He conquered an Empire – and she’s next.The most savage Alpha in the land is relentlessly searching for his OmegaAnd she’s hiding right under his nose.Knowing her life would be over if Emperor Drocco ever discovered she was an Omega, Cailyn is trapped in a desperate struggle.She came for his secrets, prepared for his arrogance and wild nature, but not for the effect he would have on her.Now she … not for the effect he would have on her.
Now she must fight to escape not only the ruthless Alpha, but also her own desires.
CRAVE TO CONQUER is a full-length fantasy romance novel beginning a dark and steamy Omegaverse romance that delves into the depths of redemptive, carnal love. For fans of faithful Alpha anti-heroes and captive romances. Cliffhanger included but this trilogy is complete.
Crave to Conquer includes romance and situations of a dark nature. Some aspects of this story may be sensitive for some readers. For aged 18 and over.
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THE BEGINNING OF MY OMEGAVERSE OBSESSION
Crave to Conquer is the first book of the Crave Trilogy set within the Myth of Omega universe created by Zoey Ellis. It is my first ever book on Alpha-Omega and I am so glad to have chanced upon it. On first look, the cover actually gives me the jitters (not exactly my type) but by some mystical power, I just went ahead and start the book and the rest is history. The Omegaverse that Zoey has built and constructed is so intriguing and fascinating that I can’t help but be absorbed into it.
In this dystopian world, Omegas are missing for almost a century and Alphas are struggling to survive without their natural partners as mates to breed and continue the Alpha/Omega offsprings. There are a total of three major lands in this world, namely the Eastern Lands, Western Lands and the Southern Lands, and this book kicked off the trilogy with Emperor Drocco conquering and unifying the entire Eastern Lands as the newly formed Lox Empire.
Settling in as the first ever Emperor the lands has seen, Drocco made it his first and most important mission to find the missing Omegas, or at least to uncover the reason of their disappearance. In order to do that, he enlisted Cailyn Lefroy, apparently the most accomplished historian in the Eastern Lands, to help him organize the history of Omegas.
To his surprise, Cailyn is not what Drocco had expected – small size for a beta-female, smart mouth and a feisty temperament. As they spent more time together uncovering the Omegas’ history, Drocco found himself unable to get her out of his head. Well, as it turned out, Cailyn lied about her dynamics and is exactly the Omega Drocco so eagerly seeked.
Of course Drocco did not react well to her deceit while Cailyn couldn’t be more resentful toward Drocco for his cruel treatment and conceitful attitude toward Omegas. Drocco sworn to find the Omegas and Cailyn would die to protect their existence from being discovered by the Emperor, and therefore lies the conflicting nature of their love story.
“Wherever you go, I will find you.” – Drocco
Crave to Conquer, Chapter Twelve, 87.5%
Emperor Drocco Andaus is the ultimate Alpha anyone could possibly ask for. Given, the story’s backdrop is a dystopian world and not real in a way, his alpha-holyness could not be denied regardless – strong, powerful, confident, assertive, possessive, domineering, and what’s so attractive about Drocco is the fact that he is honest to a fault and as honorable as one could be. He does not subject to underhand methods or go in roundabout ways – he is always upfront and faces head on in all things. To top things off, his crazy possessiveness and jealousy over Cailyn is such a turn-on and it propels him to the top of my super sexy alpha book hero chart.
“I preferred it when you were silent,” she snapped. “As soon as you open your mouth, you spoil things.” – Cailyn
Crave to Conquer, Chapter Ten, 75.7%
Cailyn Betheron is a strong, independent Omega, a powerful talent-crafter and a dedicated spy for the Omega cause. Despite her feisty personality, fearlessness and witty remarks aimed at Drocco, her unwanted attraction to him confused and bothered her to no end. She could not understand how she could be attracted to an Alpha who is cruel and condescending in his views of Omegas and she refuses to be that Omega so she fights tooth and nail to deny Drocco and his affection.
In this first book, both main characters are well developed and the build-up of their relationship along with individual struggles/denials against their attractions for one another are well narrated, and the flow of story is smooth and flawless. Zoey’s style of writing is impeccable and draws you straight into the imaginative world.
