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The Amarant #1
The Vampire Secret
A fictional world brought to life, a dark romance that promises eternity, and a secret that threatens to end it all.
Crimson Wilkinson is a teenage girl who, having survived a dark childhood, finds her escape in reading a popular vampire series. After some investigation, she becomes a very active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. But her happiness is short-lived as she discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful if turned into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community’s number-one most-wanted, some who want to kill her before she becomes a threat, and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.
Crimson Wilkinson is a teenage girl who, having survived a dark childhood, finds her escape in reading a popular vampire series. After some investigation, she becomes a very active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. But her happiness is short-lived as she discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful if turned into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community’s number-one most-wanted, some who want to kill her before she becomes a threat, and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.
411 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2018
399 people are currently reading
584 people want to read
About the author
Tricia Barr
114 books162 followersBy day, Tricia is a full time mom to two beautiful toddler girls and a wife/business partner to a handsome hard-working husband. By night--and nap times--she writes unique and thrilling young adult fantasies inspired by her vivid, somewhat creepy dreams and her own adventures around the world.
Sign up for her Email List and be automatically notified about new releases: http://www.tricia-barr.com/
List of Tricia's books:
THE BOUND ONES:
Ignite (Book 1)
Submerge (Book 2)
Unearth (Book 3)
Haunt (Standalone)
THE AMARANT:
The Vampire Secret (Book 1)
The Vampire Unleashed (Coming soon)
Steamy Adult Paranormal Romance Standalones:
Devilish
Sign up for her Email List and be automatically notified about new releases: http://www.tricia-barr.com/
List of Tricia's books:
THE BOUND ONES:
Ignite (Book 1)
Submerge (Book 2)
Unearth (Book 3)
Haunt (Standalone)
THE AMARANT:
The Vampire Secret (Book 1)
The Vampire Unleashed (Coming soon)
Steamy Adult Paranormal Romance Standalones:
Devilish
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
April 22, 2017
I felt bad for how little I enjoyed this book, but seeing all the 4 and 5 star reviews, I’ll chalk it up to one of those “everyone but me” moments.
This book has an interesting blurb, but I think it needs to go through some editing. The actual story of a girl being wanted in the vampire world takes way too long to begin, with the first hints of that story line beginning on page 234 (chapter 20). That is, page 234 of a 405 paged book. That’s more than halfway into the book with nothing happening, and this is only the mention of the main character, Crimson, being different. The beginning of the story is irrelevant and boring. However, I kinda enjoyed that part for what it was.
The first half is quite literally a day-by-day of Crimson’s life, with a few time jumps here and there. We read about band practice, morning breakfast, science/math class (can’t remember which class), that time her and her friends skip school, her tutoring sessions with that one guy whose name I cannot recall who is or isn’t her boyfriend, some random stalkings from guys, her unchaperoned NY trip, a camping trip. And a fucked up event at someones’ birthday party that I think made no sense and was brushed over too easily. Besides the long awaited NY trip (both for Crimson and me), nothing important happened.
When she finally meets vampire Nicholae, she’s already in love with him. Which is fine, because she’s been reading his vampire novels and somehow discovered he’s a real vampire (through some basic hacking skills she quickly learns which seems both unrealistic and convenient). But it was weird that he felt the same about her. It’s hard to believe, like with many vampire novels, that this one young girl has been the only person you’ve been able to connect with and fall in love with. Especially because Crimson seemed so immature. I thought she was a senior in high school, but then I think I read that she was 15 or 16. Whichever, she seemed young once she started messing with Nicholae.
To be honest, I skimmed the last 8 chapters. It took too long for things to happen, and once they started to I didn’t care. But, here are a few quotes I found… odd. Note these happen within 50 pages of the start of the book.
"Unlike other girls I knew who had been abused, I wasn’t the least bit promiscuous…"
-This was definitely fucked up to say. Why blame these girls whom you know have been abused just like you? It’s like she has a weird competition going on with them on who survives sexual abuse better.
"Stalker” had always seemed like such a horrible word to me before- stalkers were the people who followed around innocent young girls. But now the word held a sense of romance and exclusivity for me. I was the stalker of Vampire Nicholae. This made me special, and just as elite and mysterious as he was."
-not cool, dude. And, not cute. Or mysterious. Stalking is wrong!
"Well, duh, look how freakin’ skinny you are… you look like one of those kids from Africa." - Now, I know sometimes friends say things like this to one another, but this was just…
"The bank account for a man named Nicholae Albaric born in the seventeen hundreds was still open and growing, and in use to this day by a man… supposedly born in this century" - would they even have bank information from the 1700’s available in this century? How is that even possible?
So, read the rave reviews and decide whether or not this is your type of book.
Thank you to the author for providing a free copy of The Amarant in exchange for an honest review
This book has an interesting blurb, but I think it needs to go through some editing. The actual story of a girl being wanted in the vampire world takes way too long to begin, with the first hints of that story line beginning on page 234 (chapter 20). That is, page 234 of a 405 paged book. That’s more than halfway into the book with nothing happening, and this is only the mention of the main character, Crimson, being different. The beginning of the story is irrelevant and boring. However, I kinda enjoyed that part for what it was.
The first half is quite literally a day-by-day of Crimson’s life, with a few time jumps here and there. We read about band practice, morning breakfast, science/math class (can’t remember which class), that time her and her friends skip school, her tutoring sessions with that one guy whose name I cannot recall who is or isn’t her boyfriend, some random stalkings from guys, her unchaperoned NY trip, a camping trip. And a fucked up event at someones’ birthday party that I think made no sense and was brushed over too easily. Besides the long awaited NY trip (both for Crimson and me), nothing important happened.
When she finally meets vampire Nicholae, she’s already in love with him. Which is fine, because she’s been reading his vampire novels and somehow discovered he’s a real vampire (through some basic hacking skills she quickly learns which seems both unrealistic and convenient). But it was weird that he felt the same about her. It’s hard to believe, like with many vampire novels, that this one young girl has been the only person you’ve been able to connect with and fall in love with. Especially because Crimson seemed so immature. I thought she was a senior in high school, but then I think I read that she was 15 or 16. Whichever, she seemed young once she started messing with Nicholae.
To be honest, I skimmed the last 8 chapters. It took too long for things to happen, and once they started to I didn’t care. But, here are a few quotes I found… odd. Note these happen within 50 pages of the start of the book.
"Unlike other girls I knew who had been abused, I wasn’t the least bit promiscuous…"
-This was definitely fucked up to say. Why blame these girls whom you know have been abused just like you? It’s like she has a weird competition going on with them on who survives sexual abuse better.
"Stalker” had always seemed like such a horrible word to me before- stalkers were the people who followed around innocent young girls. But now the word held a sense of romance and exclusivity for me. I was the stalker of Vampire Nicholae. This made me special, and just as elite and mysterious as he was."
-not cool, dude. And, not cute. Or mysterious. Stalking is wrong!
"Well, duh, look how freakin’ skinny you are… you look like one of those kids from Africa." - Now, I know sometimes friends say things like this to one another, but this was just…
"The bank account for a man named Nicholae Albaric born in the seventeen hundreds was still open and growing, and in use to this day by a man… supposedly born in this century" - would they even have bank information from the 1700’s available in this century? How is that even possible?
So, read the rave reviews and decide whether or not this is your type of book.
Thank you to the author for providing a free copy of The Amarant in exchange for an honest review
March 22, 2017
I haven't read a vampire novel in a long time. Kind of got burned out of them. But if you love paranormal romance, young adult novels, then you must read this book.
