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'The Wylts have always served the Vanes. It is our honor. It is our duty.'
Rosa Wylt's life plans are disrupted when she is summoned back to Gwaed Lyn, an ancient estate in the Lake District.
Struggling with childhood memories overshadowed by the wealthy Vane Family, Rosa is determined to learn of the ties that have kept the Wylt's bound to their benefactors for centuries.
Rosa finds more than her own family's history when she uncovers the passionate, doomed love affair of a Vane ancestor... an ancestor that bears an uncanny resemblance to Balthasar, the only Vane that she cannot help being drawn to.
Nothing in the estate is as it seems and as Gwaed Lyn and the immortal Vane Family start revealing their mysteries, Rosa realizes it is called The Blood Lake for a reason...
A modern gothic romance inspired by a new vampire origin story and tangled with the myth and magic of the Fae.
Rosa Wylt's life plans are disrupted when she is summoned back to Gwaed Lyn, an ancient estate in the Lake District.
Struggling with childhood memories overshadowed by the wealthy Vane Family, Rosa is determined to learn of the ties that have kept the Wylt's bound to their benefactors for centuries.
Rosa finds more than her own family's history when she uncovers the passionate, doomed love affair of a Vane ancestor... an ancestor that bears an uncanny resemblance to Balthasar, the only Vane that she cannot help being drawn to.
Nothing in the estate is as it seems and as Gwaed Lyn and the immortal Vane Family start revealing their mysteries, Rosa realizes it is called The Blood Lake for a reason...
A modern gothic romance inspired by a new vampire origin story and tangled with the myth and magic of the Fae.
328 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 2017
76 people are currently reading
822 people want to read
About the author
Amy Kuivalainen
50 books433 followersAmy is a best-selling author of fantasy, paranormal, and romance novels. After realizing she wasn't fit for academia, she channelled her passion for ancient history, magic, and mythology into her storytelling. With Amy's books, you can always expect adventure, mystery, and sizzling romance.
For those wondering, her Finnish surname is pronounced 'Quiver-lay-nen.'
For those wondering, her Finnish surname is pronounced 'Quiver-lay-nen.'
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Blurb:
'The Wylts have always served the Vanes. It is our honor. It is our duty.'
Rosa Wylt's life plans are disrupted when she is summoned back to Gwaed Lyn, an ancient estate in the Lake District.
Struggling with childhood memories overshadowed by the wealthy Vane Family, Rosa is determined to learn of the ties that have kept the Wylt's bound to their benefactors for centuries.
Rosa finds more than her own family's history when she uncovers the passionate, doomed love affair of a Vane ancestor... an ancestor that bears an uncanny resemblance to Balthasar, the only Vane that she cannot help being drawn to.
Nothing in the estate is as it seems and as Gwaed Lyn and the immortal Vane Family start revealing their mysteries, Rosa realizes it is called The Blood Lake for a reason...
A modern gothic romance inspired by a new vampire origin story and tangled with the myth and magic of the Fae.
Blurb:
'The Wylts have always served the Vanes. It is our honor. It is our duty.'
Rosa Wylt's life plans are disrupted when she is summoned back to Gwaed Lyn, an ancient estate in the Lake District.
Struggling with childhood memories overshadowed by the wealthy Vane Family, Rosa is determined to learn of the ties that have kept the Wylt's bound to their benefactors for centuries.
Rosa finds more than her own family's history when she uncovers the passionate, doomed love affair of a Vane ancestor... an ancestor that bears an uncanny resemblance to Balthasar, the only Vane that she cannot help being drawn to.
Nothing in the estate is as it seems and as Gwaed Lyn and the immortal Vane Family start revealing their mysteries, Rosa realizes it is called The Blood Lake for a reason...
A modern gothic romance inspired by a new vampire origin story and tangled with the myth and magic of the Fae.
March 24, 2017
Really enjoyed! Like the idea of how Fae can be diluted through bloodlines to explain vampires. When math/genetics line up right it makes for a well thought out great read. I also LOVE a cliffhanger. It makes you come back for more, and I will!
