Omega
Aodhan Donne has buried his past, his life revolves around his chocolaterie,
Little Star, a place where he creates sweet and happy memories. Demisexual, and
used to being shoved in the friends category by the time he falls for someone,
he throws all his energy into creating romantic moments for others in his
store, neglecting his needs. His highlight for two years has been the man who
visits his shop every Tuesday.
Beta Thomas Wilson is an historian who believes the past should be unearthed,
working as the curator at Western Australia’s only shifter museum, educating
children and adults about shifter history. Quiet and hard-working, he allows
himself to visit Aodhan at Little Star once a week, as a treat.
When Aodhan decides he wants to get know Thomas better, he offers him a window
into a complicated history that influenced the lives of shifters in the whole
of Australia, and faces the possibility of Thomas learning too much about his dark
past.
After deciding to take it slow, their unconventional relationship becomes a
whirlwind, sweeping them up together and blowing open the doors hiding their
painful pasts. They couldn’t face their truths alone, but if they’re willing to
face them together, Aodhan and Thomas may get the love they’ve always yearned
for.
Book
2
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When Aodhan returned, he tangled his fingers together, then reached past Thomas to take his coffee and bring it over to the table. He picked up the Reserved sign himself, and Thomas followed, placing his briefcase down by the chair he always occupied, before sitting.
“I’m a little alarmed,” Thomas said.
“It’s nothing like that. I didn’t want to be interrupted. That’s all.”
Aodhan cleared his throat, then cleared it again, then shook his head like he was exasperated with himself. He shoved his fidgeting hands beneath the table, and Thomas saw his forearms tense, his shoulders bunch.
“Aodhan,” he said, at a loss.
“No, god, look at me, I’m making you worry for nothing. Honestly, it’s nothing. But I want to be honest with you.” He shook his head again and sighed. “There’s a few things about me that other people might think of as strange. Whether it’s how I paint my nails. Or how I think gender is stupid, at least for me. It’s also that, I’m— Man, I imagined this conversation would be a disaster and even what I saw in my head was smoother than how this is going.”
He placed one of his hands on the table, his fingers tapping restively. Thomas reacted without thinking, reaching up and placing his hand over Aodhan’s. The fingers stilled, and Thomas thought he was being too forward, breaking the rules, but Aodhan just stared at the place they touched.
Thomas felt Aodhan’s smooth skin, the alternating heat and coolness; heat from the coffee machine, coolness from being in an air-conditioned shop that was designed to protect chocolate from the elements. He wanted to trail his fingers up Aodhan’s forearm, and with how agitated he seemed, Thomas wanted to hold him. In that moment, he didn’t care about how scared he was of repeating whatever he’d had with Chris, he just wanted to hold him.
“Tell me,” Thomas said.
“I like you.”
Thomas blinked at him, fingers tightening helplessly on Aodhan’s hand.
“I know it’s stupid,” Aodhan said in a rush. “I know it’s too late. I know it’s been two years. I’m not even what you’re looking for, I’m sure of it. I’m demisexual, but it’s not even that, because most demi people— Okay, I don’t know most demi people, to be fair! But on the internet, it sure seems like I’m an odd one out among people who feel like odd ones out. It was really nice when you thought I was normal, honestly, please tell me to shut up now.”
“I like you, too,” Thomas heard himself say.
Aodhan’s eyes snapped up to his. “I mean I like you as more than a colleague-friend.”
“Yes.” Thomas couldn’t help smiling at that. “So do I.”
Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
This is a surprisingly gritty shifter romance. On one level, it is the story of
a chocolatier who falls for a museum curator. But it is also the story of a
young man who must come to terms with his difficult past before he can begin to
build meaningful relationships with the people he cares about.
If child abuse and dysfunctional families are triggers, readers will want to
approach this book with caution. Parts of Aodhan’s experiences are truly
horrific. But other parts of Aodhan’s life are beautiful. The descriptions of
his chocolates made me perpetually hungry and I love the way he has crafted his
business. Similarly, Thomas’ passion for his museum is wonderful and I love the
way the two men’s passions match and complement each other beautifully.
Ace romance is incredibly difficult to write because the basic romance story
arc doesn’t necessarily fit an Ace relationship. Here, Aodhan is demisexual
with a personal history of child abuse. Neither of these things makes for a
sexy read. Thomas is also recovering from a toxic relationship, so when his
baggage tangles with Aodhan's, it puts an incredible strain on a fledgling
relationship. Ultimately, it is very difficult for readers to see Thomas and
Aodhan’s relationship progressing or moving forward. In Ace romance, increased
openness or intellectual intimacy is more difficult to convey than the
progressive sexual intimacy that underpins most romance writing. The result
here is a story that seems to wander at times and a central relationship that
builds incredibly slowly.
I remain conflicted about this book. I really appreciated Aodhan’s growth in
the book – growth in his relationship with Thomas, but also in his relationship
with his friends and his sister. However, the story does feel slow and rambling
and I’m not sure the quality of the writing is always strong enough to support
the intensely important themes being explored.
Pia Foxhall is a queer, nonbinary,
and disabled Australian author who lives in the most isolated major city in the
world – Perth, Western Australia – with two rescue cats. Much of their time
writing is spent working on the Patreon-supported Fae Tales serial, a dark
fantasy BDSM erotica epic that has been in production for many years. They’ve
always been fascinated with all types of trauma recovery stories, and they like
their character’s comfort to be earned, and the growth to feel real.
You can visit Pia on Tumblr,
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Hosted by
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of The Gentle Wolf (Perth Shifters #2) by Pia Foxhall to read and
review for this tour.
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