Crimson Wilkinson, lives in Tucson, AZ., and goes to Sunny Mountain high school. She is a senior and has her future all worked out with several scholarships to the University of Arizona. But since reading the books by the popular author Nicholae Albaric, Crimson becomes obsessed with him. She watches him on the internet all while telling her sixteen year old cousin, Haley, what has changed.
Nicholae was born in 1750, London, and writes about his vampiric tales in his books, under the disguise of fiction. He has many friends but also has enemies. Laramie, William and Lolita are his confidantes. Delilah, is an old vampire who wants payback. "She will be the key to my revenge."
Crimson hangs out with her friends, Robert, Reina and Amber, does homework and goes to the football games to play in the marching band. She meets, Stephen, a football player and they begin a friendship that leads to dating. Crimson and Stephen begin to spend a lot of time together and they become close.
After following through with her plan to meet Nicholae, Crimson's world changes. She suddenly becomes very aware of the vampire world. Crimson is so intrigued and absorbs all the information she can. She comes to find out that her eyes are a sign of power if turned vampire.
Crimson finds out that she is an Amarant. The gene behind her eyes is called "Amaranthine, for the unique flower-like design on the iris, and for the mythology behind the flower."
There really wasn't much to dislike about this book. There are a few minor things that I'll mention but the book was very easy to get into, I was invested, I cared about the characters and I didn't want to stop reading
Crimson lives with her mother. Her mom works different hours at the office and gives Crimson her space because of her age. Crimson is able to take care of herself with meals, getting up for school and making her own decision, etc. Mom is a good moral compass and tries to help her daughter. However, there were times when she came off as apathetic. Things seemed a bit convenient. But, Crimson does hold her mother at bay. Her mother is around enough to meet new people in Crimson's life and to talk with her daughter about goings on, but Crimson really feels independent of her mother's role. Crimson is determined to follow her wills and is a bit selfish, which, imho, shows her age.
Crimson was abused as a child by her father. She tells that her father would touch her and her parents divorced when she was 6. There are not a lot of details here but she expresses hatred of others who take advantage of weaker people. "I wasn't the least bit promiscuous, but I did harbor a slight hatred for the weaker sex. Weaker sex meaning men; is it not weakness to be governed by your baser desires and primitive rage?"
I'd agree with this point of view. Crimson is a smart girl. She gets good grades and tries hard to learn and keep herself educated. She's not super into math but loves science and is good at it.
Crimson is also a funny character. She has dry humor, she likes to tease and she has excellent come backs. She's quick witted and all this was a nice change.
The two things that I didn't love about the book are where Crimson lays out her feelings for Stephen versus Nicolae is strange for me. I felt like nobody really knows what would have happened. There wasn't the opportunity to find out what could have happened. However, its good that the author added in the section because it shows that Crimson felt guilty but also that she wasn't sure how she felt. She is trying to stay positive and be supportive but I think she is still conflicted about it.
After Crimson meets up with Nicolae, the two characters bond instantly...insta love. It was strange for me. The author explains this but still, its insta love. Their friendship comes later.
Overall, this was an excellent change up in the everyday read. I enjoyed reading this book very much. I wanted to keep reading, I wanted to steal time away from people and finish it..see what happens. It's quite a long book but the length did even bother me. I absorbed this book. There is talk about having sex but the characters don't do anything. I would recommend this book to those who love paranormal romance, action adventure and a change up for the usual.
Content: a gay character (just comments of hot guys and being one of the girls), minor language, violence, attempted rape, no sexual situations only mention of sexual desires.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Crimson Wilkinson, lives in Tucson, AZ., and goes to Sunny Mountain high school. She is a senior and has her future all worked out with several scholarships to the University of Arizona. But since reading the books by the popular author Nicholae Albaric, Crimson becomes obsessed with him. She watches him on the internet all while telling her sixteen year old cousin, Haley, what has changed.
Nicholae was born in 1750, London, and writes about his vampiric tales in his books, under the disguise of fiction. He has many friends but also has enemies. Laramie, William and Lolita are his confidantes. Delilah, is an old vampire who wants payback. "She will be the key to my revenge."
Crimson hangs out with her friends, Robert, Reina and Amber, does homework and goes to the football games to play in the marching band. She meets, Stephen, a football player and they begin a friendship that leads to dating. Crimson and Stephen begin to spend a lot of time together and they become close.
After following through with her plan to meet Nicholae, Crimson's world changes. She suddenly becomes very aware of the vampire world. Crimson is so intrigued and absorbs all the information she can. She comes to find out that her eyes are a sign of power if turned vampire.
"Oh, yeah, I know, I'm weird, I said. My eyes had always been a cause for approbation. They were bright serpentine green, but circling the pupils were thin spears of red, opening life a flower around the black hole."
Crimson finds out that she is an Amarant. The gene behind her eyes is called "Amaranthine, for the unique flower-like design on the iris, and for the mythology behind the flower."
There really wasn't much to dislike about this book. There are a few minor things that I'll mention but the book was very easy to get into, I was invested, I cared about the characters and I didn't want to stop reading
Crimson lives with her mother. Her mom works different hours at the office and gives Crimson her space because of her age. Crimson is able to take care of herself with meals, getting up for school and making her own decision, etc. Mom is a good moral compass and tries to help her daughter. However, there were times when she came off as apathetic. Things seemed a bit convenient. But, Crimson does hold her mother at bay. Her mother is around enough to meet new people in Crimson's life and to talk with her daughter about goings on, but Crimson really feels independent of her mother's role. Crimson is determined to follow her wills and is a bit selfish, which, imho, shows her age.
Crimson was abused as a child by her father. She tells that her father would touch her and her parents divorced when she was 6. There are not a lot of details here but she expresses hatred of others who take advantage of weaker people. "I wasn't the least bit promiscuous, but I did harbor a slight hatred for the weaker sex. Weaker sex meaning men; is it not weakness to be governed by your baser desires and primitive rage?"
I'd agree with this point of view. Crimson is a smart girl. She gets good grades and tries hard to learn and keep herself educated. She's not super into math but loves science and is good at it.
Crimson is also a funny character. She has dry humor, she likes to tease and she has excellent come backs. She's quick witted and all this was a nice change.
The two things that I didn't love about the book are where Crimson lays out her feelings for Stephen versus Nicolae is strange for me. I felt like nobody really knows what would have happened. There wasn't the opportunity to find out what could have happened. However, its good that the author added in the section because it shows that Crimson felt guilty but also that she wasn't sure how she felt. She is trying to stay positive and be supportive but I think she is still conflicted about it.
After Crimson meets up with Nicolae, the two characters bond instantly...insta love. It was strange for me. The author explains this but still, its insta love. Their friendship comes later.
Overall, this was an excellent change up in the everyday read. I enjoyed reading this book very much. I wanted to keep reading, I wanted to steal time away from people and finish it..see what happens. It's quite a long book but the length did even bother me. I absorbed this book. There is talk about having sex but the characters don't do anything. I would recommend this book to those who love paranormal romance, action adventure and a change up for the usual.
Content: a gay character (just comments of hot guys and being one of the girls), minor language, violence, attempted rape, no sexual situations only mention of sexual desires.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 1, 2018
A good book, but not a great book. Maybe I am becoming jaded from all the vampire books that I read....or maybe this one just didn't quite hit all the right notes for me. I would actually give the book 3-1/2 stars.
The concept was unique: Crimson is a teenager who is infatuated with a fictional vampire named Nicholae. She accidentally stumbles on the fact that he is not fictional but is REAL! Imagine her excitement that she can actually meet the man (vampire) of her dreams.
Nicki has written a series of books describing his real life exploits and has made a fortune doing so. But, he has kept his true identity secret from the world. Crimson is determined to meet him, no matter the cost. There is lots of romance in the book, starting even before they meet.
