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Blackwater Pack #1
Claimed By My Protector
Sometimes dreams really do come true.
My first love was Owen. He was my best friend's older brother, a broad, strapping alpha who never failed to make me feel safe. I spent most of my childhood at the Moore's house, their open warmth a welcome relief from the cold reception my own parents gave me.
Owen never looked twice at me then.
Now I'm back in Blackwater, teaching at the local school. Owen's in Blackwater, too, protecting and serving as part of the police force.
I still love him - but this time, I'm not a kid anymore. It's time for me to show him just how grown up I really am.
Game. On.
Welcome to Blackwater, Montana - a small town with a big personality, where shifters and humans coexist. This is a shifter mpreg novel with a guaranteed happy ending and can also be read as a standalone.
My first love was Owen. He was my best friend's older brother, a broad, strapping alpha who never failed to make me feel safe. I spent most of my childhood at the Moore's house, their open warmth a welcome relief from the cold reception my own parents gave me.
Owen never looked twice at me then.
Now I'm back in Blackwater, teaching at the local school. Owen's in Blackwater, too, protecting and serving as part of the police force.
I still love him - but this time, I'm not a kid anymore. It's time for me to show him just how grown up I really am.
Game. On.
Welcome to Blackwater, Montana - a small town with a big personality, where shifters and humans coexist. This is a shifter mpreg novel with a guaranteed happy ending and can also be read as a standalone.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2019
671 people are currently reading
373 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 123 reviews
March 3, 2020
Quick, easy read.
I do love alpha/omega books and even better if they're m/m, so this was great in those aspects. I wish the wolf and alpha/omega part was a little more prominent, but I do like that there are mates. Owen and Lukas were perfect together, they had good chemistry and Owen protecting Lukas was sweet and sexy. The romance scenes were well done and the pacing was fast. There could have been a bit more plot other than the pining to fill out the story.
Overall a good book and the narration on the audiobook was great.
I do love alpha/omega books and even better if they're m/m, so this was great in those aspects. I wish the wolf and alpha/omega part was a little more prominent, but I do like that there are mates. Owen and Lukas were perfect together, they had good chemistry and Owen protecting Lukas was sweet and sexy. The romance scenes were well done and the pacing was fast. There could have been a bit more plot other than the pining to fill out the story.
Overall a good book and the narration on the audiobook was great.
April 14, 2020
2★'s = it was ok.
So, I was pretty excited after finishing Claiming My Best Friend, to have new shifter series to sink my teeth into. I really enjoyed the .5 introduction and had really high hopes.
I'm not sure what happened here, but this just didn't give me the same feel as the first one.
I think the biggest issue is the inconsistencies just threw me out of the story and I had a hard time recovering. I feel like the author forgot what they had written or just didn't care to check their notes. Or, maybe they wanted to rewrite history? This book starts out like Lukas had been away from Blackwater but he hadn't been away in the .5 story, in that story he was a TA at the school who then took over for Austin. Also, wasn't Austin's best friend Ryker? This story doesn't mention that at all and makes it that Lukas was Austin's BFF since they were kids. Finley, Lukas's TA in this story was introduced here as a part of the pack and a long time friend but in the .5 book he was brand new to the pack and just introduced to Austin. I don't recall Austin and Owen's Dad being a cop in the .5 story and the personalities all seem different and all this happened at 13% in.
It didn't stop there though.
Owen came across as really goofy and not a serious cop when we met him in Austin and Ryker's story but this story had him all Alpha and badass cop.
Also, there was a lot of missing story. For me it was ok because I had read the .5 story but if you hadn't you would be really lost. I guess these books almost took place at the same time but the crossovers didn't seem the same and it wasn't because of perspective.
I feel like the drama x 2 was very manufactured and just didn't feel natural.
I don't know. I feel bad but mostly it just didn't work.
So, I was pretty excited after finishing Claiming My Best Friend, to have new shifter series to sink my teeth into. I really enjoyed the .5 introduction and had really high hopes.
I'm not sure what happened here, but this just didn't give me the same feel as the first one.
I think the biggest issue is the inconsistencies just threw me out of the story and I had a hard time recovering. I feel like the author forgot what they had written or just didn't care to check their notes. Or, maybe they wanted to rewrite history? This book starts out like Lukas had been away from Blackwater but he hadn't been away in the .5 story, in that story he was a TA at the school who then took over for Austin. Also, wasn't Austin's best friend Ryker? This story doesn't mention that at all and makes it that Lukas was Austin's BFF since they were kids. Finley, Lukas's TA in this story was introduced here as a part of the pack and a long time friend but in the .5 book he was brand new to the pack and just introduced to Austin. I don't recall Austin and Owen's Dad being a cop in the .5 story and the personalities all seem different and all this happened at 13% in.
It didn't stop there though.
Owen came across as really goofy and not a serious cop when we met him in Austin and Ryker's story but this story had him all Alpha and badass cop.
Also, there was a lot of missing story. For me it was ok because I had read the .5 story but if you hadn't you would be really lost. I guess these books almost took place at the same time but the crossovers didn't seem the same and it wasn't because of perspective.
I feel like the drama x 2 was very manufactured and just didn't feel natural.
I don't know. I feel bad but mostly it just didn't work.
March 2, 2020
4 solid stars
Just finished listening to the audio book.
Just finished listening to the audio book.
September 23, 2019
...
So it started off nicely, but then as the story went on it was just blah. Nothing great and found myself skimming a lot of it :(
So it started off nicely, but then as the story went on it was just blah. Nothing great and found myself skimming a lot of it :(
March 15, 2021
That's the second book in a row (different author) I expected more of at the end. I thought that there has to be some kind of action (not in a sexual matter. There was plenty of that. At times (in my opinion) even too much). But there was nothing.
