Thank you to Karina Halle and the team at the Reckless Readers Society for the advance reader copy of Black Rose, the sequel to Blood Orange.

So this feels incredibly exciting to say, I am officially on Karina Halle’s review team as a member of her newly formed Reckless Readers Society. I have been reading Karina for years, and for most of that time, I have been able to review for her through working with various PR firms. This is the first time I get to say I am reviewing for her in an official capacity.

I am so excited to be reviewing Black Rose as Blood Orange was one of my favourite books of last year! Karina just blew my mind with this sequel and I cannot wait for her fans to devour it just as quickly as I did.

I am a Karina Halle review team member, but I remain honest and genuine in my reviews.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Valtu’s character arc was a goddamn masterpiece. Karina did such a phenomenal job of depicting how even if you have been alive for a long time, that does not make you immune to grief. I loved seeing Valtu brought to this place of desperation, and getting to see an even darker side of him, yes! Rose was such a great heroine. I mentioned in my Blood Orange review that it made for a really strong character-driven story when the heroine had lived multiple lives, yet all the characters felt distinct. You can track the similarities from Mina to Lucy to Dahlia and now to Rose, yet Rose is still her own person and a perfect product of her time and upbringing. I loved Rose’s rebellious streak. Fans of Karina’s previous vampire novels may understand when I say Rose gives off major Black Sunshine Lenora vibes. I said Rose was a product of her age, for sure she’s young and a bit immature, but you can feel the weight of having lived those past lives. Speaking of other Karina books, if you are a fan you will enjoy all the cameos so much.
• Setting: This story is full of so many lush settings with rich vibes and descriptions. Opening back up in Venice after the events of the first instalment was sad, Valtu’s safe haven was now an emotional warzone. Mittenwald is a new setting, a super creepy and cold Dracula castle. I loved how the castle featured both his inner and outer demons. I loved that when Rose stormed into this setting she started to not only thaw the castle but Valtu’s heart. There is one final setting that Karina really brought to life, I don’t want to spoil it for you but know I loved it! I could really read her taking us anywhere and everywhere, she is so good at writing captivating settings.
• Pacing: I devoured this book, and read it in less than a day. I dare you not to get drawn in by the first ten to fifteen percent. Karina surprised me countless times, even in just the first few pages she made me gasp so loud that I scared the poor woman sitting next to me on the bus,
• Romance: After being so heavily invested in Dahlia and Valtu, I was interested to see how Karina would make me cheer on him and Rose. I loved it so much that this was a true vampire romance, and that now Valtu was getting another chance at love with someone who could live just as long as he could. This book is incredibly hot, but I did miss the vampire sex club just a tad. That should not dissuade fans that loved how steamy Blood Orange was, Black Rose does not disappoint.

Black Rose receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story here.

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Thank you again to Karina and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!