Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 400
Published: 2020
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“In the arms of a centuries-old vampire, a woman awakens to newfound passion–and magical powers of her own.
Hungarian vampires are born, not made–and can breed with mortal females. Being one of the oldest of his kind, Quill Falconer has honed his skills at hunting just the right kind of prey, which is why his latest victim confounds him. She shouldn’t remember his drinking her blood. And he shouldn’t still be craving more . . .
Callie Hathaway’s life is as normal as it can be after the death of the beloved grandmother who raised her. Until one night, feeling foggy and fatigued, she realizes that a strangely sensual encounter with a dark, handsome man didn’t occur only in her imagination.
As Callie and Quill’s unique connection draws them together, an ancient order of knights seeks Quill’s destruction. Being together puts Callie in mortal danger–until she uncovers a magical family legacy. Side by side they’ll fight for survival, and for each other, as the brotherhood of vampire hunters gather for one final showdown.”
My Review:
Characters:
I fell in love with Quill and Callie within the first few pages. A slow-burn romance, I was rooting for the protagonists as their relationship developed. Amanda Ashley has a knack for crafting relatable characters whose journeys we are invested in. She achieves this by connecting us to the characters through universal human emotions and desires. Her character-building is tactfully done through engaging dialogue and revealing actions. However, perhaps because of Callie’s age and innocence, I felt as though this book was more YA than adult. The passion was a bit lack-luster for an avid adult romance reader. The minor relationships were not as well-developed as they could have been. For example, the relationship between Callie and her supposedly best friend was rather flat. It seemed that she was there only as a way to further the plot. There is also an odd and disjointed side-romance which, without giving details away, could feel a bit too cringey for some readers.
Plot:
Tension an conflict are well-established in the plot, however, my biggest editorial critique is within the pacing. Mostly within the third act, the action feels rushed. Without giving any spoilers, several climactic points are too abrupt and jarring. This story could have easily been many pages longer or even a series. And while I don’t pretend to know what types of outside constraints could have had an effect, like deadlines or budgets, I believe that this book would have wholly benefited from a developmental editor, who could have had a positive impact on the essentials of plot pacing. While I still loved this story, these issues did slightly detract from my overall enjoyment. Foreshadowing is overdone (again, without any spoilers) the seeming “mystery” surrounding a character was too frequently hinted at. It ruined any suspense that there may have been for the final reveal and seemed unnecessary to continuously bring up the fact that something was amiss. I would have also loved more setting development, through backstory and world-building. She has a unique spin on the vampire culture and I would loved to have learned more details about it.
Conclusion:
Overall I believe that Amanda Ashley is a fantastic writer, whom I highly recommend for anyone that loves paranormal romances. I have several of her other novels currently on my list to read. Although this book did have its flaws, I still enjoyed it as an avid reader in this genre. This book is a great opportunity for other writers to see the areas that a developmental editor can help craft your story.
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