Whiskey & Sin

by Emily Rath

Run.

In a world where unbonded omegas are worth their weight in gold, running is the only thing Silas Wright knows. Run from the criminal alpha pack hunting him. Run from the dark secrets haunting his nightmares. Run from himself.

Stumbling in the dark down a twisting mountain road, Silas is on the run when a stranger comes crashing into his life. This alpha is dangerous, but Silas is out of options. Forced to accept help, Silas finds himself holed up in a lonely mountain cabin. Cornered and desperate, Silas must quickly decide: Can I trust this alpha? Can I let him know my secret?

“My handsome rescuer may be an alpha…but I am no beta.”

WHISKEY & SIN is a standalone MM Omegaverse novel featuring dark themes in a small town setting. For a full list of content warnings, see the author's website. 

Genres: Omegaverse, M M Romance, Romance, Audiobook, Fantasy, LGBT, Queer

472 pages, ebook

First published October 25, 2022

About the author

Emily Rath is a USA Today and international bestselling author whose chart-topping, sex-positive, queer-inclusive fantasy and romance novels include the Second Sons Regency romances, the Tuonela Duet fantasy novels, and the ‘why choose’ Jacksonville Rays Hockey Romances. A former university professor, she holds PhDs in Political Science and Peace Studies. Emily lives with her husband, son, and cats in the Pacific Northwest. She can be found online at EmilyRathBooks.com, on Instagram @emilyrathauthor and on TikTok @emilyrathbooks.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read an o/b/a book before, you've probably read a plot of similar to this before.


Injured omega gets away from a research facility.
No scent ability.
Meets alpha.
Oh wow, scent is back.
/insert dramatic music here.
Try scent blockers.
Scent blockers don't work, oh noooooooooooooo.
Alpha do the protect.
Ohhhh no, a heat, who would have possibly seen this coming?
Fucking fucking fucking - knot knot knot...
Omega: "bite me"
Alpha: "no"
*insert complication of story here, make sure Alpha solves complication ✨because Alpha✨*
Omega: "bite me"
Alpha: "okay" om nom nom nom.
FIN.
✨TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.✨


Mid af. 🙄🙄 4 hours too long for how interesting the story was.


And realistically, the Omega got rescued by hot man-bunned Alpha who showed him kindness, did everything/anything he needed (for the omega who was a complete stranger and didn't know he was omega), helped get him help for his broken leg, took him into his home, let him stay FOR FREE, respected his boundaries, showed him friendship and support, GAVE HIM A LASAGNE DINNER COMPLETE WITH ACCOMPANYING GB... And the Omega went all "WHAT DO YOU FUCKING WANT FROM ME!? EVERY ALPHA WANTS SOMETHING! COME NEAR ME AND I'LL PUT YOUR DICK IN A BLENDER"......... And I will NEVER stand for that disrespect, over a lasagne dinner.



The alpha also didn't give a fuck if his dog died, and that's is -34567890 stars for me.

[Kati *☆･ﾟ(Dramione obsessed rn) · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-read on audio May 2024

I like listening to Tor Thom and he did a fine job with Bear’s POV. But new-to-me narrator Diontae Black definitely stole the show. His performance was great for all the characters and I wouldn’t have minded at all him narrating the whole thing.


4.75***** stars

That first taste of Silas made Bear ready to forget his own name. It was better than anything he’d ever tasted—smooth as whiskey, sultry as sin.

I love me a good omegaverse romance and I loved this one to pieces! You can expect a solid plot, a bit of angst, intense feelings, a beautiful slow-burn love story and all the heartwarming found-family vibes.


my book favorites:

Ω Claire & Yumi arriving
Ω caught on the knot
Ω bonus epilogue

“Well, I fucking love you, and I’m not gonna watch you hurt yourself out of fear of being who and what you are!” […]

“You are a hurricane of passion and hope and strength. I wanna stand at your center and feel your chaos.”

💀💀🫠

Usually with these kinds of stories there’s a lot of sex involved —which I appreciate *wink But babes, if you’re different than me, and you value a good written story with less sex BUT a whole lot of unresolved sexual tension, God! this one’s for you!! Really, this tension was driving me nuts. For almost 300 pages!

And when this tension didn’t have me climbing the walls I was invested like hell in the story as well as the characters.

I love Emily Rath’s writing and I loved her little story about how she came to write this one for Bear and Silas at the end of the book. I absolutely recommend. ♡


And man, I freaking love this cover! (unlike the alternative cover that seems to be new)

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whiskey & Sin by Emily Rath is a stand alone, alpha/omega romance. Wow, Just Wow! This book was amazing. It was swoony, sweet, suspenseful and absolutely wonderful! I want to say first, that this is NOT a paranormal romance. These are not shifters of any kind. It’s more of an alternate world type of story. A world where humans are born as either an alpha, omega or beta. This is by far, the best alpha/omega book I’ve read so far!

