Guest Review: Different Dynamics by Tamir Drake

Richard doesn’t mind being an omega; all he cares about is playing good hockey, even though it means ignoring the media that tries to rip him apart for it. They don’t think omegas should be allowed on the ice, but he gets along fine. He’s team captain. He can play with the best of them.

The one sticking point is his heats; Richard might be on suppressants, but he’s one of the unlucky ones who still gets a heat every four months or so. They suck to deal with, especially alone, but seeking out a heat partner isn’t an option. The PR nightmare alone keeps him from any kind of hook-up. He can’t risk it. Hockey is all he’s got.

When Richard’s heat comes early while his team is on a roadie, teammate and best friend James helps him out of a bad situation. Tired of hurting, Richard decides it’s better not to go it alone. And James is safe and warm; he’s a great alpha who knows just what Richard needs. When Richard also imprints on big, bad rival player, Dmitry Sokolov? There’s sweet comfort in a three-way with lots of knotting and dirty talk.

Richard might be on cloud nine.

Reviewer: R * A Reader Obsessed*

4 Heat Induced Hearts


Sadly, I haven't read an ABO in a long time, and when I saw the chance for one with hockey players plus KNOTTING, I was all sorts of hell yeah.


Poor Richard. He’s an omega, and he’s basically under a lot of self imposed stress and pressure to not let his biology interfere with being a good hockey player, as well as a great team captain. Richard goes above and beyond to not be a stereotypical omega, having gone so far as to have had a heat regulator implanted, in addition to taking heat suppressants, applying odor eliminators, and chugging down libido inhibitors, just so he won’t be a burden to his teammates. What he doesn’t realize is that all this denial of his natural rhythms is sure to backfire (it actually kind of becomes a running joke on how much he doesn’t know). Luckily his bff is an alpha, and James is at the ready to be whatever he needs. Mmm hmmmm.


This really portrayed the ABO dynamic in all its squirm inducing glory. It showcased the uncontrollable urges and instincts, how much the pheromones were hard to resist, just how needy an omega can get and in turn, just how protective and caring an alpha can be. I admit that this isn’t for everyone, and there are ABO stories out there that gloss over such, but this one didn’t. I actually enjoyed the addition of Dmitry (even though mmm+ is typically not my thing), because a gentle giant is my kryptonite and his presence was the extra icing on the cake.


In the grand scheme of things, this is not an out of this world, phenomenal romance, but I’m biased when it comes to this trope, and this was a good representation of that, delivering on what I like. Perhaps as a warning, this ended a bit abruptly and didn’t have any love proclamations. It definitely could’ve used some more smexy details and KNOTTING goodness, but overall, I am one happy reader! More please.


Thanks to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.