Slow Heat by Leta Blake

Slow Heat Reviews

• 
  DarienMoya

  May 2019Still the greatest thing since slice bread 🥰🥰🥰September 2018 You the bestJuly 2018This is my 5th listen in the past couple months I’m obsessed with it and fall in love everytime 😍My most fave audiobook ever SLOW HOT FIRE Final Rating 45 Sueeeeeeee This review will probably just be all gushing cus of reasons What a surprise to my senses and my feels Slow Heat was I’ve read a lot of non shifter omegaverse in fanfic and I don’t see it a lot in published works and when I do they’re not that great But this book and the narration was a slam dunk Micheal Ferraiuolo is the TRUTH The Story 45 Pants Off Jason Sabel is a young Alpha not yet into maturity He attends universiy to learn how to finally care for his Omega when they meet As an Alpha he’s got urges but Omegas are to remain pure until they meet their one true match so he’s getting no love on that part But that doesn’t stop Jason from getting himself into something warm So he gets off with his best friend Xan another Alpha which is a forbidden complication but horny growing boys When Jason meets his much older omega Vale a professor at his university it’s uite unexpected and everything is set to work against them but instinct is a hard thing to deny To the world their union would be a disaster because Jason is a young Alpha and to everyone else Vale is a used up Omega who has been through many heats but Jason will not be denied his true match and he’s very much willing to risk it all for Vale Vale Aman has his hang ups after going through two very traumatizing heats An omega is reuired to bare children and that’s something he can never do So he will not let Jason suffer a childless union no matter how much his heart will hurt For each day he spends getting to know Jason it’s a little bit of himself that he loses to the young man Walking away will be hard but it’s for the best even though it will break him So like wow what a rollercoaster this was I’m all about the older guy poking younger dude but this one had a case of younger guy poking older dude Along with heartache and miscarriage a very bloody sounding miscarriage Things I Liked Pretty much everything The story is entertaining while a bit on the very long side it really kept me entertained all through I enjoyed Jason and Vale as characters and their slow burn coming together The writing is amazing Leta Blake delivered a complex and very uniue novel with so much undertones about serious topics like gender and society norms There’s a richer meaning and it’s so much than dudes who get pregnant I enjoyed all the supporting characters and they added spice to the story but sometimes they were there just a little too much Things I didn’t Like Jason’s sexual relationship with his best friend Initially I really disliked Xan but there is so much to his character that I’m looking forward to his story I just find their relationship contradicting especially after Jason meets Vale Like the AlphaOmega bond is this undeniable sacred thing so Jason and Xan together just seemed wrong So much story about other people that wasn’t Jason and Vale The most intense and heartbreaking moments in the book really had nothing to do with the main MCs and that really bothered me Their entire story could have been wrapped up in 150pgs or lessIt also didn’t need to be so depressing and angst filled through out For once I needed something to go easily but every aspect just had to have some obstacle to get over Vale At a certain point his negative thinking and woe is me attitude really started to irk me He was way too into his feelings and by the end I was over him I would have been on board if Jason said “adios you whining omega” It’s not a perfect 5 ⭐️s because it really did get draggy and Vale got super whiny and I swear he became the one with the lower mental age Overall I really loved the story and there is just so much to discuss but then this review would be a 10pg review and ain’t nobody got time for that I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series The Narration 5 Pants Off Michael Ferraiuolo is my favourite narrator ever While I am new to the whole audiobook movement Mr Michael is the best I’ve ever heard He made the story so freaking epic and I am convinced I love it for the sole reason of his narration Maybe Each character voice was uniue and exciting and there was never a moment where I was confused about who’s who He really brought his a game and I want to dive into any audiobook he’s done Even if the story wasn’t very good Michael Ferraiuolo would have made it enjoyable regardless he brought Slow Heat alive This is one story I will be listening to over and over again and eagerly anticipating the second book in audio form
• 
  Renée