Henry (Bear) Beresford is an alpha who left his pack. He just wanted solitude. He still lives in the same town as his pack but rarely sees them. He’s resigned himself to a future alone. But then one night he’s on his way home on a desolate country road when he comes across a wounded man on the side of the road in the pouring rain. A man who is clearly terrified but desperately needs help. A man he feels drawn to, even in the pouring rain.

Silas Wright is an omega, trying to pass as a beta. Silas is injured and is on the run from a criminal pack who will do anything to catch him. When the huge man in the truck stops to help him, his instincts tell him to run. But there’s another part of him that says this man is safety. That this man won’t hurt him. That he can trust him. But in Silas’s past, trust has not been something he’s been able to experience. So why would this man be any different?

Silas has no choice but to let Bear take him home to his cabin. He needs rest, and he needs to heal. Bear knows nothing about Silas. He hasn’t shared anything with him. But he instinctively knows that he is hiding a horrible past. That he has been hurt beyond anything he could ever imagine. But he also knows that he is in danger as long as Silas is in his home. That he needs to let him go. So why does that make him crazy every time he thinks about it?

I was on the edge of my seat SO MANY TIMES while reading this! But there are also so many swoony moments. Bear and Silas both endured so much. They were meant for one another. They needed one another. I loved watching Silas’s confidence grow. Watching him blossom. He was so strong. This book was amazing in every way. I’ll be thinking about Bear and Silas long after this review is written.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[~Nicole~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book with a trope I don’t usually enjoy and can’t usually appreciate at its proper value but that it would make a great read for Omega-verse aficionados, I heard good things about it and I was curious.
It is a pretty long book, a well written one by a completely new-to-me author and I enjoyed a lot the first 60% of it. A LOT! But then it got to the typical omega-verse …umm ..activities and I kind of checked out.. You know, corny love declarations, knot, heat, whimpers and fluids and begging and..you get the picture.. Then at about 80% my interest was piqued again and I enjoyed it until the end.
I liked both characters very very much and my heart broke for Silas…He was so traumatized that he was almost like a feral dog when Bear found him . I loved the proper, deserved and well executed slow burn and I loved how strongly Bear loved him and how he refused to be alpha of the pack saying “My priority will always be Silas” *sigh 😍
3,5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4. If you love Omega Universe you will love this one. It’s good.

[Iman (hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuck, that was sooo good! 😩 I breezed through those 460 pages lmao so fucking amazing 🤭😋💅😩🥹😍😝😛

You know that gut feeling in the stomach that hurt when you read? The beginning of the book was constant of that gut to the stomach. Every fucking second. It was such a pleasure. I was so hurt, but couldn’t pull away.

This book gave me all the feels 🥹😩 and all the entertainment. I couldn’t put it down !!! I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed grumpy MCs 😩😩 Gosh, they’re so good together. You know those couples in books that just have that intense chemistry since the first page? That’s THEM!

They had that really strong connection I can’t even deny it. They focus on their emotional bond and it was detailed, intense and perfect. The slow burn actually helps with their love development. I also adore that they talk and communicate everytime they doubted each other. I love that they took their time to discover things along with being so gentle with each other. Holy shit, they’re perfect.

I would say this book focus more on their love and character development. These books always have much more deeper meaning to me and I enjoyed this a whole lot. Silas’s trauma was presented so well, I felt bad for him. I kinda wish for more Bear’s backstory though. Storyline-wise, nothing much really happen, and the climax was as expected, but Idk how this author do it, I enjoyed this so much.

“I’m on edge because I feel it,” Silas countered, leaning forward in his chair. His heart was racing so fast. “Down to my bones, I ache with it, Bear. I can’t breathe with your eyes on me… but I can’t breathe when you look away either. And it’s not fading, it’s getting stronger. And I’m scared. You make me want things I’ve been afraid to want all my life. You make me think I could have things… that I deserve to have them—”

This book had a different take on omegaverse, which is so interesting to me. I am not new to omegaverse and mpreg dynamics, but the backstory of this was definitely a new one to me. It was more on the darker side, but definitely fun, entertaining and an eye opener to me.

I kinda wish they did something while Silas was at the house for three weeks since Bear was so worried about the Floyd guy. Should have done preparations and they should have put some more thoughts into Silas’ his dangerous situation or something. Anyway, it didn’t falter my enjoyment away, just a thought I had after finishing.

