| Title | : | First Omega (River Wolf Pack, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1523375280 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781523375288 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 156 |
| Publication | : | First published January 10, 2016 |
Then there’s River, the pack alpha. Josiah can't deny his attraction to the handsome, dominant wolf man. Josiah’s world is further turned upside down when he unexpectedly goes into heat. He doesn’t understand -- how can he be half-werewolf and an omega? River wants Josiah for his mate, but is Josiah prepared to leave everything he knows in the city and become first omega of a werewolf pack?
First Omega (River Wolf Pack, #1) Reviews
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Omega in heat and knotting!
This story oozes sex, but it also veers dangerously close to melodrama.
I wasn't all that interested in the politics between werewolves and humans. The many side stories and secondary characters were clearly set up for a series and proved distracting.
I found the ending to be abrupt and unsatisfying. I love shifter stories, and had the focus been more on River and Josiah, I would have given this book a higher rating. -
4 hearts
I have a thing for omegas (or maybe it's just sluts?). Not to insult my lovely omegas, but when I read about that desperate horniness and all that rough fucking…. *shivers*, it does good things to me. Josiah is one desperate omega. It was hot. Like insanely hot!
The story was very intriguing. Josiah goes into the River Wolf Pack werewolf compound as a human ambassador. However, while he's there something strange happens, and he finds himself going into heat and being mated by River, the pack alpha. Josiah had no idea he was half-human half-werewolf so he has a lot to come to terms with, not just his identity but his newly found position as the pack alpha’s omega or ‘First Omega’.
This is all told from Josiah’s POV, and I really liked him and River. River is a fairly stereotypical alpha, all strong and stoic with a possessive and protective nature, but I liked it. I liked Josiah’s hesitations towards River after he found himself essentially mated without his consent (as he was dazed with his first heat). However not long after there seemed to be a switch that was flipped, and suddenly he was fully devoted to River and the pack. That development was a bit rushed, but not enough to deter from my enjoyment of the story.
The world created was quite interesting, definitely different to anything I’ve read in other shifter novels. The werewolves are a purely male homosexual society, and have a ongoing fear/hatred of humans due to the ongoing killings of so many of their species. Humans and werewolves know very little of each other as they tend to like to keep to themselves. However this just means the individuals they do come across are usually there to kill members of the opposing species.
I only have a couple of complaints about the story. Things tied up way too quickly and neatly with Josiah’s acceptance of the pack and a side story of an attempted murder. Also, there were just sooo many characters. Like SO many, which did get a bit overwhelming at times, especially when remembering who was mating with who. Unfortunately I think this problem will only get worse as the series continues.
So the story was a little bit silly, but mostly a lot hot and a lot sweet and pretty damn entertaining.
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That was a pretty dang good shifter fluff with mpreg plus bonus KNOTTING book if I do say so myself! The ending kinda sucked though. It was too abrupt. But! Shifters! Fluff! Mpreg! KNOTTING! WOO HOO!
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I really liked the first part of this hot little mpreg story, with knotting (always a plus).
But just as I thought Josiah was right with all his suspicions about who all the bad guys in the pack were, everyone turned out to be good. That was so freaking weird. Talk about anticlimactic. It totally ruined the end for me. -
Werewolves & Humans - can they live in Harmony?
This is my first book by author Rebecca James - let me tell you, she writes some pretty steamy shifter romance. The MC in this story are Josiah Kimbrel (human) and River (Alpha of the River Pack). Josiah is working as an ambassador for the human-werewolf congress and has gone to The River Pack in order to gain knowledge about werewolf culture and their way of living. Josiah hopes with education, humans and werewolves will be able to find a Harmony and a way to co-exist without fear from each other. Josiah has always been interested in werewolves and feels drawn to them with a sense of duty to help bridge the gap between the two worlds.
River - he is a strong Alpha, Tall with long black hair, Romanesque facial figures, muscles for days and a sense of power to him that makes even humans want to roll over and show their belly. Yes, River is pure testosterone. River, has been a part of The River Pack since he was born son of the previous Alpha Thorne, however a River knows in order for werewolves and humans to exist in the same region they have to understand each other. River is all for allowing Josiah to come and live with the pack for a month so he can learn and report back to his fellow humans that the wolves do not wish to harm anyone.
