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Shifter Kings #1
Alpha Knows Best
Shifter King Montgomery Beck had been doing his duty to the high council for the last twenty-five years as he waits to claim his mate. When the time comes, he doesn't care who he has to fight to get Fagan. The sweet little omega is his and he'd defy anyone who gets in the way.
Fagan has spent his entire life in a monastery being trained to serve whatever master he was given to. The day before his twenty-fifth birthday, someone comes for him and he's shown a world he has no knowledge of, but one he should have been taught about from birth. When he's introduced to a shifter fate says is his, one who speaks to him in his soul, Fagan has to decide if he believes the shifter king's outlandish tale or if the man is just plain crazy.
When their worlds collide, Beck and Fagan go up against those who are trying to keep them apart, but there are forces at work who want Beck out of the way so Fagan can be turned over to the master he was trained to serve. The things they discover as they fight to stay together will shake the very foundation of the paranormal world.
Fagan has spent his entire life in a monastery being trained to serve whatever master he was given to. The day before his twenty-fifth birthday, someone comes for him and he's shown a world he has no knowledge of, but one he should have been taught about from birth. When he's introduced to a shifter fate says is his, one who speaks to him in his soul, Fagan has to decide if he believes the shifter king's outlandish tale or if the man is just plain crazy.
When their worlds collide, Beck and Fagan go up against those who are trying to keep them apart, but there are forces at work who want Beck out of the way so Fagan can be turned over to the master he was trained to serve. The things they discover as they fight to stay together will shake the very foundation of the paranormal world.
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First published July 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
December 28, 2020
If I have to describe this in one word it's rushed. Everything. I actually started out liking it. The premise is intriguing and the bones are there to make a good story, but everything happened at lightening speed. There's no detail, just this happened then that happened. I was disappointed. And I'm actually disappointed I paid for it vs. it being on KU. It's really a shame because the story was different.
January 13, 2020
What an exciting beginning to a new series set in a shifter world that sounds postapocalyptic and has some very special challenges. It all starts with a few well-known elements: an ages-old war between humans, shifters, and sidhe that ended when a three-way peace treaty with certain conditions was signed. A high council holds everything tightly under control, including the omega mates assigned to the shifter kings. Except – there is more than one surprise along the way as the mystery of what is really going on unfolds, and as a result this story took me totally by surprise – in the best way! Well-known elements might be the building blocks for this tale, but the author has managed to come up with a new combination that has me eagerly awaiting the next volume.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
August 19, 2020
This was a good read and my first time reading this author. Fagan has spent his entire life in a monastery being trained to serve whatever master he was given to. The day before his twenty-fifth birthday, someone comes for him and he's shown a world he has no knowledge of, but one he should have been taught about from birth. When he's introduced to a shifter fate says is his, one who speaks to him in his soul, Fagan has to decide if he believes the shifter king's outlandish tale or if the man is just plain crazy. Shifter King Montgomery Beck has wanted 25 years to claim his mate but not all is as it's seem. Fagen who had no idea about shifters he has been trained to serve his master but he was not taught about sex and he was trained to protect his master and he is blind. This was my first time reading this author this book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. This was the first book in this series and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
August 4, 2020
2.75 stars
Meh... throughout this book everything pretty much remained at one level and even when the plot peaked, it was pretty much predictable.
One issue I had with the plot is that Beck is “Shifter King”, as the series is titled, but his pride is only 5 people... Really, while there was a decent amount of backstory on omegas, there was not enough backstory on the overall world itself.
Real talk... I would not pay for this book a second time if I had a do-over.
Meh... throughout this book everything pretty much remained at one level and even when the plot peaked, it was pretty much predictable.
One issue I had with the plot is that Beck is “Shifter King”, as the series is titled, but his pride is only 5 people... Really, while there was a decent amount of backstory on omegas, there was not enough backstory on the overall world itself.
Real talk... I would not pay for this book a second time if I had a do-over.
October 26, 2021
Shifter / MPReg / Modern Paranormal. Started out interesting enough, but everything fell apart towards the second half of the book. At one point, Fagan the supposedly blind shifter was thinking about his mate as if he could see - the color of something, describing himself seeing his mouth move, etc. Lost all credibility, and the plot wasn't interesting enough to make up for it.
April 1, 2021
4.25 stars
Aja Foxx really knows how to world build and put a new spin on shifter culture. Blind fighting Omega (mouth hangs open)!? Fagan is strength and naivete all rolled of into one. Not sure if there are more than two books but I would love more insight into Fagan and what his TRUE powers are??
Aja Foxx really knows how to world build and put a new spin on shifter culture. Blind fighting Omega (mouth hangs open)!? Fagan is strength and naivete all rolled of into one. Not sure if there are more than two books but I would love more insight into Fagan and what his TRUE powers are??