The whole book is very well written. I liked the main and most of the side characters. I loved the style of writing and didn't want to put my kindle down.
But it was way too short. There were a couple of scenes that were important (at least to me), but they were cut short. For example Lukas and his mother coming together again. There was just one situation pointing to a happy end and suddenly it was just there.
And the end (I know, but I really hated it, because I loved the story so very much, up until the last chapter) was just not my cup of tea. It came so fast that (for me) it had a taste of 'I'm out of ideas, let's just end it here and sum everything up, so everybody will just be happy at the end'. I just expected more. I wanted more.
Long story short (ha ha), it was a nice read and I'll give it a nice 3,5.
The whole book is very well written. I liked the main and most of the side characters. I loved the style of writing and didn't want to put my kindle down.
But it was way too short. There were a couple of scenes that were important (at least to me), but they were cut short. For example Lukas and his mother coming together again. There was just one situation pointing to a happy end and suddenly it was just there.
And the end (I know, but I really hated it, because I loved the story so very much, up until the last chapter) was just not my cup of tea. It came so fast that (for me) it had a taste of 'I'm out of ideas, let's just end it here and sum everything up, so everybody will just be happy at the end'. I just expected more. I wanted more.
Long story short (ha ha), it was a nice read and I'll give it a nice 3,5.
November 18, 2019
Yes, I have found a new mpreg author and I will be reading more from this series. Adorable story.
April 6, 2020
Not too bad but I found that I was missing a book or something. The story of Austin and Ryker is often mentioned so I wasn't sure if they were featured in another series.
I wanted more details about how the shifters lived with humans. Do humans know about them? Does Lukas teach at an all shifter school?
Also, the whole m-preg thing seems like more of an afterthought.
I wanted more details about how the shifters lived with humans. Do humans know about them? Does Lukas teach at an all shifter school?
Also, the whole m-preg thing seems like more of an afterthought.
March 18, 2020
Ok. This was nice but nothing really too exciting
Not sure if I will read the others ..
Not sure if I will read the others ..
April 9, 2020
I liked the first half of the story really well.
I would recommend reading the prequel, it felt a little like we missed something.
I liked the tension building and the flirtations
The second half of the story I liked less
I liked the writing, I will give this author a go with a different series
the m-preg thing just isn't my jam
I would recommend reading the prequel, it felt a little like we missed something.
I liked the tension building and the flirtations
The second half of the story I liked less
I liked the writing, I will give this author a go with a different series
the m-preg thing just isn't my jam
July 8, 2019
Lukas Gabrielle is back in Blackwater teaching at the local school. For as long as he can remember he has been in love with Owen Moore. Owen has never seen him more than his brother’s best friend. Owen has always protected him since they were kids. Now that he’s no longer a kid, Lukas is determined to make Owen notice him.
Owen Moore is a local police officer. He’s known Lukas Gabrielle forever since he’s his brother’s best friend and practically lived at the Moore house. When Lukas comes back to town, Owen still feels that protective instinct with Lukas. Lukas is doing everything to get his attention and Owen realizes that Lukas isn’t a kid anymore.
What a great book. The characters are so easy to love. Lukas and Owen are beyond adorable. I love friends to lovers books. It’s always the best when a character falls in love with the last person they expected. Can’t wait to see what’s in store next in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
Owen Moore is a local police officer. He’s known Lukas Gabrielle forever since he’s his brother’s best friend and practically lived at the Moore house. When Lukas comes back to town, Owen still feels that protective instinct with Lukas. Lukas is doing everything to get his attention and Owen realizes that Lukas isn’t a kid anymore.
What a great book. The characters are so easy to love. Lukas and Owen are beyond adorable. I love friends to lovers books. It’s always the best when a character falls in love with the last person they expected. Can’t wait to see what’s in store next in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
June 21, 2020
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I'm really pissed right now. I think I've never seen something as unbelieveable as what's happening with this series.
Before starting reading this (with Claiming My Best Friend) I saw there were some weird things in regards of the book order. While some covers stated Claiming My Best Friend was book 1 in the Blackwater Pack series and this one (Claimed By My Protector was book 2, in GR it said they were book #0.5 and book #1 respectively, which sounded weird (not only that, but Claimed By My Protector was also published under an alternative title and cover Moore Than Expected). I decided to read the other book first, because it seemed logical (it was published before this one and everything). Was not the best book, but was entertaing so I finally decided to read this one.
And as soon as I started reading it, I saw something was wrong. So very wrong. How many incosistencies can a book have? Why the hell would the author change so many things from one book to the next? And why the hell?
While in Claiming My Best Friend Lukas was working as TA in Blackwater Elementary, suddenly here is said Lukas was gone 6 years for college and is now back to Blackwater to take Austin's position as teacher. Then, Finley suddenly is their longtime friend and Austin's fomer TA when in Claiming My Best Friend he was a newcomer in town that moved into Blackwater because he was offered the position as Lukas' TA. Inconsistencies like this keep going. And if you have read Claiming My Best Friend, you will remember Owen ad Lukas has something going on, they flirt and obviously liked each other... but then, in this book, they have been 6 long years apart. Doesn't make any sense.
I can't deny so many inconsistencies and nonsense changes threw me back. I was expecting to discover more about Owen and Lukas and how would they get together after seeing them suffer so much sexual tension... and then the story completely changed. Not only that, but the start was a copy from Claiming My Best Friend (the 6 years gone was the same as with Ryker, and then both Austin and Lukas going into heat right after the full moon ride... too much alike).