Parts of the book are a little too much "Twilight" for me, but since it is aimed at a YA crowd, this is understandable. However, some of the scenes don't really make sense and detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
Some of the characters were unique: Laramie, the science-obsessed vampire and his dog, Arsinoe were both great. Some of Laramie's ideas for "fixing" the world's problems have some merit and would make for interesting spinoffs.
Crimson is pretty much a typical teenager (which can be pretty irksome), but her history of abuse adds a twist to her story. I think that this aspect could have been developed further; she is pretty well adjusted for the amount of abuse that is hinted at. Since the author made this a part of the story, I think it should have been better developed than it was. Also, Crimson's cousin Haley is said to be her best friend, yet she is only mentioned a couple of times and ultimately blown off by Crimson.
All in all, an entertaining book, but it could have been much better. Most of the first half was rather tedious and boring, with minute details of a High School girl's life that could have been trimmed without losing the main story.
I will probably read the next book in the series and hope that with maturity, the author and the characters will be more fully developed and the story deeper.
The concept was unique: Crimson is a teenager who is infatuated with a fictional vampire named Nicholae. She accidentally stumbles on the fact that he is not fictional but is REAL! Imagine her excitement that she can actually meet the man (vampire) of her dreams.
Nicki has written a series of books describing his real life exploits and has made a fortune doing so. But, he has kept his true identity secret from the world. Crimson is determined to meet him, no matter the cost. There is lots of romance in the book, starting even before they meet.
Parts of the book are a little too much "Twilight" for me, but since it is aimed at a YA crowd, this is understandable. However, some of the scenes don't really make sense and detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
Some of the characters were unique: Laramie, the science-obsessed vampire and his dog, Arsinoe were both great. Some of Laramie's ideas for "fixing" the world's problems have some merit and would make for interesting spinoffs.
Crimson is pretty much a typical teenager (which can be pretty irksome), but her history of abuse adds a twist to her story. I think that this aspect could have been developed further; she is pretty well adjusted for the amount of abuse that is hinted at. Since the author made this a part of the story, I think it should have been better developed than it was. Also, Crimson's cousin Haley is said to be her best friend, yet she is only mentioned a couple of times and ultimately blown off by Crimson.
All in all, an entertaining book, but it could have been much better. Most of the first half was rather tedious and boring, with minute details of a High School girl's life that could have been trimmed without losing the main story.
I will probably read the next book in the series and hope that with maturity, the author and the characters will be more fully developed and the story deeper.
March 27, 2017
OMG! This book was amazing. I love Vampire stories and this one is one of the best I have ever read. I could not stop reading until there were no more words. This story pulls you in and doesn't let go. Amarant is about a girl named Crimson who loves Vampires. I felt a strong connection to this character right from the start. It was amazing to get inside this girl's head. Crimson is a smart, determined and loyal young lady. Crimson has great friends. She's had bad things happen in her past, but she hasn't let it define her as a person.
Crimson is on a quest to prove to herself that Nicholae Albaric Vampire of her favorite book series and movies is indeed alive, well as alive as a Vampire can be. And so the story begins... There is plenty of excitement in this book and loads of fascinating characters. A surprisingly wonderful story and I can't wait to read more from this Author. I would have to say the ending is my favorite part. So many feelings, so much adrenaline combined to make the perfect ending. A must read in my eyes. If you love Vampires and you secretly wished you were one, this is the story for you.
I give Amarant 5 stars for its great story and fascinating characters.
I would recommend this book to everyone.
Crimson is on a quest to prove to herself that Nicholae Albaric Vampire of her favorite book series and movies is indeed alive, well as alive as a Vampire can be. And so the story begins... There is plenty of excitement in this book and loads of fascinating characters. A surprisingly wonderful story and I can't wait to read more from this Author. I would have to say the ending is my favorite part. So many feelings, so much adrenaline combined to make the perfect ending. A must read in my eyes. If you love Vampires and you secretly wished you were one, this is the story for you.
I give Amarant 5 stars for its great story and fascinating characters.
I would recommend this book to everyone.
April 16, 2018
Crimson has fallen in love with a vampire - the author of her favorite vampire books, to be exact, because the books aren't fiction, as they're labeled, but fact. And she's determined to meet him. What happens then, she doesn't know, but she'll never forgive herself if she doesn't.
Nicolae finds out about Crimson as she's snooping around in his accounts, trying to find him. He finds her first, and the more he finds out, the more he likes.
But there's something else different about Crimson, something in the eyes, something that will turn the vampire world on edge.
I enjoyed this.
At times the story smacked of Twilight, and sometimes Crimson feels a little flat and Nicolae a little creepy (yes, we get to see the world through his eyes at times, and I found that a little harder to swallow that a vampire his age would become obsessed with a teenage girl, but such is the story), but in the end it all pans out. I actually found the side characters to be quite interesting, and we never wade so far into Crimson and Nicolae's world as to lose that.
The pacing was great, and the ending was pretty much perfect. I'm already imagining where book 2 will go.
I do feel there will be those who don't enjoy this book purely on form - the writing sometimes has somewhat of a new author feel, over-explaining at times - but if you're not a stickler, I do think you'll enjoy this story.
Nicolae finds out about Crimson as she's snooping around in his accounts, trying to find him. He finds her first, and the more he finds out, the more he likes.
But there's something else different about Crimson, something in the eyes, something that will turn the vampire world on edge.
I enjoyed this.
At times the story smacked of Twilight, and sometimes Crimson feels a little flat and Nicolae a little creepy (yes, we get to see the world through his eyes at times, and I found that a little harder to swallow that a vampire his age would become obsessed with a teenage girl, but such is the story), but in the end it all pans out. I actually found the side characters to be quite interesting, and we never wade so far into Crimson and Nicolae's world as to lose that.
The pacing was great, and the ending was pretty much perfect. I'm already imagining where book 2 will go.
I do feel there will be those who don't enjoy this book purely on form - the writing sometimes has somewhat of a new author feel, over-explaining at times - but if you're not a stickler, I do think you'll enjoy this story.
March 20, 2017
Alright, so overall I enjoyed the story. While it had some similarities of other book series- human girl and vampire man fall in love but it also had many other aspects that made it different which was nice.
I do have a few issues with some parts of the book- for example... a lot of the beginning of the book consisted of boring sentences "We did this. Then we did this. And then this." and I can't really stand reading that. It makes for a very boring chapter. There's little description and makes you wonder why it was even put in the book in the first place.
I also feel like there wasn't enough time to develop any of the characters. I've got names of course but nothing else. I don't know much about Reina, Haley, Robert, Benny or anyone. It's kind of sad really because it makes it harder to get invested in the characters and want to continue their story.
The plot line itself was pretty good- and I did appreciate how the main character wasn't totally useless even as a human. At least she had the fire to defend herself in certain situations.
All in all it was a decent book- definitely young adults would appreciate this book. I might consider trying out the second book in the future.
I do have a few issues with some parts of the book- for example... a lot of the beginning of the book consisted of boring sentences "We did this. Then we did this. And then this." and I can't really stand reading that. It makes for a very boring chapter. There's little description and makes you wonder why it was even put in the book in the first place.
I also feel like there wasn't enough time to develop any of the characters. I've got names of course but nothing else. I don't know much about Reina, Haley, Robert, Benny or anyone. It's kind of sad really because it makes it harder to get invested in the characters and want to continue their story.
The plot line itself was pretty good- and I did appreciate how the main character wasn't totally useless even as a human. At least she had the fire to defend herself in certain situations.
All in all it was a decent book- definitely young adults would appreciate this book. I might consider trying out the second book in the future.
September 17, 2025
Another Vampire Love Story but . . .
