Title: To Love and Protect His Omega
Series: Justice Brothers Omegaverse: Book One
Author: Quinn Michaels
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 364 Pages
Category: Mpreg, Omegaverse
At a Glance: I do believe author Quinn Michaels has some good writing skills, but To Love and Protect His Omega may not be the best example.
Reviewed By: Sammy
Blurb: Gunnar swore to serve and protect, but he couldn’t save the omega he loved. Will a sick kitten give him a second chance at love?
Police Detective and single dad, Gunnar Justice swore an oath to serve and protect, but he couldn’t save the omega closest to him. Now he’s raising his 8-year-old daughter alone. But when his daughter adopts a sick kitten, will a hot veterinarian with his own secrets offer a second chance at love?
Pursued by a relentless stalker, omega veterinarian, Liam Chandler, packs up his entire life and moves across the country to start over. He has lost faith in romance and instead devotes his time to saving his animal patients. But when a handsome alpha detective and his daughter come into Liam’s exam room with a kitten who needs a miracle, will Liam give romance a second chance?
Can these two men overcome their pasts to make a family together? Even as a final threat from Liam’s past threatens not only their relationship but their lives.
To Love and Protect His Omega is a single dad Omegaverse romance with mystery, action and all of the feels.
Review: Gunnar is nearly crippled by the guilt he carries over husband’s murder. Being an officer of the law means he should have been able to protect his family, yet somehow he failed when it came to saving the man he loved. Now, he struggles not to see his husband’s death in each new case, and given that he is starting over in a new precinct, after a chain of evidence fiasco saw him transferred from his old position, Gunnar has way too much on his plate to deal with anything more—especially a new kitten that happens to be seriously ill. When his daughter brings the kitten home, neither realize that the cold it has will bloom into a near deadly illness. Determined not to let his daughter down and fail again to keep what is his safe, Gunnar rushes the animal to the vet where he meets Dr. Liam Chandler.
Liam has just relocated himself clear across country and is flying under the radar, because his ex was, essentially, insane. Details as to what exactly Liam’s ex did to him come out slowly in this story, but his fear of being found and stalked again are very real. It doesn’t help that his omega instincts want nothing more than to curl up in Gunnar’s alpha arms. While both men try to fight the growing attraction, there is little they can do but try and trust in love again.
I struggled with this novel on several fronts and want to be careful explaining why, because I feel it may give away too much of the story. I will begin with what should have been obvious—I think these guys are wolves? Maybe? I mean, Liam has the ability to get pregnant and there is much discussion about knotting, so my guess is that they are, and yet it is never, ever defined in the book, so you’re guess is as good as mine if that is actually the case. Overlooking that and going with my supposition that they are indeed paranormal creatures was a bit of a leap given that there wasn’t really any other observable attributes of what many would be familiar with if they are indeed wolves. Okay, so I moved on, thinking that perhaps since this was marked as the first in a series the author might have chosen to table that till a later installment.
Secondly, I received an ARC—advanced reader copy—of this book. That’s important because if you have ever had the joy of getting an advanced copy, then you know that you can expect there to be a few glitches, typos, minor discrepancies in your copy. We (rightfully) ignore those as we know it comes with the territory, so to speak. But, I was really confused when this kitten that suddenly finds its way into Gunnar’s home supposedly came from a mysterious birth mother and yet Gunnar refers to his dead spouse as the “bearer” dad and this “birth mother” is never mentioned again. So, which was it—did his ex give birth to their daughter, or did some woman?
Also, you should be prepared for instant attraction that morphs quickly into love. I have no qualms with that trope; it is a popular choice, particularly when it comes to paranormal stories, and since we assume these guys are not fully human—given the pregnancy thing and the knotting—then by all means, have at it. I do, however, have a real problem with Gunnar grieving his husband one minute and then seemingly stepping away from his crippling grief and guilt and going full tilt with Liam. Also, Liam has some pretty serious baggage himself and honestly, I just found the transition from keeping each other at arm’s length to hopping into bed together a bit too fast.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. This novel had a lot of possibility, and another reviewer may not have had as hard a time with it as I did, but I must be honest, if you are going to give me paranormal insta-love, then give it fully. Tell me what species these guys are; give me more background on both of them; let me meet their families, particularly since it appears the author is building a series around some of the main characters’ siblings; and set me up with enough knowledge to believe the trope. Please make sure the story is as clean and smooth as possible, and I will buy into just about anything.
I do believe author Quinn Michaels has some good writing skills, but To Love and Protect His Omega may not be the best example. Since this is labeled as the first in what is called the Justice Brothers Omegaverse, I am hopeful that subsequent novels will be a bit less disjointed.
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