He didn’t want an alpha to save him, but fate had other ideas… father dies in a car crash, leaving Braun an orphan, he’s sent to a halfway house for omegas. But on his fourth night there, he witnesses a horrifying crime that sends him fleeing to the streets alone—and edging into his first heat.
Tarek Bloom is settled in his workaholic, single lifestyle, even if it is somewhat embarrassing to be a twenty-eight year-old unmated alpha. He enjoys his job as a constable, helping people and solving problems, so he isn’t prepared for his life to flip upside-down when he walks into his beta friend Dex’s apartment to help with “a problem.”
The problem turns out to be an unmated, nearly in-heat omega orphan who Dex and his husband rescued off the street last night. The even bigger problem is that Tarek feels the mating bond for this terrified omega immediately—and he’s pretty sure the omega feels it, too. But Braun hates alphas as a general rule, and no way is he giving in to the bond. All mating leads to is violence and suffering, so no thank you. But Tarek’s gentle kindness slips under Braun’s emotional shields, and Braun begins to want. To dream. All Braun has ever known is violent alphas, but Tarek is determined to make Braun trust him—and to trust in the idea of their happily ever after.
NOTE: This is a non-shifter Omegaverse story with alpha/omega/beta dynamics, heats, knotting, and mpreg. In this world, omegas are second-class citizens with few civil rights and almost no protections under the law. Trigger warnings for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. 67,000 words.
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I’ve been a fan of A.M. Arthur’s writing for some time now. I haven’t managed to read all of her backlist yet but everything I’ve read I have loved. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about Saved. It’s a bit of a departure for A.M. Arthur – at least as far as I’m aware – and non-shifter Omegaverse stories are not something I’ve read a lot of. I shouldn’t have worried; I loved the story of Braun and Tarek and how they got together.
Parts of this story were difficult to read. Braun hasn’t had it easy, his father was cruel and resentful that his two offspring were Omegas and not Alphas. His older brother was mated off to an Alpha who was even more cruel than their father. After their father dies in a car accident, Braun is sent a halfway house for unmated Omegas.
When Braun escapes from the place that was supposed to provide him a safe environment to live, he is nearly raped by a couple of Alphas. Saved by a married Beta couple they give him shelter and he later meets their Alpha friend Tarek. Braun has a very difficult time accepting that Tarek isn’t like every other Alpha he knows and it takes a long time for him to trust that Tarek wants to take care of him.
This story is full of social injustices in the Omegaverse world that A.M. Arthur created. Unfortunately, a lot of parallels can be found in our real world. I found the story to be very captivating and I was totally invested in seeing that Braun ended up safe with a mate that would care for him and protect him but also consider him to be an equal partner in life.
This book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger for Braun and Tarek but, if you love the story as much as I did, you won’t be able to wait to read the next in the series which is about Braun’s brother, Kell. Fortunately, Ms. Arthur won’t make you wait for long; Seen will release before the end of September. I’ve read it and I can tell you it’s even better than Saved.
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
What an intense book! I loved the writing – it’s beautiful and intricate with a very well developed world building, and fascinating characters. The story is heartbreaking, but there’s a strong vein of hope. The characters are very well developed and I fell in love with them. The sex scenes were delicious and hot – everything I want out of Alpha/Omega heat sex and more. I’m definitely going to continue reading this series.
I was shared this book, via Amazon’s family and friends thingie.
I will be honest here, cos that’s what reviewing is all about. I only picked this book to read as a “palette cleanser” an easy read, just for fun, between two heavier books. It sounded just what I needed so I jumped in, expecting a light fluffy read, that wasn’t very long.
How wrong I was, because I started this book at 10.15pm and did not stop til I ran out of at 130 am and I had to be up for work at 6am!
I freaking LOVED this book! It totally came out of left field and blew me away! I mean, so much so, I made sure I had book two, which was also shared with me, and I purchased books three and four, so I was ready to go! I haven’t come across this author before, but by God they are on my hit list now!
This book is set in the Omegaverse, there are no females and only certain pairings can produce children: alphas and omegas. But omegas are treated badly, as second class citizens, and Braun and his brother Kell suffer. First at the hands of their father, and later, Kell at the hands of his husband.
So it’s understandable that Braun be scared of Tarek and what he represents: a lot of suffering for Braun. But Tarek is of a growing breed of Alpha, those who believe omegas should be treasured, not trod down. After all, their race would die out in two generations without any omegas. And Tarek LISTENS to Braun, wants to know if he can help when his heat hits. And Braun tells him: come ONLY when called for, NO knotting and condoms every time. And when Tarek abides by Braun’s wishes, Braun knows he can be a trusted ally. The omegas rescued from the group home need one. Braun’s brother needs one, and the newborn, but missing nephew of Braun needs one too.
Like I said WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY outta left field and totally blew me away!
It’s dark: carries a strong abuse line, both from a parent and a spouse. The abuse Kell suffers goes far beyond the beatings Braun knows about (the full story doesn’t come clear til Kell’s book, I’ve already read that one on writing this review, and it is horrific) But so well told, sensitively. Tarek knows this happens, what happens to omegas at the hands of their spouses but he hates that it does. He knows he needs to help, starting with Braun.
It’s emotional: the abuse line not withstanding, what Braun starts to feel very early for Tarek, as the bonds develop between them, hits him hard and he fights! He fights it so bloody hard! To be fair, they both do, and it’s quite hard reading, what they go through before they get there.
It’s sexy: I mean two guys? Always gonna float my boat! But refer to above: just because it’s hot and heavy, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the emotions along with it. Once Braun and Tarek give in to the bonds, they are IN, totally, emotionally and physically.
Both Braun and Tarek have a say, and their voices are strong and clear and so very well written.
I’m starting to gush and I don’t want to, but just know this:
I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK! I am not ashamed to admit I was wrong, what I expected from this book was so very NOT what I got out of it, and I mean that in a very positive way!
But it’s not an easy read, at all, and you need to be prepared for what is here. Some readers might have triggers, I don’t, but some points made for difficult reading. Not the writing, just the level of abuse that is systematic for the omegas in this world. But with Tarek and his friends, maybe, just maybe, they can start to change things.
I gotta stop, I’ll be writing all day!
5 very unexpected, but bloody amazing stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**