With the major drama and fights starting fairly soon rather than 3-5 books in. I appreciate this. There was the typical ancient male vampire meets/stalks his teenaged female human mate from afar trope. But I was thrown that Nicholae hadn't noticed the other 2 vampires stalking Crimson. I feel like he should have picked up on that right away if he had been stalking her for over a year. Wouldn't he notice/sense other vampires in her vicinity and be on high alert? Either way, it was good and exciting enough to keep my attention and I may consider picking up the 2nd book. I want to see how the cousin, Haley, will tie into this. 🤨🤔
3.5 stars
With the major drama and fights starting fairly soon rather than 3-5 books in. I appreciate this. There was the typical ancient male vampire meets/stalks his teenaged female human mate from afar trope. But I was thrown that Nicholae hadn't noticed the other 2 vampires stalking Crimson. I feel like he should have picked up on that right away if he had been stalking her for over a year. Wouldn't he notice/sense other vampires in her vicinity and be on high alert? Either way, it was good and exciting enough to keep my attention and I may consider picking up the 2nd book. I want to see how the cousin, Haley, will tie into this. 🤨🤔
3.5 stars
March 27, 2017
Imagine falling in love with a book character and then meeting the author of those books a discovering the author was writing about themselves. What would you do? Fall at their feet and declare your undying love, loyalty and life to them? Yeah pretty much. The author did a wonderful job bringing readers into this mythical world. I couldn't stop reading! This was a great story and I can't wait to read more by this author.
May 10, 2022
This is a fab YA read. Girl reads about vampires, finds out vampires are real and so wants to meet said author of vampire books who is in fact a vampire! And so our YA love story begins. It’s got action, it’s got secrets, it’s got mystery and angst and it’s a dark romance that promises eternity. I look forward to book two!
November 17, 2020
Anyone who expresses this novel being similar to Twilight is completely correct. It carried a very similar writing style with similar lackluster dramatics. Overall, a fairly well-written read, just not my preference.
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I would also like to express that I personally found that this book could be triggering to some, which is another reason why it was not within my preferences. I have rarely enjoyed books that included ra*e scenes, and while the scenes were not graphic, they did depict the struggle between the main character and the perpetrators (which occurred more than once). Once again, I recognize some readers may not be bothered by these scenes as they further the idea of the knight in shining armor appearance of the main protagonists' love interest. However, this has just never been my cup of tea by any standards.
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I would also like to express that I personally found that this book could be triggering to some, which is another reason why it was not within my preferences. I have rarely enjoyed books that included ra*e scenes, and while the scenes were not graphic, they did depict the struggle between the main character and the perpetrators (which occurred more than once). Once again, I recognize some readers may not be bothered by these scenes as they further the idea of the knight in shining armor appearance of the main protagonists' love interest. However, this has just never been my cup of tea by any standards.
May 23, 2017
Tricia Barr’s The Amarant, beckons readers into a fantastical vampire-filled world, where a young woman’s crush on a fictional character leads her into an incredible reality where romance, the paranormal and an untapped legacy of fantastic supernatural power merge to change her world, forever.
The heroine of the story, Crimson Wilkinson, portrays a complex and strong-willed young woman, who refuses to let the darkness of a hurt-filled past take over her life. Being only seventeen, she lives with her mother in Tuscon, Arizona, a locale which is wanting when it comes to excitement. As with any high schooler, Crimson undergoes some common experiences; an angry teacher, a bullying nemesis, ditching classes, an attraction to a hunky football player, and boredom. Her only real escape from the doldrums of her life concerns either hanging with her best friends Robert, Reina and Amber or getting lost in her favorite series of paranormal fiction novels which centers on a reclusive, handsome vampire named Nicholae Albaric who she crushes on and obsesses over.
Crimson’s story begins with the start of another seemingly uneventful high school year. Seeking excitement, her curiosity and infatuation for her crush sends her on a whim to search online for the fictional Nicholae. However, things change drastically and the true adventure starts when her search fatefully reveals that her vampire crush, Nicholae Albaric, is a real living vampire. Determined to turn dream into reality Crimson finds a way to meet her crush and the romantic sparks fly seemingly a destiny fulfilled. Consequently, their meeting sets off a series of events both romantic and adventurous, as she quickly becomes acquainted with Nicholae’s extraordinary world, which in turn, also leads to a startling revelation concerning her own untapped supernatural powers. Meanwhile, dark forces with other than friendly intentions focus their sinister machinations on Crimson abruptly throwing her world into utter chaos with danger and blood curdling action ensuing, as Nicholae and other supernatural denizens become her immortal protectors.
Altogether, The Amarant was a nicely executed novel. It fell easily into the Young Adult/Paranormal Romance paradigm with its blending of youthful, animated characters, paranormal creatures and intensely building romance. And overall, I found it made for a good escapist read which should appeal to fans of the genre, albeit, the pace of the story did start out slow but picked up later with an intensity that I wish was present earlier in the story. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed author Tricia Barr’s use of creativity when it came to the diversity of the vampire archetypes and especially her skilled use of imagery during the ferociously bloody vamp fight scenes which made for an especially exciting reading.
The heroine of the story, Crimson Wilkinson, portrays a complex and strong-willed young woman, who refuses to let the darkness of a hurt-filled past take over her life. Being only seventeen, she lives with her mother in Tuscon, Arizona, a locale which is wanting when it comes to excitement. As with any high schooler, Crimson undergoes some common experiences; an angry teacher, a bullying nemesis, ditching classes, an attraction to a hunky football player, and boredom. Her only real escape from the doldrums of her life concerns either hanging with her best friends Robert, Reina and Amber or getting lost in her favorite series of paranormal fiction novels which centers on a reclusive, handsome vampire named Nicholae Albaric who she crushes on and obsesses over.
Crimson’s story begins with the start of another seemingly uneventful high school year. Seeking excitement, her curiosity and infatuation for her crush sends her on a whim to search online for the fictional Nicholae. However, things change drastically and the true adventure starts when her search fatefully reveals that her vampire crush, Nicholae Albaric, is a real living vampire. Determined to turn dream into reality Crimson finds a way to meet her crush and the romantic sparks fly seemingly a destiny fulfilled. Consequently, their meeting sets off a series of events both romantic and adventurous, as she quickly becomes acquainted with Nicholae’s extraordinary world, which in turn, also leads to a startling revelation concerning her own untapped supernatural powers. Meanwhile, dark forces with other than friendly intentions focus their sinister machinations on Crimson abruptly throwing her world into utter chaos with danger and blood curdling action ensuing, as Nicholae and other supernatural denizens become her immortal protectors.
Altogether, The Amarant was a nicely executed novel. It fell easily into the Young Adult/Paranormal Romance paradigm with its blending of youthful, animated characters, paranormal creatures and intensely building romance. And overall, I found it made for a good escapist read which should appeal to fans of the genre, albeit, the pace of the story did start out slow but picked up later with an intensity that I wish was present earlier in the story. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed author Tricia Barr’s use of creativity when it came to the diversity of the vampire archetypes and especially her skilled use of imagery during the ferociously bloody vamp fight scenes which made for an especially exciting reading.
June 22, 2018
This was a good read I actually read the book in one day I tried to put it down but couldn’t I can’t wait until book two comes out
June 14, 2017
Actual Stars 3.5
I was given this book for review by the author Tricia Barr. Thank You Tricia I really appreciate you letting me read and review your book!
This is a book that sounded right up my alley. I love supernatural books and vampire books are at the top of the list. I enjoyed the story for the most part, it felt like some parts of the book were borrowed from other popular vampire books, but this definitely wove a story all of its own.
