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Romance, Paranormal I honestly don’t understand how this book can be rated with 4 stars!
This book contains major trigger warnings but none of them were listed in the book itself!! and that’s not okay!! So if you get triggered easily please inform yourself or simply do not read it.
The female Main character was presented as strong and independent but you can’t really tell that in the book.
In fact her characteristics show her as weak, easily manipulated and naive.
Her first time with one of the two male main characters was literally rape. He forced himself on her and we knew she didn’t like it (it was hinted that she struggled) but we never really got a good view of how she felt or thought about this moment.
And it was represented as something “normal” and even good. The Male who did It even talked about doing it over and over again till she’s broken. I mean why tf would you write something like that? And then making them fall in love when all he wanted was only this thing and she wanted independence?
All the Males are talking about controlling, disciplining, breaking and f**king her and even though she complains she never really argues.
But she still “wants” to be independent she has no backbone to actually be it.
All the women are presented as something to be looked down at and only for breeding (but without the babies)
The story is also really complicated.
I did not understand the whole background story and it didn’t get better the more I read in fact I got more and more confused. Romance, Paranormal Having caught glimpses of Lilly in previous books I was very much looking to reading her story, and this opening instalment did not disappoint. I had expected a little more fight from her BUT I totally bought into her decisions, actions and choices. She's also pragmatic and knew not to fight battles she could never win.
In some ways I still feel as though we only just scratched the surface of Lilly and Ryker's characters. I definitely got the impressions that L.V. Lane has so much more in store for them all and only as these events unfold will we truly get to learn everything there is to know about Lilly and her two men. Having only seen brief glimpses of Ethan so far, I'm curious as to how he will fit into the story.
Whilst it isn't the deepest of most complex of plots, there is just something about the author's voice that captivates me. Part of that is her ability to craft engaging characters and write then in such a way that I feel their emotions and am soon fully invested in them. I virtually read the book in one sitting, pausing only long enough to purchase the remaining 3 books that feature this trio.
The omega elements in this were somewhat subdued, but we still get plenty of domination by both her sexy Alpha controllers. Included are elements of mystery, particularly surrounding Lilly's singularity and the experiments being conducted on her. I will be jumping straight into the next book to continue this exciting adventure! Romance, Paranormal
Ethan and Ryker are great, one is a savage and the other is a psychopath. L.V Lane took the dynamic system of the omegaverse to incorporate her spanking fetish. It's always used as a punishment for conditioning omegas. I don't like the investment idea which literally means that omegas have to fuck alphas on command regardless of their feelings and desire. They don't really put up a fight and we don't see their strong character and rebellion like in the other books. The training is just to be willing whenever...You pretty much have to throw away all rational thought of how someone would actually feel, and replace that with the way that an omega would feel. They are disciplined for their own good like children...lmfao. Romance, Paranormal Oooooh I am more than a little obsessed with Ryder and Ethan. Talk about big bad alphas. Lily is definitely on a very steep omega learning curve. Can’t wait for book 2. Romance, Paranormal
REVIEW Û PDF, eBook or Kindle ePUB Õ L.V. Lane
★ Part 1 of Lilly's story ★
With her father on the ruling council, Doctor Lillian Brach had lived a coveted life. Rising to Director of the viral research program, she had carved a place for herself within the Empire.
But her life plans changed the day she revealed as an Omega.
Her former research partner, Erison Tsing, has assumed control of the program. Her singularity—unique Omega gift—brings more challenges than benefits. And Tsing’s methods of testing her gift stamp over moral and ethical boundaries.
Secretly suppressing her heat, and clinging to a measure of independence unheard of for an Omega, her life is precarious enough.
But when the viral research center comes under attack, she makes some questionable decisions.
Her escort soldier has been shot...by her hand…she was trying to save his life.
Now she is trapped outside the safe zone, and enemy soldiers are closing in.
Her father promised she would never be allocated a Controller. But that’s about to change. Deviant Control (The Controllers, #3)
Somewhere between a 3 and 4. There were parts of this book I felt were a solid 4 stars and then other parts more of a 3.
#3 in this series, but it can be read first, it's part 1 of Lilly's story. I haven't read the first two books and feel like I understood everything just fine.
