Saved (Breaking Free #1) by A.M. Arthur 4*
BLURB: An Omegaverse Story
He didn’t want an alpha to save him, but fate had other ideas…
Braun Etting was raised to know his place as an omega by his alpha father’s cruel words and fast fists, and he expects nothing but violence from the alpha who may one day mate him. His older brother Kell mated a cruel alpha who abuses him daily, and Braun is terrified of that seemingly inevitable future. When Braun’s father dies in a car crash, leaving Braun an orphan, he’s sent to a halfway house for omegas. But on his fourth night there, he witnesses a horrifying crime that sends him fleeing to the streets alone—and edging into his first heat.
Tarek Bloom is settled in his workaholic, single lifestyle, even if it is somewhat embarrassing to be a twenty-eight year-old unmated alpha. He enjoys his job as a constable, helping people and solving problems, so he isn’t prepared for his life to flip upside-down when he walks into his beta friend Dex’s apartment to help with “a problem.”
The problem turns out to be an unmated, nearly in-heat omega orphan who Dex and his husband rescued off the street last night. The even bigger problem is that Tarek feels the mating bond for this terrified omega immediately—and he’s pretty sure the omega feels it, too. But Braun hates alphas as a general rule, and no way is he giving in to the bond. All mating leads to is violence and suffering, so no thank you. But Tarek’s gentle kindness slips under Braun’s emotional shields, and Braun begins to want. To dream. All Braun has ever known is violent alphas, but Tarek is determined to make Braun trust him—and to trust in the idea of their happily ever after.
NOTE: This is a non-shifter Omegaverse story with alpha/omega/beta dynamics, heats, knotting, and mpreg. In this world, omegas are second-class citizens with few civil rights and almost no protections under the law. Trigger warnings for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. 67,000 words.
My Review: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I really liked A.M. Arthur's version of a non-shifter Omegaverse. The story was so different from the usual omegaverrse themes and I loved the world building put into the story, it seemed like something that could be as real as our world is today. I also like that the relationship between the Alpha and Omega characters was not rushed or forced and was allowed to flow naturally. My only complaint about the book is the ending leaves a few unanswered questions about the brother Kell and I can only hope that the next book about Kell (
Seen (Breaking Free #2) by A.M. Arthur) is as good as this one was.
08/10/2017: Just read Seen and it was even better then I expected. It's another 4* read :D