[Anna]

dnf @ 7%

I can't stand Bear's narrator, Tor Thom. He is so monotone yet inflects random syllables and is trying so hard to sound erotic. And his laughs are horrendous. Apparently this is the same narrator as Heated Rivalry.

The other narrator, Diontae Black, did a great job. He carried this book.

I was also bored and confused with the lack of world building, but the final straw was when the white side character accused the black MC of being a rapist, bank robber, drug dealer, and pedophile.

Had to pull the text from the book to make sure I heard that right.

"Are you a rapist?"
Silas gasped, eyes wide. "What? No!"
"You rob any banks around here?"
Silas glanced sharply from Bear back to Jared. "No."
"You into kiddie porn or some twisted shit like that?"
"God-no," Silas panted.

[kaye taz · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Format: audiobook
Narration: 🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤/5

I honestly had no expectations going into this but I was floored with how much I wound up loving this story and these characters.

I’m still relatively new-ish into omegaverse, and this story had the most world-building of any books I’ve read in the genre thus far, but I loved it. I felt fully immersed in the world and I just loved the whole background about the different designations and the politics surrounding unbonded omegas. Everything Silas went through was sad and devastating but also just a really interesting plot line.

I loved the hurt/comfort aspects and the scent bonding. I also really enjoyed Bear’s background and how packs worked in this world. But Bear and Silas together were just perfect, both the sweet and spicy moments they shared.

There’s a lot of action and moving pieces all throughout the book and there was never a dull moment. I just really had such a fun time reading this.

Also this audiobook was amazing. Highly recommend to feel even more connected to the characters!

[Barbara➰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Rath popped up on my TikTok feed promoting Whiskey & Sin, and I was intrigued. A slightly different take on the a\b\o dynamic where packs are formed, but not shifters, and the omega is the center of their universe. But it doesn't stop those who only want to take what's not theirs to give.

Even dealing with the heavy subject matter, it was beautiful and romantic. Even with a much-needed slow burn, it still flowed as it should have.

It gripped me from the first two sentences and never let go:

"This was rock bottom. Silas stood in the middle of the disgusting gas station bathroom and the sinking feeling hit him: I never want to leave.

Poor Silas. He'd been through so much in his short life: left alone by his family, trapped in an omega center, and forced into things against his will... numb.

Silas should have been the center of someone's universe.

Bear swoops in as a temporary savior, but then he can't let Silas go. Can't leave him alone. He tries just as Silas tries to stay numb because everyone you love leaves, right?

My heart didn't just break for these two, it wept.

I wept.

But Emily didn't let us down. These two get the happy ending they deserve and it's beautiful. Just right for the two of them.

It's been a long time since I couldn't put a book down, but Whiskey & Sin blew away my expectations. This will definitely be one I'll read over and over. I'm still thinking about these two. Let the book hangover begin.

[Amur Thera · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good
+ Silas learning to trust Bear
+ Nesting
+ Silas living in Bear's scent
+ Bear loving Silas wholly and completely, even when Silas was not yet able to return the sentiment
+ Bear making sure Silas always consented properly

The neutral
o I didn't like anyone in the Beresford family, and didn't understand why Bear was suddenly cool with everyone (and his vet friend) after the way they treated Silas
o Reed was a bad father and I don't care that Bear and Liam forgave him. I didn't

The bad
- Bear only helped Silas because he was an omega. When he thought Silas was a beta, he was ready to kick him out, but as soon as he smelled Silas was actually an omega, he promised to help him because it was "basic human decency". Decency that only gets extended to omegas, apparently
- Bear's friend the vet also wanted Silas gone because he'd only bring trouble. Who the fuck are all these people that they'd kick a victim of human trafficking to the curb just because he'd make their lives a little bit more complicated? Of course, the vet also changed his tune as soon as he heard Silas was an omega, because human trafficking victims only deserve your help when they're omegas. Betas are just chopped liver
- Bear's sister and her mate were invasive and annoying, and I didn't understand how Silas could stand them. I also don't think Bear's sister would be a good pack alpha if she could read Silas' cues this badly
- Bear's description of his cousin's mate: "She was fertile like an omega. They'd been bonded for six years and she'd already pumped out five kids." Describing a person like this is so degrading
- Silas said he never ever wanted children. Instead of accepting this, Bear said they'd revisit that conversation in another year. What the hell, Bear? He doesn't want to have children, end of story. If you want children that badly, don't bond with someone who doesn't want any
- All the alphas in Bear's not-pack perfectly fit Silas' picture of what an alpha was like, and what Bear thought an alpha shouldn't be like. But at the end of the book, they were all in the same pack anyway without any changes and everything was supposedly sunshine and rainbows
- I don't care that Silas got six million dollars out of his court cases against the pharmaceutical company and the Omega Center. The only thing I cared about was that the people who were responsible for the trials got punished. Five million dollars is nothing for a large pharmaceutical company, so I don't feel like Silas' confessions made any kind of impact at all


There were some really sweet moments in this book, and I loved how much Bear valued Silas' consent. But I felt like I was reading a dystopian novel, and even went back to check to make sure it wasn't. This especially tainted the HEA for me, because Omega Centers were still a thing and nothing was really done to fix any of that. Add to that that I liked none of the side characters except Liam, and nothing much is left to enjoy. At least I got to see Bear punch Boyd in the face. Twice.