Elements of this book I liked:
- It was so refreshing to have a 28 year old Omega that had her dynamic present late, even more refreshing that she was an intelligent research doctor.
- Ethan Tsing was a great side character, definitely look forward to reading more about him in this series.
- I loved how I slowly learned more about this Omega's gift as the book progressed (and it sounds like there is more to learn in the next book).
- I've been reading a lot of old Avengers fanfic on A03 (dating back to 2013 or so), and this is the first Omegaverse series published on Amazon that gave me Natasha Romonov vibes.
In some of the Avengers M/F fanfic (especially with Natasha Romanov) you often have an Omega who is a spy, assassin, or soldier on a mission and she 'presents' as an Omega at an inconvenient time. Or she's an Omega that uses her skills somehow in missions - I haven't really seen this in published M/F Omegaverse yet (I guess Zoey Ellis' Omegaverse is reminiscent of this, because her Omegas are spies). Anyway, I liked the added element of an ongoing war in this series, and that the Omegas are more than just nurturing breeders because they have gifts that make them useful tools in the war.
When you go back to the start of M/F Omegaverse fanfic (dating back to about 2012), you'll find a lot of Superhero fanfic (Iron Man, Thor, Loki, Black Widow, even the Hulk) made into these dynamics. Omegaverse tropes (heats, knotting, bonds, dubcon/noncon inherent within the dynamic, etc) are overlapped with the tropes found in Superhero comics and movies. Fun fact: Shep from the renowned Alpha's Claim series started off as Bane in Bane and Claire fanfic. OG Addison Cain fans will remember Itzy Strange's Born to Be Bred and Born to Be Yours fanfic from 2015.
It's a good idea, imo, to layer Omegaverse tropes over these broader tropes found in other genres. Combined with good world-building, interesting hierarchies and power dynamics, you have a compelling story on your hands.
I definitely see some of the Superhero tropes in this series, although it's very much it's own series with unique world-building.
I lovvved Ethan. What an Alpha. What an introduction!
Then around 40% or so he hands Lilly off to Ryker.
I'm not a huge fan of Ryker, and it's on me. He's not my favorite type of Alpha, but I recognize other readers may like him. He's caring and protective of his Omega.
*sigh*
He kept on threatening Lilly that he would tell Ethan this or that, and I swear, every time he said that I just missed Ethan even more.
Here's why I wasn't a huge fan of Ryker (completely subjective on my part!)
- He talked too much (I think the author could have tightened up his dialogue a bit)
- His inner monologue went on too much at times
- I felt like there was a lot of bravado when it came to Ryker, but I didn't see much action to back up the bravado
-I did like that he protected Lilly from Tsing. At the same time I'm so twisted I kind of loved that Tsing just wanted to use Lilly. I like how the Theta dynamics, while not as strong as the Alphas, are suppose to be the most intelligent and ambitious. While reading I could really see that with Tsing.
Now, with Ethan, there was action to back up the bravado.
Even though I wish the focus had been on Ethan rather than Ryker, I understand why Lilly was shared between two controllers. It fit into the world-building. There's almost a slight dispersonal aspect to the situation - Omegas are used in the war and they need controllers, so they're assigned them. I like that.
Despite my complaints with Ryker, I'm immediately moving on to the next book because there is going to be more Ethan. Romance, Paranormal I feel controlled! Controlled by the need to keep on reading...on to the next book. This alphas are the masters of mind-fucking, so hooooot!! Twisted and dirty, a highly recommended read if you like your alphas single-minded and unrelenting. Romance, Paranormal This review is for all four books of Lily's story; I do use the spoiler function. Because the books need to be read in order (in fact, most end in cliffhangers) and characters from earlier entries in Ms. Lane's Omegaverse series appear, I don't think these work as standalones.
In this Post-Apocayptic Omegaverse, dynamics can be created artificially (due to a virus, which has new meaning in the age of Covid). This science proves helpful to the Empire in their long war against the seemingly non-dynamic Uncorrupted. Caught in the middle is Lily, a doctor whose research aids the government in the war. She, however, is also an Omega in need of protection and that's where Alphas Ethan and Ryker come in...
