet of the omegaverse world where the Omega is not just a victim and the Alpha a brute.
Seeing the Omega overcome his fears and limiting beliefs about his condition and that of the alphas was as exciting as seeing such a caring Alpha, showing mastery in the worst period of an Omega's life, those of his uncontrolled heat.
Their interaction was so touching that I could only sigh with relief at their budding love, despite the danger all around.
Laura Taylor is now someone whose writings I will follow with pleasure.
March 22, 2025
3.5 rounded up
Omegaverse is at its best when it's tropes are subverted and ideologies challenge this book managed both while setting up a background for interplanetary political intrigue and having a sex scene spanning most of the body of work, honestly impressive lmao
I also found the POV from the crewmembers refreshing especially Lillian - a beta, expressing her thoughts on Alpha/Omega behaviour
And their concern for Azure was endearing yet hilarious
I truely did fear for his safety at some points aswell
This was much darker approach to Omegaverse but it was enjoyable, if anxiety inducing
Omegaverse is at its best when it's tropes are subverted and ideologies challenge this book managed both while setting up a background for interplanetary political intrigue and having a sex scene spanning most of the body of work, honestly impressive lmao
I also found the POV from the crewmembers refreshing especially Lillian - a beta, expressing her thoughts on Alpha/Omega behaviour
And their concern for Azure was endearing yet hilarious
I truely did fear for his safety at some points aswell
This was much darker approach to Omegaverse but it was enjoyable, if anxiety inducing
March 29, 2025
Omfg was it discordant to read about his ecstasy being knotted for the first time and then the next sentence is loss of self respect and revulsion at the act. This society really did a number on omegas. How the hell has the species perpetuated if this is what all sex is advertised as? It seems like there are many many betas and very few omegas or alphas, kinda like the Pykh series. The politics are going to be interesting in this book. The rape thing is real, but it's bizarre they even have a concept of rape seeing as neither party can be mentally competent to stop themselves at all. You can't be responsible when your hormones take over so completely.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2026
Okay, I admit I stopped at page one with the, "Holy Jupiter." Cheesy curses make me cringe.
Then I came back the next day because hell, if some emergency heatsex in space wasn't the exact itch I needed to scratch.
The mission opened with a good balance of worldbuilding, while also not making us wait for the heat crisis to escalate. It was a comparatively grounded heat, not immediately devolving to needy begging, but with Azure maintaining a wary calculation. For people looking for omegas that still keep their wits about them, this is a refreshing take.
However! Cliffhanger BOO. I hate incomplete stories.
For what it's worth, there is a relationship resolution where
Whelp, looks like I'm in for another two books of this space ride!
Then I came back the next day because hell, if some emergency heatsex in space wasn't the exact itch I needed to scratch.
The mission opened with a good balance of worldbuilding, while also not making us wait for the heat crisis to escalate. It was a comparatively grounded heat, not immediately devolving to needy begging, but with Azure maintaining a wary calculation. For people looking for omegas that still keep their wits about them, this is a refreshing take.
However! Cliffhanger BOO. I hate incomplete stories.
For what it's worth, there is a relationship resolution where
Whelp, looks like I'm in for another two books of this space ride!
June 9, 2025
There was an unexpectedly nice thriller/sci-fi element to the book. I particularly enjoyed the first part of the book. It gave off a who-dun-it murder mystery vibe (one that set in space). The author didn't go through with the thriller sub genre though. The book turned back to romance/erotica after 20-30% point. Given the rather short length of the book, I didn't feel connect to both MCs. Most of their times together were about mating/ helping Azure pass his heat, which were very hot but still pretty much following body chemistry. No emotional bond/connection yet.
April 19, 2022
Omega in space
Hoo yeah! This was great. Loved the world building and amazing characters. Topped with an omega in heat and the heat level is just plain scorching. I'm so ready for book 2.
Hoo yeah! This was great. Loved the world building and amazing characters. Topped with an omega in heat and the heat level is just plain scorching. I'm so ready for book 2.
January 1, 2026
Ends *barely* HFN with "we are entering into a suicide mission" ending. But, there's two more books after this one so I assume they survive it lol.
Anyway, there wasn't a ton of plot besides "I'm about to go into heat/hey turns out I'm an alpha" and then fucking for 100 pages of this 135 page book.
Ok honestly Azure's heat was supposed to be 12 hours and every time they checked the time my only thought was, "this is the longest 12 hours ever." Tor's possessiveness and the way he refused to let Azure even leave the bed was cute, but I wish there'd been just a little more overall. Maybe some nesting, maybe Azure being *more* needy and Tor providing more. I don't know. It just fell flat for me.
Anyway, there wasn't a ton of plot besides "I'm about to go into heat/hey turns out I'm an alpha" and then fucking for 100 pages of this 135 page book.
