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.

“Every vampire has a sad love story to tell.”

Black Rose is a dark gothic vampire romance retelling of Dracula and the sequel to Blood Orange.

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.

Follow Karina on all her social channels…

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub

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

The post Karina Halle’s Black Rose ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.

After introducing the character in her previous The Dark Eyes Duet I have been very excited to read Karina’s take on Dracula.

Once there was a man who fell deeply in love with a woman he could never have. When their affair was uncovered she was brutally murdered in front of him, and he discovered he was cursed, doomed to live forever as a vampire.

Over the centuries, he found his love again, and lost her again, until he was so broken he gave up on love entirely, sinking into the depths of depravity, losing his humanity.

Then one day, she came back into his life. A student of music studying under him at the conservatory in Venice, Italy where he was a professor. But even though he found her beautiful and intriguing, he didn’t recognize his fated mate at all.

Because this time she had to hide her true self.

This time she came back as a witch, whose destiny wasn’t to love him…but to kill him.

Blood Orange is a modern-day Dracula retelling about the “real-life” Dracula that inspired Bram Stoker. This is a dark vampire romance with plenty of content warnings and while it is a spinoff of The Dark Eyes Duet, it is a complete standalone novel. It was previously titled “King of Darkness”

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Dahlia, talk about a morally grey heroine and I loved her! If you have read the synopsis then you will know Dahlia is a reincarnate of our male lead’s past loves. It was really nice to see how Karina built these three characters who were similar yet distinct from each other. They all felt very much of their time, while still having a bit of that rebellious spirit that is in Mina/Lucie/Dahlia. Dahlia was particularly interesting because she is a part of this larger Karina Halle fantasy world. If you have read Black Sunshine, you have seen what it is like being an outsider thrown into the vampire world. Instead, you have Dahlia, a witch and vampire slayer who is steeped in it, making this book super witchy. Valtu is Karina’s take on Dracula and I loved how self-aware he was. There are repeat swipes from Valtu at his friend Bram whose tale of Valtu’s life was not always an accurate portrayal. This was such an intriguing way to go about a retelling. Valtu feels unique in this vampire world, he is different from Karina’s other vampire-leading men like Solon. Valtu has this distinguished aspect to his character, and the best part was when some of that formality faded away when it came to Dahlia. There are so many good characters in this, some new faces and I was happy to see some familiar ones.
• Setting: What a magical setting, I am such a sucker (pun intended) for an Italian setting. Plus Karina is really damn good at writing these international settings. I am biased towards loving Venice as a setting, it is where my family is from. Venice is such a perfect place to build the mystery and mythical creatures inhabiting dark alleys and waterways.
• Pacing: I loved that this book was a tad longer than we see for most romance novels. Fantasy needs a bit more breathing room. It makes me even happier to say Karina has announced another book, love a duet! Throughout this book there are some passages told through flashbacks. I personally like how these sections illuminated the different iterations of Mina/Lucie.
• Romance: This romance started really flirty which was adorable to see but also a bit unexpected. I would still very much see this as a dark romance, but it has some lightness in and amongst it. I loved how throughout the story Dahlia has this push and pull between opening up to Valtu while still being incredibly secretive. This book is filled with so many incredible sex scenes, not just between Dahlia and Valtu. Because I have four words for you: Vampire BDSM Sex Club!! These scenes are not for the faint of heart, so check the content warnings before diving in. If you are willing to explore, this and all of Karina’s vampire romances are a dark romance fever dream.

Blood Orange receives five out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

Amazon | Amazon Worldwide

Follow Karina on all her social channels…

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Facebook | Facebook Group | Instagram | Twitter | Bookbub

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

The post Karina Halle’s Blood Orange ARC Review appeared first on ClaryNathanWill.