When Josiah & River meet, Josiah is attracted to River and his dominance; however, it's also the dominance that has Josiah balking at some of the wolves customs. That is until Josiah starts feeling very strange, a red hue clouds his vision and other crazy things happen to his body - he is convinced he must have been poisoned by the wolves. What he doesn't realize is he is coming into his wolf - yes, Josiah is half human-half wolf and an Omega wolf at that. When Josiah's body puts out his mating call - River is right there to answer it!
Things change quickly for Josiah at that point as he has to come to terms with his entire life being turned upside down - not to mention he doesn't have a very patient mate. Watching these two do their mating dance was funny at times and eventually River has to use a little reverse psychology on Josiah to get the stubborn man to admit that he does want to submit to River. Once that hurdle is crossed there are more to come as some of The River Pack are stuck in their old ways with beliefs as to humans, even half human-wolf, people living amongst the pack.
I have to say this story does keep you entertained and the storyline is fun. I loved watching the cat and mouse between Josiah and River and then the fall out between the two as they learned to adjust to mated life. The sex is hot, like really hot. There are tons of characters for additional books to be written about, so all in all I think this is a great start to a new series.
4 stars ~
❥❥**´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•`*RC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Jaime from
Alpha Book Club
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4.5 Stars I am self-confident enough to admit that I have a real problem with impulse buying. Of books, anyway. The instant I read the blurb for 'First Omega', and then peeked at the excerpt, I knew I had to have this. The thought of an alternate reality where a human-werewolf congress exists and there are varying degrees of understanding of each other's culture fascinated me to no end. Of course, the fact that all werewolves are a homosexual culture, capable of producing children with no females was another huge draw.
Josiah, at nineteen, has grown up listening to two very separate opinions about the weres. His uncle taught him that they weren't any different than humans, and were just as civilized and kind as many humans are. Most of the other people Josiah knows are convinced the weres are all bloodthirsty savages, one step away from being animals. This is why when River, the pack alpha of River Wolf Pack, finally agrees to allow a human representative to come to their compound for a month to learn about them, Josiah is the first to volunteer.
Josiah is quick to realize, however, that his whole life is about to change when he suddenly goes into heat, and River mates with him. Josiah is not a werewolf, nor an omega. He can't be. Can he? It would appear there's something Josiah's uncle never got around to telling him. Josiah is scared, though. He has grown up in the human world. Is he supposed to stay with River at the compound when every day that passes it feels more like home to him? What about his job to report back to the congress so they can start working on better understanding between the two species?
Josiah makes his decision to stay and fully mate with River. However, there are a few unruly factions within the pack who despise Josiah for being half-human, and one were who hates Josiah because River loves him. Josiah is going to have to learn to listen to his own wolf and trust his alpha in order to survive. Oh, and Josiah is also going to have to learn a thing or two about what it means to be an omega, and a pregnant one to boot. *grins*
I absolutely adored this book! What's not to like? It's got shifters, it's got male pregnancy, it's got a unique and interesting take on an alternate reality concept, and it's got knotting. Yep. I'm a very happy girl. The only thing that would make me happier is if the author decides to make this a series. Hint. Hint. -
Spoiler Ahead This was a pretty good book and a new author too me. This was book one in the "River Wolf Pack" series. Josiah Kimbrel was sent as an ambassador of the human-werewolf congress to help with the relationship between human and weres so he thought. Josiah was shocked at what he found the werewolves lived normal lives likes human. River is the Alpha of the pack a pack were males had babies and where their were no females. Josiah came into heat not knowing what it was turns out he is half-human half-werewolf turns out his father was part of the pack and was kicked out for falling in love with a human female. This was a pretty good book the sex scenes were hot as hell. River wanted Josiah as his mate Josiah was a virgin when he took him. Josiah had a hard time with the whole thing and that caused some problems for him and River in the beginning. He also had some problems with some of the pack members accepting him because he was half human and wasn't ready to have a bonding ceremony. Someone was trying to kill Josiah and he was sure it was David the second in command. This book left off on a cliffhanger and it was more like the author just decided to stop writing. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book.
