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Seven Omegas for Seven Alphas #1

The Duke's Unwilling Bride

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Joseph and Teresa's Book

No good deed goes unpunished.

When I agreed to help my friend unload his ward on some unsuspecting gentleman, I never expected to find myself walking into the parson’s trap.

It is unfortunate for her that I am not the kind, indulgent sort of husband she must have hoped to ensnare.

And although I have every intention of claiming her the way only and Alpha can claim his omega, her deception cannot go unpunished. Bound in my ropes, she is subjected to every devious, delicious torture I can conjure up.

But the more I exact my revenge on her beautiful, willing body, the more I find myself craving her. Her scent, her touch, her wicked, quick wit. If I am not careful, I risk losing the one thing I have sworn no woman would ever be allowed to own.

My heart.

Seven Omegas for Seven Alphas is a dark omegaverse set in a world where title and rank is determined by dynamic rather than birth and where sweet little omegas are the belle of every ball.

414 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2023

318 people are currently reading
666 people want to read

About the author

Vivian Murdoch

79 books1,163 followers
Vivian is a sassy romance writer that likes to brat just as much as she writes. As a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants author, she's usually working furiously into the night when her creative juices hit her the hardest. Her books like to take you to the dark side and force you to dip your toes in, but don't drown you. She loves writing alphaholes, anti-heroes, and heroes you just love to hate. She likes to try out everything she's putting her heroines through, so the phrase “for science” is used in her house a lot! When she's not writing, you can probably find her playing Animal Crossing or tormenting her cats and Husdom.

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5 stars
134 (28%)
4 stars
157 (33%)
3 stars
123 (26%)
2 stars
40 (8%)
1 star
12 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
Profile Image for Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels).
1,292 reviews1,727 followers
August 14, 2024
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: A touch
Perspective: First person from both the hero and heroine split between chapters
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes, but it’s from Kitty’s perspective and gives insight into the next book in the series (so not a true epilogue of the main characters)

(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )

Should I read in order?
There is a prequel novella titled The Duke’s Christmas Rejection but I think this is fine to pick up alone.

Basic plot:
Teresa is alone after losing her father. Her guardian is forcing her to find a match, and unfortunately she’s soon compromised by a man she considers an annoyance.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period
- omegaverse (a society construct of alphas, betas and gammas)
- bet (the heroes of the series put in 1,000 pounds each they won’t be the first to marry)
- you’re okay with a cruel hero, a self described sadist, and some levels of darkness and dubious consent and non consensual acts
- compromised heroine
- enemies to lovers – these two do not get along in the beginning...or most of the book :P
- kink – levels of punishment and control in the bedroom, sadism, some rough words/hands, bondage, knotting, praise
- higher steam - 5 full scenes with a variety of activities (see end of review for details)


Ages:
- Heroine is 18, would guess the hero is late 20s? I don’ t think it’s mentioned.

First Lines:

Cold.
Desolate.
Alone.
The Words thrum through my head in an endless refrain as I place my hand against the frosty glass, letting the chill seep into me.


My thoughts:
Ugh THIS BOOK!!! This book wrecked me in the best way. If you prefer your romances light-hearted, established consent, and sweet, gentle heroes you will want to avoid this one. It’s gritty, with a jerky hero, it’s a bit rough physically and emotionally. Murdoch’s heroes don’t grovel – but they do put their heroines first when they realize they have their heart.

This was my first omegaverse style romance and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I liked that it wasn’t super overwhelming?? I liked that Murdoch really seemed to focus on the character driven, angsty plotlines I love. We have kind of a general break down of society into the a/b/o dynamics but it wasn’t overdone. As I usually read regular historical romance it didn’t feel THAT different from that...except there’s knotting and nesting and a few other things that were just, well, different.

There was something about this one that awoke in me the feelings Whitney My Love gave me decades ago. It kicked my heart around and pieced it back together. Except the sex was way more hot 🤣

Teresa I really liked, even though she cried a lot. She had quite a few rough things happen to her so it was understandable. I thought she was a good match for Joseph, I liked how she held her ground against him and just wound her way into his heart.

Joseph is definitely a jerky hero. There’s a bit of assumptions made and a touch of miscommunication here (if they had just sat down and talked openly, some of their discord would have been eliminated for sure) but it worked for me here so well – it just added so much angst and heart break and I’m apparently a masochist for that in romance. It’s so cathartic for my heart to get beat up…

I am definitely be eagerly awaiting more in this series...