[♡ sorcerer supreme ♡]

a rant for like half of the book bc i dnfed:

i was utterly so exhausted with this. i want to have fun when reading books and with this one i feel like there's just this dark gloomy cloud floating above my head. and when the mcs kissed? i didn't swoon aka the big red flag for me in reading romance books. this first romantic interaction wasn't worthwhile because to me there was nothing that eventually leads up to that scene. the spark between the mcs were this on-and-off kind of situation. sometimes it was there and most of the time it wasn't. i need a romantic/sexual tension in a slowburn to be this definite and strong line that continuously to grow all through out the book slowly. so when something romantically happened, i can fully appreciate it. silas' nonstop reiterations of his past life was just draining and at first i was rooting for him but turns out the next 100+ chapters revolved only to that. kudos to bear for handling all that because if i were him i would send him packing. i went in with this book feeling like a capital T and i went out feeling like a lower case s.

[Kaity]

Audio: 4.5 stars for Diontae Black (he could have done the whole book) and 4 stars for Tor Thom

Book: DNF @pg 218, chapter 35.

I must have read a different book than everyone else because I cannot get into this one at all!

I was getting annoyed from the number of times "alpha", and "omega", were on each page. I looked it up on my Kindle, "alpha" comes up 939 times, and "omega" comes up 420. I got it Bear's alpha smelled good, and Silas you were trying not to let your omega side show.

Normally I don't mind ABO books, but this one felt like it was dragging. I was invested at the beginning with Silas and how he managed to escape his situation, then Bear comes in. But then it just was a lot of telling and not enough showing. It felt very repetitive every chapter and I just couldn't anymore.

Maybe it was my mood that made me less tolerant to the writing style, but I don't think it was...

Overall, I am bummed I didn't like this more, it got high ratings from a lot of my Goodread friends, so i guess take my review with a grain of salt.

[Drache.... (Angelika) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 stars.
This was a intense omegaverse romance, with dark and heavy parts, but there were many sweet parts, too.
The omegaverse - world was shown without any info dump, and that's always nice.

Bear was the most wonderful alpha MC imaginable.
He was protective and fierce, loving and caring, and always, always looking out for what was in Silas's best interest.
What I loved most were the hurt/comfort-theme and the consent-theme, both closely tied to Bear's character.

The new cover feels too light in my opinion and doesn't mirror the book's content. I liked the earlier version much more.
Be aware of the trigger warnings.
This has also some fighting and killing (I did not enjoy that part very much), and contrary to many reviews it didn't feel very slow-burn-y (I know that's not a word, sorry not sorry) to me, I could have had the MCs longing/pining for much longer, but my tolerance for slow burn is high.
There was plenty of sex (in the second half of the book) but it didn’t feel too much.

Overall a great omegaverse romance (without shifters, without mpreg on page).

Thanks to my friend Elizabeth for putting this in my line of sight!

[Ash]

DNF @ 25%

I’m really disappointed because I was really looking forward to this, but it just did not work for me. It’s not the plot that bothered me, but a lot of little things that just built up.

Here is my silly little ick list that I made as I was reading:

• the word “Alphahole” (I thought I left that behind in my sjm days)
• Silas being questioned about being a junkie after he broke his leg and asked for pain killers
• Bear’s cousin wanting to have their child’s nickname be “B.J” (the same cousin he called extremely fertile which also gave me the ick)
• Bear describing the smell of a stinky man’s jizzy underwear
• Bear being overly suspicious when Silas asked for a hoodie (it felt like a bad excuse to have Silas’s trauma be told)
• Everyone being to referred to as alpha/beta/omega rather than their name (“this beta”, “the alpha in front of me”)
• The connection between Bear and Silas feels very “biological” based. Like they keep going on about scents and urges.

Unfortunately these things made me lose interest in the story real quick.

But I will say I thought Silas’s narrator was amazing! He added a lot of emotion into his sentences, and did sound effects too which added a lot to the experience.

