RH MMMM (2 Alphas, 1 Delta, 1 Beta)/Fated Mates-insta attraction/Multi PoV
SYNOPSIS (of Duet): This story is set in the Omegaverse where Omegas are rare and as such are collected at early ages to be raised in the “Omega Castle”, sequestered from the world and their families and seen purely for bonding and “breeding”. The FC, Audrey, was taken from her parents at 13 yrs and brought to Omega Castle where she was raised to be a perfect Omega waiting to be bonded when she reached 22yrs (the Omega age of maturity). The night before she turns 22yrs the FC has cold feet and when sneaking away to get a snack sees something she shouldn’t and thus flees the Castle. Whilst fleeing she meets one of her fated mates who tells her to run and that he will come after her. Fast forward to a year later and the FC is living in hiding as a Beta running a flower shop in a Beta only region. The story covers how her mates find her, how the FC is being sought by the Castle who are trying to kill her and the political intrigue and secrets that abound in the Alpha Council headed by the Monarch and which is saturated by perversity and twisted alphas.
Heat Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Amount of pages dedicated to sex scenes:🍆🍆🍆🍆 The amount of sex scenes ratchets up as the Duet progresses with multiple pages dedicated to such scenes in Book 2 especially when the FC has her heat. The scenes are hot and include group, MM and MF with quite a few MM focussed scenes without the FC involved. There are two primary MM groupings, Alpha/Beta and Alpha/Delta but they swap on occasion.
Overall View: This Duet is riddled with editing and typo issues which mean that sections of the books don’t make sense, words are missing, incorrectly used or spelt ie the FC steps onto a stool and then squeezes the bath mat with her toes 🤔? Whilst the FC is strong and likeable the MCs, especially Sebastian, are weak and indecisive. Book 1 starts strong with an interesting, albeit not unique, storyline which fails to deliver, is full of gaps and lacks resolution of the issues raised by the author.
The author introduces various sub plots and villainous characters but mostly leaves these unresolved or with gaps, for example, Seraphina is described as having been tortured for information, why bother when the alpha can just use his bark? There are mentions of the Omegas not being killed but other things happening but do the MCs do anything to look into this or question things further? No, in fact no one seems to question why alphas would indiscriminately murder Omegas when they are so rare and needed for the future of the race 🫣. There is a scene where the FC is attacked in the forest and there are descriptions of cuts and bruises etc. that she suffers but when she is found by the MCs they don’t seem interested in what she has gone through they just all leap in the shower and then there is no further mention of her injuries. Nat and Mila appear in Book 1 but then just disappear from the story only to pop up at the end of Book 2. You don’t find out until Book 2 why or how Bethany came back to the Castle and even then it makes little sense as to why her pack would bring her back when they could simply “alpha bark” her into submission.
It is frustrating when an author introduces a plot mechanism but then fails to use it consistently. This author is not consistent with her use of the alpha bark, sometimes it is used and cannot be broken, other times it is not used or is used and can be broken. If you are going to introduce this type of plot mechanism then at least be consistent and not when it suits 😖 There is some violence but not this is not lengthy, detailed or overly graphic and there is some drama but little actual angst.
The FC is one of the few redeeming characters, she is strong and likeable and not afraid to fight back. I much prefer this type of omega to the doormat type so many authors characterise. There are some likeable side characters who are dropped in and out of the story but which at least provide a bit more dimension.
There is a good amount of world building and background development for each alpha and they are each unique in what they bring to the story with Riot definitely being my favourite. Unfortunately, I found the pack lead Alpha to be weak and indecisive. The scene where he’s on the ‘phone to his father and just lets him play him, the scene in the lift where his father overpowers them, the fact that the two alphas appear to have spent years just doing what they have been told and condoning the perversions of the council and the indiscriminate killings, all this made it hard to like them. Even when the pack finally get their omega the don’t actually do anything to help of support her. The author introduces them as this strong group of deadly men but they turn out to be the opposite. They actively bring her into danger and deliver her up to her enemies leaving her to fend for herself. They do nothing to fight back and at every turn allow their fathers’ and the other heirs to behave horribly instead of just killing them or holding them to account. Heroes and strong, protective alphas they are not.
The climax of the Duet with the big showdown is absurd and unbelievable and most of the despicable villains are left without any comeuppance to continue living their twisted lives and retain their places on the council, even proven murderers – seriously? What’s that about? The author does not even bother to explain why. The author also seemed to think it was a great idea to bring all the characters that had done the MCs wrong together and have them all bear their souls or get some comeuppance. These were characters that had been briefly mentioned before in the books but who the reader didn’t really care about. As for the denouement of what happened to the FC’s family, I am still completely unclear as to exactly what the author was trying to say happened to them other than that they were probably dead. Was all this intended to be dramatic? Maybe it was just the author’s attempt to add a bit of interest and pad out the book? Why focus on redemption/punishment of these meaningless characters yet leave the real villains unaddressed? This section added nothing to the story and the reader is left wondering what the Monarch and his henchman were doing during the time all the others were catching up with their pasts except apparently politely waiting to pop up when everyone had finished their individual chats. The Monarch, being the main villain of the story, had, by this point, been made into some old fashioned, moustache twirling caricature who somehow inexplicably knows all and sees all and the MCs are apparently bullet proof.
In summary, this Duet started strong but ended up being frustrating and pointless with little romance, weak MCs and a completely unsatisfying ending.