Omegaverse World: This is really just a random section of notes/thoughts I came across that set this book apart as omegaverse and what Murdoch included in her depiction of it here


Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:


Content warnings:


Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
dnf-too-early-to-mark-it-read
December 17, 2025
DNF at 13%

I read this series' prequel, and even though I hate cliffhangers, I thought it was interesting enough to try.

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this was free and didn't hesitate to click on it.

My mistake.

I gave up on this because of two reasons:




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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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Profile Image for Cécile Smits .
1,468 reviews286 followers
August 31, 2023
After the Duke’s Christmas Rejection,i wanted more.
More of this world.
More of those delicious Alphas.
And more of those sweet Omegas.
And having The Duke’s Unwilling Bride in my library,there was nothing stopping me.
What i got was breaking my heart,but making me smile too,as well as having me call out for hubby on a regular basis…..
In short,i had a great time with this one!

Teresa not only lost her father,she’s losing everything else as well….
Her cousin Asher has taken over the household,and is selling everything of value,claiming it’s because her father was deeply into debts.
Not only that,he sends away the servants closest to her,leaving her with his staff that only ridicule her.
When his friend Joseph arrives and offers to marry her off for a generous sum of money,he’s quick to agree.
But what of Teresa’s opinion??
Neither man seems to care how she feels.
Joseph will teach her whatever necessary to show what a good wife she’ll make,but she’s not going to make it easy,no way!
He treats her with contempt,nearly as much as her cousin does,so why should she help them find a husband she doesn’t want?
All she wants is to be left alone….
And then disaster strikes at the very first ball Joseph is holding.
Leaving her with no other choice,but to marry the arrogant Alpha!

After hearing what Asher’s cousin is doing to ruin him financially,Joseph decides to pay him a visit.
Offering his help seems a decent option,but the damn girl is doing nothing to help solve the situation.
Teresa needs to be taught a lesson,one that he is more than willing to teach her.
If only he hadn’t promised to find her a husband and deliver her in pristine condition….because the girl just doesn’t listen!
He’ll be glad when the night of the ball arrives,so he can be rid of her.
But that evening disaster strikes and he’s left with no choice, but to marry the infuriating Omega!


Will they find a way to live in peace?
Or will they end up in total misery?
Is Teresa really responsible for their situation?
Or is there someone else pulling the strings? Is Joseph really the bad guy in this situation? Or did someone trick them both with some sinister goal in mind?

These two were combustible together!
Even when they hated eachother,the attraction was pulling at them,stoking the fire.
And if they’d only talked,they would’ve been able to enjoy that fire so much sooner…..
Teresa suffered so much,and she shouldn’t have!
Joseph treated her so poorly,without any need,and he better spend the rest of their lives making up for it!
I cried,laughed and squirmed throughout this delicious story.
And i can’t wait to hear more….of Kitty and her two dukes!
Profile Image for CB.
735 reviews22 followers
dnf
June 18, 2025
DNF at 6 pages in 2%. In 6 pages all the FMC talked about / thought was how she would miss her maid and didn’t know math. BORING.
Profile Image for Lammie.
744 reviews39 followers
December 24, 2023
3.5 ⭐️

Enjoyable mix of historical romance and omega verse. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Good luck to the rest of the Dukes 😏
244 reviews2 followers
June 25, 2023
I want moreeeeee. This book was so hot. I’ve never read anything like it. 😍🔥🔥🔥
Profile Image for Janice Dudley.
491 reviews63 followers
October 3, 2024
4⭐️ An enjoyable read. My first by this author and I’m sure I’ll read more of her as this was quite unique in the HistRom genre
Profile Image for El.
126 reviews36 followers
September 8, 2023
Vivian Murdoch has a true talent when it comes to spice & stories.
With a perfect balance of plot, emotion, and open-door spice (Oh yes Vivian gives us what we like!).

When reading The Duke's Unwilling Bride it gave me OV Pride & Prejudice energy, and because of that, I was sold instantly. Keeping a steady pace that always keeps you wondering what will happen next. This is the book of Joseph & Teresa and you can truly tell Vivian's characters are complex & written with passion. The Duke's Unwilling Bride is a contemporary omegaverse (non-shifters), meaning the ABO dynamics are within society. Through the story, we get a great mash-up of all my favourite tropes. This is not an RH or Why Choose, it is an m/f romance and Vivian's Alphas are beautiful alphaholes. The regency in this series is well-researched and influenced.

Other Tropes: BDSM, dubcon, oral play, knotting, denial of attraction, spanking, and so much more. Please always check the author's provided TC/CW when reading a book.