August 13, 2019
Interesting
So this story had a different spin on Omegas. First they were borned blind and raised in a monastery for the first 25 years of their lives. On their 25th birthday they go to their mates. Shifters are told there are only five Omegas at any given time but soon things appear to be not what they seem. The story was quick and easy to read. The premise was good but it could use a little bit more meat.
So this story had a different spin on Omegas. First they were borned blind and raised in a monastery for the first 25 years of their lives. On their 25th birthday they go to their mates. Shifters are told there are only five Omegas at any given time but soon things appear to be not what they seem. The story was quick and easy to read. The premise was good but it could use a little bit more meat.
June 22, 2022
This book had interesting world building and enjoyable characters. I just wish that it didn't rush itself. For example when they mentioned how well Fagen had been outside and how he had played with Becks tiger. Those little moments would have added to the development of their love and added more fluff to the overall story.
September 9, 2019
Rating: 4 stars
I thought this to a pretty good book from a new author. I liked the world this author created and liked all of the characters. The story did end on a cliff-hanger so be aware of that. Overall, a good book and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.
I thought this to a pretty good book from a new author. I liked the world this author created and liked all of the characters. The story did end on a cliff-hanger so be aware of that. Overall, a good book and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.
Want to read
June 15, 2022FAGAN??? SERIOUSLY??? FAG.AN??? i cant
July 22, 2022
The premiss had potential but was ruined by typos, plot holes, and moving lightening fast. Definitely going stop right here with this series.
June 2, 2024
How is this almost 200 pages and yet never actually managed to have a full plot? Or a believable relationship? This felt like a novella filled with characters who didn't know they were part of the story.
So I think I picked this up because of the plotline of monastery-type secluded places that train omegas for their alphas and how that goes deeply awry; it's a concept that was done really well over the "Forbidden Desires" series by Piper Scott. This absolutely didn't hold a candle to that, though, so go with the Scott series if you're curious. This was, from beginning to end, slipshod and discomforting with little to no relationship conversation, attachment development, or even believable worldbuilding.
We are introduced to Fagan, lithe, beautiful, and blind omega. Did I mention he's blind? He's blind. You know how I know he's blind? FOXX SAYS SO EVERY OTHER PAGE. The fun part is, though, that Foxx goes to great pains to have absolutely zero repercussions from Fagan's blindness, though, because of things like "he memorizes rooms instantly" and "he has perfect voice recall" and "the monastery thing taught him how to anticipate every kind of setback." Now, I'm not saying that folks with disabilities can't learn to navigate the world well--we can, and do, and it's astounding how much people learn to do simply to live in a world that refuses to accommodate anything other than abledness unless under extreme pressure. What I am saying is that creating a character with a disability and then making it so there never has to be a conversation about the reality of disability in the world (except for Beck being impressed all the time, which makes Fagan more of a Sunday op ed inspirational piece than a person) is ridiculous and annoying and feels deeply performative. It's also dismissed in really gross ways, like on page 113 when Beck notes that Fagan "walked around and behaved as if his sight was twenty-twenty. It was kind of sexy." What? The fuck? It's *sexy* for him not to behave as though he can't see, which he can't? Nope, no thank you, that's ugh and almost worse than when Foxx completely forgets that Fagan is blind, like on page 180 when Fagan "could see the man's canines threatening to descend" even though, again, we've been told he can't see at all approximately 758 times.
We meet Fagan and he's spirited away to his mate that he didn't know existed in any real sense because of Hinky Shit at the monastery thing and the mate, Beck, is dying so he needs to be healed and then they do the sex. I get how shifter romance books work, I do, but this pushes how much the "mate" concept mucks about with consent until it's not even a conversation. I'll put some examples under spoiler tags just in case you want the suspense.
Give this a miss. Entirely. It's just a hot mess of not-greatness and I am definitely rereading the Scott series as a palate cleanser from all the ways this tried to tell me it was about consent and acceptance and absolutely was not either of those things.
So I think I picked this up because of the plotline of monastery-type secluded places that train omegas for their alphas and how that goes deeply awry; it's a concept that was done really well over the "Forbidden Desires" series by Piper Scott. This absolutely didn't hold a candle to that, though, so go with the Scott series if you're curious. This was, from beginning to end, slipshod and discomforting with little to no relationship conversation, attachment development, or even believable worldbuilding.
