WL's Mainstream Gay Book Reviews - 16. Slow Heat (Book 1 of Heat of Love) by Leta Blake

I had to review this just to get my raw reactions down. I wasn't expecting to have so many thoughts on this book, but here I am.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34233780-slow-heat

I have to begin this review with some soul searching, I have never read a story or fictional universe quite like what Leta Blake created here. I was around during the early days of shifter fiction and Supernatural fan-fiction that spawned the Alpha/Beta/Omega (ABO) or otherwise known as Omegaverse. Few ever quite appealed to me as much as pure gay romance, because quite frankly, the romance and impregnation of a male usually ends up with the pregnant character acting as a stereotypical heterosexual female. Some authors, like Aiden Bates and Jill Haven Guardian Dragons 6-book series, have made the stories interesting through plots, despite the lackluster character development. Now, I have unexpectedly read a story series that has a very complex characters and plot.

I’m lucky that I’ve gained perspective in recent years by befriending trans and non-binary members of the LGBTQ+ community, because I think if I had read this novel four years ago or even earlier, I’d reject its concepts and ideas without a second thought. For female readers, I can only imagine what this story means and why its topics are pertinent. Maybe, it’s too close to home for your reading and I can understand that, but from a gay male's view, I am grateful for female authors like Leta Blake, who create science fiction universes like this that explore sides of humanity that I would never think about.

I have only read book 1 in the series and know that there are currently 3 books within the series. This book contains 406 pages and 14 hours on audible, it’s well over 118,000 words. This is a long story that sets up a massive science fiction universe, which at first appears to follow the guise of a fantasy elements of Omegaverse, but as you read and realize, it’s a dystopian science fiction novel. This is not light reading, it’s an entire fictional universe that Leta Blake has created with rules and concepts, if you dig beneath the surface of Alpha, Beta, and Omegas being males’ sub-types, you will see this is a social commentary about sexual orientation, gender identity, and reproductive rights.

This story is set in a future, where a “great death” occurred. The cataclysm wiped out many species on earth through the elimination of the female gender, except for felines. Humanity being able to use technology and genetic engineering were able to save our own species by manipulating male genomes through splicing our DNA with those of wolves to allow for certain males to give birth. As time passed, three subtypes of human males began to develop: Alphas, who hold hyper-aggressive and dominant position equivalent to males in the past with the ability to reproduce with Omegas. Alphas are the wealthiest and most powerful subtype of human beings. Betas, who become the administrative, clerical, and labor force of society, who have no ability to reproduce, they do have relationships with other Betas and appear to be equivalent to the gay male community. Betas represent a working and professional class that is subject to commands by Alphas and are supposed to be servile based on their genetic nature. Omegas, who can give birth to new human beings of Alphas, Betas, or Omegas, are essentially a much more restricted subgroup in society with no property or individual rights by law. Through centuries of development, the true history of this society’s origins are obscured via religion under the “Book of Wolf”, which praises an all-knowing and all-powerful wolf god for creating the new variants of humanity with political and social institutions similar to conservative Judeo-Christian sects. Educated people and higher echelons of society know their true origins based on genetic engineering, but many others believe in the religious concepts of “Wolf God” created to give legitimacy and a spiritual connection with the current social order.

However, unlike many other stories within this genre, the social structure and the genetic manipulations of human beings hasn’t created a perfect society with clear delineation of roles between dominant Alphas, submissive Omega, and servile Betas. Jason is a young wealthy 19-year-old Alpha college student, who through his body’s hormones and genes, finds his Erosgape, soulmate or scientifically a biological match, and imprints on Vale, a 35-year-old Omega professor. At the same time as Jason begins following his biological urges, he has to deal with his teenage best friend and roommate Xander, another 19-year-old Alpha college student. Jason and Xander are engaging in Alpha Expression, which is forbidden and illegal in society similar to how Sodomy was outlawed. Xander enjoys being penetrated by Jason, or “unmanned” in their slang. Xander wants to be “his Omega” despite being biologically an Alpha like Jason. When Jason’s bond with Vale intensifies as the story develops, Xander confesses his love for Jason, but Jason with a heavy heart after their last sexual encounter, tells his friend he can’t love him the way Xander wants Jason to love him (This was an emotional scene that reminded me of the movie Farewell My Concubine, it’s heart-wrenching). Following that, Jason commits to courting Vale, who under the legal system of the society is negotiating a contract with Jason’s parents, Buell, Jason’s Alpha father, and Minor, his Omega Pater. However, both Jason’s parents and Vale hold major secrets from the past around their ability to bear children that causes tension. Vale tried to separate himself from Jason and deny him the full bond between them as partners, in order to preserve Jason’s happiness and potential children. Through a lot of drama and soul searching during a miscarriage by Minor and Vale undergoing a spontaneous heat, Jason and Vale are able to work through their issues.

