***5 ‘You Are Not What I Expected’ Stars***

When I heard that Juliette Cross was going to be putting her own paranormal twist on some very well loved fairy tales I started making grabby hands, while doing a lot of the practicing patience thing and though it did take me a little longer to dive in that I intended, I wasn’t disappointed. She has created a vibrant world and filled it with characters that I need to know more about, even the baddies and woven humor, heart, suspense and a good dose smexyness into it that had me turning the pages until there were no more to turn.

I adored Marius. He is a vampire and a prince, but he’s nothing like you’d expect him to be. He believes in the superiority of his race and status within it and though the arrogance that comes with that belief is woven into his very being, it doesn’t suffocate. He’s all kinds of charming, confident, intelligent, smexy alpha male goodness and all of that combined with his compassionate heart makes him all kinds of swoon worthy.

Arabelle and I had an interesting go of it. Overall I loved the girl. She genuinely cares for her people and though she is just a servant she is willing to do all she can to better their lives, even if it mean sacrificing hers. She could have turned her back on the problems, and even turned callous and cold, but didn’t. But for all I admired her, her tunnel vision in the beginning had me twitching. She has just cause for her feelings, but the soapbox she put herself on was not as sturdy as she believed.

Marius and Arabelle’s road to their HEA was a bumpy one for many reasons, but it was a fun and smexy one as they forced each other to open their eyes to the true reality of the world they lived in. I enjoyed the push and pull between them because it not only made the sexual tension between them that much hotter, but it forced them to get to know each other beyond their station in life and come to realize that they had much more in common than they could have ever imagined.

It’s not secret I’m a huge Juliette Cross fangirl and a good portion of that has to do with how well she builds the world her stories are set in. They are vibrant, even in their darkness, and she has a way of making you want to explore every nook and cranny of it. She creates a history of the world that is believable even though you know in your logical mind that there is no way it can exist and yet you want to get lost in it and that’s what she done once again with The Black Lily. On top of all of that she brings to life characters that you want to know more about and spend time with, even the ones you want to gut with a spoon and there are many I’d love to cozy up to here. As this is the first in series, there is a lot of information being thrown at you, but it’s done in a more show not tell way so it isn’t overwhelming. I do have one, well, two bones to pick with Ms. Cross, but neither are about the overall story arc of the series, which I thought was well done and cannot wait to see how everything plays out down the road!

4.5 - "I'll see you at dusk..." Stars!

I think it says a lot about the quality of a book, when at around the halfway through point, you jump on Amazon and buy four more books that the author has written.

IMAGE.

That was me whilst reading The Black Lily. Juliette Cross, is an author I have heard great things about but this was my first experience of immersing myself in her vivid and visual writing. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of well written PNR, there is nothing like leaving real life behind when you switch on your Kindle, and for me this genre is the absolute best form of escapism.

Their arrogance would be their undoing…

And this is what took Juliette’s story-telling from great to outstanding, the locale and people of Varis were so meticulously described and developed that I felt like I was in the story with Arabelle and Prince Marius. Told from dual POV, the Vampire and the mortal give you a completely different outlook on the tale being told.

She was golden in every way- hair, eyes, skin- the embodiment of his weakness…

There is a definite Cinderella vibe running through the book, but whereas Cinders wanted the Prince to fall in love with her, Arabelle initially tries to kill Marius. But with all best laid plans things don’t quite turn out as she has hoped, especially when she takes into account the insane attraction bubbling between them, how on earth can she lead The Black Lily in fighting against the oppression of Vampires, when she secretly wants to be first in line to offer herself and her veins up for the dark and dashing Prince.

"Only you… More than blood, more than breath, more than life itself."

Things only get better, with a well thought out and unpredictable plot, and the addition of an extremely well rounded cast of interesting secondary characters, Sienna, Deek and Nikolai all played integral parts, in the way the book progressed, and I would hope so see more inclusion from at least some of them as more books are released.

It’s not often I fall in love with an author’s writing so much just halfway through the first book I read by them that I am compelled to buy more books, Juliette grabbed me by the imagination and kept me entertained right up until the end of this story, and while not left on a cliff hanger in any sense, this is more of a Happy For Now for our lead couple. I hope that the author and Entangled Publishing run with this series, and keep the releases flowing at a nice and regular rate, as I cannot wait too read more!

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, and it was my absolute pleasure to provide the above review in exchange.