I kept reading, tryting to froget my disconfort, and part of the story I liked. But with all it still felt... lacking. There's nothign going on. For real. First we have Owen's reserve about having something with Luke, then the heat comes and here I found something interesting: Lukas sadness and grieving. But when they make up everything stalles again. I just couldn't empathize with Owen's reasons for rejecting Lukas, and then their relationship is pretty boring: too much sex and too little going on.
In book #0.5 there was Nico stalking Austing and making things a little bit interesting. Here's nothing. Just some mentions to Lukas' parents and little more. At the start there's a fight with a bully's dad that promises a little bit of fight ar danger... but ended up in nothing.
So pretty much a loss of my time, really. Forbidden Magic and Concealed Magic, but I'm starting to think it was more thanks to Jill Haven than Liam.
I'm really pissed right now. I think I've never seen something as unbelieveable as what's happening with this series.
Before starting reading this (with Claiming My Best Friend) I saw there were some weird things in regards of the book order. While some covers stated Claiming My Best Friend was book 1 in the Blackwater Pack series and this one (Claimed By My Protector was book 2, in GR it said they were book #0.5 and book #1 respectively, which sounded weird (not only that, but Claimed By My Protector was also published under an alternative title and cover Moore Than Expected). I decided to read the other book first, because it seemed logical (it was published before this one and everything). Was not the best book, but was entertaing so I finally decided to read this one.
And as soon as I started reading it, I saw something was wrong. So very wrong. How many incosistencies can a book have? Why the hell would the author change so many things from one book to the next? And why the hell?
While in Claiming My Best Friend Lukas was working as TA in Blackwater Elementary, suddenly here is said Lukas was gone 6 years for college and is now back to Blackwater to take Austin's position as teacher. Then, Finley suddenly is their longtime friend and Austin's fomer TA when in Claiming My Best Friend he was a newcomer in town that moved into Blackwater because he was offered the position as Lukas' TA. Inconsistencies like this keep going. And if you have read Claiming My Best Friend, you will remember Owen ad Lukas has something going on, they flirt and obviously liked each other... but then, in this book, they have been 6 long years apart. Doesn't make any sense.
I can't deny so many inconsistencies and nonsense changes threw me back. I was expecting to discover more about Owen and Lukas and how would they get together after seeing them suffer so much sexual tension... and then the story completely changed. Not only that, but the start was a copy from Claiming My Best Friend (the 6 years gone was the same as with Ryker, and then both Austin and Lukas going into heat right after the full moon ride... too much alike).
I kept reading, tryting to froget my disconfort, and part of the story I liked. But with all it still felt... lacking. There's nothign going on. For real. First we have Owen's reserve about having something with Luke, then the heat comes and here I found something interesting: Lukas sadness and grieving. But when they make up everything stalles again. I just couldn't empathize with Owen's reasons for rejecting Lukas, and then their relationship is pretty boring: too much sex and too little going on.
In book #0.5 there was Nico stalking Austing and making things a little bit interesting. Here's nothing. Just some mentions to Lukas' parents and little more. At the start there's a fight with a bully's dad that promises a little bit of fight ar danger... but ended up in nothing.
So pretty much a loss of my time, really. Forbidden Magic and Concealed Magic, but I'm starting to think it was more thanks to Jill Haven than Liam.
February 11, 2024
I’ve listened to the audio of this book a few times. I like it but would enjoy it more if there wasn’t MPREG present - not my thing personally. Cute story well written.
January 8, 2024
So, I saw this book marked as #1 in the series, so I didn't read the #0.5 Claiming My Best Friend. This was a mistake, so guys, if you're gonna read this book, go read the 0.5 first. I was able to follow the story, but so many things were mentioned as if the reader already knows about it. You can still figure things out, but it took me a bit to understand what was going on.
For example, when Owen knotted Lucas and he was shocked speechless by that, I was like "what the heck, dude, you didn't know that you have a knot? You're surprised by your own knot?" Well, that was probably explained in the #0.5 book, and it was never explained in this one, but apparently (if I understood it well), the knot swells only with the fated mate; that's how they know they're meant for each other.
Lucas' background and being bullied at school, Owen protecting him, Lucas' friendship with Austin (they seem to be best friends), relationships with other characters; everything is shallow and just briefly touched, so I'm assuming that it might have been explained more in the first book.
I feel like there were many inconsistencies. At the beginning, I had the impression that Owen is actually a bit shy, easily flustered and maybe a little goofy. But at some point he just suddenly went all confident, alpha and smirking and it felt out of character.
Some scenes in the beginning were awkward as heck...For example,
There was one moment while reading when I thought: This is so stupid. When Owen rejected Lucas. At that point in the story and how it happened, it was honestly just ridiculous.
That being said, I think Lucas dealt with all situations in a surprisingly mature way. The part where he's dealing with emotional pain () might have seemed dramatic, but I thought it was very realistic, considering that Lucas was bullied in school, had traumatic childhood and it took him years to come out of his shell. Having been bullied in school myself, I know how easy it is to fall back into self-deprecating habit (and it feels like all the progress you made through the years was instantly erased), and some of the thoughts Lucas had were very relatable.
Also, I liked the part where the mere thirst was what snapped Lucas out of his misery, even though it was just for a moment, to remind him to take care of himself. I think some people who have gone through some heartache in their life might have experienced the exact same thing.
So, yeah, I thought that was well done.
But whatever conflict was introduced in this story, it was solved almost immediately. It was very low-angst, almost none. And the drama (and "action) at the end of the book was, in my opinion... bad. It comes out of nowhere, it happens to secondary characters ( ) and it's quickly resolved.
