This book had all the makings of a great read—vampires, a found family, slow-burn romance, fake dating, and even the beloved "one bed" trope. While the "Who did this to you?" storyline was well-executed, some of the other elements fell short, especially the romance, which felt underdeveloped. The ending tied things up nicely, but the delivery left something to be desired.

That said, the book had immense potential, but it didn’t quite live up to the hype. The cover? Absolutely stunning! As for the next installment—let's just say I'll keep an open mind.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

#ShadowKissed #NetGalley

fake dating? only one bed? who did this to you? vampires? some of my favortie things! This was a quick fun read that i really enjoyed.

"Shadow Kissed" by Rebecca L. Garcia is a thrilling and immersive paranormal romance that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page. Set in a world where supernatural creatures lurk in the shadows, the novel follows protagonist Elena as she navigates a dangerous love triangle between two powerful and enigmatic beings: the brooding vampire Lucian and the mysterious werewolf Kael. Garcia's vivid descriptions and evocative writing style bring the dark and atmospheric world of the novel to life, immersing readers in a captivating tale of love, betrayal, and supernatural intrigue.

What sets "Shadow Kissed" apart is its complex and well-developed characters, each with their own compelling backstory and motivations. Elena is a strong and independent heroine who grapples with her feelings for both Lucian and Kael while also uncovering long-buried secrets about her own identity. As the stakes continue to rise and the lines between friend and foe blur, readers will find themselves swept up in a whirlwind of passion, danger, and unexpected twists and turns. With its fast-paced plot, steamy romance, and electrifying supernatural elements, "Shadow Kissed" is sure to captivate fans of the genre from beginning to end.

I ended up DNFing about 1/3 of the way in so I feel like I can’t give a proper review. Nothing against the writer or her writing, I just wasn’t enjoying the story.

Shadow Kissed Blew me away! Thank you so much to Rebecca L. Garcia for allowing me to read an ARC. I honestly went into this book with little information. I wanted to be surprised and my goodness did this book have me squealing.

This book has strong characters, amazing dialogue, vampires, magic, political tension, and of course enemies to lovers. I found myself laughing at some of the best one liners! I got a lot of ACOTAR vibes in the beginning but as the plot developed it definitely stands on it own. I cannot wait for the sequel!

I breezed through Shadow Kissed, it's a fast paced book with some tropes like fake-dating, enemies to lovers, one bed and forced proximity.
I like the fantastic world building. Nonetheless, I did discover the entire narrative to be highly foreseeable. Certain elements that were likely intended as surprising plot twists became evident quite early, and I perceive no distinctive or remarkable qualities in either the storyline or the characters.

I was very excited about this title, but I have had difficulty getting into the book. I have currently marked as DNF, but will be reattempting in the future as I am a mood reader. However, from what I did read I really enjoyed. I think the main problem for me was the book didn’t instantly hook me and I felt like I was having to work a bit to get started on this story. I am excited to try this book when I am in a different headspace and will be updating my review.

I think when broken apart this book had a lot of the tropes and themes that I really love. The problem is that when put together it just felt like something was missing. I am someone who gets a little bored with tedious world building, but I think this book fell on the completely other end of the spectrum where there was simply not enough and it left me a little confused and wanting. I also feel like the dialogue didnt feel like enough which in turn made it so the romance was harder to root for. I think that because there are elements that I did like, I will try another book by this author in hopes that it works a little better for me. Overall I think that this was a good read, but I was definitely left wanting.

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

Shadow Kissed is the first book within the Marked by Blood series. In this, you will meet Olivia. Now she's not quite a witch but not quite a normal human either. Sure, her mother is a great sorceress, but Olivia is kind of meh in that department.

So, she's constantly under supervision and is rarely out in the world. Mostly because there's evil vampires running around and might try to kill her. Or something like that because her world is about to change after her guild is attacked... by you guess it: vampires.

Enter Sebastian. A very yummy vampire who saved her but also captured her at the same time. She's still in danger but from a very different group of vampires who were hunting her. So, she is kind of stuck with him and his friends. Sure, at first, she was very stubborn, and I thoroughly enjoyed the banter and sarcasm between them. Seriously, it was my favorite part of the entire book.