[martina (the life of a chaotic reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay i liked this. i did. but it was definitely too long. around 75% i was starting to loose interest. which is a shame, because i liked the characters, plot and even the take on omegaverse.

[Rhonda 🌒🌕🌘 🐈‍⬛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 🌟
4/5 ❤️‍🩹
4/5 🥰
4/5 🌶️
2/5 🔎
4/5 😰😱
3/5 🎭😂
2/5 🎭😭
0/5 👻
2/5 🔬
4/5 🔫
3/5 🏥
3/5 ✍🏼
0/5 🥱

⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS:⛔️⚠️

Sexual Content
Trafficking
Physical Abuse
Gun Violence
Violence
Death
Murder
Car Accident
Sexual Assault
Sexual Violence
Rape
Panic Attacks
Injury/Injury Detail
Suicidal Thoughts and Ideations
Emotional Abuse
Forced Institutionalization
Cancer
Blood
Gore
Medical Content
Medical Trauma
Grief
Kidnapping
Alcohol Use
Drug Use
Drug Abuse
Body Horror
Fire/Fire Injury
Abandonment
Domestic Abuse
Self Harm
Sexual Harassment
Slavery
Alcoholism
Torture
Toxic Relationship
Profanity
Dysphoria
Confinement
Parent Death
Gaslighting
Miscarriage
Pregnancy


🗯️💬BOOK BLURB:💬🗯️

Run.

In a world where unbonded omegas are worth their weight in gold, running is the only thing Silas Wright knows. Run from the criminal alpha pack hunting him. Run from the dark secrets haunting his nightmares. Run from himself.

Stumbling in the dark down a twisting mountain road, Silas is on the run when a stranger comes crashing into his life. This alpha is dangerous, but Silas is out of options. Forced to accept help, Silas finds himself holed up in a lonely mountain cabin. Cornered and desperate, Silas must quickly decide: Can I trust this alpha? Can I let him know my secret?

“My rescuer may be an alpha…but I am no beta.”

WHISKEY & SIN is a standalone MM Omegaverse novel featuring dark themes in a small town setting. For a full list of content warnings, see the author's website.

🌎📖OVERALL REVIEWS📖🌎
Courtesy of Storygraph

COMMUNITY REVIEWS
SUMMARY OF 576 REVIEWS

Moods
emotional 87%
dark 53%
tense 45%
hopeful 44%
adventurous 32%
sad 30%
challenging 22%
mysterious 14%
reflective 13%
inspiring 12%
funny 11%
lighthearted 7%
relaxing 3%
Pace
medium 59%
fast 21%
slow 19%
Plot- or character-driven?
A mix: 57% | Character: 37% | Plot: 4%
Strong character development?
Yes: 86% | It's complicated: 7% | No: 5%
Loveable characters?
Yes: 89% | It's complicated: 5% | No: 5%
Diverse cast of characters?
Yes: 92% | No: 5% | It's complicated: 1%
Flaws of characters a main focus?
Yes: 64% | It's complicated: 20% | No: 15%
Average rating
4.03 ⭐️

🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔

While I loved The Pucking Around series by Emily Rath, this book just left me with questions!! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book immensely and I really like Rath’s writing style but I need some logistics! I’m not going to pretend to be all knowing about animal husbandry but I really need the details about a male omegas anatomy. How is a male “going into heat”? Why does a male omega need birth control? How is it even possible? I would’ve been most happy to get some background information on this! Of course these questions lead to more questions and I’m either being obtuse or I just do not understand and everything I was taught was a lie! Seriously, if you know how these things occur, please dm me. Inquiring minds (mine) wanna know. Other than that conundrum, I really liked the story. Needless to say it was entertaining and the book contained most of the key elements needed for a fantastic read. I would even enjoy reading more books about Bear and Silas. They were so sweet and loving. But for real, I had no idea how needy, high maintenance and whiny a male omega could be. I think I found that, in ways, was more comical than the story itself.

RATING KEY:

🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book
❤️‍🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading
🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect
🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes
🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why
😰 Scared🫣/Anxious😱 - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading
🎭 Comedy😂/Tragedy😭
-based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy
👻 Spooky😵‍💫/Creepy🧟‍♀️ -based on if this had any occult or paranormal themes and if those elements creeped me out or gave me anxiety!
🔬 Sci-Fi -based on the Science Fiction in the book as well as the Dystopian elements.
🔫 Action/Thriller -based on if I thought this was more of a spy action type of thriller.
🏥 Medical Content -based on the amount and the accuracy of any medical content or if the book is supposed to be a medical style thriller.
✍🏼 Writing Style -based on if I enjoyed the writing style or not and how the author portrayed the world, characters, concept, plot etc.
🥱 Boredom -based on if I was bored if it held my interest or if I’d rather be doing something else 😴
🙅🏻‍♀️ DNF -based on if the book is just stupid, boring, childish, overly ridiculous etc.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was perfect for what I needed.