It was really baffling. So,
I didn't enjoy it. Honestly, this whole thing felt really unnecessary. It wasn't exciting and somehow it felt like the author just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. If the purpose of this was to show (remind?) us that Owen is a cop, then we didn't even get to see him in action, as Ryker sort of dealt with it.
Until the end, I expected something to happen to Lucas, that he'll end up in some danger, maybe
The reason I picked up this book was because I really liked the blurb. This might be my favorite trope - MC secretly crushing on MC2 who used to protect him when they were younger, but MC2 only sees MC1 as younger brother. I really love premises like this, but I was disappointed by the story.
Steamy scenes were well-written, but I wasn't feeling the connection between Owen and Lucas so I didn't enjoy it much. We don't really get to see anything of Owen and Lucas' past nor how they came to care so much about each other (thus why it came across more as insta-love)... But I guess that's more described in the previous book (that, again, I haven't read). Also, everything very fast paced, which I don't usually mind, but romance in particular felt a little forced (at least from Owen's side).
Edit to add: Also, them being werewolves and in a pack was thrown into the shadows. Lucas shifts once and Owen shifts two times in the story, but other than that, at moments I even forgot they are werewolves. Also, them being alpha and omega... I think this serves only that one scene where Lucas goes into heat and maybe sexy times between them, when Lucas self-lubricates. Other than that, it's really irrelevant to the story. I forgot about it to the point that I had to edit my review to add it when I remembered lol)
For example, when Owen knotted Lucas and he was shocked speechless by that, I was like "what the heck, dude, you didn't know that you have a knot? You're surprised by your own knot?" Well, that was probably explained in the #0.5 book, and it was never explained in this one, but apparently (if I understood it well), the knot swells only with the fated mate; that's how they know they're meant for each other.
Lucas' background and being bullied at school, Owen protecting him, Lucas' friendship with Austin (they seem to be best friends), relationships with other characters; everything is shallow and just briefly touched, so I'm assuming that it might have been explained more in the first book.
I feel like there were many inconsistencies. At the beginning, I had the impression that Owen is actually a bit shy, easily flustered and maybe a little goofy. But at some point he just suddenly went all confident, alpha and smirking and it felt out of character.
Some scenes in the beginning were awkward as heck...For example,
There was one moment while reading when I thought: This is so stupid. When Owen rejected Lucas. At that point in the story and how it happened, it was honestly just ridiculous.
That being said, I think Lucas dealt with all situations in a surprisingly mature way. The part where he's dealing with emotional pain () might have seemed dramatic, but I thought it was very realistic, considering that Lucas was bullied in school, had traumatic childhood and it took him years to come out of his shell. Having been bullied in school myself, I know how easy it is to fall back into self-deprecating habit (and it feels like all the progress you made through the years was instantly erased), and some of the thoughts Lucas had were very relatable.
Also, I liked the part where the mere thirst was what snapped Lucas out of his misery, even though it was just for a moment, to remind him to take care of himself. I think some people who have gone through some heartache in their life might have experienced the exact same thing.
So, yeah, I thought that was well done.
But whatever conflict was introduced in this story, it was solved almost immediately. It was very low-angst, almost none. And the drama (and "action) at the end of the book was, in my opinion... bad. It comes out of nowhere, it happens to secondary characters ( ) and it's quickly resolved.
It was really baffling. So,
I didn't enjoy it. Honestly, this whole thing felt really unnecessary. It wasn't exciting and somehow it felt like the author just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. If the purpose of this was to show (remind?) us that Owen is a cop, then we didn't even get to see him in action, as Ryker sort of dealt with it.
Until the end, I expected something to happen to Lucas, that he'll end up in some danger, maybe
The reason I picked up this book was because I really liked the blurb. This might be my favorite trope - MC secretly crushing on MC2 who used to protect him when they were younger, but MC2 only sees MC1 as younger brother. I really love premises like this, but I was disappointed by the story.
Steamy scenes were well-written, but I wasn't feeling the connection between Owen and Lucas so I didn't enjoy it much. We don't really get to see anything of Owen and Lucas' past nor how they came to care so much about each other (thus why it came across more as insta-love)... But I guess that's more described in the previous book (that, again, I haven't read). Also, everything very fast paced, which I don't usually mind, but romance in particular felt a little forced (at least from Owen's side).
Edit to add: Also, them being werewolves and in a pack was thrown into the shadows. Lucas shifts once and Owen shifts two times in the story, but other than that, at moments I even forgot they are werewolves. Also, them being alpha and omega... I think this serves only that one scene where Lucas goes into heat and maybe sexy times between them, when Lucas self-lubricates. Other than that, it's really irrelevant to the story. I forgot about it to the point that I had to edit my review to add it when I remembered lol)
July 15, 2019
Alpha Owen Moore is back home and a cop. He has always seen himself as a protector, he followed in his fathers footsteps by becoming a cop. . It is hard to change his ways. Owen never waned to have a family because he saw what it did to his family. Lukas is Owens brothers best friend. Lukas grew up around Owen. Lukas has had a crush on Owen for a long time. Owen and Lukas are fated mates, however Owen tells Lukas he does not want a mate. Lukas is hurt and leaves. Can Owen fix his mistake? Can Lukas forgive Owen for the hurt he caused?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 18, 2019
Wow this book get so hot you may need a cold shower I absolutely could not get enough of this I was hooked from the first page great writing job bravo loved it and if anyone is looking a steamy wonderful read then add this one to your list you will not be disappointed I was not, I loved it
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 25, 2025
3.50⭐️
Spice: 2
Tropes & tags:
Omegaverse
Mpreg
size difference
wolf shifter
cop X teacher
bff's older brother
loud bottom
POV: dual
Heat: low-medium heat
Angst: low
Vibe: fluff
HEA: yes
Strict top/bottom or versatile: strict top bottom
Review & thoughts:
fun and quick
Content warnings:
Dubcon: no
Noncon: no
past parental abuse
drunk driving(not mc off page)
Spice: 2
Tropes & tags:
Omegaverse
Mpreg
size difference
wolf shifter
cop X teacher
bff's older brother
loud bottom
POV: dual
Heat: low-medium heat
Angst: low
Vibe: fluff
HEA: yes
Strict top/bottom or versatile: strict top bottom
Review & thoughts:
fun and quick
Content warnings:
Dubcon: no
Noncon: no
past parental abuse
drunk driving(not mc off page)
January 25, 2020
good.. these characters are enjoyable and fun. i loved the storyline and the personalities. i cant wait for the next one.