First of all, I love vampire tales. Normally the vampire has the human whimpering and trembling at the knees, scared out of her/his wits. But the way Arabelle brought Marius to his knees with a kiss was amazing, all at the same time trying to drive a gold tipped dagger through his heart!
Arabelle was The Black Lily, leader of a growing cause of peasants that wanted the right to choose to either serve the Royals or have careers of their own.

There's bloodshed and tears, but it's a fantastic story!

This story just wasn't for me, for some reason I just couldn't connect with the heroine. That being said it was a well written story just not for me.

Whoopsie! A brand new series by Juliette and she's already got me panting for the next book. Arabelle and Marius are just wow. Initially, during the first few chapters, I wondered how these two were going to get an HEA, being that they were from totally opposite ends of the spectrum but with the revelation of the villain there at the end, Juliette Cross created the perfect out for Marius. I am totally taken with Sienna and Mina as well and I can't wait till their books are out.

The Black Lily,  Juliette Cross

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance,

I’ve read a few of Juliette’s stories, and liked the sound of this. Vampires? Romance? yep, two of my tick boxes ;-)
What did make me hesitate was the Cinderella connection. I’m not a fan of fairy-tale rewrites generally, I’ve read too many that mirror the original so closely there’s nothing fresh in the story, but this one is fine. 
The storyline is only very loosely followed, in fact most of the story is pure Juliette original, maybe 5-10% follows Cinderella and that’s fine by me!

We meet Arabelle, AKA the Black Lily, with her friend Deek, the blacksmith,  planning an audacious assassination of the vampire Prince Marius at a ball later that evening. 
She and her band of followers have been planning this carefully, she has the gown, the jewels, the mask, a fairy-tale carriage, albeit borrowed as are the gown and jewels, and most important, a gold edged knife to kill him. Vampires in this series are killed by gold, though royals have to be stabbed in the heart for it to be fatal. No pressure there then Arabelle.
Why are they out to kill him? Well, seems vampires aren’t sticking to the laws, and the peasants arte being drained, first an odd few but more and more recently. Arabelle’s mother died this way and she’s determined to stop the slaughter.

I love the way the planning was explained, there wasn’t a magic wand ( well unless you call a certain part of Deek’s anatomy that, he uses it well to “persuade” people to lend things for the cause.... There’s lots of planning, they’ve spent months on this, even down to Arabelle swapping her outdoor chores for one of the staff's indoor ones, so her skin gets a chance to lighten, helped also by her own cosmetic preparations. She doesn’t just dress up and hope for the best, but plans, works to make it a success.
I need that in a story, need to understand the how and the why, when something just falls into place at the right time without any effort it just doesn’t work for me.

Of course she doesn’t manage to kill him, it’d be a short book if she did...but he gets close to her and is entranced, enamoured by her even though she wanted him dead.
As it happens she was surprised by her attraction to him, surprised by their conversation. He wasn’t what she expected.
Marius is determined to find her, find out why she tried to kill him, to just get to know her better. He wants her, and not as a prisoner for an attempt on his life. Of course his royal parents aren’t quite of the same mind.
There follows captures and escapes, plans and plots, deals and steals, barters and betrayals...its a fun read, especially when we meet the Hart Wolves, and Sienna.

I really liked Marius, he was a Vampire, but one of the good guys, they’re not all heartless, blood-thirsty killers and he has no idea what’s been going on. His one failing is assuming everyone is happy, what will he do now he knows otherwise?
I really wanted him and Arabelle to find a way together but when they’re on such opposing sides its a hard ask.

There’s some great characters here, some fun adventure and it adds up to an enjoyable read, when the final denouement is revealed I could have kicked myself ( metaphorically – its hard to do that when you’ve only one leg, I’d just fall over!)
Its so obvious and yet...like I suspect most readers, I simply didn’t see that coming, followed the trail led before me very obligingly.

Its not deep, dark, drama but light and fun, with some real excitement at times, some plots that were very realistic and no quick instant, unbelievable fixes, but ones where people worked for them.
Arabelle wasn’t a sweet, helpless female, not yet a kiss ar$e heroine, but someone who felt real, who was a natural leader and worked hard for what she wanted to achieve. There were some excellent support characters too, that fitted the storyline very well.
I love the descriptions of the gowns, the fabulous Glass Palace, and the minutiae of everyday life brought in that made things feel real.

