Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Bitter Heat
SERIES: Heat of Love
AUTHOR: Leta Blake
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 11 hours and 52 minutes
RELEASE DATE: April 30, 2020
BLURB:
A pregnant omega trapped in a desperate situation, an unattached alpha with a lot to prove, and an unexpected fall into love that could save them both.
Kerry Monkburn is contracted to a violent alpha in prison for brutal crimes. Now pregnant with the alpha’s child, he lives high in the mountains, far above the city that once lured him in with promises of a better life. Enduring bitterness and fear, Kerry flirts with putting an end to his life of darkness, but fate intervenes.
Janus Heelies has made mistakes in the past. In an effort to redeem himself, integrity has become the watchword for his future. Training as a nurse under the only doctor willing to take him on, Janus is resolute in his intentions: He will live cleanly in the mountains and avoid all inappropriate affairs. But he doesn’t anticipate the pull that Kerry exercises on his heart and mind.
As the question of Kerry’s future health and safety comes to an explosive head, only the intervention of fate will see these desperate men through to a happy ending.
This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the third in the Heat of Love universe which began with Slow Heat. It’s 111,000 words, with a strong happy ending and a critically-acclaimed, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, mpreg, heat, and knotting.
Content warning for a violent and oppressive society regarding reproductive rights.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the third book in this series. While it can be read as a standalone, there are major spoilers for the first two books and the dynamic of some of the characters in this story are fully explained in the previous books.
Kerry is an omega who has contracted with an alpha who is a monster. The alpha has finally been caught and has been sent to prison for his crimes – but unfortunately his omega is still subjected to him during his heats. And this time, he gets pregnant, much to his dismay. He has no desire to have a child by this man, but he will be subjected to continued abuse should he not produce an heir this time. But the thought of having this man’s child is so abhorrent to him that he’s is nearly desperate to put an end to things.
Janus Heelies has come to Hud’s Basin to train as a doctor. He’s been training as a nurse, but his health has suffered the previous few years and he’s not completed all his courses so he’s had trouble finding a placement. Dr. Crescent, the local doctor has agreed to take him on as a trainee. He’s rented a room from Kerry’s Uncle and he’s intrigued by the mysterious and beautiful and pregnant omega who doesn’t seem to have an alpha around. Janus is drawn to him, but he treads lightly as Kerry seems to be in his own world – an unhappy world. Janus is unaware at first of the pain that Kerry has been through at the hands of his alpha, so he’s taken aback at Kerry’s actions. But his overwhelming desire is to keep Kerry safe.
As Kerry’s pregnancy continues, he is forced to deal with the overbearing in-laws who basically view him as nothing more than an incubator for their long awaited grandchild. They treat him with the barest veneer of civility and make it clear that once this child is born, he will be expected to return to the city with the child for 2 years and most likely be forced to submit to his alpha again in the event that this son does not present as an alpha – which will take some years. Kerry is devastated but he plays it cool with the in-laws in order to be able to stay in Hud’s Basin for the remainder of his pregnancy.
Janus is surprised by what he finds in the mountains with the people there. He’s amazed at how tenuous and difficult life can be. He’s not used to being paid in nuts and produce and very little coin 🙂 But he’s happy to be learning and tired at the end of the day after accomplishing something. He’s not put off by the mountain ways really, but he’d like to be able to do more. He writes to Caleb, his dear friend and omega to his cousin Xan for help and advice – in a lot of things.
Janus is very aware of Kerry and his growing child. He has to hold himself in check because he really wants to be there for Kerry – in every way possible. But then Kerry breaks and their relationship changes. Janus does take care of Kerry as he needs for the duration of his pregnancy. There are bumps along with way – with both Kerry’s in-laws and his health. There are also a number of surprising twists and turns as the birth approaches. Kerry’s torn about the baby because he fears he’ll be like his alpha, but of course it is his child as well 🙂 With the support of his family and Janus, he may be able to see a way forward.
Oh this was soooo good! We met Kerry’s awful violent horrible alpha in the earlier books in this series. The surprise here is that he has been caught and punished for his crimes – which is a rarity in this world as well as ours when the perpetrator is rich and well-connected. But Kerry has been forced to endure his heats in prison with this man which has nearly cost his sanity as well as his life. One can certainly understand his reaction and actions in context. Janus has turned over a new leaf. After the near-death experience in the previous book in the series, he’s taken a long hard look at his life and he’s decided to make it on his own. He wants to help people now and he’s found his calling in being a doctor. He’s happy in the mountains and he’s drawn to Kerry. The dance these two do around each other is sometimes painful to watch, but it’s necessary given the baggage they each bring and Kerry’s reluctance to trust any alpha- particularly a city alpha. As they grow closer though, it’s obvious that there are deep feelings on both sides, although Kerry is definitely still very afraid of what will happen – to him, to the baby, to his life. Janus is determined to protect Kerry from everything – a reaction that stuns them both. There is a bit of foreshadowing of the revelations that are to come, but in a good way 🙂 I loved the visits from beloved characters in the previous books also. As usual Michael Ferraiuolo does a brilliant job of narrating. The characters are all vivid and the accents perfectly delivered – particularly for the mountain folks and the city folks. I could FEEL Monte’s hysteria at times. This whole series is just so different and I’ve loved each book in it’s own right. I highly recommend listening to them in order! You won’t be disappointed.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Audible