Hunted by Shalini Boland – Review

Book 3 completed!!

I received an E-Arc from the publisher for an honest review!

All the books are out in paperback now!



I know it’s a tiny tad late on the review sine I’ve been dealing with real life things.

Author: Shalini Boland
Publisher: Second Sky
Date: March 2023
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SUMMARY
My name is Madison Greene and my boyfriend is a vampire. And not just any vampire, one with brooding good looks and a smile that makes my heart skip a beat. As I curl up against Alexandre’s side, our hands entwined, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Although our relationship hasn’t been easy. I’m human, so there were always going to be complications. But I thought we’d banished the demons from his previous life. I couldn’t have been more wrong…

Because there’s a new threat in the form of Nadia – a blue-eyed beauty who seems determined to do everything she can to break us apart. I trust Alexandre but I don’t trust her.

As I start digging into the truth to find out who Nadia really is, centuries-old secrets begin to unravel. And in order to set Alexandre free from the chains of his past, we must return to the ancient underground city of vampires to defeat Alexandre’s archnemesis once and for all.

Can I finally save Alexandre? Or will loving a vampire be the death of me?

REVIEW:
Oh my gosh…this ending was great! So many twists and turns. I loved the entire series. It’s a must read for vampire readers…Get all the books…do it! Do it.

Characters of new and old come to play in this last book.

So a new character comes to play as I was taken off guard by this character. At first I thought this character was in cahoots with the evil bad vampires who have no mortality left in them but I was wrong. So wrong and yet was like “Yes” due to the fact this character was cool in its own way. You’ll have to read to find out what that character was all about.

Isn’t it rad when the author comes up with something pretty damn cool in a story?

Something happens to Ben which made me feel so much for Maddy. Maddy was so worried for her brother. I could not believe this would happen. Does he survive? What will become of him?

Of course Ben isn’t the only one who has something happening to him.

Alexandre gets in danger and everyone is concerned! What could it be? How? Who? What? Why? I had all these questions about what happened to Alexandre. As the story goes on towards the end, it all makes sense. At first I was like no no no it cannot be but then I realized ‘hey this makes a good story and yet will Alexandre live?’

Once again the author does have some more history that ties in with what is going on. It all made sense to me. I know some people don’t like the back and forth time frame but I did with this series! It was easy and gave a perfect flow for the story.

Action, adventure, historical elements, feelings and real relationships are magical in this book that the author creates. Even the vampires in this book is pretty cool..the good and the evil side of vampires!

Pick up the entire series today and you won’t regret it. I am so glad that I decided to read these books. I will always enjoy the adventures Madison and Alexandre. Would there ever be more adventures of this family?

By the way, do Madison and Alexandre get their happy ending? Go read today to find out.

Taken by Shalini Boland – Review

Book 2 completed!!

I received an E-Arc from the publisher for an honest review!

Author: Shalini Boland
Pages/format: Netgalley Arc
Publisher: Second Sky.
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SUMMARY:
My name is Madison Greene and I was an ordinary teenager until I fell in love… with a vampire. Alexandre is tall, with a sexy French accent and mesmerizing eyes. He makes me feel protected, and he’s completely captured my heart.

At Marchwood House, our sprawling mansion nestled in the English countryside, we’re in our own perfect bubble together. But, in the blink of an eye, everything changes when an old enemy of Alexandre’s sets a trap and rips me away from my boyfriend’s arms.

The ancient demon takes me to his underground city, deep beneath the windswept desert. In the twisting tunnels and enormous vaulted caverns, there’s a bloodthirsty vampire around every corner. I’ve never been so terrified…

It seems like there’s no way out from this underground maze. My life is hanging by a thread, and every second I’m here is a step closer to death. I can’t just sit here and hope that Alexandre will rescue me.

Can I outsmart a city of vampires to escape from this hellish place? And will I ever see Alexandre again?

Note: The title of the book is called Taken but I believe it was also taken Thicker Than Blood first before it was changed to Taken.

REVIEW:
Oh my gosh the second book was so good. I could not stop reading this one too. The story continues on if you have read from the first book. The characters from the first book are also mentioned in this one. They continue to develop along with having some amazing adventures. Madison and Alexandre are still together and I enjoyed their connection with each other. Pretty cool. I will say that some new characters pop up such as a character named Zoe, Aelia and Mislav which made the story even more exciting and might show up in the third book perhaps?

I will say that I did not like Mislav at all. There has to be a villain in a story somewhere right? This character did make the story really good too. Tell me what you think?

There were more twists and turns in this book. Some that I did not even see coming which made my jaw drop!