In addition, as my first venture into an Alpha-Omega world, in between the steamy steamy sex scenes, I am more than delighted to find the knotting part of their intercourse strangely gratifying (don’t ask me why I just am). I guess I think that made them more connected in a way? I also love the idea of a one-Alpha-one-Omega coupling in Zoey’s Omegaverse world so definitely NO CHEATING! YAAAAYY!
As the first book in a trilogy, obviously the book ended with a cliffhanger but lucky for us, the trilogy is already complete so we can binge to our hearts delight! At the end of the book, I was more than ready to jump into book two to find out how Drocco and Cailyn’s romance could blossom into a beautiful story. With the strong push/pull factors, it will be captivating to read and see how their attractions unfold over the course of the trilogy: Would Cailyn accept Drocco as her mate and is Drocco able to push past the princples he so willingly set upon Cailyn?
Crave to Conquer is a total page-turner and I finished it in just one sitting. In fact, I have re-read the trilogy numerous times during and after my pregnancy (it is my go-to books during my pregnancy ’cause reading this trilogy makes me SO HAPPY).
I know most, if not all, Omegaverse stories deal with pretty dark elements (like non/dub-con sex, sharing and/or rape) but I can assure you, Zoey’s Omegaverse is quite safe for beginners, at least for me it is, but do read below for trigger warnings. I would highly recommend anyone who is interested to start an Omegaverse romance with this trilogy!
RATING (OUT OF 5):
• Overall: 5
• Storyline: 5
• Writing: 5
• Hero: 4.5
• Heroine: 4.5
• Steam: 5
• Angst: 1 (very low)
SAFETY:
• Hero: Emperor Drocco Andaus (aged 38), first ever Alpha in the Eastern Lands to lead an all-Alpha army, The Lox and succeeds in conquering and unifying the Eastern Lands into Lox Empire; however, in his eagerness to ‘tame’ Cailyn, he did something so careless and stupid that I rated him half a star less for it.
• Heroine: Cailyn Betheron (age 25), an extremely talented Omega spy who is headstrong, spiffy and who is more than willing to take on dangerous missions if it means keeping the Omegas in hiding safe; I gave a half star reduction because of how she succumbed to her fear for her own life despite her life’s mission to protect the Omegas.
• Safe sex: No
• OM/OW drama: No
• Sexual acts with OM/OW: No
• Virgin: Heroine only
• Possible Triggers: Dub/non-con sex between Hero and heroine, captivity, torture, violence
• Push/Pull: Yes, due to the difference in Hero and heroine’s motive and cause versus the nature of their dynamics
• Ending: Cliffhanger
• POV: Dual
So delicious! Crave is similar to a manual about the Omegaverse trope. It has everything the alpha and his omega should and should not do in order to make a strong, loving whole. Not do’s include not yelling, not torturing, not threatening, not lying, not using magic against each other. Do do’s include nesting, purring, naked closeness, wet love making and squelching, hardcore s*x, talking and getting to know each other, long stares, and petting each other. Even though Crave has all the positive and negative plot points of a traditional omegaverse, it is not boring in the least! It is a page turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
It’s difficult to find a good Omegaverse book and I totally loved this one.
Very well written with great world building and strong characters. I really like Drocco and Cailyn tempestuous relationship. The Alpha/Omega dynamics are always complicated and the omegas aren’t willing to be manhandle by Alphas. However times are changing are what Alphas and Omegas once was a bad relationship now maybe could be different.
I enjoyed a lot the conflict between Drocco and Caylin. Both have preconceived ideas about the other. How the other is supposed to behave and what should be and they are not focusing on the person they have in front of the other and what its really good for them. Powerful, brave and determinded characters. Steamy scenes since Drocco and CAilyn have amazing chemistry.
Hopefully they can find an Alpha/Omega relationship beneficial for both of them and accept their attraction and what they can become together.
Great starting for this trilogy!
Love it
One of the best series in the Omegaverse genre. The world-building is what makes it stand out.
Super steamy, original Omegaverse
Zoey writes an awesome story. I love omegaverse stories. The world that Zoey creates combines magic, the alpha/omega dynamic that is set in an old world type of setting.
I finally got around to reading this book, and I thought, okay, it’s dark and twisted. I’m not averse to the writing, just the execution of the plot.
