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Vampire Conclave #1
Moonshade
"Find me, Sarah..." When a handsome stranger whispers these three little words to Sarah Marcel, she knows her life is forever changed. For two weeks straight, Sarah's been unable to eat, sleep, or even form a coherent thought properly. She fears she's losing her mind until a chance encounter brings a man into her life who seems to hold the key to solving her problems. With a single touch, he's able to ease her troubled soul and bring her some much-needed peace. Yet, just as Sarah believes she's found the solution to her dilemma, he disappears. As Sarah begins to unravel a mystery surrounding her family's past, she quickly discovers her role in a world that's hidden from most humans. Being a Marcel comes with certain responsibilities, and there are some things that you can't hide from forever.
10 pages, Audible Audio
First published December 15, 2016
1341 people are currently reading
2005 people want to read
About the author
S.J. West
75 books1,188 followersOnce upon a time, a little girl was born on a cold winter morning in the heart of Seoul, Korea. She was brought to America by her parents and raised in the Deep South where the words ma'am and y'all became an integrated part of her lexicon. She wrote her first novel at the age of eight and continued writing on and off during her teenage years. In college she studied biology and chemistry and finally combined the two by earning a master's degree in biochemistry. After that she moved to Yankee land where she lived for four years working in a laboratory at Cornell University. Homesickness and snow aversion forced her back South where she lives in the land which spawned Elvis Presley, Oprah Winfrey, John Grisham and B.B. King. After finding her Prince Charming, she gave birth to a wondrous gift named Caylin and they all lived happily ever after.
The second book to the Harvester of Light trilogy will be available for purchase no later than December 2012.
The second book to the Harvester of Light trilogy will be available for purchase no later than December 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
September 8, 2025
⭐3.4
⚜ Plot:
With a fresh take on vampiric lore, Moonshade introduces Sarah Marcel, an empath whose life takes a supernatural turn after a cryptic encounter with an enigmatic stranger prompts a life-changing revelation. As she delves into her elusive family secrets, Sarah uncovers unexpected ties to a concealed world of immortals, magic, and ancient curses. The narrative unfolds with a blend of intrigue and romance, set against the rich cultural tapestry of New Orleans.
⚜ Writing Style:
West's prose is easy to digest-accessible, lightly humorous, and engaging. No time is wasted; the story beginsimmediately, with a satisfying pace that allows for a balance between exposition and plot progression.
⚜ Characters:
Sarah is a kindly protagonist guided by a strong sense of empathy and moral obligation. Her journey of self-discovery is complemented by a cast of intriguingly quirky characters, each adding layers to the unfolding mystery. Though love blossoms quickly when the romantic leads are forced into close proximity, the respect between the two allows their budding romance to develop steadily.
⚜ Impact:
The novel offers a twist on vampiric lore while retaining the elegance associated with such beings- though perhaps it leans into Cosy, character-driven storytelling, instead of nail-biting action or deep psychological exploration. Themes of identity, legacy, and the balance between desire and responsibility are thoughtfully explored.
⚜ Entertainment Value: Moonshade is a compelling read for fans of vampire-themed paranormal romance. Its blend of mystery, magic, and romance provides an engaging experience for those seeking a quirky yet cosy addition to the genre.
Genre:
⚰ Paranormal Romance
⚰ UrbanFantasy
Tropes and Themes:
⚰ Vampiric inheritance
⚰ Magical familiar
⚰ Family secrets
⚰ Empathic abilities
⚰ Immortal bonds
⚰ New Orleans setting
⚰ Self-discovery
⚰ Legacy
⚜ Plot:
With a fresh take on vampiric lore, Moonshade introduces Sarah Marcel, an empath whose life takes a supernatural turn after a cryptic encounter with an enigmatic stranger prompts a life-changing revelation. As she delves into her elusive family secrets, Sarah uncovers unexpected ties to a concealed world of immortals, magic, and ancient curses. The narrative unfolds with a blend of intrigue and romance, set against the rich cultural tapestry of New Orleans.
⚜ Writing Style:
West's prose is easy to digest-accessible, lightly humorous, and engaging. No time is wasted; the story beginsimmediately, with a satisfying pace that allows for a balance between exposition and plot progression.
⚜ Characters:
Sarah is a kindly protagonist guided by a strong sense of empathy and moral obligation. Her journey of self-discovery is complemented by a cast of intriguingly quirky characters, each adding layers to the unfolding mystery. Though love blossoms quickly when the romantic leads are forced into close proximity, the respect between the two allows their budding romance to develop steadily.
⚜ Impact:
The novel offers a twist on vampiric lore while retaining the elegance associated with such beings- though perhaps it leans into Cosy, character-driven storytelling, instead of nail-biting action or deep psychological exploration. Themes of identity, legacy, and the balance between desire and responsibility are thoughtfully explored.