There is even a back story of the ancient vampires which is called the Cappadocians. The back story was pretty awesome to learn about and does play a part with the future. I will say that the book does flip back and forth from the past and present which was easy to follow. Great flow! Great descriptions! Great adventure.

As I said from the first book, it’s just a different take on vampires and stories and adventure. So far book 1 and this book 2 have not disappoint! I can’t wait for Book 3 now.

Hidden by Shalini Boland Review – Arc

This book…I’m soooooo glad I requested it on Netgalley to read..You bet I’m going to read the next two! It’s all about vampires…vampires..vampires…Vampires are my jam..to those who follow and check this blog you know it’s true. So let’s dive into the book and my thoughts on this interesting story.

I received an E-Arc from the publisher for an honest review!

Author: Shalini Boland
Pages/format: Netgalley Arc
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Summary:
My name is Madison Greene. On my seventeenth birthday, I inherited an old mansion and wealth beyond my wildest dreams. I thought it was a joke, but as I step through the creaking door of the sprawling building, I realize my life in foster care is in the past. I’ve been chosen and my world has changed forever.

But I wasn’t told that Marchwood House hides a secret.

As I explore every inch of the crumbling property, I stumble upon a set of large, dusty boxes in the basement. When I pull back the lid and look down, I find myself staring at the most handsome face I’ve ever seen. High cheekbones, porcelain skin…

And when he wakes up and locks eyes with me, I realize my heart already belongs to him, even though my head is screaming at me to get as far away from Marchwood as possible. Because I know what he really is.

I never planned to fall in love – but it’s too late now. Alexandre has a dark and dangerous past. He needs me and I have to help him. But can a human really save a vampire?

My Review:
So I saw a post online about Hidden and I just had to read it. I think it was a cover reveal? Anyone I saw the author Shalini posting about arcs on Netgalley. You bet I requested it and got them!! I did a happy dance cause it’s about vampires. Okay okay…let’s get myself to calm down, right?

The story held my attention from the beginning to end. I literally read this book in two and half days. There’s suspense, mystery, real life feelings, amazing description of places..you could literally see the places the characters are at. Of course it has vampires in it…we all know vampires have been written many times and in many ways (which is fine with me!) but the author did a great job putting her spin on vampires. I love it! I dare wonder if Jay Kristoff would read this series…*ponders* He did watch Twilight and commented on it..I’m getting sidetracked..back to this awesome book.

The book is told from two perspectives. First is Madison who is a 17 year old teen that has a brother named Ben who is 12. Madison speaks of the current time frame, the year 2023. She and her brother live with foster parents and that eventually changes down the road as you know from the summary up above.

The second viewpoint is told by Alexandre who is 18 years old and is considered to be a man in time. He speaks of his time in the year of 1881. Alexandre has one brother and sister along with parents who he is close with. His story starts with his family and then goes on a trip where vampires end up. I love the spin on how vampires came to be for that part.

So the story goes back and forth between Madison and Alexandre which is great! It might bother some people but for me it was such a nice flow.

Towards the middle of the book Madison and Alexandre meet at the Marchwood House where the book is transformed with both characters speaking on the same page. I hope that makes sense. When they meet it’s scary for both of them..but in time they learn from each other and feelings happen.

I love Madison feisty attitude. She rocks. She also cares for her brother Ben as much as a sister could. She is just awesome. When she inherits the house, she learns more about the world. Something new to her but she dealt with it.

Alexandre what can I say? He craves adventure when he was human. I think his trip made him see the world differently and woke his senses up of learning new things. I love the relationship Alexandre has with his family.

Now the story the viewpoints of Madison and Alexandre who are teens which is fascinating to me. I put myself in their shoes and could see how it would be. It was pretty cool. I do have to say when they say “I love you ” to each other, it made me wonder could hormones be a part of this along with the idea to belonging to someone. To feel seen, to feel loved? Everyone wants that.

I will point out I loved it when Madison took Alexandre clothes shopping and he hated it. Madison made a reference to that even her brother Ben hated clothes shopping. This can be true for some men. I just had to chuckle at that.

Since the majority of the story focuses on Madison and Alexandre, there is another plot to it..I’m trying not to give it away.. Last few chapters at the end has to do with Alexandre’s family and major action happens. Like fight like action and things like that which would be perfect for a film. I can literally see this book as a movie too!

The ending has a cliffhanger..it leaves you wanting to know what is going to happen next.

Will there be peace or revenge?

So I suggest to those who have read tons of vampire books to pick this up to read. Go do it. Read…and let me know what you think.

Onwards to book 2!

Books I want to read

Books I want to read….anyone else want to read these?