Ok honestly Azure's heat was supposed to be 12 hours and every time they checked the time my only thought was, "this is the longest 12 hours ever." Tor's possessiveness and the way he refused to let Azure even leave the bed was cute, but I wish there'd been just a little more overall. Maybe some nesting, maybe Azure being *more* needy and Tor providing more. I don't know. It just fell flat for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2019
This first book is just what it seems. An alpha and omega get caught in an unexpected situation and are forced into sex. Despite the fact this is an mpreg series they don't get pregnant or lose their jobs or have anything bad happen to them. They are attracted to each other but don't start a full blown romance. The world building that starts in this book is unusual in that alphas and omegas aren't suppose to be together and aren't allowed to be. Although it is a factor in this book it isn't huge but it becomes the main focus of the rest of the series. I like the characters and their chemistry. Azure, an omega, trying to make it in the space corps by not telling anyone he is an omega and doing his job as perfectly as he can. Tor, an alpha, that is decent, kind, honorable and willing to break a few rules to make sure Azure is treated right.
This first book lays down the base for this series in a mildly entertaining way with good characters and a interesting world. It is the rest of the series that turns out to be well worth the read of this first book. The next book focus more on the impact of the way the world works and how it effects both the alphas and omega that are kept apart. Instead of becoming a get the omega of the book pregnant it focuses on how both alphas and omegas are treated and the misunderstandings about their biology. There are court cases and trying to change laws along with helping omegas and alphas become couples.
This is a series that I love a great deal and pleasantly surprised at the direction it takes.
This first book lays down the base for this series in a mildly entertaining way with good characters and a interesting world. It is the rest of the series that turns out to be well worth the read of this first book. The next book focus more on the impact of the way the world works and how it effects both the alphas and omega that are kept apart. Instead of becoming a get the omega of the book pregnant it focuses on how both alphas and omegas are treated and the misunderstandings about their biology. There are court cases and trying to change laws along with helping omegas and alphas become couples.
This is a series that I love a great deal and pleasantly surprised at the direction it takes.
June 25, 2025
Still not convinced that 2* isn’t a little high for this one but I was just so unimpressed with this story and despite the cliff hanger I have no interest in continuing the series.
Couple of things:
1) This is straight up dubcon, for the entirety of Azure’s heat he’s having doubts about going through with it and has to obey Tor the entire time to AVOID BEING RAPED BECAUSE HE SAID NO OR TRIED TO LEAVE, and it’s only until he’s completely in the throes of his heat that he starts actively participating and by that point HE IS PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY INCAPABLE OF CONSENTING REGARDLESS OF BIOLOGY.
2) The author really couldn’t think of any other word for Azure’s ass other than “passage”? Every time I read that word I just scrunched up my face, and it’s the only way the author describes that part of his body. Oh sorry, there’s also… “back channel”. The entire dictionary at your fingertips and those are the words you picked…. Okay then.
3) Azure calls Tor “babe”. Just once, but it was so out of place in a book where they cuss by using various planets in the solar system that it generated a very audible “ew” out of me. It was unnecessary and felt weird in the context, because it doesn’t fit in-universe as a term of endearment for a society that’s hundreds of years more advanced than ours. Also there’s a whole love confession thing that had no actual build up in the scene, it literally starts the paragraph with them confessing their love to each other (yes it was under the influence of their heat/rut but, again, no lead up to it. It literally just starts there).
4) If the book had focused on the sci-fi aspect and story more and had pushed the heat and smut to the second half of the book to build the tension between Tor and Azure and completely scrap the dubious nature of their relationship (still have Azure and Tor struggle with whether or not he could consent in the moment rather than HAVE AZURE STILL DOUBTING THAT HE WANTS IT HALF WAY THROUGH AND BEING UNABLE TO RESCIND THAT CONSENT AT ANY TIME) then I would have considered it a decent read. But it didn’t, it pushed the conflict and plot right to the end so we had 9 chapters of extremely dubious smut and absolutely nothing else during that time. They showed up to a colony and everyone is dead by being shot with a laser energy weapon and I thought “oh wow we’re kicking straight into the action” only for it to be revealed 2 pages later to have been a crew member going crazy and killing everyone and then himself. It’s wrapped up really quickly, nothing comes of it and all that did was serve as a convenient reason for the crew to be out there just as a hurricane comes in and traps them inside.
5) There is no actual plot for about 70% of the book. In a book of about 120 pages, we don’t get any kind of overarching story until page 91. Yes we get snippets about the imbalanced society and prejudice against both Omega’s AND Alpha’s and how Earth and Mars don’t get along… but then it’s about 50 pages of them fucking nonstop. It kind of feels like this book meanders between being the start of an interesting political sci-fi space adventure and being mediocre Omegaverse fanfiction. It’s not the worst thing I’ve read, but it also feels like it’s sorely lacking in an actual identity.
Also, the characters are just… There. I don’t care about any of the B-plot crew, they have no relevance to the story whatsoever outside of “the ship needs a crew and we can’t have Azure and Tor be the only ones talking”, and the two main characters are just… Eh.
