Omega Defiant

Wolves in the World #2

by Dessa Lux

An omega who wants nothing to do with alphas...
An alpha who wants to save omegas, but never meant to fall for one...
And a thousand-mile roadtrip that will change their lives... if they don't kill each other first.

Omega werewolf Casey Niemi has grown up in the safety of his adopted pack. He can't remember what took him from his original family--and he doesn't want to, even if it might explain why getting too close to an alpha makes him panic. He's moving on with his life and totally has it under control--until a new alpha shows up and throws Casey's world completely off kilter.

Alpha werewolf Adam Vinick wants to improve the lives of omegas through the power of rigorous scientific research. After the death of his omega dad, he left his father's pack and has never looked back. But he's been having a hard time finding omegas for his study, and his life's work may be cancelled if he can't show results soon. When he turns to the Niemis for help, he's not expecting an omega like Casey.

Adam and Casey have instant chemistry--the kind that explodes on contact. When the Niemis send Casey to assist Adam on his research trip, enemies become reluctant allies and it doesn't take long for them to argue their way into each other's beds.

But can their long road lead them to each other's hearts?

Genres: Romance, M M Romance, Shapeshifters, Omegaverse, Fantasy, Paranormal, Werewolves

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2018

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even go here

I'm not really a werewolf person (not that there's anything wrong with werewolf people! It's just not a usual genre for me), but I'm a fan of Dessa Lux's writing in other genres, so I've been reading and enjoying her wolf serieses. This book, however, knocked me out with how amazing it is. It's got all the stuff you probably come to paranormal romance for, but the STORY. There's gender theory! There's examinations of systems of control! There's various takes on mental illness! There's a throughline of understanding that parents mostly do their best but that they still fuck you up sometimes! I loved every word of it, my heart felt sore and full from the experience, and this will stay with me for awhile.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

Omega Defiant is the second installment in the Wolves in the World series, following Omega Required. I liked that one a bit more than this book, but not by much. The author is building a great world in which a great series can thrive. The stories are compelling, and there is obviously a much larger arc that they’re a part of. The characters are strong, interesting, and definitely well fleshed out. Their personalities shine through, they’re very easy to know, and they leave you wanting to know them more.

So, let’s start with Adam and Casey. It took me a while to really like them. They had issues on top of their issues, but as their trip went on and I was able to get to know more about them, I began to love them. I picked up a lot of insecurity from both of them, and that’s one of the reasons I think they worked so well together. Eventually, they became each other’s security.

Read Kenna’s review in its entirety here.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one even more than I did the first one...

Once again, it's a slow moving story - but at least the sexy times come a bit quicker in this installment. Heart-breaking (again) and yet so romantic. I can't wait to read Ethan's story. (Which I hope comes out soon!)

[Walford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phew! Made it through. And it was so worth it. Gotta tell you though our protagonists really wore me down with their prickliness and bickering (in the first quarter of the book, and this book is long); almost gave up. Don't give up! What a story, edge of my seat and all that good stuff. Didn't make it through the first in this series for the above reasons, as I recall, but now I'm going back to finish it. (BTW you don't need to read the first to enjoy this one.)

[... · Rating 5 out of 5]

RE-READ 11/13/24: Well, I loved this one all over again. And even though Casey was the one with the more... obviously traumatic past, Adam was exactly the kind of emotionally hurt MC that my heart yearns for. 🥰 I'd call it a solid 5-star read for me this time around, and I really am sad that the author never continued the series with a book for Ethan.

ORIGINAL READ: 11/1/21 - 4.5☆ rating with no review.

[Erica Chilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads

3.5 Stars

Dessa Lux is a new-to-me author.

Omega Defiant is the second installment in the Wolves in the World series. While I hadn't realized this was the second in a series, it didn't offer any confusion while reading. With that being said, I do believe a few of my issues would have been resolved if I had read the series in order.

Alpha Adam is a researcher, doing a genetics study on omegas. His personality comes off as cold and clinical, distanced with an emotional shield firmly in place. While Adam's personality and profession fit perfectly, it was hard for me as a reader to fully connect with him. I'm more of a cerebral person, so I could understand to a certain extent, but it made the emotional and romantic connection seem cold and clinical as well.

Omega Casey is a midwife, not living with his birth pack, after painful events happened to him when he was a small child. I won't go into detail, as that was part of the mystery of Omega Defiant, not shown until far into the novel, details given as the novel progressed.