April 12, 2017
Rosa is summoned to her childhood home when her mother takes ill, but going back means facing the fact that her family are mere servants, and that Gwaed Lyn is hiding secrets.
I won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is the first book I've read by Kuivalainen, and I loved it! I've been running late to work and social engagements all this week, because I have to read just one more chapter!
Rosa is a really strong character and I immediately liked her. She's very outspoken, without being rude. She hates the feeling that she's expected to follow in her family's footsteps, and serve the Vane family in their grand estate. She is very vocal about how antiquated she thinks it all is, but gradually comes to see that it's not all bad.
Rosa is funny and argumentative. I love her friendship with Saul, and the steadily growing attraction to Balthasar.
This is probably one of the most interesting and imaginative takes on the "vampire" legend that I've ever come across (the word vampire is never used in the book, which I thought was very clever). Of course, it helps that I love any mythology connected to the British Isles, and it was really interesting how Kuivalainen explored the Welsh mythology of faeries.
This steers the story away from the usual cliches of the genre, and gives a much bigger world and potential dangers to expand into.
On top of everything, it is just to easy and fun to read, it pulls you along for the adventure.
There's romance, too, which is slow-building and rather sweet. Even cold-hearted me had to pause at some of the letters Balthasar sent. The romance doesn't overwhelm the plot, either; it helps drive it instead.
The only not-so-good points were really minor things.
I thought the introduction of a certain family member at the end, felt a bit wedged in as an afterthought, perhaps as a hook for book 2.
There were a couple of very minor instances were Rosa didn't feel British. What the hell is Gatorade? (Or is that just me?)
I would highly recommend checking this out, and I am definitely looking forward to reading some more of Kuivalainen's work.
I won a copy in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is the first book I've read by Kuivalainen, and I loved it! I've been running late to work and social engagements all this week, because I have to read just one more chapter!
Rosa is a really strong character and I immediately liked her. She's very outspoken, without being rude. She hates the feeling that she's expected to follow in her family's footsteps, and serve the Vane family in their grand estate. She is very vocal about how antiquated she thinks it all is, but gradually comes to see that it's not all bad.
Rosa is funny and argumentative. I love her friendship with Saul, and the steadily growing attraction to Balthasar.
This is probably one of the most interesting and imaginative takes on the "vampire" legend that I've ever come across (the word vampire is never used in the book, which I thought was very clever). Of course, it helps that I love any mythology connected to the British Isles, and it was really interesting how Kuivalainen explored the Welsh mythology of faeries.
This steers the story away from the usual cliches of the genre, and gives a much bigger world and potential dangers to expand into.
On top of everything, it is just to easy and fun to read, it pulls you along for the adventure.
There's romance, too, which is slow-building and rather sweet. Even cold-hearted me had to pause at some of the letters Balthasar sent. The romance doesn't overwhelm the plot, either; it helps drive it instead.
The only not-so-good points were really minor things.
I thought the introduction of a certain family member at the end, felt a bit wedged in as an afterthought, perhaps as a hook for book 2.
There were a couple of very minor instances were Rosa didn't feel British. What the hell is Gatorade? (Or is that just me?)
I would highly recommend checking this out, and I am definitely looking forward to reading some more of Kuivalainen's work.
September 3, 2017
For what started out as a tame vampire romance it quickly turns into a super sexy, fairy tale fantasy, with vampires!
An amazing romantic story that ticks all the boxes, not your classic damsel in distress Rosa meets Bal, a mysterious sexy man at her child home. It just gets better from there.
Loved every page!
Not your typical romance, read if you enjoy thick fantasy which crosses modern and fairy. Lots of in depth characters with a tonne of back story. plus sexy. lots and lots of sexy :P
An amazing romantic story that ticks all the boxes, not your classic damsel in distress Rosa meets Bal, a mysterious sexy man at her child home. It just gets better from there.
Loved every page!