December 30, 2024
2.6/5. 19th Dec, 2024. So disappointed with this one.
I really didn’t know how to review this, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. This reads like an MF story. Period. Like it comes with everything i can expect from Jane Eyre, which would be good if i were reading Jane Eyre. i'm reading an MM omegaverse book. Literally if i change Lukas from a ‘He’ to ‘She’ it would read the same (complete with physical appearance). This reads like sexism given the context. What are we doing here?
Tropes: 📕size difference, 📕wolf shifter, 📕omegaverse, 📕mpreg, 📕responsive receiver, 📕cop x teacher, 📕bff’s older brother, 📕tall MCs, 📕breakup, 📕No cheating. CW: Past parental abuse. Abusive parent is wrongly forgiven, DV on somebody by an abusive parent (not on page but you can see the effects of it).
Blue as Lukas. i did not see him with long hair.
♦ The entire subplot of Lukas reconnecting with his absent and abusive mother is just so f*cked up. i seriously wonder what kind of message the authors want to project through such stunts. Forgive all abusers/absent parents and enablers of abuse just because they've been abused themselves?? As someone who had an abusive parent, i feel like this invalidates my experience and of many others who had to go through this as a child.
Just bcuz the mother was a victim of abuse herself, doesn’t excuse her enabling abuse on Lukas as well. i refuse to believe that a mother won't protect her child from harm. But here she does the harm too. That shouldn't be a forgivable thing. Especially since Lukas has left that family.
Quote:
--Well, if she indeed was a shitty mother then why are you not angry with her? Why are you trying to reconcile?
--See?? So she did he same thing to him in turn. What kind of mother does that? Regardless of the harrowing reality of abuse, a mother always protects her child. Unless she is like one of these kinds of people.
♦ It doesn’t read like Liam’s book either cuz i’ve read Timberbrook series and these 2 series seem so different. There’s OTT drama here too, but this had an infuriating amount of : All things must be solved flair to it which i did not like.
♦ Ofc i liked Owen and until that subplot part i had liked Lukas too. Owen felt genuinely sorry for his actions and did everything to make it up to Lukas. But then the entire thing as well as Lukas going off on Owen for not telling him about an incident with the pos dad made me not like Lukas. He talks about his agency being taken away, his decision being made for him by Owen but that’s not true bcuz the man didn’t want to tell him and thereby upset him. Ugh.
♦ The epilogue gave me whiplash. Lukas is suddenly ready for giving birth. No preamble. No getting pregnant. Just straight up delivery ready. His mom being there only made it worse. Bcuz the Moores are all there and it should’ve been a cozy moment with this family. i wish more of this dynamic could’ve been shown bcuz Lukas grew up in their house. i wish that would’ve been given more importance. We see next to nothing with that family.
♦ As always though, the sex was good, so that’s the only saving grace of this story. There are 5 scenes and each of them were classic Liam style. The 3 stars are for that and Owen only. i should add some good quotes so here they are:
-Owen to Lukas.
i dunno if i’ll complete this series. i have 2 other books which i really want to read and am halfway through. i like Claimed By The Dentist but there's a controlling mother there too, so dunno if i should continue that..
Find me on Insta at real.Sudsana
I really didn’t know how to review this, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. This reads like an MF story. Period. Like it comes with everything i can expect from Jane Eyre, which would be good if i were reading Jane Eyre. i'm reading an MM omegaverse book. Literally if i change Lukas from a ‘He’ to ‘She’ it would read the same (complete with physical appearance). This reads like sexism given the context. What are we doing here?
Tropes: 📕size difference, 📕wolf shifter, 📕omegaverse, 📕mpreg, 📕responsive receiver, 📕cop x teacher, 📕bff’s older brother, 📕tall MCs, 📕breakup, 📕No cheating. CW: Past parental abuse. Abusive parent is wrongly forgiven, DV on somebody by an abusive parent (not on page but you can see the effects of it).
Blue as Lukas. i did not see him with long hair.
♦ The entire subplot of Lukas reconnecting with his absent and abusive mother is just so f*cked up. i seriously wonder what kind of message the authors want to project through such stunts. Forgive all abusers/absent parents and enablers of abuse just because they've been abused themselves?? As someone who had an abusive parent, i feel like this invalidates my experience and of many others who had to go through this as a child.
Just bcuz the mother was a victim of abuse herself, doesn’t excuse her enabling abuse on Lukas as well. i refuse to believe that a mother won't protect her child from harm. But here she does the harm too. That shouldn't be a forgivable thing. Especially since Lukas has left that family.
Quote:
I wanted to tell her she wasn’t, but that would be a lie.
--Well, if she indeed was a shitty mother then why are you not angry with her? Why are you trying to reconcile?