Casey is manic. That's the best word I can use. Manic. He's suffering PTSD over events he doesn't remember, with his pack walking on eggshells around him or forgiving any transgression because it was Casey, not expecting more out of him.

Science and emotion collide in a perfect balance between the alpha and the omega, some of their interactions more angsty love-hate, slow-burn, where they ignored their immense attraction to one another. While yummy, the manic and the clinical never resonated with me, as neither Adam nor Casey were easy to read, both personalities rather grating at times.

Adam goes pack to pack, signing up omegas in a genetics study, with Casey as his guide, where they grow closer together, while exploring issues from both of their pasts- those issues that caused their personalities to be what it is today.

On the surface, the plot and the delivery should have had me turning the pages at a rapid rate. However, it took me nearly two weeks, reading a chapter here or there, to finish the novel, simply because I was never as hooked as I felt I should be.

The pace is definitely on the slower side, without much of a hook at the beginning, with the clinical monologue. I fear some may stop reading before they get to the meat of the story, as the novel's pace is slow, the length long, and the details are strung out, not necessarily released when necessary to keep the reader's attention.

My inability to connect to either narrator may have been resolved had I read the series in order. While the world-building is not confusing at all- definitely not shown in much detail, sticking to the norm of the genre -if I had read the first, I may have developed an emotional connection to the characters and the universe they were structured in, where I would have connected better with Adam and Casey.

In the future, I may go back and read the first, then reread this novel. If my view of the story changes, I will edit my rating and review accordingly.

I do recommend this author, novel, and possibly the series, as the plot was a solid one. My issue was simply how I never connected to the narrators.

[Serra ᵔ·͈༝·͈ᵔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy this series and the world the author’s built here!

Where Rory and Beau were gentle and soft, Casey and Adam are explosive and fierce. They push each others buttons like no one else can.

They’ve both had traumatic childhood experiences and while their reactions were quite different, it was interesting that they both developed a wariness against alphas/omegas respectively. Casey in particular because he truly repressed what he went through.

And yet... they just couldn’t resist each other. That’s what made their slow surrender to their feelings and building trust so satisfying.

I liked the way Casey’s history was slowly unraveled as he opened up to Adam and let his guard down. The fact that he shared that with Adam, and inspired Adam to look back as well was really impactful. Two broken people, healing together... It always gets me!

I also really appreciate that the author pushes the boundaries of the a/b/o genre w/ inclusivity rather than being confined by normativity.

Overall this was a great read!

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a pretty lukewarm response to the first book in this series, but I found this one to be pretty damn amazing.

If I recall correctly, I already had a weird attachment to Adam back then, even when he appeared very minimally, and reading about his backstory here kinda justified that attachment. I really love Casey as well, and I just love Adam and Casey's dynamic together. They're equal parts banter and softness - just the way I like it.

The writing style is still superb; I often say that you can tell the author writes (or used to write?) fanfic because of how her narrative just flows. My reading experience is always smooth and I read like half of this book the day I started it. Exams and projects be damned.

Looking forward to see where this series goes! Ethan's story is going to be a fascinating one, I can already tell.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I know the author.

I found this book so intense that I kept having to stop and just absorb it - and then dive back in, because omg what was going to happen next. There were a lot of unexpected twists, including things that had me shrieking and disturbing the cat, and through it all Adam and Casey both being stubborn and painfully themselves while falling in love just made me so damn happy.

[Marzipop · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Better than the first but still lacking some resolution

[Karolina Cebula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in English and Polish || Recenzja po angielsku i polsku

Although Adam Vinick is not a child anymore, the memories of his difficult childhood return to him every single day. That's what made him the alpha he is now – staying out of the way, awkward in his relationships with others, always careful and fully devoted to his research, that in the future could help the omega werewolves on many planes of life. To achieve his goal and open up new perspectives for omegas, Adam must open himself to working with others, even if he's not good at it. And that's exactly how the fate puts Casey Niemi in his path, a vulgar omega who keeps away form alphas and who, from the very first meeting, would like to either jump down Adam's throat or rip his clothes off.

"Omega Defiant" is the second volume of "Wolves in the World" series and although you can read this novel without knowing the previous part, it's not easy for the reader to comfortably enter this universe. At the moment, I'm not able to assess the extent to which the lack of knowledge regarding the first part of the series is responsible for that, but what I know for sure is the fact that our adventure with "Omega Defiant" begins a bit chaotically. Instead of introducing us smoothly into the world of the novel and highlighting its most important features, the narrator seems to, to some extent, throw at us some not entirely clear fragments of the world-building facts. For this reason, it's hard for us to find ourselves in the book. Only as we get to know this story, everything begins to slowly look much clearer, as we on the one hand get used to our lack of knowledge and, at the same time, on the other hand gradually learn more, traveling alongside the two main characters. What else can I say, the universe created by Dessa Lux seems really interesting and unique, so it is really worth forgetting all about these initial ambiguities.

