Vampire Secrets (Blood & Snow Season 2, Vol 2) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

*I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Vampire Secrets (Blood & Snow Season 2, Vol 2)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publication Date: September 14, 2014

My Vampire Lies Review
My Blood & Snow Vol. 1 Review
My A Beauty So Beastly Review

Synopsis: A dream is a wish your heart makes...

It's been a month since Jasmine agreed to the wish that would keep Laeddin safe. By all accounts she should be happy. She's attending high school, hanging out with friends, and spending time with Laeddin. But she isn't. Ever since the sorceress ripped away a part of her, she hasn't felt like herself.

To make matters worse, the man with red eyes, the one that haunted her dreams, is appearing in real life. And demonic creatures keep showing up in Salem. The question on both counts is why?

Jasmine must figure out who the man is and what the creatures want. Thankfully, she isn't alone. Laeddin, Peter, Zoe, and some friends from the mansion next door will help.

And then there's the sorceress. she's using what she took from Jasmine to inflict havoc on the human realm as well as other realms.

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Review: Ok, first of all, I absolutely love this cover. I think it's my favorite of the Blood and Snow books. I just love how Jasmine's dress is white and there are black feathers everywhere, especially after the loss of her wings. I also really like all of the small details, like the genie lamp in the title. I cannot wait to have this gorgeous book on my shelves. 

Although this book picks up a month after the end of Vampire Lies, it doesn't feel like that much time has passed... and yet, it also feels like an eternity. Jasmine has moved on, but everything is so different. Jasmine is no longer dependent on blood, her wings are gone, and she's miserable despite having everything she wished for. I really felt for her, and I really just kept hoping that things were going to pick up. Oh, she's also got these crazy visions and a creepy visitor. 

I really enjoyed seeing Troy again in this book. I first met him in A Beauty So Beastly, but it's interesting to see how these stories all run parallel to each other and affect characters across the country. He's still upset over the events in A Beauty So Beastly, and I thought it was really nice that he and Jasmine can find comfort for their individual problems in each other. I enjoyed watching their friendship blossom and grow in to something more, and I was so happy for Jasmine that she had finally found a healthy relationship. 

I do wish we had seen more of Laeddin, Zoe, and Peter - they're around, but they pop off to go take care of things in other realms and it's a little frustrating to not know what's going on. I mean, we get the basics, but I wanted to know more! Hopefully there will be more in later books, and although it didn't lessen my enjoyment of Jasmine's story, I found myself with more questions than answers. 

Vampire Secrets is, overall, a really fantastic continuation of the Blood and Snow world. We get to meet new characters, see familiar ones, and witness the consequences of Jasmine's wish. And then there's that ending! I cannot wait to find out what the consequences will be, although I'm pretty sure I'm going to not really like the outcome.... especially since the consequences have not been favorable so far. I will definitely be on the look-out for the next book, and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has read Vampire Lies. Also, I would recommend the series to any fans of fractured fairy tales! 4/5!

--Ashley

Vampire Lies (Blood & Snow Season 2, Vol 1) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

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Title: Vampire Lies (Blood & Snow Season 2, Volume 1)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publication Date: April 14, 2014

My Blood & Snow Volume 1 Review
My A Beauty So Beastly Review

Synopsis: Eyes like violet sapphires. Wings of smoldering fire. Consume your true love's blood. Become the Eternal Vampire.

Once upon a time there lived a vampire with wings and the genie who loved her...

Born of the seven magics, Jasmine is different in every way, including the obnoxious wings on her back courtesy of the original Vampires. She wants to be normal, to be a regular teenaged girl.

When a gorgeous dark-haired boy named Laeddin shows up and promises to sneak her away from all her problems and hide her in the human world, she agrees. 

But an evil lurks in her nightmares, a man with red eyes. It doesn’t take long for Jasmine to realize that no matter how far she tries to run from who she is, he’s only a dream away. He wants her. He needs her. He acts as though he loves her. 

It’s becoming harder and harder to tell the difference between the path that’ll lead to her happily ever after, and the path that’ll lead to her destruction as well as all magic.

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Review: I honestly don't think I've ever seen or heard of or read any retelling of Aladdin in which Jasmine is a vampire and the daughter of Snow White, and Aladdin (Laeddin) is a genie. So when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to read it! And I can't believe I waited so long - this book was absolutely fantastic. 

Although I definitely should have read all of season 1 first before I started reading season 2... I think it would have been really interesting to see all of the similarities and all of the background and characters from the previous season all woven into Jasmine's story and making appearances. I mean, don't get me wrong, you could totally read this as a standalone series. There's enough background information to know what's going on and who is who and the major details of what happened in the past. It's just always nice to be in on the secrets! Also, there are some minor spoilers for season 1, so if you plan on reading it and hate spoilers, definitely don't read this book first.