Crimson has found a real live vampire under everyone's nose through works of "fiction" that he has written. His name is Nicholae and she has fallen completely in stalkerish love. She scopes his bank accounts, purchases anything she can find on him thanks to her learn quick hacker skills. And she has a plan to meet him when her school band performs for a contest in NYC. The day comes when she finally gets to meet her one true love in person and everything is perfect. But she never dreamed her life would be thrown off such a course when she finds out she has a rare gene called the Amaranthine gene that if she becomes a vampire could make her vampire target number one or make her extremely attractive to any vampire wanting to exploit her gifts. Can Nicholae save her or is Crimson destined to a life of turmoil or no life at all.
Things I Liked:
1) It's a vampire book of course!
2) It really was kind of romantic, but I think maybe a little to teenagish for me.
3) Crimson was a tuff girl, which I really enjoy instead of the weak damsel in distress kind of female MC's. It was very refreshing and made me like her all the more.
4) I really liked Benny. He was definitely a scoundrel, but he was very amusing and he lightened the mood when he was around.
Things I Didn't Like:
1) It was a little to convenient how Crimson got her hacker skills, that just didn't sound plausible, but I guess neither does a vampire book.
2) The writing I think might appeal more to teenage YA readers, I think it was a little juvenile for adult YA readers. That's not necessarily bad just the spectrum of where it lands.
3) There were some very sensitive issues that were not written very sensitively, that's all I can say without spoilers.
This was a very easy fast paced read. It was an interesting story that I think a lot of teenage readers will really enjoy. I definitely do want to read the second book myself to see what happens with Crimson and I'm really interested in reading Tricia Barr's other novel Caloric.
Thank You again Tricia.
I was given this book for review by the author Tricia Barr. Thank You Tricia I really appreciate you letting me read and review your book!
This is a book that sounded right up my alley. I love supernatural books and vampire books are at the top of the list. I enjoyed the story for the most part, it felt like some parts of the book were borrowed from other popular vampire books, but this definitely wove a story all of its own.
Crimson has found a real live vampire under everyone's nose through works of "fiction" that he has written. His name is Nicholae and she has fallen completely in stalkerish love. She scopes his bank accounts, purchases anything she can find on him thanks to her learn quick hacker skills. And she has a plan to meet him when her school band performs for a contest in NYC. The day comes when she finally gets to meet her one true love in person and everything is perfect. But she never dreamed her life would be thrown off such a course when she finds out she has a rare gene called the Amaranthine gene that if she becomes a vampire could make her vampire target number one or make her extremely attractive to any vampire wanting to exploit her gifts. Can Nicholae save her or is Crimson destined to a life of turmoil or no life at all.
Things I Liked:
1) It's a vampire book of course!
2) It really was kind of romantic, but I think maybe a little to teenagish for me.
3) Crimson was a tuff girl, which I really enjoy instead of the weak damsel in distress kind of female MC's. It was very refreshing and made me like her all the more.
4) I really liked Benny. He was definitely a scoundrel, but he was very amusing and he lightened the mood when he was around.
Things I Didn't Like:
1) It was a little to convenient how Crimson got her hacker skills, that just didn't sound plausible, but I guess neither does a vampire book.
2) The writing I think might appeal more to teenage YA readers, I think it was a little juvenile for adult YA readers. That's not necessarily bad just the spectrum of where it lands.
3) There were some very sensitive issues that were not written very sensitively, that's all I can say without spoilers.
This was a very easy fast paced read. It was an interesting story that I think a lot of teenage readers will really enjoy. I definitely do want to read the second book myself to see what happens with Crimson and I'm really interested in reading Tricia Barr's other novel Caloric.
Thank You again Tricia.
April 9, 2018
A young teenage girl, Crimson, following her dreams about vampires and the author, Nicholae, of her favourite vampire series. She finds out where the author lives and also investigates everything she can find out about him. She figures out his secret past and realizes what he actually is.
She joined band practice at high school, for the sole purpose of a trip to the big city, where Nicholae the author she has fallen in love with lives. Nicholae is one of the oldest vampire still alive and started writing about past events in his and other vampire lives as if it was fiction. He has a huge following of teen readers and Crimson and her close friends are huge fans.
Nicholae is quite a lonely figure, having spent decades looking for a mate. He has a competitive younger vampire that keeps going after all his kills. Other than that, his only human contact is with his inherited family accountant, Richard, who deals with all his accounts and property. His accountants’ family have looked after his accounts for years.
Someone has other ideas about Nicholae and is out for his blood. He has his enemies and may not make it to Crimson’s visit to New York. Crimson wants to become a vampire but is persuaded to wait till she finishes high school at least and to take her time before committing to such a decision.
Crimson, unknowingly, has an unusual gene in her human makeup and is targeted by the other vampire communities. This special gene could make her a very powerful vampire. One that is very rare. Her life is under attack as others want her dead before she becomes a threat.
A colossal battle takes place near the end between different groups of vampires. Nicholae does what he can to protect Crimson in her human form, but matters are made very difficult. Will she survive and what is this special gene?
I enjoyed reading this. The story takes you through from her small group of high school friends, at the start of their final year and a cousin miles away, to her trip to New York with the marching band and her meeting with her imagined ‘boyfriend’ Nicholae. There is plenty to keep you interested as the story progresses and a few side plots to mix things up.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
She joined band practice at high school, for the sole purpose of a trip to the big city, where Nicholae the author she has fallen in love with lives. Nicholae is one of the oldest vampire still alive and started writing about past events in his and other vampire lives as if it was fiction. He has a huge following of teen readers and Crimson and her close friends are huge fans.
Nicholae is quite a lonely figure, having spent decades looking for a mate. He has a competitive younger vampire that keeps going after all his kills. Other than that, his only human contact is with his inherited family accountant, Richard, who deals with all his accounts and property. His accountants’ family have looked after his accounts for years.
Someone has other ideas about Nicholae and is out for his blood. He has his enemies and may not make it to Crimson’s visit to New York. Crimson wants to become a vampire but is persuaded to wait till she finishes high school at least and to take her time before committing to such a decision.
Crimson, unknowingly, has an unusual gene in her human makeup and is targeted by the other vampire communities. This special gene could make her a very powerful vampire. One that is very rare. Her life is under attack as others want her dead before she becomes a threat.
A colossal battle takes place near the end between different groups of vampires. Nicholae does what he can to protect Crimson in her human form, but matters are made very difficult. Will she survive and what is this special gene?
I enjoyed reading this. The story takes you through from her small group of high school friends, at the start of their final year and a cousin miles away, to her trip to New York with the marching band and her meeting with her imagined ‘boyfriend’ Nicholae. There is plenty to keep you interested as the story progresses and a few side plots to mix things up.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
September 25, 2017
It's either I don't know as much about vampire lore as I thought, or this book held a really great little addition to the lore. What or who Crimson is. I don't think I've ever heard or read anything like it before, which ends up getting major original points for me.
It's typical in the young adult sense. The high school atmosphere, the different friends that appear throughout the beginning especially. There's even the guy that gets rough with the girl. But none of that took away from the story for me.
I think the action sequences, more towards the end of the story, were also very well done. I could imagine what these characters were all doing in my head and it made it enjoyable for me.
For this having been the first time I've heard of, or read this author, she hooked me with this tale.
The only real issue I had here, that keeps this from being a five-star read, is when business really picks up in the story. As an author myself, I get needing to introduce the characters and giving them a little bit of room to prove themselves in terms of interesting the reader enough to continue, but there was a lot here, in the beginning, that sort of stunted everything that came after it. Like you couldn't delve into the relationship with Nicholae as much as I wanted to because it almost seemed limited because of the massive amount of info at the beginning. Instances that maybe didn't need to be there combined with a lot of ones I think did. Also, the time given for her to truly come to terms with who and what she is. It seemed shorter than I wished it to be.
