Review: Slow Heat by Leta Blake
SYNOPSIS:
A lustful young alpha meets his match in an older omega with a past.
Professor Vale Aman has crafted a good life for himself. An unbonded omega in his mid-thirties, he’s long since given up hope that he’ll meet a compatible alpha, let alone his destined mate. He’s fulfilled by his career, his poetry, his cat, and his friends.
When Jason Sabel, a much younger alpha, imprints on Vale in a shocking and public way, longings are ignited that can’t be ignored. Fighting their strong sexual urges, Jason and Vale must agree to contract with each other before they can consummate their passion.
But for Vale, being with Jason means giving up his independence and placing his future in the hands of an untested alpha–as well as facing the scars of his own tumultuous past. He isn’t sure it’s worth it. But Jason isn’t giving up his destined mate without a fight.
REVIEW:
Confession time, I really enjoy omegaverse…if it’s done right. Now I wasn’t the biggest fan of this cover but this book came highly recommended from a friend so I dived in. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much I adored this story. It was plenty sexy but there was also a fantastic plot and lore that had me hooked.
The omegaverse is unique to anything I’ve read before, and I have read a lot of omegaverse mangas. There is your standard alpha, beta, and omega species but here there are no female humans and there are no males of any other species. It’s like a slightly dystopian. It has touches of modern world with some set backs and some advances. I found this setting intriguing and it had me dying to know more. Leta Blake does an excellent job in setting up the world but not dragging it out with a boring, detailed history lesson.
A lot of these romances can be insta-love and while there is certainly instantaneous attraction here, it was a slow-burn. Vale was really against the romance and Jason wore him down over time as they got to know each other. Jason grew into him and became a confident alpha, while Vale learned to forgive himself and be a proud omega. Seriously, these two were as stupidly cute as they were ridiculously hot.
The romance was a delicious balance of tender and sexy. At times things seemed to drag on there was a little external drama I didn’t care for, i.e. Jason and Vale’s ex-lovers and Jason’s parents, but they didn’t distract from the romance and world building. Overall I am looking forward to the next book!
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
