Stars: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice: 🌶️
This review may contain minor spoilers:

Plot: I really enjoyed the plot of this book - FMC being kidnapped by a vampire and brought to their kingdom only to find out things aren't all what she'd been taught they were. There was political intrigue (without being in a war), found family, slow burn romance, fake relationship, and fun dialogue.

World Building: The setting in this story is semi-modern, and I thought "Great, it will be easier to learn the world!" But once we got to Sanmorte I was a little confused. Would have appreciated a map or having a brief description of the set-up. Anytime the characters were away from the house I was lost in terms of their location.

FMC: I really appreciate that Olivia wasn't an instant badass/super powerful like some MCs happen to be. You can see her struggle and grow during the book. She is a sorceress and empath, and while we got glimpses of what she can do I definitely want to see more as she grows her power. Her indecisiveness and doubt did really get on my nerves tho (that's one of my issues with reading YA in general). Hoping Olivia is more self-assured in the next book after the events at the end of this one!

Romance: I didn't believe in the connection between the FMC & MMC until the last 25%. Maybe that was intentional, but I like it better when I get butterflies after every encounter the love interests have. Maybe it will give me those butterflies in book 2 🤞🤷‍♀️.
Also *possible spoiler* for at least ¾ of the book I was afraid there was going to be a love triangle - no thank you. This may come back into play in book 2 but I hope not.

Twists: Some twists were predictable, but the ones at the end definitely got me! And a couple times I felt like the story changed directions only to be immediately changed back a page or 2 later. Those back & forth twists felt a little pointless.

Did I like this story? Yes, enough to keep me intrigued and looking forward to what happens next. Did I love it? No, but now I'm invested and have to see what happens to the characters in the next book!

Fantastic read, gripping and compelling story line I love this authors way of writing it always seems so unexpected, her covers are always pretty and stand out, this book will not disappoint you

Thank you net galley and publisher for giving me a free arc.

Enjoyed this book from start to finish would definitely read this book again!

I’m going to give this 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it and found it entertaining. The story line was fun and adventurous, though parts did feel like direct copies from other books. I also wouldn’t market this as a romance; it’s just not prevalent enough in the story. It has a romance subplot at best. If you like vampires and magic, I’d give this book a try.

thank you Netgalley and the author for the arc.

it was an enjoyable read to an extent but it felt way too fast paced, and there wasn’t much world building.
the relationships between all the characters didn’t feel natural and it just didn’t give me time to actually look forward to any of their interactions.
as it was fast paced, it also felt like there wasn’t really any character development and it felt more like a switch getting turned.

i did enjoy some aspects, like the who did this to you trope😮‍💨😏 the ending was nice and it did leave it off intriguingly

It was just, you know, Wow? At the first chapter, i told myself that this book is going to be a basic one. But… well you see? i was wrong. Gods, goddesses, vampires, sorcerers with a good back story. I loved it!

Tha main character, i mean Olivia, has been really exhausting at first. But when she met sebastian (our delicious vampire) everything has changed. Not just her, also her life and everything she thought she knew. It was great to learn her real identity while the book continues to tell the present story. All the characters even the side ones, made me fall in love with the story more. Erianna? Hello my vamp girl, im a huge fan of yours! I loved you more than olivia. Sooorryyy… well not sorry.

Okay, okay, so now if we start looking for flaws theres actually few. I loved the story, as i said. But in the back of my mind, depending all the fantasy books that Ive read, I was expecting more action? I know this book is a start of a new series but I would really like to see Olivia’s powers and how she handles it. Hopefully, second book. But im not so sure after the last chapter? Like, WHAT THE HELL? We will see…

Is there a romance in the book? Hell yes but its such a slow burn. Its also a fake date? I know yes, its not a romcom and yeah i can hear you say wtf? But it was neccesary. And it was well written. The spark and the heat between seb and olivia, evolves in recent episodes. It grows like a wild fire and Boom, theres that scene and it was hot! Cant wait to see what happens between them in the second book.

So yeah, I really enjoyed and loved this book. And i recommend it to those who likes to read vampire fantasy. Cant wait for the second novel. Rebecca? Hellooo? Pleaaaseeee hurrryyy!

