Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Donovan is an alpha who has come to North Leland to bring a wayward omega home to her family. Donovan knows omegas need protection and care, and that sometimes means that they need decisions made for them. Carmen has run away from her pack because she didn’t want the mating her father arranged for her, but Donovan is certain that she will now be ready and willing to return to their protective embrace after this burst of independence. Things don’t go as planned, however, as Donovan’s request for extradition is turned down by Judge Tarek. The Northern Pack has very different views on omega rights than Donovan’s own pack and they have made it clear they aren’t forcing Carmen to leave.
Donovan is sticking around town, trying to figure out his options, and it gives him time to get to know the gorgeous Tarek. Donovan is an alpha, and he knows his role is to want an omega, but secretly he is drawn to other alphas like Tarek. It is something he couldn’t even consider in his own pack, as it is absolutely forbidden. But Donovan comes to realize that things are very different in North Leland. When Tarek makes his interest known, Donovan can’t resist the chance to live out his every fantasy of sex with a dominating alpha. But once the night is over, Donovan is too ashamed to try for more.
As Donovan spends more time in North Leland, he starts to get a new perspective on the various castes and their supposed roles. He can see that Carmen is happy with her beta mate. And he sees other couples with more non-traditional partnerships as well. Donovan knows deep down he could be happy too, if only he let himself have what he really wanted — an alpha of his very own.
Omega Replaced is the fifth book in Tanya Chris’ Omega Reimagined series. The story stands alone, though Carmen is introduced in her brother’s story, Omega Revealed, and some of the side characters from the series appear here.
The hallmark of this series for me is the way that Chris plays with the various “caste” roles and creates a wide range of pairings outside the typical omegaverse alpha/omega couples. The stories focus on characters who are getting the chance to express their true selves or their inner desires, now that North Leland has become more liberal and accepting. So I enjoy that aspect of the series and here we explore an alpha/alpha relationship. Poor Donovan knows what he wants, but he hasn’t even been able to contemplate the idea of being with another alpha. It is so foreign, so completely out of the realm of what is possible in his experience, that he keeps his desires a secret. When Donovan meets Tarek, suddenly he can live out his fantasy, but he still doesn’t think it can be anything long term. So it is nice to see Donovan find his happiness and realize that being with another alpha is something he can really have.
There isn’t a lot of development to the relationship here, as the guys fall into bed and then are pretty much emotionally involved almost right away. It is not all smooth sailing, as Donovan needs to come to terms with having a relationship with another alpha, but the feelings happen pretty quickly.
I also appreciated seeing Donovan come to recognize his own prejudices and stereotypes. He starts off kind of an arrogant jerk, certain he knows what is best for omegas and determined to bring Carmen back home because he is sure he and her family know what’s best for her. Donovan has very traditional ideas of how the different castes should behave and it colors his interactions and behavior. Over the course of the story, we get some nice growth from Donovan and he recognizes how wrong he has been and attempts to make amends. So there is some critical character growth here that I think helps the story work.
Overall, I enjoyed this installment, though I don’t feel the story or the relationship is quite as developed as some of the earlier stories in the series. We also don’t get much on the ongoing storyline related to Devin and Angel. Despite this, Omega Replaced is an entertaining story and brings another dimension to the series with the alpha/alpha partnership. I am looking forward to the final book coming out next month where we should see the issue of Prince Devin versus Angel coming to a close and get our final relationship story.
