I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book could have a great read had the author took time to develop the characters and the story rather than it being a short book about just the sex.

I enjoyed this book it is the first I have read by the author and had the right amount of story and steam to make a good novella. I enjoy a good Alpha/omega read and this one did not disappoint I will be checking out more from Tamir in the future

Like several other reviewers mentioned, this book seriously lacks. First off, I had no idea how incredibly short it was when I picked it up. I'm not one for books this short because I feel there isn't enough time for decent character development and plot resolution.

Guess what?

That's exactly the case with this one. 

The book all but starts off with sex, giving little to no back story. There is no history provided as to the world that these three men live in. We know things are different, but I would have loved at least a little bit of education on this part. It was all very confusing. My initial thought was that this must be a book in a series where all this is explained in the first book. I've read series like that and while it takes away from the books being able to be read as a stand alone, it can still work. However, that is not the case with this book. It's actually the FIRST in a series. So the reader is supposed to guess what's going on in their world?

The ending? Yeah... well that just blew. It abruptly ends with no explanation for the future. Very disappointing.

There was so much missing. No substance, no sense, no complete understanding of the characters.  Nothing made sense at tall. Richard being this old and not knowing the basic omega function. I couldn't help but realize the author made the Omega's heat very very similar to a woman's menstrual cycle.

I loved this book. It was so sweet and caring while not missing the right amount of spice. I would have loved to know more about what happens to Richard and James. And Dmitri. But the two best friends and team buddies really captured my heart.

I’m fairly new to mpreg and AOB books, meaning I haven’t read many on the theme but I’m interested and intrigued. That’s why this book got my interest. 

Tho I liked the characters, I can’t say I loved the book. I think  everything on it felt rushed: the romance, the sex, the threesome...It felt to me a little bit like insta-love. 

I didn’t hate it so I might give the author another chance.

Different Dynamics needs a lot more plot and editing--it reads like a draft. I barely finished the book it felt so incomplete.

It's been a couple of days since I finished this book and I'm still confused. 

This book takes place in a world of Alpha, Beta and Omega's and guys in heat. That's all fine it could've easily been a great story. 

But since it's a book taking place in a world different from ours, I expected some kind of explanation or introduction into this world within the first chapter. 

I didn't get that. I actually looked up to see if this was a second or third book in a series, and maybe the introduction had been in the first book. But instead I found it was the first in a series. 

I would have enjoyed this book more if I hadn't been so confused as to what was going on. It didn't help the main character seemed just as confused as me!

One word to this describe this book. HOT! The mmm sex was intense and indescribable. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Different Dynamics follows omega hockey player, Richard, who accidentally goes into heat when there are complications with his suppressants. His teammate, James, who is also an alpha,  ends up helping him fight off an attack by a random alpha who works at the hotel they are staying at. The two end up back in James’s room and “dealing” with Richard’s heat. Then, through a turn of events, a rival hockey player, Dmitry, another alpha, gets into the mix when Richard imprints on him as well….

I will say this for Different Dynamics, it did take a risk changing the dynamics that are usually associated with relationships of alpha’s and omega’s. Which is something that should be recognized by readers. It is easy to fall into the formula of alpha helps omega and they fall in love. With Different Dynamics, the love really doesn’t come into play. Yes, they get each other off, but there is only the barest hint of a relationship for the future between these guys, and even then, it is a relationship based on helping each other through Richard’s future heats…. Some people may enjoy that setup, but because it was so unconventional, , I couldn’t connect to the characters themselves. 

This entire novella was just a snapshot moment in their lives and had no serious stake in their lives and so I couldn’t develop any emotional investment to what would later happen to them. 

Then there was the reasoning behind why Dmitry suddenly needed to become a part of helping Richard through his heats. I thought the reasoning to be pretty flimsy and had no backing through any type of character development. There was no evidence to substantiate the claim that it was necessary that Dmitry be there, and the only reason given was “Oh you should have learned this in omega school, Richard. Everyone knows this….” It was a cop-out.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the different perspective that Different Dynamics gave to the alpha/omega trope. However, the lacking character development kept me from fully connecting to the characters and what they were going through. Tamir Drake’s writing style was fluid enough that I would read another book of his in the future.

Richard is an omega most believe omegas shouldn’t even believe they should be playing the sport but Richard loves it.  While on the road he goes into heat early and his friend James helps him through the heat.  Dmitry is a friend of James and agrees to help Richard as well.  This is a fast-paced hot and steamy read.  I liked the characters just wish it was longer.

I was expecting a lot more from this than what I actually got. Richard is an Omega hockey player who experiences an unplanned heat on the road. His teammate James, steps in and helps him through it. I liked the team mate stepping up, protecting not only his captain but his friend. Then he expectantly imprints on Dmitry (James's friend and team rival). The threesome works extremely well together. I just wish there was so much more to this. I feel like I got a sample of a much bigger story. The possibilities for this were endless and I feel like there needs to be much more to make this story complete. I liked what I read but I wanted so much more!

This was an ok story but it was just like any other Omega story. 

I received this from Netgalley and I thought this would be a really well developed Omega story because it is published by Nine Star Press. It was ok, but I was expecting much more. It was an ok read if you like Omega stories, and a good book to slot between longer reads.

Copy provided by Nine Star Press via Netgalley.

Um, what the heck did I just read?! I wanted to really like Different Dynamics, but I just could not get into it. Well, I was getting into it, then it ended without any kind of resolution.

The premise is this: Richard goes into early heat while he and his hockey team are on the road. When his best friend and teammate, James, notices, he is determined to help. Help ends up being in the form of he and his friend Dmitry ending up in a threesome with Richard as his cycle plays itself out.

I didn't realize Different Dynamics was a novella. If I had known that, I probably wouldn't have read it because this format rarely allows for a fully developed story line and relationship. That's what happened here. While I liked the three lead characters, there was nothing to the story but sex and some rather disgusting descriptions of Richard's cycle. Um no. Those descriptions reminded me too much of what I go through during my own time of the month, and that is definitely not something I want to read about. Yuck.

And then there's the ending. The really rushed, no resolution ending. It just stopped. The men didn't end up in a HEA or even an HFN. If this is part of a serial, then I can understand this type of ending, but there's nothing in the blurb that suggests this is part of a serial, so I have to take it as written. Unfortunately, because of its short length, there's just not much here but sex, some likable but not well developed characters, and an abrupt ending. This one is a no for me.

Honestly, I didn't understand most of this book. It seemed like I came in at the middle. Nothing was explained. Relationships just became what was necessary to make the book continue on. The sentence structure was choppy. There were times I thought I missed a page. 

I feel like I want to like it more than I did because there was a small frayed thread in there of hope that it would turn out to be great afterall, but it just abruptly ended. Weird.

When I had requested this book, I didn't realize that it was a short.  But I went into the story not letting that bother me.  But then I read the book & when I finished I was like; wait, what?  This was more like thoughts & part of a story that the author was thinking about writing.  There was so much missing.  I liked Richard, James & Dmitry.  I thought they were hot together but I don't know if they really had a HEA in the end.  And I don't know really much about them or their past.  Okay so Richard is an Omega but is totally clueless on what an omega is.  James is an Alpha & Richard's best friend but had no clue that Richard was an Omega.  Then I was confused on the imprinting.  There wasn't any knotting on page, talk of MPreg or really anything at all except a lot of hot sex.  And the ending?  It just ends.  Maybe the author will take this story and turn it into a full novel, which I would eagerly read as there were a lot of promises in this book.

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Fairly new to reading M/M books this one was just not for me.

I did not understand the whole pheromone intermingle theory - Richard spends all the book in heat with James & Dmitry helping him get thru it ....

Sorry no real storyline just didn’t do it for me !

Interesting story from Tamir. Very erotic. It's got that heroic feel of story base and yet erotic at the same time. Very interesting.

Different Dynamics 

My Thoughts: Short, punchy, and a sexy little read, Different Dynamics is an erotic roller coaster. For the length of the novelette, I found myself immersed pretty quickly in the world and the characters.

If you haven’t read or even heard of the A/B/O universe, then you are in for an interesting read. The book is pretty descriptive in regards to definitions and distinctions between the dynamics, and you should find yourself easily following along.

I really enjoyed the three characters in this novelette, they all really endeared themselves to me at separate times throughout the book.

  *Richard is incredibly dedicated to his hockey team and the fact that he is an omega playing at a professional level. It was heartbreaking to see his self doubt and concept of his worthiness, it was really nice to this challenged by his interactions with James and Dmitry.  

*James was really lovely in how he treated Richard and how he respected Richards wishes, all the while supporting him in any way he could. Also his easy acceptance of Dmitry made him such a chill but caring character.

*Dmitry, while introduced fairly late in the novel, makes no less of an impression. With his Russian accent and shy hesitance in dealing with James and Richard, he makes a surprising sweet addition to the novelette.

I really enjoyed the relationship between the three characters, the hesitance and almost shy admission of feelings between them had me smiling at the very end. Since the book is quite small, I found myself waning to find out more about these characters!

If you’re looking for a quick sexy read, I would really recommend Different Dynamics –   it will draw you in for the smut but keep you reading for the characters.

AND

Exercising Restraint

My Thoughts: Exercising Restraint proves to be just as punchy as the first book of the series, Different Dynamics. Set in the same world as the first novel, the second expands upon the concept of the Alpha/Beta/Omega (A/B/O) universe and features two incredibly likeable characters.

While I enjoyed the characters, Richard, James, and Dmitry from the first novel, I really found myself falling in love with Steve and Pierce. Steve, an alpha personal trainer, secretly likes Pierce, an omega client of his.  Steve hides his attraction to Pierce, so as not to push the boundaries and remain respectful of their client/trainer relationship.

I really appreciated the respect Steve had for Pierce, there were no overt ‘Alpha’ dominance moment between the two. In comparison to Different Dynamics, it was great seeing a different type of omega character represented.

Throughout the novelette, I found myself really enjoying the sweet hesitancy between the pair. The way they circle around their attraction to each other was a pleasure to read. The fact that James and Richard from the first novel make an appearance, only added to my enjoyment.

One a final note, I really enjoyed Exercising Restraint. I found it both incredibly sweet and sexy, which is a tough tough combo to nail 😛 and am hoping to seeing more of the series!

Richard is the only omega playing in the NHL. For some reason, his heat starts a week early while he is on the road playing. He thinks it makes others question his ability to do his job so he hides it. It's a shame we're not shown Richard as the talented, skilled, team leader we are told he is before he is begging and pleading his best friend James for sex. 

We get very mixed signals here. One the one hand, we get "I'm not less than because I leak a few times a year." On the other hand, we get "it wasn't as if Richard was worth caring about." Richard doesn't seem to know very much about his own sexuality, which makes this process all the more difficult for him to deal with. He seems to have suppressed his sexuality in order to be successful and to be taken seriously, even to the detriment of his health. 

Dmitry, James' friend from another hockey team is there when Richard starts another round of heat. Of course, he has to stay and help. This seems to just set up the story of how the three of them ended up together with a reason to have lots of sex. There is not a lot of plot here, but I could see an ongoing story with the three of them in the future. If that happens, I hope there is a lot more detail about hockey and some actual dating/getting to know each other. If so, this might have worked better as a prequel. We know they're friends (Dmitry and James and James and Richard), we know they play hockey, and we know they are sexually compatible (very compatible), but that is it.