Unarmed

Knitting Club, Book 1

By: Austin Bates

Narrated by: Tyler Darby

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

He’s home to recover, not fall for a younger man...

Blaze’s time in the military unraveled him, but now, he’s knitting himself back together, one stitch at a time. He needs to focus on recovery, not the young omega he finds himself doting over.

Logan is back home to lick his wounds, not the hot older alpha who just happens to be his landlady’s grandson.

He can see the cracks in Blaze’s armor, and he wants to squeeze his way in, but the ex-soldier has more defenses than a military base. Until an ill-timed heat changes everything.

Blaze’s demons are a tangled mess he may never fully recover from. Can he really expect an omega who could have anyone to settle for him? Or, is the only way to protect Logan to let him go?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Special Fiction Books (P)2020 Special Fiction Books

Odd, but still interesting

Some key things stand out in this story.
1. omegas = bottoms
2. alphas = tops
3. omegas can get pregnant, even though they are male.... not sure about that one still. Especially since there are females in the story.

Overall, this is a love story, and while the author has created an interesting concept surrounding the whole omega thing, it comes off as a mix of "Pup-Roleplay" and "Alpha red pill" material. It's still got a good plot but just wasn't really prepared for that whole thing. I intend to listen to the next book, and again, it has a good plot. If you are seeking a romance with a small amount of erotic sex scenes, this is it! If you are looking for some porny action, this isn't it. It's a gay chick flick, essentially. I'm hoping the next book has some actual hot scenes to make up for it.

Blaze and Logan

Terrific start to the series. Logan and Blaze have trauma from their past to overcome. Logan has to learn to trust after being betrayed. Blaze has to learn how to live a life after devastating loss. His anger and PTSD symptoms hit the mark. I liked that Logan sees the reasons behind Blaze's behavior even before he knows all the details. It was even better when Blaze was willing to seek professional help. Both guys trip over misunderstandings and preconceptions before reaching a HEA. I thoroughly enjoyed the meddling 'granny brigade' and look forward to getting to know the other guys in the knitting club better.
Recommended author

Audiobook: The narrator did a decent job overall, my only issue was the quality of the sound. Most of the time it sounded like he was inside a box. There are a few editing issues with repeated phrases, etc. All of these problems I would place at the feet of the production company, not the author or the narrator.

Men who knit and knot!!!

I have to agree with Logan's sentiment that men who knit are hot! I found Logan and Blaze's story to be very charming. I love a good mpreg book, and this is one. I really love the Granny brigade, too. Just enough sass to keep you on your toes.

Nice

It was a nice read, although a little vague in the details and just a liiitle tiny bit on the sappy side :P

But I was charmed by the idea of the Knitting Club, so I'll be reading/listening more on this series.

Tyler Darby though... I liked him for moments, but at others, particularly when he was voicing Logan, not too much.

good series start

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

Story comment: I enjoyed Unarmed, it's well written with likeable characters, a good plot, lots of emotion and a little drama. I liked that Logan and Blaze would actually talk to each other so there was none of the miscommunication that so often comes with these types of stories.

We get at brief glimpse of the other friends in the Knitting Club who I expect will each get their own book, and the "grannie brigade" are a hoot ! I look forward to the rest of this series.

Narration comment: I enjoyed Tyler Darby's narration and think he has done a good job narrating Unarmed. I had no problem distinguishing characters, it has good rhythm, and the inflections and intonations all work to bring the book to life.
There are a couple of minor editing issues with words/sentences duplicated and for some reason the copy i listened to didn't sound as clear as it could have - sounded as if it's been recorded in an open space, or like taking a photo through glass - it's soft, but these are only minor critiques and not enough to pull me from the story or stop me from listening to it again.