Ash’s Desire by Leann Ryans | Book Review

I love this series and was excited to get this book to review.
Ash's Desire by Leann Ryans
Series: Alpha Barbarians #5
Genres: Omegaverse Romance

Raven didn’t want the life planned for her before her kidnapping, but guilt wouldn’t let her abandon the ones left behind.
She had to escape and get back to them.

A lack of necessary skills left her lost in the woods until Ash found her and dragged her back to his clan, but she refused to give up. She tried again… and again.
Sure she was going to starve or get herself killed, Ash took pity on her and taught her to hunt and survive on her own, and the more time she spent with him, the harder it was to make herself turn away.

He was offering everything she’d ever wanted, but could she overcome her misplaced sense of duty to choose him?

***This is book 5 in the Alpha Barbarian series. It can be read as a standalone but is best experienced after the first book at minimum. It is a slow-burn, sweet, non-shifter mf omegaverse romance.***

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I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Ash’s Desire Book Review

I admit I struggled a bit with Raven. The omegas that were captured in the first book are treated far better now than they ever were in their own village. They are allowed to work, to choose who their Alpha will be, and so much more. They aren’t there to trade for an alliance or just to mate with an Alpha. The Alphas respect the omegas and the entire village tries hard to incorporate them into their society. 

Despite all of that she keeps trying to run away and return home. I will say she does keep trying for the sake of her sisters and the worry for them. In fact she even tells herself that if not for them she would build a new life in the new village. I do love that we don’t get a woman who runs away and manages to make it on her own. She fails and tries again. She learns from her mistakes and truly believes she needs to get back to make sure her sisters are alright. 

Her growth is what made me like her in the end. 

Ash is a hunter for his village and pretty much lives on the outskirts of everything. He is gone for days on end at times. He is very much alone most of the time and doesn’t feel that an Omega will take well to his way of life. He is happy and content for the most part in what he does. 

He is also the one that is sent after Raven every time she runs. I love that he gets aggravated with having to go after her but also makes sure she is safe. When she pleads with him to let her go and explains why she needs to leave he disobeys and teaches her how to hunt and survive in order to get back to her family. 

These two are both so determined and set in their ways that they can’t see how perfect they are for one another. They work together and learn about one another in a way that the previous pairs didn’t. I wasn’t sure I was going to give the book five stars to begin with. On my first read I felt that there was something missing and couldn’t put my finger on what it was. So I walked away and decided to reread the book and see if I could figure it out. On my second read I realized there wasn’t anything missing. I just was so set in my opinions on Raven that I had a hard time letting them go.

I mean this chick keeps running away without having enough supplies or even knowing the direction she is going. These people have done their best to take care of her and help her integrate. Her family sees her as nothing more than a workhorse that will make an alliance for them and then she will be expected to cater to the needs of the Alpha her father chose. After being kidnapped she is given the chance of having the life she wanted. I felt, at first, that if she just talked to someone. Explained how she felt and what was going on. 

However, on the second read I realized that she needed to do things this way. It was the only way for Ash to see that he was more than just a hunter. That an Omega could and would love him. Together they found the other half of their souls and a reason to look forward to the future. All in all this was a great read and I can’t wait for the next book.