Reviewed by Jen B.
TITLE: Beast of Burden
SERIES: Carpe Noctem
AUTHOR: Ariel Millar
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 197 Pages
RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2021
BLURB:
Orion:
When the Alpha Zane Bereket goes missing, it’s up to me to find him. As a Beta Wolf and Kor’s second-in-command, leaving the compound is dangerous, but Zane is the one Alpha who has always been under my skin. And in spite of knowing we can never bond, I couldn’t live with myself if I couldn’t bring him home alive.
Luckily, Zane’s brother has a plan. He’s concocted a formula which will allow me to pass as an Omega and steal the information from the city on who has been taking our Wolves and where. What neither of us knows is whether or not I’ll be strong enough to rescue him as an Omega, and whether or not I’ll make it back before Zane’s lost to me for good.
Zane:
For months, my world has been nothing but blood and violence. I have long-since lost track of anything except the beast inside me, and obeying the commands of my human Masters. But when a new Wolf turns up and takes me from that place, I realize there’s more to who I am than just a monster. His scent is familiar—and yet entirely new. This Omega is different, and he just might be the only thing that can bring back the Wolf I once was.
Beast of Burden is the second book in a Dystopian MM Werewolf trilogy featuring A/B/O hierarchy with no mpreg, mild violence, and a happily ever after.
REVIEW:
This installment picks up right where the previous book left off. Kor and his “pack” are regrouping and trying to come up with a new plan of attack. Unfortunately, early on, Zane is captured, and the story turns to his recovery. The preparations for this showed the story a bit, but once the plan was in motion, things picked up nicely. Orion (Kor’s second) steps up to be the one to infiltrate and rescue Zane utilizing the drugs, etc. that the gang has been working on (with Mischa’s help) that changes their DNA temporarily enabling them to go undetected.
If you read the first book, which you pretty much need to in order to understand what is going on in this world, you will remember that Zane and Orion are pretty close. They both had feelings, but Alphas and Betas aren’t really supposed to be together, so they never pursued it. Through the course of the rescue, the drugs, etc. altered Orion’s makeup and changed him (believed to be temporary) into an Omega. That becomes a non-issue eventually, as they have much more important things to be worrying about in the grand scheme of things.
Life is short, and all of that, especially when you’re in the middle of a race war and fight for the ability to exist, let alone to do so freely. This story is getting more interesting as it goes. We still don’t fully understand all of the intricacies of what is going on with the humans and their plans, the wolves who appear to be working with them, etc. There is enough to keep the pages turning and a feeling that all will be revealed in time. I’m really enjoying this story and just like when I finished the first book, I was ready to jump into the next. Thankfully, Ms. Millar doesn’t make us wait too long. I definitely recommend this interesting and suspenseful shifter story.
RATING: 
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