Blue and the Alphas

by Charm Harlow

Previously published as “With My Brother’s 3 Best Friends” by Charm Harlow.

My first attempt at overcoming trauma was a fun encounter with an alpha in the dark.

It was only when the light shone on his gorgeous face that I realized he was off limits, and I had to flee pregnant with his baby.

Years later, my packless son and I have been through hell, and we pounce at the first chance to escape our ordeal. Little did I know I would reunite with not just my son’s father, but two other wealthy alphas from my unhappy childhood, and the three of them are looking right at me. The last thing I need is more heartache but maybe this alpha pack is just what my broken, unbonded omega heart desires…

This is an omegaverse reverse harem romance with spicy scenes, a traumatized omega heroine and the three sweet, caring alphas she drives crazy.

Genres: Omegaverse, Romance, Paranormal, Why Choose, Second Chance, Novella, Abuse

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 21, 2022

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can’t. I finished it because I couldn’t stop looking on in horror. At 8%, the words “gushing forth” were used. 🤢and then the MC was describing getting meat out of a fridge and said “I grabbed a piece of flesh….” Of all the words in English and every language ever known to mankind, you couldn’t come up with a meat choice and settled on saying someone grabbed flesh out of the fridge? The writing just didn’t do it for me. Nothing about this book did it for me unfortunately.

[♡ Rosella Swan ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the whole omegaverse, brother's best friends, secret pregnancy, second chance, misunderstanding. It was short because of which it felt rushed. But I loved the premise and the whole meeting and everything. The misunderstanding was not that bad and was the cause of really light angst. I wanted more.

[T Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

HEA
Standalone
Omegaverse- reverse harem, brother's best friends, secret baby

Trigger warnings
Abuse
Toxic family upbringing
Steamy MFMM scenes
Suicidal

She was born omega, with an alpha brother. Her parents treated him like gold and treated her like crap. It finally got bad enough, her brother took her in and took care of her. One night she goes out for the first time and ends up hooking up with one of his best friends without realizing it was him until the next morning. Her brother takes care of her even more after her parents disown her when she turns up pregnant from that night. She told no one who the baby's father was. But one night, after running from a bad situating, she ends up in the house with all 3 of the alphas she had been in love with since she was young. No one seems to notice that the child she had with her is the son of one of those men. They each lay claim to her separately. But what will her brother say when he finds out all 3 of his best friends want his sister? And will she finally be able to fully break away from the parents that treated her so badly?
Over 18 readers only
Steamy gets a little spicy
Short fast read, with a great explanation at the beginning of the book on how this Omegaverse works

[Bianca Walz Benoit · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read based on a conversation with a friend. I will never get that hour back.

[Christa Asbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute and short read

I read this a little hesitantly. Every other novella I’ve read felt like the author rushed it for the sake of rushing it and the story felt like it needed more.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love more from this story but it didn’t feel unfinished to me. I didn’t get to the end and think, “wtf, where’s the rest?”
It was an adorable, short and steamy read. Would recommend

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of the writing style, and I DNFd their previous book so this author is probably not for me.

[Brooke Bitzan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just overall not well written

[Erin Penn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A "meh" reverse harem novella. Forgettable even two days after reading.

Emotions are rushed, as expected in a novella. After each encounter it's (1) wow, I had sex with (one of) my brother's best friends / had sex with my BF little sister. and (2) I (the heroine) can never forgive them for one thing they did as teenagers indirectly over a decade ago before becoming full grown men and we all became parents. And then, instantly forgives them once everything is explained (a typical trait of Omegaverse Omegas, so appropriate within the genre).

Same complete lack of emotional tension with the discovery of the hidden kid. And the "traumatized" part from her previous pack and her upbringing is barely a factor as well.

Good sex scenes, but this could have worked just as well as a single best friend rather than three best friends to create a reverse harem. In fact, the story likely would have been better for it.

Works for what it is, has structure (saying has plot is pushing it), meets the "sexy-times" requirement for a reverse harem, and the characters are consistent. Just wish any of the three bumps-in-the-road to create emotional tension were actual issues instead of freshly paved smoothness.

(Read through Kindle Unlimited)

[aida · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to ask myself why I read this when I knew it wasn't going to be good, but I know the reason is that I was desperate for another omegaverse RH to fill that void that my trope hyperfixation was requiring.

