An omegaverse story unlike any other and is sort of an outlier in the series as Matthews breaks out the angst. Part of the Sweet Alps Mates series, His Gentle Omega, is a hurt comfort slow burn fated mates story. But don't worry, we still get plenty of sweetness in Bennett and Shay's book!
From the blurb:
How could I love my fated mate when I couldn’t love myself?
Escaping with my young son from an abusive relationship, I had one plan to keep my son and I safe. Getting to the safety of my estranged brother and mending our rift. I never imagined I would find my fated mate at the worst possible time in my life. My priorities had to be rebuilding my life, breaking the mate bond that had been an epic mistake, keeping my son safe, and putting all my broken pieces back together. Easier said than done. My life was a train wreck and dragging Bennett into my mess wasn’t fair to either of us. I was barely hanging on, and I knew I couldn’t be the Alpha he deserved. So, I had to let him go.
Bennett Maxwell
They say you find love in the most unexpected places.
Finding my fated mate in the bruised and battered Alpha lying in the Emergency Room wasn’t the stuff my dreams were made of. But one look into Shay’s haunted eyes and I knew he and his adorable son were my future. Giving him the space he asked for was the hardest thing I had ever done, especially with him being my new next-door neighbor. I promised to give him the time he needed to heal, even if it meant keeping my pregnancy from him. But when his ex finds him, I’ll fight for what is mine.
His Gentle Omega is book 7 of the Sweet Alps Mates series. It can be read as a standalone, but previous characters do pop in to say hello. It features rejected fated mates, Mpreg, an alpha trying to get his life back, a sweet omega willing to wait for him, an adorable six-year-old, a ton of hurt/comfort, and a guaranteed HEA. Please take a look at the TW & CW’s before proceeding. This book deals with sensitive topics that might be hard for some readers.
TW/CW’s: This book contains domestic violence (some on page briefly) and the aftereffects of surviving DV, emotional abuse, alcohol abuse (secondary character – briefly on page), drunk driving (secondary character-off page), brief mention of loss of pregnancy and termination of pregnancy (secondary character), estrangement from family members, therapy sessions, PTSD, anxiety, gaslighting, and on-page panic attacks.
Molly Otto's review:
Have been curious to hear of Ashers' long lost brother since HIS DADDY OMEGA. What was not prepared for was this emotional journey that simply put pure raw brilliance. You are thrown right into the journey Shay must take with his son Lucas to be free from the man who had broken him for so long. Bennet is that perfect man to help Shay learn to be whole once again. Their is some spice, but this is a slow burn as it should be. These men do fall for each other, but that doesn't mean Shay is completely okay at the end. Guess what, though he shouldn't be he has endured too much for this to be not a long journey. I hope that in future books from this series, we will he able to see more of his growth.
This is not an easy read, but it's a powerful and lasting one. Raiven handled these tough issues in a manner that respects these characters and shows that it takes time to heal. You may get those resources to move forward, but that doesn't make it easy to do so. Truly amazing read.
Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's review:
"𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙨."
"𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚."
Let me start by saying how much I loved this book! It was so full of emotion and it broke my heart more than once. Yes, there is still the sweet and lovely humor that Miss Matthews sprinkles throughout her books, but unlike her previous stories, this one gets a bit angsty. It was absolutely necessary based on the context of Shay's story and it made the story more realistic, in my opinion. Intimate partner violence is not an easy subject to write about, but it was handled with care and I applaud the author for shedding light on the subject.
As an alpha who is a survivor of abuse, Shay begins the story with his self esteem basically in the toilet. What kind of alpha lets his omega mate treat him that way? And for years? These were the kind of thoughts that ran through Shay's head on repeat, so when he unexpectedly meets his fated mate in Bennett, he is well aware he is in no shape to add a new relationship on top of his emotional pile. Even if doing so will break poor Bennett's heart.
Bennett was such a light in this book. He was so kind and caring. It warmed my heart watching him fall for Lucas, Shay's son, just as much as he did with Shay. He longed for both of them when they weren't with him. And Shay and Lucas missed him just as much. I couldn't wait for them to become a family, but Shay had a long road ahead of him and a lot of emotional baggage to work through before he could be the man he believed Bennett deserved.
It wasn't easy for either of them, but Shay put in the hard work to better himself. He became an alpha that not only himself, but he felt his son could be proud of. The journey may have been rough, but in the end I think the couple was stronger for it and it set them on the path for the beautiful HEA they all deserved!
Gabrielle Lee's review:
This is a beautiful story about surviving and finding your strength. When Shay finds the strength to leave his abusive mate, he never imagined how much his life would change. Fate has brought him to his fated mate but Shay knows that now is not the right time. Yet the attraction that they have cannot be ignored and fate will not be denied.
