OmegaNannyRating: 4 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Thomas Whittaker is a widower with a six-year-old daughter, Jessie. He’s also an Alpha. His sister, a Beta, lives with them and takes care of Jessie while Thomas is at work. However, with the government’s decision to finally allow Betas to marry each other, his sister will be moving to Germany with her soon-to-be husband. That leaves Thomas in a bind. He can’t stay home with Jessie, so it’s decided he’ll hire a nanny.

Kieran Corvey works in a small restaurant, and he’s an Omega. He doesn’t make much money at the restaurant, and he also doesn’t seem to do well with customers. In fact, there are a few that absolutely tie him in knots with their unwanted attention. Seems there are a few Alphas out there who feel it’s their right to sexually harass Omegas. Also, Kieran’s parents had paid a large amount of money to marry him off to a female Alpha, but it didn’t work out. He wanted a love match, but his fiancée didn’t seem interested in him at all.

Kieran is familiar with Thomas and Jessie as he’s been a contractor with a babysitting agency. He loves Jessie, and she loves him. Thomas’s sister is very gung ho to hire Kieran as the new nanny. Thomas isn’t so sure, though. In the Omegaverse, there is scent attraction, Omega estrus (that I can only describe as a kind of heat), and bonding/tying. He already finds himself a bit attracted to Kieran, but he still misses his wife.

The arrangement is made, and Kieran moves in with the family. Thomas feels more and more comforted by Kieran’s presence. In fact, he looks forward to coming home now. He loves seeing Jessie happy, and he realizes that Keiran makes HIM happy as well.

I liked this story. I was a little surprised at first. When I see the word Omega in the title of a book, I automatically think shifter. I’m not saying I was disappointed, just a little thrown. I had to get acclimated to the Omegaverse. Alphas are what we already know…confident, strong, and (my favorite) protective. Omegas are pretty much the same. We know they’re somewhat submissive, and they’re the ones who bear children. I’m not quite sure about Betas. I get the impression they can marry Alphas, but there would be no children in the relationship. Also, up until recently, Betas were not allowed to marry other Betas. I’m sure that’s a symbol of the fight for GLBTQ couples finally being able to have marriage equality.

Thomas had been happily married to an Omega, Felicity, but she died a week after giving birth to Jessie. I found this to be extremely sad every time I read this situation. It actually breaks my heart…not in a downer way, but I always imagine myself in this situation. How would I react? How would I cope? How would I be able raise a child by myself? Anyway, Thomas is now a bitter, grumpy man. I wasn’t very pleased with him as a character at first. His family was supportive, but he didn’t seem very, I don’t know…interested? What I did like was how he held conversations with Felicity. She’s gone, but even though I’m not sure if it was just his imagination or if she’s a ghost, she still loves him and wants him to be happy. Felicity tells him he needed to find the right nanny, not just for Jessie, but for him as well. Thomas wants no part of that and makes it clear he’s not interested in falling in love again.

Kieran? I loved him. I wanted to curl my arm around him, bring him home, and take care of him. Of course, I’m sure that was the idea, right? His family arranged (re: paid) an engagement to a female Alpha. However, she didn’t really want him. She wanted some arm candy. Kieran just couldn’t take that, so the engagement ended. Kieran feels a sense of responsibility and is determined to pay his parents back…every cent. He’s also convinced himself that his family is disappointed in him and doesn’t want him around, so he left their home and is trying to make it on his own.

One particular scene stood out to me that I’d like to share. Thomas, his sister Connie, and Jessie are having breakfast at the restaurant where Kieran works. He’s putting in his final two weeks. Thomas can’t seem to stop looking at Kieran, and Kieran is also aware of that. One of the regular customers is a rude ass who thinks because he’s an Alpha and Kieran is an Omega, he has the right to put his hands on Kieran. He reaches out and harshly squeezes Kieran’s ass. Thomas goes ballistic! He didn’t even realize what he was doing. He just felt the need to protect what’s his. It actually made my heart pound because that’s when it all dawned on Thomas.

The story really takes off from there. I don’t want to give away too many spoilers. The love story is a slow burn…maybe a little too slow. I found myself getting kind of antsy every now and then. I didn’t skip pages, but I was starting to seriously think about it. I realize that this is the way Thomas and Kieran had to come together. Both were gun shy after heartbreaking events in their lives, but dammit, I wanted my boys to be together. Yes, that’s right. I said my boys. Even though Thomas was grumpy, and every now and then, a jerk, I’d become attached to him. I was already in love with Kieran, and just wanted him to be happy and taken care of, and I knew Thomas could do that for him.

The background characters in Omega Nanny are absolutely awesome, and they really helped me to enjoy the book. The staff at the restaurant where Kieran works are very funny, and they want Kieran to be happy. The scene before the ass grabbing was great. Every single employee tried rattling Thomas’s cage, and it was hilarious. They obviously care for Kieran very much. Thomas’s family is lovely. They supported him through his grief and love him even though he’s sometimes less than willing to accept that love. Connie, Thomas’s sister is awesome. She’s taken care of Jessie (and Thomas) from the beginning. She’s a happy woman, and she’s even happier now because she’s finally able to marry her boyfriend. Kieran’s family is cool too. Since Kieran’s previous relationship with an Alpha ended, he’s convinced himself they’re disappointed in him. He gives them money to repay them for what they dished out to arrange for him to have an Alpha. However, they love him no matter what, and Kieran’s father is even putting all that money into an account to give back to Kieran. It’s actually very sweet. Jessie is delightful. She’s precocious, but not obnoxious. She’s very funny, and she has every single person in this story wrapped around her finger. Then, there is Felicity. As I mentioned, I’m not sure if she’s just a memory or a ghost, but she’s there to counsel Thomas. She talks with him, advises him, and continues to tell him she wants him to be happy. I loved this aspect of the story. It gave it real heart.

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t discuss the sex. The scenes between Thomas and Kieran are hot! There is a desperation about them. Is it pheromones? Is it real attraction? While they try to figure it out, there are hot make out sessions, and their first time was amazing. I’m not really a sex hound, but I would have loved an extra 50 pages of this book simply to read their love scenes.

A lot of stuff happens in the last two chapters…maybe a little too much. I tried to keep up, but my head spun. I’m not going to give anything away, but all that chaos was worth it. The ending was a bit predictable, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I absolutely love endings like this. They’re sweet and make me smile.

I highly recommend Omega Nanny, and I’m very interested in reading other titles from Penelope Peters.

 

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