I admit that the above-mentioned uniqueness of the world of "Omega Defiant" is seen, among other things, in the presentation of the werewolf community. Let's begin with the fact that their existence is known to the world and has been accepted by people to such an extent that every werewolf has his race printed on the ID card. In this case, the author really surprised me, as I did not expect such openness between people and shapeshifters. However, this is not all, because it turns out that in the world of "Omega Defiant" some omega werewolves are taught to be midwives, among whom the highest position is occupied by Granny or Pappa, while lower in the hierarchy is Auntie or Uncle. And here we get to the heart of the matter. It turns out that these titles are given to midwives, regardless of their "first" gender – in other words, it's not important if they are men or women. For me this was probably the biggest surprise in this novel and it took me the longest time to get used to it. Yes, Auntie Mark gave me a really hard time!

However, even more fascinating is the fact that the author attaches great importance to scientific research on werewolves, and in particular on omegas. It turns out that men who can give birth to children are a phenomenon even among their own race. For this reason, they require DNA testing and working on specifying the similarities and differences in the genetic code between them and other genders. In the "Omega Defiant" universe it is not known why omega is an omega. I think that this is an incredibly interesting theme and I really like the fact that Dessa Lux bravely touched the subject of DNA, genetics, chromosomes and inheritance. Believe me, when Adam starts talking about his research on omegas, the reader absorbs every word.

Finally, I would like to praise this novel for a very interesting choice of characters. Dessa Lux has created two differently broken werewolves, who at all costs try not to think about their problems, although everything they do is to some extent dependent on those issues. It is equally important that the reader slowly, step by step, discovers the protagonists' story, looks into their past and observes the changes taking place in their psyche. Even without knowing exactly what happened to them, we can easily see clear patterns of behavior which guide them and which change as the characters evolve. Their mutual relations also develop in a similar way, when instead of pure lust, feelings slowly come to the fore. All this is undoubtedly a reason, we read this novel with interest and pleasure.

In short, "Omega Defiant" is a novel that starts a bit awkwardly, but quickly gains momentum. It's set in an interesting and, in some ways, unusual world, which conceals many secrets even from people living in there. We can also find here some interesting, broken characters, whose evolution we observe in each and every chapter we're reading and whose love story really captivates us.

___________________________

Adam Vinick ma za sobą trudne dzieciństwo, którego wspomnienia powracają do niego każdego dnia. To właśnie ono uczyniło go takim alfą, jakim jest teraz – nieporadnym w relacjach z innymi, trzymającym się na uboczu, zawsze ostrożnym i oddanym w pełni badaniom, które w przyszłości mogłyby pomóc wilkołakom omega na wielu płaszczyznach życia. Aby osiągnąć swój cel i otworzyć przed omegami zupełnie nowe perspektywy, Adam musi otworzyć się na współpracę z innymi, nawet jeśli nie wychodzi mu to najlepiej. Właśnie w ten sposób los stawia na jego drodze Casey’a Niemi, wulgarnego, stroniącego od alf omegę, który już od pierwszego spotkania najchętniej albo rzuciłby się Adamowi do gardła, albo zdarłby z niego ubrania.

„Omega Defiant” jest drugim tomem serii „Wolves in the World” i chociaż jak najbardziej można czytać tę powieść nie znając poprzedniej części, to jednak nie łatwo jest czytelnikowi wejść w to uniwersum. Na chwilę obecną, nie jestem w stanie ocenić, na ile odpowiedzialny jest za to brak wiedzy dotyczącej pierwszej odsłony serii, ale tym, co wiem na pewno, jest fakt, iż naszą przygodę z „Omega Defiant” zaczynamy trochę chaotycznie. Zamiast wprowadzić nas płynnie w świat powieści i zaznaczyć jego najistotniejsze cechy, narrator wydaje się do pewnego stopnia wyrzucać z siebie fragmenty faktów, które nie są dla nas do końca jasne. Z tego też powodu, ciężko jest nam się w tym wszystkim odnaleźć. Dopiero w miarę, jak poznajemy tę opowieść, wszystko zaczyna nam się nieśmiało układać w głowach, przyzwyczajamy się do swojej niewiedzy i jednocześnie stopniowo ją zmniejszamy, podróżując u boku dwójki głównych bohaterów. A co tu dużo mówić, tworzone przez Dessę Lux uniwersum wydaje się naprawdę bardzo ciekawe i wyjątkowe, toteż warto przymknąć oko na te początkowe niejasności.

