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wildatheart1339's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
shaykay's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I have been putting this book off for a long time. I loved reading Pucking Around earlier this year by Rath. I’ve become obsessed with omegaverses this year, so I was curious about this combination, but I was also really nervous. Plus, what if this is like the omegaverse of all omegaverses! I don’t think she will write another one anytime soon because she’s really wrapped up in her hockey world era. I just don’t know what to do, so the pressure was just too much, and it’s been sitting on my Kindle, just staring at me. But I was determined to read this thing before LIT. Honestly, by the time I sat down and picked this one up, I was at the very end of it, so I had no choice but to read it, which ended up being the push I needed. I liked this one, even though this pack has only 2 members. We have Bear and Silas. These two have both been through a lot, especially Silas. Silas has been through so much since he finally runs into Bear, but I love his determination to protect him no matter what. It is on the slow burn side, especially for an omegaverse. It was also an interesting take on Omegaverse since it was just MM; I’m just so used to it being 3 or more people plus the omega. But this one deals with some hefty content, and I wish we got to see a little bit more in the end regarding the people who have been trying to get to Silas since the beginning of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Car accident
mabellene's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Car accident
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Abandonment
zabeishumanish's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Trigger Warnings!! Please check them before you decide to read this book, there is a lot and they are intense. The author has a very comprehensive list of warnings at the front of the book so they are easy to check. All that said I do think that the blurb for this book is a touch misleading. While the blurb does allude to the danger and violence that Silas has faced, it in no way communicates the brand or intensity of that violence. In the content warnings, the author says "A character [the omega, Silas] suffers from PTSD and experiences several active symptoms including heightened startle response, fear of physical touch, nightmares, depression/numbness, suicidal thoughts, and memory loss/confusion." All of that is accurate, but I would go so far as to say that the majority of the plot and drama of this book is about Silas's PTSD and the violence he faced as a human trafficking victim. That is not an exaggeration, this book is at least 50/50 romance to trauma survival, leaning more towards surviving the trauma. Despite the heavy topics, I found the book incredibly satisfying and the romance HEA a hard-won delight.
Silas frowned again. He didn't know why it bothered him, but it did. He wasn't used to people doing things for him. At least, never anything he wanted them to do. Since meeting Bear, it was like the alpha couldn't stop doing things for him. Getting him out of the road, taking him to the vet, bringing him home, leaving him water and pills. If he expected anything from Silas in return, his alpha ass would be disappointed. (Slias's POV, 56)
One of my favorite elements of this book is that the HEA is not solely related to romance. On all fronts, this book has an incredibly fulfilling ending. In the world of this book omegas are rare, and becoming rarer, as such they are valuable, almost commodified, and face violence and abuse because of their status. While the ending to this book doesn't fall into the plot hole of magically solving everything, it realistically takes steps towards remedying omega abuse in ways that not only personally improve the characters' lives but also improve omega lives in general. This ending SATISFIES, both personal HEA and positive political change.
Bear made good on his promise. When he returned from his furniture delivery in town, he made Silas an amazing dinner of pistachio-crusted halibut and roasted potatoes with a goat cheese and arugula salad. Silas had never tasted a halibut in his life, and he had no idea pistachios could be used to 'crust' things, but it was amazing. (Silas's POV, 273)
The only reason I'm marking this book down from 5-stars is that I found the blurb misleading, so I didn't fully go into the book knowing what to expect. Had the blurb talked about the human trafficking and PTSD being central to the story this would have easily been a 5-star read. As it is I found elements of the book jarring because I wasn't prepared for the intensity. These characters deserve their happy ending and I'm so glad they found it.
I received an ARC copy of this book, and this is a book I will be rereading at release!
Holds up to a second read-through, a fully enjoyable reading experience!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Vomit
Taken from the author's website: Content Warnings: There are multiple dark themes discussed in this book, including: human trafficking, sex trafficking, forced prostitution, and forced drug use. In all scenes featuring sex trafficking and forced prostitution, trauma is vaguely described, never shown in detail on the page. There is one scene of flashback where the focus is less on the active trauma of the SA and more about a secondary crime being witnessed at the same time. A character suffers from PTSD and experiences several active symptoms including heightened startle response, fear of physical touch, nightmares, depression/numbness, suicidal thoughts, and memory loss/confusion. Other warnings include use of firearms; cinematic violence (a deadly car crash, gunshot wounds, blood, death); nonprescription drug use; grief/loss; parent death (off page); vomiting (no description); detailed sex scenes featuring knotting and toys. At its heart, this book is about healing and survival. There is hope in this book. There is joy and peace and—ultimately—happiness. You will get a happily ever after.
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