My heart ached for her, knowing that she’d felt the same way I had all those years. Unwanted. In the way. I wanted to ask her how she could treat me the same way if she knew how badly it hurt, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask the question.
--See?? So she did he same thing to him in turn. What kind of mother does that? Regardless of the harrowing reality of abuse, a mother always protects her child. Unless she is like one of these kinds of people.
♦ It doesn’t read like Liam’s book either cuz i’ve read Timberbrook series and these 2 series seem so different. There’s OTT drama here too, but this had an infuriating amount of : All things must be solved flair to it which i did not like.
♦ Ofc i liked Owen and until that subplot part i had liked Lukas too. Owen felt genuinely sorry for his actions and did everything to make it up to Lukas. But then the entire thing as well as Lukas going off on Owen for not telling him about an incident with the pos dad made me not like Lukas. He talks about his agency being taken away, his decision being made for him by Owen but that’s not true bcuz the man didn’t want to tell him and thereby upset him. Ugh.
♦ The epilogue gave me whiplash. Lukas is suddenly ready for giving birth. No preamble. No getting pregnant. Just straight up delivery ready. His mom being there only made it worse. Bcuz the Moores are all there and it should’ve been a cozy moment with this family. i wish more of this dynamic could’ve been shown bcuz Lukas grew up in their house. i wish that would’ve been given more importance. We see next to nothing with that family.
♦ As always though, the sex was good, so that’s the only saving grace of this story. There are 5 scenes and each of them were classic Liam style. The 3 stars are for that and Owen only. i should add some good quotes so here they are:
"There you were in my arms, and all I could think about was protecting you. Keeping you from getting hurt."
-Owen to Lukas.
"I know. But I want to take care of you. Let me take care of you, Lukas.” He said it softly, and his meaning was clear. The alpha in him just wanted to care for his omega.
i dunno if i’ll complete this series. i have 2 other books which i really want to read and am halfway through. i like Claimed By The Dentist but there's a controlling mother there too, so dunno if i should continue that..
Find me on Insta at real.Sudsana
February 17, 2020
This wasn't all bad, but there were way too many issues with this story for me to really enjoy this.
Partly this may have been my own fault: I was under the impression that this was the first book in the series, but apparently there is a 0.5 story taking place before this. So maybe some important plot information was placed in that book, because it sure as shit wasn't here.
Basically this is your standard Alpha/omega shifter story and the author seems to know that as there is not the slightest attempt at world building in this story. No part of shifter life, culture, biology or anything else is explained. I'm not even sure if all the people are shifters or if there are humans around - I got the impression maybe everyone appearing in the story at least was a shifter, but it doesn't really matter either way because the only thing different in shifters from your average human that's relevant to the plot seems to be the self slicking asshole. Pardon my French. Until the epilogue I wasn't even sure if women do exist in this world.
I could have grudgingly lived with that, if at least the actions of the main characters had made sense. But here as well a lot of things were vague and went without further explaining.
Lukas was somewhat tolerable, if badly executed. It's hinted at that he was a shy kid and suffered from a bad childhood, which left him with low self-esteem at times. We don't ever get to know what actually happened to him. This plot element didn't seem all that important throughout the story though, I guess it mostly served to establish Owen's protector mode.
Owen though. Argh. He has this hangup that he can't ever have a relationship, because he couldn't submit his partner to a life of never knowing if he would come home from work or not. Sounds dramatic? Now I'll admit to maybe being a tad biased for having read all those stories about big bad biker outlaws recently, but seriously? He is not a soldier heading for a war zone and not an undercover cop infiltrating a drug cartell, he is a fucking small town cop for God's sake! The worst he has ever seen on the job - and he says so himself on page! - is a domestic abuse call where the abuser held a knive. He didn't suffer a scratch. I'm underwhelmed.
There is even a scene in this story with an emergency situation, where he has to go do his job, and he asks Lukas for permission to go even if he might not return. WTF? Who does that? What kind of cop is that? And even if it where true, would you remind yourself and him of that?
And for this hint of a plot fragment that poses as an action/suspense plot:
Oh, and then there is this weird scene at the very beginning of the story which I found promising while reading it: Owen gets called to the school Lukas works at because there is an angry parent who doesn't agree with his son's suspension shouting and stomping his feet. I read that said kid has been making trouble for quite a while now and keeps bullying other kids and the parent is made to leave while uttering "this isn't over". I expected this to turn into a plot element. Neither kid nor parent are ever mentioned again.
The other sadly-not-plot-pages were filled with repetetive sex that I mostly skimmed. So yeah.
The writing was nice actually, but there really should have been more effort put into planing what's relevant here.
Partly this may have been my own fault: I was under the impression that this was the first book in the series, but apparently there is a 0.5 story taking place before this. So maybe some important plot information was placed in that book, because it sure as shit wasn't here.
Basically this is your standard Alpha/omega shifter story and the author seems to know that as there is not the slightest attempt at world building in this story. No part of shifter life, culture, biology or anything else is explained. I'm not even sure if all the people are shifters or if there are humans around - I got the impression maybe everyone appearing in the story at least was a shifter, but it doesn't really matter either way because the only thing different in shifters from your average human that's relevant to the plot seems to be the self slicking asshole. Pardon my French. Until the epilogue I wasn't even sure if women do exist in this world.
I could have grudgingly lived with that, if at least the actions of the main characters had made sense. But here as well a lot of things were vague and went without further explaining.
Lukas was somewhat tolerable, if badly executed. It's hinted at that he was a shy kid and suffered from a bad childhood, which left him with low self-esteem at times. We don't ever get to know what actually happened to him. This plot element didn't seem all that important throughout the story though, I guess it mostly served to establish Owen's protector mode.