And yet, that wasn't enough to help this book.
I can't not recommend this book enough.

Awful pacing & no relationship development.
No real exposition provided for a few different things that come up.

[Dawn B · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

Why hold a grudge for 15 years and then it goes away in seconds? Not really believable. The explanation wasn’t any better than what she thought but she was so desperate for love she’d believe anything

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would unread this book if I could

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5 Stars
POV(s): Multiple—First Person (Primarily FMC)
Relationship: Reverse Harem
Genre(s): Contemporary Omegaverse

❥

Just because a book is fiction doesn’t mean it can throw believability out the window. Just so much of this book—primarily character choices and behavior—didn’t make sense. Two glaring examples:

1. The FMC didn’t know that a) the MMCs had a son, and that b) said son considered [FMC’s brother] to be one of his dads. Whilst Kayla states that “[Her brother] knows not to bring up his friends when he’s talking to [her], even though [she] never explicitly expressed [her] dislike for them,” I’m supposed to believe that he never once, in seven years, told her he was a dad?! Unbelievable.

2. Max isn’t upset at all to learn that Kayla kept the existence of his son a secret for the past seven years. There’s zero resentment, despite the fact that (in my opinion) her reason for doing so wasn’t a good one.

Speaking of, was I supposed to like the FMC? She read as being selfish and rash. She left the stable and loving environment that her brother provided her and her son, and moved into a toxic and abusive environment—where she stayed for years—because a) she didn’t want to feel “worthless”, and b) she was trying to avoid facing the consequences of her actions. Maybe I’m wrong, but her actions seem to show that her son’s safety and comfort wasn’t her priority. Then we have the fact that she kept her son’s paternity a secret from everyone for seven years, including his father, because said father hurt her feelings once when she was a teenager (said incident ended up being a misunderstanding). I’m sorry, but she’s acting like a child, which in most cases would be fine, whatever, except for the fact that she has a child of her own to take care of! That very child was basically used as a plot device in this novella; once the MMCs came into the picture, the FMC only seemed to mother him when it came to bedtime and meal time.

This just left me feeling frustrated. The kids were cute though and Jake’s a great brother, so there’s that.

❥

Title: “Blue and the Alphas” by Charm Harlow
Interconnected Series: No
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA: Yea
Triggers: Yes Verbal Abuse
Tags/Tropes:
➢ Brother’s Best Friends
➢ Childhood Crush
➢ Forced Proximity
➢ Holidays (Christmas)
➢ One Night Stand (with pregnancy)
➢ Rich MMCs
➢ Secret Child
➢ Single Dads
➢ Single Mom

[Angelena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book with high hopes of a good short read but was left a little disappointed. The book needed some editing for spelling/word mistakes but wasn't too bad. First off there's a 7 year time skip right off the bat which I wasn't a fan of because when it comes to the secret baby trope that's a hell of a long time to miss out on your kids childhood. The writing/story also felt very disjointed and almost random where I would be confused on how I got from point A from point B, things weren't lining up with what was just said, or certain actions just had me questioning "Why??" (Such as she decided to punch? someone awake and them startling somehow leads to her nightgown being completely torn open) Certain word choices were also really off putting, for example when getting meat out of the fridge to eat was reffered to as "a piece of flesh". Then there was like 0 communication, they just jumped into sex quite enthusiastically despite barely having any conversation with each other and the whole off-limits brother's best friend trope. Her heat is also kind of just thrown in there, almost as a crutch, all because she kept forgetting to take the suppressants. The heat also lasted less than 24hrs which goes against what was said about heats previously. Worst of all though was that I ended the book knowing practically nothing more about the characters then I did when I started. I feel basically 0 connection to them all, even little Austin and Cooper which is shocking but everyone was just very flat.

[Ash (so there’s this book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Adult Omegaverse Romance (Contemporary)
Spice: 3/5🌶️
*spice ratings are relative to similar books in the same genre*

The Catalog: MFMM omegaverse, one night stand in the dark, brother’s best friends, secret accidental pregnancy, single mom & single dads, snowed-in forced proximity, she’s wanted them for a long time, secrets & reveals, heat/rut tending

* Kink: impact play (spanking), restraint (with hands)
* CW: mention of past suicidal thoughts

Pack Dynamics:
α Ω α α
Max (α): the one night stand
Leon (α): the sunshine one
Vic (α): the grumpy single dad
Kayla (Ω): omega single mom

Synopsis: Seven years ago, Kayla wanted one night of freedom, but after an amazing one night stand during a power outage, she woke to realize she’d slept with her brother’s best friend and packmate. Now, a single mom, she’s forced to stay with her brother’s pack in a snowed in house, where secrets will be revealed and pheromones will take control.

