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The San Francisco Omegas #1
Always Waiting
Eloise Taylor is waiting. Having made a childhood promise that she intends to keep she is now one of the oldest unbonded omegas at the San Francisco Academy of Omegas (or SFOFA). As her heats become more and more unmanageable and dangerous she refuses to even consider a pack.
Pack Russo is notoriously anti-omega. At least its pack leader Leon Russo is. Eric Zhao, Gage Larson, Dominic Dubois, and their beta Owen Samuels don't really understand it but follow their pack leader.
When faced with an ultimatum on both sides Eloise and Pack Russo are suddenly operating in very close quarters. Will they be able to move on from their past or will their past come back and finish the job, never allowing this pack to move forward?
.
.
.
Always Waiting is an 18+ omegaverse reverse harem featuring MM, MFM, MMFMM, and other sexual situations. Be warned; omegaverse isn't for everyone and it does feature knotting, heats, and other omegaverse features set in a contemporary setting.
Pack Russo is notoriously anti-omega. At least its pack leader Leon Russo is. Eric Zhao, Gage Larson, Dominic Dubois, and their beta Owen Samuels don't really understand it but follow their pack leader.
When faced with an ultimatum on both sides Eloise and Pack Russo are suddenly operating in very close quarters. Will they be able to move on from their past or will their past come back and finish the job, never allowing this pack to move forward?
.
.
.
Always Waiting is an 18+ omegaverse reverse harem featuring MM, MFM, MMFMM, and other sexual situations. Be warned; omegaverse isn't for everyone and it does feature knotting, heats, and other omegaverse features set in a contemporary setting.
357 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2022
503 people are currently reading
1500 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
February 15, 2022
Honestly, this was a mess, and I won't be continuing the series. I have a laundry list of complaints, and I don't think I can say anything more positive than "there were some things I was indifferent to instead of disliking".
Technical Issues
This book needs a lot of editing. My favorite example is the phrase "hissed in pissed", which I'm pretty sure was supposed to be "hissed in pain".
This is a non-shifter omegaverse story. Unfortunately, the author seemed to be trying to write it as a shifter story. In the omegaverse, an alpha, beta, or omega designation is a biological sex, not a separate entity inside you. However, this book was filled with thoughts from the omega MC like "my inner omega approved". That would be like me, as a woman, saying "my inner woman approved". Saying that would make me sound like I had a split personality, which is why a variation of that phrase is commonly used in shifter stories: it is meant to refer to the separate being that the shifter shifts into. That phrase had no business being in this non-shifter story, but I felt like I came across it at least 50 times.
Story Issues
Early in the book, it seemed like the MC couldn't remember the name of the person she had put her life on hold for, which didn't make sense. But then it turned out she remembered it and had Googled him, so that was inconsistent.
I disliked Dominic from the first chapter he narrated, and I never changed my mind. I think we were supposed to be like, oh he needed the money for his grandmother, but the pack was hella wealthy. I think there's a Brooklyn 99 line like "cool motive; still murder" but, while reading Dom's scenes, I kept thinking "stupid motive; just betrayal".
I skimmed the sex scenes, and the ones I did read made me cringe and think about all the infections the MC was likely to get. For the record, I am not a germaphobe, and that is not my normal reaction to sex scenes.
There was a big twist near the end regarding one of the harem members. I guess I was surprised by it in a way because I already knew the way he remembered things didn't make sense, but I assumed that was bad writing rather than a conscious choice from the author. I still think that whole situation was filled with plot holes though, because the situation was not subtle, so just about any cop or adult member of the crime family should have seen the super obvious things I was able to as someone who is not a cop or a member of a crime family.
Technical Issues
This book needs a lot of editing. My favorite example is the phrase "hissed in pissed", which I'm pretty sure was supposed to be "hissed in pain".
This is a non-shifter omegaverse story. Unfortunately, the author seemed to be trying to write it as a shifter story. In the omegaverse, an alpha, beta, or omega designation is a biological sex, not a separate entity inside you. However, this book was filled with thoughts from the omega MC like "my inner omega approved". That would be like me, as a woman, saying "my inner woman approved". Saying that would make me sound like I had a split personality, which is why a variation of that phrase is commonly used in shifter stories: it is meant to refer to the separate being that the shifter shifts into. That phrase had no business being in this non-shifter story, but I felt like I came across it at least 50 times.
Story Issues
Early in the book, it seemed like the MC couldn't remember the name of the person she had put her life on hold for, which didn't make sense. But then it turned out she remembered it and had Googled him, so that was inconsistent.
I disliked Dominic from the first chapter he narrated, and I never changed my mind. I think we were supposed to be like, oh he needed the money for his grandmother, but the pack was hella wealthy. I think there's a Brooklyn 99 line like "cool motive; still murder" but, while reading Dom's scenes, I kept thinking "stupid motive; just betrayal".
I skimmed the sex scenes, and the ones I did read made me cringe and think about all the infections the MC was likely to get. For the record, I am not a germaphobe, and that is not my normal reaction to sex scenes.
There was a big twist near the end regarding one of the harem members. I guess I was surprised by it in a way because I already knew the way he remembered things didn't make sense, but I assumed that was bad writing rather than a conscious choice from the author. I still think that whole situation was filled with plot holes though, because the situation was not subtle, so just about any cop or adult member of the crime family should have seen the super obvious things I was able to as someone who is not a cop or a member of a crime family.
March 1, 2022
Oftentimes I feel like omegaverses can be very dark so I appreciated that this took a lighter approach to the world of alphas, betas, and omegas. (Also, the cover is so good.)
Eloise is a 24 year old omega, the oldest at the state-owned omega school she’s been at for over 10 years. She has refused every pack of alphas that has come to court her, until the university gives her an ultimatum she can’t refuse and she winds up with Pack Russo for 8 months. But there’s a lot of tension because the leader of Pack Russo hates and doesn’t rust omegas.
I took issue with a few things in this book.
First, there were quite a few punctuation issues. Quotes and apostrophes but mainly missing commas that threw off the flow of dialogue.
Second, every relationship was severely underdeveloped. We’re told that Owen, the pack beta, is with both Ric and Leon - but we only ever see him romantically with Leon. None of the heroes are flushed out well enough and when Eloise starting throwing out “I love you”’s I was like - how?! I didn’t buy it.
Early on we learn that Eloise resisted matching to a pack because she was holding out hope for a childhood sweetheart. This was super unbelievable to me at first
Ultimately I think the lack of character and relationship development was a big hinderance of this book.
Eloise is a 24 year old omega, the oldest at the state-owned omega school she’s been at for over 10 years. She has refused every pack of alphas that has come to court her, until the university gives her an ultimatum she can’t refuse and she winds up with Pack Russo for 8 months. But there’s a lot of tension because the leader of Pack Russo hates and doesn’t rust omegas.
I took issue with a few things in this book.
First, there were quite a few punctuation issues. Quotes and apostrophes but mainly missing commas that threw off the flow of dialogue.
Second, every relationship was severely underdeveloped. We’re told that Owen, the pack beta, is with both Ric and Leon - but we only ever see him romantically with Leon. None of the heroes are flushed out well enough and when Eloise starting throwing out “I love you”’s I was like - how?! I didn’t buy it.
Early on we learn that Eloise resisted matching to a pack because she was holding out hope for a childhood sweetheart. This was super unbelievable to me at first
Ultimately I think the lack of character and relationship development was a big hinderance of this book.
July 11, 2022
The original premise of the story had been interesting with a resistant FMC omega Eloise, and the beginning of the book started off well, but the more I read the more issues I had with the writing and the character development.
Most of the characters were underdeveloped, and it was one of the larger reverse harems I've encountered with 3 alphas and 2 betas. We mostly learn about Leon's mafia connections, Lincoln's history with Eloise, and Dominic's grandma in Paris, but every other character's backstory was barely mentioned and glossed over.
The synopsis noted that the author had edited the novel since May 4, 2022, but by the time I read it in Jun 2022, there were still so many typographical and grammar errors. Many words were not capitalized, e.g. Uber, Google, the first word in a sentence in dialogue. There were also so many uses of the word "I's" - that's not a word... the appropriate word is "my" instead...
As for plot issues, the following were a few that stood out to me (but my no mean the only problem I had):
1. Eloise mentioned in the very beginning that she couldn't remember the name of the childhood friend that she was holding out for at the academy, but she suddenly remembered his full name a few chapters later out of nowhere. Why even bother putting up the pretense that she had forgotten the name? The writing even mentioned that Eloise had looked up Lincoln/Link multiple times on Facebook to a deactivated account - that is a giant continuity error.
2. While I enjoyed the sweet relationships, everything devolved into insta-love rather quickly with no real reasoning that we could follow in the story. Eloise and Leon's reasons for not joining a pack with an omega were forgotten rather superficially - especially for people that had held onto them for over a decade. I don't believe the book took place over longer than a couple of weeks before everyone was fully bonded.
3. Speaking of bonding, the first two bonds were sprung out of nowhere 72% into the book. At that point, she had only slept with IIRC, but she decided to ask for a mating bond when she hadn't even progressed further than with . In addition, at this spontaneous bonding session, Eloise had her first . The story really just threw Eloise into escalating intimacy with no real build-up or introduction - even her very first time ever with as a virgin was not really played up at all. It was a pretty straightforward wham, bam, thank you ma'am.
4. I had issues with the M/M relationships in the story. Ric was supposed to have an intimate relationship with Owen, but we never ever saw evidence of this. Anything intimate was between Owen and Leon - why even bother mentioning it then? Similarly, the author threw in a quick sentence about bonding with so they were all fully in the pack, but there were no hints that either had swung that way.
5. The villains in the story were ridiculously one-dimensional, from the abusive alpha to the enemy mafia. And Dominic was just dumb - I don't have any other words.
6. I couldn't decide if the academy was supposed to be good or bad. On one hand, they let Eloise stay over-long for years because she couldn't find a good fit for a pack. I assume that it was not cheap considering all the free perks that the omegas received in an expensive city like San Francisco, even if they weren't allowed to leave the building. One of the counselors even reached out to her friends to set something up for Eloise's benefit. On the other hand, the academy was supposed to be holding onto omegas and mating them out for a rich monetary commission, and it was generally painted in a worse and worse light as the writing went on.