  A for effort I adore Blake's writing style and story telling ability I'd never place Blake's writing in uestion so it's the story that fell flat for me hereThis book didn't know what it wanted to be1 Dystopian Sure technically It does take place in a future where the world as we know it today is over But it doesn't read that way There are phones with wires leading into walls GASP There are offices with desks and books paintings and it all felt very 90s 2 ABO universe but no shifters Sure technically But make no mistake this read like a shifter book There're alphas needing to breed There're omegas in heat overcome from the pain of excruciating lust There's knotting There's back arching and presenting one's ass There's imprinting There's a wolf god There's a wolf Bible FFS So while there may be no fur and claws to be found I'm still calling BS on that one3 A book in the ABO universe dressed up but really about women and non straight rights In this respect it didn't feel like the 90s it felt like 1800 The alphas are the male gender of current society The betas are a third gender and pretty altogether forgotten in this culture The omegas are the female gender of current society But there are no females in this world Everyone has boy partswell externally at least Omegas have a womb And they are treated as the weaker and less than gender Marriages are arranged with contracts in which omegas give everything over to their alpha And they have no rights especially with their own body It's illegal to prevent pregnancy and punishable by death to have an abortion And an alpha who wants to bottom for another alpha? Unmanned Abomination Good times4 A romance This is what I came for But because of all the other crap seriously this book had everything but the kitchen sink our MCs really didn't get much page time We didn't even get to the declarations5 Sexy That it was It was downright filthy Self lubing buttholes growly alphas pleading omegas who need their holes stuffed My girl parts were happy But this wasn't enough to make me enthralled with the story And there weren't as many scenes as one would think like I said not a lot of page time between the MCs Let me address an elephant in the room for a lot of readers While there is mpreg in this story in a major way it didn't include either MC I know that makes a difference for someMajor niggle While I was uncomfortable enough with all the oppression stink in the room our alpha MC has not one but TWO on page sex scenes with someone who is not his omega in this book I was downright suirming with discomfort especially the second time when he'd already imprinted on his omega SuickSo that's where I am After all that I have no idea what I think or how to write a coherent and organic review So I'll simply leave my word vomit here and let you take from it what you will A for creativity though
• 
  * A Reader Obsessed *

  45 HeartsIt is definitely not a secret that I love me some ABO and this right here? Probably one of the best in depth reflections on this dynamic delving into its origins and complicated culture as well as the intricate rules and laws that aid the genetic drive and instinct that fuel the coming together of an alpha and an omega Here in this post apocalyptic society the human race has survived a long ago referenced “Great Death” Females are extinct but through many years of gene manipulation and evolution the creation of different male subtypes have yielded a situation where only the alphaomega pairing can reproduce Thus any and all social obligations are geared towards that top priority where unless detrimental to one’s health inhibiting conception or interfering with pregnancy is illegal To help along the procreation urge alphas and omegas look for their one true mate their “Erosgape” a primal instinctual imprinting that is the ultimate and most coveted life goalJason is a young alpha who greatly romanticizes his future He’s only ever thought about finding his “Erosgape” and Jason cannot wait to meet this man so they can live happily ever after He just has to be patient in finishing his education so he can attend the social events that facilitate such However when Jason suddenly and surprisingly comes across older omega Vale on campus what Jason thinks is a done deal with his “Erosgape” is anything but Being 16 years older Vale long ago gave up his wish of finding his alpha and settling down and having kids His life has not been easy and past circumstances have basically rendered Vale infertile and thus the story mainly revolves around whether he and Jason will officially sign a contract to seal their bondI readily admit that most of the time I don’t uite mesh with Blake’s stories What should be slam dunks often leave me wanting or frustrated Not this time around Now I know I have ABO beer goggles on but I’ll reiterate again that this is probably one of the best I’ve come across not counting my love for a particular fanfic pairing at being thorough in relationship progression and keeping it angstily interesting and fueled by boatloads of UST I was impressed about the exploration of this AU that highly prizes the relationship between an alpha and his omega and all the nuances that can come into play Once imprinted and definitely once consummated neither will ever find another that can give them what they need The uncontrollable alpha drive coupled with the omega desire to be claimed marked and protected is what makes this push pull so compelling and fascinatingNarrated by Michael Ferraiuolo I’ve definitely found me a new narrator to enjoy To me he was a complete win often reminding me of both Tremblay and Russo all in one Ferraiuolo perfectly conveyed the longing and desire and painful insecurities of these two men It simply was just a wonderful listen and I hardly noticed that this was 14 hrs long Almost LolHowever never fear that through all this contemplation and conflict is a really great story about two mismatched individuals who would be very hard pressed to work on paper let alone real life Jason and Vale are given the pheromone nudge to find their win with each other and I enjoyed both MC’s immensely despite some niggles that other reviews have already probably commented on This satisfied all my ABO buttons where the good ones always make me suirm but titillate me nonetheless with dominance and submission heat fueled yumminess and of course KNOTTING Luckily the seuel has just been recently released featuring supporting cast members Xan and Uhruo I’m torn between diving right in or waiting for hopefully Ferraiuolo’s narration but for sure I won’t be saying no to reading Thank you to the authorpublisher for the audio in exchange for a honest review
• 
  Eli Easton

