Reign To Ruin

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to review *minor spoilers ahead* I loved the story of Drocco and Cailyn in the first novel and couldn't wait for King Malloron's story. Don't let his use of magic fool you into thinking he's not just as Alpha as Drocco and this book proves it! I loved the in-depth worldbuilding of the Western Lands in this book and how different it was from the 1st 3 books around Drocco. This was not necessarily a direct continuation of the 1st trilogy but it's not a standalone either. I saw one reviewer hard trouble following this on its own, and it's very hard to understand what's going on if you haven't read books 1-3. Don't judge this book unless you've read the other installments! That being said, King Malloron is a very different alpha from Drocco. He *is* that cruel but charming alpha that you're not necessarily going to like in the beginning of the story but he has met his match with Amara. She is a more seasoned Omega operative than Cailyn was so she finds herself going toe to toe with Malloron and her skills can't match his. Her fire and devotion to her mission isn't abandoned the minute she capitulates to Malloron which I LOVED. I've read many a "reluctant mate to the Alpha" novel and within 10 pages, the heroine abandons all the toughness and grit that you were ready for! That's why the Alpha liked her to begin with!! Grrrr... I did find Malloron's character arc a little slow to wander over to the "good side" but it arrived just in time of course for the novel to end!!! But in hindsight, that's what I liked about this novel -- Malloron was set in his ways much like Drocco was and given his use of ancient magic and the fact that he had a kingdom to protect, his resistance to recognizing his own emotions was understandable. I could not believe the novel ended where it did. Zoey Ellis is a master (mistress?? :) of the cliffhanger. You KNOW a cliffhanger is coming but it still shocks you all the same as you frantically swipe to the next page (on Kindle ;)), going "oh noooo. It's OVER??" Oh and the sex scenes are dark and very different from the ones in the previous novels, so I appreciate so much when sex scenes are inventive, original, and suit the specific characters vs. being repetitive. One scene I kept going over and over back to was where Malloron thinks Amara is interested in someone else and harshly confronts her. You'll know what I'm talking about. ;)

A/B/O stories are definitely my reading Achilles Heel. All I want is more and more! I was delighted to stumble upon Zoey Ellis's Myth of Omega series and have diligently read them as soon as they come out (Goodbye sleep schedule!). Reign to Ruin takes us to Eiros, where we get to finally see the behind the scenes world of King Malloron! Zoey has been incredible with her individual character backstory - each one a character you develop a vested interest in and the world she has presented in the Myth of Omega series is nothing short of AH-MAZING! She has managed to add another dynamic to the Omegaverse genre that I've never seen elsewhere. The back and forth between King Malloron and his discovered Omega, Amara, bring life to their relationship and predicament. You want them to succeed, but then you hate King Malloron and want so badly for Amara to escape - it's a tug-of-war with your heart!

Daammnn! Malloran and Amara are so dang hot! I highlighted so many quotes in this text. I kind of wish I could wait until the series Is completed then I could read it all the way through. There are some intriguing plot twists. This story is way different than Drocco and Cailyns story. Amara is a fighter and refuses to let him get away with his shenanigans. I have questions galore. What is going on in the red dungeon? Will we see the Omegas again? What about Drocco and Cailyn? What is going to happen with the alpha and the gamma. I need more information on the gamma dynamic. I thought it couldn’t get any better. I WAS WRONG! I highly recommend. I did miss the alpha purr.