But I can see even more books coming from this one, and I hope that it happens because like I said before, it was a unique little twist on vampire reading and lore itself. And I'll be interested to read anything that continues on after this for sure.
My thanks to the author and everyone else involved in letting me read a copy of this in return for an honest review. It was quickly paced (even in the beginning) and incredibly hard to put down and I enjoyed it a lot.
January 25, 2018
**FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED AN E-ARC FROM GOODREADS IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. RECEIPT OF THIS BOOK IN THIS MANNER DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW.**
Crimson Wilkinson is a teenage girl who has found escape from the routine of her daily life and the traumatic memories of her childhood through her favorite series of books about the vampire Nicholae Albaric. After some research, she figures out that the books aren’t fiction at all but a cover to hide the fact that the author is actually the sweet, lonely vampire, Nicholae. When her school band takes a trip to Bew York, Crimson plans an opportunity and manages to meet him and after spending some time together, they fall in love. But, their happiness isn’t that simple, because it turns out that Crimson has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful if turned into a vampire. This gene causes her to be targeted as vampire kind’s number one most wanted. Some want to turn her and use her powers for their own reasons and some want to kill her to make sure that she can never be turned. All of a sudden, they find themselves in the middle of a vampire war!
Honestly, there were parts of this book that I greatly enjoyed and it had so much potential. I really wanted to love this book and I still want to read the sequel, if there is one. But, for me, it took so long to reach the point where she met Nicholae and the action began, that when it did things started to feel forced and rushed. I understand some of Crimson’s day to day life needed to be included so that the existence of the stalkers could be introduced, I just felt that too much detail and time were devoted to that portion of the story and it didn’t leave enough time for the actual story, if that makes sense. I guess that’s why I’m hoping there is a sequel so that more storyline and character development can occur within the vampire scope of things. There is still so much potential here and I’d hate for it to go unrealized.
Crimson Wilkinson is a teenage girl who has found escape from the routine of her daily life and the traumatic memories of her childhood through her favorite series of books about the vampire Nicholae Albaric. After some research, she figures out that the books aren’t fiction at all but a cover to hide the fact that the author is actually the sweet, lonely vampire, Nicholae. When her school band takes a trip to Bew York, Crimson plans an opportunity and manages to meet him and after spending some time together, they fall in love. But, their happiness isn’t that simple, because it turns out that Crimson has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful if turned into a vampire. This gene causes her to be targeted as vampire kind’s number one most wanted. Some want to turn her and use her powers for their own reasons and some want to kill her to make sure that she can never be turned. All of a sudden, they find themselves in the middle of a vampire war!
Honestly, there were parts of this book that I greatly enjoyed and it had so much potential. I really wanted to love this book and I still want to read the sequel, if there is one. But, for me, it took so long to reach the point where she met Nicholae and the action began, that when it did things started to feel forced and rushed. I understand some of Crimson’s day to day life needed to be included so that the existence of the stalkers could be introduced, I just felt that too much detail and time were devoted to that portion of the story and it didn’t leave enough time for the actual story, if that makes sense. I guess that’s why I’m hoping there is a sequel so that more storyline and character development can occur within the vampire scope of things. There is still so much potential here and I’d hate for it to go unrealized.
May 15, 2017
The Amarant is an interesting book written by Tricia Barr. The author has a pleasant writing style that guides you nicely through the story. There are some really unique concepts hidden in this book like Arsinoe and other things I don't want to give away, so read for yourself. There are some nice twists hidden as well which what kept me reading on.
Let's get to the characters, mostly to Crimson, the star of the show. I initially really liked her. She seemed like a good standup teen, with good friends who had a little bit of a bad past growing up but now seems to have it pretty good. She of course has her little secret as you know. What I did not like about the book was how long it took to really get to the paranormal part. It really stretched out too much and seemed to focus a bit too much for me at least on her and Stephen. I get the why but I for one think it didn't need that entire aspect.
Once Crimson meets Nicholae she turns into a person I no longer liked. All the sudden she turned from a good person and friend, into a reckless selfish brat. The way she handled the "freedom" she felt on her motorcycle, I just can't agree with that. To ride a motorcycle as recklessly as she does is bad, and even worse to ride it that way with her friend with her, without a helmet, I have to say it made me really mad! I rode when I was younger and I still do and I was never that irresponsible and it gets my blood flowing to read about that.
The story is great, but I wish that Crimson was still a better person and not becoming the person she is becoming. I really want to see what happens to her and based on what happened to her at the end some of my concerns are no longer an issue. I will pick up the next one because I want to see where the story goes from where it was left in this book.
I have received this book from the author for an honest review. (LoP, Lovers of Paranormal)
Let's get to the characters, mostly to Crimson, the star of the show. I initially really liked her. She seemed like a good standup teen, with good friends who had a little bit of a bad past growing up but now seems to have it pretty good. She of course has her little secret as you know. What I did not like about the book was how long it took to really get to the paranormal part. It really stretched out too much and seemed to focus a bit too much for me at least on her and Stephen. I get the why but I for one think it didn't need that entire aspect.
Once Crimson meets Nicholae she turns into a person I no longer liked. All the sudden she turned from a good person and friend, into a reckless selfish brat. The way she handled the "freedom" she felt on her motorcycle, I just can't agree with that. To ride a motorcycle as recklessly as she does is bad, and even worse to ride it that way with her friend with her, without a helmet, I have to say it made me really mad! I rode when I was younger and I still do and I was never that irresponsible and it gets my blood flowing to read about that.
The story is great, but I wish that Crimson was still a better person and not becoming the person she is becoming. I really want to see what happens to her and based on what happened to her at the end some of my concerns are no longer an issue. I will pick up the next one because I want to see where the story goes from where it was left in this book.
I have received this book from the author for an honest review. (LoP, Lovers of Paranormal)
April 8, 2018
Where do I start with this review??? There were parts of the book I really enjoyed and parts that annoyed me so much.
Firstly let me say what I liked about The Vampire Secret.
1. The premise of the story itself was good, it was what got me interested in the first place. The idea that certain humans could become super vampires was fascinating and I genuinely felt that this book would offer something different to some of the other vampire YA books out there.
2. I loved the epic fight scene at the end. It was well written and realistic and was the most exciting thing to happen in the whole book!
Now on to the things I didn’t like.
1. There was nothing original about this story. In parts it read like a poor imitation of Twilight.
2. The first half of the book was pretty irrelevant and was mostly unnecessary to the storyline. All the day to day activities and band practice stuff was just boring to be honest and meant that it took too long for anything good to happen.
3. None of the characters were particularly likeable or believable.
4. How quickly Nicholae falls in love with Crimson and how sappy he is about it. He is supposed to be a centuries old vampire but he falls in love like a teenager.
5. The whole romance between Crimson and Nicholae felt awkward and saccharine - not to my taste at all.
6. The unbelievable way that Crimson deals with Stephen’s murder.
7. Editing issues - there were so many errors/spelling mistakes etc that it affected the reading experience. I had to re-read several parts multiple times just to try and make sense of what it was supposed to say.
Basically The Vampire Secret wasn’t for me and I won’t be looking out for the next book in the series. Although the storyline had potential, it never really delivered on that potential which is why I’ve only given it 2 stars (both of which are down to the great fight scene at the end)!
Thank you to the author for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.
Firstly let me say what I liked about The Vampire Secret.
1. The premise of the story itself was good, it was what got me interested in the first place. The idea that certain humans could become super vampires was fascinating and I genuinely felt that this book would offer something different to some of the other vampire YA books out there.
2. I loved the epic fight scene at the end. It was well written and realistic and was the most exciting thing to happen in the whole book!
Now on to the things I didn’t like.