⚜ Entertainment Value: Moonshade is a compelling read for fans of vampire-themed paranormal romance. Its blend of mystery, magic, and romance provides an engaging experience for those seeking a quirky yet cosy addition to the genre.
Genre:
⚰ Paranormal Romance
⚰ UrbanFantasy
Tropes and Themes:
⚰ Vampiric inheritance
⚰ Magical familiar
⚰ Family secrets
⚰ Empathic abilities
⚰ Immortal bonds
⚰ New Orleans setting
⚰ Self-discovery
⚰ Legacy
August 23, 2017
Did not finish! Well, the blurb sounded good, & the 4 & 5 star ratings led me to buy this. I don't know what everyone else read for those stars, but this was not a 4 or 5 star book in my opinion. I just couldn't keep reading past 20%, it didn't hold my attention, as well as some of the other hiccups to the story's plot. First, Sarah is to complacent & accepting of the whole vampire bonding thing, after simply watching a DVD from her mom that Julian gave her. Sarah reminds me of a "stepford wife" with her complacent behavior. I can't like a female lead character that you're mentally screaming at "You idiot!" Julian comes off just plain creepy to me, not as a romantic attraction for her. It almost felt like an incestuous relationship, though I read the part that he's not related to her in the familial way (so it's really not incest), but by using her family for 400+ years as a food source for his blood just creeped me out. Then him telling her to be having a baby soon made it feel like Sarah is just a prized animal to raise the next generation of food for him. Uh, just no, can't take this bizarreness. Also, at the point I quit, I still hadn't figured out who the heck Helen was to him or why he would have given her his blood over 300 years ago so that she would live a long life. Come on! authors need to treat characters as real in order to make the reader feel the character is believable in their book. A real "Sarah", who is scientific by nature per the book, would have wanted way more answers than she got before committing to the vampire bond. I know I won't be reading more in this series, & I'm not sure about other books by this author now, either.
January 3, 2021
Had some interesting new bits to the usual vampire story and was decent to listen to. But wasn't much to sink my teeth in to
February 4, 2017
Not sure what to say! Sarah, Julian, sisters, sexual tension, family skeletons, and a great romance plot.
Another fantastic read from this author. I love the concept of the series and really enjoyed getting to know the characters. I can't wait to read more about Sarah and Julian in the next installment. I wish it was already out! Five glittery stars!
Another fantastic read from this author. I love the concept of the series and really enjoyed getting to know the characters. I can't wait to read more about Sarah and Julian in the next installment. I wish it was already out! Five glittery stars!
April 2, 2021
Him putting down the equivalent to puppy pads to soak up the spilled blood while he fed was so thoughtful that I’m still thinking about it days later.
January 13, 2017
This one was a miss from West for me. Everything seemed way too rushed and a bit contrived. I really like the overall concept. Enough so, that I'll read the next one just to see where she goes with the storyline. But the characters just don't seem terribly believable to me. The main character gets her WHOLE world turned upside down and basically gets claimed as property (a recurring midnight snack to be precise). And rather than have an internal struggle about how she should handle this and the fact that her life is on the line too, if her vampire companion dies, she just kind of accepts it and rolls with it.
The introduction into the whole "companion" concept is also pretty abrupt. And THEN, if we haven't had enough thrown on us in the first half of the book, then all of a sudden there's a whole second faction of creatures wanting to claim our main character for their own.
It just felt like the whole book should be given a lot better pacing and more detail for the character development and drawn out to be like three books. There's just so much more I would like to have known. What's the deal with Julian and his family? How is he with other vampires? Why is he so loyal to the sister that he hates and is a terrible person? Why does he put up with going to the conclave meetings at all? He says he's been hunting for a cure. How? With whom? What's he discovered before now? And then Sarah's personal life is kind of lacking as well. SO she ONLY has the one friend? Even for an introvert, that seems unlikely. And if she loved her parents so much, why don't we learn more about them? Even from Sarah's point of view not knowing their secrets. And she talks about these loving adoptive parents being so loving, but we don't really get to know too much about them other than that they were her best friends parents who lovingly adopted her when her parents died in a fire. I need backgrounds. You can't just TELL me they're loving. I need to hear stories or traditions or inside jokes. Something that really conveys that relationship.
The introduction into the whole "companion" concept is also pretty abrupt. And THEN, if we haven't had enough thrown on us in the first half of the book, then all of a sudden there's a whole second faction of creatures wanting to claim our main character for their own.
It just felt like the whole book should be given a lot better pacing and more detail for the character development and drawn out to be like three books. There's just so much more I would like to have known. What's the deal with Julian and his family? How is he with other vampires? Why is he so loyal to the sister that he hates and is a terrible person? Why does he put up with going to the conclave meetings at all? He says he's been hunting for a cure. How? With whom? What's he discovered before now? And then Sarah's personal life is kind of lacking as well. SO she ONLY has the one friend? Even for an introvert, that seems unlikely. And if she loved her parents so much, why don't we learn more about them? Even from Sarah's point of view not knowing their secrets. And she talks about these loving adoptive parents being so loving, but we don't really get to know too much about them other than that they were her best friends parents who lovingly adopted her when her parents died in a fire. I need backgrounds. You can't just TELL me they're loving. I need to hear stories or traditions or inside jokes. Something that really conveys that relationship.
