Book Review: Omega Studies by Casey Cameron (Excerpt)

Book Review: Omega Studies by Casey Cameron (Excerpt)

Blurb:

Matt Guerrero is ready for the freedom that college brings: freedom from his family, and the pressures of being an omega in an alpha's world. So when the school assigns him an alpha "mentor," he can think of nothing he wants less than a mandatory babysitter...no matter how hot the guy is. 

Derek Fisher just wants to play it safe after a serious mistake almost cost him everything last year, but it's hard to keep his head down when his assigned omega keeps making trouble. He's never been into guys before, but Matt is attractive, smart, and funny, and spending time with him is seriously distracting. Derek wants more, but giving in to his desires could put everything at risk all over again.

When Matt uncovers a plot that could tear the school apart, he's all in--on fighting it, and on his relationship with Derek. Derek won't let him do it alone, but they'll have to fight the school administration and a ghost from Derek's past before they can be together the way Derek truly wants: as alpha and omega.

Buy it at Amazon.

Excerpt:

Matt’s parents said their goodbyes and left shortly after the movers finished. Neither of them gave Derek so much as another glance, and all three seemed to be in a foul mood. Once they left, Matt watched the door and waited for several seconds before he spoke.

“Well,” he said, blowing a stray lock of hair out of his face, “that was utterly fucking mortifying.”

Derek chuckled; he had quite a bit of sympathy, since he’d been largely ignored by the Guerreros and even he felt a little embarrassed by the attention. Apparently, this was just Matt’s life. How much of that was due to being an omega, and how much was due to being a rich kid, he wasn’t sure; the only thing Derek was sure about was that if it’d been him, there probably would have been a lot more shouting involved.

“I’m sorry about all that. My parents are…well, they’re like that. They don’t know the meaning of the word privacy.”

“Maybe if you tried in Spanish?” Derek said with a grin.

Matt laughed, and the lingering tension in the room seemed to fade a bit. It was a lovely sound, even with a touch of cynicism darkening it. “I’d try in fucking Elvish if I thought it would make a difference.”

“For what it’s worth, your mom seems to genuinely mean well. And I mean, she does have a point.”

“What, that I should only be bothering with college to find a respectable alpha, so they can marry me off and make me someone else’s responsibility before I do anything too embarrassing on their watch?”

“Not exactly,” Derek said with a frown, “but she’s right that it’s…an opportunity, I guess. You’re going to want to find an alpha eventually anyway. You might as well keep your eyes open while you’re here.”

“You realize that’s offensive, right? Not every omega wants to settle down with an alpha and pump out babies.” Matt crossed his arms, clearly on the defensive again.

Derek resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Not every omega, sure. But statistically speaking…I mean, just look around. Most eventually do.”

“Yeah, well, statistically speaking, I have one ass, and you can kiss it.”

Derek blinked for a moment, not entirely sure how to proceed. He wasn’t a Neanderthal or anything—he knew that omegas didn’t have to be demure and polite and submit to every alpha they saw, but in practice, there was a certain standard of behavior that he was used to. Maybe it was because most of the omegas Derek knew were women, or maybe it was because Matt was kind of a spoiled brat, but either way, the effect of an omega snapping at him like that and staring him down was as instant as it was unexpected. He had to fight down a growl, a low rumble of anger at having his authority questioned, but at the same time, something about the defiance went straight to his dick.

He wanted to make Matt submit.

Derek mentally shook himself. Where the hell was that coming from? Matt was…well, objectively speaking there was no doubt he was an attractive guy, but that wasn’t what Derek was into. Derek liked women, soft and curvy and smooth-skinned, with perky breasts and swaying hips that he could get a good, solid grip on. He’d never even looked at a guy that way before, much less imagined dominating one. But something about Matt’s scent drew him in; he wanted to wrap himself up in it, wanted to touch and taste until sweet honeysuckle and toffee was all that he knew.

It’s just a reaction to omega scent, he told himself, shaking his head. You haven’t gotten laid in months, and pheromones are making you loopy.

“Sorry,” he said, just to prove to his caveman alpha side that he could, “you’re right. I shouldn’t assume.”

Matt cocked his head and gave Derek a puzzled look for a moment, like maybe he’d started speaking Elvish himself, but then he relaxed, uncrossing his arms and letting them fall back to his sides. “Apology accepted. So, should we get this campus tour out of the way?”

What a pleasant surprise Omega Studies turned out to be. I honestly didn't have high expectations for this story because ABO dynamic stories have been pretty hit or miss for me. However, I found myself completely immersed in Matt and Derek's story. Easy to read, it went quickly, but Casey Cameron did a great job creating the world this story inhabited. I liked the characters, both Matt and Derek are great together as well as individually. The care and gentle hand Derek had with Matt was refreshing for a story with this theme. I also enjoyed the way they took their time getting together. They moved slow and unaware, becoming friends and eventually more and it felt very natural. If you are a fan of A/B/O, Omega Studies is definitely a book I'd recommend. 4 Stars!

*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Author Bio

Casey Cameron lives in a rare urban center in the U.S. Midwest, where she can be found among her fellow deviants writing porn in coffee shops. She writes primarily gay romance and erotica with a twist of the paranormal, and has a real kink for sex-positive and emotionally mature characters. She has a website at www.caseybcameron.com.