El's Notes:
Spice: 5
Plot: 5
Writing: 5
Character Growth: 4.5
Overall: 5

Highly recommended, this series is not completed so if you're in a book hangover Vivian has other books available and a few different sub-genres!
Profile Image for Anne in VA.
1,334 reviews20 followers
February 24, 2024
Just barely finished. The plot with the dead father and cousin was so flimsy I was rolling my eyes. The bdsm stuff was a bit boring, but it's possible that fell flat for me because it's just not my kink.
Profile Image for Aly is so frigging bored.
1,706 reviews266 followers
August 19, 2025
I really don't know how to feel about this... The whole Omegaverse thing makes no sense to menot even after I have it explained. I don't think I will continue the series or try more books in those genre? Trope? I still don't know 😅
Profile Image for S.G.H.
2 reviews
September 10, 2024
The whole ass book was toxic. The bdsm scenes, the hero, the frustrating feeling of powerlessness around the heroine. She never had a choice from the beginning to the end and to be bound to that swine...
I truly wonder why people seems to like it but to each its own i guess.
Profile Image for Bianca Williams.
161 reviews6 followers
April 6, 2023
I love Vivian’s omegaverse books, so when I found out she was writing a series of historical omegaverse, I was beyond excited. I knew she would absolutely do it justice. This story follows Teresa and Joseph, a true enemies to lovers tale. I could not get enough of them. Their banter is equivalent to Darcy and Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice and I loved every second of it.
Teresa like most women in this time period is naive to many things including men. Her father indulged her curious nature, letting her spend her days reading and conducting experiments but she is also well skilled in playing the piano, singing, drawing, and dancing. Teresa is content living her life as she pleases until her father passes then it’s turned upside down by her cousin, Asher, who is overseeing the estate. Their clashing personalities result in him wanting to marry her off and be done with her. His good friend Joseph insists on helping him with Teresa, the troublemaker.
Joseph is an alpha through and through. He’s strong willed, stubborn, and very much in charge. He’s determined to help his friend with his unruly cousin. Some unfortunate events lead to Joseph having to marry Teresa, while they both want nothing to do with each other, they can’t deny that they are both drawn to each other. There are quite a few hilarious and curious interactions between the two.
The build up is phenomenal, while the spice is through the roof. The twists and turns in their relationship leads to a few surprises not only in the story but the characters themselves. Vivian’s attention to detail truly brings these characters and the story to life. I loved reading about the growth of both of these characters and I can’t wait to read about the next couple in this series. I am so excited that there are more books to come!
687 reviews
January 28, 2025
Yeah I didn't love this. H (Joseph) was lied to and misled about the h (Teresa) and to a point I didn't blame him much for believing him. However, the events that took place in the library should have made Joseph revaluate everything Asher (h's cousin) said about his version of events. I mean I know they were childhood friends but what happened in the library directly impacted Joseph forcing him into marriage with Teresa. He then starts considering that Teresa and Asher were working together which makes zero sense because they clearly hated each other.

In the end Joseph still continued to blame Teresa until about 80% into the book treating her like crap. The problem with that is there wasn't much left in the book to redeem him. He didn't believe her until they consolidated the bond and he could could see events as they transpired. Even when the investigator came back with proof that Asher had a gambling habit it still comes down to that fact that he hired him to prove his h's guilt. For me as a reader it was too little too late. It would have worked so much better is Joseph figured things out at 50% apologised, then they both worked together figuring out Teresa Dad's clues to bring Asher down.

I liked Teresa. She gave as good as she could considering her circumstances and the limitations of the time. When Joseph found out the truth she forgave him pretty quickly but to me that worked because she had zero power in this situation as we kept seeing and anything else would have been unrealistic when considering the events in the book.

3 stars (1 extra star for the clues in the pipe letter, I enjoyed that!)
Profile Image for Brooke Torrey.
545 reviews1 follower
March 29, 2023
The Duke's Unwilling Bride by Vivian Murdoch is an enticing and exciting mash-up of a regency historical romance and an Omegaverse romance book. It's beautifully written with care taken with the characters and world she created. The story is original, captivating, and written with great detail. I love that it combines my two favorite tropes and doesn't disappoint in the spice. Please read her list of triggers at the beginning of the book. If you have any triggers, please read with caution. Her books are extra spicy with a bit of BDSM. This book was such a fun read, and I look forward to what the series brings to the next books. I loved the storyline with both characters. The characters and world are complex and bring mystery that had me flipping the pages to see what would happen next.