Not your typical romance, read if you enjoy thick fantasy which crosses modern and fairy. Lots of in depth characters with a tonne of back story. plus sexy. lots and lots of sexy :P
September 8, 2020
It has potential but it also lacks 'that something', 3.5*
"Your body is built for seduction, not child rearing. Anyone who says otherwise should have their eyes removed and their tongue torn out."
"I never know if you are joking and it drives me crazy," Rosa replied as she tried not to blush.
"I never joke about beautiful women or eye gouging,"...
This should be a modern gothic tale intertwined with a different origin story of the vampires and with the powerful Fae that came to this world from a different realm. And it is that mostly, especially the mystery and foreboding you feel in the first half of the book. This book has a much stronger first half than the second half and that is such a shame after so much build up in the first part.
I think this book has potential because all of the elements are there and I did enjoy reading it, I also believe that the second book could be much better and then this book would be more like an introduction into this mystery world of vampires and Fae. I also want to point out that I adore the Fae lore and stories written about them, just like I thoroughly enjoy K.M.Moning's 'Fever' series which also has similar elements. But where I find differences is all the faults this book 'Wylt' has.
Since the beginning I was rather unhappy with the author not really describing the main character properly, I had an extremely hard time picturing the woman I was reading about. I was extremely surprised when suddenly in the middle of the book the main character seemed to be a heavier woman because nothing before that gave any indication that she might be so I wasn't quite picturing her like that and then I just couldn't imagine the main character at all after that because it wasn't the image I previously had, that's something this author needs to pay more attention to, describing and establishing characters more. Because that also happens with other characters. They are very vaguely described and it is confusing as all hell. That was my first gripe.
The other thing was the very lengthy intro. I understand you need some time to build up tension and introduce us to this world and give more time to the main character but it's very disproportionate. Some people dropped the book in the first half because 'the story just wouldn't start'. Now, I am not one of them, clearly, but I do understand where they are coming from, especially considering the rather disappointing second half.
What I meant by disproportionate is this. We focus for the majority of this book on our main character, which is not in itself a bad thing. But! I am presuming the author actually does want to make chronicles out of this so there will be more in this universe. If that is the case, then shouldn't you focus a tiny bit less on the inner monologue and all the pastries the main character continuously makes and actually do more about the world building and origin explaining? Yes, that exists too but not as much as it should in my opinion, and I have read certainly hundreds if not more of urban fantasies and paranormal romances so I do have some knowledge about it.
Most of the focus here lies on the main character and building this dark atmosphere. But once the mystery is revealed and the origin is more or less shoehorned in there is not that much of that dark atmosphere left.
Now let's focus a little bit on the romance. I think it happens literally out of nowhere. I did not feel any connection between the main characters / the main couple and when it happened it did not sit right with me honestly. I will admit that if we disregard how and why, the proceeding of the romance was quite nice. They do get some steamy moments and later there is more of a connection.
But these little things are the things that bother me and that are missing here. There was no good establishing and portraying of the characters so I had a hard time imagining them, there should have been a longer introduction and explaining of the Fae world and the origins of Fae and vampires and there was no solid connection between the main couple so a lot of the later actions felt strained.
The positive is everything else, of course.
The main character is a strong woman (who is I am guessing chubby), she has many talents and a strong will which is what I appreciate in my main female leads.
The atmosphere in the first part is nice - dark, foreboding and mysterious. It is a shame that goes away in the second half. But still, you don't have too many books getting this fully right.
The dialogue can be smart, charming, witty, brutal and tragic. I enjoyed the conversations immensely.
"I’m not yelling. I'm exclaiming my opinion at you in a loud and extravagant manner.
"I'm not so foolish to store my bodies where others are likely to find them.
Using the Fae lore in the book is also a big plus for me and I would love reading more about it.
All in all, I would really love to read the second book because I do think this series has potential.
"Your body is built for seduction, not child rearing. Anyone who says otherwise should have their eyes removed and their tongue torn out."
"I never know if you are joking and it drives me crazy," Rosa replied as she tried not to blush.
"I never joke about beautiful women or eye gouging,"...
