Guest Review: Camp Lake Omega by Penelope Peters

Jim Smith isn’t your average omega.

My first alpha died after we’d been bonded for a week – since then, I’ve been living a quiet life sequestered in my parents’ house. Now I’ve got one last summer of freedom working as a camp counselor at Camp Lake Omega before they force me to settle down and find a mate. I’m going to wring every drop of fun from this summer that I can, no matter how bad of an idea he – I mean, it is!

Zachary Ito isn’t your average alpha.

I watched my father screw up one relationship after another. No way am I going to let myself fall under the influence of omega pheromones like he did. I’ve devoted my life to running Camp Alpha-by-the-Lake, hoping to teach young alphas how to respect and protect omegas instead of seeking to control and overpower them. There’s no room for fun in my life, no matter how intriguing he – I mean, it is!

But one chance encounter at the beginning of the summer…

…And neither Zachary nor Jim can get the other out of their heads – or out of their beds! When Jim’s biology puts not only himself but another counselor in danger – will Zachary be there to help him to safety?

Camp Lake Omega is a stand-alone m/m omegaverse non-shifter romance with an HEA ending. All participants are well over the age of consent. The story contains runaway canoes, broken-down cabins, the possibility of bears, and a whole lot of glitter paint.

Reviewer - R *A Reader Obsessed*

Apparently, I’m on a roll with my recent ABO reads, and this thankfully, hit the spot.

Poor Jim. He’s an omega and in a rare position. He’s been bonded, but since his mate died unexpectedly without them ever having had kids, he’s now an inert omega - not exactly off limits, but not physically ready and willing to easily bond again. Jim’s basically resigned himself to a lonely existence living with his parents for the rest of his days, so he grabs the chance to be a counselor at the omega camp he loved as a teen. Excited to be just a normal person, Jim looks forward to enjoying some much needed freedom. What he doesn’t expect is meeting the enticing alpha, Zach, who runs the new alpha-only camp across the lake.

Zach too, is a rare unattached alpha. His biology drives him to mate with an omega, but Zach’s adamant that he never wants to be dictated by hormones and pheromones, and thus far, has avoided any omegas who might potentially pique his interest. When Jim propositions him though, Zach finds it difficult to say no to the risk-free sexy times with the yummy omega. It’s just his luck that Jim hasn’t produced any pheromones for the last few years - he’s neither bonded or unbonded - and poses no threat in sending Zach into a mindless rutting haze. There’s absolutely no worry with this no strings attached fling, right?? Silly boys. They should know that alphas and omegas don’t/can’t do something as simple as casual sex.

These two were very, very nice together as they explore each other without the heat induced attachments and obligations. However, don’t worry. You know that’s not gonna last, as evolving feelings push Jim’s body into the hot and needy yumminess we've all been waiting for!

Basically, if you like this trope, there’s not much fault to find in this sweet sexy story. Though maybe a tad disappointing in not being crazy detailed and extra explicit with the heat dynamics, one really can’t complain when KNOTTING is involved. I just wanted more!! Why isn’t there more?? Overall though, I’m quite satisfied with what I got!

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

Review: The Prince and the Omega by Penelope Peters

Rowan’s not royalty – and that’s fine by him.

Omega Rowan Thornton has never been so glad he’s not considered royalty. Especially since his best friend Princess Celia is stuck bonding with a foreign prince she’s never even met. Celia’s solution? Ask Rowan to flirt with someone, anyone, during her engagement ball so she can live a romantic entanglement vicariously through him.

Well, that’s what best friends are for, right?

Gus is royal to the bone – and it’s never bothered him before.

Prince Gaspar – better known as Gus – isn’t the type of alpha to fall in love at the drop of a hat, or at the staged farce of a romantic ball. He’s agreed to an arranged marriage because it’s his duty – not his desire. When his half-brother suggests he take a last chance at having what he really wants before getting tied down to a foreign princess, Gus has no intention of following through… until he meets the handsome omega commoner with the adorable smile.

It’s not like Gus is going to lose his heart or anything, right?

It was only a single night – but the consequences could be greater than their lifetimes.

Gus and Rowan both know that a lifetime spent together is impossible – but for a single hour, they just don’t care. One night of giving into their passion has consequences neither of them anticipated… but will it dismantle the fragile truce between their countries? And will one courtier’s jealousy end up destroying everything they both hold dear?

The Prince and the Omega is a stand-alone m/m mpreg omegaverse non-shifter romance with an HEA ending. It has secret passageways, loyal friendships, garden labyrinths, and a prince in disguise.

This was a pretty cute little non-shifter ABO mpreg story.  Rowan has grown up on the fringes of royalty.  His best friend (who is also a distant cousin) is a princess so he's had the best of both worlds for most of his life.  Princess Celia is about to be betrothed to a prince from a warring country in order to garner peace throughout both countries.  Though it is an arranged marriage and not out of love, she is willing to do her duty for her realm.  Rowan is never so thankful that he's not royalty as he is the night of her engagement.  The king has thrown a ball to welcome the foreign prince and Celia, being the BFF that she is, wants Rowan to get out there and meet someone too.  