I had this really frustrating love-hate relationship with Jasmine for most of this book. I can totally understand how Jasmine would want to be a normal teenager, and I loved the parallel to the original/the Disney film, but there were times when she just complains SO much and I wanted to slap her. I think it really kept her from being too stagnant though, because at least she had a little bit of personality and began to see the error of her ways. 

The plot moves along pretty quickly in this book, and I was surprised when I flipped the page on my Kindle and... it was over! I was definitely more wrapped up in this story that I thought, and RaShelle's fantastic writing left me wanting more. I enjoyed meeting all of the kids at Jasmine's high school, and seeing familiar faces from A Beauty So Beastly. I also thought it was interesting how Jasmine's wish had such dire consequences. Nothing is ever as easy as making a wish, and I'm interested to see how that will play out with her remaining wishes.

I also really enjoy how RaShelle incorporates all of the fairy tales in to one series. You've got Beauty & the Beast hanging out over in A Beauty So Beastly, Snow White, Jasmine & Aladdin, and even Maleficent! I love how everyone exists in the same world with their own stories. I'm really looking forward to reading more of the books in this world, and especially reading the next book, Vampire Secrets. If you're looking for a series that takes every fairy tale you know and spins it on its head, you should definitely read these books! 4/5.


--Ashley

A Beauty So Beastly (The Beastly Series #1) by RaShelle Workman - Ashley's Review

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Title: A Beauty So Beastly (The Beastly Series #1)
Author: RaShelle Workman
Publication Date: July 3, 2014

Synopsis: “For your vanity, your cruelty, and your cold unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you . . .” 

What happens if the beauty is also the beast?

The stunning Beatrice Cavanaugh is considered American royalty. She has everything except the ability to love. Cursed on her eighteenth birthday, she becomes more beastly than ever, having a newfound craving for raw meat, and an undeniable yearning for the night. Bitterness is her only companion.

After accusing a maid of stealing, a disgustingly kind and exquisitely handsome guy named Adam shows up asking Beatrice to drop the charges against his mother.

Infuriated by his goodness, Beatrice vows to break him. Destroy him. Make him hurt the way she hurts. So she agrees. On one condition: Adam must take his mother’s place as a servant in the mansion.

Because Beatrice won’t stop until he’s more beastly than she is.

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Review: Oh my goodness, this book was amazing! I've never read any of RaShelle's other books, but if they are anywhere near as good as A Beauty So Beastly, I might just have to add them to the top of my TBR pile. This was such a unique, interesting take on the classic Beauty and the Beast story and I can't wait for more!

Beatrice Cavanaugh is, in the beginning of this book, not a girl I would ever  want to be friends with. She's mean to everyone (even her friends) because she has no ability to feel. Like, anything. She's never felt happiness, sadness, guilt, love, or any other feeling. She does things because she can - like renting out an entire movie theatre and inviting only a few people. She's only concerned with who can give her the flashiest gifts, and she takes whatever she wants because nobody will tell her "no." Bea takes the whole mean girl thing to an extraordinary new level.

But I found that I couldn't hate her. Even when she was cold and heartless, I was sympathetic towards her. And then she's cursed and I actually really connected with her. It was really interesting that she's cursed on her 18th birthday and given one year - in most stories, the cursed is only given until his or her 18th birthday. I also really liked the "beastly" twist that RaShelle put in to this story. Bea is a beast both before and after the curse, but I thought it was neat how that definition changes. 

I also really enjoyed the romance in this book. I mean, what's a Beauty and the Beast story without a little bit of romance? Adam has his own secrets, and I was glad that Beatrice didn't just forgive him his faults and move on. She actually takes a little bit of time to think about things and figure out if she'll actually be ok with the things he hid from her. I also appreciated that there was no insta-love. Sure, Beatrice and Adam are physically attracted to each other... but their relationship takes time to develop.  

The plot moves pretty quickly in this book - Beatrice is cursed pretty close to the beginning and things start changing rapidly from there. I never felt like there was too much exposition or anything, and there's enough action in between the explanations that I was never bored. I enjoyed learning about the new species and realms as Bea learned about them, and I'm excited to learn more! I think I would have enjoyed subtle hints about previous books (Snow is mentioned a couple of times, and I only recognized it because I know what the other books are about), so I'll probably reread this one after I read Blood and Snow and The Cindy Chronicles. 

