Caged: A Dark Why Choose Fantasy Omegaverse

by Bernadette Blackthorn

Idril
I’ve spent nine years as my father’s prisoner—an Omega he’s kept hidden, medicated, and controlled. When I discover what he’s planning for me, I run.
I don’t make it far.
A series of tragic events lead me straight to three Vampire warriors who are convinced I’m working for the enemy. That I’m my father’s daughter in every way that matters. That whatever happened to tear their world apart is somehow my fault.

Now I’m trapped in the hands of men who hate me almost as much as they hate themselves for wanting me. To them, I’m nothing but a traitor. But they might be the only chance I have to survive… if I can convince them I’m not their enemy.



Caelan
She’s mine. I knew it the moment I saw her. The moment every instinct in me locked on and refused to let go. My pack doesn’t trust her—they have reasons not to. But I can’t explain what I feel, and I’ve stopped trying. The bond between us doesn’t care about logic or proof. Neither do I. I’ll burn the world to keep her safe. Even if it means going to war with my brothers.



Daxen
Idril is a distraction I can’t afford. The world is tearing itself apart, Omegas are disappearing, and she’s at the center of every unexplained surge, every impossible answer I can’t find. She’s the daughter of our enemy. The last person we should trust. My hate sharpens every time I look at her and remember what her family has cost us. But when she looks at me with those haunted eyes, I can’t shake the feeling that the truth I’ve been hunting my whole life might be standing right in front of me.



Vaelenor
I should treat her like the threat she is. I do. But something in me refuses to watch her break. I’ve lived my whole life fighting the curse in my blood, the violence that claws at my insides. With her… everything quiets. When I look at her, my instincts refuse to see the traitor everyone else does—even if I keep treating her like one. She’s an Omega. The daughter of a monster. Someone we should never have let through our doors. I don’t know what scares me more. That I’ll destroy her… or that I won’t be able to let her go.


A Dark Fantasy Omegaverse Romance filled with prophecy, obsession, and ancient magic, Caged is book one in a brand new series. The Last Daughter Series is perfect for fans
🔥Reverse Harem
🔥Omegaverse
🔥Dark Fantasy Romance
🔥Fated Mates / Rejected Mates
🔥Bully / Enemies to lovers (check TWs!)
🔥Forced Proximity (Captor/Captive)
🔥Betrayal
🔥Eventual Grovel (Books 2 and 3)
🔥OTT JP Heroes
🔥Multi-species harem that builds over time
🔥Vampire Alpha MMC’s
🔥Touch-Starved Human Omega FMC
🔥Hidden Past, Prophesies, Magic
🔥Band of Brothers / Found Family
🔥Slow Burn (No Body Betrayal Syndrome) that turns into 5🌶️ hotness!

Genres: Omegaverse, Why Choose

712 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Hayley Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Rainbow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not prepared for how suffocating Caged feels and I mean that as the highest compliment.


This book doesn’t flirt with darkness. It sits in it. The tension is claustrophobic, the vulnerability is raw, and the emotional damage? Immediate. You can feel the desperation in every interaction, every shift in power, every fragile moment of humanity trying to survive inside something brutal.

And the comfort? It’s not soft. It’s protective in a “touch them and you die” way. It’s survival. It’s messy. It’s the kind that forms under pressure and feels almost dangerous because of how intense it is.

I was stressed. I was uncomfortable. I was deeply attached.

If you like your hurt/comfort with sharp edges, moral grayness, and a constant sense of emotional captivity, this will absolutely cage you too.

Read at your own risk. I’m still recovering. 🖤

[Leonedia Moreland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing read! There is world building and character development that shows this new author has an absolute talent and skill that will be a thrill to read. I fell in love with the way the characters develop, its a slow burn with the beautiful relationships that build and characters that show nuance and amazing pieces of humanity.

[Christine Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic from start to finish. The story pulled me in right away and never let go — the kind of read where you promise yourself “just one more chapter” and suddenly an hour has passed. Definitely recommend!