We are introduced to Fagan, lithe, beautiful, and blind omega. Did I mention he's blind? He's blind. You know how I know he's blind? FOXX SAYS SO EVERY OTHER PAGE. The fun part is, though, that Foxx goes to great pains to have absolutely zero repercussions from Fagan's blindness, though, because of things like "he memorizes rooms instantly" and "he has perfect voice recall" and "the monastery thing taught him how to anticipate every kind of setback." Now, I'm not saying that folks with disabilities can't learn to navigate the world well--we can, and do, and it's astounding how much people learn to do simply to live in a world that refuses to accommodate anything other than abledness unless under extreme pressure. What I am saying is that creating a character with a disability and then making it so there never has to be a conversation about the reality of disability in the world (except for Beck being impressed all the time, which makes Fagan more of a Sunday op ed inspirational piece than a person) is ridiculous and annoying and feels deeply performative. It's also dismissed in really gross ways, like on page 113 when Beck notes that Fagan "walked around and behaved as if his sight was twenty-twenty. It was kind of sexy." What? The fuck? It's *sexy* for him not to behave as though he can't see, which he can't? Nope, no thank you, that's ugh and almost worse than when Foxx completely forgets that Fagan is blind, like on page 180 when Fagan "could see the man's canines threatening to descend" even though, again, we've been told he can't see at all approximately 758 times.
We meet Fagan and he's spirited away to his mate that he didn't know existed in any real sense because of Hinky Shit at the monastery thing and the mate, Beck, is dying so he needs to be healed and then they do the sex. I get how shifter romance books work, I do, but this pushes how much the "mate" concept mucks about with consent until it's not even a conversation. I'll put some examples under spoiler tags just in case you want the suspense.
Give this a miss. Entirely. It's just a hot mess of not-greatness and I am definitely rereading the Scott series as a palate cleanser from all the ways this tried to tell me it was about consent and acceptance and absolutely was not either of those things.
June 19, 2022
Spoilers
SPOILERS
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I enjoyed almost everything with the story. however i HATE when one mate is forced to remain a virgin waiting for their mate while the other is free to sleep around until their of age. I get that fagans virginity wasnt a choice. But Montgomery knew about Fagan for 25 years and didn't wait or save himself. I know its not technically cheating but it feels like it. unless I'm confused and Montgomery was old when he met and was betrothed to baby Fagan and he lost his virginity before meeting Fagan which is also weird and slightly uncomfortable that a grown adult would agree too be betrothed to a baby and watch him grow up from afar for his whole life. also at the end of the story Fagan starts talking about things he can see and describing visuals which didn't make since bc he is blind... Other then those two things I enjoyed the story and characters
SPOILERS
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I enjoyed almost everything with the story. however i HATE when one mate is forced to remain a virgin waiting for their mate while the other is free to sleep around until their of age. I get that fagans virginity wasnt a choice. But Montgomery knew about Fagan for 25 years and didn't wait or save himself. I know its not technically cheating but it feels like it. unless I'm confused and Montgomery was old when he met and was betrothed to baby Fagan and he lost his virginity before meeting Fagan which is also weird and slightly uncomfortable that a grown adult would agree too be betrothed to a baby and watch him grow up from afar for his whole life. also at the end of the story Fagan starts talking about things he can see and describing visuals which didn't make since bc he is blind... Other then those two things I enjoyed the story and characters
April 13, 2022
"Alpha Knows Best" received TWO stars.
The novel gained *stars* for these items:
* gained for: "The book caught my interest in the first five pages."
1/2 * gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."
1/2 * gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."
The novel failed to gain stars for this item:
NO STAR gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"
NO STAR gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically try anything she/he/they writes."
The novel gained *stars* for these items:
* gained for: "The book caught my interest in the first five pages."
1/2 * gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."
1/2 * gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."
The novel failed to gain stars for this item:
NO STAR gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"
NO STAR gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically try anything she/he/they writes."
February 21, 2023
This book has a formula for a hurt/comfort rollercoaster that looks like this:
Fagan doesn't know something ---> Beck is shocked that Fagan doesn't know ---> Fagan is upset about it ---> Beck comforts him and says that everything is okay.
It worked for the first three times, maybe, but when it just became the whole content of the book I felt nothing but void inside which later turned into frustration because maybe you can finally have a big discussion about who knows what instead of giving each other little pieces of information every ten pages and being surprised by it?
Monastery secrets were okay, but I won't continue reading.
Fagan doesn't know something ---> Beck is shocked that Fagan doesn't know ---> Fagan is upset about it ---> Beck comforts him and says that everything is okay.
It worked for the first three times, maybe, but when it just became the whole content of the book I felt nothing but void inside which later turned into frustration because maybe you can finally have a big discussion about who knows what instead of giving each other little pieces of information every ten pages and being surprised by it?
Monastery secrets were okay, but I won't continue reading.
April 22, 2020
I had high expectations for this book after reading the beginnings in the ManLoveFantasies blog.
The idea was great and new but for me it didn't quite make it. The shortness may have been the cause of so many gaps in the story. Fortunately there is a second book that continues on.
The flow of the story would have been improved by a good proof reader. It would have stopped the double takes to work out what a word was meant to be. It would also have caught some of the slips in time and facts.