Azure is a stickler for the rules and has been raised/taught that Alpha’s are violent and cruel and being stuck in his head as he’s having all these doubts and fears about being mated and knotted made reading the whole heat scene pretty uncomfortable. Tor… is an accomplished soldier (we never actually see them fight anything), we’re told that he uncovered a corrupt politician on Mars that got him promoted and given a medal (we never learn how he did it or how he found out about it in the first place), and that he’s got a big dick (established to be about 12” considering Azure says his own measures about 4” and Tor is 3x the size of that, apparently). But a lot of this book had moments where we’re told stuff but not shown, details skipped, time jumps, and it felt like the author spent more time trying to justify why it wasn’t dubious consent (at best and outright rape at worse) than she did telling the rest of the story which left the characters feeling flat, underdeveloped and just kind of forgettable.
Did I hate the book? No, but I also didn’t really enjoy it. I’m fairly middle-ground about it and bordering apathetic, and after reading the plot summary of the next book I have no interest in continuing the series. Gonna leave it at a 2* and I might think about rehoming this one.
Couple of things:
1) This is straight up dubcon, for the entirety of Azure’s heat he’s having doubts about going through with it and has to obey Tor the entire time to AVOID BEING RAPED BECAUSE HE SAID NO OR TRIED TO LEAVE, and it’s only until he’s completely in the throes of his heat that he starts actively participating and by that point HE IS PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY INCAPABLE OF CONSENTING REGARDLESS OF BIOLOGY.
2) The author really couldn’t think of any other word for Azure’s ass other than “passage”? Every time I read that word I just scrunched up my face, and it’s the only way the author describes that part of his body. Oh sorry, there’s also… “back channel”. The entire dictionary at your fingertips and those are the words you picked…. Okay then.
3) Azure calls Tor “babe”. Just once, but it was so out of place in a book where they cuss by using various planets in the solar system that it generated a very audible “ew” out of me. It was unnecessary and felt weird in the context, because it doesn’t fit in-universe as a term of endearment for a society that’s hundreds of years more advanced than ours. Also there’s a whole love confession thing that had no actual build up in the scene, it literally starts the paragraph with them confessing their love to each other (yes it was under the influence of their heat/rut but, again, no lead up to it. It literally just starts there).
4) If the book had focused on the sci-fi aspect and story more and had pushed the heat and smut to the second half of the book to build the tension between Tor and Azure and completely scrap the dubious nature of their relationship (still have Azure and Tor struggle with whether or not he could consent in the moment rather than HAVE AZURE STILL DOUBTING THAT HE WANTS IT HALF WAY THROUGH AND BEING UNABLE TO RESCIND THAT CONSENT AT ANY TIME) then I would have considered it a decent read. But it didn’t, it pushed the conflict and plot right to the end so we had 9 chapters of extremely dubious smut and absolutely nothing else during that time. They showed up to a colony and everyone is dead by being shot with a laser energy weapon and I thought “oh wow we’re kicking straight into the action” only for it to be revealed 2 pages later to have been a crew member going crazy and killing everyone and then himself. It’s wrapped up really quickly, nothing comes of it and all that did was serve as a convenient reason for the crew to be out there just as a hurricane comes in and traps them inside.
5) There is no actual plot for about 70% of the book. In a book of about 120 pages, we don’t get any kind of overarching story until page 91. Yes we get snippets about the imbalanced society and prejudice against both Omega’s AND Alpha’s and how Earth and Mars don’t get along… but then it’s about 50 pages of them fucking nonstop. It kind of feels like this book meanders between being the start of an interesting political sci-fi space adventure and being mediocre Omegaverse fanfiction. It’s not the worst thing I’ve read, but it also feels like it’s sorely lacking in an actual identity.
Also, the characters are just… There. I don’t care about any of the B-plot crew, they have no relevance to the story whatsoever outside of “the ship needs a crew and we can’t have Azure and Tor be the only ones talking”, and the two main characters are just… Eh.
Azure is a stickler for the rules and has been raised/taught that Alpha’s are violent and cruel and being stuck in his head as he’s having all these doubts and fears about being mated and knotted made reading the whole heat scene pretty uncomfortable. Tor… is an accomplished soldier (we never actually see them fight anything), we’re told that he uncovered a corrupt politician on Mars that got him promoted and given a medal (we never learn how he did it or how he found out about it in the first place), and that he’s got a big dick (established to be about 12” considering Azure says his own measures about 4” and Tor is 3x the size of that, apparently). But a lot of this book had moments where we’re told stuff but not shown, details skipped, time jumps, and it felt like the author spent more time trying to justify why it wasn’t dubious consent (at best and outright rape at worse) than she did telling the rest of the story which left the characters feeling flat, underdeveloped and just kind of forgettable.