7. The HEA was over the top with the addition of Eloise's secret parentage - sometimes an orphan can just be a boring orphan.
Since the book appears to be a standalone, I am willing to give the next book about Tilly another chance, but if the plot holes and grammar don't show a significant improvement, I'm likely to drop the series.
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Ratings - completed series:
#1 Always Waiting (this book): ★★★☆☆
#2 Always Running: ★★★☆☆
#3 Always Hiding: ★★☆☆☆
Most of the characters were underdeveloped, and it was one of the larger reverse harems I've encountered with 3 alphas and 2 betas. We mostly learn about Leon's mafia connections, Lincoln's history with Eloise, and Dominic's grandma in Paris, but every other character's backstory was barely mentioned and glossed over.
The synopsis noted that the author had edited the novel since May 4, 2022, but by the time I read it in Jun 2022, there were still so many typographical and grammar errors. Many words were not capitalized, e.g. Uber, Google, the first word in a sentence in dialogue. There were also so many uses of the word "I's" - that's not a word... the appropriate word is "my" instead...
As for plot issues, the following were a few that stood out to me (but my no mean the only problem I had):
1. Eloise mentioned in the very beginning that she couldn't remember the name of the childhood friend that she was holding out for at the academy, but she suddenly remembered his full name a few chapters later out of nowhere. Why even bother putting up the pretense that she had forgotten the name? The writing even mentioned that Eloise had looked up Lincoln/Link multiple times on Facebook to a deactivated account - that is a giant continuity error.
2. While I enjoyed the sweet relationships, everything devolved into insta-love rather quickly with no real reasoning that we could follow in the story. Eloise and Leon's reasons for not joining a pack with an omega were forgotten rather superficially - especially for people that had held onto them for over a decade. I don't believe the book took place over longer than a couple of weeks before everyone was fully bonded.
3. Speaking of bonding, the first two bonds were sprung out of nowhere 72% into the book. At that point, she had only slept with IIRC, but she decided to ask for a mating bond when she hadn't even progressed further than with . In addition, at this spontaneous bonding session, Eloise had her first . The story really just threw Eloise into escalating intimacy with no real build-up or introduction - even her very first time ever with as a virgin was not really played up at all. It was a pretty straightforward wham, bam, thank you ma'am.
4. I had issues with the M/M relationships in the story. Ric was supposed to have an intimate relationship with Owen, but we never ever saw evidence of this. Anything intimate was between Owen and Leon - why even bother mentioning it then? Similarly, the author threw in a quick sentence about bonding with so they were all fully in the pack, but there were no hints that either had swung that way.
5. The villains in the story were ridiculously one-dimensional, from the abusive alpha to the enemy mafia. And Dominic was just dumb - I don't have any other words.
6. I couldn't decide if the academy was supposed to be good or bad. On one hand, they let Eloise stay over-long for years because she couldn't find a good fit for a pack. I assume that it was not cheap considering all the free perks that the omegas received in an expensive city like San Francisco, even if they weren't allowed to leave the building. One of the counselors even reached out to her friends to set something up for Eloise's benefit. On the other hand, the academy was supposed to be holding onto omegas and mating them out for a rich monetary commission, and it was generally painted in a worse and worse light as the writing went on.
7. The HEA was over the top with the addition of Eloise's secret parentage - sometimes an orphan can just be a boring orphan.
Since the book appears to be a standalone, I am willing to give the next book about Tilly another chance, but if the plot holes and grammar don't show a significant improvement, I'm likely to drop the series.
------
Ratings - completed series:
#1 Always Waiting (this book): ★★★☆☆
#2 Always Running: ★★★☆☆
#3 Always Hiding: ★★☆☆☆
February 14, 2022
I love omegaverse books and I am always excited to find new authors in this genre. I really enjoyed this book. The story line was interesting and the characters were well written. Eloise is such a strong character and each of the guys is so different. You can't help but love Gage, and Leon has a lot of character growth throughout the book. I do wish there had been a little bit more relationship development between some of the characters especially Lincoln. Overall it was a great read and I am looking forward to reading the others in this series.
February 17, 2022
DNF
I tried to finish this, but it was boring and hard to read through. You'd think, based on the summary, there'd be plenty of angst and drama, but most conflicts are low-stakes and resolved and forgotten about quickly. Main conflicts almost feel like filler - a "deep" conversation here, a few tears there, and it's over. Characters are one-dimensional and have few defining features - the most I can remember about them are their nationalities.
All that aside, there need to be more edits. There are multiple instances where details are reiterated one after another. Like this: "...a gorgeous view of the San Francisco bay, complete with a view of the entirety of San Francisco. Rather than the modern style of the San Francisco house..." The entire book is written like this, and it makes it such a pain to read through. Simply changing it to: "...a gorgeous view of the bay, complete with a view of the entirety of the city. Rather than the modern style of homes..", would've made it much easier to read.
I tried to finish this, but it was boring and hard to read through. You'd think, based on the summary, there'd be plenty of angst and drama, but most conflicts are low-stakes and resolved and forgotten about quickly. Main conflicts almost feel like filler - a "deep" conversation here, a few tears there, and it's over. Characters are one-dimensional and have few defining features - the most I can remember about them are their nationalities.
All that aside, there need to be more edits. There are multiple instances where details are reiterated one after another. Like this: "...a gorgeous view of the San Francisco bay, complete with a view of the entirety of San Francisco. Rather than the modern style of the San Francisco house..." The entire book is written like this, and it makes it such a pain to read through. Simply changing it to: "...a gorgeous view of the bay, complete with a view of the entirety of the city. Rather than the modern style of homes..", would've made it much easier to read.
July 2, 2022
2.5 Stars.
This book was mostly fine. The writing wasn’t terrible and the plot had some interesting moments but there were also some big issues.
One thing that bothered me repeatedly were the basic spelling and punctuation errors. There were typos in the book that the most basic of spellcheckers should have caught, like spelling “kill” as “kil.” It made me feel like no one had done even a basic editing read through, which is never a good sign in my opinion. Additionally, the Omega Academy Eloise is in is called the “San Francisco Omega Academy,” and that gets shortened to SFOFA. I cannot for the life of me figure out what that second F stands for. I don’t know if this counts as a typo but it really bothered me!
There were also some continuity issues. At the beginning it seems like Eloise has some amnesia about her childhood friend but quickly changes. The Omega Academy seemed fine when Eloise was in there but as soon as she left, all this bad stuff was revealed about it with no build up or real exploration of why. Link is part of another pack when we first meet him and he has a different name but there’s not discussion about if or how he would leave that pack or why he changed his name. It just felt like the author had a lot of ideas but never edited them down to make a streamlined story.
There is more action at the end and that was more enjoyable to me. However, the plotting fell apart a bit there too. There’s one “twist” that was so obvious that I would barely count it as a twist and another twist that was so contrived that it felt superfluous to the story. It definitely left the book off on a bit of a bad note.
The characters were mostly fine but somewhat indistinguishable. This book is multi-POV and I frequently had difficulty remembering who was the POV character because their voices were so similar. There needed to be a bit more personality in their writing that could distinguish them.
The reason I still gave this an average rating was because I didn’t hate my time reading this or feel like I had wasted my time when I finished but it did disuade me from reading more from this series. If you can ignore the technical errors and enjoy a more slice of life story, you might like this. However, it didn’t work for me.
This book was mostly fine. The writing wasn’t terrible and the plot had some interesting moments but there were also some big issues.
One thing that bothered me repeatedly were the basic spelling and punctuation errors. There were typos in the book that the most basic of spellcheckers should have caught, like spelling “kill” as “kil.” It made me feel like no one had done even a basic editing read through, which is never a good sign in my opinion. Additionally, the Omega Academy Eloise is in is called the “San Francisco Omega Academy,” and that gets shortened to SFOFA. I cannot for the life of me figure out what that second F stands for. I don’t know if this counts as a typo but it really bothered me!
There were also some continuity issues. At the beginning it seems like Eloise has some amnesia about her childhood friend but quickly changes. The Omega Academy seemed fine when Eloise was in there but as soon as she left, all this bad stuff was revealed about it with no build up or real exploration of why. Link is part of another pack when we first meet him and he has a different name but there’s not discussion about if or how he would leave that pack or why he changed his name. It just felt like the author had a lot of ideas but never edited them down to make a streamlined story.
There is more action at the end and that was more enjoyable to me. However, the plotting fell apart a bit there too. There’s one “twist” that was so obvious that I would barely count it as a twist and another twist that was so contrived that it felt superfluous to the story. It definitely left the book off on a bit of a bad note.
The characters were mostly fine but somewhat indistinguishable. This book is multi-POV and I frequently had difficulty remembering who was the POV character because their voices were so similar. There needed to be a bit more personality in their writing that could distinguish them.
The reason I still gave this an average rating was because I didn’t hate my time reading this or feel like I had wasted my time when I finished but it did disuade me from reading more from this series. If you can ignore the technical errors and enjoy a more slice of life story, you might like this. However, it didn’t work for me.
February 20, 2022
ARC TBR
February 26, 2022
A round of heavy editing should help
Almost a DNF at 2%. My understanding is this is the author’s debut novel, and I can understand the excited to publish and throw your book baby out into the world. However, a good editor is paramount (especially when you’re starting out). I was immediately pulled from the story I’d barely begun to read, and considered not continuing at all.
At 9% I stopped again and raged a little bit at this description “Eric Zhao was a tall asian man with broad shoulders and warm brown eyes that were tilted up at the ends. He had deep lines in the corners of his eyes that told me that he smiled a lot.” First, Asian should be capitalized as it is a proper noun. Second, Asian is widely broad (East Asian? Southeast Asian? West Asian?) and not at all a physical descriptor and there is a multitude of attributes that this character could have (for instance, what is his hair color, length, texture, style? She mentions that about Gage in the very next paragraph… is Eric bald? I just have no way of knowing, and I got to 74% without it being mentioned). Third, I cannot believe the author describes the shape of his eyes in an offensive way. Does she even describe the shape of the other MMCs eyes? No. Just no. (Though I will add that after reading the descriptions of the of POC characters, I think the issue was more ignorance and not intentional at all).