Teresa is an Omega with a bite. She is well-educated, witty, and can be a little deceptive. I enjoyed her attitude and how innocent Teresa acted and really was. She was a bookworm and very much an introvert. Joseph was a Duke and very much an Alpha. He was tall, dark, broody, and possessive. Joseph was brash and crude to Teresa. When the unthinkable happens, and they are both caught in a precarious situation, he does the unthinkable. Teresa is adamant that she doesn't want to take part in the solution. The angst, push and pull both characters have throughout this book were fan yourself hot.

If this is the first book that you are reading by Vivian Murdoch then you are in for a fun ride. In this book, she said, "To those of you who like Bridgerton, but need a bite of pain to go with it."
69 reviews
March 30, 2023
Omegaverse at its best. Joseph, Duke of Foxford participates in a bet with his friends - the last to marry gets the money from the wager. Foxford is certain he'll win since he is adamantly against marriage and has no prospects in sight.
He's called to help his best friend (the Earl of Middlehey) with the cousin (Teresa) that Middlehey taken on after the death of her father. His friend informs him that Teresa is a spendthrift and he needs help in curbing that and preparing her for the marriage.

Teresa is an intelligent, curious woman that would rather spend her time reading or pursuing scholarly interests than having a husband. She's mourning the loss of her father by saving whatever mementos of him she can find that her cousin hasn't sold ostensibly to cover her debts.

Through a series of events, much to Middlehey's delight and to the horror of both Joseph and Teresa, they are forced to marry. The last thing either of them wants is a spouse. Middlehey has convinced Joseph that Teresa is a spendthrift and a hellion and she does little to convince him otherwise. It’s a lot of bickering and misunderstandings, but there is the irresistible attraction of two strong personalities, an Alpha and an Omega, and we're off on an adventure.
Profile Image for Beata Beatrix.
444 reviews9 followers
March 15, 2024
My first time to come across omegaverse in historical setting.

💮 The story is about arranged marriage of Alpha and Omega. The plot is not very complicated but well executed.

💮 FMC is a young, unorthodox, willful omega who is left alone in the world after her parent's death. Her cousin is acting as her ward but there is no doubt that he doesn't have her best interest in mind.

💮 MMC is an established alpha who, by agreeing to help his friend, joins the game of deception.

💮 The story is emotional, there is a lot of hurt, anger, rejection and lust.

💮 The spice is high and it have some stronger themes.
Includes: domestic discipline, dub-con, bondage, spanking, flogging, streching and knotting. The pair has a masochist - sadist vibe.

💮 The world building is good, but there are some historical unaccuracies. The book is well written, author have tried to keep attantions to many details.

💮 What makes me uneasy about this story is a harsh emotional treatment of FMC by MMC. Having in mind that she is only 18 the MMC was too cruel for her.

💮 Overal, I like idea for the story and will check other books in series.
Profile Image for ashtag_reads.
434 reviews38 followers
March 24, 2023
💍Historical Romance
🪢Omegaverse
💍Suspense
🪢K!nk¥
💍Strong FMC

I don’t know how she does it, but this author makes me fall in love with every world she creates. I enjoyed every bit of this book and found myself continuously wanting more!

There’s some misunderstanding and foul play going on, and the world seems to have turned its back on Theresa and she’s grasping for any part of her past she can hold on to. She’s charming and brilliant, and I adored her throughout the whole book. When she goes into heat… *chefs kiss*

Joseph has been roped into helping his friends cousin become presentable in the courts, but he has no idea what he’s in for. Not one to back down from a challenge, he takes Theresa thinking there’s no possibly way a bachelor like him could fall for a woman like her.

The spice is spot on in this book, and adds so much to the story! I loved the world building as Historical and Omegaverse aren’t my usual choices. This was so fun to read and I’m so glad I did ♥️ I can not wait to see what happens next!
102 reviews
January 16, 2025
Eh.

Most of the book, up to her first heat is infuriating. The mmc is a total jerk with no redeeming qualities until he marks her and suddenly becomes someone else which happens quite near the end. After that the book is rushed into the ending. The epilogue is simply a sneaky blurb for another of her books.
Perhaps if the book were longer or he became someone to desire earlier on, the tiny bit of smut would make this book worth it. To be frank, it's mostly him thinking of what he would like to do to her but never really getting around to doing much of it. The bdsm angle is a complete let down.
The books climax is quite anticlimactic and any other story lines that were started are just dropped.
I only gave it 2 stars because I did in fact like the main female character and the author is obviously talented. This book leaves something to be desired though so no telling if I'll be bothered to read any of her other books. I'm not really a fan so far.
Profile Image for Ashley.
26 reviews28 followers
May 8, 2025
This book was an affront to any type of consent, dubcon, and the miscommunication trope. First off she really never consented. He just knew she wanted it because of how “excited” she got. Girly is freshly 18 and since this is a historical romance has absolutely no idea about relationships or sex. Including what a penis looks like until another girl shows her a drawing before she gets married. Their first sexual interaction is in his freaking bdsm dungeon of all things!