Did I hate the book? No, but I also didn’t really enjoy it. I’m fairly middle-ground about it and bordering apathetic, and after reading the plot summary of the next book I have no interest in continuing the series. Gonna leave it at a 2* and I might think about rehoming this one.
December 23, 2022
This review is for the whole series. I am conflicted. This series is okay, but it didn't live up to my expectations. Overall, it was just an average read with some significant but tolerable issues. I doubt I'd read it again.
First of all, this is NOT a sci-fi series, in my opinion. The sci-fi part is in the first book, and then basically disappears completely from the rest. And the part that's in the first book is signifcantly underwhelming. It started out great, but the follow-through just wasn't there. It ended up feeling somewhat forced.
The second issue is the lack of romance and development in Tor and Azure's relationship. I love alpha/omega pairs; it's my favorite thing in MM romance. The two had physical chemistry, but I just didn't feel like they had very much depth beyond that. There aren't any major conflicts between them. While there's plenty of sex and relationship stuff in this series, none of it holds up against the true star of this show... which is social and political commentary.
So yeah, about that. It's way too much. WAY too much. Look, I'm all for the social and political suggestions made in this series, and I think the background created in the books is interesting to explore. But holy fucking fuck... it was explored in every which way it could be. And then turned inside out and explored again. Omegas have it shitty, alphas have it shitty, betas are the true cunts of the world, blah blah blah. We got it the first 50 times. If this series was about 2 or 3 times as long, the amount of social/political stuff would be appropriate. As it stands, though, with each book being relatively short, a lot of that crap needed to be replaced with scenes that created depth for Tor and Azure at least, or actual sci-fi elements, or BOTH.
The sex is hot, though. It's got that going for it. Plenty of smut scenes, especially in the first book.
Book by book:
**Hurricane (first)** - 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This starts off with sci-fi elements. They are interesting and giving me "Expanse" type vibes, which I'm all fucking about. Then Azure has a heat, and the interaction with Tor begins. Then a fuuuuuck ton of sex--like 50% of the book--but it's hot, so there's that. Then we nosedive; the book abandons all opportunites to use the cool scifi elements from before, does a couple months time skip with no development between MCs at all, whips up some very basic sci-fi stuff to create drama for book 2, and THE END.
It was disappointing. Started well, had hot sex, and then died a quiet boring death. Also, Azure annoyed the fuck out of me for half this book. I like him in the others, but he is very whiny in this one until he gets through his heat, and it's not cure.
**Deluge (second)** - 2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️.5
This starts off with continuation of basic sci-fi stuff from the end of book 1. It once again glosses over basically every opportunity to make it interesting or thrilling. All sci-fi is now dead/absent at this point. We go through a lot of time skip and MCs just start shacking up together. No real relationship discussion.
Then the social commentary starts. And continues for 75% of the book. Just nonstop shit about the imbalances between alphas and omegas and betas. God, it drones on forever. If the author cut that crap in half and use the space to have some real substance between MCs and it would be great, a perfect balance of plot, romance, and sex. But nope.
**Lava (third)** - 2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️.5
This is just like book 2, except there's no sci-fi elements at all, and the social stuff is now political stuff. On and on and on about the state of alpha/omega rights in the world. A large portion of the book deals with Azure/Tor in legal troubles because of stuff from the last book, but the plot for those legal troubles is just so boring. It's just a vessel to further disguise the social and political content as plot that matters. I skimmed part of the book, frankly.
Azure and Tor get their HEA, but it feels cheap simply because the series hasn't developed much depth to them. The fucking social/political issues of this world have more depth than the MCs.
Ratings on a 1-5 scale:
SCI-FI/FANTASY - 1
PLOT - 2
MM ROMANCE - 2.5
CHAR DEVELOPMENT - 2.5
HEAT/SEX - 4
HEA ✅️
A/B/O ✅️
KNOTS ✅️
HEATS ✅️
First of all, this is NOT a sci-fi series, in my opinion. The sci-fi part is in the first book, and then basically disappears completely from the rest. And the part that's in the first book is signifcantly underwhelming. It started out great, but the follow-through just wasn't there. It ended up feeling somewhat forced.
The second issue is the lack of romance and development in Tor and Azure's relationship. I love alpha/omega pairs; it's my favorite thing in MM romance. The two had physical chemistry, but I just didn't feel like they had very much depth beyond that. There aren't any major conflicts between them. While there's plenty of sex and relationship stuff in this series, none of it holds up against the true star of this show... which is social and political commentary.
So yeah, about that. It's way too much. WAY too much. Look, I'm all for the social and political suggestions made in this series, and I think the background created in the books is interesting to explore. But holy fucking fuck... it was explored in every which way it could be. And then turned inside out and explored again. Omegas have it shitty, alphas have it shitty, betas are the true cunts of the world, blah blah blah. We got it the first 50 times. If this series was about 2 or 3 times as long, the amount of social/political stuff would be appropriate. As it stands, though, with each book being relatively short, a lot of that crap needed to be replaced with scenes that created depth for Tor and Azure at least, or actual sci-fi elements, or BOTH.