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This is my first book by this author and it wasn't bad at all. Hopefully there's another book after this one.
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2.5 Stars
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This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
Josiah Kimbrel works for the human-werewolf Congress, who is working to gather information about werewolves. Werewolves and humans don’t have a very good relationship and there are some within each species who are trying to bridge the gap between the species. Josiah’s world is rocked when he discovers he is half-werewolf while at their compound, and their gorgeous pack leader, River, wants to claim him. Josiah is not happy about this discovery and takes some time to come to terms with it. He fits into their world nicely and is a perfect feisty counterpart to River.
I found this hard to put down. I loved the world building in this story. I really liked the structure of the pack between the alpha’s, beta’s, and omega’s. I thought the settings were described very well. The author does a wonderful job at drawing you into the packs dynamics as well as the strain between the weres and the humans. The characters have very good development and are likable. This is one of the better werewolf-shifter stories I’ve read, by far. -
There wasn't anything about this book that was particularly outstanding, but the combination of River and Josiah with the intense (but not overly ridiculous) conflict made this one a solid read.
Josiah was cute, and I really liked his character. He seemed constantly paranoid, but I feel like he wasn't doing much about it but complaining to River and talking to the other wolves like they were supposed to do something for him. He didn't seek proof. And while I would typically hate this type of passive character, I think it fit Josiah very well.
I would also have liked to see more internal conflict when he was coming to terms with his were status (especially after living as a human for the past 19 years), but I also get why he accepted it so easily. Josiah's one of those characters that I just don't understand until I think about it a little bit more (which is an entirely personal confliction).
River, on the other hand. Yaahhssss babe, work that man bun. River was a character that I was intrigued with from the moment he was mentioned. It was painfully obvious that River was Josiah's lover-to-be right from the moment he laid eyes on him (even if you didn't read the blurb).River made Josiah very aware of every part of himself, as though River had flipped a switch and turned Josiah fully on.
It was hard to get inside his head and know what he was thinking, and I almost wish the book was written from his point of view instead of Josiah's, because River is a character I wanted to know more about.
Their conflict as a couple, or rather, Josiah's conflict, is what made this story so worth the read. I love that I-want-you-but-I'm-too-stuborn-to-cave type of conflict and Josiah did it well (though, I think he caved too early?). And River definitely didn't make it easy for him."If you want me, you'll have to come to me."
I wasn't entirely surprised when he gave in, but God, did I want to see him beg. It's such a shame that it wasn't spelled out, because that would have been hot.
All in all, this one was a pretty good read. I appreciate characters that get me thinking and Josiah did a really good job of that. I loved their family dynamic and can anyone say homosexual werewolf community?, yeeesssss. Mindblowingly simple, yet such a good premise that I knew I wanted to read this one from about half way through the blurb.
Well done, Rebecca James. All I know now, is that I need more David and Jax. Please give me more David and Jax.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review. -
Set in an alternate reality where werewolves and humans live segregated lives, this is the story of Josiah coming into his own and discovering things about himself and the werewolf pack he visits that turn his world upside down.
Josiah may have come to learn about werewolf society with an open mind, but some of the things he finds out are not exactly easy to swallow. Seeing himself as an ambassador for peace and understanding between humans and werewolves is quite a different thing from suddenly finding out he is half werewolf and an omega to boot. When River, the pack alpha, turns out to be his mate, Josiah has a whole set of new skills to learn - submission to his mate being one of them, but real trust takes a while longer to develop.
River is a great leader and mate. While he is as possessive as the next alpha, he is also clever, knows how to get thing done, and very patient with Josiah. He never pushes or orders Josiah around (unless it's in a playful way that both of them grow to like), and he lets Josiah learn at his own pace.
The focus of much of this story is on the differences and similarities in both societies, the way the pack works, and Josiah's learning curve. Suspicions and mistrust are high, Josiah thinks there is a conspiracy, and tensions run high more than once. The resolutions of all the issues surprised me, and I liked that. I certainly hope there will be a sequel!