Its ends on a good spot but leaving the way open for more and I’ll be happy to read the next story.

Stars: five, a great relaxing read, fun story, light drama and adventure.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

The Black Lily by Juliette Cross is the first book in her new Tales of the Black Lily series. I have been a big fan of Juliette Cross, since I started reading her Nightwing series; her stories are always captivating, exciting, adventurous, sexy and pure fun to read. The Black Lily is no different and after I finished this book, Juliette Cross once again rises up on my list of books and authors I MUST read. I loved loved The Black Lily; it was a fantastic ride from start to finish, with a couple that blew us away with so much chemistry. Now for my review. 
The Black Lily has a slight take on the Cinderella fairytale, but it is nothing like it. Arabelle, our heroine, lives as a peasant, with a woman and two daughters, who treat her miserably. But Arabelle is the leader of The Black Lily underground resistance that is trying to rebel against the vampire kingdom that rules the Glass Tower. Humans are dying, having been found murdered and drained blood dry. Arabelle devises a plan to kill the Prince, at the upcoming ball, in order to make the King and Queen listen to their grievances.

Prince Marius, our hero, dreads going to the ball, but he needs to pick a woman who will become his next blood concubine; especially in a matter of days he will be getting married to a princess he has never met. At the ball, he becomes mesmerized by a beautiful young woman dressed in Gold, and after a dance, he whisks her away for a tour of the Glass Tower. He finds her irresistible, and when makes advances on her, which she encourages, Marious is shocked when she plunges a knife to his chest.

Arrabelle, thinking she killed her target, manages to escape, but leaving behind a gold pointed knife (no there is no slipper here). Marius, after he drinks blood and is healed, goes with his best friend, Nikolai to search for the woman who has a tattoo on her shoulder. During the search, he will notice the fear in the folks in town, as well as those working at the Tower. Marius will also discover that the missing servant in the house is the one he is looking for, but sees the condition of how she lives. This will open his eyes as to the conditions surround the lands his family runs, which was not as he was led to believe. After a few times of catching up with Arrabelle, Marius knows she is a handful, but she is a handful he cannot resist. Arrabelle, despite thinking Marius as the enemy is also unable to resist his charms. Arrabelle will begin to trust Marius, and tell him about the murders, forcing him to investigate with Nicolai to find out what is happening behind the scenes. Marius knows he loves Arrabelle, and knows he must do everything in his power to protect her against his mother and father’s determination to have her killed.

What follows is a fantastic exciting story that will have you either on the edge of your seat or swooning over their hot sexy romance. Arrabelle was such a wonderful heroine, strong, beautiful, and determined to fight for her friends. Marius was not only a great hero, but also very charming and sexy; and they were so good together. The wildly exciting climax was so tense, suspenseful, with non-stop action, that we were left breathless. I also want to point out that I loved two of the secondary characters; Sienna and her wolves; as well as Nicolai. The Black Lily was such an amazing book, as well as steamy, and very well written by Cross. Bravo to Juliette Cross for giving another sensational new series. I cannot wait for the next book.

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Do you love fairy tales? Are you a hopeless romantic and proud of it? Then I'm betting you loved Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast and many more! Well this new to me author puts a different slant with vampires into the famous Cinderella story. Not only that but our supposedly downtrodden heroine Arabella might do menial work for three nasty women but there's a fire to her and backbone too plus Arabella hides a huge secret! She's the leader of the resistance , the woman who is determined to stop the senseless murder of humans and her plan all starts with a trip to a very import ball at the palace!
Prince Marius is coming up to his one hundredth birthday and as his marriage gets closer so too do his suspicions that something isn't quite right in the palace. So imagine his shock when a stunning but mysterious woman tries to kill him! Yet her scent, her very essence has captured his attention and Marius sets out to hunt the would be assassin down. Oh he finds her all right but the annoying, challenging female turns the tables on him with assertions that vampires are piling up bodies and then of course there's the little fact that she's his mortal enemy! So not what Marius had in mind but the passion he feels for her just needs to be fed or does it?
I loved seeing Marius get all hung up and confused by Arabella as she's a vibrant heroine whose courage shines . I won't give any more away but I also liked the way the author gives depth to her story with supporting characters that might or might not have a happy ending. Add in a woman in a red cloak and wolves and it's like a cornucopia of fairytale ideas but it all comes back to the vampires and it does so in truly gruesome style!
Traditionally fairy tales are dark and quite often we forget that as we see talking animals in cartoons gloriously hamming it up. This story goes back to those original fears , fleshes them out and adds to it all. I'm not usually a fan of instant love but the chemistry this couple have did kind of remind me of a certain sparkly vampire and funnily enough it felt right. A vampire would feel intensely, so our Prince Charming is rightly besotted by Arabella but he's going to have to work hard if he wants his happy ever after!
This voluntary take is of an advance reader arc from Netgalley which I very happily read

