#alpha ruined by liliana carlisle

[spaghetti-academia]

i don’t know about the first two, but the context of the third one is that it takes place in the omegaverse and the alpha male main character is a stalker/serial killer. he’s trying to get the omega female main character’s scent/slick from her towel

They're always eating everything

[spaghetti-academia]

Alpha Ruined

Liliana Carlisle

indie! ebook!

Published: 2024

Pages: 262

Dates read: 08/10/24 - 08/25/24

I originally found out about this book from a Tumblr post. Carlisle was advertising her book on Instagram with the text on the reel saying, "Him hiding in her bathroom and sucking on her used towel." This made me curious about the book, and so I looked into it to see what it was about. The IG reel was easily understandable once I read that the book took place in the omegaverse. Given that this book was being released in August, I figured that I might as well read it for HRCYED.

The omega female main character, Bree, is a journalist who went to a town to investigate the disappearance of an alpha!prisoner and an omega!counselor. Cole is the alpha male main character, who is a serial killer/stalker. Bree and Cole are drawn towards each other, and their relationship eventually culminates into them having Heat- and Rut-fueled sex. The book has a somewhat happily ever after ending.

While I tend to read fanfiction with romance and smut in it, but I don't normally read within the Romance genre with books. I've been wanting to read romance books, and Alpha Ruined was an interesting pick. The book was mostly told from the perspective of Bree, so we became familiar with some of her insecurities and personal conflicts. She struggled with self harm when she was younger, which means that she has a lot of scars on her arms that remind her of her difficult past. These scars made her feel ashamed, which created a barrier to her getting with Cole. Eventually, her feelings about her scars changed as Cole convinced her to not be embarrassed and hide them.

The incorporation of the omegaverse in this story set this book apart in some ways. However, a criticism that I have of Alpha Ruined is that it relied on the omegaverse too much to describe the main characters' feelings. There were several phrases like "His [inner] alpha roared," "Her [inner] omega was delighted," etc. I would have liked to see more detailed description of their feelings. For example, what signs does her body give her that indicates that that feral side is enjoying this? I also would have liked to see more creativity done with the Omegaverse. Like what's the point in having the omegaverse trope if its just going to be man = alpha, woman = omega? Isn't that just heterosexuality on stereoids? Maybe I'm too used to my gay fanfiction lol

Ultimately, this book reveals how relationships can strengthen us by highlighting our best selves. It also reveals how relationships make us vulnerable by exposing our deepest insecurities and flaws. I liked following along with Bree's transformation throughout this book, and I hope to read more Dark Romances :)

Rating: 3.0 ⭐

[spaghetti-academia]

soul 👏 is 👏 stored 👏 in 👏 the 👏 balls 👏

[spaghetti-academia]

Books I've read in 2024

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker

How America Lost Its Mind by Thomas E. Patterson

The Moutain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

The Route of Ice and Salt by Jose Luis Zarate

The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Savage Continent by Keith Lowe

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Contagion by Erin Bowman

The Men with the Pink Triangle by Heinz Heger

A Year Without a Name by Cyrus Grace Dunman

Globalization: A Very Short Introduction by Manfred B. Steger

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Broiler by Eli Cranor

Are We Rome? by Cullen Murphy

On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

Unchristian by David Kinnaman

Alpha Ruined by Liliana Carlisle

The Girl in the Locked Room by Mary Downing Hahn

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Stewart Ross

Flamer by Mike Curato

Still Mine by Amy Stuart

Babel by RF Kuang

Matched by Ally Condie

The Siege by Ben MacIntyre

The Other Olympians by Michael Waters

fiction non-fiction

Last updated: October 12, 2024