Hell is a six-by-six jail cell and no hope for the future.Kell Iverson has never raised his hand against another person in his entire life—and yet somehow he’s been arrested and charged with the murder of his alpha mate Krause. Sure, Krause brutalized him on a daily basis, and Kell hated his mate, but he never wanted the man dead. Not fighting the charge and accepting his fate is the easiest … easiest path—except Kell doesn’t think he’ll survive a week in prison, and he doesn’t want to disappoint his younger brother Braun by giving up. He also doesn’t expect to recognize the lawyer who shows up to defend him.
Ronin Cross was barely eighteen when he felt the mating bond with then-fourteen-year-old Kell, but his family moved away before Ronin could decide what to do. For the last ten years, he hasn’t forgotten teenage Kell, hasn’t mated, and now he’s in Sansbury Province to defend adult Kell from a capital murder charge. The mating bond is still there, but now isn’t the time to pursue anything with his fragile, battered, emotionally-damaged client.
For Kell, the term “kind alpha” is a contradiction, because he’s never known one. He went from abusive father to abusive mate, and for twenty-four years, he’s simply done what he’s told. But Ronin asks Kell what he wants. What he likes. Ronin sees him, and it’s both confusing and delightful. But Kell is facing prison time at best, execution at worst, and as his trial date looms, he can’t indulge in a fantasy that will never come true…or can he?
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.
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Heartbreaking at times, yet a wonderful story with an HEA.
I read a lot and can usually read no matter what else is going on but not this time. Two weeks ago, Hurricane Irma was distracting enough that I just couldn’t get lost in a book. After we returned home and found that everything was OK, I finally was able to settle down and read again. Seen was the first book I started and I couldn’t put it down.
SPOILER WARNING: Seen contains spoilers for book 1, Saved, so if you haven’t read it you might want to wait to read this review.
We met Kell in the first book in this series, Saved; he is Braun’s brother. At the end of Saved, Kell is arrested for murdering his alpha mate. You could probably read Seen without reading Saved but you would miss a lot of the back-story so I strongly suggest reading it first – it’s fantastic.
Braun and his alpha, Tarek hired a lawyer to represent Kell. Ronin was Tarek’s roommate in college and Tarek trusts him. What they didn’t know at that time is that Ronin and Kell knew each other when they were young. Years ago, Ronin befriended Kell and came to his rescue when other alphas tried to harm him. Kell was heartbroken when Ronin’s family moved away with no notice.
Ronin has never mated in the years that he and Kell have been apart. He wants Kell for his mate but must focus on the trial and not let his personal feeling get in the way of defending his client.
Seen is a wonderful story that had my emotions all over the place. No one should have to endure the horrible treatment that Kell received at the hands of his mate – and there are no laws to protect omegas from being “disciplined,” or even raped, by their mates.
Seen carries trigger warnings for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse – and they are appropriate. So, if any of those things are difficult for you, you might need to pass this one up. The author uses these things in an appropriate, non-gratuitous way and I believe they are important for the telling of Kell’s story, but they can be somewhat graphic in detail.
Saved and Seen are now on my list of favorite books written by Ms. Arthur. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with in the next story set in this world.
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***
I was shared my copy of this book, via Amazon friends and family thingie.
This is book two in the Breaking Free series and I would STRONGLY recommend you read book one, Saved, before this one. More than strongly, I think it’s very necessary for you to get a proper picture of this world and the men in it.
And, I was totally blown away by that book. This one? Equally blown away, but this is a far more emotionally devastating and difficult read.
Kell is Braun’s older brother, and after three years of horrific abuse, snaps. Already reeling from the loss of his newborn, Kell now faces a murder charge. Ronin knew Kell ten years before, but moved away before their mating bonds could fully develop. Coming to Kell’s rescue, via a court room, brings him back into contact with his mate, damaged though he is.
I wasn’t able to read this book in one sitting, but I wanted to. It’s just far too heavy a book for a one sitting read, but it was so f*cking good!
the full extent of the abuse that Kell suffered at the hands of his husband, and indeed, his father in law, is bad, even for this world, and through a series of witnesses, the story becomes clear. Braun knew about the beatings, but he didn’t know how bad it really was. Kell thinks everyone will look bad on him for what was done to him. But Ronin?? He SEES Kell, makes Kell SEE, that there are better ways to live than in fear.
I don’t know if the author has experienced of spousal abuse, or if they did a huge amount of research for these book, but either way, the way this is played out, it could be happening in any given court room across the globe right now. Ronin is an outstanding lawyer, and he systematically destroys the prosecution witnesses, one by miserable one.
And he pulls a blinder! Won’t say what he does, but oh! I cried! For Kell, and for Ronin at that point.
Actually, there were a lot of tears in this book. Some heart breaking sobs, but also, some tears of joy too.
Attitudes they are a-changing, but these things take time. Fortunately, I have 6 more books to read to see how that all plays out!
Again, trigger warning are rife here, and you should probably not read these books if you have abuse triggers. It’s a HUGE part of this story.
I can’t really say what I want to say about this book, without spoilers, and I don’t do spoilers, so I’ll leave you with this:
READ THE DAMN BOOKS!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**