This book was great fun. I read it a while ago but it is book 2 in the series and expands upon the supernatural world along with the romance shown in book 1. Really fun read

I absolutely loved the first book Velvet and fell in love with Cashmere even more, and of course our favorite little spoon Adrian. Yes, he will never live that down. Temple told me that Adrian will overthrow my book boyfriend coincidentally named Adrian (from the Bloodlines series), and I can almost see why. Almost. But it's still our girl, the big spoon Caitlin that steals the show as the plot thickens. The stakes are higher for them and I'm excited and nervous to see what happens in the third book.

So I honestly don't remember what drew me in besides the cover and sometimes that works for me, unfortunately this time it didn't. I can't give you a full review of reasons either it was simply that the story did not excite me enough to get past one chapter. Though I did skin through till the end because i loved the first book so much. So not A AND per se.

I wasn’t fully satisfied with this story. which makes me really sad since I really enjoyed the first one and was looking forward to this one. I don't know what it was particular, maybe because all the focus was on Caitlin's internship for fashion design. I wanted to see more of Caitlin and Adrian relationship.

The second installment in the Velvet Trilogy, Cashmere continues off from where Velvet ended. Caitlin and Adrian are secretly in love, and if anybody else in the vampire community finds out, they could both be put to death. While going to high school and to an internship at a major fashion company, Caitlin is trying to figure out what she is, why she is being hunted and how to save herself, Adrian and Adrian's brother.

There is a surprisingly large concentration on fashion and fashion design in this story, a story about teenage drama and deeply brooding and handsome vampires. It felt like that there was more plot development on the Caitlin's fashion abilities then there was on Caitlin's or Aiden's characters themselves. That left this novel being boring and hard to really get engaged with. It was also quite hard to empathize with a fashion virtuoso. That is not something most people have anything at all to do with, so that doesn't lead to any moments that have the reader going "Oooooh I feel that." making the characters realer to them by giving them something they can empathize with. This novel almost leaves all of the interesting and action packed aspects of the first book out and makes this a mildly vampiric fashion school drama story with minimal action at the end. In conclusion, I don't really recommend Cashmere and give it the rating of THREE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!

Thank you to the publishers for sending me an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

This post is spoiler free.

I'm glad this story progressed from being Twilight-esque in the first novel to a very interesting storyline in the sequel.

Still, I found the novel too convoluted with information about making dresses, going to dances, scenes on replay in her dreams. I know some of this information is important for the storyline but I often just skimmed these bits to get to the interesting parts.

Ms West left us with a cliffhanger and I want to know how the story ends, so I will certainly (skim) read the third book in the trilogy, but I'm not sitting on the edge of my seat waiting impatiently for its release.


As with the first novel, I wish the copy-editing had been better, there were still a lot of missing words, grammar errors and wrong words in the text.

I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this book surprised me. I did not expect it to be that good!

There was a point where I was contemplating dropping the series. While I enjoyed the first book I realized that not a lot had happened. And the publication date for this book kept on getting pushed back. I was losing patience. I saw this on Netgalley and decided to give it a go anyways. There had to have been a reason why I enjoyed the first book. And wow was I surprised.

This book was so much better than the first one. There are some new characters and a lot of reveals throughout the book. And that ending! Omg I need the third book soon.

Highly recommend this series.

With Caitlin still dealing with nightmares, and funny things that have started happening in her dreams, Adrian is determined to find an answer. Between the two of them, they will hunt for answers to Caitlin's problems, while trying to make sure they keep up a normal appearance for their last year of high school.
A wonderful read, with more back story on all the characters...can't wait for the next in the series!

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars!

I have mixed feelings on this book because despite enjoying it, I wasn’t fully satisfied with the story. I loved the first book in this trilogy but I was little bit disappointed with its sequel because the story mostly focused on the Caitlin’s fashion internship in New York and less on the whole vampire drama. It seemed more like Project Runway meets twilight which sounds really absurd I know but that’s really what I had felt while reading it. I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoyed Caitlin’s internship in New York with vampire bodyguards secretly babysitting her in the dorms but it made the story lose its seriousness and excitement. Nevertheless, it is a good sequel but not the best.

