Reviewed by Amber
TITLE: Saved: An Omegaverse Story
SERIES: Breaking Free #1
AUTHOR: A.M. Arthur
PUBLISHER: Briggs-King Books
LENGTH: 316 Pags
RELEASE DATE: September 12th, 2017
BLURB:
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.
REVIEW:
Ugh…I feel like a total jerk off for saying this about the main character of the story and an obvious victim to unspeakable violence but it has to be said. Braun drove me absolutely crazy throughout the whole story. Tarek deserves medals, shrines, a damn Sainthood….something because his patience and overall manner in regards to Braun was unbelievable. Tarek without a doubt saved this story for me. I’ve come to really enjoy these non-shifter, omegaverse stories having read a few now. And I did enjoy this world and the writing was great like I’ve come to expect from this author. My biggest issue was Braun. He was not endearing. The tests he made Tarek undertake and the hoops he made him jump through were ridiculous. Tarek had to continuously prove himself to Braun and it got to a point where I didn’t see it as a victim being scared to trust. I saw it as a bratty boy playing games and it was frustrating which pulled me out of the story.
Braun and Tarek meet in a world where Omega’s are seen as lesser than. Tarek, an Alpha, immediately feels a bond form upon meeting Braun. Braun, an Omega, was beaten and ridiculed by his father and hold an intense aversion to Alpha’s. But like Tarek, Braun feels a connection and Tarek is nothing like what he has come to expect from Alpha’s.
Tarek and Braun start a tentative relationship where Tarek handles Braun with care and shows him he’s different. Their connection only deepens especially when Braun goes into heat and Tarek helps him through it. I love love love heat scenes…so hot but with Tarek…it was more.
Like I mentioned Braun is constantly testing Tarek. I didn’t know what else that man could have done to prove himself to Braun. Ugh, frustrating.
I loved Dex and Serge and I’m so interested to see what is going on with Kell.
Overall, good story but Braun almost ruined this for me, if I’m being honest.
RATING: 
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