I loved getting to see Shay and Bennett find their way. The two are good together. Shay is a good man and it was nice to see him fight to get his life back. Their story is an emotional read and pulls at your heart. The connection that Bennett and Shay have shines from the very start and I loved seeing Lucas as part of that as well. I was pulled in to the story right from the start and engaged to the end. This is a nice way to end the series and I do hope we get to return to this world in the future as Seth needs his own story.
I haven't read every single book in this shifter series but I have read a few and have enjoyed the ones I have read. This book is no exception, I absolutely loved this one. I'm sad this series is coming to an end but what a beautiful way to end it.
Shay and Bennett are the main characters of this story, along with Lucas who is absolutely adorable! Shay has been in a toxic relationship for years, he's been too scared to leave due to the fact that his 'mate' has money and can make problems disappear, He also stayed to protect his son. When Edward gets exceptionally violent, Shay realizes it's time to leave, and with the help of the elderly couple who lives in Edward's mansion, they are able to leave the place that became his prison.
Shay didn't expect his arrival to Sweet Alps would end up with him in the hospital, nor did he expect to meet his fated mate. But life throws us curve balls, and all we can do is try our best to adjust to them. That's what happens throughout this story.
Shay and Lucas's story is heartbreaking, I cried several times while reading this incredible story. In the beginning of the book Raiven mentioned how her story is similar to Shay's, and you could tell that is true with how Shay was written. His character and his story was so raw and real, what he went through due to the hands of the man he thought he loved was heart wrenching. His character is sweet, kind, gentle, and loving. Even when he is guarded and a bit jaded, that doesn't stop him from being a decent human being. I absolutely loved Shay, as well as adoring Lucas.
Bennett also has a piece of my heart. He put what he wanted and needed aside to listen and respect what Shay and Lucas needed. That scene specifically made me cry, you could feel both Shay's and Bennett's hearts breaking, while simultaneously knowing they were doing the right thing. Even though it didn't feel that way. I think what I loved most is how Raiven didn't have these characters automatically get together, she had Shay's character focus on healing himself first before getting into another relationship, which I thought was important. While the scene itself is sad and gut-wrenching it was important that it happened. The story wouldn't have been believable if it hadn't of happened.
I thought this book was written exceptionally well. There's wonderful characters with realistic experiences and attributes. The flow of the story was smooth, things progressed nicely, not too fast, not too slow. I loved the bit of angst this story had, as well as having found family be such a profound focus in the story. I hated Edward as well as his parents, they are cruel and are the 'villains' of this story. I'm glad Shay, Bennett, Lucas and Brodie got their happy ever after. They deserved it. Overall, a really incredible book!!
His Gentle Omega is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Shay and Bennett are the main characters of this story, along with Lucas who is absolutely adorable! Shay has been in a toxic relationship for years, he's been too scared to leave due to the fact that his 'mate' has money and can make problems disappear, He also stayed to protect his son. When Edward gets exceptionally violent, Shay realizes it's time to leave, and with the help of the elderly couple who lives in Edward's mansion, they are able to leave the place that became his prison.
Shay didn't expect his arrival to Sweet Alps would end up with him in the hospital, nor did he expect to meet his fated mate. But life throws us curve balls, and all we can do is try our best to adjust to them. That's what happens throughout this story.
Shay and Lucas's story is heartbreaking, I cried several times while reading this incredible story. In the beginning of the book Raiven mentioned how her story is similar to Shay's, and you could tell that is true with how Shay was written. His character and his story was so raw and real, what he went through due to the hands of the man he thought he loved was heart wrenching. His character is sweet, kind, gentle, and loving. Even when he is guarded and a bit jaded, that doesn't stop him from being a decent human being. I absolutely loved Shay, as well as adoring Lucas.
Bennett also has a piece of my heart. He put what he wanted and needed aside to listen and respect what Shay and Lucas needed. That scene specifically made me cry, you could feel both Shay's and Bennett's hearts breaking, while simultaneously knowing they were doing the right thing. Even though it didn't feel that way. I think what I loved most is how Raiven didn't have these characters automatically get together, she had Shay's character focus on healing himself first before getting into another relationship, which I thought was important. While the scene itself is sad and gut-wrenching it was important that it happened. The story wouldn't have been believable if it hadn't of happened.
I thought this book was written exceptionally well. There's wonderful characters with realistic experiences and attributes. The flow of the story was smooth, things progressed nicely, not too fast, not too slow. I loved the bit of angst this story had, as well as having found family be such a profound focus in the story. I hated Edward as well as his parents, they are cruel and are the 'villains' of this story. I'm glad Shay, Bennett, Lucas and Brodie got their happy ever after. They deserved it. Overall, a really incredible book!!
His Gentle Omega is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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