[Audrey Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angst ✅
Realistic Drama ✅
World Building ✅
Banter/Hilarious Harem Monologue ✅✅
Emotional rollercoaster ✅
Impending Grovel ✅✅

I am absolutely enthralled with this beautiful masterpiece Bernadette has created. We follow our heroine, Idril, as she braves her abusive past and lands in the care of her supposed mates...and what an emotional roller coaster it is to get there. So many authors nowadays struggle to really capture the realistic side of hurt/betrayal oftentimes avoiding the necessary evils that would make the MMC's dislikable. To be clear, even when she does end up in their care they are cruel and nasty to the poor girl. Your heart breaks for Idril because she's already been through so much emotional and physical torture you just want to jump through the page and give her the biggest hug, and slap the everloving life out of the mates who were supposed to protect her. The MMC's were fleshed out beautifully with tragic pasts of their own, but never in a 'my past sucks worse so that's why I'm the way I am' kind of way. The entirety of the story you can actually understand their angst, and surprisingly root for the third brother building up to make the other 2 pay for their behavior. The world building was phenomenal, I lost many hours of sleep just existing in this expansive world she's created with just enough context clues to come to my own opinions rather than being simply told what to think. Also the lack of Body Betrayal Syndrome was such a refreshing breathe of air especially considering this was an Alpha/Omega type book. I'm so excited and selfishly disappointed that I have to wait a bit for the second book to come out. Please give this a try, you won't regret it.

I have received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kaela Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Author.

"Yes. Yours. Always yours. I’ll set it all ablaze before I let them part us." Caelan - Alpha Vampire MMC

Caged by Bernadette Blackthorn was a fitting name for this book. The emotional turmoil of this story was intense and left a lasting impression.
Caged is a dark omegaverse novel with a fantasy twist. The FMC Idril is an omega who has been held captive and experimented on by her father for the last decade and things start to get progressively worse in her household.
Just when you think her situation has reach rock bottom, Adril is "rescued" by three alpha male vampires. They think she is working for her father and Adril is just trying to survive a world she doesn't understand.
It was very easy to immerse myself into the story as the world building was vivid and detailed and the characters were engaging.
I loved Idril's character and her continued fight for survival. Idril's strength of character showed us that even the timid and quiet aren't necessarily weak.
Every moment where she was mistreated, or belittled was intense and brutal. It was hard to read these moments where she broke, but you also saw she had an ember of strength that refused to go out.
I imagine book two will show Adril turning the tides on everyone who doubted and mistreated her with intense grovelling ensued.
I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for book two. Please check your trigger warnings.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing from the first chapter. It’s dark. It’s emotional. She slowly builds these characters: Idril, her father, Caelan, Dax, Vaelenor and their relationships. She took her time building their world. It wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t wordy, it was fluid and it was beautiful. It gradually builds up and then it’s non stop. I felt all the emotions-happy, angry, sad, disbelief. It was an absolute rollercoaster. I found myself wanting to read fast because I needed to know what was going to happen but I forced myself to slow down because I didn’t want it to be over. This book wasn’t a matter of one more chapter but I need to stay up and finish this book. The cliffhanger? Didn’t see it coming. The book hangover? It’s brutal.

[Laini · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I hope when that girl learns how to hate you properly, you both fucking choke on it.”

Omg wow okay—I knew this one was going to hurt, but, DAMN. This is an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end. Vampires/Alphas/Omegas/Wolven/Magic/Prophecies—Caged has it all. These characters were beautifully written, especially FMC Idril.

If you like dark, why choose romantasy, don’t sleep on this one. Every other page will be blurry, but this is a book that will stay with you for a while.

[Moe Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dark, emotionally charged why choose omegaverse that left me sitting with my thoughts long after I turned the final page. The story is confronting and heavy, exploring themes of captivity, control, trauma, and survival in a way that feels intentionally uncomfortable yet deeply compelling.

Idril’s journey is the emotional core of this book. Her experiences are raw and often harrowing, and the narrative does not shy away from the psychological weight of what she endures. What stood out to me most was her quiet resilience—the way her strength unfolds gradually, not through grand gestures, but through small, hard-won moments of endurance and defiance. Her emotional landscape is written with care, making it easy to empathise with her pain while also rooting for her growth.

Caelan embodies many of the qualities I look for in an Alpha—protective, complex, and emotionally layered. His presence brings both tension and grounding to the story, and I am genuinely eager to see how his character continues to develop in book two. The introduction of a potential new mate toward the end of the book adds another intriguing layer to the narrative, opening the door to future emotional and relational complexity. That said, there are certain characters who have a significant amount of grovelling ahead of them, and I am very much hoping that the next instalment delivers on that emotional accountability.

