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meatloafqueen's review
3.0
Solid beginning - the angst was so intense it made my heart ache for Milan
Raphael’s reasoning kind of made sense but he was forgiven far too easily
After Raphael and Milan reconcile, the rest of the story is pretty sweet & sappy. Cute, but boooring. And no heat sex!! No knotting! Too mild for my taste
Raphael’s reasoning kind of made sense but he was forgiven far too easily
After Raphael and Milan reconcile, the rest of the story is pretty sweet & sappy. Cute, but boooring. And no heat sex!! No knotting! Too mild for my taste
la_mia's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
randalena's review
4.0
I spent the first half of this book glued to the pages. I couldn’t step away until after the 50% mark. I was angry, crying and I just needed to see Milan through the trauma of the entire ordeal. I didn’t see how I could ever come fully around to Raphael and it took a long time. Near the end. That’s probably unique to me. But I was hooked. I always enjoy Marina’s books.
writtenechoes's review
4.0
I read this earlier this year and never reviewed it. I’ve read a lot of omegaverse this year and just didn’t rate or review any of it … my bad. ANYWAY I digress, I reread this one a lot. I don’t think Marina can fail for me. I love this steampunk world that Marina created and her characters. I hated Raphael for the first half of this and the fact I liked him by the end proves that Marina is a solid writer. I believe he loves Milan and will spend their life together doing anything he can to make his omega happy. Also the fact this gets four stars from me when I literally cannot relate to this level of forgiveness? Astounding.
teresab78's review
4.0
3.5 stars
I enjoyed it! I really liked that while there were some typical tropes, a few were subverted. Raphael was a complicated man and his actions were cruel but I saw my way to forgiving him. Milan was a delight and so resilient. I would have liked a bit more world building but I liked the characters, especially Katerina.
I enjoyed it! I really liked that while there were some typical tropes, a few were subverted. Raphael was a complicated man and his actions were cruel but I saw my way to forgiving him. Milan was a delight and so resilient. I would have liked a bit more world building but I liked the characters, especially Katerina.
oliviak_31's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ellelainey's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really loved this one. It's a little hard to place, because it's got a little bit of everything - A/O, historical, steampunk, alternative history, arranged marriage, May/Dec, inter-racial marriage, and a lot more. It has elements of shifter A/O dynamics - scent, biting, claiming, heats, knotting - but in humans. I'm still new to the whole A/O sub-genre so I'm still getting used to how it works, but it was really nicely handled here. Every part of the 'bonding' A/O part of the story was woven into the world building and the characterisation; none of it was superfluous or unnecessary.
Right from the start, I loved Milan, who was feisty and strong and opinionated. He was determined to be positive and happy and be a good Lord, even though the arranged marriage wasn't what he'd planned for his life and he'd had to leave his family far behind. It took me a while to warm to Raphael, as intended, but I could always see there was a bit more fear and nervousness about his anger than true fury, so it was easy to accept him, in the end.
And can I just say how truly grateful I am to the author for making the heats the way they are in this book. So often, heats in an A/O are hormone driven and the Omega is pounced on, or pounces on, the first person to come near them, regardless of consent or who they might be. All too often, the Omegas are taken advantage of by the Alphas. This story is SO different. Refreshing. Original. And I really appreciated it. This aspect of A/O is why I haven't read a lot of it, so reading this book was a breath of fresh air. Not once did Milan ever feel compelled, forced, or encouraged to rub up against anyone, not even his husband, for the sake of his heat, his nature, or because of duty. He had full control over his consent and I can't say enough how refreshing that is.
Another refreshing aspect to the story is that there is no cliched misunderstanding then reunion between the characters. The big misunderstanding between them is written so naturally that it's not just a plot to have them argue and then make up. But even when there's an opportunity for that kind of 'plot twist', the author instead allows these characters to remain as smart and as logical as they are, as loyal and as dedicated to each other to know better. They don't fall for it, and I did a not-so-quiet Hallelujah! when I read it.
Yet, at the same time, when there are issues in their relationship, they don't just snap back from it, either. They accept that mistakes were made, they can even forgive each other, but it's not forgotten. They still have doubts, create distance, have uncertainties, and retain those unpleasant connections between memories and present, such as with the gloves. It was so good to see these lingering doubts being acknowledged and the story having to revolve around them, rather than for the two MC's to just jump back into what was expected of them, what was normal and accepted. And even though that meant there were a total of 3 sex scenes in the entire book, it was RIGHT. It was what was necessary and appropriate, and it made the connection between the MC's so much stronger for it.
I cried. I was on an emotional rollercoaster. And I sincerely hope there might be another book in this world, because I would read it in a heartbeat. And, if not, I'll be re-reading this one anyway. It deals with some tough topics - domestic abuse, manipulation, broken trust, and a whole lot more - but it does it with beautiful writing, characterisation and worldbuilding that lets you get sucked into the world and lose track of time.
If there was a paperback, I'd buy it. For now, I'll have to settle for re-reading my e-book again and again.
~
Favourite Quote
"Sometimes, I think you are not real."
"I did not know I was alone until I met you."
Right from the start, I loved Milan, who was feisty and strong and opinionated. He was determined to be positive and happy and be a good Lord, even though the arranged marriage wasn't what he'd planned for his life and he'd had to leave his family far behind. It took me a while to warm to Raphael, as intended, but I could always see there was a bit more fear and nervousness about his anger than true fury, so it was easy to accept him, in the end.
And can I just say how truly grateful I am to the author for making the heats the way they are in this book. So often, heats in an A/O are hormone driven and the Omega is pounced on, or pounces on, the first person to come near them, regardless of consent or who they might be. All too often, the Omegas are taken advantage of by the Alphas. This story is SO different. Refreshing. Original. And I really appreciated it. This aspect of A/O is why I haven't read a lot of it, so reading this book was a breath of fresh air. Not once did Milan ever feel compelled, forced, or encouraged to rub up against anyone, not even his husband, for the sake of his heat, his nature, or because of duty. He had full control over his consent and I can't say enough how refreshing that is.
Another refreshing aspect to the story is that there is no cliched misunderstanding then reunion between the characters. The big misunderstanding between them is written so naturally that it's not just a plot to have them argue and then make up. But even when there's an opportunity for that kind of 'plot twist', the author instead allows these characters to remain as smart and as logical as they are, as loyal and as dedicated to each other to know better. They don't fall for it, and I did a not-so-quiet Hallelujah! when I read it.
Yet, at the same time, when there are issues in their relationship, they don't just snap back from it, either. They accept that mistakes were made, they can even forgive each other, but it's not forgotten. They still have doubts, create distance, have uncertainties, and retain those unpleasant connections between memories and present, such as with the gloves. It was so good to see these lingering doubts being acknowledged and the story having to revolve around them, rather than for the two MC's to just jump back into what was expected of them, what was normal and accepted. And even though that meant there were a total of 3 sex scenes in the entire book, it was RIGHT. It was what was necessary and appropriate, and it made the connection between the MC's so much stronger for it.
I cried. I was on an emotional rollercoaster. And I sincerely hope there might be another book in this world, because I would read it in a heartbeat. And, if not, I'll be re-reading this one anyway. It deals with some tough topics - domestic abuse, manipulation, broken trust, and a whole lot more - but it does it with beautiful writing, characterisation and worldbuilding that lets you get sucked into the world and lose track of time.
If there was a paperback, I'd buy it. For now, I'll have to settle for re-reading my e-book again and again.
~
Favourite Quote
"Sometimes, I think you are not real."
"I did not know I was alone until I met you."
bookish_notes's review
1.0
This review is also posted on my blog.
I have thoughts about this book. Least importantly, the blurb says this book is a novella. But I can't remember the last time a 300 pages book was a novella. This is a full-length novel with only the last 4% or so of content filled with an author's note and a look into the author's other books.
Some spoilers ahead.
And aside from that, I don't even want to go into the last 20% of this book because there's more important issues at hand I want to talk about. The last 20% is ridiculous and absurd, and there could've just been another sex scene and an epilogue with the puppies or meeting the MC's family and the story would have been fine without the added drama of an abusive ex coming back with a scheme to take the love interest's entire estate. It was very unnecessary.
Trigger warnings for abuse, mentions of rape, mentions of emotional manipulation, and PTSD. This book does not contain any mpreg, but is heavily implied that mpreg exists in this world.
This story is about an Omega, Milan, who has gotten himself into an arranged marriage with an Alpha he's never met. There is very little world building outside of a few things thrown into the story. The actual reasons and setup for the arranged marriage is not explained well. But what we do know about Milan, is that he's outgoing and used to be from a big family that is full of love and warmth. He travels for weeks alone from his home in the South into the colder estates up north to meet and marry his husband. He is taken aback by the chilly response of his future husband and even if he comes to believe that he and Lord Raphael will not necessarily fall in love, Milan still hopes that they can be friends.
However, this turns out not to be the case when Lord Raphael turns him away at every opportunity and then denies him even a touch of their hands.
I admit that I am not familiar with A/B/O books and the dynamics in those stories. I've only read two before this one, and it was only from me not reading the blurb in full that I stumbled upon them in the first place. I'm familiar with bonds and knotting, but this book plays up the neglected bonds as part of the storyline and I'm not sure if that's a standard in A/B/O books? What this means in the context of this story is that Raphael has an ice cold demeanor and even after their initial bonding, starts refusing Milan's touch and this slowly kills Milan from the inside out since Omegas need skin-on-skin contact regularly with their bonded to survive.
And I'll circle back to this to tie all my issues with this book back together.
So, other than the cover to know that our MC, Milan, isn't white, is the one of two references to his skin color - the first happens 17% of the way into the story. As this is a first-person story, it wouldn't make sense of Milan to refer to the color of his skin all the time. That would be weird. But it does seem like Milan is a POC character by name only. And what I mean by that is that there's really nothing to say this book is a diverse book outside of it being a m/m romance and it's implied that both MCs are gay, because every other character in this book is white and Milan has been separated from everyone and everything he's ever known.
And that's what makes this story give me a twitch in my eye to read. There are different implications to a story if the two MCs were white. Instead, the one with the power in this dynamic is the Alpha Raphael, who very much a white man living in the North, and the Omega is a Black man from the south of the Great Continent (this is an assumption because of the cover, because the book only describes Milan as having brown skin. He could also make the assumption that Milan is Southeast Asian but we're going to assume he's Black based on the cover).
Milan is ripped away from everyone he's ever known and even Raphael's servants look at Milan with scandal and pitying looks for not knowing their "customs" and yet, never once offers to teach him their ways but expecting him to fit in with them with no help.
I mean, I hate to say it, and I know so many people smarter than I am could say this much more eloquently and could critique this book much better than I can, but this book gives off a setting that is very akin to slavery in the United States even if the story takes place in a Regency-era steampunk setting hiding within A/B/O dynamics. It's very uncomfortable to read.
It also gets worse.
So, circling back to the neglected bonds storyline...Milan knows that he's dying and that trying to tell Raphael what's happening in case he didn't realize, or anyone what's happening, isn't possible. At every turn, people would believe the rich Alpha instead of the Omega and everyone keeps telling Milan to HIS FACE that Raphael is a good man. Milan is literally dying. He's never felt more alone. This is abuse. The fact that this story tries to excuse it all away with a sad backstory for Raphael so that the reader will feel sad for Raphael because it was all a misunderstanding and ignorance on Raphael's part, and his abuse towards Milan is only because of previous trauma he suffered previously at the hands of another Omega, is really gross.
To try to turn the focus away from the pain and suffering of a Black character and focus on the pain a white character has gone through, and expecting the Black character to have to be the one to forgive or excuse all actions he's suffered the past 50% of the book is A BAD LOOK.
In addition to all that...Milan's best friend when he arrives North is a white woman Alpha named Katerina. Which, you know. We know she's very white because the first time we're introduced to her, Milan remarks in his thoughts that she has "porcelain" skin. When Milan was dying and incapable of moving much and put her off, she didn't even come to check to see if he was okay. Instead, she just gets angry at him the first time she sees him again for not answering her letters. After she hears Milan's story, she does get mad on his behalf and is suspicious of Raphael's motives for a time, but is easily won over by him offering her some of her favorite sandwiches? I don't know. She seems like an awful best friend, and comes across as a typical white woman who won't care about anything outside her own little sphere. So I don't know what what more we could've expected when she suddenly decided Milan was going to be her new best friend out of the blue. It's implied that she's a lesbian and is attracted to an Omega named Gianna, but if this is the best f/f rep we can get in this book, that's pretty sad.
This book is just not good. I'm not saying for authors to not put Black characters into their books, but maybe evaluate the implications of the story when you put a Black character into the book because it will absolutely be different than if the character was white.
I have thoughts about this book. Least importantly, the blurb says this book is a novella. But I can't remember the last time a 300 pages book was a novella. This is a full-length novel with only the last 4% or so of content filled with an author's note and a look into the author's other books.
Some spoilers ahead.
And aside from that, I don't even want to go into the last 20% of this book because there's more important issues at hand I want to talk about. The last 20% is ridiculous and absurd, and there could've just been another sex scene and an epilogue with the puppies or meeting the MC's family and the story would have been fine without the added drama of an abusive ex coming back with a scheme to take the love interest's entire estate. It was very unnecessary.
Trigger warnings for abuse, mentions of rape, mentions of emotional manipulation, and PTSD. This book does not contain any mpreg, but is heavily implied that mpreg exists in this world.
This story is about an Omega, Milan, who has gotten himself into an arranged marriage with an Alpha he's never met. There is very little world building outside of a few things thrown into the story. The actual reasons and setup for the arranged marriage is not explained well. But what we do know about Milan, is that he's outgoing and used to be from a big family that is full of love and warmth. He travels for weeks alone from his home in the South into the colder estates up north to meet and marry his husband. He is taken aback by the chilly response of his future husband and even if he comes to believe that he and Lord Raphael will not necessarily fall in love, Milan still hopes that they can be friends.
However, this turns out not to be the case when Lord Raphael turns him away at every opportunity and then denies him even a touch of their hands.
I admit that I am not familiar with A/B/O books and the dynamics in those stories. I've only read two before this one, and it was only from me not reading the blurb in full that I stumbled upon them in the first place. I'm familiar with bonds and knotting, but this book plays up the neglected bonds as part of the storyline and I'm not sure if that's a standard in A/B/O books? What this means in the context of this story is that Raphael has an ice cold demeanor and even after their initial bonding, starts refusing Milan's touch and this slowly kills Milan from the inside out since Omegas need skin-on-skin contact regularly with their bonded to survive.
And I'll circle back to this to tie all my issues with this book back together.
So, other than the cover to know that our MC, Milan, isn't white, is the one of two references to his skin color - the first happens 17% of the way into the story. As this is a first-person story, it wouldn't make sense of Milan to refer to the color of his skin all the time. That would be weird. But it does seem like Milan is a POC character by name only. And what I mean by that is that there's really nothing to say this book is a diverse book outside of it being a m/m romance and it's implied that both MCs are gay, because every other character in this book is white and Milan has been separated from everyone and everything he's ever known.
And that's what makes this story give me a twitch in my eye to read. There are different implications to a story if the two MCs were white. Instead, the one with the power in this dynamic is the Alpha Raphael, who very much a white man living in the North, and the Omega is a Black man from the south of the Great Continent (this is an assumption because of the cover, because the book only describes Milan as having brown skin. He could also make the assumption that Milan is Southeast Asian but we're going to assume he's Black based on the cover).
Milan is ripped away from everyone he's ever known and even Raphael's servants look at Milan with scandal and pitying looks for not knowing their "customs" and yet, never once offers to teach him their ways but expecting him to fit in with them with no help.
I mean, I hate to say it, and I know so many people smarter than I am could say this much more eloquently and could critique this book much better than I can, but this book gives off a setting that is very akin to slavery in the United States even if the story takes place in a Regency-era steampunk setting hiding within A/B/O dynamics. It's very uncomfortable to read.
It also gets worse.
So, circling back to the neglected bonds storyline...Milan knows that he's dying and that trying to tell Raphael what's happening in case he didn't realize, or anyone what's happening, isn't possible. At every turn, people would believe the rich Alpha instead of the Omega and everyone keeps telling Milan to HIS FACE that Raphael is a good man. Milan is literally dying. He's never felt more alone. This is abuse. The fact that this story tries to excuse it all away with a sad backstory for Raphael so that the reader will feel sad for Raphael because it was all a misunderstanding and ignorance on Raphael's part, and his abuse towards Milan is only because of previous trauma he suffered previously at the hands of another Omega, is really gross.
To try to turn the focus away from the pain and suffering of a Black character and focus on the pain a white character has gone through, and expecting the Black character to have to be the one to forgive or excuse all actions he's suffered the past 50% of the book is A BAD LOOK.
In addition to all that...Milan's best friend when he arrives North is a white woman Alpha named Katerina. Which, you know. We know she's very white because the first time we're introduced to her, Milan remarks in his thoughts that she has "porcelain" skin. When Milan was dying and incapable of moving much and put her off, she didn't even come to check to see if he was okay. Instead, she just gets angry at him the first time she sees him again for not answering her letters. After she hears Milan's story, she does get mad on his behalf and is suspicious of Raphael's motives for a time, but is easily won over by him offering her some of her favorite sandwiches? I don't know. She seems like an awful best friend, and comes across as a typical white woman who won't care about anything outside her own little sphere. So I don't know what what more we could've expected when she suddenly decided Milan was going to be her new best friend out of the blue. It's implied that she's a lesbian and is attracted to an Omega named Gianna, but if this is the best f/f rep we can get in this book, that's pretty sad.
This book is just not good. I'm not saying for authors to not put Black characters into their books, but maybe evaluate the implications of the story when you put a Black character into the book because it will absolutely be different than if the character was white.
books_and_cha's review
3.0
Honeythorn wrapped me up in its warm embrace and made me fall in love. There are so many things I liked about this book, it's hard to know where to begin.
Let's start at the beginning. The book pulled me in right from the start. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric. Everything from the setting, to how Milan feels on first entering the North, to all the characters, is conveyed with emotion. Every scene is drawn with warmth and color, bringing the story vividly to life.
The characters themselves were well-drawn. I loved Milan, and found it easy to sympathize with him. He's such a perfect mix of strength and vulnerability, of backbone and kindness - I felt for and respected him in equal amount. Despite how difficult the move, and even part of his marriage is, he stays true to himself and makes the most out of every situation.
Raphael was not what I expected. Reading the premise, I was worried I'd be dealing with a toxic, cruel main lead with a backstory that doesn't justify his actions. Raphael was different. There were moments where he was cold and hurtful, but what I liked was that he grows past that.
Milan and Raphael have a rocky start to their marriage - there are moments of miscommunication and false assumptions- but when push comes to shove, they're honest with each other and try to work through it. As a result, you have a romance that both incited emotions as well as warmed my heart. It was like watching character development, except for a relationship - sweet and satisfying.
I loved this story, I loved living every moment with Milan. There were times when it got dark, but Marina Vivancos makes up for that in spades.
This was a well-written, absorbing romance that got me emotional. I'm definitely keeping my eye out for more stories that Vivancos cooks up.
Let's start at the beginning. The book pulled me in right from the start. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric. Everything from the setting, to how Milan feels on first entering the North, to all the characters, is conveyed with emotion. Every scene is drawn with warmth and color, bringing the story vividly to life.
The characters themselves were well-drawn. I loved Milan, and found it easy to sympathize with him. He's such a perfect mix of strength and vulnerability, of backbone and kindness - I felt for and respected him in equal amount. Despite how difficult the move, and even part of his marriage is, he stays true to himself and makes the most out of every situation.
Raphael was not what I expected. Reading the premise, I was worried I'd be dealing with a toxic, cruel main lead with a backstory that doesn't justify his actions. Raphael was different. There were moments where he was cold and hurtful, but what I liked was that he grows past that.
Milan and Raphael have a rocky start to their marriage - there are moments of miscommunication and false assumptions- but when push comes to shove, they're honest with each other and try to work through it. As a result, you have a romance that both incited emotions as well as warmed my heart. It was like watching character development, except for a relationship - sweet and satisfying.
I loved this story, I loved living every moment with Milan. There were times when it got dark, but Marina Vivancos makes up for that in spades.
This was a well-written, absorbing romance that got me emotional. I'm definitely keeping my eye out for more stories that Vivancos cooks up.