I wanted a low stress omegaverse available as an audiobook from my library.

This is dual POV with two male narrators and their voices were both delicious.

Silas has been trafficked for 7 years after a medical procedure gone wrong. He is finally able to escape before he's taken to a pack who just purchased him.

He meets Bear on the road... and ends up going home with him.

Surprisingly, the villains don't show up much and when they do, our heroes are able to triumph. I could see the author try to stress me out multiple times but, for whatever reason, this book did not make me anxious. Tho it might do that for others.

I loved the hurt/comfort in here. Silas has been pretty severely abused and he's trying to figure out how to live again.

I was annoyed with Bear a little from time to time for not getting with the program early enough but, like I said, this book didn't stress me out.

They end up falling in love and defending each other from the villains.

The ending is a major win for Silas and they definitely are in their HEA.

Please note there is a LOT of past trauma that is described. It wasn't graphic, but it was a lot. And there's a lot of present violence as the heroes kill off the villains attacking them. Once again, I didn't feel like the gore was graphically described.

No other men. For either of them. Poor Silas has been sexually assaulted and trafficked in the past but hasn't had a loving partner. We don't hear about any past partners for Bear.

This has amazing consent and I appreciate that. Sometimes omegaverse can be used to justify dubious or nonconsent but Bear hurts himself to keep Silas safe and happy because it's so important that Silas be aware enough to give consent.

[BookSafety Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

“Nothing has ever felt more real in my life. Nothing. Not my work, not my pack or my family, my life in the military. God, I don’t even feel real anymore, Silas. You are my real.”

Probably my favorite MM omegaverse. My second time reading it (listened to half of it when I figured out I had access to the audio), and it was just as good the second time around. It’s a little dark and gritty, angsty for an omegaverse novel, and no instalove. It’s a slow burn with a lot of mental and physical healing happening long before anything happens between MCs, which I really love.

It’s diverse and a very different take on the omegaverse trope than many others I have read (which is a LOT). Highly recommend if you like this trope but want a bit more seriousness mixed in. Great mental health representation as well.

“[…] You are a hurricane of passion and hope and strength. I wanna stand at your center and feel your chaos.”

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Mental health rep
Alpha/omega
Omegaverse
Hidden designation
Past trauma
Tattooed lumberjack
BIPOC character
“Who did this to you?”
Hurt/comfort
Former soldier
Heat sex

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Forced drug use
MC a victim of human trafficking
Sex trafficking
Vomiting
Gun violence
Injured MCs
Gunshot wound
Death of side characters (bad guys)
Sexual abuse of MC (off page, past, some details)
Car crash (MC involved)
Brief suicidal thoughts
Brief mention of parent death (cancer, past, off page)
Brief mention of parent death (liver failure due to alcoholism, past, off page)
Heavy scarring due to abuse (MC)
PTSD symptoms (anxiety attacks, nightmares, flashbacks)
Forced hormone treatment (MC, past)
Non-consensual medical experiment (MC, past)
Drug use (scent blockers)
MC sick from drug side effects
Physical fight between MC and cousin (on page)
Injured MC (gunshot wound, on page)
Alcohol consumption (casual drink - social event)
Heat sex (MC awake but not 100% coherent at the time)
On-page murder (MCs killing to defend themselves)

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Omegaverse romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 25 and not specified
Series: Standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 472


“You show me a good alpha, and I’ll show you ten more who think ‘no’ means ‘yes.’”

Silas buried his face back against his Bear-scented pillow. He was such a mess, forcing the real thing away so he could cling to what remained.

Son of a— Bear fought a groan. That’s my fucking shirt. Silas was a little thief, pilfering all Bear’s favorite clothes for himself.



You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...

[ceiling.sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first omegaverse story I’ve really liked. This had way more plot and worldbuilding in it with engaging characters and actual romance, whereas my other forays into this genre has mostly been smut with minimal storyline. I loved how slow burn this was (such a nice surprise) and the hurt/comfort with the underlying UST was really lovely. I found the sex scenes weren’t as off putting (personal preference - no kink shaming) as other omegeverse books I’ve read.

Sometimes I felt like this was a second in a series or a spin-off as it seemed I should know Bears backstory and his pack dynamics better than I did. Although in fact I’d happily read other books in this universe. The author has done a great job of slowly explaining the omegaverse world without a big info dump at the beginning.