  Wow I loved this Couldn't put it downWhen I read oddles of fics in fandom I was always drawn to Omegaverse but I'd never read it in a professionally published book I've been meaning to try one since they are popular right now but I was wary of picking up an author I'd never heard of Then I saw Leta Blake had an Omegaverse book coming out Yes pleaseThis totally worked for me There are no shifters involved Instead the world appears to be a future version of our own planet in which females no longer exist and instead there are 3 male genders betas who cannot bear or father children alphas who are the big tough guys who father children and omegas the supposedly submissive sex; men with internal wombs who can bear children albeit with difficulty The omegas appear to have been created by scientists perhaps to carry on the race after the females died outThere was enough world building over the course of the book to fill in the basic details of the how and the why Other than the gender swap there were some politics and religion sketched out in this brave new world Otherwise only minor details were changed from our own time such as no cell phones It felt or less contemporary As part of the socio political culture there is a very specific set of protocols that are to be followed when an alpha and omega who are bond mates erosgape meet Their families have to arrange a contract to form the permanent union In the case of this story the bond mated couple are an odd one a uite young 19 alpha male student and a 35 year old professor Besides concerns about whether the older man is a suitable mate for the younger and vice versa there are also critical uestions of fertility that appear to be an insurmountable obstacle to the pairJason the young alpha is always determined to have his mate and acts with integrity and a lot of guts to hang on to him despite the legal and familial obstacles The older omega Vale also wants Jason badly but he has internal conflict over not feeling like he's a good enough mate There's plenty of angst in the story and a uite tense climax involving danger to a main character and an intense omega heatOf course the entire raison d'etre of Omegaverse is whispering for the sex The idea of heats and knots and mpreg and unbearable sexual urges that overrun reason is rather appealing to some I must say Leta wrung every drop of UST and hot and heavy sex scenes from the concept that one possibly could Those who like their mm romance on the hot side will looove this one I sometimes skim or skip sex scenes but not here But I also really loved the characters and just the entire story arc was fun and kept me glued wondering how things could possibly work out for Jason and ValeBravo Leta Amazing job as usual I would totally read Omegaverse books like this one
• 
  Lyn❤Loves❤Listening

  Very well written but too long exhausting and angst filled for my taste
• 
  Leta Blake

  Slow Heat is now available on and in KU May 11 2018 Slow Heat is now available in audiobook narrated by the amazing Michael Ferraiuolo
• 
  Debra

