A Shade Of Vampire

Sofia Claremont who is an orphan being raised by her best friends parents go on vacation to Cancun. She is kidnapped along with a number of others to be part of the Harem for Derek Novak who is the leader of this particular clan of vampires. She is taken to the Shade an island where it never gets light because of a spell from a witch. Of course Sofia and Derek form a strong bond. It was a quick read and I'll be looking for the next in the series.

Rating : 4.5 stars.

Cover:
I'm a huge fan of this cover. It's so beautiful.
Storyline:
I didn't think I would like this book at first because of its somewhat slow and familiar start. But things got better as I got more into knowing the characters and the story.

Summary:
This is a story of a human and an ancient very powerful vampire who fall in love with each other. And yet it is no ordinary story.
At first, we're with the main protagonist, Sofia and her best friend Ben on her seventeenth birthday. They're talking and enjoying the view of the sea when Sofia gets kidnapped by this mysterious good looking guy.
Later on, she's in a strange place with her kidnapper. She knows that she's with vampires and that they're planning something big.
At the same time we're switched to the point of view to the main guy protagonist Derek as he wakes up from a long slumber.
As the story goes on, we get to see what these two characters are going through and how their affection is growing.
This story is full of ups and downs but the way the characters deal with them is great.
The end is speechless. How am I supposed to not know what happens next? I warn you, this book ends with a cliffhanger.
What I loved:
- The writing style is simple and intriguing. It combines the modern style and the classical one. I'm a big fan.
- The plot is not something new but it is different and has its charm. I can say it had a mix of two of my favorite fictional worlds (vampires with a hidden coven society). I liked it.
- The characters: especially Derek's and Sofia's. They're the opposite of each other and yet there great together. Derek is a vicious powerful predator and she's a strong, intelligent and brave young woman.
- The progression of the story.
- There's suspense in almost every chapter that begs you to read the next one.
- The story itself is short and yet full of events.
- The story is told from the point of view of main two protagonists. And since they're different in character, it is really fun to know how each of them reacted to the other.
- Sofia's sarcastic character.
- The ending! Unlike other stories I can't predict Sofia's choice. This could go either way.
What I disliked:
- It had a somewhat slow start.
- A lot of sexual tension! Don't worry there aren't any explicit scenes.
- I wish the side characters were more present, mostly Vivian. We don't get to see much of her in the book and we're left without knowing anything about her until the epilogue, in which I was desperate to know more about her.

The characters:
- Derek Novak: A very powerful, ancient value prince. He's been known for his great work both against and for vampires. He wakes up from a long slumber and shows affection, love and attraction to one of his human slaves. I ended up living him, he's really nice, different and yet he shows loyalty, protectiveness and respect to his kind.
- Sofia Claremont: A young girl with no family and one best friend. Her life changes when she's suddenly abducted into slavery in a vampire coven. Her life is always in danger because of a constant threat and yet she might've just found home.
- Vivian Novak: Derek's sister. She's a lady. Gentle, caring, and loves her brother. She's smart, hard working and has a gift.
- Lucas Novak: Derek's older brother. By my own conclusion, I think he's the main antagonist in this book. He's good looking and yet he's disrespectful, inappropriate and doesn't care much about family. For someone who usually sides with bad guys, I hate his guts!
- Ben Hudson: Sofia's best friend. He's described by Sofia to be trustworthy, smart and logical. I seriously don't like him that much.
Other characters worth mentioning: Derek's father, of whom we know nothing. Claudia, a very beautiful and old vampire who has an affection for Derek and a grudge against Sofia and her friend Ben.

Favorite quotes:
Of course. How dare she interrupt your dinner. Happy birthday, Sofia. You just happen to be the birthday feast. — Chapter 3: Sofia.

Glowing atop the giant redwoods were networks of tree houses. Although from what I could see from the ground, to merely call them tree houses, would be a grave injustice.

They were modern, high-end villas connected from one tree to another by glass-covered walkways and hanging bridges. How it was possible for them to build those things up there was beyond my comprehension, but there they were – luxurious villas built on trees. The very thought of going up there began triggering my non-existent fear of heights. — Chapter 9: Sofia.

“From the moment I got here, all I've wanted to do was escape and go back home, but Derek...”

she leant toward me and placed a gentle kiss over my cheek “...you've begun to feel like home.” — Chapter 22: Derek.

Conclusion:
First, I have to thank Bella Forrest so much for accepting my request to send me this e-book, thanks to her I was introduced to a new and exciting world, thank you so much!

In case you had no idea, I am a huge vampire books fan so trust me when I say: If you think this is your ordinary vampire book, then you're wrong. Yes, some things might seem familiar but there's nothing ordinary about this book. It's not just about a young girl who love a hot vampire. It's about more than this, and we don't even get to the half of it in this book.

If you want a quick, yet suspenseful and romantic read (and sometimes it's even funny!), go ahead and read it, you won't be disappointed.

I already got the rest of the series and can't wait to continue with it, I just hope the story isn't being dragged. It'll be sometime before I continue with it though, I'm known for jumping into long series and then getting bored because I'm in the same story for too long (Ahem, Pretty Little Liars!)...

Anyways, this is definitely in my favorite vampire books collection :D.