I don’t think I’ll ever be a diehard omegaverse fan but I’d happily read others by this author and am open to any recommendations for story’s similar to this, with a higher than usual plot:heat/slick/knot ratio.

[annob [on hiatus]]

Dnf @ 80%
Started so good, but halfway through I lost interest in both plot and characters.

[Jordan Fischer | julietfoxreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been on a bit of an omegaverse kick lately, so I thought it would be fun to try Emily Rath's Whiskey & Sin. Pucking Around was so fun and light, I was NOT expecting this book to be so HEAVY. It's AMAZING, and I really enjoyed it, but it's pretty intense with lots of thriller vibes. I couldn't put it down, but definitely check out the trigger warnings before picking it up.

Silas is an omega, but he's been on suppressants his entire life. He was sold to a rogue pack when he was younger and trafficked to powerful alphas for years. When he finally gets a chance to run, he ends up severely injured, walking down the side of a highway in the rain. The only person who stops is Bear, a loner alpha and local who immediately feels a pull towards him. Silas has serious trust issues and constantly pushes Bear away. Bear is worried about the implications of harboring a guy with so much baggage. As they get to know each other, however, they cannot deny that they really need each other - but will they be able to recognize that?

OMG y'all, Emily is amazing at writing well-fleshed out characters. I could FEEL Silas's trauma, the guy has been through so much. All of his issues and hang-ups are totally justified, but his journey to recovery and acceptance felt very well done and not rushed. Poor sweet Bear was also infinitely patient with him. He knows how pack dynamics work from growing up in a close-knit one, but he's also seen the same pack fall apart. He's cautious about reaching out to and helping Silas, which makes for a VERY slow burn, but y'all, when that spice drops - it's GOOD. I love Emily's smut scenes - so much emotion and tenderness.

I'd definitely recommend giving this book a shot if you are curious about omegaverse - it's a great story and the concepts are pretty easy to grasp. Just know you are more likely to be needing tissues than laughing like I did reading Emily's hockey books (though there are definitely some funny moments too!). Excellent read!

[Gustaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really long book and I've honestly never heard of this author before, but I'm glad I did because it was honestly so very good. I couldn't put it down, needing to know what would happen to Silas and Bear. I was hurting for Silas for most of the book. His past made want to put him in bubble wraps and protect him from everything and anything. Seeing him come out of his shell and starting to trust Bear was beautiful.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

•check trigger warnings•

Silas is a victim of trafficking and manages to escape while he's being transported. Bear finds him on the side of the road, injured in the dark, and Silas is forced to accept the strange alpha's help. Despite being wary of the alpha, the longer Silas stays the more Bear's protective instincts and feelings only grow. But Silas has a secret that puts both of them right in the path of danger.

Silas has been through hell and trusts nothing and no one. He wants his independence while at the same time trying to figure out his own omega-ness after having it suppressed for so long. He couldn't find a more perfect partner than Bear. Bear supports him in whatever he wants and shows him he can be brave, free, and happy. They are slow to warm to each other but Bear proves time and again that he respects Silas and his choices. Bear has been a little lost, but with Silas he is finally able to find his place in the pack. They are so sweet together and have a connection full of caring and thoughtfulness.

I loved the first half of his book. It was action packed and I was hooked on the back and forth as Silas and Bear figured each other out. The middle kind of lost me a bit. Once established I felt like a lot of their relationship growth was based on the omega/alpha bond and not actually knowing one another. After flying through the first half it got a little slow and felt long right up until the end. I liked how it all wrapped up though, Silas and Bear deserve all the good and happy moments they can get.

This was my first read by Emily Rath, and I'm looking forward to more!

Read if you like:
• hurt/comfort
• omegaverse
• small town romance

•••••••••••••••••••••

[QuietlyKat]

Going into Whiskey & Sin, I knew it had dark themes, the content warnings at the beginning of the story were clear and unambiguous. Furthermore, more often than not, I find the power dynamics of ABO problematic, but I went in anyway. Pretty much from the jump, I was telling myself to DNF but despite the voice of reason in my head, there were elements of the story that kept me engaged. I continued to the end but not without a lot of shaking my head thinking “Nope, nope, nope. Don’t like.”

I’m not going to rate this one because I ~knew~ I shouldn’t even pick it up but the premise sounded like something I’d like. It didn’t take long before I was sure it wasn’t going to work for me despite feeling engaged and curious. I persisted anyway. There were elements of Silas and Bear’s relationship dynamic that I liked but there were so many elements of the universe and the AO dynamic in general that I really hated, that felt bad, toxic, problematic. So Kat, maybe listen to your inner voice next time! And definitely do NOT ever revisit this one, even if some part of you memory remembers some of the kernels with fondness, it’s not your jam.

