Twice Bitten

Darlington Pack #0.5

by Dylan Reece

Sometimes even fate needs a second chance…

Was I too brave? Or just stupid? Tired, hungry, and poor, I challenged my pack leader and now I’m exiled from the city… and from my fated mate. Peter’s my dream omega—sweet, smart, and gorgeous—the type of man I’d want to have pups with. But he’s a human who doesn’t know the secret of wolf shifters... And he’ll never forgive me for standing him up.

Destiny leads me to discover a new home in the unusual town of Darlington where I join a pack of daring misfits and exiles who rally behind each other—the kind of pack I’d only ever imagined. But I can’t delve into a new life without my fated mate. My wolf and I will fight like hell to win Peter back, encourage him to take my claiming bite, and build a family together in Darlington… But only if he’ll give me a second chance.

Twice Bitten is the 40,000 word prequel to the Darlington Pack Series, featuring mpreg, steamy heat, a close-knit pack, and small town coziness. It’s got big bad alphas, a sassy best friend, and love conquering all. With a HEA, this second chance mm romance is a great way to dip your toe into Darlington. But be careful—you’ll never want to leave!

Genres: Shapeshifters, M M Romance, Omegaverse, Paranormal, Romance, Ebooks, Wolves

187 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2021

About the author

If you love unusual characters, binge-worthy plots, and steamy romance with lots of heart, curl up with Dylan Reece’s omegaverse mpreg novels. Dylan’s series are set in a shared universe with cross-over characters and detailed world building that will transport you to quirky small town Darlington.

Reviews

[Resch Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was okay, it wasn't great but it was interesting enough to have me picking up the next book. It was brief introduction into the world of the Darlington Pack. In terms of the romance, I have mixed feelings on Jonathan and Peter. On one hand, I liked their initial meeting and the instantaneous attraction and chemistry between them. But Jonathan stands Peter up for things outside of his control...and then it took Jonathan SEVEN YEARS to crawl back and beg Peter to love him again.

And this delay is where my interests fizzled. While Peter takes him back and they eventually work everything out, I found the gap in time to be too long, fated mates but able to sludge through seven years without each other, ridiculous. After I got over my annoyance, I liked the Darlington Pack. This rag-tag team of men were so endearing and welcoming. I could see so many spin-off stories and I liked the undercurrent of drama with the pack territories. Mostly though I am just picking up the next book because Peter's best friend, Shayne, was captivating and I want to know his story. 

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan meets Peter, J is a wolf but P doesn't know.
There is an instant connection, P had bad experiences with the bad guys of the pack. Cheating etc.
J invite P on a fancy first date the next day.
P goes home but they text and then J reaches him, they spend the night together.
The next day they are both excited for the date but J doesn't make it because he is pushed away from the town buy the bad guys, because J has challenged the Dorian Alpha.
J reaches Darlington, a new pack that takes lone wolves.

J has to wait to be stronger, then he comes back for P. after 7 years.
But even after they get together he hides being a wolf for 6 months.

In both occasions the connection is too strong and P gives in after J apologies.

Overall it was very cute, I love fated mates and instalove.

The ending definitely makes you want to read the next book.

[Bob Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dylan Reece is off to a great start with his Darlington Pack series. This first book of the series is the story of Peter, a human, and Jonathan, an Alpha wolf shifter. The two are drawn to one another and face an uphill struggle to be together. The story is well-written and well-paced. The next book in the series will be available in January. Kudos to the author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/21/2022)! 🎁

[peter :D · Rating 3 out of 5]

yeah another kindle unlimited read. werewolves (sorry, wolf shifters) are such fucking weird reads. why am i doing this. anything to hit the reading challenge target.

[C.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent setup for a new series! Peter was out ready to celebrate starting a new job with his bestie, Shayne. Peter, was a ginger who made bad choices in the alphas with whom he chose to date. Shayne, was a flirty confident alpha for now, still open for finding Mr right alpha. Peter, met a man to whom he was immediately drawn and he went for it. Then on their second meeting, first date, he was ghosted. Jonathan, was an alpha in a pack run by an indifferent selfish power hungry alpha. he was at a low point when he met Peter, who gave him strength. On his way to his date with Peter, he met an unavoidable conflict and had to leave town. There were lots of questions and agony in the intervening 7 years, when they met up again. Do they recognize each other? Has Peter moved on? Is Jonathan ready to talk now? Great flow. Excellent group of found family members. You can feel the tension building for the series. I can't wait. Well done! I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kindle Addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read any Alpha/Omega/ Mpreg type of books so this was not the best introduction to the genre as a lot of the world could have been explained in more details. Between the human alpha and the shifters ones I got confused about the rules and if humans knew about shifters' existence etc...