Przyznaję, że o wspomnianej wyjątkowości świata „Omega Defiant” świadczy między innymi sposób przedstawienia środowiska wilkołaków. Zacznijmy od tego, że ich istnienie jest znane światu i zostało przez ludzi przyjęte do wiadomości do tego stopnia, że każdy wilkołak ma swoją rasę wpisaną do dowodu osobistego. W tym wypadku autorka mnie zaskoczyła, jako że nie spodziewałam się takiej otwartości między ludźmi i zmiennokształtnymi. To jednak nie wszystko, ponieważ okazuje się, że w świecie „Omega Defiant” niektóre będące omegami wilkołaki są szkolone na położne, wśród których najwyższe stanowisko zajmuje zazwyczaj Babunia, czy też Tatko, zaś niżej w hierarchii znajduje się Cioteczka, bądź też Wujek. I tu dochodzimy do sedna sprawy. Okazuje się bowiem, że tytuły te nadawane są położnym omegom niezależnie od ich „pierwszej” płci – inaczej mówiąc, nie ważne, czy są mężczyznami, czy kobietami. To było dla mnie chyba największym zaskoczeniem w tej powieści i do tego najdłużej musiałam się przyzwyczajać. Tak, Cioteczka Mark dał mi pod tym względem nieźle popalić!

Jeszcze bardziej fascynujący wydaje mi się jednak fakt, iż autorka przykłada ogromną wagę do badań naukowych nad wilkołakami, a w szczególności nad omegami. Okazuje się bowiem, że mężczyźni mogący wydawać na świat potomstwo, są niejako fenomenem nawet wśród własnej rasy. Z tego też powodu wymagają przeprowadzenia badań DNA oraz pracy nad wyszczególnieniem podobieństw i różnic w kodzie genetycznym między nimi, a innymi płciami. W świecie „Omega Defiant” nie jest bowiem wiadome, dlaczego omega jest omegą. Uważam, że jest to niesamowicie ciekawy motyw i bardzo podoba mi się to, że Dessa Lux odważnie weszła w temat DNA, genetyki, chromosomów, dziedziczenia. Wierzcie mi, kiedy Adam zaczyna mówić o swoich badaniach nad omegami, czytelnik chłonie każde słowo.

Na koniec chciałabym pochwalić tę powieść także za bardzo interesujący dobór bohaterów. Dessa Lux stworzyła bowiem dwójkę w różny sposób „złamanych” wilkołaków, którzy za wszelką cenę starają się nie myśleć o swoich problemach, mimo że wszystko, co robią, jest w jakimś stopniu im podporządkowane. Równie istotne jest to, że czytelnik powoli, krok po kroku odkrywa historię głównych postaci, zagląda w ich przeszłość, jak i obserwuje zmiany zachodzące w ich psychice. Nawet nie wiedząc dokładnie, co ich spotkało, możemy bez problemu dostrzec wyraźne wzorce zachowań, które nimi kierują i które zmieniają się w miarę, jak bohaterowie ewoluują. W podobny sposób rozwija się także ich wzajemna relacja, kiedy zamiast czystej żądzy, powoli do głosu zaczynają dochodzić również uczucia. Wszystko to niewątpliwie sprawia, że powieść czyta się z zainteresowaniem i przyjemnością.

Krótko mówiąc, „Omega Defiant” to rozpoczynająca się nieporadnie, ale szybko nabierająca rozpędu powieść osadzona w interesującym i pod pewnymi względami niecodziennym świecie, który kryje wiele zagadek nawet dla zamieszkujących go ludzi. To także interesujący bohaterowie po przejściach, których ewolucję obserwujemy z każdym przeczytanym rozdziałem i których historia miłosna naprawdę nas porywa.

