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A review by bunnerz
Knotty or Nice: A Limited Edition Christmas Omegaverse Anthology by Vivian Murdoch
4.0
I originally picked up this book due to the omegaverse theme and a couple of authors I liked (Merri Bright especially) that had written stories for this anthology. While there were a couple of unsatisfying stories for me, I did enjoy reading quite a few of them, and as expected, loved Merri Bright's contribution.
I would recommend the anthology to anyone who enjoys a wide variety of omegaverse stories with some holiday cheer. There were a handful of sneak peek previews that I don't really like in anthologies, but the majority of stories stood well on their own.
---
The Baby Clause by A.W. Turner
83 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: m-m-romance, alpha-omega, shifters
This was an enemies-to-lovers MM shifter omegaverse story featuring a "demure" alpha fox shifter Jerry and the alpha wolf shifter Sheriff Mason. There was so much stream of consciousness blabber from Jerry, and the concept of an alpha taking suppressants to pretend to be a beta was interesting, but not what I was looking for in an omegaverse story. DNF at Chapter 2 of 7 when Mason's POV was just introduced.
---
In Stockings by Hannah Haze
92 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: single-dad, reverse-harem, alpha-omega, firefighters
This story followed the omega Astrid who volunteered as Xmas elf in hospital and reunited with her 3 high school crushes with their young daughter. It was a super cute fast-burn romance that was a delight to read.
---
The Very Merry Omega by Jacey Davis
88 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: m-m-romance, alpha-omega
This story was a MM office coworker romance about two men who met at a work Christmas holiday party that neither really wanted to attend. In this world, omega and alpha genes were just rediscovered, and while mpreg was mentioned in passing, it didn't happen to the main characters on screen.
It was an interesting setting with a sweet and hot fast-burn romance.
---
Snowmega by Juniper Kerry
83 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: alpha-omega, m-m-romance, reverse-harem
This was a fun holiday story set in the author's Bering Sea universe and followed the omega Captain FMC Willow as she went out into the Alaskan ocean to catch snow crab with the only unemployed alpha sailors available as crew while trying to hide her designation.
It was an entertaining fast burn, but I was just a little dissatisfied I don't recall seeing any explicit consent before bonding during her first heat with the men. I was still happy they got their cute HEA though. I'd be interested in checking out more from this author.
---
A Winter Gift by Kitt Lynn
80 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: alpha-omega
This story followed the 25-year-old virgin omega FMC Mina after she was stuck in main village lodge with her crush, alpha guard Ivor, during a harsh winter storm. I believe I read another one of the author's stories in [b:Bred: A Charity Anthology|61863188|Bred A Charity Anthology|M.J. Marstens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659675381l/61863188._SY75_.jpg|97528094], and the writing again talked about inner wolves but there was no indication they truly shifted (which also would have made sense if the main couple were cold and trying to heat up...).
Mina and Ivor were already mutually attracted to each other before the story started and ended up mates when her heat arrived while they were trapped. There was minor drama about getting proper mating permission from Mina's mom and brother, but it was generally a pretty quick low-angst HEA.
---
Omega of the Opera by Lilith Ramsey
33 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: retelling, alpha-omega, f-f-romance
This story was a sneak peek of a new Phantom of the Opera retelling in the author's Stageverse Sapphics world. It featured the scarred omega Giselle as the phantom as she hid in the opera house demanding a salary and suppressants from the owners to hide her status and heat and the female alpha Fiona as the upcoming lead singer. The story ended right when Fiona figured out the physical existence of the opera ghost and tried to chase her down behind the mirror.
It was a unique spin on the original story, and I might consider checking out the full release, but sneak peeks for future releases are a little annoying in anthologies.
---
The Billionaire's Christmas Betasitter by Merri Bright
102 pages
Rating: ★★★★★
Tags: alpha-omega
24-year-old omega FMC Candace/Candy showed up for what she thought was a personal assistant job interview for 39-year-old billionaire alpha Nicholas but ended up as a babysitter for his baby nephew Benjamin for 2 weeks during a massive winter storm she couldn't leave in.
The angst was delicious, and even though fast-burn fated mate stories usually don't work for me, I loved this. I would also love to read spin-off stories of the other omega women mentioned!
---
Cosmic Bonds: Holly by Mira Kane
95 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: alpha-omega, menage, m-m-romance, single-father
This story was a preview for a future release that followed the beta FMC Holly who worked for a dating agency, Cosmic Bonds, with her adoptive sisters. Her profile was run through their matching system in an accident, and she ended up getting together with an MM omega couple to try out a pack relationship with. Meanwhile, she had an ongoing crush with single father alpha mechanic Cole.
