Face Off

Okay so. Orion's kind of a self-centered dick, yeah? How do you blindside someone with a dumping and then get mad when you create a whole narrative in your head about how quickly they seem to be moving on from you?

He's Shane Hollander levels of bad, and y'all know I don't make that accusation lightly. He literally chose hockey over Gabby. And now he's rewriting history. The AUDACITY of this bitch.

Oh my God. These men. Their love language is snapping at each other and then sex🤦they never talk about anything.

Not to mention, Orion's been with others during his heats but he has the gall to be jealous of Gabby potentially having spent another Omega's heat with them(he hasn't by the way) or having spent his rut with an omega (again, he hasn't). Gah. Double standards, much?

Orion clearly has some degree of a praise kink but THIS MAN DOES NOT DESERVE ANY PRAISE! Guards!

I loved you so much I chose something else over you. I loved you so fucking much, that what we had wasn't worth a conversation. I held you in such high esteem that I fucked you over - and then hit you in a game afterwards because you didn't seem appropriately broken up over it. That's what Orion sounds like by the way. This is psychopathic, I swear. You know what, Shane? Stay of execution. People out here are WILDING OUT.

I understand that Orion was young. 19 is young. But you shouldn't get to fuck up this monumentally, not fix it for ten years, and STILL only get off with one measly speech (not even an apology, people, an explanation. A justification for why you fucked over someone you claim to have loved so much.) I wish Gabby stood on business a bit.

It feels like Orion was only willing to take a chance on them when it was easy, maybe BECAUSE it was easy, he'd already been outed, he had nothing else to lose. I hate when couples come together like this. Where's my 'in spite of everything' love?

WHERE'S MY 'FUCK EVERYTHING ELSE' LOVE? Not here, that's for sure.

Also what's with this fear that Gabby would pull out of things? Gabby couldn't pull out of anything (or anyone) to save his damn life. Be fucking for real. It's always Orion with the bullshit 🙄

I think beyond just asking for forgiveness, it matters how you go about it. Like, this man eventually said he was sorry but it was one measly throwaway line.

Maybe my issue is that sure, he apologized but he didn't really make amends. We didn't get to see him make a different choice this time around. We didn't get to see him put his neck on the line for anything.

And Gabby. Gabby's just that guy that's always there waiting. Loving too much he can't see straight. I wanted to pity him but what's the point of pitying him when he's on cloud nine? This man is just happy to be involved and just..... ugh.

This book brings me back to the age old question of do I give a rating best on a great resolution or hard fought HEA that I can get behind, or do I rate based on how intense the ride was, the feelings it evoked, even though I wanted to know my phone against the wall multiple times(hey, anger is a valid emotion)?

I'm giving this 4. Because I felt a lot of things, and I like books that make me feel. Not a 5 because I want to respect the MCs in my 5 star books a little bit. And I'm not quite sure I do here. Either of them.

Also, I don't think I've ever really read a book solely from the POV of the offending MC. The emotional criminal, so to speak. Bold choice from the author. It's nice to see the delusion and justification from the front seat.