I did find the description of Dominic to be well done. As well as the description of Eric’s sister.
I continued on because all the positive reviews said the story was good. But at 74% I found the issues to be too great, and in the end the story wasn’t captivating enough for me to ignore them any longer.
I did not finish this book and I will not read this author in the future. However, I do hope the author sees this review as constructive and takes her work to an editor in the future.
Almost a DNF at 2%. My understanding is this is the author’s debut novel, and I can understand the excited to publish and throw your book baby out into the world. However, a good editor is paramount (especially when you’re starting out). I was immediately pulled from the story I’d barely begun to read, and considered not continuing at all.
At 9% I stopped again and raged a little bit at this description “Eric Zhao was a tall asian man with broad shoulders and warm brown eyes that were tilted up at the ends. He had deep lines in the corners of his eyes that told me that he smiled a lot.” First, Asian should be capitalized as it is a proper noun. Second, Asian is widely broad (East Asian? Southeast Asian? West Asian?) and not at all a physical descriptor and there is a multitude of attributes that this character could have (for instance, what is his hair color, length, texture, style? She mentions that about Gage in the very next paragraph… is Eric bald? I just have no way of knowing, and I got to 74% without it being mentioned). Third, I cannot believe the author describes the shape of his eyes in an offensive way. Does she even describe the shape of the other MMCs eyes? No. Just no. (Though I will add that after reading the descriptions of the of POC characters, I think the issue was more ignorance and not intentional at all).
I did find the description of Dominic to be well done. As well as the description of Eric’s sister.
I continued on because all the positive reviews said the story was good. But at 74% I found the issues to be too great, and in the end the story wasn’t captivating enough for me to ignore them any longer.
I did not finish this book and I will not read this author in the future. However, I do hope the author sees this review as constructive and takes her work to an editor in the future.
February 18, 2022
This hovered between a 3 and a 4 for me. The story is developed well, but I do think it could use a run through an editor. There are not an abundance of spelling issues or typos but there are a couple of instances of incorrect phrasing or grammar that took me out of the story. I don’t really dock for this in my ratings, but I think it would improve the reading experience.
There were some things that felt a little too easy for me like the situation with Dominic. I think it was handled well and provided good drama to the story, but parts of it just felt too formulaic. I don’t really know how to describe how I feel about it.
I was really bothered by two things- a scene with Leon, Owen and Eloise where Leon is with Owen and then he is with Eloise and there is no mention of clean up in between the switch. NO NO. I had to take a pause there.
The second is that they make a point of saying Eloise is on birth control, they don’t mention taking her off birth control, she has her heat (which we are led to believe happens still with birth control) and yet she’s pregnant in the epilogue apparently as a result of said heat. Sooooo what gives… I don’t hate pregnancy in epilogues like some people, but it didn’t feel natural in this case.
So anyway, I liked this story overall and it is a good sweet omegaverse. If you like this genre/trope I can pretty much say that you will like this book. There were just a few small things that held me back from the full 4 stars in this case.
There were some things that felt a little too easy for me like the situation with Dominic. I think it was handled well and provided good drama to the story, but parts of it just felt too formulaic. I don’t really know how to describe how I feel about it.
I was really bothered by two things- a scene with Leon, Owen and Eloise where Leon is with Owen and then he is with Eloise and there is no mention of clean up in between the switch. NO NO. I had to take a pause there.
The second is that they make a point of saying Eloise is on birth control, they don’t mention taking her off birth control, she has her heat (which we are led to believe happens still with birth control) and yet she’s pregnant in the epilogue apparently as a result of said heat. Sooooo what gives… I don’t hate pregnancy in epilogues like some people, but it didn’t feel natural in this case.
So anyway, I liked this story overall and it is a good sweet omegaverse. If you like this genre/trope I can pretty much say that you will like this book. There were just a few small things that held me back from the full 4 stars in this case.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2022
good omegaverse
Short review: if you’re looking for mostly angst free omegaverse that’s not breaking any boundaries, this is it. Some issues with editing/grammar/continuity. Low angst, med heat, MM MFM, etc. HEA. First in a series of interconnected standalones.
Longer review with a few spoilerish details:
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This book reminds me a of Lila Rock’s Pack Darling for the first few chapters but veers away from that pretty quickly. It was a decent omegaverse read, and it could be great with some tightening up in some places and with expansion in others. I’m not sure why it was divided into two parts; usually, that device is used to mark either a passage of time or a significant change, but it doesn’t really work for this. So below, when you see part 1 and part 2, it’s still within the same book; just the first half and then the second half. I feel like maybe it was originally supposed to be two books? But it’s just one with an internally divided structure.
Character development is really important in fiction, and I don’t feel like we really had enough development - that’s not to say that the characters are the same at the end. Rather, the changes were rather abrupt and the reader isn’t exactly shown the development, but told of it. Some of the characters don’t really change very much at all. Link as a character I wasn’t wild about. He was basically an afterthought for the last quarter of the book. He could have been a far more interesting character if the author hadn’t insisted on bringing him in to the pack. Owen started off okay, but devolved almost into some omega-like beta in part 2. Men can have relationships with other men without requiring one of them to be less alpha than the other. He could have had a stronger presence if he weren’t omega-lite. Leon’s reversal is also a wasted opportunity at some character development- just because he makes one bond doesn’t mean he would automatically be okay with everything. The bonds are with distinctly different people, so one shouldn’t change a lifetime of thinking. I think it lacks a sense of real struggle between the characters, both internally and between each other.
There’s also some internal consistency that needs tightening up. The FMC repeatedly stated that she waited around ten years for her guy to come back for her. Actually, but if she was 11 when she left, that would make it 13 years. I feel like maybe her age was changed in the writing, or the author found it difficult to phrase the time accurately with variation. Another inconsistency- at one point, she’s described as being almost hypothermic, or as having similar symptoms to hypothermia, but then a few pages later they say she had a fever. But those are opposites completely. There are several of these types of things - but more in Part 2 than 1.
There are grammar issues, also more present in part 2 than 1. There are a lot of sentences that have awkwardly placed modifying phrases that make you have to reread the sentence again to understand what’s happening. There’s also a lack of conjunctions that turn lots of sentences into comma splices or run-ons. There are some issues with wrong words or spelling, but the thing that’s maybe the most grating when reading is with plurals and possessives. Plurals aren’t made with contractions, so it’s not “lot’s of people.” The pronoun “I” is also never possessive, but the author used it several times, for example “Jake and I’s house.” I have no idea how that missed the editor.
We do get a nice intro to the pack and the omega that are the stars of the next installment, which will have FF. I was planning on skipping it for that reason, but after reading about them, I think maybe I will try the next book.
Short review: if you’re looking for mostly angst free omegaverse that’s not breaking any boundaries, this is it. Some issues with editing/grammar/continuity. Low angst, med heat, MM MFM, etc. HEA. First in a series of interconnected standalones.
Longer review with a few spoilerish details:
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This book reminds me a of Lila Rock’s Pack Darling for the first few chapters but veers away from that pretty quickly. It was a decent omegaverse read, and it could be great with some tightening up in some places and with expansion in others. I’m not sure why it was divided into two parts; usually, that device is used to mark either a passage of time or a significant change, but it doesn’t really work for this. So below, when you see part 1 and part 2, it’s still within the same book; just the first half and then the second half. I feel like maybe it was originally supposed to be two books? But it’s just one with an internally divided structure.
Character development is really important in fiction, and I don’t feel like we really had enough development - that’s not to say that the characters are the same at the end. Rather, the changes were rather abrupt and the reader isn’t exactly shown the development, but told of it. Some of the characters don’t really change very much at all. Link as a character I wasn’t wild about. He was basically an afterthought for the last quarter of the book. He could have been a far more interesting character if the author hadn’t insisted on bringing him in to the pack. Owen started off okay, but devolved almost into some omega-like beta in part 2. Men can have relationships with other men without requiring one of them to be less alpha than the other. He could have had a stronger presence if he weren’t omega-lite. Leon’s reversal is also a wasted opportunity at some character development- just because he makes one bond doesn’t mean he would automatically be okay with everything. The bonds are with distinctly different people, so one shouldn’t change a lifetime of thinking. I think it lacks a sense of real struggle between the characters, both internally and between each other.
There’s also some internal consistency that needs tightening up. The FMC repeatedly stated that she waited around ten years for her guy to come back for her. Actually, but if she was 11 when she left, that would make it 13 years. I feel like maybe her age was changed in the writing, or the author found it difficult to phrase the time accurately with variation. Another inconsistency- at one point, she’s described as being almost hypothermic, or as having similar symptoms to hypothermia, but then a few pages later they say she had a fever. But those are opposites completely. There are several of these types of things - but more in Part 2 than 1.
There are grammar issues, also more present in part 2 than 1. There are a lot of sentences that have awkwardly placed modifying phrases that make you have to reread the sentence again to understand what’s happening. There’s also a lack of conjunctions that turn lots of sentences into comma splices or run-ons. There are some issues with wrong words or spelling, but the thing that’s maybe the most grating when reading is with plurals and possessives. Plurals aren’t made with contractions, so it’s not “lot’s of people.” The pronoun “I” is also never possessive, but the author used it several times, for example “Jake and I’s house.” I have no idea how that missed the editor.
We do get a nice intro to the pack and the omega that are the stars of the next installment, which will have FF. I was planning on skipping it for that reason, but after reading about them, I think maybe I will try the next book.
