Torn between duty and desire – can he fulfill his purpose and keep the love of his life by his side? A vampire on a mission, Roman and the rest of the Knights of Darkness are hell-bent on saving every captured vampire from Lucem Diem.
But when an operation goes awry, the last thing Roman expects is to come face-to-face with his lifelong mate – who turns out to be a red-headed human.
Jessica believes she’s born to be alone.
Aside from her grandmother, she can’t find it within her to make friends, much less a romantic relationship. Even her hottest clients can’t make her open up!
But when she meets a mysterious high roller who whisks her away to a world of glitz and glamor, Jessica wonders if her life can finally change for the better.
However, the more they spend time together, the more she feels there’s something Roman isn’t telling her.
Roman knows Jessica deserves the truth about his true self, but will she be able to accept him? Or will she turn the other way and run?
Jessica has secrets as well.
And as her purpose gets clearer, she has to will she finally embrace who she is and let people in? Or will she continue living within the walls she built for herself?
Join Roman, Jessica, and the Knights of Darkness in a thrilling adventure as they go to great lengths to uncover the truth to defeat Lucem Diem.
Can the Knights of Darkness ever accept Jessica as their own? Or will Roman have to choose between his family and the love of his life?
Dive into this action-packed adventure, tangled between secrets and desires – scroll up and click “Add to Cart” right now.
I received Awakened Knight in return for an honest review from the author.
I loved Jessica she's a sweetheart and I saw so much in myself. I'm the same way when it cones to going out after work. I really felt like I could connect with her and just adored her. Roman is totally a warrior but he's got a soft spot to that Jessica just knows how to bring out. They have this sweet yet very steamy chemistry that just works. It's an insta love romance but when you toss in mates it's hard not to.
The concept for the Knights of Darkness I found interesting vampires but they aren't the traditional vampires you expect which I liked. No they don't sparkle in the sunlight either but they are just as unique and interesting. Awakened Knight is a perfectly balanced story that captured my heart as well as my imagination.
This is my first book by the author but I'm hooked I've always loved vampire romance and Awakened Knight hits all the right spots. I love a story that has just the right amount of spice blended into a beautiful story. I really enjoyed Awakened Knight and can't wait to read more books in the series and get to know the other vampires. I hope Xavier is next because next to Roman he's my favorite.
So really like this little novella. It is complex like a full length novel just sped up to fit into a novella. The characters are great, and the looming dangers are intriguing. Great little novella!!
This Paranormal Romance is a quick, entertaining, and steamy read. The romance is not a slow build due to the short length of the book. The book is spicy, with several intimate scenes. The book while short has a clear storyline, and follows it with ease. The book moves at a very fast pace. It has the story line of a complex novel, put into a novella. There is no unnecessary fluff. The characters are complex, and wonderfully written. The world building is done with a level of ease that takes the pressure of immense detail’s off the reader.
I really do like Jessica and Roman! I didn’t like how this is all within 2-3 days so in that time frame they meet and literally are already saying they love each other. Also, how she learned she had powers and how to use them in a 10 minute conversation with her grandma. I know it’s a novella and supposed to be short but I think if a few things were lengthened like them meeting and getting to know each other, then it would be fantastic!! I would love to see more of Jessica and Roman! This story has so much potential ♥️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really wanted to like this novella, but there were a few things I couldn’t overlook. There were several pretty obvious grammatical issues throughout that continued to pull me out of the story (honestly within the first few pages), and I didn’t feel any real connection with the characters or their relationship. The background / world building just wasn’t really there for both the universe and the characters themselves.
If you don’t mind things happening at break neck speed you might enjoy it, but it felt a little too hand wavey with the lack of background or explanation for a lot of the actual plot.
**mild spoilers!**
Yes, a novella is inherently short, but personally I didn’t enjoy the turnaround time of the main characters meeting, experiencing dramatic conflict, and then resolve said conflict. Or how quickly she learned how to just wield powers effectively.
Also, I really didn’t like any of the other vampires, which was a bummer. His friends were sh*tty about “females” and the only non-male vampire was immediately competitive and mean to the main character.
The story itself has potential, but the novella felt rushed and unfortunately wasn’t for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
*ARC* I read this in one sitting 🙈😂 I couldn’t put it down! It was good but a bit short for my liking. Fast development of the story but could do with more padding out. I still enjoyed it. #ARC 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✅🆗World & Character Building 🆗Some smut, but no tension 🆗Timeline ✅Vampires vs. Humans ✅🆗”Not a Normal” FMC ✅Touch her and 💀 Protective MMC ✅Mates ✅🆗Modern Fantasy ✅Insta-love
Many novellas always seem rushed. This was definitely the case with this book. Not only with the writing itself, but also the storyline. A lot happened in just those 120 pages that I felt should’ve been built up to, and the timeline is only what, 2-3 days?
I feel like our author tried to grasp the attention of the reader too much and jam-packed a whole lot of (what should have been) intense scenes. I say “should have been” because the timeline was too quick for me to react the way I have in other books with similar situations.
Every scene felt as if it was rushed through in order to fit everything the author wanted the readers to know, even the “smut” felt rushed and cut off.
The insta-love is not my cup of tea, and I do love a swoon-worthy romance, but I felt let down when it was immediate.
The writing is a bit juvenile in that the author told us the answers to the questions asked in the synopsis instead of SHOWING us, like seasoned authors do. For example, in the synopsis: “Can the Knights of Darkness ever accept Jessica as their own?” In the book (spoiler-free): “The Knights of Darkness accept/don’t accept Jessica as their own.”
In extension of “juvenile,” it was a bit cheesy, where the author could have used more descriptive and gripping vocabulary, but instead used simple and flat vocab in places (like, omg, “they have pOwErS”).
Personally, I would’ve liked at least 50 extra pages to add to the timeline between every main event that happened so I could feel fully invested. Or even draw out THE main event into the first novel in the series.
When I’m reading a book I don’t want to be told. I want to be enveloped in the story and shown these things.
I do suggest this book for readers, but I’m hoping to see this author grow as a writer and see how she develops both the characters and the storyline.
✨I was provided an eARC by the author in return for an honest and independent review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.✨
*ARC* I received this early in return for an honest review.
World building & concept: ⭐️4 I truly enjoyed the world building and where this story will go once the novel comes out. I think there is a lot to grow from and expand on—the not-so-cliche vampires and (military?) humans that are hunting them? Captivating and exciting concept that I’m excited to see more of.
Romance: ⭐️2.5 Roman and Jessica’s story has so much potential. Now, I’m no stranger to novellas or insta-love, but I feel I would’ve enjoyed this more if it was a full fledged novel. I just didn’t feel connected to their love story as time and struggled to truly appreciate their mating bond.
Jessica’s powers: in theory-4⭐️ … in application-2⭐️ Overall-3⭐️ I’m a sucker for a reluctant hero/heroine with hidden family gifts. I do think that her quickness in learning the skills, for never having been accepting of it before, seemed a bit… rushed? (not sure that’s the right word) I feel her discovering her powers would’ve been a good place to end—Jessica couldn’t figure out her powers in time, Roman is on the brink of death, and then BOOM now the novel is out, from the POV of someone else and there’s a side quest to rescue him while she learns to control her powers.
Writing: beginning-2.5⭐️ … end-3⭐️ The beginning was a bit tough to get through, though I kept with it for my review (and I hate DNFing honestly). The dialogue can be a bit juvenile in times but in others almost too polished? It vastly improved by the 50% mark, and by 60% I was determined to finish to see how it ended.
****Final rating: 3⭐️ Her powers have a lot of potential and I’m excited to see where the story goes. With a bit of polishing, this could very easily move to a 4⭐️ reading. If one is willing to wade through the tough spots, the story is enjoyable and I am anticipating the novel’s release. I’ll definitely read it to see what happens with the vampires and their human enemies. I do recommend, for those who are not overly picky.
Thank you for the ARC opportunity!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Babe!!! When I tell you I have never read a book faster than I read Awakened Knight!!! I’m almost not proud to admit I was more than just sleepy at work the following day. I have to know more. For readers that like the preface of a series before diving in and committing. Let me tell you, I’m saving release dates to my calendar for this series. I have to know more! I have to know all of the fiery, yet sensual, yet surprising, yet smutty details. The back and forth, the emotions, the scenes the author created in my mind… the writing was descriptive but still easy for my silly ADHD brain to digest and keep my attention and now… call me a lady in waiting to find more out about “my” knights. I’ve already invested in the clan and need to know more. Hold my calls, I’ll be busy reading. If you aren’t ready for a series to take hold of you, I’d hold off. But if you’re like me and ready for characters to take over your soul, this is where you become Awakened.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What I liked about this book was that it’s not your conventional kind of vampire. The story has potential to turn into something big and I think the author can do a lot with it. Jessica was sweet and I felt like I could see some of my younger self in her.
That said, I do feel a bit underwhelmed.
It’s hard to fit a lot into a short novella and I feel that’s what happened here. The storyline felt rushed including the big climax at the end. There were also a few times in the dialogues where I had to go back reread to understand who was speaking.
My biggest critique to this book would be to SHOW us more of the story instead of tell us. I want to feel the characters emotions and instead of be told “she was happy”.
Overall, the book is enjoyable and I do think the series will evolve as well as the writer so I’m excited to see what she does with it.
A quick and enjoyable read! I can't wait to delve into this world more!
Novellas are always interesting to me, because an author has to set a world, start a romance, and have a quick plot, all often within 100-200 pages! This novella delivers!
It's a lovely paranormal fantasy romance set in Las Vegas. We follow the vampire knight Roman, as he returns from a fight with unexpected results. Then we meet his human masseuse Jessica, who lives a normal life working hard to take care of her and her grandmother.
They are two people who believe they are meant to be alone, but their attraction is instant. Can a human and a vampire work? Will both of their secrets end things before they even start?
It's a fast story, but that's to be expected for what it is. As an introductory to this world, it's a great start and am looking forward to more!
As far as novellas go, this was decent. I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it. Personally, I prefer longer books due to the world building and character development a higher word count affords. That being said, I will share a few of my personal pros and cons.
The attraction wasn't super believeable for me. I know the whole "fated mate" thing plays into it, but I also need there to be more to the relationship than that.
He's a vampire, but he never fed from her??? That's why I read vampire romance in the first place. I felt a little duped.
On a positive note, I did have a favorite character. It was her grandma. I actually laughed when she started getting zesty with the vamps. A rare occurrence!
In sum, it's pretty good for a novella, but I would have enjoyed it more as a novel.
Overall: Enjoyed this intro-to-series novella. I will likely pick up the first book whenever it comes out, see how I like it, and take the rest of the series from there.
Awakened Knight introduces us to a secret population of vampire warriors in modern Las Vegas. Our leading character meet after Roman, a vampire knight, returns from a raid and Jessica, a massage therapist, is sent to be his masseuse afterwards. The sparks and connection between the two are instantaneous and the story evolves from there.
I tried to keep in mind that the story is a novella and series introduction. I like the concept behind the story as well as the writing - barring a few things. I liked that the quick connection between the two leads showed a bit of sweetness and not just lust. I do however wish more more background had been given and questions had been answered within this piece of the series.
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I read, but I did like it! The grandmother was the best character.
With it being a novella and the intro into the series, I wish there was more background and world building. With the fast pace, I felt like I was scrambling to figure out what was happening and I didn't enjoy that feeling.
There wasn't really any connection to the characters for me, but I'm interested to see how the series grows since this was so short. All the information was thrown at you and I needed a moment to digest it to really enjoy the story.
I’m hooked and can’t wait to read what happens next. Jessica and Roman have instant chemistry and it’s fast paced after that. I love that you aren’t able to guess what’s coming and going to happen but can tell that there’s a larger picture coming in the next book. I feel like this was a really good start and introduction to what could be an amazing series. I really enjoyed this novella. If you like vampires and fated or bonded mates, this book is for you!
As far as a novella goes, this was a bit short for me. I really felt that there could have been so much more done with the character/world building and the POV was a bit confusing. However!! I feel that this story has so much potential, I enjoyed the views into some the side characters and of course I loved the grandmother in the story. This has the potential to be a great novella with some tweaking but I always appreciate a paranormal romance with a happy ending.
3,5⭐️ This is my first book from this author, and I to want read more of her books. Although it wasn’t the best. The book has enough sexy scenes, romance, and action for me to be interested in reading but, even though it is a short novella I just felt like it was too rushed. Still enjoyed, it was an entertaining book.
I wanna thank the author Viktoria Karlyle for the opportunity. ❤️
I was immediately captured by the characters and details to the story line. The author does a great job at progressing the story in a short amount of time but giving you all the perfect pieces of a fantasy story. I read this in one sitting because I could not put it down. So excited to read what comes next!
For transparency; I received an advanced copy of this novella in exchange for a honest review. I loved this introduction into the world of the Knights of Darkness, I couldn’t put it down and was genuinely disappointed that it was over so quickly when I wanted more!! Good writing, world building and characters. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Jessica and Roman were so much fun to read. This book was great, I inhaled it and cannot wait for the next book. Vampires are my weakness anyway, and this was a great spin on the lore. Couldn’t put it down!
Interesting read. Def want to know more about this universe. The plot is strong but I felt there wasn't enough time to really develop it. There is a lot of spice. Not a bad thing at all. All in all, I want to know more about all the characters and the world they live in.
This book will pull you in and have you not wanting to stop. It’s on the shorter side so I devoured this in one sitting but it was soo good. The characters, story and little twists were perfect. If you love a good vampire book then this is a must read!!! I can’t wait for the second book!
This book was good, enticing and spicy. It only gets 4 stars from me because phase I wanted more. I felt it was short for me. But it was so good. I’d love to know more of the story behind the vampire and Jessica’s healing powers story but it’s so good and I definitely recommend it.
This book was absolutely amazing and had my attention from the first page. I really hope there is another one with Roman and Jessica in the future navigating their new life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A dark paranormal romance with VAMPIRES! A fun setting (Las Vegas underground), well-developed characters, and an interesting plot. A fun start to the series.