Thank you for the arc of this book.
Not a bad start to the book, but gradually Olivia grated on me, she came across as whiney, and weak, gave up what she wanted to do for a boy, a mother who wouldn't let her leave the house.
I only continued reading for Sebastian. Not really my cup of tea.

A fun read! I have really enjoyed Rebecca’s work, I just always feel like there is something missing in her books though.

This one I found to be very fun with an interesting romance and engaging plot. I found our main characters to be interesting, but the secondary ones to feel very flat. It is overall just an okay book. But I will tune in to the second one

Captured me right from the beginning and took me on such a good journey - I will definitely be reading more from Rebecca Garcia

The pitch I got for this book made me think I was walking into a spicy book, but quickly realized that is not what I was going to get. While I’m okay with what I got there was an expectation based on how it was pitched. The overall character development was surface level and the relationships between characters seemed at first as if the just kind of were friends and then in the end they were ride or die for each other and it felt kind of out of nowhere.

Setting descriptions were rare so it was hard to picture where they were.

Sebastian had a lot of great dialogue. I loved the banter between characters a lot, but I wanted more depth. His group of friends were top tier and I wish we got more of them.

Main twist from the first half was predictable, but not in a roll your eyes way. I enjoyed the reveal.

I did enjoy this book a lot and will be patiently waiting for the next one. I was engrossed, even with the flaws. This book ended on a slight cliffhanger so I need the next book!

3.5 stars

What I really liked about this book: I loved the political intrigue that played throughout the book. I do wish there was a bit more background within that arc. I liked the tension between Olivia and Sebastian, would have loved some more (wink wink). The side characters were my absolute favorite. Zach immediately has a special place in my heart from the moment I met him. You could tell he was stoic for a reason, but deep down, complete softie. I really enjoyed the world-building and the explanation of vampires and the hierarchy within that world.

While I enjoyed this book, I felt like a lot of it was rushed. The character development, the back story, the actual story. I didn't really understand Olivia's solitude until after like half of the book. I also didn't realize the extent of the relationships Olivia had with Draven. I think I felt that a lot of the relationships were on a surface level and I didn't truly understand the depths of them.

While all that is the case, I really did enjoy this story, I'm mad it left off on the cliffhanger it did...I NEED THE NEXT ONE NOW! I loved how Olivia is coming into her powers, and I have a feeling she is going to be a force to be reckoned with by the time this series is over.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Ok, I've read a book by this author before and remember having similar misgivings about that one too.

Firstly, I want to say the attention grabs for this one were false, it had no new adult romance. That's what drew me in and I was so disappointed that the romance just wasn't there! There was no chemistry for me and the characters were a touch boring.

The plot wasn't anything special and the world building was OK.

Overall, this book was not for me.

This book read a bit like the author had a bingo card of different well liked tropes and tried their hardest to check those boxes off and get all the bingos.

I've been itching for a good angsty vampire romance, so I desperately wanted to love this. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. The writing was stilted and disjointed and there was little to no world building; the world we're in is barely described! Some details felt thrown in as an afterthought: like how the vampires have wings! I would be reading and then all of a sudden someone snaps their wings open and takes flight and I'm just like ?! where'd those come from?!

The plot was predictable, yet their scheme was a touch confusing, and the characters felt relatively juvenile and one dimensional. In retrospect, this felt like an unrefined version of the fantasy books I read in middle/high school.

All that said, the bonus chapter in Sebastian's POV sounded very promising. I think I would be interested in continuing this series in the future but it would not be at the top of my TBR.

This is a Vampire romance with huge potential. It felt like the family from twilight if they took trips to the court of nightmares.

The MC is a 19yr old girl grieving from the sudden loss of her boyfriend. She is pretty sheltered and her mom is always working for the guild that protects mortals from threats.

One day her world implodes. Vampires have attacked the city and her home. Running for her life she is saved by a vampire named Sebastian who swears he has her best interest in mind.

The plot unfolds and the MC is forced to work with him and his close friends to survive. Even if survival means a fake marriage to the man- er vampire who saved her.

This is a slow burn, enemies to lovers with a fake relationship trope. Does not get spicy (hence the half a chili pepper) but I could see it doing so in the next book!

Overall, it was a nice set up for a series.