October 28, 2023
I'm still working on what omegaverse is and what works for me, and what doesn't, and this one I loved! I loved the drama and the chaos that was going on. Granted, the whole omega not wanting a pack or a pack not looking for an omega are familiar concepts. I've read so many with that entire angle this year, but I liked how it played out in this one. Not only was Eleanor making herself sick because she was so sure Link was going to come for her one day, but she wasn't letting anyone dissuade her either. Then, just when we think everything is going to work out for this woman, the rug is literally pulled out from underneath her again when he does appear! The pack doesn't have it! They might not have wanted her, but she turned their lives upside down and was determined to give her everything she wanted. Outside of this drama, we also had the whole family angle that was like a bonus mystery that played out in the background and ended up being the sprinkles added onto the top of this story. I really cannot wait to read Tibby's book, though. She's a quirky omega, and I'm just curious when and how she gets out of the academy because, in this world, the omegas aren't allowed to leave the academy until they have a pack, so they have little community things built into this academy. Still, they aren't ever allowed to leave once they get there, which was just insane.
August 13, 2022
2.5⭐️ First of all, girl said “I love you” approximately 40% of the way in, which was appalling, considering she was not supposed to like any of them…? I did like the incorporation of Link’s character tho (I guessed it). And Dominic, my guy, there was no way that was forgivable, but go off. Also wow it’s almost like the main bitch gets kidnapped in ever omegaverse book. This review is giving dot jots but oh well
March 18, 2022
I really enjoyed this Omegaverse story. Reluctant omega + reluctant alphas = plenty of angst. A dash of action and a sweet HEA and I was a happy reader
January 11, 2024
Lots of little plot inconsistencies. Also needed serious proofreading. Liked the big picture story, but the details let it down.
June 8, 2023
This book is about Eloise (Ellie) and how she is waiting for her beta man from childhood to bond into a pack. She is given an ultimatum that she can't be on suppressants anymore and needs to find a pack or she will be getting kicked out of Omega Academy (which is run terrible, btw).
In comes Pack Russo that says they don't need an Omega (at least Leon does) and they are cornered too to take Eloise for 9 months or so until she turns 25 or they will lose their connection to them and get blacklisted.
So they take her in and she is not your typical Omega and the group realizes that she is a fantastic person.
Now some of the Alphas make really bad decisions and have to pay for them later.
This story is mysterious and fun at the same time.
In comes Pack Russo that says they don't need an Omega (at least Leon does) and they are cornered too to take Eloise for 9 months or so until she turns 25 or they will lose their connection to them and get blacklisted.
So they take her in and she is not your typical Omega and the group realizes that she is a fantastic person.
Now some of the Alphas make really bad decisions and have to pay for them later.
This story is mysterious and fun at the same time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2022
DNF
Again my thoughts in no particular order:
Messy, and not in the just- got-ridden-hard way.
Unnecessary sentences everywhere. Author, please, your readers aren’t stupid, further explanations when we already got the gist of it, is just frustrating. Especially if it’s a well known phrase. Finishing the sentence is superfluous, let alone giving further details on the subject.
A lot of things were completely over explained, the worst example that sticks : “he unbuckled the brown leather belt that he wore looped through his jeans”
Seriously? I’m pretty sure “he unbuckled his belt” would have been sufficient.
If I need to be told how a belt works, I probably can’t read in the first place.
If I made a drinking game out of how many times ‘finally’, ‘suddenly’ or ‘and soon’ was used I’m confident I’d die of alcohol poisoning.
Definitely needs editing, there were more than a few arsed-about-backwards sentence.
No one, least of all a five year old (who wouldn't even be cognisant enough) would describe “I reached my chubby hands…”
So much laziness going on, for instance not being bothered to find out alternative words for things and instead just using it twice in a sentence, reminded me of a my ten year old who doesn’t know any better.
The start of Part 2 sagged terribly, everything with Link was pretty anti-climatic.
Skimmed the “action” scenes, the sentence structure constantly lost the sense of urgency, pulling you out of the moment.
There was some good stuff at times, but this author really needs a good beta reader that isn’t a ‘yes man’.
So many of the scenes were static, like like the author was blocking out a scene from a storyboard for a movie pitch, instead of weaving a story. The ideas were there, but with no real depth.
Also this book sounds a lot like another I just read recently, like a lot.
Again my thoughts in no particular order:
Messy, and not in the just- got-ridden-hard way.
Unnecessary sentences everywhere. Author, please, your readers aren’t stupid, further explanations when we already got the gist of it, is just frustrating. Especially if it’s a well known phrase. Finishing the sentence is superfluous, let alone giving further details on the subject.
A lot of things were completely over explained, the worst example that sticks : “he unbuckled the brown leather belt that he wore looped through his jeans”
Seriously? I’m pretty sure “he unbuckled his belt” would have been sufficient.
If I need to be told how a belt works, I probably can’t read in the first place.
If I made a drinking game out of how many times ‘finally’, ‘suddenly’ or ‘and soon’ was used I’m confident I’d die of alcohol poisoning.
Definitely needs editing, there were more than a few arsed-about-backwards sentence.
No one, least of all a five year old (who wouldn't even be cognisant enough) would describe “I reached my chubby hands…”
So much laziness going on, for instance not being bothered to find out alternative words for things and instead just using it twice in a sentence, reminded me of a my ten year old who doesn’t know any better.
The start of Part 2 sagged terribly, everything with Link was pretty anti-climatic.
Skimmed the “action” scenes, the sentence structure constantly lost the sense of urgency, pulling you out of the moment.
There was some good stuff at times, but this author really needs a good beta reader that isn’t a ‘yes man’.
So many of the scenes were static, like like the author was blocking out a scene from a storyboard for a movie pitch, instead of weaving a story. The ideas were there, but with no real depth.
Also this book sounds a lot like another I just read recently, like a lot.
April 15, 2022
Eloise is not looking for a Pack. She made a promise she intends on keeping and is waiting for her first love. Pack Russo does not want an Omega. They went down that road before, and it almost tore them apart. But when faced with an ultimatum, they all find themselves together. And it just might work.
I love Omegaverse and did enjoy this contribution to the genre. It could have benefited from some polishing. It had several similarities to one of my favorite Omegaverse books but it didn't cross a line into plagiarism, so we will consider it flattery. The characters lacked a little depth but weren't completely superficial. The biggest problem it suffered from was a lack of reader participation. We were told too many things rather than allowed to experience them. Why didn't we go on some of the dinners Ric took Eloise to, get to enjoy the food and conversation? Instead, we got naptimes. This writer has real potential. Over time, she will add depth to her characters and their relationships, allow the readers to become immersed in their world, and her books will be quite special.
I love Omegaverse and did enjoy this contribution to the genre. It could have benefited from some polishing. It had several similarities to one of my favorite Omegaverse books but it didn't cross a line into plagiarism, so we will consider it flattery. The characters lacked a little depth but weren't completely superficial. The biggest problem it suffered from was a lack of reader participation. We were told too many things rather than allowed to experience them. Why didn't we go on some of the dinners Ric took Eloise to, get to enjoy the food and conversation? Instead, we got naptimes. This writer has real potential. Over time, she will add depth to her characters and their relationships, allow the readers to become immersed in their world, and her books will be quite special.
June 2, 2022
One of the best omegaverse I've read so far 🤍
February 22, 2022
I loved this Omegaverse book. It remembered me a lot of my favorites (Like Lola and the Millionaires by Kathryn Moon). Of course, it's not exactly the same. But it was still great.
I have read some other reviews by now. I do that sometimes after a read, because I want to know what others think. There are parts I can agree with. And I don't want to deny others their opinion. But for me, some reasons why one or more stars were subtracted felt minor to me. Though, I have to admit, that I'm not that harsh in my ratings and a lot more tolerant to some issues.
Like when there are misspellings/editing mistakes. For me, that's not a problem, as long as I understand what I read and what the author wanted to say. So, I ignore that completely. Because an author is a human being, and is bound to make mistakes. We are no machines. And even with a proofreader, obviously human too, some mistakes or more are just not found. That happens. But it's nothing too big, when the story is good.
An author put a lot of time in writing a book. In this case, this book, as I see it, is Calliope Stewart first novel. She just started her journey. That's a reason to be more understandable. Nothing is perfect from the beginning.
And yes, there are some issues in the plot or at least some things, that aren't explained and felt like little wholes in the book. But again, they are minor and often don't interfere with the story itself. For example, there is a scene in the book where Eloise is with Leon and Owen. Leon had had sex with Owen, but it isn't mentioned that he had cleaned himself up before he goes on with her. I admit, it was strange. But in the book, there isn't anything mentioned if there are sexual diseases. But even if there were, I wouldn't take one full star for something that isn't a main plot point.
I just give the author the benefit of the doubt, that either she just forgets to mention it. Or that there are no sexual diseases and therefore no need for other protection. The main issue seems to be, to not get an Omega pregnant.
Dominic was another hot topic. I wasn't sure about him at the start either. And yeah, betrayal sucks. Even though I get the motive and how he had felt. The reason isn't a nice or a good one, but ok. But he at least had some moral compass left, and I really felt like he loved Eloise. He didn't want to sacrifice her. I'm not too hard on him, because the same reason as with the misspellings or anything like that. I like it, if people are humanly. Everyone has done something dumb sometimes in his life. The difference for me is, if someone regrets his actions or not. I have read books far worse, where the male or males didn't even do something redeemable. Or even apologizes. Sometimes I didn't get a feeling they even love the FMC.
But Dominic at least did regret his actions. He paid for it. Apologized. And he didn't want to throw Eloise in that mess. So, I am able to forgive him.
And okay, some details of the story, referring to the mafia/criminal world, aren't always logical. But again, it's not something you can know from firsthand experiences. I have read a lot of mafia stories. And sometimes criminals just have a big portion of luck on their side. Or not. Depends. And the real world is full of criminal stories, that rang true to that. I have recently seen a case on TV, where a criminal stayed undetected for over 30 years. Just because some well known detail wasn't inspected further. And another one, where the criminal could have been free, if he didn't make some minor mistake. It happens. So, I don't argue about some events, even if it's for me sometimes obviously easy to guess the outcome.