So much violence. It felt the numerous rape scenes were kind of unnecessary, almost romanticizing the scenes. Just No! I feel it promotes the wrong message. For a romance reader at heart, I can’t recommend it.
Excellent!!
This is the first of several books. It did end in a big cliffhanger. I enjoyed it but do not feel compelled to read the next books. This may be because I don’t really get into sci-fi type fiction, but the story was fine and I liked the idea of the guy holding her and purring!
A little on the brutal side, definitely not for those deep into women’s rights. The men in this story are alphas, so that tells you pretty much what to expect. Lots of rough treatment on the heroin, and also unwanted sadistic sex, but the story is very original and full of action. Am curious as to what happens on the next books, might be worth it to check them out.
Love, love, loved it. I read the first two, I didn’t get to the third yet.
Great book would highly recommend the trilogy
Awesome awesome series
Awesome i cant finish the series because im not paying no more than .99 cents to read a book or buy & the 3rd book is 2.99 or 3.99..the 2nd was .99 & i was kool with that…
This is the first book I have read by this author but won’t be the last. This is a dark read so please keep that in mind before buying. I love another author who has an omegaverse series so it was lucky for me this book was recommended in my reader group. I was glued to my kindle it was such an intense read. I couldn’t put it down and now that I am finished I am dreading the wait for the next book in series. If dark romance and omegaverse are your happy place this is a book for you. I highly recommended and happy reading.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book has triggers. This was my first time to read this author but definitely not my last. The book ends on a cliffie but I did not mind that one bit. It’s a dark romance with a few triggers but it’s not too terribly dark. I loved it and once I started reading i couldn’t get enough of it.
Drocco is the Emperor of the newly formed Lox empire. Now that he has conquered all that he said he would of the lands he is focused on finding what happened to all the Omegas. He enrolls the help of the most experienced historian to look back on all the sightings and reports of the Omegas throughout the years. Enter Cailyn. An Omega posing as a Beta to find out what the Emperor knows so she can help keep the Omegas safe.
Drocco is as alpha as an Alpha can get. Possessive, domineering, my way or the highway, completely ran by his emotions and instincts. Cailyn fights her instincts and doesn’t believe any of Drocco’s feelings or actions are genuine.
When I first started to read these books I thought they would be shifters. This is so much better and new for me. I loved every bit of this book, even the dark! On to the next book! I cannot wait to see what happens!
I read this, and the second book, when they first came out, and despite buying book 3 a hectic arc schedule meant I never got around to reading it. This is my year for reading books I already own so I’m going to read that third book, but leaving it two years and more than a few hundred books later meant I needed to do a re-read of this and Crave to Capture. My original plan was to skim read, just flip through and remind myself of some key points that I’d forgotten. Ha! That idea soon dissipated into the ether because within minutes I found myself totally engrossed. So much so that I didn’t put it back down until I’d read the whole thing.
Cailyn is a my sort of heroine, feisty, strong, determined and clever. Drocco – well the jury is still out for him. He was arrogant, conceited, assuming and overbearing. His initial treatment of Cailyn, when he discovered her true dynamic, was horrific. He used some extremes of torture to try and break her down and, as with most M/f omegaverse stories, there was a considerable element of dubious consent. Many would argue that it veered into non-consent, and whilst that becomes an argument of semantics, the book definitely contains a few scenes that might trigger some.
Whilst Drocco did earn back some of my respect and affection when he made an effort to learn more about Cailyn, to try and understand what he had done wrong (duh, big stupid alpha male that he was) and to rectify some of his actions/decisions, his motives for that were still questionable. How much was because he wanted Cailyn to be happy and how much was his obsessive desire to ‘own’ an omega mate? The fact that they could be soul mates only added another layer of complication to the whole situation.
I really enjoyed how this omegaverse incorporated an element of magic, though I’ve loved the fantasy genre since my teens, when I’d read Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings and Katherine Kerr. The world building was good, the author created an interesting setting for her story and managed to develop our understanding of it without a huge information dump, but also in a way that never left us adrift in this new world.
I’m jumping into book 2 today, and find myself still only too happy to recommend this to those who enjoy darker Mf omegaverse.