Author: Ari Wright

Series: Royalverse

First Published: 13 March 2025

“It’s not a dream. Or a wish. We’re here, Ivy. All yours. Do you feel it?”  

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Ari and Grey Promotions for sending a copy my way!

Once upon a time?

Um, no. Because that’s how fairytales start and Ivy Addison is no princess. In fact, she’s very happy being an absolute nobody.
She doesn’t have glass slippers or a trust fund or “graces”—and she’s pretty sure she doesn’t need rescuing. She also most definitely isn’t overworked as the housekeeper for a rowdy pack of royals… and she certainly has no feelings for any of them.

Well, aside from Asher, the Crown Prince and star of all her mortifying dreams. Or Sebastian, the oh-so-charming baron who always has a smile just for her. And Dair, the dangerous duke with all sorts of bad ideas in his eyes.
Turns out, there’s a reason she can’t stay away. But when these famously eligible men find out their maid is their mate…

Can the royal alphas convince Ivy they’ll be her happily ever after?

I completely adored Once Upon a Pack. If not for work, I would have finished this in one day. The sweet romance, with its typical omegaverse steam and Cinderella vibes alongside modern-day royalty, is something I adore. Safe to say, I have found myself a new Omegaverse author.

Ivy has had a pretty tough life. She lost her father at a young age and then slowly watched her mother get sick from losing her mate. Ivy dropped out of college to help her aunt take care of her mother and help with paying medical bills. She ends up getting a job at the nearby palace. Ivy is the housekeeper for the prince’s pack. They sent the pack to the palace to find an omega to bind with. She does her best to keep out of their way, especially since the Crown Prince Asher, is her childhood sweetheart who sent her away when he felt he needed to take his royal duty seriously. On top of cleaning up after this unruly pack of royals, she spends her nights working her second job as a seamstress. All of this to help keep the roof over her, her aunt and spoilt cousins’ heads. Her work friend convinces Ivy to take a night off and sneak into the royal masquerade ball. The king and queen are hosting the ball and have invited the most eligible omegas in hopes of fast-tracking finding the royal prince’s mate. Ivy reluctantly agrees to attend the ball. Within seconds of her arrival, Asher, Bast and Dair are all drawn to her. They have found their omega. Ivy, overwhelmed, runs, leaving the pack scrambling to find her and figure out who she is. Can the princes find her and help Ivy see she is worthy of her magical happily ever after?

Ivy is honestly the sweetest character. She has a heart of gold. Unfortunately, because of her trusting nature, people have taken advantage of her. Her aunt is a real piece of work. The way I cheered when she finally got the justice she deserved. Ivy has also been dealing with some chronic pain and health issues. Doctors are consistently telling her that there isn’t anything wrong with her. She feels like she needs to push through. So, trigger warnings for medical gaslighting. Ivy remains kind despite mistreatment.

The pack is barely functioning when we meet them. Our three alphas, Asher, Bast and Dair, met in college and became fast friends. But currently aren’t communicating well, which is causing friction. Asher is the Crown Prince who defied years of tradition to form a pack. He is quiet and a little nerdy. Growing up, Asher struggled with the expectations thrown on him. He feels that he isn’t living up to the world’s expectations. Then we have Lord Bast, our charming, golden retriever type. He’s the life of the party, always knows the right thing to say and seems to know everyone. Poor Bast is constantly on damage control to cover up the gruff and reserved nature of the other two pack members. And then we Duke Dair. He’s the gruff, tattooed bad boy. He seems to resent his title and will do anything to drag his family’s name through the mud.

I loved this pack. With Ivy, they have the space to heal from old hurts and become better people. Boy, did they fuck up and treat Ivy poorly in the beginning. From Asher turning her away when they were younger, Bast’s apathy to her when she was their housekeeper and Dair making her work as difficult as possible because she refused his drunk advances. But the way they grovel and court her was perfection. They were so sweet and did what they could to help her deal with her health issues and struggling with her omega side. This is what I want to see in a grovel. They took ownership of their mistakes and did what they could to prove they were worthy of her. In terms of the steam, we have all the fun omegaverse things we know and love. Asher, Bast, and Dair must tread carefully, to avoid accidentally rejecting Ivy and to help her feel comfortable with her new omega instincts. There was a perfect balance between the sweet and steamy.

I loved the royal aspect of this book. It gave me the magical, enchanted vibes of The Princess Diaries movie. We get these scenes where Ivy’s thrown into princess training with the Queen and Jasmine, one omega who courted the pack. I loved it so much! It was a mix of press/media training and so good.

Once Upon a Pack was so magical. It gave me all the feels of a modern-day Cinderella retelling and had me swooning the entire time. I cannot wait for book two. If you love Omegaverse books, you need to pick this one up.