The author has some good ideas so give it a try.
The idea was great and new but for me it didn't quite make it. The shortness may have been the cause of so many gaps in the story. Fortunately there is a second book that continues on.
The flow of the story would have been improved by a good proof reader. It would have stopped the double takes to work out what a word was meant to be. It would also have caught some of the slips in time and facts.
The author has some good ideas so give it a try.
January 13, 2023
While I'm new to Aja Foxx's books, I enjoyed getting immersed in the world of shifters and omega's. Fagan, who knows nothing outside what he is taught as some kind of servant to a master, instead is saved when Beck, the Alpha King he was promised to when he was young, gets his men to bring him home. While I did enjoy the story and getting to know the characters, the romance between Beck and Fagan took a backseat to the suspense story line. It was a good read, but I wanted more relationship development, even with the secondary characters.
October 29, 2023
Needs fleshing
The story was coming along fine until the sudden showdown with the traitor - then suddenly everything is cut short, details forgotten, simple strings left hanging. Did he ever meet his parents? Maybe it was intentional to end on a cliffhanger, but that doesn’t excuse the whole Elder scene feeling like it was rushed and missing detail. Foxx is usually much better than this. I’m disappointed.
The story was coming along fine until the sudden showdown with the traitor - then suddenly everything is cut short, details forgotten, simple strings left hanging. Did he ever meet his parents? Maybe it was intentional to end on a cliffhanger, but that doesn’t excuse the whole Elder scene feeling like it was rushed and missing detail. Foxx is usually much better than this. I’m disappointed.
January 7, 2025
Interesting story. Short and compact. A decent amount of story for how short it is. A bit darker and more angsty than I anticipated because Fagan's past is so important to the book's plot. He deals with the real world pretty well, considering how much darker Foxx could have gone with the character development. As is, we don't really know anything about either of them, they're kind of bland. The book is basically all plot.
February 25, 2020
This was a fun series to stumble upon! I like the new world we’ve got here with blind omegas and Shifter Kings. It’s predictable and mpreg so if those aren’t your thing…
The smexy times were good and Fagan eventually comes into his own. Beck is a great but humble Alpha and the conflict is reasonable.
All in all, fun and a great find!
Recommended
3.5 stars
The smexy times were good and Fagan eventually comes into his own. Beck is a great but humble Alpha and the conflict is reasonable.
All in all, fun and a great find!
Recommended
3.5 stars
September 11, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book. Fagan being a blind person is so independent and knows how to handle himself. Beck the Shifter King is perfect as a mate for Fagan. But somewhere i felt like it all happened so fast. I wanted to see more about the developments of their relationship. The baby Fagan was carrying. The monastery raid in details. Anyways it was a really nice book.
February 26, 2021
Alpha knows best review
The story was terrific. I could not wait to get to the end of the book. I loved the main and secondary characters to the alpha. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
The story was terrific. I could not wait to get to the end of the book. I loved the main and secondary characters to the alpha. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
January 4, 2023
Amazing read
Great story some laughs lots of love but with some betrayal. A fast read I wanted more especially. Given that they were pregnant - getting ready to read book 2 hope Fagan has the baby
Great story some laughs lots of love but with some betrayal. A fast read I wanted more especially. Given that they were pregnant - getting ready to read book 2 hope Fagan has the baby
March 30, 2023
great
Really loved this shifter book and can’t wait for more. When a blind omega becomes of age (25 in this universe) he meets his alpha and discovers everything he that he knew was a lie. Brilliant story that keeps you hooked
Really loved this shifter book and can’t wait for more. When a blind omega becomes of age (25 in this universe) he meets his alpha and discovers everything he that he knew was a lie. Brilliant story that keeps you hooked
October 1, 2023
Well that was that. What the heck was that?
Great start - terrific idea - nicely developed start to a world and then -- stall out! No delivery. The characters and story had less development than a short story.
Great start - terrific idea - nicely developed start to a world and then -- stall out! No delivery. The characters and story had less development than a short story.
November 13, 2023
Okay. I think it's finally time to admit that Aja Foxx is one of my favorite writer. I love short, sweet, sexy storyline that keeps you at the edge of your toes. And this was it for me. I might reread...
February 11, 2024
Que historia tan linda, creo que apesar de que no tenemos mucho contexto de este mundo shifter si siento que no es necesario y amé mucho a Beck... me hubiera gustado un epilogo con el bebé ya con ellos, o por lo menos el parto jajaja
June 1, 2020
Amazing story
I really like this book I really like the way the story was told I really like the characters the written the richness and the way it all came together
I really like this book I really like the way the story was told I really like the characters the written the richness and the way it all came together
November 11, 2020
It wasn't your typical omegaverse book so it was really refreshing to read this story and very enjoyable too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews