Vampires. Witches. Werewolves. Throw in a little bit of New Orleans voodoo, and you have the recipe for a best seller. Jeanette Rose’s first installment of her Fated Loves Series will not only get you hot and bothered, but you will likely stay up way too late reading and want to skip work to find out what happens next.

Lucien is the vampire king who lives in a dark, cold, uninviting castle in Romania. Phoebe is a witch on the run in New Orleans. A chance meeting (or was it?) at an orgy in the Fae Realm leaves each of them surprised at the way they respond to each other. When they are interrupted for what Lucien is told is an urgent matter, he asks Phoebe to wait for him. When he returns and discovers she is no longer there, he is determined to find her again. The problem is that he does not even know her name.

Convinced she is his mate, Lucien will stop at nothing to get Phoebe back – even kidnapping. Will the extreme measures Lucien takes and his devotion and worship of her endear him to Phoebe or make her feel trapped and angry? Can Lucien ever break down the walls that have protected Phoebe’s heart for so long? Neither can deny the chemistry between them. But Phoebe has been betrayed by a vampire once, and she will not let it happen again.

However, Lucien does not really know who Phoebe is. He does not know her story, and she does not trust him enough to tell him – no matter how safe he makes her feel. When Lucien learns Phoebe’s true identity and that she is being hunted by the Witches Council, forces beyond their control threaten to tear them apart forever.

The Queen of Vampire Hearts is a tantalizing introduction to the Fated Loves Series. The author’s father described the books as “Twilight meets 50 Shades of Grey.” I can see where someone would make that analogy. However, having read both the Twilight Series and 50 Shades of Grey Series, I would choose The Queen of Vampire Hearts over them any day. Rose’s story telling will have the reader believing the legends we all have heard for so many years. Jeanette Rose sets herself apart from the many other writers of adult fantasy. She is an author whose books adult fantasy fans want on their shelves. I can hardly wait for Book 2.

Loved this and I need more what a debut novel by this author. I loved the building of their relationships, the connection to history, magic, worlds and all sorts of paranormal amazing side characters I need more please

I love paranormal romance and this book started off really strong. Somewhere along the way I started to get lost and I felt like the major climax was a bit of a let down.

Overall the book was good and I enjoyed the read but I felt like the major plot could be tweaked a little so it was stronger.

*this was a ARC off of Netgalley*

I tried. I really did. It wasn't necessarily awful, but it just wasn't for me. I'm all about vampires and mythology and sex and I tend to use the f-word like some people use the word "and" ... but it was just all too much and I couldn't make it past the first 15% percent. I'm not even sure I made it that far.

I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good! A discovery of witches meets true blood with spice and gods. I finished this in one sitting and immediately need the second book. When a book starts out with an orgy you know it will be good. The story had me hooked and immediately immersed in the story from the first page

An immortal orgy party was not how I was expecting this book to start. Not something I was upset about, mind you. Just a really fun way to begin the story, especially since the hero wasn't partaking in any of it and was not happy about his lack of participation. I loved how the author immediately grabbed me as a reader and really didn't let go throughout the whole book. The insta-lust, the mystery, the action...it all had me hooked. I was confused at times over whether this would be a BDSM book, not gonna lie. The hero has some very detailed fantasies about what he wants to do to the heroine. However, while steamy, the sex does remain fairly kink-free for most of the book. Wasn't sad about it, just was waiting for the kink that did not come. No pun intended...maybe.

After ten thousand years of sex, Lucien Silvano, King of Vampires, was worried he'd finally lost all interest in the activity. Even attending a party where sex was the goal was not enough to stir him...until his mate walked into the room and sent his libido into overdrive. Phoebe Atreus knows she wants Lucien as soon as she sees him, but after being a witch on the run for years, one-night stands were all she could have. Still, it's hard to resist Lucien, and when he declares her his mate and Queen, she realizes that maybe the time for running may finally have come to an end. As they are forced together through magic and fate, the heat of their bond ignites. But secrets abound and when the truth comes to light, Phoebe's trust in Lucien will be put to the ultimate test.

As you can probably tell from how it starts, this book is STEAMY. The sex is hot, well written and shows just how much of a sex drive can still exit even 10,000 years after birth. No viagra needed for this vampire king. While I was completely hooked by the lust between the two main characters, what really got me swooning was the clear romance between them. Phoebe was desperate to avoid any connection with Lucien, but his vulnerability and genuine caring towards her broke down her barriers one by one. They both needed to learn to trust again, and it took time for that to happen.
Lucien had been abandoned several times and fully expected Phoebe to do the same, making his love for her heart-wrenching. He wanted to give her freedom, but he worried that would mean she'd leave him like all the others. Which made the conflict between them towards the end all the more devastating, as you see all the progress they made seemingly crumble to pieces. Her trust in him was tentative, and their lack of communication over a few important details led to some major issues later on. Thankfully Lucien knew how to grovel and Phoebe knew how to forgive. Ultimately their love did not come easily, but once it was there, it was there forever.

We get a preview of the next book in the series, which follows a wolf shifter, which I am very excited about. He charmed me as soon as I met his character, and I'm anxious to read his love story.

Phoebe is on the run from her past. Lucien is staring down the barrel of an eternity of boredom. A chance encounter at an immortal orgy (yes, you read that right) will change everything for them. When Phoebe vanishes without a trace, Lucien, king of the vampires, will stop at nothing to find her and keep her. But she's not so easy to catch. She's been running for years and has plenty of practice. Lucien vows to protect her from those who would harm her, but he needs to convince her to stay first.

The world-building is so complex and intriguing. There are many different species of immortals, all trying to coexist. They have their own laws, customs, and some tenuous peace treaties. There are a lot of really cool details in how the witches self-govern, how the vampires are ruled, and how the werewolves' loyalties work.

With that said, there are a few issues with the novel, too. The plot is predictable; readers will easily guess what will happen within the first few chapters. On top of that, when introducing the details of this complex world, it's more of an info dump. It isn't organically woven into the story. While readers may appreciate the nuanced world, the unfolding of those details falls a little flat.

Overall, I rated it three out of five stars. There are some really great elements and some that don't measure up. Overall, I think readers will feel pretty lukewarm about it.

It has some explicit adult content, so this is a novel for an audience of 18+ only. If you like witchy vamp smut with a sprinkle of plot, Queen of Vampire Hearts will still be an enjoyable read for you.

This was such a good book. The beginning was very different and very spicy. I actually really love Lucien and Phoebe! The world they live in and all the different creatures is very intriguing. That ending!!! I can’t wait until book 2 is out. I haven’t read any books by this author before but now I’m interested in anything the author writes. I lovey paranormal romance and this one was great. Vampire books are always a favorite of mine as well. What’s going to happen next?! I genuinely couldn’t put this one down. I read it in just a few hours.

Thank you so much to netgalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book brought me back to the vampire books I read as a teen, except with way more sex (more on that later). It had a lot of the elements that I loved from those mid-2000s vampire stories - fated mates, immortals with ennui, extreme drama - and was basically a fun ride because of that. I also generally enjoy any book with a healthy dose of witchcraft, and Phoebe brought plenty of that.

The plotline revolving around Phoebe's past was probably my favorite part of the story, and finding out who had killed her parents and why the Witches Council was so invested in hunting her down kept me turning pages even once the romance was a foregone conclusion. I found myself wishing that Phoebe got to carry a little more of the book, rather than having so many chapters of Lucian dealing with his abandonment issues.

I will say, though, the downside of being extremely reminiscent of a mid-2000s vampire YA novel, though, is that Queen of Vampire Hearts had several of the hallmarks of those books that probably haven't aged as well. Lucian's lust for his mate occasionally verged on controlling in a way that I just didn't love, and Phoebe tended to roll over just a bit too quickly in order to move the love story along. I also cringed a little bit every single time Lucian referred to Phoebe as a "female." It was probably meant to remind us that he was 10,000 years old, but I just did not find it cute! Fated mates plots can often walk a fine line between sexy and overbearing, and I do think this one tipped over the edge just a little too often, particularly in the beginning.

In regards to the sex scenes - oh boy. There sure were a lot of them. This book definitely tilts more towards the erotica side than classic paranormal romance, and so to some extent, the sheer amount of sex that Phoebe and Lucian have is par for the course with the genre. That said, I did hit a point about halfway through the book where I was basically tired of the two of them having sex. At times, it stalled the plot's forward momentum, and didn't really add anything for me. But despite the repetitive nature, the sex scenes were hot and steamy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but didn't love it. It had a fun throwback vibe, but also showed me just how much more of a critical reader I've become since my vampire phase at 15. Normally, I'd be pretty ambivalent about the sequel to a book like this, but Erik the werewolf king was far and away my favorite secondary character, and I'm pretty stoked to see him find love (presumably). So I guess I'll be back for book 2!

3/5

ill admit vampires are my guilty pleasure when it comes to paranormal books, but throw a witch in the mix and im hooked! i loved this love story, and fated mates is one of my favorite tropes!

I hate leaving one star reviews for books because authors genuinely work so hard, but this book was…no great. I ultimately DNF’d

Reading <I>Queen of Vampire Hearts</i> was like playing paranormal romance trope bingo.

- The Most Powerful Witch to Have Ever Lived? Check.
- A possessive 'alpha' male bordering on controlling? Check.
- A May/December romance between a young woman and a thousands-years-old immortal? Check. (At least, in this case, Phoebe was in her early 30s and not, y'know, nineteen. Slightly more palatable.)
- Insta-love/lust because of a 'fated mate' bond? Check.
- Drama brought on by lack of communication as a lazy plot device? Check.

BINGO!

Despite of all of that trope-y garbage, I weirdly enjoyed this book. I picked it up on a whim - I don't typically read paranormal romance, but I was going on vacation and was after a beach read - so my expectations were low. Maybe that's the secret to enjoying what I'm reading, because I did have a pretty good time with it. I still had issues with the story and the writing - Lucien was far too possessive and controlling to the point of being borderline abusive, it was creepy when Edward Cullen did it and it's still creepy now - but I managed to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the fun parts of the book.

I did like that Phoebe didn't take any shit and was able to take care of herself. The romance was a bit Stockholm syndrome-y and absolutely stemmed from insta-lust, but I ended up enjoying their dynamic at the end of the book. (Let's just ignore the part where they'd only known each other for two weeks at that point, yeah?) The sexy scenes were, well, quite sexy (definitely not for the faint of heart) and I liked the D/s dynamic.

Stylistically, there were some things I wish Rose had done differently. I didn't need to be reminded of Phoebe's rules on nearly every page, and the decision to include a scene from a flashback at the beginning of each of Phoebe's chapters was odd, since we already knew what had happened in that flashback. It felt superfluous and didn't reveal anything or add anything to the narrative. The beginning also included a whole lot of cursing, which then mellowed out as the book went on. I have nothing against a well-placed strong word, but this was just excessive and, again, didn't add anything to the narrative. Also, Lucien spent a long time whingeing about how bored he was and, later, about his abandonment issues; I wanted to give him a shake and remind him of his overwhelming privilege and tell him to take up a hobby and be useful.

I think some tighter editing would do well here, as the book was a bit bloated with repetitive introspection. Pick up the pace, slim down the page count, and the story would be more effective. Still, I had a good time with it despite its issues and will likely pick up the next installment as this entry ended on a cliffhanger.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The just right amounts of overprotective alpha male vs the overstrong depend female lead. They both worked well together. The story was enjoyable. There was a few times I did find myself rolling my eyes and the clique of some things. But in honestly you can't get past them nowadays. I give this book a solid 4 stars and look forward to putting it on my list of new reads to acquire for the library. '
4stars

A brilliant book! Loved the way the story unfolded and the characters grew together..
There were several surprises along the way which kept the pace going and I really found it hard to put down at times.

This book was a solid 3 stars for me. It started out really strong with both the plot and dialogue, but then the dialogue started getting clunky & wooden and unnatural at about the midway point. However, I will continue to read this series - I'm really happy that I requested this book on Netgalley and was approved for an ARC. The romance & smut is 5/5. The overall story was compelling, and I look forward to the resolution!

Well a few pages in and I was already laughing at descriptive scence pictured. Tír nAill thus kingdom
She's hot I want her me Lucien. Through why are all courts the Unsellie Court this has been in the past 5 fantasy books I've read. Soul mates /bonded mates and of course a difficult situation to endurre.

I enjoyed this paranormal story. This is a new author for me which I look forward to reading more from her. I enjoyed her writing style as well as her attention to details that give her story a realistic feel. I found this book to be fast paced, engaging and hard to put down. It has a romantic aspect as well as some twists and turns that left me sitting on the edge of my seat. The characters are connectable and truly made the story for me. I enjoyed their growth and chemistry throughout the story. This is a story about Phoebe and Lucien. She refuses to share her past with him and she keeps pushing him away at every moment she can. Yet there is something there between them that cannot be resisted. What happens next with them you don't want to miss. This is a great story that I enjoyed reading, entertaining. I highly recommend this book.

This is a fun fantasy book that manages to walk the tricky line of being fully fantasy with a plotline of all sorts of mystical beings and worlds, but still have the characters be someone the reader can connect to and be invested in. Many books can't manage both, but this one does!

I enjoyed this book so much!

- Fated Mates
- Possessive, jealous, and brooding male
- strong independent female MC
- Vampires, wolves, and witches... OH MY!
- dual POVs
- some mythology

Add in some spice and you've got a delicious recipe for an enjoyable book!

I am always amazed that I enjoy reading about fated mates even though it is predictable that they will end up together. I believe Jeanette Rose did a great job with creating some challenges for the pairing and keeping the story interesting. It is always particularly enjoyable when authors come up with creative ways to keep the mates apart and also when it isn't insta-love.

That being said... this book was definitely a tease. It was fast and slow all at the same time!

The miscommunication trope was overkill in this book. It is so infuriating to see a story unfold with so much miscommunication but I get it... the story wouldn't be as interesting without it. Add in some trust issues though and the story was just a tad bit much... still enjoyable though.

Ok, now for how the book ended. It was a little confusing. I thought the book was going to end with Erik's POV, the lycan king, and the unknown of what will happen with his brother. BUT THEN, the book ended with a cliffhanger in Phoebe's POV, who was the MC. The order in which this happened was a little odd. Is the story going to continue with Phoebe and Lucien or will it continue with Erik.... Either way, I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.

Queen of Vampire Hearts was interesting. I love that it was fast paced, sometimes it felt a little too rushed though. I will say though that the spicy scenes were amazing, written perfectly with great detail. The plot, however, was not my thing. I felt pulled in sometimes and then after a while I felt detached. The relationship of Lucien of Phoebe just didn’t grab my attention like I was hoping it would. Personally, I didn’t vibe with this book.