1. There was nothing original about this story. In parts it read like a poor imitation of Twilight.
2. The first half of the book was pretty irrelevant and was mostly unnecessary to the storyline. All the day to day activities and band practice stuff was just boring to be honest and meant that it took too long for anything good to happen.
3. None of the characters were particularly likeable or believable.
4. How quickly Nicholae falls in love with Crimson and how sappy he is about it. He is supposed to be a centuries old vampire but he falls in love like a teenager.
5. The whole romance between Crimson and Nicholae felt awkward and saccharine - not to my taste at all.
6. The unbelievable way that Crimson deals with Stephen’s murder.
7. Editing issues - there were so many errors/spelling mistakes etc that it affected the reading experience. I had to re-read several parts multiple times just to try and make sense of what it was supposed to say.
Basically The Vampire Secret wasn’t for me and I won’t be looking out for the next book in the series. Although the storyline had potential, it never really delivered on that potential which is why I’ve only given it 2 stars (both of which are down to the great fight scene at the end)!
Thank you to the author for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2018
What do you do when you’re a 17 (going on 18) year old who loves reading vampire novels and you notice some anomalies? You do what all other sane people do… you look up the author and lose your shit when you find out he’s an actual vampire! Well, not all sane people would do that… just Crimson. Crimson is obsessed with the author, Nicholae Albaric, an actual vampire who writes about his life adventures, never realizing someone would think they were true. Crimson isn’t all that she seems… but she doesn’t know it. She is a very rare and special breed, but the only way to know that would be her eyes. Can Nicholae save or will an old enemy ruin his plans?
The characters are likable enough. The hard part is remembering Crimson is a teenager. It shouldn’t be too hard to remember she’s a teenager, given her dialogue. Some of her thoughts will make you frustrated or annoyed; which is why you have to keep in mind her age. I can understand some of the comparisons to Twilight, but I think this is slightly better. One of my issues with this book is how long it took to get to Crimson meeting Nicholae, and the synopsis to come to life. All of her interactions with her friends weren’t necessary. The book didn’t need a lot of fluff. You kinda got that with Benny. Benny is a loveable vampire when you get to know him. He provides a decent amount of comic relief. There was a point in the book where Benny’s name was spelled differently. While this didn’t factor into my rating, it definitely stood out.
I liked the story well enough, but it didn’t wow me. The synopsis is great and the cover is fantastic, it just takes a little too long to get into.
The characters are likable enough. The hard part is remembering Crimson is a teenager. It shouldn’t be too hard to remember she’s a teenager, given her dialogue. Some of her thoughts will make you frustrated or annoyed; which is why you have to keep in mind her age. I can understand some of the comparisons to Twilight, but I think this is slightly better. One of my issues with this book is how long it took to get to Crimson meeting Nicholae, and the synopsis to come to life. All of her interactions with her friends weren’t necessary. The book didn’t need a lot of fluff. You kinda got that with Benny. Benny is a loveable vampire when you get to know him. He provides a decent amount of comic relief. There was a point in the book where Benny’s name was spelled differently. While this didn’t factor into my rating, it definitely stood out.
I liked the story well enough, but it didn’t wow me. The synopsis is great and the cover is fantastic, it just takes a little too long to get into.
March 6, 2018
I received the arc from the author Tricia Bar for review.
Crimson is in love with a vampire. Well sorta. She's never met him but has read all his books. 😂
She found out quite by accident that Nicholae the famous author is actually a vampire and then she stalks him.😅
Now the things that I like about this book...
I liked that it's of course vampire book.
I liked the relationship between the four vamps, Nick, Benny, William, and Laramie.
I liked how cute Crimson and Nick were together and how kind of pure it was.
I liked Benny a lot. The devil may care act he has.
I liked Arsinoe too, that was probably the best fantastical part.
Now the things I did not like.....
I didn't like how some parts of the book reminded me of Twilight, not the good parts.
I didn't like how she ignored her cousin after she came back from NYC, it was super rude.
I didn't like how some triggering situations were glossed over and some unnecessary stuff was fluffed out.
I didn't like while it's YA, it read a young YA, not the way I felt she was trying to be.
I could be wrong.
Most of all what I didn't like and was kind of creeped out with at some parts was the vampire/teen thing. Which I know is the whole point, but for this book, for some reason, it had my ick up. 😲
Now all that being said I really do want to read the next book. I am hoping that it has a larger focus on Haley , with the ending as it was.
I write weird reviews.😁
Crimson is in love with a vampire. Well sorta. She's never met him but has read all his books. 😂
She found out quite by accident that Nicholae the famous author is actually a vampire and then she stalks him.😅
Now the things that I like about this book...
I liked that it's of course vampire book.
I liked the relationship between the four vamps, Nick, Benny, William, and Laramie.
I liked how cute Crimson and Nick were together and how kind of pure it was.
I liked Benny a lot. The devil may care act he has.
I liked Arsinoe too, that was probably the best fantastical part.
Now the things I did not like.....
I didn't like how some parts of the book reminded me of Twilight, not the good parts.
I didn't like how she ignored her cousin after she came back from NYC, it was super rude.
I didn't like how some triggering situations were glossed over and some unnecessary stuff was fluffed out.
I didn't like while it's YA, it read a young YA, not the way I felt she was trying to be.
I could be wrong.
Most of all what I didn't like and was kind of creeped out with at some parts was the vampire/teen thing. Which I know is the whole point, but for this book, for some reason, it had my ick up. 😲
Now all that being said I really do want to read the next book. I am hoping that it has a larger focus on Haley , with the ending as it was.
I write weird reviews.😁
June 25, 2022
A date with a vampire!
Crimson Wilkinson and her mom live in Tucson. Crimson is convinced the vampire Nicholae Albaric, is real and that meeting him would be the first step in a lasting relationship. Tracking him down is easier than she imagined. It just so happens that her high school band has a competition in New York City which will offer a chance to sneak away from the band and go to his residence. When the two meet, Crimson learns that the attraction is not one-sided but fate is not kind. They find themselves targeted. An ancient vampire wants vengeance on Nicholae for the death of her sister and Crimson has a rare genetic strain that is a death warrant in the vampire world.
This is an excellent series starter! Crimson wants romance but she finds it only comes with danger and drama. She has an incredible amount of strength and determination. I received an advance copy but my review is honest and voluntary. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Crimson Wilkinson and her mom live in Tucson. Crimson is convinced the vampire Nicholae Albaric, is real and that meeting him would be the first step in a lasting relationship. Tracking him down is easier than she imagined. It just so happens that her high school band has a competition in New York City which will offer a chance to sneak away from the band and go to his residence. When the two meet, Crimson learns that the attraction is not one-sided but fate is not kind. They find themselves targeted. An ancient vampire wants vengeance on Nicholae for the death of her sister and Crimson has a rare genetic strain that is a death warrant in the vampire world.
This is an excellent series starter! Crimson wants romance but she finds it only comes with danger and drama. She has an incredible amount of strength and determination. I received an advance copy but my review is honest and voluntary. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
March 10, 2022
The amarant by Tricia Barr.
A fictional world brought to life, a dark romance that promises eternity, and a secret that threatens to end it all. Crimson Wilkinson is a teenage girl who, having survived a dark childhood, finds her escape in reading a popular vampire series. After some investigation, she becomes a very active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. But her happiness is short-lived as she discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful if turned into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community’s number-one most-wanted, some who want to kill her before she becomes a threat, and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.
A good read with good characters. Likeable story. 3*.