Olivia has led a secluded life for her own safety, but when vampires attack, she finds herself abducted to the vampire realm. Her captor, the vampire Sebastian, brings her into his own home, but for what reason? Will she serve as his breakfast, lunch, and dinner from now on?

This story has such a fun FMC in Olivia—a hardheaded, speaks-her-mind kind of woman. And Shadow Kissed has so many of my favorite tropes, from found family to fake dating to shared bed. If you’re looking for a story with vampires and magic, with a host of great tropes, Shadow Kissed is a solid choice.

I can’t wait for the second book in the trilogy!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley & Victory Editing and am leaving an honest review.

Thank you so much to Net Galley for providing me with a free copy of Shadow Kissed by Rebecca L. Garcia in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 out of 5 stars

This book was marketed as having vampires, slow burn, fake dating, and forced proximity. These are all tropes that I love. Regardless of that, I was not a massive fan of this novel. It was a solid 2.5 out of 5 stars for me. This is supposedly NA... Where was the spice??!?!!?!?? It definitely feels YA with the dialogue and writing.

It definitely felt like it was inspired by the Court of Nightmares from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. The vampires have wings and the male lead, Sebastian, was the generic lead who has a tragic past and deserves love for his dark soul.

The book was definitely urban fantasy and I felt like I was just thrown into a world that was never described or explained well.

Tropes: forced proximity, vampire x mortal, fake dating, slow burn, found family, cliffhanger

Will I read the next one? - Maybe, if I remember that it exists when it comes out.

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect, overall. I liked the premise and ideas it presented in which a really great story could be built and capture my attention. I did enjoy this story because I felt that it was presented well and had great creativity in the plot as well as in the way the characters were created. Personally, I feel that there could be a bit more elaboration in the world building aspect of this story in that it had more potential than I think was initially developed in this first installment. I am not throwing in the towel on the series, because I think the ideas are still strong and there are still great ideas in which can be elaborated and expanded upon.

Shadow Kissed is the first book in Rebecca L. Garcia's new series Marked by Blood.

This book wasn't for me as I found I couldn't really connect with the characters and at moments I felt confused with what was going on as there was very little world-building. This could have been due to how fast-paced the story was. Otherwise, these were just elements that didn't work for me and may work for others.

But what I did like was how fun the plot was, and as it began to build up more towards the end I found myself really invested in the events going on. I enjoyed the way the book ended, as it left you wondering what would happen next, but still kept you satisfied with how the events played out.

I do appreciate that Olivia does have good character development, she goes from someone who is grieving multiple loses and has experienced trauma that effects her mental health. To a strong character determined to live to help save her friends and family.

If you enjoy a fast paced easy read with enemies to lovers, a slow-burn romance, main characters who are forced into fake-dating, and vampires with wings, then this book might be for you.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Vampires, Paranormal
Content Warnings: Death, talk of suicide

✨Rating✨
⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and victory editing for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for a honest review!

DNF @ 22%

The writing is too juvenile and the characters feel like caricatures of the roles they're meant to play. It feels like I can predict where this story is going, and even if I can't, I don't really care enough to stick around to find out.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Shadow Kissed from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Shadow Kissed sees sorcercess Olivia's world change almost overnight when her city is attacked by vampires and she is captured and taken to the vampire kingdom's city of nightmares by Sebastian, her mysterious vampire rescuer. She discovers things about herself that shake her very foundation of who she is, and finds herself embroiled in the politcs and intrigue of the very shadowy creatures that she grew up despising.

This book and series has a lot of potential. The cover and the blurb caught my eye and when I began reading this book, I was intrigued by this fresh new take on vampire lore and mythology. The worldbuilding around vampire culture in this story piqued my interest as well, and I could very much imagine myself in the shadowy, decadent and frightening kingdom of Sanmorte. I was also interested in Olivia' discovering who she was, and what she would do with that knowledge, which kept me reading till the end.

Unfortunately, I couldn't connect much with the characters, plot or the romance. It has all the elements and tropes that I am normally a huge fan of - enemies to lovers, found family, slow burn, fake dating, lost royalty - however, the way that it was put together fell flat for me, which was disappointing, as I was really looking forward to reading this novel.

The ending did give me pause though, and I would still like to know how the characters and the plot will move forward in the second book. Perhaps the second book in this trilogy will take things to the next level for me.

Rating: 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars.