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A review by readwithmesashamarie
A Pack for Autumn by Emilia Emerson
5.0
Thank you so much to Emilia Emerson who sent me an eARC of this book.
If you follow my reviews you’ll know that I discovered this author over the summer through her omegaverse series, Forbidden Part One & Two, and Cherished. Cherished is a book that touched me in ways few books have since I became chronically ill. When I heard that A Pack For Autumn would feature a main female character who has PMDD and PCOS, two of my own diagnoses, I knew this story would be another that touched close to home.
I should also mention, if you’re new here, that fall, Halloween, and autumn festivities are some of my very favorite things. This book truly had everything going for it and boy did it deliver.
There was a surprise character in this story, who has officially been introduced in character art posted to the author’s Instagram page, so it doesn’t feel like a spoiler to mention them. Felix the cat made me smile from his first introductions. I always love when packs have pets, and while Felix is more of a free roamer, he takes so much credit for how much of the story unfolds.
Like Emerson’s previous omegaverse, these characters are not shifters, but do share the other qualifications such as ABO designations and heightened senses. Our female MC is in search of solitude, taking up a job as the lighthouse keeper in the hopes that living on the edge of town would keep her away from its many overly friendly residents. She’s lost her parents, and had previous bad experiences with Alphas due to her health conditions. She’s accepted the fact that she’s not built for community and will always push people away when she encounters her dark days.
As someone who has struggled my entire adult life with PMDD, and was only officially diagnosed with PCOS this year (after an emergency surgery to save my ovary from an ovarian cyst) I completely related to our FMC’s struggles and headspace. It broke my heart to see our FMC suffer and hear how she talked about herself, knowing that’s probably how I look and sound to outsiders too. It made me stop and reconsider the ways I’ve treated myself in the past, and how frustrating it can be to get doctors to listen to me when I tell them, tearfully, over and over that something is wrong.
Not only was the FMC’s chronic illness dealt with in a way that felt familiar, even delicately and respectfully, and didn’t shy away from how dark it can truly get, so too were the discussions about mental health, grief, and childhood trauma. Our FMC’s eventual pack of Alphas bring their own struggles into this relationship. One of my favorite things about these found families is how they learn to lean on one another for emotional support, and work through things they never could have solved on their own.
At the end of the day, this story is about finding community. Even when you are adamantly NOT searching for it. While this story definitely qualifies as a cozy romance, don’t be fooled by the adorable cover. This book is spicy! Like…seriously. If you don’t enjoy reading explicit sex scenes this one is not going to work for you. I, however, had an absolute blast. I was shocked half the time from which characters got to get the girl first, to who ended up where… There were lots of kinks explored through this pack, with great inclusion of consent and after care.
My one and only complaint, and this is truly a me only problem, is that I wanted more cozy fall vibes. Sure there is a festival the town is preparing for as the story progresses, but I crave more. Like I said in the beginning, this is my favorite time of year, so what might be considered too much by someone else’s standards is hardly enough for me. I think this had the perfect amount of fall activities to be considered an autumn read for the casual fall connoisseur, and I can already see myself sitting down with this book every year in the future to set the tone for the season.
If you like spice (pumpkin and ya, know, the other kind). If you like found families, chronically ill FMC’s, and omegaverse antics you need to pick this book up. It’s set to release on November 13th.
But the fun doesn’t end there. This series will include 4 books, written by Emilia Emerson and Eliana Lee, alternating between characters. I am so locked in, it’s not even funny. See you soon, Winter!
If you follow my reviews you’ll know that I discovered this author over the summer through her omegaverse series, Forbidden Part One & Two, and Cherished. Cherished is a book that touched me in ways few books have since I became chronically ill. When I heard that A Pack For Autumn would feature a main female character who has PMDD and PCOS, two of my own diagnoses, I knew this story would be another that touched close to home.
I should also mention, if you’re new here, that fall, Halloween, and autumn festivities are some of my very favorite things. This book truly had everything going for it and boy did it deliver.
There was a surprise character in this story, who has officially been introduced in character art posted to the author’s Instagram page, so it doesn’t feel like a spoiler to mention them. Felix the cat made me smile from his first introductions. I always love when packs have pets, and while Felix is more of a free roamer, he takes so much credit for how much of the story unfolds.
Like Emerson’s previous omegaverse, these characters are not shifters, but do share the other qualifications such as ABO designations and heightened senses. Our female MC is in search of solitude, taking up a job as the lighthouse keeper in the hopes that living on the edge of town would keep her away from its many overly friendly residents. She’s lost her parents, and had previous bad experiences with Alphas due to her health conditions. She’s accepted the fact that she’s not built for community and will always push people away when she encounters her dark days.
As someone who has struggled my entire adult life with PMDD, and was only officially diagnosed with PCOS this year (after an emergency surgery to save my ovary from an ovarian cyst) I completely related to our FMC’s struggles and headspace. It broke my heart to see our FMC suffer and hear how she talked about herself, knowing that’s probably how I look and sound to outsiders too. It made me stop and reconsider the ways I’ve treated myself in the past, and how frustrating it can be to get doctors to listen to me when I tell them, tearfully, over and over that something is wrong.
Not only was the FMC’s chronic illness dealt with in a way that felt familiar, even delicately and respectfully, and didn’t shy away from how dark it can truly get, so too were the discussions about mental health, grief, and childhood trauma. Our FMC’s eventual pack of Alphas bring their own struggles into this relationship. One of my favorite things about these found families is how they learn to lean on one another for emotional support, and work through things they never could have solved on their own.
At the end of the day, this story is about finding community. Even when you are adamantly NOT searching for it. While this story definitely qualifies as a cozy romance, don’t be fooled by the adorable cover. This book is spicy! Like…seriously. If you don’t enjoy reading explicit sex scenes this one is not going to work for you. I, however, had an absolute blast. I was shocked half the time from which characters got to get the girl first, to who ended up where… There were lots of kinks explored through this pack, with great inclusion of consent and after care.
My one and only complaint, and this is truly a me only problem, is that I wanted more cozy fall vibes. Sure there is a festival the town is preparing for as the story progresses, but I crave more. Like I said in the beginning, this is my favorite time of year, so what might be considered too much by someone else’s standards is hardly enough for me. I think this had the perfect amount of fall activities to be considered an autumn read for the casual fall connoisseur, and I can already see myself sitting down with this book every year in the future to set the tone for the season.
If you like spice (pumpkin and ya, know, the other kind). If you like found families, chronically ill FMC’s, and omegaverse antics you need to pick this book up. It’s set to release on November 13th.
But the fun doesn’t end there. This series will include 4 books, written by Emilia Emerson and Eliana Lee, alternating between characters. I am so locked in, it’s not even funny. See you soon, Winter!