Owen though. Argh. He has this hangup that he can't ever have a relationship, because he couldn't submit his partner to a life of never knowing if he would come home from work or not. Sounds dramatic? Now I'll admit to maybe being a tad biased for having read all those stories about big bad biker outlaws recently, but seriously? He is not a soldier heading for a war zone and not an undercover cop infiltrating a drug cartell, he is a fucking small town cop for God's sake! The worst he has ever seen on the job - and he says so himself on page! - is a domestic abuse call where the abuser held a knive. He didn't suffer a scratch. I'm underwhelmed.
There is even a scene in this story with an emergency situation, where he has to go do his job, and he asks Lukas for permission to go even if he might not return. WTF? Who does that? What kind of cop is that? And even if it where true, would you remind yourself and him of that?
And for this hint of a plot fragment that poses as an action/suspense plot:
Oh, and then there is this weird scene at the very beginning of the story which I found promising while reading it: Owen gets called to the school Lukas works at because there is an angry parent who doesn't agree with his son's suspension shouting and stomping his feet. I read that said kid has been making trouble for quite a while now and keeps bullying other kids and the parent is made to leave while uttering "this isn't over". I expected this to turn into a plot element. Neither kid nor parent are ever mentioned again.
The other sadly-not-plot-pages were filled with repetetive sex that I mostly skimmed. So yeah.
The writing was nice actually, but there really should have been more effort put into planing what's relevant here.
September 22, 2020
I like reading about the "frowned upon" love matches as opposed to forbidden love stories. By frowned upon I'm referring to best friend's brother, little bother's best friend, and Dad's best friend. In this first book in the Blackwater Pack series the story focuses on an Omega attracted to his best friend's older brother. Actually the attraction becomes mutual after the Alpha realizes that Omega has grown up while he was away at college. But still he hesitates. He's always considered the Omega his "kid" brother and it felt odd looking at him in a different light. Until the forbidden dance showed him the Omega was no "kid".
But the Alpha had an even bigger hang up - his dangerous job. He'd seen the effect on his Omega Dad from worrying about his Father in whose footsteps he'd followed. Worrying if he'd come home each time he left home was not something he ever wanted to subject a significant other too. This caused some major problems with him ever past moving past causal hookups. When his younger brother's friend returned to Blackwater something changed. No matter how much he fought it though he couldn't deny his attraction. He was determined not to hurt someone because of his job. To bad that plan didn't work out.
Something I noticed what I thought was odd in that it seemed at times that maybe there had been a prequel to this first story. Situations were spoke about as if the reader should be aware of what was going on. It was a bit disconcerting.
But the Alpha had an even bigger hang up - his dangerous job. He'd seen the effect on his Omega Dad from worrying about his Father in whose footsteps he'd followed. Worrying if he'd come home each time he left home was not something he ever wanted to subject a significant other too. This caused some major problems with him ever past moving past causal hookups. When his younger brother's friend returned to Blackwater something changed. No matter how much he fought it though he couldn't deny his attraction. He was determined not to hurt someone because of his job. To bad that plan didn't work out.
Something I noticed what I thought was odd in that it seemed at times that maybe there had been a prequel to this first story. Situations were spoke about as if the reader should be aware of what was going on. It was a bit disconcerting.
March 21, 2021
Reviewing at 74%: The couple just sex 3 times within less than 30 pages.
With the last time being your typical shifter claiming thing. I get that. But there was little to no plot development beyond that.
20 mins left in book. Must. power. through.
Reviewing at 61%:
Why isn't this hitting with me?
There's little brother's best friend, A/B/O vibes, character with a man bun (shhh, i don't have to explain my weaknesses to you).
It's just soooooo mehhhhhhhhhhh.
There's barely any conflict. Or anything to make this stand out. Spoilers (maybe?):
I thought it might take a dark turn around 58% when Owen (the cop) gets a domestic disturbance call and a knife wielding dude with beat up his girlfriend is Lukas's dad. But just pages later we get Austin (Owen's little bro and Lukas's friend) alluding to the fact that Lukas's dad wasn't the problem, it's Lukas's exes "but that's not my story to tell". of course not.
I'm just waiting for *something* to happen. Wondering why all of these books are so highly rated when they're sooooooo boring.
With the last time being your typical shifter claiming thing. I get that. But there was little to no plot development beyond that.
20 mins left in book. Must. power. through.
Reviewing at 61%:
Why isn't this hitting with me?
There's little brother's best friend, A/B/O vibes, character with a man bun (shhh, i don't have to explain my weaknesses to you).
It's just soooooo mehhhhhhhhhhh.
There's barely any conflict. Or anything to make this stand out. Spoilers (maybe?):
I thought it might take a dark turn around 58% when Owen (the cop) gets a domestic disturbance call and a knife wielding dude with beat up his girlfriend is Lukas's dad. But just pages later we get Austin (Owen's little bro and Lukas's friend) alluding to the fact that Lukas's dad wasn't the problem, it's Lukas's exes "but that's not my story to tell". of course not.
I'm just waiting for *something* to happen. Wondering why all of these books are so highly rated when they're sooooooo boring.
November 19, 2022
I really felt that the book has a lot of references to the 0.5 book's couple. So though you don't NEED to read it, I think it would be helpful. If I were to go by this being a standalone, I would say the author needed to set up more background for the story and world building. The book just jumps right into the world so you don't get much of a set up for it. Now, I did read the first book but it was quite a while ago so I can't say if it did any world building or etc.