In general, I think those who enjoy Sci-Fi Omegaverse that isn't too harsh and has some plot to underpin all the nesting and rutting might like these. Though ménage isn't my kink, the author does a good job of making Ethan and Ryker distinct; in addition, the fact that neither initially wants to share Lily adds some interesting conflict. I also appreciated that Lily had interests and characteristics that were atypical for this genre, and that Ethan and Ryker by and large respected that.
Ultimately, however, this series wasn't for me for three reasons. First of all, it didn't need to be four books. It was enormously repetitive: Lily three times; the two MMCs fight endlessly; and whole sections are cut-and-paste throughout the books (while I understand that authors need to provide background information, they should at least vary their word choice). In addition, the third and fourth books concentrate on secondary characters to the detriment of our throuple. Since my personal preference is not for the it takes a village approach to storytelling, I skimmed those parts.
Second, Lily is far more interesting in the first books of this series (we first meet her as a secondary character) than she is here. While she has moments of autonomy and strength, throughout, she accepts everything that all the men in her life dish out with little pushback. Because of this, the relationship lacks tension; thus, the author is forced to substitute internal angst and action-movie plotlines for dramatic conflict. Again, this isn't my personal preference in narrative.
Finally and most importantly, I simply didn't buy the given circumstances and polar attitudes. While they're complex enough since they include more dynamics than the usual A, B, O (though I still don't understand why the war started), every time the author demands that I believe x, I kept thinking Well, actually, I believe y. Since this happened quite a bit, I ultimately found neither the relationship nor the motivations compelling or believable. Here are three examples of what I was asked to accept and couldn't:
1) The Empire is good or at least better and the Uncorrupted are bad. Uhm, okay. I mean they both kidnap and kill people, but if you say so.
2) Lily needs two protectors because she makes foolish choices -- such as risking her life to save a young soldier. You know, maybe it's that a large portion of this country can't be bothered to wear facemasks or get vaccinated in order to save others' lives (not to mention their own); maybe it's because the entire ethos of modern warfare is to kill as many civilians as you can to, I don't know, win, but I simply can't invest in a worldview that posits that anyone trying to save another is so mentally deficient that they need a guardian. Note: I'll also add that this government is just fine exploiting the intellectual labor of one they deem incapable and weak.
3) Lily loves and trusts Ethan and Ryker because they care about her and make her feel safe. Okay, so, where, exactly does this happen because I saw no evidence of it? I saw Ryker deliberately humiliate and endanger Lily in front of a man he knows has designs on her by forcing her to dress provocatively. I saw Ethan beat her with increasingly intensity because, well, BDSM and all. I saw a woman so torn, tense, and terrified that she never got any modicum of joy out the relationship unless it involved sex. I saw two men so indifferent to her state of mind that they throughout re-traumatized an assault victim by f*king her whenever she articulated any fears or concerns rather than talking to her or getting psychiatric help. And I saw two Alphas fail in their most . Someone please tell me where exactly all this caring occurs?
2 1/2 stars. Even with all that I say above, I might have rated this more highly if it weren't for two aspects I really disliked. One, it's 2021 and I don't care what time period your fictional, futuristic universe is set in, I'm so not here for a man telling a woman some version of . Two, my kink isn't real fear; given that Ethan and Ryker delighted in terrifying her, I didn't see them as alphas, but a*holes. YMMV and, indeed, I'm in the minority here so I encourage you to read the other reviews. Romance, Paranormal 3.5 Stars
Review later…onto the next one. Romance, Paranormal Dr Lillian Branch is assigned with two Alpha controllers - Ethan and Ryker. They are modified to meet Lillian's needs. Both are sadist, controlling and protective. Lillian has lived independently as long as she could by suppressing her dynamic but danger finds way and she needs her Alphas now. Ethan is so commanding and brutal, Ryker is violent and manipulative. Both are so caveman and controlling to Lillian's rebellious and fierce nature. There are so many hot scenes and I haven't got enough of Ethan.
Focusing now on the evil Dr Erison Tsing, he is upto something. I define him as the sneaky snake. I like the concept of this story. Having seen the appearance of Lillian in few of the books I was curious about her, now I can't read fast enough to know her part of the story.
Nicely woven this is the steamy beginning of Lillian's story with two deviant Alphas. Romance, Paranormal