As I said, it is my opinion. And there will always someone who will disagree. In the end, for me counts the story itself and how the plot and characters made me feel. And what stays with me, as a feeling, after the read. I enjoyed it, the plot itself was unique and was full of emotions, actions and steam. It held my attention. The whole book felt right for me. Some things just do. I just wished the epilogue was much longer. Like the other chapters. I had wanted to know about the family life and the kids in the future. And what did Dominic do in the end? I think it wasn't mentioned.
Maybe there will be some a little extended novel or some extra story to show more.
I have read some other reviews by now. I do that sometimes after a read, because I want to know what others think. There are parts I can agree with. And I don't want to deny others their opinion. But for me, some reasons why one or more stars were subtracted felt minor to me. Though, I have to admit, that I'm not that harsh in my ratings and a lot more tolerant to some issues.
Like when there are misspellings/editing mistakes. For me, that's not a problem, as long as I understand what I read and what the author wanted to say. So, I ignore that completely. Because an author is a human being, and is bound to make mistakes. We are no machines. And even with a proofreader, obviously human too, some mistakes or more are just not found. That happens. But it's nothing too big, when the story is good.
An author put a lot of time in writing a book. In this case, this book, as I see it, is Calliope Stewart first novel. She just started her journey. That's a reason to be more understandable. Nothing is perfect from the beginning.
And yes, there are some issues in the plot or at least some things, that aren't explained and felt like little wholes in the book. But again, they are minor and often don't interfere with the story itself. For example, there is a scene in the book where Eloise is with Leon and Owen. Leon had had sex with Owen, but it isn't mentioned that he had cleaned himself up before he goes on with her. I admit, it was strange. But in the book, there isn't anything mentioned if there are sexual diseases. But even if there were, I wouldn't take one full star for something that isn't a main plot point.
I just give the author the benefit of the doubt, that either she just forgets to mention it. Or that there are no sexual diseases and therefore no need for other protection. The main issue seems to be, to not get an Omega pregnant.
Dominic was another hot topic. I wasn't sure about him at the start either. And yeah, betrayal sucks. Even though I get the motive and how he had felt. The reason isn't a nice or a good one, but ok. But he at least had some moral compass left, and I really felt like he loved Eloise. He didn't want to sacrifice her. I'm not too hard on him, because the same reason as with the misspellings or anything like that. I like it, if people are humanly. Everyone has done something dumb sometimes in his life. The difference for me is, if someone regrets his actions or not. I have read books far worse, where the male or males didn't even do something redeemable. Or even apologizes. Sometimes I didn't get a feeling they even love the FMC.
But Dominic at least did regret his actions. He paid for it. Apologized. And he didn't want to throw Eloise in that mess. So, I am able to forgive him.
And okay, some details of the story, referring to the mafia/criminal world, aren't always logical. But again, it's not something you can know from firsthand experiences. I have read a lot of mafia stories. And sometimes criminals just have a big portion of luck on their side. Or not. Depends. And the real world is full of criminal stories, that rang true to that. I have recently seen a case on TV, where a criminal stayed undetected for over 30 years. Just because some well known detail wasn't inspected further. And another one, where the criminal could have been free, if he didn't make some minor mistake. It happens. So, I don't argue about some events, even if it's for me sometimes obviously easy to guess the outcome.
As I said, it is my opinion. And there will always someone who will disagree. In the end, for me counts the story itself and how the plot and characters made me feel. And what stays with me, as a feeling, after the read. I enjoyed it, the plot itself was unique and was full of emotions, actions and steam. It held my attention. The whole book felt right for me. Some things just do. I just wished the epilogue was much longer. Like the other chapters. I had wanted to know about the family life and the kids in the future. And what did Dominic do in the end? I think it wasn't mentioned.
Maybe there will be some a little extended novel or some extra story to show more.
July 2, 2023
First person, Pack pov
Omegaverse, contemporary fantasy
TW: listed in the beginning, sexual assault and childhood abuse, also has themes of suicide
Had a very cute comfort vibe and had a plot and storyline as well! I think this was technically more plot and fact focused rather than character and feelings focused.
Smut count: about five sex scenes, two or three ish MFM scenes, and a blurry but kinda described heat. I felt like the smut wasn’t as lengthy and full of tension as it should be, facts were focused on more, rather than feelings or spoken word. chaste kiss had a lot of repetition as well. You don’t really get too much of an MM scene either
Had a few cliche things like omegas being very protected, taken to a boarding school academy very early on! the guy who works with computers is “the geek guy with dorky glasses” the tall guy is the “gentle giant” with a blunt emphasis on how he’s very quiet, you also have the classic “the grumpy one in the group”, there is a black guy but he goes through a lot of conflict so that’s technically not good diversity, the cliches were one of the things that made me like the book a bit less.
You also find out about plot twists directly from the source before it becomes a problem so that’s an interesting part of this. You also get some repetition of a person thinking something two chapters ago and telling someone the same thing later.
Also did not understand Dominic’s character arc, immediately, he’s very friendly but then he was dealing with some stuff but in his pov he’s like “she’s ignoring me” her pov: I haven’t been on dates or seen him around as much and then three months later it’s like “oh hi let’s go on a date” “yes let’s not mention any context for why we didn’t do that the past three months”
It’s pretty fast paced, but you do get multiple time jumps, the first one is a week, you miss the first date with a pack member, actually you miss a lot of courting dates, and then you miss two whole weeks after that “the two weeks after this passed in a blur”??? This is a cozy developing relationship wdym it was a blur, and then randomly it’s 1 and a half months later?? And then three weeks after that?! And now it’s at three months? Wait what happened to her heat? That’s once a month right? Or no? It’s once a year? That wasn’t explained, you also get a bunch of tell not show, I want the banter!! Don’t say they bickered or argued, what did they argue about?!! You also miss a MM relationship development which is mentioned as an afterthought at the end and I wish we got to see some more of that!
I also felt like they didn’t show too much of the communication “stay away from her” “I don’t want a pack” and then touch being involved with no communication
Though I like that you get a slowburn with platonic touch, and the omega got to know the pack before smut but I wish we got to read some more of the feelings and banter associated!
Omegaverse, contemporary fantasy
TW: listed in the beginning, sexual assault and childhood abuse, also has themes of suicide
Had a very cute comfort vibe and had a plot and storyline as well! I think this was technically more plot and fact focused rather than character and feelings focused.
Smut count: about five sex scenes, two or three ish MFM scenes, and a blurry but kinda described heat. I felt like the smut wasn’t as lengthy and full of tension as it should be, facts were focused on more, rather than feelings or spoken word. chaste kiss had a lot of repetition as well. You don’t really get too much of an MM scene either
Had a few cliche things like omegas being very protected, taken to a boarding school academy very early on! the guy who works with computers is “the geek guy with dorky glasses” the tall guy is the “gentle giant” with a blunt emphasis on how he’s very quiet, you also have the classic “the grumpy one in the group”, there is a black guy but he goes through a lot of conflict so that’s technically not good diversity, the cliches were one of the things that made me like the book a bit less.
You also find out about plot twists directly from the source before it becomes a problem so that’s an interesting part of this. You also get some repetition of a person thinking something two chapters ago and telling someone the same thing later.
Also did not understand Dominic’s character arc, immediately, he’s very friendly but then he was dealing with some stuff but in his pov he’s like “she’s ignoring me” her pov: I haven’t been on dates or seen him around as much and then three months later it’s like “oh hi let’s go on a date” “yes let’s not mention any context for why we didn’t do that the past three months”
It’s pretty fast paced, but you do get multiple time jumps, the first one is a week, you miss the first date with a pack member, actually you miss a lot of courting dates, and then you miss two whole weeks after that “the two weeks after this passed in a blur”??? This is a cozy developing relationship wdym it was a blur, and then randomly it’s 1 and a half months later?? And then three weeks after that?! And now it’s at three months? Wait what happened to her heat? That’s once a month right? Or no? It’s once a year? That wasn’t explained, you also get a bunch of tell not show, I want the banter!! Don’t say they bickered or argued, what did they argue about?!! You also miss a MM relationship development which is mentioned as an afterthought at the end and I wish we got to see some more of that!
I also felt like they didn’t show too much of the communication “stay away from her” “I don’t want a pack” and then touch being involved with no communication
Though I like that you get a slowburn with platonic touch, and the omega got to know the pack before smut but I wish we got to read some more of the feelings and banter associated!
December 16, 2023
What a great Omegaverse series!! ❤️
Eloise Taylor is one of the oldest Omegas at the San Francisco Omega Academy. She has “adapted” … but she’s always waiting for something, or should we say someone!!
**SPOILERS**
Eloise is a great omega character! Sweet, stubborn, kind, but not afraid to stand up for herself. Eloise was “sold” as a child by her mother to the Academy, but before she was dragged to the Omega Academy she got a promise from her very best friend who lived in the trailer next to her. They did everything together AND took care of each other when their folks would beat them. Before she was dragged to the academy her beta best friend PROMISED to come back to her when he turned 18 and take her from the restrictive academy and they’d be together forever.
Eloise has NEVER forgotten that promise, even when she knew he was 18 and STILL didn’t show up. She refused to let anyone help her through her o pop painful heats and had to be sedated and drugged, and it’s messed up her body AND mind. If she doesn’t get Alpha’s for her next heat she could die.
Leon, Gage, Owen (a beta) Dominic and Ric are part of a very influential Pack. Leon is 100% AGAINST omegas (it stems from a childhood trauma) the rest of the pack isn’t as against omegas but they’ve gone dozens and Leon hasn’t approved of any of them.
Carolyn, a therapist at the Omega Academy asking Ric to attend the winter gala at the Academy (people trip all over themselves because he’s very wealthy, and his pack is very well known). He says yes, as a favor to Carolyn, who tells him look out for their principal dancer, Eloise. Ric isn’t expecting much, but when scents her sees her HE KNOWS he just knows she’s his…but can he convince Leon. It turns out he doesn’t need to…the Academy headmistress has put together a “plan,” basically blackmailing the Pack into taking Eloise for an 8 month period on a trial basis. Both Eloise and Leon are pissed! But Ric and Gage are immediately smitten!! Eventually Owen (who is shy and scared she won’t like him because he’s only a beta but isn’t an issue! She really likes him). And Dominic who used to make himself scarce is now around because of the pretty Omega!