Thoughts:
Wow, the premise of this one had be absolutely hooked from the first page. I am a huge sucker for the bother’s best friend trope, and this book really took that to the max: bro’s besties x3 AND they are his packmates.

Speaking of, I really liked the relaxed idea of what a “pack” is in this particular iteration of omegaverse.

This was somehow both cozy and full of Telenovela level drama and tension. I. Ate. It. Up.

I will say that the writing and editing was a little underdeveloped in parts, but my overall enjoyment outweighed the issues.

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short and sweet second chance romance. Miscommunication trope is huge in this one, but doesn't stop the happy ending from coming.

I do wish it had been a little longer just so some of the relationships made a little more sense. One of the men literally went from barely tolerating her presence to having sex with nothing really happening to lead up to it.

For me I call these types of books a palate cleanser because it's very easy to read. There isn't a huge plot you have to keep up with. And it's short and sweet.

On a night out where the lights go out Kayla finds herself in bed with an alpha she can't see. But when the lights come on she finds out the alpha she has spent her night with is none other than Max, one of her brother's best friends and one of the guys that read her diary and called her "pathetic" when she was a teenager. Leaving before he realizes his mistake she never tells anyone that they slept together, not Max and not her brother. Even when she does end up pregnant with his boy. 7 years later Kayla has tried her best to be independent and raise her boy as best she can. But when she gets kicked out of the pack she is staying with in Arizona her brother sends her to stay at his vacation home for the holidays. To her surprise, she isn't the only one there for the holidays. Her brother's three best friends, the ones that read her diary all those years ago are there too, including Max. When a storm stops her from leaving she is stuck to face the men that broke her heart all those years ago, and despite what happened finds herself falling for them all over again.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course, it's nothing to write home about. It's a short story with basically no real plot, where the goal is mostly to prolong the unavoidable. What is her getting together with the guys, despite them being her brother's best friends.

Still, I liked it. It may not be special, but it fits for this season of the year. It is kind of cute, while some wording seems a bit strange. And I can forgive some things, that are missing. Like the explanation of the world around them. How the society is build and so on. Something an author in the Omegaverse genre should realize is, that there are different stories in that genre with their own set of rules. So, you can't just leave it with the basic unexplained outline and hope that Omegaverse is just about the words Alpha, Beta, and Omega. And referring to each designation with the denominators of the Omegaverse like ruts and knots, normal humans without special traits and heats and so on.

But I can forgive it, because I don't expect much, when reading a novella/short story. They are mostly about the smut, which here were pretty good. This book still had a story that didn't leave me hanging. And I still liked it.

So, I give it 3.5 to 4 stars.

[ChocoholicReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating- 3
Heat- 4
Tropes- sweet omegaverse, MFMM, brothers best friends, Christmas

This was a sweet novella, I just think there was too much going on to be a novella. Major plot points weren’t flushed out because of the speed. Take pack dynamics. In this world, packs are more like chosen family. Family members can be in the same pack just with different mates. Its perfectly fine for author to change fundamental rules of a genre, but if they do, then I need more world building to explain how it works. At one point, Blue goes to join a pack like she found a job opening. She doesn’t know them and ends up essentially being their live in nanny. Given the entire situation only lasts for a page, it seemed pointless to the plot line and only served to confuse me. Relationships also moved at warp speed and conflict was brushed aside. Vic goes from wanting nothing to do with Blue to sleeping with her. Max learns he has a son she hid from him and just accepts that with a shrug. The story would have been much better as a full book where we could’ve built the world and relationships.

[Chalice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The couple: Max/Vic/Leon/Kayla

Romance trope: omegaverse; brother's best friend
Length: 130 pages

Plot: Kayla has been in love with her brother's three best friends forever, but she knows they only think of her as a little sister at best. One night, years later, she meets a sexy stranger during a blackout at a club and they...spend a little time together. The result is a child, and seen years later, she's back home with her son, stuck at a cabin with those same best friends. This time they're not going to let her get away.