The why choose dynamic within the omegaverse framework is used to heighten the emotional stakes rather than simply drive the romance, creating relationships that feel fraught, complicated, and far from straightforward. This is not a light read, but for readers who enjoy darker romance with strong emotional depth and character-driven storytelling, Caged offers a gripping and thought-provoking experience.

Thank you to Luna Literary Management for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Melita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I am excited to have been choosen as an ARC reader for this debut novel by Bernadette Blackthorne.

This book has a lot of world/lore and relationships building in this story.

Idril is a strong FMC (with how she survived growing up with a monster of a father) and how she endured the cruelty of the life she has been swallowed by. She grasps onto the one thing that would allow her to live through all of it; hope.
Out of the main MMC's. We have Caelan, Daxon & Varlenor; 3 strong and vastly different Vampire Alpha's.
Caelan is by far my favorite of his pack as well see Idril and his relationship develop first.
He is a strong, stoic and passionate MC. Torn between the unknown and what is fated, his character grows vastly in this first book, I cannot wait to see his possessiveness in the next books as his packmates are douche bags and completely unredeemable to me right now.

It is easy to follow, the story with it's multiple POV's kept my attention and didn't make me wanna groan with how I wanted things to move faster.
I can't wait for the next book to see how these group dynamics work and and to see Idril become the woman she deserves and is destined to be.

[Marilyn Formosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic story full of heartaches and pain. Well rounded written characters that get you frustrated, and angry and sad and heartbroken.

[Chloe Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a surface level, Caged, author Bernadette Blackthorn's first work, was might seem like a fairly predictable Cinderella type story with an omegaverse spin. Poor abused omega Idril lives with her abusive father in his reclusive mansion and lives a pretty miserable life, until charming Alpha Caelan steps in as a light in her life, bringing promises of rescue and safety. And if there weren't 500 pages to go, that's how this story might've ended, as a fairly straightforward good-guy-saves-the-girl-happily-ever-after story. Instead, though, Caged does something interesting with the fated mate trope: Caelan, her would be rescuer and fated mate, falls into a coma while trying to rescue her, and his two packmates (and her two other fated mates) are led to believe that she is to blame for the situation, and proceed to take her prisoner and treat her, shall we say, very not nicely. Instead of her two other fated mates being perfect instant "touch her and die" love connections, as they are in most books, these two hurt her worse than anyone except MAYBE her father. There is no physical/sexual abuse from them in the book, but that does not keep them from being abusive to the person they blame for putting their pack mate in a coma.

I will also say, while this is very much a miscommunication trope in play at first, Caged actually executes it very well and makes it very believable. Idril, who is gravely injured and delerious in their escape, says things that make perfect sense in the context of her POV, but to them, sound like a confession. Coupled with all the false info they believe about her situation, and she's damned in her eyes from the start. So while it is a tiny bit of a miscommunication trope, it was a well executed one and didn't bother me (especially because once she's not delerious, Idril loudly and repeatedly professes her innonce, it's just too late at that point.)

Anyway, I have no doubt a huge grovel is coming when the other shoe drops, and those two realises that not only is the girl they've been mistreating for almost 800 pages is innocent, but their fated mate to boot. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen in this book, so we'll just have to be patient. I, for one, cannot wait.

The world of Caged was also an interesting one, with vampires, and werewolves (excuse me, wolven) living alongside us in the real world of tiktok and Taylor Swift, which isn't unusual for a Paranormal Romance, but Caged managed to avoid a lot of the somewhat tired tropes that can make the genre feel a bit stale when overused, and added enough new or underexplored stuff to make the whole thing feel refreshing.

Perhaps my biggest criticism actually might be a pretty minor one, but I won't lie, it bothered me to no end. The book seemingly exclusively uses "male" and "female" to refer to people in situations we might use "man" or "woman", in situations like "we had a male on the inside," "he was a good male," "I sent in two males to rescue the female." I think, perhaps, the authors intention was to make the characters more primal as part of their alpha nature (although please note, this trend is in all characters POVs, including the FMC.) To me though, I found it very very jarring and almost... incel-esque. Like I said, a small thing, but it continuously distracted me throughout my reading.

Overall, though, Caged was an interesting read that felt like a fresh take on a lot of well tread tropes, and I'm excited to read the sequel!