This should be a modern gothic tale intertwined with a different origin story of the vampires and with the powerful Fae that came to this world from a different realm. And it is that mostly, especially the mystery and foreboding you feel in the first half of the book. This book has a much stronger first half than the second half and that is such a shame after so much build up in the first part.
I think this book has potential because all of the elements are there and I did enjoy reading it, I also believe that the second book could be much better and then this book would be more like an introduction into this mystery world of vampires and Fae. I also want to point out that I adore the Fae lore and stories written about them, just like I thoroughly enjoy K.M.Moning's 'Fever' series which also has similar elements. But where I find differences is all the faults this book 'Wylt' has.
Since the beginning I was rather unhappy with the author not really describing the main character properly, I had an extremely hard time picturing the woman I was reading about. I was extremely surprised when suddenly in the middle of the book the main character seemed to be a heavier woman because nothing before that gave any indication that she might be so I wasn't quite picturing her like that and then I just couldn't imagine the main character at all after that because it wasn't the image I previously had, that's something this author needs to pay more attention to, describing and establishing characters more. Because that also happens with other characters. They are very vaguely described and it is confusing as all hell. That was my first gripe.
The other thing was the very lengthy intro. I understand you need some time to build up tension and introduce us to this world and give more time to the main character but it's very disproportionate. Some people dropped the book in the first half because 'the story just wouldn't start'. Now, I am not one of them, clearly, but I do understand where they are coming from, especially considering the rather disappointing second half.
What I meant by disproportionate is this. We focus for the majority of this book on our main character, which is not in itself a bad thing. But! I am presuming the author actually does want to make chronicles out of this so there will be more in this universe. If that is the case, then shouldn't you focus a tiny bit less on the inner monologue and all the pastries the main character continuously makes and actually do more about the world building and origin explaining? Yes, that exists too but not as much as it should in my opinion, and I have read certainly hundreds if not more of urban fantasies and paranormal romances so I do have some knowledge about it.
Most of the focus here lies on the main character and building this dark atmosphere. But once the mystery is revealed and the origin is more or less shoehorned in there is not that much of that dark atmosphere left.
Now let's focus a little bit on the romance. I think it happens literally out of nowhere. I did not feel any connection between the main characters / the main couple and when it happened it did not sit right with me honestly. I will admit that if we disregard how and why, the proceeding of the romance was quite nice. They do get some steamy moments and later there is more of a connection.
But these little things are the things that bother me and that are missing here. There was no good establishing and portraying of the characters so I had a hard time imagining them, there should have been a longer introduction and explaining of the Fae world and the origins of Fae and vampires and there was no solid connection between the main couple so a lot of the later actions felt strained.
The positive is everything else, of course.
The main character is a strong woman (who is I am guessing chubby), she has many talents and a strong will which is what I appreciate in my main female leads.
The atmosphere in the first part is nice - dark, foreboding and mysterious. It is a shame that goes away in the second half. But still, you don't have too many books getting this fully right.
The dialogue can be smart, charming, witty, brutal and tragic. I enjoyed the conversations immensely.
"I’m not yelling. I'm exclaiming my opinion at you in a loud and extravagant manner.
"I'm not so foolish to store my bodies where others are likely to find them.
Using the Fae lore in the book is also a big plus for me and I would love reading more about it.
All in all, I would really love to read the second book because I do think this series has potential.
July 20, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and Balthazar is genuinely crush worthy!! The take on vampire is also extremely original and I have to admit I can't wait until the sequel!
September 8, 2018
Absolutely awesome! New series that I will read. Totally different look at Fae, Seelie, Unseelie and Vampires. The Vanes are a wealthy old money family and the Wylts have always served them. The Vanes are much more than human. Rosa's father was killed when Rosa was very young. Eli Vane the head of the family was like a dear Uncle to her, spoiled her. After her father died to keep her safe she was sent away to boarding school. She is now grown-up and Eli has sent for her because of health problems of her mother, Cecily. She is not happy but goes. She feels she has been neglected by her mother and blames Eli for convincing her to abandon her in boarding school the college and culinary school. It was so good. You have to like Rosa she's a spunky, cop-attitude hard working young women. The Vanes some you like and some you really want to be punished for their meanness. World building is great. You learn as Rosa is told and she finds out history on her own. In my opinion I liked it a lot.