Commentary: This was okay, but there were some questions. I absolutely understand a teenager overhearing the guys talking and feeling humiliated. Holding on to that grudge without saying anything for about 15 years (after gaining some maturity) is a little silly.

Vic was so surly because? I know he had a bad experience with his son's mother.

I'm a little unclear about this omegaverse world. It seems that it's different from other books in that here an alpha can have a child with any omega and it's okay? Normal? Where that wouldn't necessarily happen in other worlds. And they're in packs but some people in the pack are in defined relationships? I guess I'm thinking about how her brother is in the pack and that seems like it would be awkward. And what happens when he finds an omega? Does he share her with two or three other alphas that he then brings into the pack?

Grammar/formatting: some awkward phrasing

[TR · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was read for jokes and a laugh.

I needed something short to read, something that wouldn't take any thought. I read the reviews, knew where this was going and got started.

A few issues with this book, the first was that all 3 guys shattered her self esteem. And I mean ABSOLUTELY SHATTERED it. Yet she still sleeps with all of them and looks at all three of them with hearts in her eyes. The first one I get was a mistake but then 7 years later...

I don't get it, where is the self worth, the dignity, and let's not forget the three of then used to share women with her brother. That's was something I couldn't get over. They were supposed to be pack they shared women all 4 of them. But suddenly they're into Jake's little sister and he's cut out and alone.

This book was Kayla in her y/n wattpad era.

[Tiffany dawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this pick me up!!!

Perfect quick read for anyone feeling a little “Blue” !

Really though, a very sweet love story where you feel the emotions of the characters! It will have you angry for our fmc then laughing at her antics, then the tears both happy and sad will come! But most importantly in the end it will leave you smiling!

Great book, wish I could give it more than 5 stars honestly!

[Klizbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

This was a cute Omegaverse novella. The ideas behind the plot were interesting; the characters had potential. However, the writing was really poor. The characters ended up being super one-dimensional. The motivations behind their actions were completely contrived and cliché. The steam was not well written and ended up being cringe-worthy. The dialogue was incredibly awkward and sparse.

[Sam Blevins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reverse harem spicy Christmas novella

Super quick read. Very spicy right out of gate.

Younger sister presents as an omega and is very sheltered by her older brother. Gets out of the house for her first night of fun and ends up pregnant by a mystery one night
Disowned by her parents, she moves far away to raise her kid but ends up back in her hometown 7 years later and snowed in with her brothers 3 best friends and pack.

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

He rolled his eyes gorgeously

"He rolled his eyes gorgeously." I couldn't get past a lot of the errors and grammar mistakes. Also, the story needed more work as the end fit together too cleanly. A lot of build up for a flat landing. The newspaper bit was weird too. Great smut though.

[Cember · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I skimmed quite a bit of this story. There was potential but Kayla's personality felt swishy, the writing style wasn't really for me. I struggled with the lack of description in situations where more in depth details could have been beneficial to connecting more firmly with Kayla and the hardships she faced while growing up and then raising her son on her own.

[Vjeverica]

Przeczytane we wrześniu.
Próbowałam ratować swój zastój czytelniczy, a wiem że czasem takie książki pomagają. Nie tym razem niestety.

Książka typowa dla swojego rodzaju, nie najgorsza, nie najlepsza. Można przeczytać, ale nie ma po co do niej wracać. Trochę się zawiodłam, nie pomogła na zastój i znów mnie trochę odstraszyła.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome book

Sweet and spicy omegaverse reverse harem romance. Blue’s first night out she meets a hot alpha and things get spicy. She finds herself back we’re everything started and that’s where the real fun begins. I really enjoyed this book just wished it was longer.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice short read

It's a nice short read with a happy ending. The omega gets her happy ending after going through many speed bumps in her life, but she had family to stick by her side through thick and thin.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Entertaining. I enjoyed the story. Characters were great and the storyline was interesting.
Possible spoilers
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Would love to see more, like maybe a mate for Jake.

[Hallie Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an alright read, honestly tho I wish the FMC just sucked it up and did something sooner it was annoying her always dodging and avoiding. I think the book could’ve had more potential if that was the case. Not exactly a lot of viable plot in it but still an alright read to pass the time.

[Mandy Robitaille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay overall I really liked this and wanted to give it 4 stars, but every time she wrote "she pulled out his thick meat" my soul left my body 🫠 sooo lost some stars for the cringe- besides that, it was a cute insta love novella