A fictional world brought to life, a dark romance that promises eternity, and a secret that threatens to end it all. Crimson Wilkinson is a teenage girl who, having survived a dark childhood, finds her escape in reading a popular vampire series. After some investigation, she becomes a very active part in the very true vampire stories the world thought were fiction and falls in love with their author, Nicholae Albaric, the sweetly lonely vampire celebrity. But her happiness is short-lived as she discovers she has a rare gene that makes the carrier extremely powerful if turned into a vampire, and she is targeted as the vampire community’s number-one most-wanted, some who want to kill her before she becomes a threat, and others who want to use her powers to their own ends.
A good read with good characters. Likeable story. 3*.
May 4, 2022
I did enjoy this book so let me explain why I only gave it three stars. One it was too slow at the beginning, it took a long time to figure out what was going on. Two for such a powerful vampire Nicholae was caught off guard a lot.
Now half way through the book and until the end I would give it four stars, because the story started moving along and became interesting. I had to laugh when Crimson asked Caeler why they had human food in a vampire coven and he replied that he invites humans to dinner parties and after eating they become dinner. I can just imagine Crimson’s face when she hears that while she is eating his food. The last few chapters were very actioned packed and kept you turning the pages till the end. A surprise ending with a second book to come soon. I would recommend this book. I received an arc from Booksprout and the views and opinions are my own.
Now half way through the book and until the end I would give it four stars, because the story started moving along and became interesting. I had to laugh when Crimson asked Caeler why they had human food in a vampire coven and he replied that he invites humans to dinner parties and after eating they become dinner. I can just imagine Crimson’s face when she hears that while she is eating his food. The last few chapters were very actioned packed and kept you turning the pages till the end. A surprise ending with a second book to come soon. I would recommend this book. I received an arc from Booksprout and the views and opinions are my own.
July 25, 2022
This book took me a bit to read, I read it in one to two hour bursts and it wasn’t until about the 40-45% mark that I really found the story hard to put down.
I have loved vampires since I was about 4 years old and that love has stuck with me all throughout my life. I love original vampires, blood sucking, night living, sexual appeal dripping from every pore and this book had that.
Crimson is a young woman in love with a man from her favorite book series about a vampire named Nicholae, but Crimson has a secret that she has shared only with her cousin and involves her band trip to New York City!
I enjoyed the whole book, even before things got intense and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series and finding out what happens to Crimson!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I have loved vampires since I was about 4 years old and that love has stuck with me all throughout my life. I love original vampires, blood sucking, night living, sexual appeal dripping from every pore and this book had that.
Crimson is a young woman in love with a man from her favorite book series about a vampire named Nicholae, but Crimson has a secret that she has shared only with her cousin and involves her band trip to New York City!
I enjoyed the whole book, even before things got intense and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series and finding out what happens to Crimson!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 14, 2022
What an amazing book. I couldn't put the book down when i started it. It was fast paced action filled and has great characters.
The story of a simple girl that falls in love with an author that turns out to be what she wishes he was and then to have the courage to track him down and meet him is something that i am sure alot of us who read fantasy books would love to do.
This is a story that could be anyone of us makes it so enjoyable.
The characters are strong, the story developement is complete and it makes you want to see where it will go from here.
Crimison is an every day girl that found out that she has inherited a secret that many would kill her for, and now she is responsible for many lives that she has no idea how to protect.
I cannot wait to see how both she and her other half Nicolae deal with the situation.
I highly recommend this book. ENJOY
The story of a simple girl that falls in love with an author that turns out to be what she wishes he was and then to have the courage to track him down and meet him is something that i am sure alot of us who read fantasy books would love to do.
This is a story that could be anyone of us makes it so enjoyable.
The characters are strong, the story developement is complete and it makes you want to see where it will go from here.
Crimison is an every day girl that found out that she has inherited a secret that many would kill her for, and now she is responsible for many lives that she has no idea how to protect.
I cannot wait to see how both she and her other half Nicolae deal with the situation.
I highly recommend this book. ENJOY
May 2, 2022
This was a hilarious teen story that made me laugh and groan is was too funny. Although it had a simple plot, it was still fun to read as Crimson, a human, is a typical teen girl who is vampire book crazy about an author and his stories, and Nicolae the vampire author who finds out Crimson is kind of cyber stalking him and falls in love before they meet as he figures out who she is. A bit Twilight feel to it but I thought that was part of the fun. Meet interesting characters who are both good guys and bad guys as the story goes. Because we cannot just have a simple human girl falls for vampire story must add in a complication that was a bit funny and caused trouble for the love birds. Enjoyed the story.
March 10, 2017
I received this book off Tricia Barr in exchange for my honest review, so here it goes.
I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is completely different from what I have read previously. I absolutely loved each character. The story line and everything about it.
I won't go in to too much detail and spoil it for everyone but I can honestly say that this really surprised me in the best way and will definitely be looking forward to the rest in the series, hopefully I learn more about all the different characters.
Thank you Tricia Barr for this fantastic read and I will recommend this to all my book friends :).
I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is completely different from what I have read previously. I absolutely loved each character. The story line and everything about it.
I won't go in to too much detail and spoil it for everyone but I can honestly say that this really surprised me in the best way and will definitely be looking forward to the rest in the series, hopefully I learn more about all the different characters.
Thank you Tricia Barr for this fantastic read and I will recommend this to all my book friends :).
May 20, 2017
*voluntarily and honestly reviewed the ARC I received via NetGalley*
It's between a 3 and 4 stars for me. While the beginning reeled me in with the promise of normalcy before the crashing waves of paranormal fantasy (which I totally got) the writing style or something just seemed to shift for me, and I found myself clicking less and less with it. I'm not sure what it is, but the rest of the book after she meets Nicki seemed to change: the dialogue, the pacing, the heroine. It's not a bad book, and aside from the small changes I felt, I'll just say it wasn't for me. Though I must say, the plot and ending were killer.
It's between a 3 and 4 stars for me. While the beginning reeled me in with the promise of normalcy before the crashing waves of paranormal fantasy (which I totally got) the writing style or something just seemed to shift for me, and I found myself clicking less and less with it. I'm not sure what it is, but the rest of the book after she meets Nicki seemed to change: the dialogue, the pacing, the heroine. It's not a bad book, and aside from the small changes I felt, I'll just say it wasn't for me. Though I must say, the plot and ending were killer.
March 21, 2018
I’m fairly new to this author Tricia Barr’s books and everything I’ve read so far is fantastic. Nicholae is a famous author and a vampire he’s also a very lonely vampire who writes fictional romances about vampires. Crimson a teenager loves reading a vampire series by Nicholae Albaric, she has fallen in love with Nicholae’s stories and she starts to stalk him. That’s all of the spoilers I’m giving you guys because I don’t want to give too much away. There’s action, adventure, danger and love everything you need in a great read, I can’t wait for the next one. I highly recommend this book it’s definitely well worth the read.
March 24, 2018
The anticipation of the second book is killing me!
Their wasn’t anything I disliked about this book. Few grammatical errors. This book is a definite good read. Took me about a day to read it all which I’m saddened the second book doesn’t come until June 15th. I don’t think I can wait that long ha!
If you like vampires and not the sparkle kind of vampires the Anne Rice kind of vampires then you’ll love this teenage spin. The love scenes the battle scenes all very played out beautifully in words. I love when a book can immediately hook me in on the first to pages. Please find my full review in a couple of days by looking for Bella Entertainment on Facebook.
Their wasn’t anything I disliked about this book. Few grammatical errors. This book is a definite good read. Took me about a day to read it all which I’m saddened the second book doesn’t come until June 15th. I don’t think I can wait that long ha!
If you like vampires and not the sparkle kind of vampires the Anne Rice kind of vampires then you’ll love this teenage spin. The love scenes the battle scenes all very played out beautifully in words. I love when a book can immediately hook me in on the first to pages. Please find my full review in a couple of days by looking for Bella Entertainment on Facebook.
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