  Review originally posted at Sinfully45 StarsI’ll admit to not having read the description of this book carefully until I actually started it and thinking I was going into a shifter book This is not a shifter story but a story set in the unspecified future after the Great Death of us humans The world the book is set in consists of only men of three different genders – alpha beta and omega whose DNA has been spliced with wolf DNA They are human but exhibit some wolf like behaviors and traits I’m glad I wasn’t scared off by this as it is not my usual genre and there was so much new to me here it was my first omegaverse non shifter mpreg story and I absolutely loved it Slow Heat is definitely a slow build as 19 year old “baby alpha” Jason does his best to convince Vale his 35 year old Erosgape – a destined biological and spiritual mate – that despite the age difference and the likelihood of a childless future they should be togetherEven though meeting his Erosgape omega would be predetermined Jason is a romantic and he can’t help imagining the day they meet and how wonderful it will be how he will be devoted impregnate him and they will live happily ever after When it happens Jason’s mind is set the moment he scents his unorthodox mate The beautiful perfect omega is going to be his He may be younger than he expected to be when the moment happens but he is determined to be the strong alpha his omega needs from the start On the other hand if it was as easy as destiny Vale would likely give in to his biological drive as an omega but there are negotiations contracts and strict government regulation of reproduction and sex that stand in the way He has lived a long time on his own almost giving up on finding his mate and is not sure he can give that independence up now no less saddle this near child with a lifetime of regret He believes once Jason learns of what he has done in the past and its impact on their future Jason will opt out of contracting with him and seek a surrogate who will provide him with the children he deserves regardless of the lifetime of pain it will cause both of themYou’ll recognize all the issues raised in the socio political climate as they parallel our own issues with reproductive rights gender euality and LGBT rights A history with a sharp decline in birth rates has raised the stakes for conservative religious groups and groups seeking greater rights and independence for omegas while the government holds childbirth high above all other rights or freedoms This background is a large part of the story as it colors everything going on with the MCs and the secondary charactersJason and Vale’s future is not guaranteed; they need to go through vetting as if it were an arranged marriage Until the lawyers and families meet protocol reuires there to be nothing but old fashioned courting I adored Jason’s wooing of the reluctant Vale His earnestness intelligence and vulnerability uickly chip away at Vale’s wallsWhile this is a future world it’s as if the Great Death wiped out not only people but many records and technological advances Scientists study what records they have of the old world female species and the animals that have been lost There was gene splicing of wolf into human DNA but there are no cell phones or computers in sight They use actual landline telephones to communicate Being a newbie to this sort of genre I don’t have much to compare it to but I loved the world building and the fact that this future society was still a bit of a throwback to an older timeTold in alternating points of view the story really centers on Jason and Vale working out the differences to get to their contracting committing themselves to a future together Yes there was the courting I mentioned but the biological imperative was not denied for long and the sex is filthy hot Jason and Vale smolder from the moment they lay eyes on each other and that translated into every connection they make whether it’s phone sex voyeurism or actual full on mating I did wish there was time for Jason and Vale together as a couple since there were plenty of future obstacles referred to both as a couple and from the outside and I really wish we would have gotten than just a glimpse of thatThere were fantastic complex secondary characters who all had their own issues to work through from Jason’s fathers and his best friend to the family of friends Vale created for himself I adored Jason’s best friend Xan whose gender identity doesn’t match the one he was born into I am desperately hoping Leta Blake gives us his story as his predicament in particular was heartbreakingMy first foray into this genre was definitely a success If you would like to test out mpreg as I did I would absolutely recommend this story Like the other books I’ve read by Leta Blake I got the complex story and characters I love with some pretty hot sex and sweet romance; the genre change was just a bonus I really hope this isn’t going to be the only book we get in this world as there was such a wonderful set up for not just where we leave off with Jason and Vale but with the many secondary characters who deserve to have their story told
• 
  Xia Xia

  I came to the MPREG universe like a bristled kitten attempting to get close to some strange creature I’ve never seen before hissing and spitting unsure of what I’d find Whatever I was expecting descending upon one of the sweetest love stories in the MM genre was not on my list I’m still in shock of how much I liked this book Although I must admit I would have liked it less if there were some on page births going around so thank the Wolf god for this small blessing There was something very gripping about Jason and Vale's that didn’t allow me to stay away from the book for long periods of time I’ve read it on my way to work at work before meetings in between meetings during one very boring meeting during lunch during dinner On the toilet A 19 year old alpha with hope and dreams of the future waiting for his destined omega A 35 year old omega resigned to the idea he will die without ever meeting his mate Until one day when baby alpha stops dead in his tracks and his world changes for everJason’s imprinting was my favorite moment from the entire book One moment Jason had his arm around Xan and the next his life as he knew it ended A raw musky scent flooded Jason’s nose and throat coating his mucous membranes His eyes rolled up in his head as the scent drilled deep into his brain awakening him with a soul deep shiver Pounding urgent lust peeled his humanity away leaving only animal instinct This book was a smorgasbord of emotions angst pain need loss love loneliness all nicely blended in a cocktail of pure entertainment I liked how it was filled with raw allegories of our modern worldthe celebrated bond in reproduction between the alpha and omega betas be damnedthe harsh world an alpha desiring another alpha had to live inthe strong regulations against abortion and birth control I don’t think I’ll ever become a dedicated MPREG fan but I’ve totally become Leta Blake’s fan Now I just need to figure out how much I care about Xan and Urho to decide how fast I should pick up the next book This was my first MPREG so I can’t say if this was the best MPREG story ever written but I enjoyed the bond between Jason and Vale very much Now off to tentacle porn to check how I feel about that too PS Jason is blonde so that cover triggers me a little
• 
  *J* Too Many Books Too Little Time