I found that the story dragged for me. It was a sweet story but not real uncommon. The major issue for the relationship is quickly overcome and is barely a speed bump. I didn't feel the chemistry between the two either. Now, I will say that I didn't hate it and am hoping some of my feelings for it are due to other circumstances. My opinion on how I really feel about the book may change if read at a different time. Due to that I did give a little leeway with a three.
I listened to this on audio and really didn't care for the narrator either.
I found that the story dragged for me. It was a sweet story but not real uncommon. The major issue for the relationship is quickly overcome and is barely a speed bump. I didn't feel the chemistry between the two either. Now, I will say that I didn't hate it and am hoping some of my feelings for it are due to other circumstances. My opinion on how I really feel about the book may change if read at a different time. Due to that I did give a little leeway with a three.
I listened to this on audio and really didn't care for the narrator either.
March 15, 2020
This is a slow paced romance all about growing up and finding out who you are and who you need to have in your life. Owen is a natural born protector and that has always extended to his friend's younger brother Lukas. Now, however, they are both grown men living in the same town and Lukas wants more from their relationship than what they had as kids. Can Owen open his eyes and see what is right in front of him? We get to see and learn more about other members of the pack and this world they inhabit here. Not an action packed or super angsty entry in the series but one more focused on character development and world building. A cozy romance if you will. I loved it and will definitely read all in this series.
April 4, 2020
Sweet story with a little angst and longing
Lukas and Owen have known each other forever, growing up in the same small town and with Owen best friends with Lukas’ brother Austin (from book 1). In all that time they were never involved, but when Lukas moves back to town as a grown man, things heat up and the situation changes pretty quickly. Can they find their HEA despite Owen’s fears of a relationship and Lukas’ personal history?
Well written, AO story focus, Lukas’ sweetness and Owen’s protective instincts, great chemistry, and supporting characters that we love and know already from book 1 help make this book a great read for when sweet and happy endings are what you long for. There’s lots more stories to tell in this town and I’m looking forward to the next one!
Lukas and Owen have known each other forever, growing up in the same small town and with Owen best friends with Lukas’ brother Austin (from book 1). In all that time they were never involved, but when Lukas moves back to town as a grown man, things heat up and the situation changes pretty quickly. Can they find their HEA despite Owen’s fears of a relationship and Lukas’ personal history?
Well written, AO story focus, Lukas’ sweetness and Owen’s protective instincts, great chemistry, and supporting characters that we love and know already from book 1 help make this book a great read for when sweet and happy endings are what you long for. There’s lots more stories to tell in this town and I’m looking forward to the next one!
November 3, 2025
Claimed by My Protector, First book in the series
This is a short MM werewolf novel, soft and fluffy with some angst for the characters, but not much else. This is almost strictly sweet romance, with some other elements dispersed along the way, just to add a little extra outside angst. In this particular story, it’s a younger man who fell in love with his best friend’s older brother, back when he was still a teenager. How they finally get together is your spicy story. It’s placed in an Omegaverse where male omegas get pregnant and give birth. Suitable for a short interlude into the romantic world of shifters. Save it for brief periods, such as lunch breaks, or waiting rooms. I can honestly say it’s a bit of enjoyable fluff.
This is a short MM werewolf novel, soft and fluffy with some angst for the characters, but not much else. This is almost strictly sweet romance, with some other elements dispersed along the way, just to add a little extra outside angst. In this particular story, it’s a younger man who fell in love with his best friend’s older brother, back when he was still a teenager. How they finally get together is your spicy story. It’s placed in an Omegaverse where male omegas get pregnant and give birth. Suitable for a short interlude into the romantic world of shifters. Save it for brief periods, such as lunch breaks, or waiting rooms. I can honestly say it’s a bit of enjoyable fluff.
April 24, 2020
I love paranormal books and I have no problem with mpreg if it is written with care. I have a problem with authors skipping the story forward with open questions and holes in the story. I have a problem if in book 1 of a series there is talk about facts like I should have known them as if they were in a book prior to this. And I have an absolut problem with abysmally editioning. It is no big deal to keep track of the name of an MC. So how is it possible to use two different names for one MC and none is correct? That drives me up the wall. So I could not really enjoy the book.
2,5 stars
2,5 stars
February 26, 2021
I've enjoyed this author's other series, his style is a quick read that hits the wants in a shifter/mpreg. It was really good up until the ending where it just fell flat. When a book says it's an mpreg I expect it to be one of the MC not a supporting character. The chemistry between the two MC was great and had some good angst without being over the top.
really disappointing with the reasons it fell flat. I'll read the next book in hopes that it'll live up to the author's typical outline
really disappointing with the reasons it fell flat. I'll read the next book in hopes that it'll live up to the author's typical outline
September 18, 2023
I have a hard time believing that this was written by the same author as the Timberwood Cove series. It was just okay... nothing exciting. The narration was way too slow. I don't know why he kept taking these long pauses but it drove me nuts. I ended up speeding up the book and could barely even tell I had that's how slow it was! Anyway, I have no real interest in continuing this series which is a shame because I really enjoyed Timberwood Cove and hoped Blackwater Pack would be similar.
May 28, 2024
There were a lot of inconsistencies between this book and 0.5. I thought I was going crazy but no, it was the book.
Despite the confusing lack of cohesion between pack/background, Owen and Lukas were pretty cute in the first part. I was rooting for Lukas to seduce his longtime crush.
The latter part of the book… was not for me. I couldn’t wait for it to be over (sorry).
I doubt I will read any further into this series.
Despite the confusing lack of cohesion between pack/background, Owen and Lukas were pretty cute in the first part. I was rooting for Lukas to seduce his longtime crush.
The latter part of the book… was not for me. I couldn’t wait for it to be over (sorry).
I doubt I will read any further into this series.
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