Defender

Lost Pack Series, Book 1

By: Claire Cullen

Narrated by: John Solo

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

A mission gone wrong forces Brax's alpha team to become something more - a pack.

In a world that no longer welcomes packs, it's all Brax can do to hold his team together. Four alphas without omegas is a recipe for disaster. And now that they're civilians, with the military watching their every move, it's not going to be easy to keep the truth about their pack hidden.

Brax's most pressing problem is his buddy Duke's stolen son. Everywhere he turns for help is a dead end, until chance introduces him to Oliver, the capable, captivating omega - and legal advocate. Brax's luck might finally be turning around. But can he trust Oliver with more than just their legal troubles - can he trust him with his secrets?

Oliver has everything he could want in life-a successful career, the respect of his peers, an apartment in the city. But not an alpha. Been there, done that. No shifter he's dated could handle the fact that, some days, Oliver's job comes first. When the death of his estranged parents takes him back to his childhood home, he meets Brax - the handsome, troubled doctor who just might be the exception to the rule....

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Claire Cullen (P)2020 Tantor

Shifters with a twist omegaverse

4.5 Blue Roses

4 Blue Flames

Narrator John Solo gave us another stunning delivery, his talented narration of the new Lost Pack series is O’ my fucking ears brilliant. The magic this author/narrator created, was am-ma-zing! This version of omegaverse was intriguing and unique from the start. It’s filled with loveable strong characters. I love it when the author kicks off by describing and laying out the land of the omegaverse. The background behind the world and its politics were believable with a shifter twist.

Listeners are introduced to an incredible group of ex-military shifters. The pack leader Brax looks over an alpha and beta mix pack. Brax, Duke, Thorn, Zane, and Cole are all unique shifters, they have been pack since serving in the military and this makes them targets of the military scientists, because they were able to be a cohesive group, without omegas, (if found out). They are all different shifter animals, and yes, we have a horse. I can’t wait to hear that book…😈

Oliver is an Omega, he is an independent strong charactered Omega advocate. He is also the overseer of a house for damaged little omega orphans. Brax is a medical doctor who was contacted by Oliver to do a house call at the center for omega kids. The two are instantly attracted to each other, but they do not act on it. Lots of drama and gripping tension adds to a wonderful laid out storyline before they are able to finally be together.

I listened to this audiobook in one sitting, it is a little gem!

I absolutely recommend this audiobook, I can wait to hear the rest of the series.

Happy Listening

Classic Claire Cullen

It's nice to find a Claire Cullen series on audiobook. While John Solo isn't a favorite of mine, he does a reasonable job with this book. His voice and manner of reading are a good match for this series.

Defender is the first book in an mpreg shifter series. As usual for this author, the book stays focused on the immediate characters. World building happens as needed, continuing into the following books in the series.

This book includes the first babies born to this pack. In this world, pregnancies are usually multiples. All sorts of animals are represented. Sure, there's the usual wolf and bear, but there are also stoats, buffalo, and zebras.

The most unique part of this series is that packs have multiple key positions beyond that of the Alpha and their muscle. There are multiple key positions for omegas including the defender in this book (their job is sort of part diplomat, part secretary of state, and part public defender's office). Without these positions filled, the pack is unstable. It makes for a much more equitable social structure.

DNF but that's my fault

I don't like mpreg so I didn't finish it with about an hour left. I was trying to find a book with omegas that didn't have any mpreg, but it seems those are few. The story was fine. I like John Solo, but I don't think his voice and style were suited for this book. I loved his narration of The Executive Office series. The heat level was lower than I had hoped for, but I am also a filth monster, so I'm sure it was great for 99% of people.