"She was a fiery beauty in the cold darkness, a beating heart among the lifeless, mundane world he knew too well."

Wow! This book starts with a BANG, and it doesn’t let up until the last page. I was so sad when it was over. The Black Lily is an exhilarating adventure that I can’t wait to re-explore.

Oh, what a merry chase our Arabelle gives the prince and his army. This girl has gumption and lady balls out to the wazoo! I was so impressed by her. The story opens with her attempt to assassinate the prince, and she’s so self-assured and shows such badassery. She’s not afraid to use all the weapons--feminine wiles and otherwise--to complete her task. Arabelle escapes by the skin of her teeth that night, and I was so excited to see the firecracker side of her. This girl has got it goin’ on! I laughed at how she keeps Marius (and really, the whole vampire community) on their toes.

And Marius? He completely knocks the wind out from Arabelle’s sails...by just being himself.

As soon as he catches sight of her at his ball, Marius is hooked. Arabelle is the last person he should want. She’s the Black Lily, the leader causing the uprising against the vampires. But when has that ever stopped love? Never, that’s when!

Marius doesn’t expect her complete hatred of his people, and even though Arabelle almost succeeds in killing him, it rejuvenates him almost. It’s a challenge he can’t help but rise to, and it opened him as a character. There’s a lot going on in the kingdom that he is unaware of, and Arabelle doesn’t fear showing him. I was on the edge of my seat every time they had a confrontation, and I couldn’t wait to see who came out on top. There’s an animal magnetism between them, a searching and meeting of wills.

Once in a blue moon, I’ll find a book that captures me heart and soul. This book is it. Arabelle astounded me with her fiery strength, with her vulnerability. Marius was dashing and daring and so sweet, it made my teeth ache. The Black Lily kept me anticipating every new page because it’s flowing with color and charm, with purpose. Overall, it’s a riot to read--Cinderella set in the dark, enticing woods of Maleficent.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next in this series. One of my favorite reads this year by far!

It took me a while to finish this one. It is written well but I did not really like the heroine. Yes, she was badass, but her reasoning and attitude were not endearing her to me. That said, I did enjoy the storytelling.

This just wasn't the book for me. I liked the concept, Cinderella retelling with vampires? And Cinderella's an assassin? I mean, heck yes! But the often times cringe worthy writing and the irritating main character killed the enjoyment for me. I wasn't expecting something groundbreaking, I just wanted to have a little fun with this book. But rather than getting lost in the story I was getting distracted by the over the top, silly, flowery prose and the main character who was supposed to be so smart, but often acted like an idiot. It was just all too superficial, too predictable. Had I loved the main character or been able to get swept away in the narrative, I probably would have flown through this. However, as it was, I ended up really struggling to get through this one because of my own annoyances. I would still recommend this if it sounds interesting.

A good well-written paranormal romance. Good plot and characters.

The Black Lily by Juliette Cross is one unique retelling of the Cinderella fairytale and it is absolutely fantastic, no amazing...omgosh, honestly peeps there just aren’t enough words to adequately describe how wonderful I found this story. You are hooked right from the beginning. I highly recommend this read to one and all.

Please note that an ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

4.5 stars

This one just grabbed me and sucked me in. Seriously awesome writing with a catchy story line. I'll admit that I haven't been reading vampire stories lately but this one hit the paranormal spots that I enjoy. Cinderalla-ish background beginning with a sexy vampire thrown in. Arabelle is a strong female lead while Marius had a bit of work to do. His ignorance on certain issues was strange and I'll admit I had some questions about him that were never answered by the end of the story but it's ok. I don't know if this is going to be a series but I'm seriously interested in what happens next. Please let there be another book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

Vampires.
Cinderella fairtytale
Strong female character
Romance.

Need I say more than that??