Overall it was a good read but too short. I think it should have been longer to give us more details about the world, the characters but also give more depth to the 7 years' separation. On one hand, I was glad those years happened in just a few pages but on the other hand, some things didn't make sense:
- they meet again and right away Peter is fine with it and bring Johnathan back to his place? Without any explanation. He even follows him to his far away city without knowing him at all. I know it's all "fated mates/romantic" but J could have been a serial killer ^^
- Peter commits really fast to their relationship even without knowing why the guy couldn't contact him for 7 years! He leaves his life behind without demanding more details...Again I know they're mates but he doesn't know it at this point
- I find it really extreme that J didn't go back for 7 whole years or try to contact Peter at all. Especially when he said he had his email...Or he could have send a letter or one of his friend...
- Peter talks about early retirement when apparently he's still very young but ok....I guess he did really well for himself in those 7 years :D

But like I said I had a good time with this one. It was free and I wanted to try. Now I admit I'm curious about the rest of the community so I guess the marketing strategy worked but I think it could have been improved and developed a bit more.

[Laura Quevedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting start to a series.

The world building is interesting, there were a couple of things that were a bit under explained and it could have been polished a bit more, but it caught my attention and kept it throughout the book and I absolutely want to know what happens in the next book.

I loved both main leads, and yes, things could have been solved faster if Jonathan had been brave and called Peter but it also makes a bit of sense as at the beginning he's shown to be lacking in self-esteem and confidence...
I do warn people who are not into insta-love, this is without a doubt, completely and absolutely insta-love fated mates. They have known each other for less than 24 hours and they felt so deeply connected that they don't have anyone else for years even though they don't know if they will meet again. I love insta-love so this was right up my alley.
The city wolves had it pretty rough and I was glad that Jonathan left.
I loved the little glimpses of Darlington and some other characters we get to see...
I can't wait to read Red and Shayne's story.

POV: dual, both main leads (only epilogue told from next book's main lead pov)
Tropes: insta-love, fated mates, long separation, found family, mpreg, wolf shifter alpha/human omega, omegaverse.
Spice: medium (detailed scenes)
CW: violence, weak wolf shifters living on the streets scavenging and fighting for food.

[XxnightxowlxX74 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The night Johnathan meets his fated mate Peter and spends the night with him was life altering for them both. But they were to be cruelly separated the next day for several years. Johnathan is determined to reunite with Peter when is he is strong enough to protect him and himself.
They have to overcome the time away from one another and the big lie that Johnathan is keeping from Peter.
Can Peter forgive him or will he choose to leave. Will they get their HEA?
The author does an awesome job with world building and the description of side characters that will lead into the next book of the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nina Diab · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. Great world building and characters. Jonathan and Peter were really sweet together. Peter was a human omega who had no idea about wolf shifters. Jonathan was a wolf shifter to a poor and starving pack. After having a wonderful night together, Jonathan was exiled and while he longed for Peter, he needed to get stronger first. I was surprised over the amount of time that passes in this book- both while Jonathan and Peter are apart, and even their time together seems to go by fast. There were certain aspects of the book that I felt should have been longer and more detailed. But I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the sequel. 5 stars.

[Sara Sigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter and Jonathan met when he was a wolf and Peter wasn’t scared and then at Peter’s work place when Jonathan went to see his alpha. They had one night then three of the strongest alphas in the pack made Jonathan leave the city pack was exiled because the alpha didn’t like what Jonathan told him. Peter left that company and started his own, after Jonathan left he found a new pack. Seven years later he snuck back in to see Peter but was threatened. After Peter found out what Jonathan was hiding he left but Jonathan came after him was almost killed but it was great! Great book can’t wait for the next book!

[Laora · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to discover a newish and new to me shifter mm mpreg author.
This is the prequel to new The Darlington Pack series shifter series. It was a medium to high heat second chance romance novella. It is a great set up to create a new multi book series since a lot of characters are introduced as well as adversaries. I am looking forward to see where and how far and long the series run.
In this book human Peter and wolf shifter Jonathan have a second chance romance and find their hfn/hea depending how the series develops further.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Oh, what a lovely introduction to this series. I have an ARC of the first book, so I'll be reading that ASAP: I have high expectations.
Jonathan and Peter were absolutely lovely protagonists: I'm usually not a big fan of insta-love in any of its variations, but I guess that I'm beginning to actually like the fated mates trope. These two together were pretty cute: steamy, sexy scenes with sweeter, light-hearted moments. I'm very, very curious to read the next book and to know more about this bear shifter subplot. And, also, to see how Shayne will deal with the Darlington Pack and with their sexy, silent alpha: RELUCTANT MATES, yes please.

[Stephanie W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this prequel doc the Darlington Pack series. The characters were written perfectly for one another.

Feeling how hard it was for Jonathan and Peter to be separated for so long. Especially after fate intervened and revealed them as mates.
So much time passed and secrets will be revealed. Can forgiveness be as powerful as fate or will their happily ever after be truly lost?

If you enjoy mpreg, give this one a try.

**I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.**

[D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow!!!! Berpisah selama 7 tahun, just wow!