The sex is hot, though. It's got that going for it. Plenty of smut scenes, especially in the first book.
Book by book:
**Hurricane (first)** - 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This starts off with sci-fi elements. They are interesting and giving me "Expanse" type vibes, which I'm all fucking about. Then Azure has a heat, and the interaction with Tor begins. Then a fuuuuuck ton of sex--like 50% of the book--but it's hot, so there's that. Then we nosedive; the book abandons all opportunites to use the cool scifi elements from before, does a couple months time skip with no development between MCs at all, whips up some very basic sci-fi stuff to create drama for book 2, and THE END.
It was disappointing. Started well, had hot sex, and then died a quiet boring death. Also, Azure annoyed the fuck out of me for half this book. I like him in the others, but he is very whiny in this one until he gets through his heat, and it's not cure.
**Deluge (second)** - 2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️.5
This starts off with continuation of basic sci-fi stuff from the end of book 1. It once again glosses over basically every opportunity to make it interesting or thrilling. All sci-fi is now dead/absent at this point. We go through a lot of time skip and MCs just start shacking up together. No real relationship discussion.
Then the social commentary starts. And continues for 75% of the book. Just nonstop shit about the imbalances between alphas and omegas and betas. God, it drones on forever. If the author cut that crap in half and use the space to have some real substance between MCs and it would be great, a perfect balance of plot, romance, and sex. But nope.
**Lava (third)** - 2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️.5
This is just like book 2, except there's no sci-fi elements at all, and the social stuff is now political stuff. On and on and on about the state of alpha/omega rights in the world. A large portion of the book deals with Azure/Tor in legal troubles because of stuff from the last book, but the plot for those legal troubles is just so boring. It's just a vessel to further disguise the social and political content as plot that matters. I skimmed part of the book, frankly.
Azure and Tor get their HEA, but it feels cheap simply because the series hasn't developed much depth to them. The fucking social/political issues of this world have more depth than the MCs.
Ratings on a 1-5 scale:
SCI-FI/FANTASY - 1
PLOT - 2
MM ROMANCE - 2.5
CHAR DEVELOPMENT - 2.5
HEAT/SEX - 4
HEA ✅️
A/B/O ✅️
KNOTS ✅️
HEATS ✅️
July 17, 2019
I can see where the author is trying to go with the book, but the execution... eh. You get a lot of background on a/b/o dynamics, and you can tell the author has put thought in how it works in the society she's created. That said, you get too much information dumped on you all at once. This book felt as if it was mostly background, to the point where the characterizations get lost other than Azure being terrified of being one of those omegas. You know, the desperately horny ones, haha.
I get the world building, but it's also unbelievable in parts. Are you telling me that it's an overall accepted fact that alpha/omega mating has to be violent and terrible all around? That nobody in history has tried to not be a complete asshole to an omega when mating? It's even said that omega protections didn't happen until so-and-so Act three hundred years ago, so you'd think they'd have a little bit more information by now about something that trips omegas up every year.
The sci-fi parts were fun, but that was much less the focus than the alpha/omega backstory was. The book also lets off on a giant cliffhanger. It didn't feel like any sort of natural stopping place, it literally just stops before you find out That just seemed cheap.
For the most part the POV is that of Azure's. Every once in a while you get a side POV, which just didn't add all that much, honestly. Tor's, sure, I can see (even if I favor single POV), but about two or three times the POV cuts to another crew member for unimportant reasons. The characterizations were also weak, as I said before. I honestly do not know how Azure and Tor developed the feelings they claim they have for each other at the end--you get a few lines about how Azure was maybe on the cusp of falling in love with Tor in the beginning, but you don't really feel it. And Tor basically says how he became interested in Azure after the mating, which seemed rather cheap.
But for all of that, the book wasn't badly written. Well, the prose, anyway. I still read it from start to finish and somewhat enjoyed it, even if I'm ticked at the cliffhanger we're left at. Maybe book two is better since most of the tedious backstory should be out of the way.
I get the world building, but it's also unbelievable in parts. Are you telling me that it's an overall accepted fact that alpha/omega mating has to be violent and terrible all around? That nobody in history has tried to not be a complete asshole to an omega when mating? It's even said that omega protections didn't happen until so-and-so Act three hundred years ago, so you'd think they'd have a little bit more information by now about something that trips omegas up every year.
The sci-fi parts were fun, but that was much less the focus than the alpha/omega backstory was. The book also lets off on a giant cliffhanger. It didn't feel like any sort of natural stopping place, it literally just stops before you find out That just seemed cheap.
For the most part the POV is that of Azure's. Every once in a while you get a side POV, which just didn't add all that much, honestly. Tor's, sure, I can see (even if I favor single POV), but about two or three times the POV cuts to another crew member for unimportant reasons. The characterizations were also weak, as I said before. I honestly do not know how Azure and Tor developed the feelings they claim they have for each other at the end--you get a few lines about how Azure was maybe on the cusp of falling in love with Tor in the beginning, but you don't really feel it. And Tor basically says how he became interested in Azure after the mating, which seemed rather cheap.