The synopsis of this drew me in right away. People feel vampire books were overdone a while ago and are now just passe, but for me, I never get tired of them. That and retellings and this book is both combined! It's a story about Arabelle, a young girl who is the leader of the rebellion against vampires after the humans found a lot of dead bodies, despite the "peace" between humans and vamps. She dresses up as a lady and goes to a ball held in which the vampire prince Marius will choose his new blood feeder. When close enough she tries to kill him. He's taken with her though, so even while looking for her, he finds himself wanting her. This is pretty much where the Cinderella part ends. Which is good, because it then leaves room for the rest of the story to go on.

I enjoyed the characters. Arabelle was a nice mix of girl and rebellious fighter. Even near the prince, she didn't stop trying to fight to kill him. Until they got closer and she told him the truth of why she wants him dead of course. Then he basically joins her. I found her to be funny at times, sweet at others. I don't have a whole lot to say and that's a good thing. Lots means bad character.

Marius I was torn by. He had the whole vamp prince thing going for him and that was good. There was times he was a great character and times he fell short for me. The times he fell short for me were when we were not in his POV. Although it's expectant that we will see more of "him" in his POV, I found his voice and character didn't come across as well in Arabell's chapters.

Them together was dynamite. I loved them. And the sex scenes were pretty great too.

The one thing I really wished there were is more vampire scenes. We see Marius feed a few times, and there is a "vamp" scene at the end, but overall not enough. If the book didn't tell us they were vampires, besides the blood drinking, I may not have figured it out. I wish there was more paranormal aspects to it.

I gave this 4 stars and not 5 because I didn't love it. It was a good read by all means but not something I'd reread. I'd read a sequel for sure though. The writing was good, the story for the most part was good, characters were not bad. All this equals 4 stars for me.

Catnip! Could not put it down. Secrets, seductions, unrequited love and getting over preconceived ideals in order to finally embrace the one you love! What a great novel. Dark but accessible to even the most casual paranormal romance fan!

4.5*
The first time I came across this book I took one look at the cover (which to me screamed Mills & Boon bodice ripper) and skipped straight past it but then I noticed a friend had enjoyed it and then another and so I decided that despite the cover I was going to give this a try and I'm so glad I did.
This is the first book I've read by this author but it certainly won't be the last. It turned out to be a fabulous historical paranormal romance with a touch of Cinderella.
I liked all the characters and the story and while the villain was pretty obvious it didn't really spoil the fun.
Marius is a vampire prince but not just any prince he's a direct descendant of the original immortal and therefore very powerful. The Varis blood that runs through his veins gives him the ability to turn a human into a vampire as well as giving him strength beyond all other immortals.
Prince Marius is nearing his hundredth birthday when he will marry the bride that's been chosen for him but first there's a ball, every five years a ball is held in the Glass Tower where nobles present their daughters with the hope that theirs will be the one chosen by the prince to serve as his new concubine.
Arabelle was orphaned after a vampire drank her mother dry, she's since seen numerous bodies dumped in fields when the vampires have finished so it's safe to say she has no love for them but it's more than the killing and total disregard for human life it's the way they're kept in poverty.
Arabelle is a founding member of the Black Lily resistance and she's attending the ball with the purpose of trying to kill the prince.
Marius is bored out of his mind as the simpering nobles trail past until he catches a glimpse of the beauty in gold and he knows he's found his new concubine. Arabelle however is determined to complete her mission although her attraction to Marius catches her completely by surprise.
Theirs is an impossible attraction he's a vampire prince and she's the Black Lily sworn to kill him but despite everything that's thrown in their path the attraction prevails but do they really stand a chance?
This book surprised me I enjoyed it so much more than I expected and I can't wait for the next one.

I voluntarily read a review copy of this book kindly provided by NetGalley and Entangled Publishing.

I love Fairytale retellings and this is one of the most different retellings of Cinderella I’ve read in a really long time. While I do tend to read a lot of stories that end up having vampires in them since I also enjoy UF they aren’t something I go out of my way to look for. The vampires in this telling were definitely cool and sometimes brutally hot.

One of the best parts of this retelling is that Cinderella isn’t just some doormat that lets the people around her walk all over her. Nope she is a strong woman with a plan and goals in her life and she isn’t headed to the ball to do something so trite as to look pretty in a dress or dance for a night. No not this Cinderella (Arabella), she IS The Black Lily, leader of the revolution and she is going to kill the Prince.