The story ended with only a menage relationship with the omegas after some harsh emotional whiplash over relationship drama (without enough grovelling IMO) and some hints at multiple possible future alpha relationships.
I didn't have a great experience with the author's Omega Sanctuary series, so I was a little hesitant to read this short story. While the plot was tidier since the world was simpler with no fantastical elements, the pacing still quite problematic. I don't think I would check out the full book when it's released.
---
Heating Up Holly by Sabrina Day
78 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: alpha-omega, mafia, animal-sidekicks, m-m-romance, menage
This short story was set in the author's Knotted Roots universe and followed the omega FMC Holly as she attempted to work as a pirate taxi service while under disguise for rich folks to make enough to pay back a loan shark. She ended up finding an alpha MM couple in the middle of some relationship bumps to take on as clients and eventually obtained her HEA with them.
Although I thought the beginning started off annoying with a TSTL heroine, the possessiveness and the making up of the characters was hot and delicious. I would be interested reading more in the world.
---
Sold for the Holidays by K.B. Mitchell
91 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: sex-workers, slaves, alpha-omega, mercenaries, dystopia
This story followed the "high-born" omega FMC Willow as she was about to have her first heat auctioned off by her mistress and tried to escape with the help of mysterious Mardyth but was betrayed and caught again instead. In this dystopian world, alpha knots were a legend only between mates, and omegas were generally owned by more powerful alphas and sold to the highest bidder for their use.
It was a pretty dark story, but overall, I found the main couple to be incredibly TSTL, and their success at escape was really more luck than ability or common sense. Nothing was really explained at whether this dystopian society was just in a few specific cities or the case throughout the world. I wouldn't be interested in reading more from this author based on this sample.
---
A Perfect Pack Christmas by Sierra Cassidy
91 pages
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Tags: alpha-omega, reverse-harem, genderqueer, f-f-romance
This novella was part of the author's Nicky and the Night Owls universe. It took place after [b:Nicky and the Night Owls: Part One|60419035|Nicky and the Night Owls Part One (Nicky and the Night Owls, #1)|Sierra Cassidy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1644885343l/60419035._SY75_.jpg|95208252] and followed the pack as they went on a vacation at a ski resort and then a cabin for the holidays.
I skimmed it most of it - it was boring to me since I hadn't read the series (and didn't plan to). The story was made of setups of one orgy after another between a huge multi-gender pack I didn't know anything about other than their names.
---
The Duke's Christmas Rejection by Vivian Murdoch
70 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: alpha-omega
This story was a prequel for the author's Seven Omegas for Seven Alphas universe. It was a historical omegaverse romance that followed the virgin omega FMC Cynthia as she welcomed home Charles, the new Duke of Norhaven, her best friends' elder brother and unrequited crush.
I am not super into the historical genre generally, and the idea of capital punishment by brothers to their younger mischievous siblings for an accident was quite off putting to me. When combined with Charles's more violent kinks in his POV chapter and Charles and his friends making a bet who could stay a bachelor the longest, the story turned out not to my taste, and I quit at chapter 5 of 9.
---
Flames and Peppermint by V.T. Bonds
106 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: alpha-omega, bikers, hunters, elves, demons, magic, menage
This was book 1 in the author's The Knottiverse: Holiday Alphas universe and followed the omega FMC Rey after she escaped her slavery under Saint Nick in the other realm The Knottiverse and then ran into two other supernatural alphas in the human realm, an elf that was trying to return her as a rogue omega and a demon that was trying to hunt a biker gang also hired to catch her for Saint Nick.
It was an interesting human-adjacent holiday realm, but the overall world-building was much too complicated (demons, gnomes, elves, angels (?)) to figure out what was going on in one short story. All the character development was shallow with unclear details, and it was insta-lust galore for the main characters' menage relationship, which I found pretty unsatisfying.
---
The Elf's Christmas Surprise by Zelda Knight
37 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: alpha-omega, m-m-romance, magic
While the copyright said this story was published 2022, I was fairly sure that I had read this story in another anthology before, and when my notes about the setup for the omega MC Jordan in the short story A Naughty Elf on My Couch in [b:Fated and Claimed: A Limited Edition Collection of M/M Alpha-Beta-Omega Romance|57769180|Fated and Claimed A Limited Edition Collection of M/M Alpha-Beta-Omega Romance|Zelda Knight|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618722709l/57769180._SY75_.jpg|90494827] matched up, it confirmed my belief this story was identical (or barely changed under a new story name). This was quite the unsatisfying discovery for me, and it wasn't a good contribution.
