Taken.Brutalized.Claimed.My mate became mine during a heinous experiment designed to punish her for her disobedience. The scientists who locked me in a cage and stole my humanity gave her to me to ravage. To break.But she is far more than a warm body to distract me from my torment.She is mine.They took everything from me – but I won’t let them do the same to her. She fears me, but there is … me – but I won’t let them do the same to her. She fears me, but there is nothing I won’t give to save her.
Even my own life.
Despair is the second book in Nora Ash’s suspense-filled Omegaverse serial, Feral.
Please note: This series gets dark, and it gets dirty. If you don’t enjoy your romance scorching and your alphas rough & dominant, give this book a pass.more
DELICIOUSLY DARK!!!
Title: Despair
Series: Feral
Author: Nora Ash
Designation: Book 2 of Serial, Short Novella(Approximately 100 pages), Not a Standalone, Cliffhanger Ahead #omegaversefiction #hotalphas #erotic #romance
My Rating: Five Sinfully Sexy Stars*****
Oh my! Here we go again! Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that Omegaverse Fiction is one of my favorite guilty pleasures, and no one does it better than Nora Ash! Without a doubt, Ash pens the most deliciously naughty Omegaverse Fiction EVER and her latest sinfully sexy release Despair, the second installment in her new Feral serial, is no exception. Ash grabbed me in the first chapter and kept me on the edge of my seat with a death-grip on my ereader while my heart fluttered wildly in my chest! Heavens to Betsy, by the time I got to the last page, I was sweating bullets and struggling for my next breath – AGAIN! And talk about cliffhangers! Noooooo – kill me now! Ash ended this book with the great granddaddy of all cliffhangers! I almost had a coronary, but I loved every word! You better believe I immediately checked to see if the preorder was up for the third book of the series, Torment, and thank goodness it was! Needless to say, I one-clicked like a crazy woman! No one writes dark, erotic Omegaverse romance quite like Nora Ash. I’ve been a fan for years and race to purchase every new release and Ash didn’t disappoint in Despair. But be forewarned, Omegaverse Fiction is not for the meek of heart! For folks unfamiliar with the term, Omegaverse is a subgenre of fan fiction in which canine-type characteristics are given to human characters, including alpha/beta/omega designations, strong themes of dominance, submission, possession, and usually contains knotting, marking, & biting during sex. Typically, it also includes the strong use of ‘soul mates’ with the concept of sex or mating as a biological imperative for both males and females. It varies greatly with each author, but I’ve always found Ash’s work in this particular fandom to be fascinating as well as titillating. I guess you can tell I really like Ash’s work; now let me tell you why!
Despair is a dark, gritty, imaginative, riveting, seductive, fast-paced, well-crafted, easy-to-follow erotic romance with strong Omegaverse elements. The narrative is beautifully written with a clearly designated his and her first-person perspective from the female protagonist, bioanalyst research scientist Lillian Dorne and yes, in this installment, we also get a point of view from the male protagonist, Alpha Test Subject 351. The dialogue is smart, snappy, well-executed, and flows effortlessly. But the piece de resistance of every Ash story is her cast of always unique and intriguing characters. One of the things I love most about Ash’s writing is her ability to create harsh, gruff, growly, possessive, and unapologetically bad to the bone heroes/antiheroes, blessed (or cursed, depending on your perception) with an overabundance of attitude, testosterone, and alpha pheromones, yet still somehow make them sexy, engaging, irresistible, and endearing. Ash’s Omegaverse stories are very much character driven, as is most Omegaverse Fiction, meaning the characters are the primary component or what I like to call ‘the driving force’ of the story. And folks, this may be erotic romance that curls your toes, but it’s not fluff. Ash always balances her steamy storylines with lots of danger, drama, angst, suspense, conflict, and enough plot twists to keep you guessing. But at the heart of every single book, you’ll always find a heartwarming love story, which brings me to the lovely, hardworking research bioanalyst Lillian Dorne and former Navy Seal now known as Test Subject 351, but in this installment we do learn his real name is Zach Barnes. I was immediately drawn into the story by these two characters. It’s often difficult to get a good grasp on a story after only one or two installments, but it’s obvious there’s a very strong connection between kindhearted Lillian and the imprisoned feral test subject alpha. The intelligent, ambitious, but somewhat naive Lillian had no idea what she was getting into when she accepted a job working for her mentor and idol, Dr. Simon Axell, as a bioanalyst on a government-sanctioned biodefense project. Dr. Axell was an alpha himself, but he was also a respected, world-renowned scientist who’d conquered his primitive urges for the good of mankind – or so she thought. Unfortunately, Lillian was soon to receive a rude awakening about the not so good Dr. Axell and SilverCorp. Sigh… I just love when an unlikely heroine finds her courage and decides to champion the long-suffering hero. We still don’t know much about Zach’s backstory, but actions speak louder than words and his prove him to be brave, loyal, caring, protective, and willing to do absolutely anything to protect his new mate. I loved Lillian and Zach, and their story will capture your heart! I sobbed like a baby!
After a failed attempt to rescue one of the imprisoned test subjects, Lillian has become a prisoner herself. She’s no longer a research bioanalyst, nor a savior, but a victim of the same heinous experiment as Test Subject 351. Her actions have cost her everything she’s worked for, and her worst nightmare has become reality. The thing she vowed would never happen, has happened. She’s been claimed by an Alpha, but not just any Alpha… she’s been claimed by Test Subject 351. And it seems the malevolent Dr. Axell, the man in charge of the project, has big plans for Lillian. Sadly, the tables have turned. Test Subject 351/Zach Barnes must now find a way to protect and save his new mate Lillian, but at what cost? Will Lillian and Zach find a way to escape and expose the truth of the heartbreaking atrocities perpetrated by the immoral Dr. Axell and SilverCorps? Or will their attempt cost them everything – including their lives? I guess we’ll have to wait and see! Oh my! I can hardly wait for Book 3: Torment!
Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but only for adult readers. It does include violence and explicit sex, some with dubious consent. If you’ve never read Omegaverse fan fiction, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! If you enjoy paranormal/fantasy/science fiction romance with elements of BDSM, you’ll probably love this story, but these Alphas are not shifters, they’re human with an overabundance of testosterone and alpha pheromones. And be forewarned, it’s dark, dirty, and hot, hot, hot! I definitely advise against reading in polite company! It might be a little uncomfortable. Lol… Will I read this author again? OMG! Yes! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
The author, Nora Ash, has outdone herself with the second book in the series. This one is hotter, more heart-pounding and exciting than the last. That is saying something! Lillian must quickly discover what being mated to her alpha really means. Or she will pay the consequences. Just as 351 must now figure out how to stay clear headed and protect his new mate, any way he can. The race is on as the doctors and scientists try to make the alphas into perfect soldiers. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Review is also posted on Amazon.
Better storyline than book 1
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration:
Romance:
Heat/Steam:
Story/Plot:
World building:
Character development:
The heroine: Lillian – she got a job at a scientific research company that was trying to engineer super-soldiers, though she didn’t know that at the time. When she found that they were torturing the soldiers she tried to escape with one of them and was caught.
The Hero(es): Zach (a.k.a. 351) – he knew from the first time he saw Lillian that she was his Mate. He is an Alpha and the scientists have been giving him a drug cocktail that made him feral. He claimed Lillian as his mate during an experiment when they were both drugged.
The Story: The scientist begin using the mate bond to force 351 to do what they want. They begin testing how far he will go to ensure Lillian’s safety by torturing her.
This book wasn’t any longer than the first book in the series, but this one didn’t have quite as many sexy times and had more story. I liked the way the story went in this one. It told more of the time in captivity and what they went through each day.
The last book was told from Lillian’s POV, but this one was told primarily by Zach’s POV, with a few chapters in Lillians. So there were two narrators and both were good.
I inhaled this middle-installment and felt emotionally tormented at what the heroine and hero were put through. I want them both out of the research facility and together so badly! I’m glad I read this after the entire series was published so I could immediately moved on to the next book.