Oh, and the fake relationship/engagement was adorable as well. I'm very excited for the next book because I want to see how it's all going to play out. Especially since she now knows who her father is, what happened to her mother, and what's exactly going to happen to her next. Again, she sort of knows but I'm not sure her dad is prepared for who she is going to want to actually marry.

In the end, I need more Sebastian and Olivia being together. Very happy that I got the chance to jump into this and can't wait to see how this series ends.

I really tried this one after I was looking for some dark romance. It was kind of cringe. Like the main man was just trying to hard to be deep. And it sounded really shallow. It was mediocre but not too terrible wilhen it comes to a story line...just man man...cringe.

This book just wasn't really my speed. It's a dark fantasy romance full of vampires, so if that's your genre, this one is for you, but it just wasn't for me!

This is not my typical read, but the cover drew me in and the mention of vampires sold me.

If you’re looking for a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance with a vampy twist this one is for you!

I devoured this one. I cannot wait to dive in to book two!

not for me but I think others could love this book I just didn't connect with the writing style of this book

Thank you net Galley for providing me a copy of Shadow Kissed. This one wasnt too bad of a read, your average YA book in my opinion. The story was kinda blah and characters didnt live up to the hype that I was hoping for. Definitely a slow burn for sure.

A beautifully written book. Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks to publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, what a gorgeous cover! Shadow Kissed by Rebecca L. Garcia is a New Adult fantasy that will appeal to fans of The Vampire Diaries or Vampire Academy. The story revolves around Olivia, whose protection guild has been attacked by vampires and whose mother has been taken away. Then, she's captured by Sebastian, a vampire, and taken to the City of Vampires. There, she's sold at a human auction by a rival vampire. The only way to escape is to pretend to be Sebastian's fiance. Will Olivia survive in the world of vampires?

Here is an enchanting excerpt from Chapter 1:

"My nightmares slipped away as my eyes fluttered open, revealing the dim light of my bedroom. I turned on the lamp and checked the time: 11:00 p.m. I'd barely slept an hour and a half. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I stood from my bed, stretching as I walked over to the small, square window.
A protector from the guild where my mom worked glided through the evening fog and stationed himself outside the front door. That meant my mom would spend another night at headquarters, leaving me to the protection of the guild's security."

Overall, Shadow Kissed is a lovely NA fantasy with an intriguing premise that ultimately lacked something for me. One highlight of this book is the beginning. I was engrossed in Olivia's struggle as she's captured by vampires and forced to endure humiliations at the hands of the vampire elite. I did take off 1 star because I lost interest in the plot near the middle of the book. I took off another star because I didn't feel like there was enough worldbuilding. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy books in general, you can check out this book, which is available now!

This YA fantasy starts off with a heartbroken Olivia. Her boyfriend Astor has just died and she is on house arrest. Olivia is an extremely rare sorceress, and sorcerers are hunted by the Vampires from the neighboring kingdom Sanmorte.
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✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️Only one bed
✔️Vampires, Magic, and soul-sucking
✔️Found family
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This romantasy was excellent. The story had great world building but I definitely could have used more world building to get deeper into the book and understand better.
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The characters were wonderful. Olivia is an empath and also a sorceress that can’t use her powers. She goes through an exciting journey of self-discover that makes you fall in love with her as a character. I loved the ending and can’t wait until the next one.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what the author releases in the future.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

A book that seemed to fulfill the dreams of all of us who enjoy a good vampire story: there is romance, well more of the type of enemies turned into lovers, but there is romance; it has a novel argument; the setting is adequate, but when I get to the point where they plan a murder in the victim's house and discuss it loudly even in the corridors while repeating ad nauseam that there are spies everywhere... well, in that point the book went from deserving 5 stars to a regular 2.5.
The story could be better developed, especially knowing other works of the author, but still, I plan to give this series a chance, thanks to Sebastian, who is, along with Erianna and Zach, the best of the book.
I thank the author, publishers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, and declare that the opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think of this book.