If you like werewolf stories where the wolves and humans have lots to learn from each other, if two men from very different cultures getting together sounds interesting, and if you're looking for a read that is interesting, somewhat suspenseful, and fun, then you will probably like this novel. -
2.5 stars
19 year old, Josiah, hoping to better relations between weres and humans visits with a the River Wolf Pack. There he meets several pack members and a day or so in goes into heat and is mated to the alpha. But as his time there dwindles down, Josiah uncovers some information about the organization he is part of and distension among the pack.
Josiah was pretty childish in the story. There is a 15 yr age gap between him and River but the accusation he threw at River was pretty bad. Not to add in he kept on running and playing hard to get was a bit tiring to read.
The ending was fine. I wished it wasn't so open ended though and had given reader's a more definite picture of how the relations between humans and were progressed. There was too much conspiracy/negative feelings from Josiah. It was kind of making him a bit unlikable at the end. The idea that alpha's could be polygamous didn't sit well with me personally. There was a nice twist as to who was actually after Josiah's life. I would have liked a bit more information on how the pack/shifters was, the tidbits present made me really curious and I wouldn't have minded more.
Age gap mpreg mmromance shifter alpha omega shifter -
I love the action, adventure, and steamy romance in First Omega by Rebecca James, this is the first book in the River Wolf pack series. In this story we have Josiah, he is human and going to a wolf camp. His job is to figure out who they are and what they do for the government. He is a good person and wants to be fair. He doesn't believe were's are bad like most do in the government. But he is in for a very special surprise, he is an Omega wolf.
River is the leader of the pack. He is fair minded, and wants things to go well. What he didn't count on was Josiah being his mate.
The heat between Josiah and River is really amazing. They have a great connection I could feel as I read this book. I love the world building in this book too. Ms. James is giving me a new take on the human werewolf world and I really like it so far. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, there is a certain beta that needs a mate badly and I think I see who it might be.
Five Shooting Stars -
I really, really enjoyed this! One of the better alpha/omega mpreg stories I have read. There were enough differences to make it unique with the setting, the congress, and werewolves vs humans attitudes, and I really liked the characters.
And I totally want more! It ends kinda....openly, like I want to know more about the humans and werewolves trying to work together, and most of all, I want more of Josiah and River.
I also liked the secondary characters, the other omegas, and it was refreshing to be surprised over who the bad guy was! Josiah and River had sizzling chemistry together, and I totally want more of them. Please? -
This was a great surprise. Really well written and engaging. I am looking forward to the next in the series and I really hope that's not the last we hear of this couple.
4.5 Stars It was super hot and the Mpreg was an exciting little side note to look forward to. I wish there had been more of it though. The only downside was that the ending didn't finalise anything and I really had hoped we'd see more into the pregnancy, further down the track. I would have loved to see more of River's reaction. -
Enjoyable alpha/omega story with some twists. Yes you still get knotting and hot sex - but there's a plot in here. At first I thought the werewolves lived sort of like Swiss Family Robinson - but turns out it's not quite that rustic. Interesting secondary characters and continuing relationships mean I'll try and hop to the next one right quick!
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I liked this book a lot. I wouldn't give it a solid four stars maybe 3.95. There are somethings that would have made this better. I would have loved a ménage if the book was longer. I also would have liked the ending to be a little less anticlimactic. Over all I love Jo (hated his name) and River and all the secondary characters. I'd love to see more of Danny and David and Jax.
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Knotty mpreg sizzle
The story had plenty of very knotty sizzle, ending in an Omega pregnancy. While characters and plot were present, the writing, dialog, and story developments were not very nuanced, yielding a story where the wolfy heat was the most compelling part of the reading experience.
2.5 stars rounded up for knotty mpreg -
I just couldn’t really get into this one. I felt I was told a lot of stuff instead of being made to feel like the MCs just NEED to be together.
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*** I received this book from Indigo in exchange for an unbiased review ***
So, let me just first state that I really enjoyed this book. This is so important, because I had kind of given up on were(-wolf) books. The current trend of being flooded with underedeveloped and just completely stretched out Omega/Alpha stories (KU, I'm talking about your books!), left a sour taste behind and made me really sceptical to even try these books. Concluding, it was a very refreshing and enjoyable exception to the norm and not at all a stereotypical or dull story.
