Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links:  Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel

When omega Nate Boudreaux goes into heat, he finds a guy on Grindr to scratch the itch. As a busy Ph.D. student, Nate isn’t looking for anything serious, but he enjoys his night with Alistair Drake. So Nate is shocked when three months later, he realizes that despite the birth control he was on that night, he is very much expecting. And when Alistair shows up at his door, Nate knows his life is about to change forever.

Alistair has always been the black sheep of his family. Not only was he the runt of the litter among his brothers, but they are also far more successful. He was never expecting to start a life and a family with a random omega he met on a one-night stand, but now that Nate is expecting, Alistair has no desire to let him go. And when Alistair reveals the truth about what kind of being he is, as well as what the babies will be, it is clear that Nate is in over his head and needs Alistair’s support, both before and after the babies are born.

Nate moves in with Alistair and the two men begin to fall for one another. But not everyone is so thrilled with Nate’s pregnancy, especially as it is unsanctioned by the council that rules Alistair’s kind. Neither man expected anything real to come out of their night together, but the pair have fallen hard for each other. Now they have to hope that they can keep their babies safe and fight for their chance to be together.

Ok, so I am being as vague as I can here for fear of spoilers, but my guess is that many of you may know just what kind of creature Alistair is (and what type of childbirth Nate has) based on the buzz I am seeing for this story online. In fact, reader chatter on Facebook is what brought this story to my attention, and I am so glad it did. I read Virginia Kelly recently (under the pen name Lynn Van Dorn), and so I was really excited to see what the author did outside of that intense and angsty style and with something totally different. I was a bit worried this would be nothing but crazy crack based on the premise, but Clutch actually has quite a bit of substance and a lot more going on than I might have imagined.

The authors have done a great job on the world building here. Again, I am trying not to reveal too much, but there is some great lore into not only the omegaverse side of things, but also the type of creature Alistair is and how all that works. It is an interesting combination as most omegaverse stories tend to have a wolf bent to them, while this takes things into a totally different direction, yet it still has a lot of omegaverse qualities. The authors really combine the paranormal shifter side and the lore that goes with that into the omegaverse world in some interesting ways and I found it all quite engaging. With Nate new to Alistair’s world, we get a great lens with which to view all the goings on and to learn about the world Scott and Kelly have developed.

I also really enjoyed Alistair and Nate together. They start off as nothing but a hookup, and we can see that while the guys are hot for one another, there is no emotional connection. Yet when the pregnancy occurs, the guys are forced by circumstance to be together, and soon fall hard for one another. I enjoyed the progression here we see in their relationship. While there is a fated mates element that ultimately arises, these guys get to know one another and fall in love in their own right. So I could really see them move from casual hook up, to semi-reluctant partners, to men who really care for and love one another. I also like the way the authors play with the power dynamic. On one hand, Alistair is wealthy and strong (and magical), not to mention he is well versed in their world, while Nate is a poor student who is new to everything. Yet Nate has power in his own ways. He is much stronger and more self confident than Alistair, who has grown up always feeling not quite good enough compared to his siblings. Nate is snarky and independent and has a sense of spirit that keeps him from getting too lost as an omega in this new world. So I really enjoyed the men together and liked how their relationship grows.

The bottom line is that this one is kind of crazy, but oh so much fun. There is humor and sexiness, great world building, and a totally cracktastic plot that is a delightful romp, full of tropey fun and lots of little surprises. I enjoyed this quite a bit and am really excited for the follow up story, featuring Nate’s best friend and one of Alistair’s brothers. The glimpses we get of both of them together are quite enticing and I can’t wait for more!