I liked this twist to the story having Arabella be an empowered woman not needing anyone to come and save her because she is going to save ALL of her people. What she didn’t expect was that she might find a reluctant ally in the Prince.

Marius has noticed that the servants in the castle seem to be growing more and more skittish and after digging into it that cause seems to be that more and more of them are disappearing and it is possible that some Vampires have gone rogue. While he is looking for the leader of the Resistance he finds that The Black Lily might be onto something

While there is a little instalove/lust I didn’t mind because it is a Fairytale retelling and so I really almost expect something like that to happen but Marius is a pretty swoon worthy Prince Charming and they definitely have chemistry even/especially when they are fighting

***“When I take a woman in my arms, whether to my bed or to feed, it is always an embrace—gentle, warm, and pleasurable.”
Her mouth slid into a wicked smile. “Well, then. We’d never suit, my prince. I prefer a rough tumble in the bed. I’ve never been one for cuddling and tenderness.”***

This has a great start with some interesting and inventive lore that led to a nice reveal at the end that surprised me a little. With the addition of a magical possibly cursed wood with someone that reminded me a little of Little Red Riding Hood with wolves and all.

I had a great time from page 1 to the end and was ready to jump into the next couple's story, but alas I'll have to wait until it is written. I’ll definitely be reading more tales of the Black Lily and friends.

The Black Lily is book one in the brand new series Tales of the Black Lily by Juliette Cross. I have long been a fan of Juliette’s books. Pretty much since the first book. But this book…I’m trying to find the right words. It’s amazing, fantastic, stupendous…well, I’ll stop there and just try to tell you about it.

“A balance of equality among classes does not mean all people are equal in terms of property and wealth. Rather, it is the opportunity to gain wealth and a strong livelihood that separates tyranny from equality.”

Prince Marius is royalty. He is the youngest son of the original vampire. His kingdom rules over two classes, those of the elite, and the peasants, both of which are human. Marius is nearing his one hundredth birthday where he will be wed to Princess Vilhelmina. It is an arranged marriage, Marius has not yet even met his betrothed. There is a ball being held where Marius is to choose his next blood concubine, an elite woman that will serve him as a blood donor. Little did he know that this would be the night that would change the course of his entire life.

Arabelle is a peasant who serves as laundress to an elite woman and her two daughters. Arabelle lost her mother when she was little to the blood lust of a vampire. She now is the leader of the resistance, a rebellion, to win equality for her people. Arabelle is also known as The Black Lily.

“The Black Lily was coming. The breaker of chains would one day free them all.”

Arabelle has a plan. She will start picking off the sons of the King and Queen. First of which will be Marius at his ball. She has a plan, but you know how plans are, they never go as they are supposed to.

“Her blade might not have impaled his heart, but she’d certainly ensnared his mind and body.”

There is an instant connection between Marius and Arabelle. One neither of them can understand. Arabelle fights this chemistry with all that she is. She hates vampires. They are her enemy. Even Marius, isn’t he?

“Don’t worry, Arabelle. I won’t bite.”
“Is that supposed to be funny?”
“No. That’s a promise.”

Arabelle is able to convince Marius that things are not right. That peasants are dying at the hands of the vampires, even though this is against strict vampire law. Marius has lived his entire life with things going on right under his nose that he was never aware of. As their attraction grows, so does Marius’s knowledge of what is really happening in his world.

This book was beyond amazing. The world Juliette has created captivated me from the very first page of the prologue. I could not put this down. When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it. Marius and Arabelle were perfectly suited for one another. And then there are the secondary characters, Arabelle’s friend, Sienna, and Marius’s best friend, Nicolai, and so many more.

This book has every element that for me makes it great. Characters you can’t help but to love who have both an innocence and a toughness that make them so easy to relate to. There is love, suspense, and yes, some steamy scenes that are sure to heat things up. Once you start, make sure you have cleared out plenty of time because you won’t be putting this down. I was entranced from the first page until the very final page. I applaud you, Juliette Cross. This is the beginning of something special. I can’t wait for the next book.

“She wasn’t just any human. And he wasn’t just any vampire. And her scent was so embedded in his skin, through his flesh right down to his bones, that if he lived a million years, he’d never be rid of the need to find the woman who smelled like wildflowers and rain and who now owned a piece of his heart.”