Blurb:
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.
This is a stand alone gay romance novel, 118,000 words, with astrong HFN ending, as well as a well-crafted, non-shifter omegaverse, with alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. Content warning for pregnancy loss and aftermath.
4 Stars!!!
I'm a huge fan of Leta Blake's contemporary books and her writing, so, of course, I had to try out this paranormal story.
Slow Heat is set in a world populated by male non-shifters with wolf-spliced DNA, there are alphas, omegas and betas and each has their own role in their society. As world-buildings go, Ms. Blake did a great job, giving detailed background information so the reader knew what they were getting into. I'm not sure if this is book one in a series or not, although I wouldn't mind reading more in this 'verse, especially if it was focused on Xan and Urho. *hint hint nudge nudge*
I loved Jason. He was a lovely boy, but he was just that, a 19-year-old boy and it showed in some of his actions. Still, he was definitely my favorite of the two. I loved that he wanted to be the best alpha he could be for Vale and was willing to put his happiness above everything else.
I liked Vale, however, he got on my nerves more than a few times. The constant "I'm not good enough" and "I'm too old for him" and "He deserves someone that will give him babies", was just a bit too much sometimes. Especially when Jason kept trying to make everyone, especially Vale, understand that he was willing to go above and beyond what was expected of him and that he was not like other Alphas. Yes, he might have been younger, a lot younger than Vale, who was 35, but sometimes it felt as if Jason was the more mature (and definitely, the less stubborn) of the two of them.
Jason and Vale had great chemistry and Leta Blake excells at writing sex scenes that aren't only hot, but passionate, intense and loving.
I loved the secondary characters! Vale's friends were great and I adored Xan and Jason's parents, especially his Pater.
One thing that bothered me was the on-page sex between one of the MCs with another character, even after the imprinting or rather, especially after the imprinting. It was supposed to be something special and it sort of got devalued in my eyes after that.
Anyway, as paranormal books go, this one was pretty good! The writing as always was stellar and while it's not as angsty as other books by this author, it still had enough to keep me in tenterhooks until the very end. Still, please mind the warnings, there are some scenes that can be triggering for some.
Very recommendable!!!
*** Copy provided to the reviewer for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
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