That was that. The story is recounted by Josiah, who works for the Human/Werewolf Congress which deals with all matters concerning werewolves on the human side. To find out more about the werewolves (the species live seperated by borders) and to take a step to mutual understanding and peace, Josiah is allowed to spend a month among the weres.
Although his uncle, a were-friendly human, impressed upon him that the latter were not how other humans saw them, Josiah still arrives at the werewolf-compound with prejudiced views and expectations. He is soon proven wrong, but has to fight himself and his feeling of responsibility to accept the new situation and his position as Rivers mate.
It was quite understandable how Josiah felt (in my opinion) and his struggles were real and not at all superficial. He has to come to term with lot of changes, in an environment that is completely different from what he knew and also not entirely peaceful. He is thrust into a situation he has no control over and it's only natural that he might try to reclaim at least some of it. It's a self-preservation reflex of sorts.
River is the alpha of the River wolf pack. He is a responsible alpha that strives to better the relationship between humans and werewolves. In that he's very progressive and not without opposition. He proves from time to time again that he strives to take the best possible action for his pack and also his mate.
Still, River's and Josiah's realtionship is not without problems and diffidulties. However, their attraction is immediate and very believable, so that the progress of the story is not cut short. (Tanslation: It's not the typical insta-love.) We see their realtionship progress and we also see how others helped that along. Be it in friendship, as a role model or in giving advice.
Like I stated at the beginning: I liked this book a lot and I would definitely recommend you to read it if you enjoy Fantasy (werewolf) stories, that have a lot of depth and character development. (And still have several very enjoyable sex scenes ;) )
If you liked this book, I would also recommend you to read
Worth a Shot by Lyra Evans. First Omega really reminded me of her series and I believe that if you enjoyed this one, you probably will enjoy the other one, too. -
I was given a copy of the book in exchange or an honest review.
The premise is that Josiah, a human, is sent to the werewolf compound in order to learn about the werewolves and report back to the Human Congress, as a sort of goodwill kinda thing between the species. Then it turns out that Josiah is an Omega himself. He's got the hots for River who's the pack Alpha. And, lucky Josiah gets claimed by River when he goes into heat for the first time (Ooh) :P
There's some drama in the book in the first half, and then some in the second half, but both of them are pretty quickly resolved. There's one thing though that is suspenseful throughout the book which we only know toward the end when the big reveal happens, and there a few surprising twists here and there. Apart from that, some of the concepts in the book were pretty unique such as the whole Human Congress thing. I like the camaraderie between the omegas and I thought all the characters were pretty nice with well rounded personalities. The smut is steamy and plentiful. River and Josiah are a good couple; their relationship was nice but lacking in something I can't really express it. Josiah was a forceful,bright character, but we didn't really know much about River except that he's Pack Alpha and apparently a good one.
Overall pretty standard alpha/beta/omega fare with a nice lead. A good choice if you want something like a comfort read that won't push your boundaries. -
(10/20) 1st read = 3 stars
(2/22) 2nd read = 3 stars + 1 star for good reread
This is one of the rare times that I liked the 2nd read better than the first. First Omega is now one of my favorite mpreg books.
This is about a human named Josiah, who visits a werewolf compound as an ambassador of sorts, trying to bring peace between humans and werewolves. While there, he finds out that he's half werewolf and is the mate of River, the pack alpha.
For about the first half or so, I wanted to smack some sense into Josiah. He was SO stubborn, immature, and just plain rude. But then again, he is only 19 (which he definitely acted). He showed the most character development though, evolving into a better person as the story continued. I really liked him by the end.
The relationship between the MCs was what I liked best. I could feel the love between them by their words, thoughts, and actions.
It had my favorite tropes as well: Bigger/smaller. Older/younger. Dominant/somewhat submissive. Experienced/virgin. Protector/needs protecting.
The sex scenes were ♨️ 🌶️ 🥵 🔥 and well written. (I actually reread it for this reason).
There are 3 books in this series. I didn't care much for book 2, so I didn't finish the series. I may attempt to finish it at some point. There's also a spin-off series with another 3 books.