Finally, finally Eloise begins to chip away and become irreplaceable to the Alphas (even Leon and beta Owen). She has JUST ACCEPTED HER POSITION AS THEIR OMEGA when her world is shattered…she runs into Link…the beta she had waited for 10 years, and even more heartbreaking, he is in a pack with an Omega anyway!!
Misunderstandings ensue but things come around. But there is danger stalking the pack in the form of a Russian mob boss to has it out for Leon!! Will the pack survive?
This series is special. All three books have characters that show up in all 3 books. The stories are great romantic, steamy and adventurous as well. You will definitely love this series, starting with “Always Waiting”!! 😍
Eloise Taylor is one of the oldest Omegas at the San Francisco Omega Academy. She has “adapted” … but she’s always waiting for something, or should we say someone!!
**SPOILERS**
Eloise is a great omega character! Sweet, stubborn, kind, but not afraid to stand up for herself. Eloise was “sold” as a child by her mother to the Academy, but before she was dragged to the Omega Academy she got a promise from her very best friend who lived in the trailer next to her. They did everything together AND took care of each other when their folks would beat them. Before she was dragged to the academy her beta best friend PROMISED to come back to her when he turned 18 and take her from the restrictive academy and they’d be together forever.
Eloise has NEVER forgotten that promise, even when she knew he was 18 and STILL didn’t show up. She refused to let anyone help her through her o pop painful heats and had to be sedated and drugged, and it’s messed up her body AND mind. If she doesn’t get Alpha’s for her next heat she could die.
Leon, Gage, Owen (a beta) Dominic and Ric are part of a very influential Pack. Leon is 100% AGAINST omegas (it stems from a childhood trauma) the rest of the pack isn’t as against omegas but they’ve gone dozens and Leon hasn’t approved of any of them.
Carolyn, a therapist at the Omega Academy asking Ric to attend the winter gala at the Academy (people trip all over themselves because he’s very wealthy, and his pack is very well known). He says yes, as a favor to Carolyn, who tells him look out for their principal dancer, Eloise. Ric isn’t expecting much, but when scents her sees her HE KNOWS he just knows she’s his…but can he convince Leon. It turns out he doesn’t need to…the Academy headmistress has put together a “plan,” basically blackmailing the Pack into taking Eloise for an 8 month period on a trial basis. Both Eloise and Leon are pissed! But Ric and Gage are immediately smitten!! Eventually Owen (who is shy and scared she won’t like him because he’s only a beta but isn’t an issue! She really likes him). And Dominic who used to make himself scarce is now around because of the pretty Omega!
Finally, finally Eloise begins to chip away and become irreplaceable to the Alphas (even Leon and beta Owen). She has JUST ACCEPTED HER POSITION AS THEIR OMEGA when her world is shattered…she runs into Link…the beta she had waited for 10 years, and even more heartbreaking, he is in a pack with an Omega anyway!!
Misunderstandings ensue but things come around. But there is danger stalking the pack in the form of a Russian mob boss to has it out for Leon!! Will the pack survive?
This series is special. All three books have characters that show up in all 3 books. The stories are great romantic, steamy and adventurous as well. You will definitely love this series, starting with “Always Waiting”!! 😍
January 9, 2023
This book follows all characters in the harem but centres around the Omega, Ellie.
Ellie has grown up with less than adequate parents and becomes a ward of the state once her Omega status becomes known. The story follows her life at the Omega Academy and then while settling into her temporary pack.
I just want to state before I start that there was nothing 'wrong' with this book. There were no grammatical errors to annoy me. The story was set out well enough, characters were introduced at a good speed and the story line itself had so much potential.
It just didn't hit the mark.
You know when you come across a book and it engages you so well that time flies and you struggle to put it down? Then once its down, you're looking at your book or kindle wanting to pick it up and continue? The kind of book where you are willing to only get 2 hours sleep before a full work day... This was not that for me. I typically would finish a book this length (while on holiday as I am now) in a day. I found myself putting the book down and scrolling the kindle store on my phone, downloading Notion and setting up my 2023 TBR (Not an ad, I actually did this), reading a page or two then becoming distracted watching a cryptocurrency doco with my partner.
I tried to work out why, because this style of book is usually my bread and butter (Omega, Reverse Harem, Fated Mates etc) and I think it comes down to the fact that the story is very much told and not so much shown.
I did this, then I said this, then he said this, he was also wearing this.
And it did the job, the story was told, but I didn't find myself picturing the characters in my head or watching the story unfold in my minds' eye (Sorry! so cringe).
Actually, now I'm writing this there were other things that threw me off, inconsistencies if you will, but I'm not sure if this is a spoiler so I'll try be relatively vague.
She couldn't remember the man she was waiting for (too traumatic?) but then later says she was googling him, but even later in the book he had changed his name out of high school which is why she couldn't find him? Also, she didn't want a pack at all, she wanted the boy from her childhood but then was suddenly saying she loved the pack members...just felt OOC for a character I had just met, then hates the boy from her childhood so much she doesn't want to see him (angry understandably because he left her BUT) the men who only want to protect her tell her to try dating him anyway. I don't know just very quick changes of pace with no real character development to back it up.
Ellie has grown up with less than adequate parents and becomes a ward of the state once her Omega status becomes known. The story follows her life at the Omega Academy and then while settling into her temporary pack.
I just want to state before I start that there was nothing 'wrong' with this book. There were no grammatical errors to annoy me. The story was set out well enough, characters were introduced at a good speed and the story line itself had so much potential.
It just didn't hit the mark.
You know when you come across a book and it engages you so well that time flies and you struggle to put it down? Then once its down, you're looking at your book or kindle wanting to pick it up and continue? The kind of book where you are willing to only get 2 hours sleep before a full work day... This was not that for me. I typically would finish a book this length (while on holiday as I am now) in a day. I found myself putting the book down and scrolling the kindle store on my phone, downloading Notion and setting up my 2023 TBR (Not an ad, I actually did this), reading a page or two then becoming distracted watching a cryptocurrency doco with my partner.
I tried to work out why, because this style of book is usually my bread and butter (Omega, Reverse Harem, Fated Mates etc) and I think it comes down to the fact that the story is very much told and not so much shown.
I did this, then I said this, then he said this, he was also wearing this.
And it did the job, the story was told, but I didn't find myself picturing the characters in my head or watching the story unfold in my minds' eye (Sorry! so cringe).
Actually, now I'm writing this there were other things that threw me off, inconsistencies if you will, but I'm not sure if this is a spoiler so I'll try be relatively vague.
She couldn't remember the man she was waiting for (too traumatic?) but then later says she was googling him, but even later in the book he had changed his name out of high school which is why she couldn't find him? Also, she didn't want a pack at all, she wanted the boy from her childhood but then was suddenly saying she loved the pack members...just felt OOC for a character I had just met, then hates the boy from her childhood so much she doesn't want to see him (angry understandably because he left her BUT) the men who only want to protect her tell her to try dating him anyway. I don't know just very quick changes of pace with no real character development to back it up.
May 14, 2022
Some consent issues
The premise is okay.
I read reverse harems because they often have less emotional abuse by the male love interest options than typical romances, and emotional abuse creeps me out.
Likes:
Less emotional abuse than usual.
HEA.
Nice world building.
Dislikes:
Lack of consent involving MM intimacy, which is rape, despite the lack of acknowledgment of that fact. This is a massive error in any romance and there should be a content warning regarding rape by an intimate partner. I deducted a star for this.
Lack of consent involving the French partner’s demanding forcing intimacy through the back door without the heroine’s clear, enthusiastic verbal consent the first time and without any consent at all when he had her at a biological disadvantage the second time. The author admits it hurts the heroine. The lack of consent absolutely creeps me right out. The unacknowledged physical pain is connected to shudder inducing nausea and there should be a content warning. This isn’t steamy, it’s rape by an intimate partner who introduces pain without permission or desire by the heroine. That isn’t spice, it’s spoiled and it absolutely ruined the book for me. I deducted another star.
Creepy French guy later has a whirlwind romance with a man previously abused as a child and it’s supposed to be a happily ever after that the abuse victim ends up with Mr. Non-consent. Since this is a repeat of the non-consent theme that occurs between the heroine and the Frenchman as well as between the top Alpha and his beta, I think the author may have decided that non-consent and pain are romantic during intimacy, but this is not the case.
Forcing intimacy against expressed non-consent is rape. Forcing intimate acts without seeking and receiving enthusiastic permission from a partner is rape. Randomly going through the back door while a partner is distracted is rape. Demanding sex to force sex acts on a vulnerable partner who has not agreed beforehand and refusing to give them time or opportunity to consent without coercion, is rape. Rape, involves emotional and physical abuse. All three instances of rape lost this book a star each. The lack of acknowledgment that this is rape and the failure to address it as a problem means that I cannot recommend this book.
The premise is okay.
I read reverse harems because they often have less emotional abuse by the male love interest options than typical romances, and emotional abuse creeps me out.
Likes:
Less emotional abuse than usual.
HEA.
Nice world building.
Dislikes:
Lack of consent involving MM intimacy, which is rape, despite the lack of acknowledgment of that fact. This is a massive error in any romance and there should be a content warning regarding rape by an intimate partner. I deducted a star for this.
Lack of consent involving the French partner’s demanding forcing intimacy through the back door without the heroine’s clear, enthusiastic verbal consent the first time and without any consent at all when he had her at a biological disadvantage the second time. The author admits it hurts the heroine. The lack of consent absolutely creeps me right out. The unacknowledged physical pain is connected to shudder inducing nausea and there should be a content warning. This isn’t steamy, it’s rape by an intimate partner who introduces pain without permission or desire by the heroine. That isn’t spice, it’s spoiled and it absolutely ruined the book for me. I deducted another star.
Creepy French guy later has a whirlwind romance with a man previously abused as a child and it’s supposed to be a happily ever after that the abuse victim ends up with Mr. Non-consent. Since this is a repeat of the non-consent theme that occurs between the heroine and the Frenchman as well as between the top Alpha and his beta, I think the author may have decided that non-consent and pain are romantic during intimacy, but this is not the case.