Even though I haven't read the other books in this world, I still thoroughly enjoyed A Beauty So Beastly. RaShelle has an excellent ability to spin a fairy tale and I loved her take on Beauty and the Beast! I would totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a new and interesting take on a classic tale, especially if fairy tale reimaginings are your thing. I can't wait to read the next book and all of the other books in this world! A 4.5/5 from me!


--Ashley

RELEASE DAY: A Beauty So Beastly by RaShelle Workman!

Add to GoodReads HERE 

ABOUT THE BOOK

“For your vanity, your cruelty, and your cold unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you . . .”

What happens if the beauty is also the beast?

The stunning Beatrice Cavanaugh is considered American royalty. She has everything except the ability to love. Cursed on her eighteenth birthday, she becomes more beastly than ever, having a newfound craving for raw meat, and an undeniable yearning for the night. Bitterness is her only companion.

After accusing a maid of stealing, a disgustingly kind and exquisitely handsome guy named Adam shows up asking Beatrice to drop the charges against his mother.

Infuriated by his goodness, Beatrice vows to break him. Destroy him. Make him hurt the way she hurts. So she agrees. On one condition: Adam must take his mother’s place as a servant in the mansion.

Because Beatrice won’t stop until he’s more beastly than she is.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

RaShelle Workman is an international bestselling author. She writes fractured fairytales with bite and young adult science fiction that's out of this world. RaShelle likes cherry pie, movies, family adventures, and chocolate. If you want to get on her good side, send chocolate. RaShelle's sold more than 500,000 copies of her books worldwide. Sleeping Roses, Exiled, Beguiled, and Dovetailed have foreign rights contracts with a Turkish publisher. RaShelle is also one of the co-founders of Indie Recon LIVE.

Her books include:


Sleeping Roses


Exiled


Beguiled


Dovetailed


Blood and Snow (1-12)


The Cindy Chronicles


Vampire Lies (Blood and Snow Season 2)

Short stories:


Cindy Witch


The Hunter's Tale


Gabriel

After the Kiss

Zaren's Travels

Visit www.rashelleworkman.com to join RaShelle's EXCLUSIVE mailing list and be entered to win a signed paperback copy of Blood and Snow volumes 1-4 (Special Edition). And be sure to like her Facebook page for all the latest news: https://www.facebook.com/rashelleworkman.

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COVER REVEAL: A Beauty So Beastly by RaShelle Workman + GIVEAWAY

We're really excited to be a part of the cover reveal for A Beauty So Beastly by RaShelle Workman today! The cover is gorgeous and the book sounds like a really interesting take on Beauty and the Beast. RaShelle is also giving away $25 Paypal cash in celebration of the cover reveal, so be sure to enter via the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post. Before we get to the cover, here's a little bit about the book!

About A Beauty So Beastly

“For your vanity, your cruelty, and your cold unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you . . .”

What happens if the beauty is also the beast?

The stunning Beatrice Cavanaugh is considered American royalty. She has everything except the ability to love. Cursed on her eighteenth birthday, she becomes more beastly than ever, having a newfound craving for raw meat, and an undeniable yearning for the night. Bitterness is her only companion.

After accusing a maid of stealing, a disgustingly kind and exquisitely handsome guy named Adam shows up asking Beatrice to drop the charges against his mother.

Infuriated by his goodness, Beatrice vows to break him. Destroy him. Make him hurt the way she hurts. So she agrees. On one condition: Adam must take his mother’s place as a servant in the mansion.

Because Beatrice won’t stop until he’s more beastly than she is.

Genre: Fractured Fairy Tale
Book 1 in the Beastly Series
Release date: July 3, 2014

So now... check out the cover! 

What do you think of this cover? Do you love it as much as we do? 

Special Note: A Beauty so Beastly will be available for 99 cents until its release date on July 3rd! Then it'll go up to $2.99. So pre-order now!

Amazon | Goodreads

About the Author

RaShelle Workman is an international bestselling author. She writes fractured fairytales with bite and young adult science fiction that's out of this world. RaShelle likes cherry pie, movies, family adventures, and chocolate. If you want to get on her good side, send chocolate. RaShelle's sold more than 500,000 copies of her books worldwide. Sleeping Roses, Exiled, Beguiled, and Dovetailed have foreign rights contracts with a Turkish publisher. 

Her books include:

Sleeping Roses

Exiled
Beguiled
Dovetailed
Blood and Snow (1-12)

The Cindy Chronicles

Vampire Lies (Blood and Snow Season 2)

Short stories:

Rose, Undercover

Cindy Witch

The Hunter's Tale

Gabriel
After the Kiss
Zaren's Travels

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The Giveaway!

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Thanks for stopping by to see the cover for A Beauty So Beastly and supporting RaShelle! 

--Ashley & Paul