Caitlin is a pretty likable character. I liked her in Velvet but I liked her even more in Cashmere. She stood strong despite facing lots of hard and tense situations which makes her tough and emotionally strong. Adrian is definitely swoon worthy vampire. He's so adorable in this book especially the bedroom scene, it was quite hilarious. Though a relationship between a vampire and human is forbidden, Adrian can't deny his feelings for Caitlin anymore and so they begin a secret relationship. Their romance is sweet, cute and oh so adorable. As for the secondary characters, I liked Kalare, Julian, Trish and Caitlin's Aunt. In the friendship department Kalare and Caitlin top's the score but It doesn't mean I didn't liked her friendship with Trish. Kalare is totally kickass character. She oozes rebelliousness which is something I always love in a female character. I will totally ship her with Julian even though how much arrogant he is.

The plot is good but I had some issues with it. The story seemed unbalanced because the contemporary part overshadowed the paranormal part of the story. I've read so many paranormal books set in modern world but this one I had a bit difficulty while switching between two worlds because I can't concentrate on fashion part while some serious shit is happening in the background. Honestly, I really felt like I was reading a contemporary book not a paranormal one. Caitlin's internship really dragged the story and I wish the author had took more interest in other stuff too. The only exciting part of this book is at the ending. I would've enjoyed it more if there was more vampire action in it. I liked the writing which seems to be much improved. The book was told from Caitlin's Perspective[first-person] and I don't have any issues with it.

Overall, I like it but I don't love it! The book finally concluded with a major cliffhanger and I really hope the finale is more action packed and thrilling.

Fourteen days from start to finish is way too long to have to spend with a book I was bored with every time I picked it up to read. What makes me sad is I really liked the first book, Velvet with all its swoons and giggles. Biggest mistake was separating Caitlin and Adrian while focusing on Caitlin's internship for fashion design. The best part of book one was them together. The dream sequences at the start of almost every chapter got old quick. The question is do I continue with the series and at this point I don't think so.

Absolutely phenomenal followup to Velvet. My readers and I finished this in less than a week! Looking forward to the next book!

The best. The freakin' best.
Cait and Adrian are great by themselves; even better together. And chapter 22, my God, YA take note on how to be sex positive well making it super funny in the best kind of awkward way.

I mean, c'mon;
"Holy shit."
"What?" He asked, covering himself up on reflex.
"No!" I said, blushing. "I'm sorry, no, it's beautiful! I've just never seen one up close before."
"It's...beautiful?"
"No! I mean...yes? I don't know. It's...it's there. On you. Right there."
I pointed at his nether region.
He turned bright red but remained calm. "Yes, that is where such things tend to be."
"Shit, I'm so sorry, I'm babbling."
"No, I...thank you, for thinking it's beautiful. When you said 'holy shit,' I thought it was a negative 'holy shit.' Like, a critical 'holy shit.' Like, 'holy shit,' that's a really underwhelming penis."

The first one was a lot, lot better and more fun. It seems that after writing Velvet, Temple West wanted to continue the story but didn't know how. Not a waste of time, but I wish the sequel to such a great book was better.

You know how some people think that vampire books are overrated, especially young adult vampire books? Well, those people are wrong. When I go into fantasy or paranormal books, I’m always looking for three things: 1. Well-developed characters; 2. Great world-building; and 3. Originality–and the possibility of a new spin on old ideas. Temple West’s Velvet series has all of these qualities, and Cashmere, the second book to Caitlin and Adrian’s love story, does not disappoint.

As an avid follower of Temple West’s social media accounts, I could definitely tell West puts a lot of herself in her writing. She’s creative, a designer, a storyteller, and someone that wants to give the world a badass heroine worth rooting for. Yes, the main character, Caitlin, has her flaws, but what teenager doesn’t. Caitlin’s character shines more brightly when she is stubborn, ranting, and articulating her next move. Even if that next move is mending a friendship, designing her prom dress, or understanding the role she plays in the paranormal world she is currently accepting as reality. Caitlin is a “think-before-I-act” type of person, which makes me love her even more.

I like West’s writing, because she writes with a rhythm that allows you to get lost in her words and world-building. In Cashmere, she puts you in the characters’ heads, and you get the grit, the raw emotions, and even the messed up dreams that might characterize your subconscious as a Star Trek character (HAHAHA). I do not know how West does it, but she can take the most scary and uncomfortable scenes and add a dash of silliness that equates into the most powerful and memorable chapter.