[Sarita Chapdelaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another amazing book in the Wolves in the World series and I love everything about it. I was engaged from the very first page and I could not put it down. It is well-written, emotional, inspiring, sweet, intriguing, funny at times, has some sad moments and the characters are incredible. There are a few surprising twists in the story but the overall feeling is hope. Hope that Casey can deal with the past that he can't remember and hope that Adam will also be able to deal with what happened in his childhood. I love Adam and Casey together and even though they start out disliking each other their connection and chemistry is smoking hot. Being forced to spend time together is the best thing that could happen to them and I love how their relationship changes and develops while they travel. The secondary characters are great and I am so happy to catch up with Rory and Beau. I love the ending and I can't wait to read Ethan's story next.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I have not read the first book in the series, but I was not lost with the storyline at all. It was obvious that there is a story behind Rory and Beau, but it is not necessary for this plot. I do plan to read their story soon.

I read this book in one sitting. It kept me engaged throughout the story. It is different enough from other ABO books that I found it refreshing and really entertaining. And the sexy times were hot!

The MCs are well developed and have very strong personalities. Adam is not your typical Alpha, but his background is well thought out and fully underscores why he is the way he is. Casey is definitely a defiant omega, but he has his reasons, too. I really liked that the author chose to portray the omegas as gender identity personal to the individual, not what the parents assume. There is even a nonbinary omega, which I was really excited to see.

I also liked the nontraditional bonding that is possible in the world the author has created. It allows part of the action to take place, and also gives the MCs time to make responsible decisions.

All in all, I really did enjoy this omegaverse mpreg novel. This is a new author for me, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the story.

Happy reading!

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. *

[Madison Schaeffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, look, quirky werewolf romance novels are kind of my guilty pleasure. That would be because the genre is... not always the absolute best. But this book, man. This book is the best werewolf book I've ever read. It might even be one of the best ROMANCES I've ever read. It's a master class in slowly-developed emotional intimacy, damaged but fundamentally good characters, and world building. The first book in this series was good - I enjoyed it. But this one? This one was incredible. I loved every single thing about it, from the science (WEREWOLF DNA YES) to the lore (so many neat cultural pieces to the werewolf thing) to the found family aspects. I'd never have thought of a werewolf romance novel as a venue for intensely thoughtful exploration of gender roles, but it managed that exquisitely too. The romance was amazing. This book was such an unexpected delight. If this genre is your cup of tea, I literally cannot recommend this one enough. So, so amazing.

[Madison Schaeffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, look, quirky werewolf romance novels are kind of my guilty pleasure. That would be because the genre is... not always the absolute best. But this book, man. This book is the best werewolf book I've ever read. It might even be one of the best ROMANCES I've ever read. It's a master class in slowly-developed emotional intimacy, damaged but fundamentally good characters, and world building. The first book in this series was good - I enjoyed it. But this one? This one was incredible. I loved every single thing about it, from the science (WEREWOLF DNA YES) to the lore (so many neat cultural pieces to the werewolf thing) to the found family aspects. I'd never have thought of a werewolf romance novel as a venue for intensely thoughtful exploration of gender roles, but it managed that exquisitely too. The romance was amazing. This book was such an unexpected delight. If this genre is your cup of tea, I literally cannot recommend this one enough. So, so amazing.

[Elizabeth Hanelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The chemistry wasnt immediate but...

I really love a good slow burn, and I love Dessa Lux's other work, under All The Pen Names... we met both Adam and Casey in Omega Required, also a lovely piece of work, and a bit of psychological mystery. Or maybe sociological mystery would be a better term.
Adam is cranky, rigid, and academic, an alpha with almost no social skills, and he knows it. Casey is friendly, emotionally literate, a competent midwife with deep training in his pack's traditions. Casey also has a childhood trauma he's been unwilling to unpack, that includes a deep fear of Alphas.

Somehow though, there's something delicious about Adam... And Casey keeps drawing closer...

[Scooby2 · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Omega Defiant” is my first book by Dessa Lux and I think the writing is just not for me. I love alpha/omega books but this one just didn’t work for me. I struggled to finish it, which disappointed me because I love these books. I found it to be too wordy, way too long, and I had a hard time getting into the story. Although this is the second in the series I didn’t feel like I needed to read the first, I wasn’t lost. This may be a case of me and not the book, since others seem to like it.

I give this book 1-1.5 stars

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[MT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal

This author manages to take everything we think we know about shifter mpreg and expand on it until it’s barely the same. It becomes something bigger and more wonderful than we knew to wish for.

The books in this series are long. This book was shockingly long for a mpreg. But it was important to use that entire length to tell the story. And what a story it was!!!

There is a depth to the world and characters that you just don’t frequently get with mpreg books. This story must have taken a lot of time and effort to craft and it was worth every second the author spent. It was just absolute perfection.

[coslyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Casey better than I liked Rory, and so I was way more disappointed by the fact that he ended up acting so...flippantly? permissive? dotingly? around Adam. I just felt like the switch got flipped too fast from distain to ardor, all because they fucked. Something about that really rubbed me the wrong way.

Also this one had way more mpreg which was not something I enjoyed at all, because pregnancy as a concept is deeply disturbing for me. (It’s a body horror thing that I have, nothing against folks who like pregnancy)

One thing I did like, because this is an awfully negative review and I actually didn’t hate this book, was the worldbuilding. I liked the myths Casey told.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounded down

Another really interesting book in this series! Like the first, it's on the long side, but the build here feels so natural that it really worked for me. I enjoyed the characters immensely, and I liked that while Casey and Adam had their own traumas to work through, as did the characters in the first book, their journey was still very much their own. I continue to find the world-building here really fascinating, and am looking forward to Ethan's book next! Very curious to see if he's matched with the character we see in this book, or if it's with somebody completely different...

[Sineala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the first book for free and went back and bought the second one, so the dastardly promotional tactic works! *shakes fist*

I am not typically a big fan of A/B/O werewolves but I love Dessa Lux's writing in other genres and under other names so I had no doubt she would be able to deliver a compelling romance story. And this was great. Adam and Casey are initially at odds with each other but then, over the course of a roadtrip, slowly fall in love and each end up learning things about their own and each other's pasts. Also there's a lot of fun worldbuilding about omega gender identity.

I'm gonna go buy the short story now, I guess.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love

I have read everything Dessa has put out through the kindle app. I just love her writing.
I have to say,, Casey and Adam’s story surprised me. I didn’t see any of it coming. As with most stories, you kind of get a feel for where the author is taking you. So that was nice to be actually stunned at what was happening.
Casey is just the right amount of snarky. Adam is stand off ish and tries not to rock the boat in life I think. He does what he can to not be a typical alpha I believe, which is what Casey needs in a partner.

[Snow]

DNF @ 17%.

im having one of the worst book months of my life. most of the books i pick up, i end up DNF'ing. i lose interest and i find characters annoying. i hope it changes soon 😭

im DNF'ing this one because the push-pull between the characters doesn't work for me. the hero casey is one of those "angry at the world", outward reacting people. id want him to get a solid year of therapy before reading about him falling in love lol.
adam deserves better. he is kind of treated like shit by a lot of characters so far, and i don't get why. his character is the only part i like.

[Teal Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omega Defiant by Dessa Lux is the second book in the Wolves in the World series. Casey and Adam's story is a journey through finding themselves, answering the questions of the past and finding a forever future. Their interactions gave me all the feels with their sweetness and yet sexiness. The story is well told and highly entertaining, definitely kept my full attention.

I received an advanced reader's copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic series

I love a good shifter romance, and Dessa Lux writes fabulous ones. Not only do they have a page-turning plot and wonderfully sexy sex scenes, but the characters are so well written and the reader gets to see them grow throughout the book. Her werewolf culture is richly detailed, giving depth and context to the characters’ struggles. Truly a standout series by a standout author.

[Nimelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5
I almost DNFed it at around 50%. The story was moving too slow, Casey was interesting, but Adams character was too plain and boring, so I lost interest. Even the smut felt boring. Eventually I got through the whole book in about 2,5-3 weeks, which is very unusal for me (I read my books usually in 1-3 days, depending on how much time I have), but it felt like a chore to finish it. I liked the first book better, but that also wasn't the best for me.

[schneefink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just wanted to read a chapter or two and ended up finishing this in one go. This was just overall a very nice story: A lovely slow romance between two characters with baggage that find together and how they fit together and can help each other, with some family drama as scenery that worked well too.

[Vintage · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little deeper than your average shifter book

I guess I’ll start by saying that I have read all of this author’s books and I have really loved all of them. This story has two traumatized MCs who kind of figure their pasts out during a long road trip together. Love that these guys are weirdly perfect for each other in a totally unexpected way. Highly recommend.

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was really interesting.. the writing is a whole different kind of world for me. i havent read many like this. it was interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat curious to see what was next. the characters bantar was fun.. it made me laugh and smile. very good and i cannot wait to see more by this author and this series.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this new installment in the WitW series, although I admit I put it down for a while as the guys discovered SO MUCH ANGSTY FAMILY BACKGROUND. I mean, honestly, they could have shared it among six or so extra people. But I liked Casey and Adam together as the dysfunctional pair that they are, and I'm planning to move on to Ethan's story. Lux does a good romance.