Edited to add:
For those wanting more clarity on some of the things I found problematic since my own review is so vague, I completely agree with every point Amur Thera makes in their thoughtful review.

[Mirian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was unnecessarily long. The plot was okay, but it dragged to holy hell.
It also felt like different parts of the book didn’t fit with other parts and there was a lot of information without any follow-through.
I like abo, especially nesting and bonding, hence the two stars. I’ll forget this book in two hours lol

[Nelly S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a refreshingly unique omegaverse romance! Give it a whirl if you’re into hurt/comfort and slow burns.

[Mir (fighting for her life to not read AI) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

A beautiful slow burn story about an omega that was basically sex trafficked for 7 years and the alpha who rescues him. I did really enjoy the story but I struggled a bit because I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. Bear and Silas did grow on me enough to like the book but I still didn’t really like them. Some of the side characters were actually really shitty people (Bear’s veterinary friend especially!).

The writing was fantastic, with great pacing on the story as a whole and the relationship. The way Bear earned Silas’ trust and truly deserved it was lovely. I really loved that it was an alpha/omega story without mpreg. I would’ve liked it more if it was a story with shifters…it kind of felt like it was even though they were just humans.

The whole thing was ruined for me, though, when Silas is quite sure of the fact that he doesn’t want children but then in the bonus epilogue he has given birth. Like there was no wiggle room in the book for what Silas wanted, but yet 🙄. I would’ve given this story a 4.5 stars and that was why I downloaded the extended epilogue. What a mistake.

If anyone has any omegaverse books they love without the mains getting pregnant/having kids, I’d love some recs!

[Jillian Blizzard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Emily’s writing style and her world building; however I am into omegaverse. I can kind of wrap my head around it if it’s werewolves but with people it’s hard for me. The whole calling each other alpha and omega; the “whining” and “knotting” after huge events (if you’ve read it I’m talking about the climax scene) we’re just strange to me. That being sad I loved the way Bear and Silas were with each other when they were just being cute AF slow burn to lovers and some of the spice was 🥵 but I just think omegaverse isn’t for me.

[Klyne McComas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book blind and I was pleasantly surprised!! It had a really good story line. I was new to this omega world so I had to do a lot of googling lol.

[Shelby | Spicy.booknook · Rating 5 out of 5]

MM Omegaverse
Hurt/Comfort
Found Family
Touch Him & Die
Forced Proximity
Feral Kitten Energy
Major Cinnamon Roll
Delicious Slow Burn
Spice: 🔥🔥🔥

This book 100% took me by surprise. It wasn't a rec, wasn't on my TBR, and the really popular book by this author I was kinda 'meh' about, so I wasn't sure I was even going to like it - but the audiobook was available with no hold on Libby so I got it. I am so glad I did because I loved it! The emotions in this story felt so real - the concerns that these characters had were very valid and in no way over the top or blown out of proportion. I haven't read a ton of Omegaverse, but this one is definitely my favorite so far.

Silas and Bear... oh man, what a great pairing. Silas is on the run from some truly horrible people. Bear is just a kind man that tries to help without really knowing the whole story. The world surrounding Silas is dark, gritty and very scary so needless to say he's ALWAYS on edge and trusts no one. His claws are always out, and its extremely understandable. The friendship and feelings that develop between these two transcend the hormones and instincts... its just so much more. The way that Bear helps Silas find himself and the way he absolutely protects and respects him is just beautiful.

This has a lot of dark elements to it, nothing between the two MCs but mostly Silas' past, so if needed please check TW. I do also want to give a huge nod to narrator Diontae Black. He was freaking fantastic! No problems with Tor Thom (Bear) but Diontae Black just stole the show - the emotion he put into his voice me had me tearing up so many times! I was a wreck, but in the best way.

[Ditte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.25

"You are not a reflection of the shit that’s been done to you. You don’t have to carry it or live inside it anymore.”

Wonderful slowburn omegaverse (no shifter) romance with a dark backstory.

Poor Silas, his life has been hell and it's no wonder he doesn't trust anyone, or even himself. The way Bear showed and encouraged Silas that he was strong and free and brave by being there for him in whatever capacity Silas allowed was beautiful. This man was so broken and it felt so incredible to see him start to find himself and come to trust in Bear.

And god, Bear? My darling Alpha boo. So good, so decent, so right for Silas. Him always allowing Silas to take the lead regardless of how his instincts were to throw himself at Silas, and how his need to protect this stranger was so overwhelming hit me hard.

The angst was on point, I was so upset and scared at times, and man, the slowburn romance was beautiful. Silas and Bear were just perfect for each other!! The book itself was a bit too long imo, but I still had a great time with it.