In Cashmere, West brings back a lot of familiar characters from Velvet, but she also introduces some new characters. Kalare is definitely my new favorite character. Kalare adds so much sass and smarts to each scene she is in. This girl can rock a leather jacket, a designer dress, and some hilarious sarcasm.

The main rant I have about the book is that I thought some of the chapters could have been condensed. Some scenes, close to the end of the book, run too long for my comfort. I love when action, even if it is the characters plotting their next move, carries the flow of the story. However, sometimes I found the story stuck and I wanted to skip to the next chapter (I might just be a little impatient, hahaha). Overall, I really enjoyed Cashmere and the unique vampire twist West has given her series. Now I need book three!

Was action packed at the end with a cliff hanger. The main love interests in the book were separated most of the time by rules.

Holy WOW. Temple West definitely knows how to write a sequel and fans of book 1, Velvet, will definitely love this! Full of romance, action, and a different kind of adventure--there's hardly a dull moment in this novel and I loved EVERYTHING about it.

First off let me say that I loved Velvet and it was a favorite of mine. It also was one of the rare books I picked up to reread parts of which doesn't happen very often for me. So when I say I was so extremely excited for Cashmere I want everyone to fully understand.

Cashmere did not disappoint me at all! I was giggling and smiling pretty much the whole time. And I think that's one of the many reasons why I adore this series so much. It has so many adorable amazing moments and characters that you just love so much and care about so much. While there are those happy moments there are definitely moments that had me wanting to cry. Which I think makes this series balance out so well.

I had no problems with this book. And could probably go on forever about all that I love about Cashmere. I am just so happy to have a vampire series in my life again that I love so much.

Velvet was one of my favorite reads of 2015 and ever since, I've been yearning for the second book, Cashmere. Luckily Netgalley had this one as a Read Now option and I jumped at the chance to read this baby. Let me tell ya, if you, like me loved Velvet then you'll be blown away by Cashmere!

The worldbuilding was astounding in Velvet and the author, Temple West did a great job building off of that and making the world inside of Cashmere even bigger, more detailed than the previous book, sharper if you will. Maybe I'm jumping the gun but this makes me super excited for the third book! If she follows in the same footsteps (which I'm sure she will because she's amazingly talented!), doubled with the ending, the worldbuilding will be huge! And I can't forget to mention, there's some pretty awesome science that explains some things, especially about vampires that made this book even more appealing.

Of course, my favorite thing about Cashmere are the characters. West does a fantastic job fleshing out her characters and really bringing them to life. From the main characters all the way to the most minute of characters, they were all great!

That brings me to the epic, yes EPIC romance inside the wonderful pages of Cashmere. Caitlin and Adrian are the epitome of everything I desire in a fictional couple. Their feelings for each other are truly heartfelt and of course, the romantic scenes are searingly swoon-worthy! Of course, it wouldn't be Cashmere if we didn't have some added snark to go with the romance...

"Try some other flavors, kid, I guarantee you Adrian is not the hottest shit out there."
"I don't care if he's the hottest shit," I muttered, "he's my shit."

I wish I could mention EVERYTHING that makes this book awesome but I'd be spoiling all of the fun for you, and well, I'm sure you want to have fun while reading this one, so I'll let you discover all of the amazingness yourself! Wow, that was one long sentence! I will say that Caitlin and Adrian go through some pretty serious situations. I ugly cried during a particular scene. Ahh, I wish I could share it with you! If you've read this one or are wanting to I'd love to chat fangirl over Cashmere with you!

I received this book from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

There’s nothing I love more than being able to read part of a series back to back…well, binging a series is also fun too, same concept, but more finality to it that way! Regardless, I couldn’t bring myself to wait another year to start Temple West’s Velvet trilogy and after finding that I really enjoyed that one I immediately went to book two, Cashmere.

Cashmere picks up a few months after the events of Velvet. Lucian is still missing and Tommie aka the name of the man who is being possessed by Adrian’s demon father, is also unaccounted for. Add to that we have Guard (there was a more specific name but of course I’ve forgotten it!) members in town, sent by the Council, leading the search for Lucian. Things are incredibly tense! Adrian and Caitlin must still play their roles from last time, Adrian being the bodyguard and they can’t allow their feelings to ever show through or else there will be hell to pay.

Caitlin has been offered a grand opportunity with an internship at a fashion designer where other high school students attend for one month. There she can live out her dream of being a designer and learn the trade through experience. Though the Guard has sent bodyguards with her, sadly not Adrian, because they still believe she could be important to Adrian’s dad and requires watching over. But naturally, we learn there’s more to it than that. I still don’t feel like we have a very good idea of what exactly Caitlin is. We get a name and some possible theories, all we know is that it’s something the Council doesn’t like.

I struggle to accurately explain why I enjoy these books. When I look at all my notes and reflect on things, you would think I would be put off by it. True, this time around we have less romance focused plots and none of the cliché tropes, so I was happier about that. But the pacing is still a little off. I mean we have like a month of time before the internship and then a month at the internship and it’s like we live out each and every one of those days with Caitlin. All while the search for Lucian is going down and while Caitlin and Adrian and Julian try to figure out what exactly she is and what it means. You would think it would bog me down having to drag through so many non-critical moments…and yet, I’m not! It’s weird, because pacing is usually an issue for me. If it’s too slow, I’m likely to quit the series after giving the first book a go, but I find I am still really enjoying these characters and the storyline itself!

We get a newly added character thrown into the mix, Kalare. She’s a vampire and a sort of Guard member. But she’s very different from the others in her group. Kalare is kind of sassy and I loved it! I feel like I could totally be BFFs with her! Caitlin is like her polar opposite with being more bubbly about things so it was kind of funny that these two slowly become friends! And oh yes, there’s definitely some tension between her and Julian…of the romantic kind of course! And Caitlin may or may not take advantage of this at one point! I’m most excited to see if more things develop between them!

Another thing I enjoy is how Caitlin continues to try to balance her normal life with her somewhat twisted paranormal life. Or at least involvement with the paranormal peeps! She has human friends with very human like troubles and I admire her. She’s very conscientious about other’s feelings it seems like and she tires hard to maintain her friendships with her human gal pals while trying to continue to keep Adrian and his family’s secret, secret. Though I was surprised to see that she and Trish were on the outs in this one, for a great deal of time. Trish was another favorite of mine!

This series so far has done very well for itself if balancing Caitlin’s life with normalcy and paranormalcy. She’s struggling to figure out the big secret that surrounds her life these days and I feel like we only just reached the surface of all that mystery!

There was a lot less kissing in this one! Granted our star-crossed lovers are separated for most of it, and they’re trying to keep their (true) love a secret from pretty much all the vampires, except Julian for as we already know, he knows about them! We aren’t left completely in wanting though, and trust me on this…less is more! Lol!

The ending was pretty shocking too! Far more scandalous than Velvet’s cliffhanger. I feel like this one came in parts! So I definitely cannot wait to get my hands on the next one! And it seems safe to say, it shouldn’t (hopefully) take Temple as long to write this one! Cashmere is another perfect example of why vampire romances will always have a special place in my heart!


Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Cashmere releases on February 14, 2017

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 4.5 stars! This book was an epic, emotional rollercoaster ride from start to finish! It's hard not to feel a tad jumbled as we bounce between the joyous, cute moments shared between Adrian and Caitlin, the tenser times with the Council, the mystery surrounding Adrian's demon dad and the disappearance of Lucian, and all the highs and loves of everyday life in-between, but Ms. West knows how to chart the course of a book and so this stayed consistently amazing.

Cashmere is full of action and playful downtime, swoons, and snark. We might have gotten some of the answers I was begging for in Velvet, but Cashmere certainly leaves you with a whole host of new ones, too. I can't get book three in my hands soon enough.