I would recommend the anthology to anyone who enjoys a wide variety of omegaverse stories with some holiday cheer. There were a handful of sneak peek previews that I don't really like in anthologies, but the majority of stories stood well on their own.
---
The Baby Clause by A.W. Turner
83 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: m-m-romance, alpha-omega, shifters
This was an enemies-to-lovers MM shifter omegaverse story featuring a "demure" alpha fox shifter Jerry and the alpha wolf shifter Sheriff Mason. There was so much stream of consciousness blabber from Jerry, and the concept of an alpha taking suppressants to pretend to be a beta was interesting, but not what I was looking for in an omegaverse story. DNF at Chapter 2 of 7 when Mason's POV was just introduced.
---
In Stockings by Hannah Haze
92 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: single-dad, reverse-harem, alpha-omega, firefighters
This story followed the omega Astrid who volunteered as Xmas elf in hospital and reunited with her 3 high school crushes with their young daughter. It was a super cute fast-burn romance that was a delight to read.
---
The Very Merry Omega by Jacey Davis
88 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: m-m-romance, alpha-omega
This story was a MM office coworker romance about two men who met at a work Christmas holiday party that neither really wanted to attend. In this world, omega and alpha genes were just rediscovered, and while mpreg was mentioned in passing, it didn't happen to the main characters on screen.
It was an interesting setting with a sweet and hot fast-burn romance.
---
Snowmega by Juniper Kerry
83 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: alpha-omega, m-m-romance, reverse-harem
This was a fun holiday story set in the author's Bering Sea universe and followed the omega Captain FMC Willow as she went out into the Alaskan ocean to catch snow crab with the only unemployed alpha sailors available as crew while trying to hide her designation.
It was an entertaining fast burn, but I was just a little dissatisfied I don't recall seeing any explicit consent before bonding during her first heat with the men. I was still happy they got their cute HEA though. I'd be interested in checking out more from this author.
---
A Winter Gift by Kitt Lynn
80 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: alpha-omega
This story followed the 25-year-old virgin omega FMC Mina after she was stuck in main village lodge with her crush, alpha guard Ivor, during a harsh winter storm. I believe I read another one of the author's stories in [b:Bred: A Charity Anthology|61863188|Bred A Charity Anthology|M.J. Marstens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659675381l/61863188._SY75_.jpg|97528094], and the writing again talked about inner wolves but there was no indication they truly shifted (which also would have made sense if the main couple were cold and trying to heat up...).
Mina and Ivor were already mutually attracted to each other before the story started and ended up mates when her heat arrived while they were trapped. There was minor drama about getting proper mating permission from Mina's mom and brother, but it was generally a pretty quick low-angst HEA.
---
Omega of the Opera by Lilith Ramsey
33 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: retelling, alpha-omega, f-f-romance
This story was a sneak peek of a new Phantom of the Opera retelling in the author's Stageverse Sapphics world. It featured the scarred omega Giselle as the phantom as she hid in the opera house demanding a salary and suppressants from the owners to hide her status and heat and the female alpha Fiona as the upcoming lead singer. The story ended right when Fiona figured out the physical existence of the opera ghost and tried to chase her down behind the mirror.
It was a unique spin on the original story, and I might consider checking out the full release, but sneak peeks for future releases are a little annoying in anthologies.
---
The Billionaire's Christmas Betasitter by Merri Bright
102 pages
Rating: ★★★★★
Tags: alpha-omega
24-year-old omega FMC Candace/Candy showed up for what she thought was a personal assistant job interview for 39-year-old billionaire alpha Nicholas but ended up as a babysitter for his baby nephew Benjamin for 2 weeks during a massive winter storm she couldn't leave in.
The angst was delicious, and even though fast-burn fated mate stories usually don't work for me, I loved this. I would also love to read spin-off stories of the other omega women mentioned!
---
Cosmic Bonds: Holly by Mira Kane
95 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: alpha-omega, menage, m-m-romance, single-father
This story was a preview for a future release that followed the beta FMC Holly who worked for a dating agency, Cosmic Bonds, with her adoptive sisters. Her profile was run through their matching system in an accident, and she ended up getting together with an MM omega couple to try out a pack relationship with. Meanwhile, she had an ongoing crush with single father alpha mechanic Cole.
The story ended with only a menage relationship with the omegas after some harsh emotional whiplash over relationship drama (without enough grovelling IMO) and some hints at multiple possible future alpha relationships.