[Vix · Rating 5 out of 5]

~ arc review

this is the author’s first book ever and she sure has written something that - i think - have been missing from majority of fantasy omegaverse stories and dare i say contemporary omegaverse… i honestly missed feeling how i was feeling in this book with dark romance books in general, like my soul was being crushed and i had to fight alongisde the fmc to just fucking breathe and feel her strength.

if you like being sucker punched with emotions that will make you wanna throw your kindle on the wall repeatedly and also slap the mmcs for their SHIT then this book will definitely be for you — this is a DARK omegaverse, please check the triggers and know your limits bc you will be in the fucking trenches will my girl idril and you will have big and strong feelings about men in general lol.

the fmc, idril, is a human omega who’s sheltered, abused, touch starved and pretty much used for anything and everything her father needs — her scared and submissive behavior doesn’t get annoying and you can actually understand all aspects of her responses and feel with her all she’s going through and you will love her for how strong and protective she is of those she loves.

the mmcs sure give you mixed emotions (which is a VERY good thing, trust me) — they are 3 alpha vamps and like idril, in the beginning, you learn their behavior, their innerthoughts and how society works for them as vampires. get ready to have BIG emotions towards them….

in regards to world building, pace and side characters:

• so in this world we have the ABO dynamics but it’s also applied to supes such as vamps and wolves… the world building is good, and the fun and frustrating thing is, you’re actually learning things about it along with the characters. the fantasy aspect is woven in a way that is believable and it feels unique

• pace is, imo, a bit slow in the beginning (like 20-30%) because i feel like it took more time than i liked for the fmc and mmcs lives come into contact in any way… and the dad scenes are a bit repetitive but i also can understand the need for them cause some of them give us clues as to what he could be up to — it also gave me anxiety but the good kind lol

• from 35% onwards i devoured this book. literally didnt sleep for the whole night. you will just need to keep reading and reading because IT CANNOT STAY LIKE THAT right? RIGHT???

• side characters were great actually, i liked how they added something vital to the story and they have their importance as individuals as well.

so this gets a 5/5 out of me because although it isn’t a perfect book, the way it made me feel makes it worth it.
i need the sequel… like… VERY QUICKLY.

[Samantha Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even have the words to describe how much i absolutely ADORE this book!

Caged is book 1 in The Last Daughter series. This is a dark, why choose omegaverse fantasy romance. Make sure to read the authors note at the beginning! Bernadette gives you a lot of info about the book!

I got this book in my email at 7 am yesterday and started right away and devoured the whole thing and finished by 10:30 that night! Once you start this book, you won't be able to stop or put your kindle down!

Caged hooks you from the very first page and will have you feeling every emotion right along with these characters.

Idril is our FMC and there is so much more to her than it seems. Her father has kept her sheltered and has done horrible things to this beautiful girl. I just wanted to reach thru my kindle and hug her. She grows so much strength over the course of this first book and I can not wait to see what she becomes as the series keeps going!

Caelan, one of our MMCs, is my absolute FAVORITE! This man is all in with our girl from the very first time he lays eyes on her! I cant wait for what he will do in book 2!

Vaelenor, or Vae, is another MMC and I think this man feels a lot but hides it so well. Im very excited to learn more about him and to see what he does when things come to light.

Daxen, I cant lie, I really wanted to throat punch him a few times 😂 Dax has some trauma and doesn't trust Omegas and sees Idril as a manipulator, even though he couldn't be more wrong. I have a feeling when he works thru his hang ups, we will be in for some epic groveling from him.

Bernadette has created a world that instantly intrigues and captivates you. Caged is a delicious slow burn, with top tier banter, delicious yet damaged men and a woman that is more powerful than anyone thinks with side characters that you will love and want to know more about too!

And that ending!?!?!?!?! I am so excited to see how it all starts in book 2! It's gonna be EPIC!!!

Caged is a masterpiece and I NEED everyone to read it! All the stars to you, Bernadette! I cant wait for more from your brain!!!!

[Lilith's_Library_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caged by Bernadette Blackthorn drags you into a dark and intense world where power, control, and desire intertwine in the most captivating ways. This Omegaverse story is heavy on atmosphere, with a moody, almost oppressive energy that pulls you deeper into the struggles of its characters. The world-building is rich and immersive, enveloping you in its cruel, primal society where the lines between dominance and submission blur.

