Unnatural (The Wrong Alpha Book 1)

I would never normally buy a non-shifter omegaverse story because I don't enjoy a lot of the things that are common place in these stories, but I love Alessandra Hazards books so much they're auto-buy for me. I did enjoy the book but it's definitely my least favourite of hers because of the omegaverse setting it was really well written and very engaging like all her other work Haydn and Royce were a great couple and I will buy the rest of the series it just won't be something I reread a lot like her other two series are for me. If you're a fan of this genre I'm sure you would completely fall in love with it.There's only two things I really didn't like.*****SPOILER******I wasn't expecting a MFM scene and it's not something I enjoy reading at all, it through me off for quite a while after.I also am not a fan of omegas basically being portrayed like women by having breasts (when not pregnant) I don't read MF books so I don't like my MM books to feel like MF in disguise.

I was super excited for this book based on the short excerpt I read in Prince's Master but it just didn't follow through. Arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and an 'alpha' hero who would rather submit had all the makings of a great m/m romance but I just didn't like the execution.Pretty quickly Royce and Haydn agree they aren't enemies and become friends, but as readers we really don't see them interact that much outside of the constant scenting scenes (which honestly did nothing for me). The arrange marriage was a great starting point and I liked the political manoeuvring that caused it to happen and continue to happen throughout the plot. As always Hazard does a great job with the world building.It was the omegeverse stuff that didn't work for me, at all. I don't typically read omegaverse because I feel it tries to mimic 'traditional' male/female gender roles with the omega's being cast as the 'weak, submissive, feminine' characters and the alpha's being 'strong, dominant, masculine' characters even when it's a same-sex romance. It just isn't my cup of tea but I was willing to trust Hazard and based on excerpt and it being about two alpha's I thought Unnatural had potential.Unfortunately, fairly quickly Haydn was cast into the 'omega' alpha role in contrast to Royce's 'alpha' alpha role. I felt like the characters were being reduced to these roles and not being given a chance to have actual personalities. (view spoiler). I think Hazard put thought into the omega/alpha dynamics with different types of alphas and some social commentary on how omega's were treated badly but this wasn't reflected in Hadyn and Royce's relationship. Pretty quickly Hadyn went from a War General known as the 'Death Bringer' to 'oh god how can I feel this way I'm a alpha I shouldn't want to have sex with another alpha'. It weirdly mimicked internalised homophobia despite pansexuality being the unstated norm in this universe. (view spoiler)I know Hazard's book tend to have a lot of sex scenes, mainly in her novel's sex is how the central couple communicate, explore their emotions and fall in love but in Unnatural I needed more romance. I couldn't tell you by the end of the novel why Hadyn and Royce liked each other outside of the scenting, alpha/omega dynamic.The being said I liked the world it was an interesting planet and the political/social situation was really well described given the short length. I think Haydn was an interesting character (view spoiler). Also I enjoyed Ksar's cameo's (he's one of my faves from the Calluvia's Royalty series). I think this story showed potential to be good but it needed to be a bit longer to show the romantic relationship develop between Haydn and Royce. Plus the omegaverse stuff really didn't work for me due to the power dynamics it created.Overall I can't see myself ever re-reading Unnatural and personally I don't think it is Hazard's best work. I'm not sure if this is a series of hers I'll continue with purely because I really didn't like the omegaverse stuff and what it meant for the couple's power dynamics and interactions.

I would have liked it if I was warned in the book description that sex with a female omega would take place (even more so considering that the two mcs "shared" her during one of their ruts). I was also confused with the different types of alphas and omegas that were memtioned, is this meant to be a spin-off? This is my first book by this author. Some things were explained about half way through, but it was way too late at that point. Other than these two points, I enjoyed the book/ plot.

This is a new author to me, and I wont be reading more.IYes I got the concept, but the amount of confusion of emotions by both Royce & Hayden was off putting.The fact there was no warning of mfm in the middle definitely didn't help. I am a fan of apha/omega books, just not when omega are portrayed as women substitute s.Overall, just not for me.

She has done it again with another amazing one! Thank you Alessandra for another dose I so needed of your work. I will say nothing else but go read this book if you haven't yet. If you are a Hazard fan I kow you will love it.

Such a fantastic story, brilliant characters and great plot development. Tender, warm hearted and sexy, I completely recommend this book!

This book does not disappoint. if only it had more pages.

I absolutely love opening my emails and finding a Newsletter from Alessandra. I immediately head over to amazon and get the latest release.Unnatural is a gem. It’s full of heart and humour that we come to expect from this author but also contains that intensity that she’s known for. She doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable truth that some people can come across in relationships. Whether they’re hidden desires, a personality trait or a secret being kept close.This book is about how the world expects you to be versus how you feel on the inside. How your identity may even be hidden from yourself and the confusion this causes. It kind of felt like an alternate universes version of transgender.Can’t wait to read Devlins story. I’m sure it will be a beastly experience 😉