September 15, 2019
It was an interesting enough story, but the writing was disappointing. I also thought the first half was stronger than the second. It was a better story when the secrets were still waiting to be revealed. Once the truth is spilled it just kind of comes unglued. I kept checking how much more I had to go toward the end.
November 11, 2017
This is an amazing book! Rosa is such a strong character and the ending is perfect. I just think Pearl should have been taken out before after all the trouble she caused. At least Janes cause of death was revealed.
May 24, 2018
📌♋💋💞
Love it!!! Couldn't get enough.. Character s .. Great.. ,,Plot.. Great.. ,,,All in all... I love the story line, the adventure and romance and fatasy,, covers all i like in a story that i love to read and lose myself in.
Love it!!! Couldn't get enough.. Character s .. Great.. ,,Plot.. Great.. ,,,All in all... I love the story line, the adventure and romance and fatasy,, covers all i like in a story that i love to read and lose myself in.
November 26, 2018
Couldn't stop reading
Interesting twist to typical fae stories. I love that Rosa is not only older, but "normal" sized, making her so much more relatable. Fast paced, betrayals, fights, and abductions - just the right mix of everything for a good story.
Interesting twist to typical fae stories. I love that Rosa is not only older, but "normal" sized, making her so much more relatable. Fast paced, betrayals, fights, and abductions - just the right mix of everything for a good story.
October 3, 2019
Good fantasy read
Excellent story! I enjoyed it from start to finish. Some content was not for children, but the book would be okay for anyone 18 and up. It had a good plot line and an ending I didn't expect, and the characterization was quite strong.
Excellent story! I enjoyed it from start to finish. Some content was not for children, but the book would be okay for anyone 18 and up. It had a good plot line and an ending I didn't expect, and the characterization was quite strong.
December 20, 2020
I went into this book blind. I stayed up late cause I couldn't put it down. I absolutely love Rosa! She is such a spitfire. Most of twists took me by surprise. I loved every minute of this book and can't wait to see what the next book brings. Well done Amy.
December 31, 2017
Twists
Everywhere. Lots of details. Magic and snark galore . Ending was a bit mushy but ends on a cliffhanger ...
Everywhere. Lots of details. Magic and snark galore . Ending was a bit mushy but ends on a cliffhanger ...
February 10, 2018
Great read
I loved this story and the strong
Women who were sheros.
I !over it and will read this book again.
I will tell my reading family and friends about this book.
I loved this story and the strong
Women who were sheros.
I !over it and will read this book again.
I will tell my reading family and friends about this book.
December 2, 2018
It was an infuriating book but i loved it
December 4, 2018
Wow
This book grabbed me and would not let go. I wasn’t sure at first whether I’d enjoy it or not but now I can’t read the next book!
This book grabbed me and would not let go. I wasn’t sure at first whether I’d enjoy it or not but now I can’t read the next book!
February 13, 2019
LOVEEED!
I really loved the story between Rosa and Bal. I wished the book was a little longer since I do think their story was a little rushed.
I really loved the story between Rosa and Bal. I wished the book was a little longer since I do think their story was a little rushed.
February 20, 2019
An amazing start to an amazing series
Loved this book! All the romance, action and farie twists and turns had me hooked! I can't wait to see what happens next!
Loved this book! All the romance, action and farie twists and turns had me hooked! I can't wait to see what happens next!
September 17, 2019
Loved this story line.
A new and beautiful twist to the vampire legend. I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up until the wee hours on a work night because I had to know.
A new and beautiful twist to the vampire legend. I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up until the wee hours on a work night because I had to know.
April 1, 2023
A gothic suspense novel that is really a dark faerie tale where the bastard offspring of the fae are vampires.
What happens when a human is drawn back to a past they do not remember?
What happens when a human is drawn back to a past they do not remember?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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