But for all of that, the book wasn't badly written. Well, the prose, anyway. I still read it from start to finish and somewhat enjoyed it, even if I'm ticked at the cliffhanger we're left at. Maybe book two is better since most of the tedious backstory should be out of the way.
March 15, 2022
This was exactly what I needed. To be honest this book has been in my to read list for a very long time and I just remembered that I wanted to check it out and didn't even read the summary again, so I wasn't sure what I was going to get.
It started a lot like a horror sci-fi, but it soon turned into... well, not exactly romance, but a third of the book was a very long sex scene. And we got a little bit of military sci-fi at the end.
I had my reservations about Azure at the beginning, and that was not encouraging since almost all of the book is from his point of view. But I came to understand and even really like him. Tor was easier to like despite feeling like his sacrifice wasn't actually a hardship for him and his reluctance maybe seemed a little bit forced. In the end he became the leader who did everything for the people serving under him and that always deserved respect. The secondary characters were few and very flat, but they were there as background and not as props so it didn't bother me. What I don't like is when a character only exists to move the plot/relationship along.
There was a lot of sex qiute early in the book and there were very sweet moments during, the romantic feelings themselves came rather slow, mainly in the last quarter of the book, so it can actually be considered a slow romance.
The plot was more of a start of something than anything whole in and of itself, but I checked now and all of the books in the series follow the same couple so there will be more space to expand on it in the next books. But what I saw definitely piqued my interest.
What I don't really want to comment on is the sci-fi/military aspect. While it was there, it was so not a priority, they could have been the crew of a pirate ship from the 1800s, and the story still would have held up. A little bit of a disappointment because I really love the genre and there is very few military science fictions that actually include romance, but I can forgive this one.
This is a very good book if you are a little bit into sci-fi and a lot into omegaverse gay romance.
It started a lot like a horror sci-fi, but it soon turned into... well, not exactly romance, but a third of the book was a very long sex scene. And we got a little bit of military sci-fi at the end.
I had my reservations about Azure at the beginning, and that was not encouraging since almost all of the book is from his point of view. But I came to understand and even really like him. Tor was easier to like despite feeling like his sacrifice wasn't actually a hardship for him and his reluctance maybe seemed a little bit forced. In the end he became the leader who did everything for the people serving under him and that always deserved respect. The secondary characters were few and very flat, but they were there as background and not as props so it didn't bother me. What I don't like is when a character only exists to move the plot/relationship along.
There was a lot of sex qiute early in the book and there were very sweet moments during, the romantic feelings themselves came rather slow, mainly in the last quarter of the book, so it can actually be considered a slow romance.
The plot was more of a start of something than anything whole in and of itself, but I checked now and all of the books in the series follow the same couple so there will be more space to expand on it in the next books. But what I saw definitely piqued my interest.
What I don't really want to comment on is the sci-fi/military aspect. While it was there, it was so not a priority, they could have been the crew of a pirate ship from the 1800s, and the story still would have held up. A little bit of a disappointment because I really love the genre and there is very few military science fictions that actually include romance, but I can forgive this one.
This is a very good book if you are a little bit into sci-fi and a lot into omegaverse gay romance.
September 27, 2022
I really thought I was going to love this one. The beginning was very good/promising… I liked our two MCs, and once the team arrived at the base I was like, “Oooh, this is interesting! What the heck happened here?” I thought that was going to be the “plot”, but no, sadly. It was pretty straightforward, over and done with, and then we got to the mating heat…
That part took up the majority of the story, which I would have been fine with, except it just felt a bit lackluster. There were some very interesting aspects about how it played out which I loved and have not seen in an omegaverse story before, but overall it wasn’t as smutty and sexy as I was hoping/expecting.
And then it’s over, the romance/relationship is quickly shoved to the back-burner with a fast-forward time skip (2 months?) where our MCs basically ignore each other, and then we’re suddenly thrust into full-on plot, which I found myself skimming a little bit. Then right before the ending/cliffhanger, we get another sex scene. Eh… I dunno. It felt a little bit like smut-bait (and an “Oh, hey! I didn’t forget about the romance/relationship!), to make you want to continue with the next book. And if the smut was hotter, it might have worked on me, but… *shrugs* Also, there was something missing with the “romance” aspect. Can’t put my finger on what it was exactly, but I wasn’t really invested or buying it. Sad, because I like our two MCs and wanted them to be together, but the way their relationship was playing out wasn’t clicking for me.
I did love the author’s writing style, and will definitely try another one of their books (but probably not the next one in this series). Also, it’s obvious that a lot of thought went into the worldbuilding (which was fascinating and unique), but unfortunately, most of it was delivered as info-dumps.