♥ Review: We immediately fell back in to the routines of the adorable, secret relationship happening between Caitlin and Adrian–Man, I full-on ship the hell out of their cuteness!– and all the vampire business regarding the Demon Dad and the illustrious Council. I love the way the author manages to incorporate the vampire side of the story while still maintaining a semblance of the day-to-day life that your average teenager will go through; regular relationship stuff, school work, and a home life with Caitlin's family. But then a shift happens and Caitlin is given a real chance to chase her dream of being a fashion designer through an internship opportunity while still having to deal with Council/Vampiric Business, and so the storyline changes a bit, but the rhythm of the story stays the same. I love how this plot always has a realistic feel to it with a paranormal edge. It allows me to connect with Caitlin while still being engaged and mystified by all the scarier, more confusing elements of the unique vampire world that West has truly created, adapted, and made entirely her own. A lot of crazy (SPOILERISH) stuff happens as Caitlin undergoes more intense questioning about why Adrian's demon father is so truly captivated with her, and this allows Caitlin to learn things about herself, about what she truly is. It was completely unexpected but downright cool as hell if I'm being honest when it all comes to fruition and we get that big answer. But then other spoilery things happen that I can't talk about (even though I have an unlimited amount of thoughts and feelings about them!!!), so just know that an ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SHIT HITS THE FAN AND I AM NOT OKAY!!!! I'm terrified/perplexed/anxious about how West plans to continue the storyline and end the trilogy after ALL THAT CRAP THAT JUST HAPPENED AT THE VERY END OF THIS BOOK went down. I mean, I obviously have faith because she just spun the hell out of that story and turned the entire vampire world on its head with her own interpretation of their lore, but I'm a little whole freaking lot scared witless about how things can go from here on out. I've become slightly invested in this world and certain characters (this includes some pretty incredible new characters we meet and some old ones that are shown in a new light that I'm quickly learning to love) and I will literally cry if they don't get a HEA. I need that or I won't be okay, and right now, I have major concerns that those things won't be able to happen. Please, Ms. West, don't do these things to my heart! My emotions are easily manipulated and I'm trusting them with you. Okay? Okay.

If I had complaints they'd be so minuscule that it wouldn't really be worth mentioning and, in fact, they're more about my personal preferences than any real issue with the book. There were a few things that I would have wanted to go a little differently, but I'm only going to comment on one thing, but it can be a bit spoilerish, so I'm going to hide it with a tag. [Caitlin and Adrian are given this one night out from underneath the Council's nose and they can spend it however they want, because– WOOT! WOOT!– no chaperones. Their alone time as been seriously cut down since they're no longer in school together (which sidebar: Those gym closet scenes were among my favorites!) and them being hormonal teenagers, their brains immediately jump to sex. I seriously love how they discussed it and came at it objectively even though their minds were certainly all about going the full distance. I sincerely appreciate that they ultimately decided not to have sex only because the opportunity presented itself, so that's not my gripe at all. My issue comes in when it felt like they were saying it had to be an all or nothing thing. Just because you don't do straight-up le sexytime business, doesn't mean they couldn't have taken the time to explore...um, each other's bodies in other ways. If you know what I'm saying. (Quite frankly, that's some of the best bits.) I think, mostly, I'm just trying to say that I'm thankful for West making this sex-positive in a way, but I wish that there had also been a message through the characters' actions that said you can totally be intimate without dumping off your V-card. That aside, I loved how incredibly awkward yet totally adorable this whole scene was portrayed. It felt the way it should have, realistic in that it was two, inexperienced teens who were in love and wanted...things, but didn't know how to go about getting to that destination and didn't want to rush the moment just because they could. (hide spoiler)]

I do know that if I hadn't have felt so sick, I would've read Cashmere all in a matter of a few hours. Every time I woke up, I pounced right back on it. It was a damn good book! Especially when Cait and Adrian were being all adorkably cute together, just like the teaser quote I'm about to post below.

♥ Teaser Quote: Just fyi, this adora-cuteness happens at 1%. Freaking. One. Percent. That's how I knew I was about to love this book and being back around these two dorks! (<---- Dorks said affectionately, btw.)
I snorted. That's exactly what you said about algebra and I'm still getting a D."
He wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled. "Yeah, but you're slightly less motivated when it comes to algebra. And you are improving. I'm not just saying that because I think you're hot."
I snorted again. Adrian kissed the top of my head and let me go, but I grabbed his jacket. "Whoa, there, fella, my face would like some of that."
He grinned, wrapped me back up in his arms, and planted an intentionally sloppy kiss halfway on my mouth and half on my chin.
"Gross."
– quote taken from the eARC of Cashmere at 1%

♥ Rec It? Absolutely! Ms. West has came up with vibrant characters, an interesting exploration of a unique vampire world envisioned solely by her, and a complex romance that I can definitely get behind. The ending to this book was a little painful and left a giant cloud of "WTF?!" hovering above my head. (It was a good sort of WTF, though.) I expect some amazing things from the final installment, so I only have one question left for Ms. West: What do I have to do to get my hands on that last book? I'm not opposed to doing terrible things to make it happen. Or...like, if you need another opinionated reader while you write it or whatever, I totally volunteer as tribute! ;)

♥ A very special thanks to In Medias Rey Publications and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.