Leta Blake took concept that I’ve given up on, then created an entire world with dynamic characters and a true dystopian feel that reminds folks of Aldous Huxley Brave New World. As a civilization, humanity has made a rigid social structure that appears to be unstable and unsustainable without authoritarian means, including execution of violators from social and sexual norms. Usually ABO, also known as Omegaverse, stories involve animal shifters, like werewolves with a hierarchy. However, her novel does not rely on shifters, instead the wolf-like similarities are due to genetic engineering to allow a male-only society of humans to survive. Yet, even with only males, humanity has still figured out a way to segregate and disenfranchise people. The Omegas of Leta’s universe are tragic figures, they are amalgams of females throughout history, they are their Alphas property and anything they owned prior to marriage or “contract” as this universe calls it, belongs to the Alpha partner. The Omega males also are prevented from seeking abortion or birth control, because the population in such a society divided in 3 subgroups, with Beta group being incapable of reproduction, makes their ability to create children a necessity. However, character like Minor and Vale shows readers exactly why such draconian measures are inhumane, they cannot have children without risking their own lives and due to the genetic manipulation of their subspecies are shunned by society. Leta made me realize how precarious the issue is among women, my position on abortion has been one of Pro-Life, but I am not a monster who doesn’t take into account the needs of other human beings before that of a child. Little things like material deficiencies of condoms due to materials known to cause allergic reactions and lack of access to necessary birth control pills in this world are also present in our world sadly. I get what Leta is saying in her social commentary hidden within the male-based society about female reproductive rights. I probably would agree with her, there’s a problematic standard in society. She made the story far less about knocking/knotting a male with a child, actually asked the questions other writers failed to do, what if the Omega should have a kid, but society and family pressures them to? Consider me neutral on the politics of abortion, I’m not there yet to be Pro-choice, but the points Leta Blake raised in this book has challenged my thoughts on Pro-Life stance.

If it was only the above paragraph, I probably would have waited until next week to address this story, but Leta Blake had 118,000 words in her novel, she didn’t just touch on one subject. Jason and Vale are the traditional Alpha/Omega couple, but they are separated by extreme age gap. That alone didn’t appeal to me, but I did enjoy the actual reflections of Vale on the issue as a sensible adult, who knows Jason is young and impulsive with his feelings. Vale has internalized self-loathing partially due to his age and his romantic partners wasted potential. Ageism is an issue in our society, something that is far more ubiquitous than homophobia and racism, because we apply it to standards, we don’t even realize we have. I like the veiled arguments that are brought up about how we view each other and our self-worth based on what time and experiences we hold. It’s incredibly thought-provoking.

Lastly, but probably the most emotionally resonant for gay male readers, we have the relationship of Jason and his best friend Xander. Jason isn’t a stereotypical Alpha, he enjoyed having sex with his best friend and fellow Alpha, Xander, who he calls Xan. This relationship reminded me of the unrequited gay love in the movie Farewell my Concubine between the male protagonists. In the Omegaverse, I have not read of an analogy to homosexuality before, because essentially most people assume 2 males mating is already gay. Leta Blake created Xander, who is essentially a gay/queer boy in this universe. You can be born one way and still want to be something else, but such activity and desires are illegal in a society that prizes Alpha superiority. Xander is one of the saddest characters throughout the story, his few scenes with Jason are poignant and emotional. In a society that would arrest or even execute his type of behavior, Xander is someone I can relate to from the perspective of a gay male. Xander’s revelation that he wants to be an Omega despite all the issues they face speaks volumes about his own sexual identity and gender identity issues. His relationship with Jason represents the gay male experience. His impossible dream of being accepted by another male as his Omega, represents the trans experience. I especially loved the final time Jason and Xander had sex, it was tender rather than sexually charged. Jason cares for Xander, but he doesn’t hold the same feelings as Xander does for him, in effect, Jason isn’t what Blake’s universe would be equivalent of “gay”, but he still loves Xander deeply. It also rounds out Jason’s character, he’s an analogy for a bi-curious guy, who enjoyed having sex with other guys like him, but he ultimately has stronger attractions based on his biology. I love that Leta brought up that aspect in her world and made it so heartbreaking. For other writers of Shifter/Non-Shifter Omegaverse stories, I highly recommend you to incorporate such bonds and relationships, it adds a level of supreme meta-commentary on the concept that should be included.

Beyond all the world-building and amazing character moments, I do have a few nitpicks. The technology of the human civilization doesn’t fit the futuristic aspects of the setting. I know Leta Blake tried to explain it away due to regressive religious reforms and anti-science movements pushing back technological progress in favor of a “Wolf God” approved interpretation, but even so, I do wonder how crazy a society must become to regress to 20^th century combustion technology, when it has achieved genetic engineering to the point of creating new human sub-species. There’s also the ending, which felt far too rushed for such a long novel. Jason’s recognition of his priorities and friendships didn’t quite feel organic, it’s akin to “last second” save trope in adventure stories. I know this was an early story in Leta Blake’s career as an author and have read better things from her. However, it did detract from the overall story and its imaginative scope.

My rating: 4.5 out 5, I really loved this story and if you are looking for something different than the run of the mill, Alpha meets Omega romance, I would suggest you give this massive book a chance. It’s long and very involved in terms of its world-building, but it’s worth a read. Its Sci-Fi aspect are limited, which is a shame, but I can understand why she did it that way.