Forcing intimacy against expressed non-consent is rape. Forcing intimate acts without seeking and receiving enthusiastic permission from a partner is rape. Randomly going through the back door while a partner is distracted is rape. Demanding sex to force sex acts on a vulnerable partner who has not agreed beforehand and refusing to give them time or opportunity to consent without coercion, is rape. Rape, involves emotional and physical abuse. All three instances of rape lost this book a star each. The lack of acknowledgment that this is rape and the failure to address it as a problem means that I cannot recommend this book.
June 3, 2022
Read to the End Please!!!!
I have so many words about this story--good and bad. First, I ask that you read to the end because I'd rather start with the bad and end with the good. And there will be no spoilers!
The thing that almost made me stop reading was the crazy amount of errors--all types. Even basic words had been mispelled. This read like a story that hadn't been edited or perhaps not even looked over once, and it was hard to ignore in the beginning.
It also has more tell and not show. It would do so much better if it showed more. There were some few odds things as well in the story like characters not speaking like themselves or just saying things that sound awkward (for instance, excessive name using.)
In the beginning of this story, I hadn't noticed it too much later on, the tense also changes between past and present. It drove me a little crazy. The end also felt a bit rushed. I wish Eloise had more chances to deepen her relationships: I do firmly believe this would have been much better sectioned into multiple books so there would be more character depth. You've been warned!
But it's not often I can push past all those mistakes due to the wholesome story-telling. And it was just that. Some pasts of the characters were sad, justly so, but the author webbed them all together to just bring you a story that warmed the heart. And that's not easy in general, nevertheless with a pack of people!
Everyone, despite their mistakes and choices, were good people and I found the cohesiveness of the pack sticking together so great. It kept me turning each page to see how much more each character would strive to take care of each other. Certain character's attentiveness just made me go, "awww."
All their personalities seem to fit them and I reveled in how all these people took care of each other with such intensity and communicated. This is seriously a book that just describes wholesome. I don't think I could pick a favorite character if I tried. They were all just so great. The ending in general was cute.
So please give it a chance and read this book. I think the author is just starting out her journey of writing, and I'm planning on seeing how she further improves her writing.
Thank you for letting us read Always Waiting.
I have so many words about this story--good and bad. First, I ask that you read to the end because I'd rather start with the bad and end with the good. And there will be no spoilers!
The thing that almost made me stop reading was the crazy amount of errors--all types. Even basic words had been mispelled. This read like a story that hadn't been edited or perhaps not even looked over once, and it was hard to ignore in the beginning.
It also has more tell and not show. It would do so much better if it showed more. There were some few odds things as well in the story like characters not speaking like themselves or just saying things that sound awkward (for instance, excessive name using.)
In the beginning of this story, I hadn't noticed it too much later on, the tense also changes between past and present. It drove me a little crazy. The end also felt a bit rushed. I wish Eloise had more chances to deepen her relationships: I do firmly believe this would have been much better sectioned into multiple books so there would be more character depth. You've been warned!
But it's not often I can push past all those mistakes due to the wholesome story-telling. And it was just that. Some pasts of the characters were sad, justly so, but the author webbed them all together to just bring you a story that warmed the heart. And that's not easy in general, nevertheless with a pack of people!
Everyone, despite their mistakes and choices, were good people and I found the cohesiveness of the pack sticking together so great. It kept me turning each page to see how much more each character would strive to take care of each other. Certain character's attentiveness just made me go, "awww."
All their personalities seem to fit them and I reveled in how all these people took care of each other with such intensity and communicated. This is seriously a book that just describes wholesome. I don't think I could pick a favorite character if I tried. They were all just so great. The ending in general was cute.
So please give it a chance and read this book. I think the author is just starting out her journey of writing, and I'm planning on seeing how she further improves her writing.
Thank you for letting us read Always Waiting.
March 11, 2022
✨5/5✨
Review -
Can I just say how in love I am with these characters? I read a lot because.. well, I love it! And this book actually helped me during what I thought was going to be a horrible month of book slump.
This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions from sad to angry to happy to downright shocked. Our female main character is 24 year old Eloise Taylor who is an Omega in an Omegaverse based in San Francisco, California.
If you don’t know what Omegaverse is… please just google it because I would probably be here forever explaining it and you probably would rather pick up this book after finding out more about it instead of my not so knowledgeable understanding of it that i’ve gained through reading webcomics, manga and now books set in the Omegaverse!
During the book, you will also meet and have POVs for Pack Russo. That includes Leon Russo (Alpha), Eric Zhao (Alpha), Gage Larson (Alpha), Dominic Dubois (Alpha) and Owen Samuels (Beta). They all have different appearances and personalities that you’ll love but also be frustrated with at time!
Due to a meddlesome Omega Academy, Eloise and Pack Russo are forced to live together for 8 months in hopes that Eloise will finally pick a pack of her own and for Pack Russo to no longer be anti-omega!
Without any spoilers… I’d like to say that I fell in love with this book. My favorite character is Gage Larson because he’s a sweet, gentle giant and protects our female lead with his mind, body and soul.
Although this book is set in the Omegaverse which is not realistic, and is a reverse harem book which also most people don’t find normal due to societal norms.. I found this book very realistic. Eloise is a caring person at heart but because of her past she puts up walls around herself that no one seems to be able to break down. But with everything in her life suddenly changing from what her routine had been for the last 10+ years, so do her feelings about what she thinks she wanted and now what she wants.
I am so excited to read more by this author and can’t wait for Always Running to come out September 30th, 2022! Bring on Tibby’s story! 🌸
Review -
Can I just say how in love I am with these characters? I read a lot because.. well, I love it! And this book actually helped me during what I thought was going to be a horrible month of book slump.
This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions from sad to angry to happy to downright shocked. Our female main character is 24 year old Eloise Taylor who is an Omega in an Omegaverse based in San Francisco, California.
If you don’t know what Omegaverse is… please just google it because I would probably be here forever explaining it and you probably would rather pick up this book after finding out more about it instead of my not so knowledgeable understanding of it that i’ve gained through reading webcomics, manga and now books set in the Omegaverse!
During the book, you will also meet and have POVs for Pack Russo. That includes Leon Russo (Alpha), Eric Zhao (Alpha), Gage Larson (Alpha), Dominic Dubois (Alpha) and Owen Samuels (Beta). They all have different appearances and personalities that you’ll love but also be frustrated with at time!
Due to a meddlesome Omega Academy, Eloise and Pack Russo are forced to live together for 8 months in hopes that Eloise will finally pick a pack of her own and for Pack Russo to no longer be anti-omega!
Without any spoilers… I’d like to say that I fell in love with this book. My favorite character is Gage Larson because he’s a sweet, gentle giant and protects our female lead with his mind, body and soul.
Although this book is set in the Omegaverse which is not realistic, and is a reverse harem book which also most people don’t find normal due to societal norms.. I found this book very realistic. Eloise is a caring person at heart but because of her past she puts up walls around herself that no one seems to be able to break down. But with everything in her life suddenly changing from what her routine had been for the last 10+ years, so do her feelings about what she thinks she wanted and now what she wants.
I am so excited to read more by this author and can’t wait for Always Running to come out September 30th, 2022! Bring on Tibby’s story! 🌸
October 11, 2022
3 Stars
This was an entertaining story, but it wasn’t a very good sweet omegaverse story.
In this book we have Eloise, who is an omega. She is 24 and has lived at the San Francisco Omega Institute since she was 11. She’s old for being an unbounded omega, but she refuses to take a pack because she is desperately waiting for her childhood friend to come back for her. The institute is tired of this so they force the FMC into a situation where she has to live with a pack of alphas until her next birthday. And so the forced proximity trope commences.
There is lots of drama, tons of uncertain circumstances, twists and turns galore. However, it felt like only two members of the pack actually wanted Eloise. Gage and Ric were adorable and they really loved the FMC. Owen, the resident Beta, felt more like a platonic ‘brother type’ figure. Owen was bonded to Leon, who also seemed to care for the FMC in a more platonic way. Having them all bond felt false and forced.
Anyway, this story fell flat for me. FMC didn’t feel like a cherished and coveted omega. The only MMC’s who were protective and loving were Gage and Ric. This was a slow burn stand-alone (which feels like an oxymoron, but it is what it is). The pack and the omega continued on like her bonding and becoming part of the pack was a given, no one ever had any sort of “stay with us” conversation before she was asking for their bites. The “I love you’s” felt like they came out of nowhere.
- Multiple POV’s
- Slow burn
- med/low steam
- the FMC’s heat didn’t come until 96% into the book and it was mostly skipped over.
- triggers: attempted forced bonding (not harem), domestic abuse, drug abuse, kidnapping, mentions of suicide, assault with a weapon…none of this from the harem members. Betrayal.
This was an entertaining story, but it wasn’t a very good sweet omegaverse story.
In this book we have Eloise, who is an omega. She is 24 and has lived at the San Francisco Omega Institute since she was 11. She’s old for being an unbounded omega, but she refuses to take a pack because she is desperately waiting for her childhood friend to come back for her. The institute is tired of this so they force the FMC into a situation where she has to live with a pack of alphas until her next birthday. And so the forced proximity trope commences.
There is lots of drama, tons of uncertain circumstances, twists and turns galore. However, it felt like only two members of the pack actually wanted Eloise. Gage and Ric were adorable and they really loved the FMC. Owen, the resident Beta, felt more like a platonic ‘brother type’ figure. Owen was bonded to Leon, who also seemed to care for the FMC in a more platonic way. Having them all bond felt false and forced.
Anyway, this story fell flat for me. FMC didn’t feel like a cherished and coveted omega. The only MMC’s who were protective and loving were Gage and Ric. This was a slow burn stand-alone (which feels like an oxymoron, but it is what it is). The pack and the omega continued on like her bonding and becoming part of the pack was a given, no one ever had any sort of “stay with us” conversation before she was asking for their bites. The “I love you’s” felt like they came out of nowhere.
