Blood Rose Blog Tour + Giveaway
There's no wrath
like that of a witch scorned.
Avah Taylor has been given
a death sentence: as one of the only spirit users in her coven, Avah has been
chosen to wield The Power, the ultimate weapon against the immortal vampire
species witches have been at war with for centuries. The Power, given by the
gods to one witch of each generation, is considered a great honor, but every
witch before has died trying to master this all-too-powerful gift, one that the
shell of a mortal can’t contain for long.
On the night of her birth rite, Avah’s coven is attacked, and Avah is
left for dead. Confronted with a terrible choice, Avah must decide to either
die or save herself by becoming like her enemies. Forced to seek refuge among
the very beings she has sworn to kill, Avah vows revenge on those who took her
former life from her.
As Avah slowly transitions into a life of blood and war and battles her
own feelings for a man she is supposed to hate, she realizes everything she’s
been told is a lie.
Purchase links:
Blood Books Series
Blood Rose (Blood Books 1) –
August 2015
Blood Bound (Blood Books 2) –
December 2015
Blood Books 3 – June 2016
Blood Books 4 – December 2016
Blood Books 5 – June 2017
Blood Books 6 – December 2017
**Novels to possibly
continue based on story arc.
My Review
I thought that this was a good first book in this series. The author, Danielle Rose is a good writer. She did infuse life into Avah, Jasik, and the rest of the characters in this book. I got a nice sense of the vampires. Which in this case they were not the evil ones. Just the ones that they fought were the evil ones.
Danielle did a wonderful job of taking me the reader through the progression of Avah's transformation from a witch to a newly formed vampire. The urges, fear, loss, and strength. There was also the chemistry shared between Avah and Jasik. The romance slowly built up but was not overly sexual. With each new battle Avah's powers and strengths grew. Not just as a vampire but as a witch as well. If you liked the Twilight series or any other vampire or witch themed series then you should check this book out.
My Review
I thought that this was a good first book in this series. The author, Danielle Rose is a good writer. She did infuse life into Avah, Jasik, and the rest of the characters in this book. I got a nice sense of the vampires. Which in this case they were not the evil ones. Just the ones that they fought were the evil ones.
Danielle did a wonderful job of taking me the reader through the progression of Avah's transformation from a witch to a newly formed vampire. The urges, fear, loss, and strength. There was also the chemistry shared between Avah and Jasik. The romance slowly built up but was not overly sexual. With each new battle Avah's powers and strengths grew. Not just as a vampire but as a witch as well. If you liked the Twilight series or any other vampire or witch themed series then you should check this book out.
Author
Bio:
Danielle
Rose is writer of fiction and travel, as well as the owner of Narrative Ink Editing LLC. Danielle currently
resides in the Midwest, where she spends her days at a local coffee shop
planning her next vacation or plotting her next novel.
Tour Schedule
A black, wrought-iron
fence loomed before us. The tips pointed like deadly daggers. Two large
gargoyles stood beside the wide entrance. Their menacing glares stared back at
me. Witches had often used gargoyles for protection against evil entities, and
I found it odd that vampires did, too.
“They’re spelled,” Jasik said.
I met his eyes, confused.
“Witches live here?”
I couldn’t help gawking
at him. Had he really just suggested that witches had helped vampires?
“There is much for you to
learn,” he said, his British accent thickening the words. He smiled, turned,
and walked away. The other vampires had already left us behind.
I realized then that I
could run. By the time they had realized I wasn’t there, I could be to Montana
or back home in Wisconsin. I knew I could never run back to Shasta. They’d find
me there. But I could be free. Free of my Pagan expectations. Free of the
vampire curse. And then I shook my head and kicked twigs at my feet.
I could never be free of the vampire curse, and
it was time to face it: I needed Jasik.
I wasn’t very good at being a vampire.
I followed the vampires
across the threshold. I had almost expected to burst into flames upon entrance,
like an evil being entering holy grounds. I laughed inside at the thought.
Comparing a vampire coven to holy ground? I must have lost my mind.
The overgrown grass made
it difficult to navigate the stone walkway. A small cemetery sat to my right. I
found myself stopping to pray for the lost souls. The headstones were stacked
one after the other. I wondered how the dead fit in such close quarters.
The carvings on the front
stones were dark, new. The stones in rows farther back were dirty and chipped,
and the ground around them was covered in weeds. I wondered how long the oldest
grave had been there. One hundred years? Five hundred? I thought back to our
cemetery. Ancestry played a bigger role in the vampires’ lives than I had
realized.
The similarities between
the two species, witches and vampires, left a bad taste in my mouth. Why, in
all of my teachings, had I never learned of this side to them? Why had I never
learned of Hunters, of vampires who seemed to protect me more than my own
coven?
The overhanging trees
were without bloom. I imagined how cold it must be. It was December, and we
were in Washington. There was a light layer of snow beneath my feet. The crunch
of it beneath my heels brought me home. I smiled as I remembered the long
winters in Wisconsin. They seemed never-ending.
Each season brought a
blizzard, and each blizzard brought games. I would play outside for hours. Only
during Wisconsin winters did I learn how to control my magic, because only then
did I need to call upon fire’s warmth.
I lifted my arm, palm to
the sky. I didn’t feel cold, though I felt the breeze. I suppose I only knew it
was cold because the human in me still beckoned to me. The witch wasn’t letting
go, after all.
I dropped my arm and
slowly backed away. As I turned, I collided with Jasik, who wrapped his hands
around my arms to keep me from losing my balance.
“I was just…” I said,
looking over my shoulders. Only then did I see them. They glinted as the
moonlight hit them just right. Runes. Runes of protection, of strength.
“We must get inside,” he
said, breaking my trance.
“Who’s buried here?” I
asked, pulling away from him. The runes spelled on the tombstones were
powerful. They were meant to keep something out.
Or something in.
He said nothing.
“Jasik, who is buried here?” I asked again. I
made a point of asking in a tone that made him understand he didn’t have a
choice. He would tell me, or we’d
stay outside until the sun rose.
“Our dead,” he said. His
answer annoyed me. He gave me a simple, and obvious, answer—one he knew I knew
was technically correct.
“Jasik,” I said,
breathing slowly, choosing my words wisely. “These stones are spelled. I know
this, because I have used these very same spells on the graves of our dead. Why are these particular stones spelled,
and if you lie or give me a stupid answer, I’m going to sink my fangs so deeply
into your throat your healing powers wouldn’t be able to fix it before the sun
rose. Understand?”
He smiled. In truth, his
reaction didn’t surprise me as much as mine had. I had just threatened a
seemingly very powerful vampire, and I wasn’t worried. I knew I could take him.
I took a step forward and
linked my arm with his. He tensed under my show of affection. I found it odd
that my proximity always made him nervous. Vampires were used to blending in
with humans, and in order to successfully blend in, you had to become
comfortable. When I agreed to leave with them, I thought I would be the one
having a difficult time transitioning into a new life with new rules. But in
reality, we both were having a difficult time accepting the change.
“I want to trust you,” I
said. “You’re all I know now, Jasik. As much as I hate the thought, you’re all
I have.”
I smiled. I gave him the
most sincere smile I could muster. I didn’t want to fight with him. I needed
him to see that he could trust me, too.
There was no space
between us. My body rested against his. His heartbeat rose as I met his eyes.
As much as I wanted to play the friend game, I still didn’t like how
comfortable I was becoming with him. I tried to tell myself that I had to
remember who I was—even if I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to remain that same
girl. But I knew my survival rested in his hands, and I needed to know that I
could count on him when it mattered most. I needed to know that he wouldn’t
pounce the moment my back was turned.
“The tombstones imprison
those of us turned Rogue. They’re no longer living, but we take extra
precautions. Thus, the stones and graveyard are spelled.”
“How do we turn Rogue?” I
whispered. I barely heard my own words, even with my heightened senses, but it
was all I could say.
“By giving into the blood
lust, by feeding from humans to the point where you consume their essence. It
triggers a change—one from which you cannot return.”
I looked back over my
shoulder, staring at the tombstones. I hadn’t noticed the mausoleum hidden in
the corner. I wondered what was in there. Most of the dead seemed to be buried
in the ground. Who was important enough to be buried behind what I assumed to
be a locked door?
I unlinked my arm and
walked beside him in silence. Within minutes, a large, dark building emerged
from the smoky air. A Victorian mansion. Its wraparound stone porch and
stained-glass windows would spook even the strongest heart. More gargoyles sat
beside the entrance to the porch and were perched on the roof. Figures stood in
the windows of the upper floors, watching us. I swallowed hard. I knew more
vampires were inside. I was just getting used to Jasik and the Hunters. How was
I to live in a house full of them?
“Everything will be
okay,” Jasik said as he squeezed my hand.
I realized he’d promised
that twice tonight, and I was beginning to wonder if he was actually trying to
reassure himself.
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