  I thought this one was pretty good I'm a BIG Leta Blake fan so I couldn't not read it But paranormal type reads are not my go to genre And I've certainly never read one with this type of universe I will say the universe created had some pretty cringe worthy aspects Especially with regards to the omegas and betas But overall the theme was interestingand different Scorching hotdespite the fact that there weren't that many scenes between the MCs But I liked both MCsand the secondary characters as well So while this wasn't my favorite Leta Blake read I still liked it
• 
  Kaje Harper

  Many generations ago the Great Death wiped out all human women but not other species' females leaving the men scrambling to continue the species without them Someone got the idea of combining wolf and human DNA to create a new species wolf human hybrids all male but some omegas born with a fertile womb and ovulation able to bear children for their sperm fertile alphas Many are born betas not reproducing but contributing to society None of these men are shifters but they have wolf like and exaggerated wolf derived traits The resulting biology is unlikely but compellingGoing into this you have to suspend disbelief There is no way that this set up is the one that would occur from scientists scrambling to produce child bearing male humans in the face of the death of womankind But if you posit that the only scientist crazy enough to take on the challenge and succeed was a gay sex enthused werewolf nut then maybe Just maybe Nah not even thenBut if you walk past that it works as fiction as a social and biological microcosm that is intense and mirrors in many ways the issues of our own Both reverence and discrimination against child bearers the stratification of labor the interplay of religion and regulation that can each harm individuals if done with ideology and not outcome in mindJason is a young alpha in college waiting too grow up and go uesting after his fated mate omega Until the moment he's walking across campus and meets Vale a professor fifteen years his senior who is against all odds the omega fate has chosen for him The pulls of biology are violently strong so much so he has to be drugged in order to think straight around Vale And Vale is shocked having assumed he was past that point in his life and would be able to have his settled solitude his teaching and his little house and garden forever And yet he too feels the pull of a mating so imperative he is almost ready to give up who he is to achieve it Or perhaps even ready to walk away to avoid saddling his alpha with an old and probably infertile omegaThe story is enriched by Jason's parents his college friend who has a shameful kink Vale's older friends who are shocked by this change in his life and the laws and regulations we see impacting them Jason is sweet and somehow believable as the well meaning teen in instalust who also has enough alpha in him to be strong and commanding when he has to be and enough immaturity to feel real Vale's position is hard and he has cool grace under pressure and enough vulnerability to sometimes lose it The society feels cohesive and plausible within its history and constraintsMPreg male pregnancy is a weird and unsettling sub genre of MM when I talk to gay men about it some find it disrespectful moving gay men into a biology they neither can have nor want Some see it as fairly harmless women's fantasy gay sex without giving up female reproduction Others seem wistful as it reflects the one thing human gay men other than a few transmen cannot do birth a baby that is genetically theirs and their lover's I should say cannot do yet the recent advances in genetics surrogacy and artificial womb experiments are fascinating avenues moving forward The author's ability to create appealing characters and to keep a consistency and logic within the bounds of the world she has created make this one of the better MPreg stories I have read It's also clear that Blake can write sex that smokes off the page I will be interested to read about these guys and look forward to seeing what happens to Xan Jason's roommate In a society with really rigid gender roles the guy who doesn't fit them is no doubt in for a rough ride The analogies to our modern world are obvious but still interesting to see explored