That part took up the majority of the story, which I would have been fine with, except it just felt a bit lackluster. There were some very interesting aspects about how it played out which I loved and have not seen in an omegaverse story before, but overall it wasn’t as smutty and sexy as I was hoping/expecting.
And then it’s over, the romance/relationship is quickly shoved to the back-burner with a fast-forward time skip (2 months?) where our MCs basically ignore each other, and then we’re suddenly thrust into full-on plot, which I found myself skimming a little bit. Then right before the ending/cliffhanger, we get another sex scene. Eh… I dunno. It felt a little bit like smut-bait (and an “Oh, hey! I didn’t forget about the romance/relationship!), to make you want to continue with the next book. And if the smut was hotter, it might have worked on me, but… *shrugs* Also, there was something missing with the “romance” aspect. Can’t put my finger on what it was exactly, but I wasn’t really invested or buying it. Sad, because I like our two MCs and wanted them to be together, but the way their relationship was playing out wasn’t clicking for me.
I did love the author’s writing style, and will definitely try another one of their books (but probably not the next one in this series). Also, it’s obvious that a lot of thought went into the worldbuilding (which was fascinating and unique), but unfortunately, most of it was delivered as info-dumps.
August 26, 2019
Holy good gravy i loved these books. I read the series so fast i can't distinguish them. A lot of other reviewers are saying this first book was too slow and i can kind of see where they're coming from but man did Taylor pick up the pace and the stakes in the next two.
I have just two problems with the series and they are relatively minor. 1) the typos. There weren't that many but i can't stand the things; it shows either the authors cheap laziness or the poor quality of the editor (i can't recall if these books had one) i get that people aren't perfect but the glarring mistakes i found in otherwise decent prose just aggravate the heck out of me. 2) i had a harder time wrapping my head around the society in this book. I get that humans have some questionable moments in their past (and present) in regards to religion but i find it far fetched that the a/b/o relations were that bad universally. Idk it just bothered me. I almost wish we had a slightly better world picture or that the race had been made completely alien. But this is really more of a personal hang up.
These books kept me up late three nights in a row because i just couldn't put them down. I highly recommend to any fans of m/m romance.
I have just two problems with the series and they are relatively minor. 1) the typos. There weren't that many but i can't stand the things; it shows either the authors cheap laziness or the poor quality of the editor (i can't recall if these books had one) i get that people aren't perfect but the glarring mistakes i found in otherwise decent prose just aggravate the heck out of me. 2) i had a harder time wrapping my head around the society in this book. I get that humans have some questionable moments in their past (and present) in regards to religion but i find it far fetched that the a/b/o relations were that bad universally. Idk it just bothered me. I almost wish we had a slightly better world picture or that the race had been made completely alien. But this is really more of a personal hang up.
These books kept me up late three nights in a row because i just couldn't put them down. I highly recommend to any fans of m/m romance.
November 22, 2023
This is an intriguing new take on the omegaverse in a solar system where omegas have finally earned legal equality and are able to serve in the military, with freedoms in all walks of life after a dangerous and animalistic history in forced mating with alphas. Now, omega heats are controlled with suppressants and alphas are forbidden to engage in mating unless heavily sedated.
Lieutenant Azure Lynwood is an undercover omega who performs his duties in the Space Corps with a high level of competence. Major Tor Savan, his commanding officer, is someone he admires and is even a little attracted to, although he can never act on it due to fraternization rules. When circumstances cause Azure to be without his suppressants for longer than expected, he begins to enter a heat. Tor reveals that he is an alpha. Since unmated omega heats are beyond excruciatingly painful, Tor risks everything to agree to help him. The social stigmas are great, if revealed, and Azure's fears are genuine due to the stories of evisceration and death. Can these two men make it together when they also face extreme dangers related to their jobs? This book has peril, passion, duty, camaraderie, and a very satisfying HFN. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Lieutenant Azure Lynwood is an undercover omega who performs his duties in the Space Corps with a high level of competence. Major Tor Savan, his commanding officer, is someone he admires and is even a little attracted to, although he can never act on it due to fraternization rules. When circumstances cause Azure to be without his suppressants for longer than expected, he begins to enter a heat. Tor reveals that he is an alpha. Since unmated omega heats are beyond excruciatingly painful, Tor risks everything to agree to help him. The social stigmas are great, if revealed, and Azure's fears are genuine due to the stories of evisceration and death. Can these two men make it together when they also face extreme dangers related to their jobs? This book has peril, passion, duty, camaraderie, and a very satisfying HFN. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
September 2, 2021
I love things that make you think and shockingly something I thought would just be a spicy space romp was fuel for quite a bit of insight. I was not expecting the extremely detailed psychological breakdown of stigmas around sex. It surprisingly made me really think about the double standards with women. I mean those who enjoy it/own their sexuality get labeled so many derogatory terms but those that happen to be ace or not ready or overtly sexual are seen as prudes. There’s no winners. It also touched on how men that are seen as an alpha are assumed to be violent, vulgarly taking what they want no matter the other party’s wishes/protests. And while that is a huge problem in the rape culture we live in, we do forget that there are some exceptions. As a survivor myself I wholeheartedly feel that it’s better to be safe than sorry. Trust your instincts people, but if you have someone taking the time to prove they aren’t a card carrying member of the predator stereotype maybe don’t write them off just yet? Now I mean go on a situational basis of course, and my personal rule is to not trust anyone until they prove you can.