- Multiple POV’s
- Slow burn
- med/low steam
- the FMC’s heat didn’t come until 96% into the book and it was mostly skipped over.
- triggers: attempted forced bonding (not harem), domestic abuse, drug abuse, kidnapping, mentions of suicide, assault with a weapon…none of this from the harem members. Betrayal.
September 8, 2023
I assume this book has been through a round of editing since it’s original release, because it doesn’t have too many glaring editing problems that I noticed. There a few, but overall the writing is passable. I’ve read other books by the same author that were better and I think she’s improved since this debut.
This story had good bones, but felt a bit soulless. There was no chemistry in the romance or within the pack. I was left wondering why this pack is even a pack. What drew these men to each other? Why did they invite Dominic into the pack? Why did he want to join it?
Dominic’s story is full of holes. He’s the head of Russo’s sales and marketing and a shark. He locks down contracts and is a mover and a shaker. He’s part of this rich pack. But somehow he’s still short on cash to move his grandma into a nice house. He basically has no connection to this pack, so it was confusing why he didn’t just leave if he was unhappy with them.
Lincoln came across as kind of hapless. He was supposed to be this super smart lawyer, but he didn’t come across that way.
The other characters were fine, I guess… but something was definitely missing here. Ellie capitulated to liking the pack way too easily. They didn’t really even put effort in. She just seemed to give up on being stubborn and decided to be their Omega without any preamble. There are aspects of her character that are introduced like how she’s a near professional ballet dancer and that she just graduated university, but then none of that matters and aren’t important once she meets the pack.
Anyway… I won’t count this one against the author, because I know she’s turned out some better Omegaverse work.
This story had good bones, but felt a bit soulless. There was no chemistry in the romance or within the pack. I was left wondering why this pack is even a pack. What drew these men to each other? Why did they invite Dominic into the pack? Why did he want to join it?
Dominic’s story is full of holes. He’s the head of Russo’s sales and marketing and a shark. He locks down contracts and is a mover and a shaker. He’s part of this rich pack. But somehow he’s still short on cash to move his grandma into a nice house. He basically has no connection to this pack, so it was confusing why he didn’t just leave if he was unhappy with them.
Lincoln came across as kind of hapless. He was supposed to be this super smart lawyer, but he didn’t come across that way.
The other characters were fine, I guess… but something was definitely missing here. Ellie capitulated to liking the pack way too easily. They didn’t really even put effort in. She just seemed to give up on being stubborn and decided to be their Omega without any preamble. There are aspects of her character that are introduced like how she’s a near professional ballet dancer and that she just graduated university, but then none of that matters and aren’t important once she meets the pack.
Anyway… I won’t count this one against the author, because I know she’s turned out some better Omegaverse work.
April 18, 2022
In one word, this book was very sweet. It’s a great, easy read set in the sweet Omegaverse.
The dudes are all very diverse and have very different personalities so I was never left wondering who is who. None of them really gave me that *HOT* vibe though, and one of them kind of shifts his personality halfway through the book (like, radically….) so that was a bit jarring.
The main character can be a teeeeensy bit lifeless at times, but that also just fits the situation and everything she’s been through so it was easy to brush off. But she is never annoying and I never got the urge to yell at my tablet like a loon, so that’s a plus.
Still, there was just something *missing*, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
The editing definitely needed some work - numerous grammatical and spelling errors that had me grinding my teeth by halfway through. Please, please get a proofreader for the next one.
The sexual tension was definitely lacking for me. I mean, I was never left panting and wondering when the panties would hit the floor already. It was just….sweet. That’s the whole book. Just very sweet.
I also just found it annoyingly easy how quickly she switched from never wanting a pack to being *in LOVE*. I dunno…I think the build up just wasn’t there for me. I didn’t once get the feeling that she was hung up on any of them. She found them attractive, sure, but I didn’t get the feeling that she *wanted* any of them. Or even had a sex drive until the first kiss, for that matter.
But it was good and sweet and I would give the second one a shot when it comes out. I’m just hoping the typos get a more thorough vetting.
2 Weeks Later: All I can remember about this book are the spelling and grammar errors that made me wince. So definitely chalking it up to a sweet, enjoyable read, but it didn't have any punch or pizzazz that would make me highly recommend it. I am very interested in the author's next works, though, and seeing how she grows as a writer and storyteller.
The dudes are all very diverse and have very different personalities so I was never left wondering who is who. None of them really gave me that *HOT* vibe though, and one of them kind of shifts his personality halfway through the book (like, radically….) so that was a bit jarring.
The main character can be a teeeeensy bit lifeless at times, but that also just fits the situation and everything she’s been through so it was easy to brush off. But she is never annoying and I never got the urge to yell at my tablet like a loon, so that’s a plus.
Still, there was just something *missing*, and I can’t quite put my finger on it.
The editing definitely needed some work - numerous grammatical and spelling errors that had me grinding my teeth by halfway through. Please, please get a proofreader for the next one.
The sexual tension was definitely lacking for me. I mean, I was never left panting and wondering when the panties would hit the floor already. It was just….sweet. That’s the whole book. Just very sweet.
I also just found it annoyingly easy how quickly she switched from never wanting a pack to being *in LOVE*. I dunno…I think the build up just wasn’t there for me. I didn’t once get the feeling that she was hung up on any of them. She found them attractive, sure, but I didn’t get the feeling that she *wanted* any of them. Or even had a sex drive until the first kiss, for that matter.
But it was good and sweet and I would give the second one a shot when it comes out. I’m just hoping the typos get a more thorough vetting.
2 Weeks Later: All I can remember about this book are the spelling and grammar errors that made me wince. So definitely chalking it up to a sweet, enjoyable read, but it didn't have any punch or pizzazz that would make me highly recommend it. I am very interested in the author's next works, though, and seeing how she grows as a writer and storyteller.
February 15, 2022
I was excited to receive the arc for this book! I love anything omegaverse and this one checked all the boxes for me (nesting, bonding, knotting)!
Eloise is in her 20’s so she is considered an older omega. The omega center is wanting her to pick a pack but she is holding out for her best childhood friend. He promised he would come get her when she turned 18 but still hasn’t shown up. The center forces her to stay with the Pack Russo in hopes she will bond with them.
Leon, alpha of Pack Russo, refuses to bond with an omega. He is a true alphahole! Gage, also an alpha, is a protective teddy bear. He makes you want to just sit on his lap and snuggle! Eric, an alpha, is sweet and fierce! He will do anything to protect Eloise. Dominic, alpha, is use to partying and doing his own thing. He also has some secrets he is keeping from the pack. And then we have Owen, a beta. He is sweet, funny and carefree! I absolutely fell in love with him! Lincoln is Eloise’s best childhood friend. He is sweet and protective of Eloise, even in childhood!
I loved everything about this book! I fell in love with the characters and how they came together to bond as a pack. This book had angst, drama, action, heartache, and spicy! If you like your omegaverse stories on the sweeter side then I recommend this book! For this being Calliope’s debut novel I think she rocked it! I can’t wait for the second book in this standalone series!
Eloise is in her 20’s so she is considered an older omega. The omega center is wanting her to pick a pack but she is holding out for her best childhood friend. He promised he would come get her when she turned 18 but still hasn’t shown up. The center forces her to stay with the Pack Russo in hopes she will bond with them.
Leon, alpha of Pack Russo, refuses to bond with an omega. He is a true alphahole! Gage, also an alpha, is a protective teddy bear. He makes you want to just sit on his lap and snuggle! Eric, an alpha, is sweet and fierce! He will do anything to protect Eloise. Dominic, alpha, is use to partying and doing his own thing. He also has some secrets he is keeping from the pack. And then we have Owen, a beta. He is sweet, funny and carefree! I absolutely fell in love with him! Lincoln is Eloise’s best childhood friend. He is sweet and protective of Eloise, even in childhood!
I loved everything about this book! I fell in love with the characters and how they came together to bond as a pack. This book had angst, drama, action, heartache, and spicy! If you like your omegaverse stories on the sweeter side then I recommend this book! For this being Calliope’s debut novel I think she rocked it! I can’t wait for the second book in this standalone series!
July 31, 2022
Where to start? First, I’ll echo what everyone else was saying about the editing. I’m not one to let some editing issues detract for a book typically, but literally every page had major punctuation issues, the capitalization was all over the place, and I’m fairly certain the author never even did a cursory look through of their own writing. It kept pulling me out of the story.
As for the plot:
I feel like this would have been a great slow burn, but they really just launched themselves into it. It was like we jumped from “I’ll never love anyone but my childhood friend,” and “I’ll never trust an omega,” to “I think I love them and want to be pack,” so abruptly.
None of the characters were really fleshed out in any way. They were all boring and basic and truly nothing special.
The “plot twist” at the end? I knew by the end of the first chapter that she’d been murdered. It was painfully obvious and I was more surprised by the reveal that they thought she’d killer herself.
I skimmed all of the sex scenes. Literally nothing appealing to them.
Doms whole thing was just annoying.
Lincs thing was also annoying but for a different reason. His story should have been elaborated a lot more and I would have loved a more in depth look at him repairing his relationship with Eloise.
Only reason it got 2 stars instead of 1 was because I was able to actually finish it, and it wasn’t a half bad plot idea.
As for the plot:
I feel like this would have been a great slow burn, but they really just launched themselves into it. It was like we jumped from “I’ll never love anyone but my childhood friend,” and “I’ll never trust an omega,” to “I think I love them and want to be pack,” so abruptly.
None of the characters were really fleshed out in any way. They were all boring and basic and truly nothing special.
The “plot twist” at the end? I knew by the end of the first chapter that she’d been murdered. It was painfully obvious and I was more surprised by the reveal that they thought she’d killer herself.
I skimmed all of the sex scenes. Literally nothing appealing to them.
Doms whole thing was just annoying.
Lincs thing was also annoying but for a different reason. His story should have been elaborated a lot more and I would have loved a more in depth look at him repairing his relationship with Eloise.
Only reason it got 2 stars instead of 1 was because I was able to actually finish it, and it wasn’t a half bad plot idea.
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