I didn't have a great experience with the author's Omega Sanctuary series, so I was a little hesitant to read this short story. While the plot was tidier since the world was simpler with no fantastical elements, the pacing still quite problematic. I don't think I would check out the full book when it's released.
---
Heating Up Holly by Sabrina Day
78 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Tags: alpha-omega, mafia, animal-sidekicks, m-m-romance, menage
This short story was set in the author's Knotted Roots universe and followed the omega FMC Holly as she attempted to work as a pirate taxi service while under disguise for rich folks to make enough to pay back a loan shark. She ended up finding an alpha MM couple in the middle of some relationship bumps to take on as clients and eventually obtained her HEA with them.
Although I thought the beginning started off annoying with a TSTL heroine, the possessiveness and the making up of the characters was hot and delicious. I would be interested reading more in the world.
---
Sold for the Holidays by K.B. Mitchell
91 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: sex-workers, slaves, alpha-omega, mercenaries, dystopia
This story followed the "high-born" omega FMC Willow as she was about to have her first heat auctioned off by her mistress and tried to escape with the help of mysterious Mardyth but was betrayed and caught again instead. In this dystopian world, alpha knots were a legend only between mates, and omegas were generally owned by more powerful alphas and sold to the highest bidder for their use.
It was a pretty dark story, but overall, I found the main couple to be incredibly TSTL, and their success at escape was really more luck than ability or common sense. Nothing was really explained at whether this dystopian society was just in a few specific cities or the case throughout the world. I wouldn't be interested in reading more from this author based on this sample.
---
A Perfect Pack Christmas by Sierra Cassidy
91 pages
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Tags: alpha-omega, reverse-harem, genderqueer, f-f-romance
This novella was part of the author's Nicky and the Night Owls universe. It took place after [b:Nicky and the Night Owls: Part One|60419035|Nicky and the Night Owls Part One (Nicky and the Night Owls, #1)|Sierra Cassidy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1644885343l/60419035._SY75_.jpg|95208252] and followed the pack as they went on a vacation at a ski resort and then a cabin for the holidays.
I skimmed it most of it - it was boring to me since I hadn't read the series (and didn't plan to). The story was made of setups of one orgy after another between a huge multi-gender pack I didn't know anything about other than their names.
---
The Duke's Christmas Rejection by Vivian Murdoch
70 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: alpha-omega
This story was a prequel for the author's Seven Omegas for Seven Alphas universe. It was a historical omegaverse romance that followed the virgin omega FMC Cynthia as she welcomed home Charles, the new Duke of Norhaven, her best friends' elder brother and unrequited crush.
I am not super into the historical genre generally, and the idea of capital punishment by brothers to their younger mischievous siblings for an accident was quite off putting to me. When combined with Charles's more violent kinks in his POV chapter and Charles and his friends making a bet who could stay a bachelor the longest, the story turned out not to my taste, and I quit at chapter 5 of 9.
---
Flames and Peppermint by V.T. Bonds
106 pages
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Tags: alpha-omega, bikers, hunters, elves, demons, magic, menage
This was book 1 in the author's The Knottiverse: Holiday Alphas universe and followed the omega FMC Rey after she escaped her slavery under Saint Nick in the other realm The Knottiverse and then ran into two other supernatural alphas in the human realm, an elf that was trying to return her as a rogue omega and a demon that was trying to hunt a biker gang also hired to catch her for Saint Nick.
It was an interesting human-adjacent holiday realm, but the overall world-building was much too complicated (demons, gnomes, elves, angels (?)) to figure out what was going on in one short story. All the character development was shallow with unclear details, and it was insta-lust galore for the main characters' menage relationship, which I found pretty unsatisfying.
---
The Elf's Christmas Surprise by Zelda Knight
37 pages
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ / DNF
Tags: alpha-omega, m-m-romance, magic
While the copyright said this story was published 2022, I was fairly sure that I had read this story in another anthology before, and when my notes about the setup for the omega MC Jordan in the short story A Naughty Elf on My Couch in [b:Fated and Claimed: A Limited Edition Collection of M/M Alpha-Beta-Omega Romance|57769180|Fated and Claimed A Limited Edition Collection of M/M Alpha-Beta-Omega Romance|Zelda Knight|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618722709l/57769180._SY75_.jpg|90494827] matched up, it confirmed my belief this story was identical (or barely changed under a new story name). This was quite the unsatisfying discovery for me, and it wasn't a good contribution.