The entire time he’s convinced she’s lying to him and is a spendthrift. Despite NUMEROUS instances that tell him differently. He doesn’t believe her though until he gives her the claiming bite where he can just read her memories. Which he immediately does while she is passed out and has no clue. And he goes on believing this for about 80% of the book.

Profile Image for Sw3.
816 reviews4 followers
April 9, 2025
DNF 58%

Historical romance omegaverse? Sounded promising. BUT! Doesn't deliver.

It wants to be too many things. It's got this weird bluestocking angle that also oddly has the FMC characterized to be a brat. Which is such a bizarre choice given that brats pair best with soft doms. I say this bcs I guess the MMC is supposed to be a sadist, but he's really just an abusive childish asshole. He keeps telling us how he lives at the local BDSM club or w/e it's called, but he really doesn't follow any sort of scene etiquette.

The scenes aren't spicy nor steamy. They just exist. I was thinking I might just skim the book, but I just can't get myself to care about any of the characters nor about the plot. Honestly I hated it.
Profile Image for Sarah Foster .
180 reviews2 followers
March 23, 2023
OV meets Bridgerton

Gosh what an awesome spin on Omegaverse and the additional Bridgerton vibes. I'm newer to OV and historical reads so the combination of the two is delicious. Teresa is wrongly accused of being a hellion that's spend all of her cousins newly inherited money. Joseph only intents to set her straight but little bread crumps don't seem to add up. The bickering and banter is an almost endless amount of fun foreplay and as the story unfolds it becomes clear Joseph is unable to resist the lure of this Omega. I absolutely enjoyed this OV meet Bridgerton book and can't wait to read more in this world.
Profile Image for May.
8 reviews2 followers
March 23, 2023
Loved it ❤️❤️❤️

This book was an Amazing read!I loved it and couldn't put it down. It checked a lot of boxes for me that I normally wouldn't find in one book. I really enjoyed the characters and the story ❤️it had me sad the closer I got to the ending, bc I wanted it to keep going...😩
But like all good Stand alones it wrapped up nicely.
❤️I def recommend it if u r into❤️
Omegaverse m/f
Alphahole 🐺
Regency
BDSM
Noncon (I dnt necessarily think it is full noncon tho more dubcon but it still gives me this vibe in some scenes)
Dubcon
oral🥵
Knotting🎀
🫶denial
Spanking 👋
"Yes sir"/"good girl" dynamic
2,319 reviews11 followers
August 26, 2024
So Hot!
The more I read of this world, the more I realise that somewhere, in some long forgotten past, it is possible that this way of life could have been lived and experienced and I am fully aware that this thought cannot be totally rejected.
Ok, enough philosophising - let me review this story.
To my total surprise, I enjoyed it!
The characters have been well thought out and constructed in a way which made them quite realistic.
The story, oh this story! It kept me glued to the pages, hoping against hope that it would all work out fine so that there would be a happy ever after and I am so very relieved to say, there was.
Profile Image for Dirty Little Secret Book Blog.
455 reviews169 followers
May 11, 2023
This may be my favorite book by Ms. Murdoch so far! When she decided to combine historical and omegaverse, I was slightly worried but I had faith that if anyone could do it, she could. And She Did! I loved the first book in the series but you could see where she was “finding her feet”. She showed us from page 1 that she will dominate this genre and I’m here for it!
The connection between the main characters is spot on. You could feel the emotions, anger, love, and the naughty.
I can’t recommend this series enough. Definitely start with book 1.
~ Wendy
697 reviews6 followers
July 27, 2023
I liked this a LOT more than I thought I would.

The combination of regency and omegaverse actually works quite well. Sometimes it seems odd -- an omega in heat building a nest in a Regency lord's library, for instance. But, yeah, that worked.

The enemies to lovers worked. As with most books with this kind of plot arc, the determination of the main characters to not speak plainly to each other eventually gets maddening.

I was surprised that there was not an ultimate peril sequence. But there are some loose ends, so those might explode in later books.

All in all, a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews

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