Why Jonathan why??? Mengapa harus menunggu 7 tahun lamanya untuk mencari Peter dan asking for his forgiveness. Namanya juga fated mates dan destined to be together, Peter dengan mudah memaafkan Jonathan. Untungnya, di sini sang author tidak memberikan detail tentang sex life Peter selama berpisah dengan Jonathan. Memang sih Peter ada kencan dgn beberapa alpha tapi sepertinya hanya platonic saja dan Jonathan's sex life juga tidak diberi detail tapi sepertinya his sex lifenya dia nol dgn pria lain.

[Neka · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning was interesting - the bit with the multiple packs in the city and the one main alpha being a total shitbag. There was a story there I wanted to read.

But then the two mains met and were InstantlyInLove and then there's a fucking seven year gap? I just lost interest when the wolf-dude didn't do anything but whine-and-pine from a distance without any contact or anything.

Then there's the back-and-forth part, which was just dull, somehow. I didn't like the way the town worked, either.

I think this one just wasn't for me. I'm sure others would love it.

[Missy~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute Fluffy low angst MPreg Shifter story

This is a cute fluffy low angst shifter story. Fated mates, mpreg, knotting and claiming bites. Nothing new but I love the trope and genre so it was an enjoyable read.
Darlington pack, hidden in the woods and the tiny town of Darlington.
Omegaverse setting for humans and shifters.
This is Jonathan and Peter‘s story.
Red is the pack alpha with his twin brother Atlas.

[wordsandblankspaces · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't work for me

This was very hard for me to get through. The pacing was wrong and for a prequel, there is very little world building. Like this book should be setting everything up for the future books but so many things just didn't make sense. The beginning was very interesting but that only lasted a short time. I was interested in the other books but I'm not sure if I will after this prequel.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

L O V E D this book! Peter and Jonathan are fated mates given a second chance after horrible pack retaliation. Great friends and scary bad guys.

This is exactly what I was in the mood for after reading way too many Omegaverse books with heat abuse and social oppression. This was a fated mate omegaverse romance in a world where shifters are kept secret from humans and Omegas have the same rights as everyone else.

[Hjaldar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and easy read

Not bad, enjoyable, easy read. Well written with a clear, concise story. Saying that, there is not enough tension and angst for a 7 year separation. The reunion and apology were just too rushed and lacked emotional maturity (especially forgiveness). As a result, instead of enriching the story, it made it a little shallow. Because of that, the fated pairing felt a bit flat. 1.5 stars deduction for that. Solid 3.5 ( rounded up) star omegaverse read.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok read.

I enjoyed it. For the most part. It wasn’t a wow book, but fairly typical for its genre. I wasn’t a fan of the time apart - the length didn’t really make sense to me. Neither did the leadership structure of the Darling pack, nor why the wolves were on the outer edges of the city were scavenging they way they did. I’m sure the latter questions will be answered with further books in the series, which I may continue.

[MM Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mpreg is one of my favorite tropes. By default, I enjoyed Dylan Reece’s Twice Bitten because of the mpreg trope. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the main couple, Peter and Jonathan. As for the story arc, I wished there was more to the conflict between the bad alpha, Dorian Fletcher, and Jonathan.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cynthia Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathon is a wolf shifter whose alpha doesn't seem to care about his pack. Jonathon meets a human omega named Peter and that gives him the courage to ask his alpha for help with the pack. He is chased from pack land and told if he came back he would be killed. Jonathon ghosts Peter but he can't forget him no matter what he does. I really enjoyed this book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

sweet!

I didn’t realise there was a prequel to the first book in the series until I went to download the second book and found twice bitten. Jonathan and Peter are important characters in Red Hot Fate and I’m so glad we got their story! The love between the two of them is very sweet and it was nice to get more of an insight of how the pack came to be.

[Patdbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two men meet. There is an instant attraction. The problem is that one is a wolf shifter, the other human, and not aware of shifters. One alpha abd the othrr omega. Lovely story of how the battle with themselves and those in power to come together. Loved it and am now hooked on the Darlington series of books.

[Damian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fate plays its part.

Jonathan is exiled from his pact nearly being killed by the pacts' alpha's needed idiots. The alpha is too much of a coward to do anything himself. Peter is unaware as to what has happened to Jonathan and thinks he has been dumped again. Years pass but there is hope on the horizon.

[BusyM3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great second chance at love for these characters. The story flows well, the characters are likeable and fit well together. The author gives us characters that you get invested with. A great read.

I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Robbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd chance mpreg, but with a lot of waiting

A crossover of the omegaverse and shifters. A lot of longing and regret, fated mates, the ability to ‘turn’ a human to a shifter. Easy to read fun fantasy

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great plot was beautifully written, and the characters were so well developed that as I turned each page the chemistry between the characters kept me totally hooked until the very last page!

[Jacquie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A freebie prequel that I received after reading book 1. I kinda wish I'd read this one first if I'm honest.