The characters—complex and layered—struggle with their own desires and the darker parts of themselves. The tension between them crackles throughout, and the "Why Choose" aspect adds an intriguing element of emotional depth and turmoil. It’s not just about the relationships; it’s about the choices they must make and the chains they can't break free from.

What really stands out is the emotional rollercoaster, with moments of darkness that make you question everything while still wanting to see how the story will unfold. The pacing is spot-on, keeping the tension high without ever feeling rushed, though there were a few times I wished for a bit more depth in certain areas.

While it’s undeniably gripping and well-written, it left me with a lingering sense of unease, which I think was the intent. The ending didn't tie everything up in a neat bow, and part of me wishes I had more closure, but that's also what makes it haunting.

A solid four stars for the compelling darkness and the emotional pull, but not quite five because I needed just a little more clarity in some of the character arcs.

[Stephanie Rhamstine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to @lunaliterary.management for this eARC!

Some books entertain you. This one consumes you.

I was completely absorbed: heart racing, fully invested, emotionally spiraling in the best way. The tension never drops. The dynamics are intense. And the way this story builds? I didn’t even process that I’d reached the final page until it was over.

And the fact that this is 734 pages and I read it in five hours?? That tells you everything. I devoured it like I was starved and somehow still wanted more when it ended.

Speaking of .... That ending left me staring at my Kindle in disbelief.

And listen… the grovel that is coming? It better be historic. Because these men?? The choices they made?? If you know, you know. 😒 I need suffering. I need redemption earned the hard way.

I will absolutely be yelling about this book to anyone who will listen. It’s the kind of read that deserves to live permanently on my shelves... every version. Paperback. Hardcover. Signed copy. Special edition. I do not care. It belongs there.

And I need the next book immediately because I cannot sit in this tension any longer.

All the stars. No hesitation.

[Charlotte Battersby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is dark, most of the love interests do treat our girl rough and with hatred so do take that into consideration when wanting to pick this up. If you don't mind that, it is such a gem of a first book!
I didn't expect how strongly Caged would make me feel for Idril's suffering! It has been ages since a book has evoked this amount of feeling from me and this book is going to have me in a book slump, I can feel it. This series is going to promise such good grovelling in the future with how the current love interests are treating our poor girl. Also the world building is so, so good! The world building, the plot, the characters and folklore involved, it has me captivated and dying to read book two when available! The slow burn is going to make the relationship building and development in this series so good considering some of the relationships are feeling one sided enemies to lovers. Caelan is definitely the green flag right now and we have the mysterious wolven too!

I can't recommend this enough if you love dark fantasy whychoose stories! Such a strong debut book from Bernadette Blackthorn!

[Rachel Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh this book had me in such a chokehold.

From the very first chapter I was hooked. I mean come on meeting Idril and seeing how her world looked was tragic. Not being able to speak to anyone or have any comfort in anything not even the one person who was suppose to love and protect her. Her father

When she hits the lowest point in her life she meets her fated mate Caelan. The one who promises to return for her only when he does her father is waiting. He’s the one person who can protect her but when he gets seriously hurt his pack capture Idril and keep her close.

Dax, a man who despises omegas Wong let himself believe anything other than it’s her fault, her fault Caelan is hurt, was left for dead and nothing will change that. So why does he feel sparks everything he’s near her?

With the one person who could save her placed in a coma we see how idril lives life while captured and how she navigated through so many different situations while craving the comfort she’s has so desperately always desired.

[Raychael · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're not a bully trope fan.. this may not be the book for you

Can I just say I cried, I was pissed, I raged right asking with our human omega Idril, this is a character that was wish for heart break and this author did so good. She starts off under her father's thumb tortured and threatened by him and the "severed" one cake Alexander.

In comes Caelan an ancient Alpha vampire who finds and stakes out Idril's father's house where he sees her and it's AO compatible at first site. Of course his pack mates, Dax and Vaelenor are not on board as they don't trust the human and Dax doesn't trust any omega.

Needless to say.. this book is a winner for sure and I can't wait to tag the rest.. I am lucky enough to have gotten to read this as an ARC so I really how it'll be soon

[Courteney Ferrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY shit.
The way this book has a chokehold on me. I finished it a week ago and I'm still thinking about it.
I am a why-choose heathen...and this one was so fresh and new! absolutely could not put it down. I can't wait for the next book, and to experience allllll of the groveling that is going to have to happen :D