Rowan's immediately drawn to the foreign Alpha that is part of the prince's party (sorry for the alliteration there).  They have a blistering hot tryst in the guest wing of the castle before the party and Rowan thinks he may just have found The One.  But it is not meant to be, because the foreign Alpha?  Well, he failed to mention that h'se not just any ordinary man.  He's the prince that's promised to his best friend.  You can imagine the despair Rowan feels at this betrayal.

I waffled on my rating for this.  On the one hand, the writing is good and the storyline was interesting.  And of course, the mpreg was the draw for me here.  On the other hand, this story has some of my most hated tropes in it.  Lack of communication.  Big Misunderstanding.  Keeping secrets.  I normally stay as far away as I can from these tropes.  Talk your shit out, you morons!

The sex was smokin' in this book though.  All growly and manhandle-y and slam-you-up-against-a-wall and come-so-hard-you-see-stars hot.  I would've liked to have seen more of it and that's not something I usually say about my reads as I'm not a big smut lover.  There were only two scenes but they were something.  Mmm mmmm, were they something.

The world building kind of confused me, maybe because there wasn't all that much to it.  I don't remember if their country even had a name.  I could tell they lived in modern times because they drove cars and I think I remember they texted so they must've had cell phones but they traveled overseas by ship instead of by airplane.  And I don't think they had television.  Trying to figure out what era they lived in was hurting my brain.

There was some drama and a boatload of angst but it was more on the fluffy side for me than anything.  I liked the dialogue and Rowan had a snarky streak that I appreciated.  This is a good filler book for when you're in-between reads and need something to pass the time.

On the brain candy scale, I would say this is like an Almond Joy.  I enjoyed the chocolate and the almonds but could have done without the coconut.

Review: The Omega Nanny by Penelope Peters

ALPHA THOMAS WHITTAKER NEEDS A NANNY.

Single dad Thomas Whittaker loves work, his daughter, and coffee – not always in that order. Romance hasn’t been on his mind since his mate died six years ago. When his sister hires the cute busboy from Thomas’s favorite coffee shop as the new nanny, he’s just amused.

Until he finds out that the busboy is an omega.

OMEGA KIERAN CORVEY NEEDS A JOB.

Kieran Corvey is newly single, almost homeless – and determined to pay back every cent his parents spent on an engagement that went nowhere. Kieran needs money more than he needs a love life. Being hired to take care of a six-year-old girl is much better than shilling coffee to thirsty and lusty customers all day.

Until he finds out his new employer is an alpha.

Sometimes you find exactly what you need when you’re not looking for it at all.

The Omega Nanny is a standalone Omegaverse non-shifter story with a HEA and mpreg (male pregnancy) ending.

Welcome to the Omegaverse!

It was my first visit, and I had no idea what I was in for.

If you're like me and you've never been, here's a little breakdown to make things easier:

Omegaverse is basically all that wolfy behaviour and hierarchy that you'd expect with a shifter book, without any of the fur. But if you really want to get a grasp of what the Omegaverse is

Everyone in this universe is either an alpha, a beta, or an omega, but their roles are slightly different than they would be in a shifter universe. Here, betas are kind of relegated to the back burner, with their main role being the built-in babysitter for when the alphas and omegas can't do it themselves. They've just recently been granted the ability to marry, and the viewpoint on that is akin to gay marriage in today's society. Mainly there's a lot of betaphobia directed towards anyone unfortunate to be born beta. I'm sorry, did I say unfortunate? I meant I'd pray to every God in existence, and even make up a few in the process, just to beg to never be born beta. They seem to like the role of glorified babysitter, but me? Yeah, not so much. I don't get why one third of the population is totes okay with being relegated to only this role, but it probably has a lot to do with the fact that they can't bond like alpha/omega couples, and have a difficult time conceiving children.

Alphas have all that growly possessive, protective behaviour of shifter books.

And omegas?

Omegas were meant to put alphas at ease; it was to do with the pheromones they secreted. It was what made alphas protective and careful of them, drew them closer and closer, and then the extra kick of pheromones during an omega's heat would push the alpha into claiming them as their own. That was how biology worked.

It really doesn't matter if the omega is male or female. It's the bond that matters, and either can carry children.

And for the few of you who've just put two and two together and perked up in your seat, that means MPREG, and for the fun of it, KNOTTING.

(I know a few unicorns that just DIED reading that line.)

So, let's get down to the story.

Thomas is haunted by the ghost of his dead mate. Not quite literally, but he does have conversations with her memory throughout the day, and he feels her gentle prodding to move on and find a new mate. He's not ready to let go, but fate might have a different opinion, when Thomas's sister, Nora (that beta built-in babysitter I was talking about earlier) becomes engaged to be married and has plans of moving to Germany. Now they're scrambling to find a caregiver for his six year old daughter before Nora leaves, and none of the candidates feel right.

Until Kieran.

Kieran is the perfect fit for their family, but he's not a beta; he's an omega, and that is going to prove interesting for Thomas.