Rebecca James is a hit or miss author for me. While I really liked a few of her books, many I found to be mediocre and not worth reading.
* One error I found: Josiah says he's going into River's office to make a copy of his notes, to share with another character. The only problem is, there's no electricity in the whole compound. For the short time he's gone, it's doubtful that he was making another copy by hand. -
First Omega by Rebecca James
4 stars
M/M Shifter, male pregnancy
Triggers: Assault, attempted murder
I was given this book for an honest review by Inked Rainbow Reads.
This was a somewhat unique spin on shifter, male pregnancy stories I've read in the past. There were a lot of characters that helped the story along and it was not just about the two main characters, which I liked a lot.
You have an element of prejudice, which was different - the reasons behind it and the back story behind it was very interesting.
Mark, Alex and Josiah had been friends for a long time. When Alex was killed in the woods, it was blamed on a werewolf. That started the path that both Mark and Josiah found themselves on.
While I was not particularly fond of Mark throughout the story, I understand why he was necessary.
However, the real story was Josiah and River. I liked their story because it showed that Josiah was not just going to fall in line because it was his nature. He had to figure out on his own what he wanted. Despite needing the time to figure it out on his own, River was patient and a great alpha.
River just sounds hot. I love the name and the way that he handles his pack.
There seems to be more to this story and I'm hoping that some of the secondary characters get their own story, because I felt that there was a lot of unanswered questions - things left hanging.
I would really enjoy reading more if this author decides that there is more to tell. -
A
Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
A few facts about First Omega…the werewolves are all gay men. They’re very open about their sexualities. Meals are served in a communal dining hall. The wolves swim together (naked, of course). If they aren’t mated, the men think nothing of casual, no strings sex. The pack is broken up into Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Betas can only have one child in their lives, but Omegas can have more. Omegas go into heat, and when that happens, they become desired (VERY desired) by Alphas and Betas. In fact, unmated Omegas tend to spend their heats in comfortable place away from Alphas and Betas. They take care of each other and help each other through the heats.
Once in the compound, Josiah feels drawn to River and vice versa. Neither man understands because humans and wolves aren’t supposed to be together. However, one day, something happens, and Josiah goes into heat. Turns out, he has werewolf blood in him. The Alphas try to swarm him, but River wants him the most. Their relationship takes off from there. They’re in love, but it’s not easy. There are misunderstandings along the way, and neither humans or wolves are too happy about River and Josiah being together.
Read Kenna’s review in its entirety
here. -
ARC received from author via Indigo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
3.5*
Josiah has long known about the existence of werewolves. Having been fed stories about them by the uncle who raised him, he wants to learn more about their way of life and manages to get permission from the pack Alpha to spend a month living with them. Going in, he never expected this to trigger his inner wolf. Being half human comes with it’s problems and he is torn between returning to his regular life or staying with the weres and his mate. It would seem that not everyone appreciates Josiahs presence and it becomes clear that at least one were is trying to get rid of him.
I like the fact that this has a few differences to your average werewolf/m-preg type stories and the whole query over who was trying to kill Josiah had me guessing right to the very end. There are some aspects of the story that left me thinking ‘really?!’ but actually, this book has pregnant male werewolves so you have to suspend belief to read this in the first place and realise that the author can have them doing whatever she likes.
There’s lots going on and there are sub-plots running with several of the other characters so there’s no chance you’ll get bored. I did enjoy this book and I am looking forward to getting in about the next instalment…. -
First Omega
By Rebecca James
The storyline was really good, but I felt both main characters were sorely lacking in genuine emotion and passion between them until near the end.
River came off as totally unemotional and uncaring for Josiah's worries and fears. Neither of them made any effort to get to really know each other before they mated and not so much afterwards either. It felt like all they had between them was sex. I had a really hard time connecting on an emotional level to either of them or to anyone else in the book. That was my biggest disappointment. Why read a book that has one dimensional characters? -
Really enjoyed. Review to follow.
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This was a fun and unique read with some great twists along the way. The world building was well done. It wrapped up nicely, yet leaves plenty of space for a continuation of the series.
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There was knotting!