February 9, 2024
Hahaha You better not come to this book looking for space erotica.....because what you'll get is super uncomfortable and complicated, hella-awkward "intimate" encounters that should probably give you the creeps, and a super weird and wtf forced-ish ending. I really liked the following two books and I absolutely did not come here for erotica of any ilk, though, so...🤷🏽
I'm really fascinated by an author like this who, when approaching this trope, portrays the situation with such realism and complexity. This genre (omegaverse) is fraught with all kinds of depravity and weirdness, but Taylor tells us what happens to these PARTICULAR people in a highly fictionalized society with different legal systems, values, norms, and social dynamics.
That prevents it from being too analogous to our own society while drawing enough parallels to make the struggles for freedom, gender equality, and reproductive rights familiar. This distance sort of prevents us from getting too up in arms about it so we can actually focus on what actions have to take place.
The series digs into what has to happen to start a revolution and how having representation in government and policy makers on every level is key. Mostly also.... unfortunately, that knowing people in high places is super important. Ugh.
I'm really fascinated by an author like this who, when approaching this trope, portrays the situation with such realism and complexity. This genre (omegaverse) is fraught with all kinds of depravity and weirdness, but Taylor tells us what happens to these PARTICULAR people in a highly fictionalized society with different legal systems, values, norms, and social dynamics.
That prevents it from being too analogous to our own society while drawing enough parallels to make the struggles for freedom, gender equality, and reproductive rights familiar. This distance sort of prevents us from getting too up in arms about it so we can actually focus on what actions have to take place.
The series digs into what has to happen to start a revolution and how having representation in government and policy makers on every level is key. Mostly also.... unfortunately, that knowing people in high places is super important. Ugh.
February 16, 2020
Good story, but I’m not sure if I buy the worldbuilding
While I enjoyed Azure and Tor, I had some troubles with the society in general in this sci-fi setting. I felt that the author really researched some things to make an internally consistent sci-fi universe, but I have trouble buying into the idea that not a single alpha/omega pairing in several hundred years (or longer) ever resulted in a safe environment for both people. In a society that reuqires matings between alphas and omegas to continue the species, why are omegas who seek to reproduce so vilified? And why are alphas ever allowed outside of specialized facilities if they are so impulsive and dangerous?
Even though the society doesn’t really work for me, I enjoyed seeing Azure learn about himself and his value to himself, and the team. I liked Tor’s dedication to doing right, even if he has to bend rules to do so. I am curious to see where this plot will go in the future books.
While I enjoyed Azure and Tor, I had some troubles with the society in general in this sci-fi setting. I felt that the author really researched some things to make an internally consistent sci-fi universe, but I have trouble buying into the idea that not a single alpha/omega pairing in several hundred years (or longer) ever resulted in a safe environment for both people. In a society that reuqires matings between alphas and omegas to continue the species, why are omegas who seek to reproduce so vilified? And why are alphas ever allowed outside of specialized facilities if they are so impulsive and dangerous?
Even though the society doesn’t really work for me, I enjoyed seeing Azure learn about himself and his value to himself, and the team. I liked Tor’s dedication to doing right, even if he has to bend rules to do so. I am curious to see where this plot will go in the future books.
December 7, 2025
I know I expected too much out of a book that's less than 130 pages, but the amount of times I caught myself thinking "Why though?" while reading this was annoying. Omegas are conditioned to fear alphas because an alpha's rut makes them violent rapists. So this usually leads to celibate alphas and omegas that have been knotted turned into "knot-sluts."
I don't know. I like a dark omegaverse book. I like a dystopian world premise when it comes to omegaverse. But I just don't understand how it got to that dynamic. There was no world building that explained how the world became what it was.
There isn't much of a romance between our two characters either. The sexual chemistry wasn't even there between Azure and Tor. Outside of the heat, they were coworkers that respected each other. There was nothing there beyond a platonic relationship.
The novella ends on a cliffhanger and I have no desire to continue, unfortunately.
I don't know. I like a dark omegaverse book. I like a dystopian world premise when it comes to omegaverse. But I just don't understand how it got to that dynamic. There was no world building that explained how the world became what it was.
There isn't much of a romance between our two characters either. The sexual chemistry wasn't even there between Azure and Tor. Outside of the heat, they were coworkers that respected each other. There was nothing there beyond a platonic relationship.
The novella ends on a cliffhanger and I have no desire to continue, unfortunately.
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