There's no denying there is an attraction building between Thoman and Kieran, but it's not one either can easily trust. Kieran doesn't know if his feelings are genuine or if they're all due to pesky biology, and Thomas initially fights it because he wasn't looking for a mate. To be honest, it did feel a little like there was more biology at work than the emotional connection forming between them, but there are these moments where things just click with them, and in the end, it doesn't really matter. It makes for a slow burn read that, regardless of how they end up in bed, ended up sexy as hell.

And speaking of ending up in bed, the story is focused on these two men getting together, so don't expect sex to come into play until near the end. I personally liked the wait, and we get a sweet little Epilogue nine months down the road as a result.

We also get a well written story with lot of great secondary characters that could easily star in a book of their own, and a very adorable little girl who has everyone wrapped around her little finger.

So, while I might not have liked the way betas were treated, the rest of this story is sweet with a little sexy, and definitely worth the read.

Recommended to those who like slow burn with a bit of sexual tension, and who want to try a different take on the shifter universe.

... Have I mentioned there's knotting?

Add to your Goodreads shelf!

Review: The Country Omega (The Downing Cycle #1) by Penelope Peters

What if desire really did have the power to sweep you away?

Omega Ethan Downing doesn’t want a mate. He wants to play his piano and travel the world. But with his acceptance to a prestigious musical conservatory hanging in the balance – and an ex who won’t take “no” for a hint – Ethan’s father arranges a bonding with an alpha neither of them have ever met.

Alpha Antonio Valdez’s life is perfect. He has the career, the money, the looks. In fact, he’d be perfectly happy never to bond at all. When his overbearing father arranges a bonding for him, he’s ready to find every excuse in the world not to go through with it.

One meeting changes both Ethan’s and Antonio's minds.

Too bad their fathers have also changed theirs.

Now Ethan and Antonio have to fight for something they never even dreamed they wanted: each other.

The Country Omega is the first book in a three-part series set in the Omegaverse. It is a non-shifter, paranormal world in which mpreg is a possibility (but does not occur in this story).

Question: When is a shifter story not a shifter story? Answer: When it's an Omegaverse.

Those of you much wiser than me may already know that in an Omegaverse male pregnancy is viable since each person has two genders, male or female and also an alpha, beta or omega gender.

Our two protagonists Ethan and Antonio find themselves reluctant participants in their parents' search for potential mates for their respective offspring. Neither is particularly keen to be tied down with a mate, however in this Omegaverse they don't have much option and each is attracted to the other's independent spirit. In a meeting that lasts not much more than twenty minutes Ethan and Antonio believe they may have found someone to build a future with, but their parents decide against the match.

All the ingredients are there for the shifter story trope I am more familiar with, but these guys stay human. No shifting. In fact they live in a world much like ours, except in this case, they wrestle with pretty defined roles as alpha and omega and a highly developed sense of smell. Ethan and Antonio expect to experience various (not entirely human) rites of passage including bonding with bites, knotting, coming into heat or 'estrus' and so forth.

I am both intrigued by the idea and delighted with the concept of male / female gender being secondary to a person's status as alpha, beta or omega (the titles are also non gender specific even though traditional pronouns are maintained). Mothers can be male or female. Clever, huh?

Ethan is an omega with ambition and independent ideas, however his omega status means that his options are limited. Ethan really does not have much of an option other than to find a mate and quickly.

In many ways, it reminded me of the Stepford Wives where conformity is the expected norm. Ethan hopes to finish his education at a musical conservatory but he must be bonded and have his mate's permission. Antonio is a potential suitor but much stands in their way and time is running out, with only a few weeks available to make plans and reach agreement.

You might think that this story would be quite speedy, but actually I found the pace sedentary, although my interest was kept, I remain fascinated by the concept if not gripped by the execution of the plot, some of which seemed a tad overblown such as when the alpha patriarchs tie themselves in knots posturing over contract problems that should have been relatively simple to resolve.

This brings me to another quintessential part of the story, in which a teacher steps way out of line and conducts a clandestine liaison with one of his students. Whilst specifics are not explored in great detail they are recalled in flashback. I was uncomfortable with what happened once the affair came to light. I would have thought a trigger warning might be helpful in the blurb for something that covers a rightly sensitive subject at length.

Ultimately, The Country Omega is an unusual read about the imposition of fairly strict social roles dependent on alpha, beta and omega gender and of course, at its heart is a romance.

There's plenty of food for thought (my own preference would have been to explore the social norms, and the culture clashes between town and country, ethnicity and religion in some more detail which would have notched up several more stars from me). Interesting cultural juxtapositions are raised only to be dropped again without much ado. Perhaps they will be more thoroughly developed throughout the course of the Downing Cycle trilogy.

A highlight for me, is Ethan's abrasive and rather brusque music teacher Dimitrov, he comes into his own as the book progresses, here's hoping he continues to hold a starring role in the trilogy as there seems to be some mystery to his love life too.

As an introduction to an omegaverse this was certainly intriguing, an interesting exploration of love and the expectations of family.

Recommended for those who like alternative universe fiction and their romance spiced up with just a little bit more of an animalistic drive.

A complimentary copy of the book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Find out more on Goodreads.