November 14, 2020
While I enjoyed this book, I found it rather unrealistic that the main character was so willing to accept so much change in her life. When she goes from knowing NOTHING of the world involving vampires, companions, alfar, magic and so on, she certainly doesn't hesitate to dive in and leave her life behind.
And while I didn't exactly connect with the main character, many of the supporting characters drew my attention. First, Helen was an surprisingly interesting character to keep track of and although she may not have been particularly "special" she certainly was loyal to Julian and Sarah. Next, Nadia was one of my favorite characters. She was a loyal soldier, giving up everything in her personal life to ensure the queen was safe. If anything, this showed her true character and I paid close attention to her involvement within the book. I was disappointed of Gage Morgans lack of participation within this book, as I found his character to seem important and was hoping to get more background on him. I loved Viktor and the twist that comes along with his entrance into the queens life, which was shocking to say the least.
Overall, a good story to read, I just struggled to get over my disconnect with the main character.
And while I didn't exactly connect with the main character, many of the supporting characters drew my attention. First, Helen was an surprisingly interesting character to keep track of and although she may not have been particularly "special" she certainly was loyal to Julian and Sarah. Next, Nadia was one of my favorite characters. She was a loyal soldier, giving up everything in her personal life to ensure the queen was safe. If anything, this showed her true character and I paid close attention to her involvement within the book. I was disappointed of Gage Morgans lack of participation within this book, as I found his character to seem important and was hoping to get more background on him. I loved Viktor and the twist that comes along with his entrance into the queens life, which was shocking to say the least.
Overall, a good story to read, I just struggled to get over my disconnect with the main character.
October 8, 2019
I’m going to give Moonshade by S.J. West the benefit of the doubt. The book wasn’t perfect – I certainly ran into a fair number of typos and there were a few aspects of the romance and the plot that could have been handled better. None of that matters in the long-run, however.
I enjoyed the book. The world-building was new and unique. I liked the characters. I found the writing engaging and easy to follow. All the little points I wish had been perfected are barely mentionable in comparison to all the things I liked about the story.
Overall, I’m glad I read the book. If you like vampire stories, paranormal romance, or fantasy, you’ll most likely enjoy this book. I encourage you to give it a try.
I enjoyed the book. The world-building was new and unique. I liked the characters. I found the writing engaging and easy to follow. All the little points I wish had been perfected are barely mentionable in comparison to all the things I liked about the story.
Overall, I’m glad I read the book. If you like vampire stories, paranormal romance, or fantasy, you’ll most likely enjoy this book. I encourage you to give it a try.
Want to read
June 2, 2018💝FREE on Amazon today (6/2/2018)!💝
November 30, 2022
3 stars is being VERY generous in my opinion. Bad plot, bad characters, on the plus the audiobook narrator was good.
April 4, 2024
I really enjoyed this book!
Addictive reading with an awesome storyline.
HEA but a continuing series that I can’t wait to sink my teeth into 🩸
Addictive reading with an awesome storyline.
HEA but a continuing series that I can’t wait to sink my teeth into 🩸
November 30, 2022
This book seemed to have so much promise with the synopsis and yet...this was HORRIBLY disappointing! This novel had the insta-love like in Twilight, except in Twilight it makes sense because she is bloody 16. In this novel, Sarah is like 23 or 24 so....she should know better. The background story of where vampires came from concerning Elizabeth Bathory was interesting, except so much of this novel didn't really tell me much of anything. Beyond Sarah's OBSESSION with Julian. This novel was so bad and just got worse and more eye rolling as it went on. Definitely NOT going to waste my time reading anymore of these crap Vampire Conclave books. I love me some vampires, but this was beyond disappointing.
September 1, 2025
I was in a reading slump so I decided to pick one of my free Kindle books. I went in blind, knowing only that it was a vampire book. The writing was easy to read and follow, but I found myself so bored. Don’t know if it was the slump or the writing but this just wasn’t for me.
May 1, 2024
A good read
February 24, 2025
A fairly easy read, interesting concept but unfortunately could have done with a lot more plot and character development.
March 27, 2025
I enjoyed the audio. The book and characters were easy to follow.
September 26, 2024
I was today years old when I realized I have a problem with non-self sufficient and clingy heroines. Can’t stand them, never could. This fem MC is a helpless, clingy heroine. Nearly every thought she has revolves around the male MC whether he’s around or not, and despite the commonality of being an Edward Cullens (hot and cold and “irresistibly drawn to the fem MC), this male MC was pretty consistent with telling her “naw”, but she just pushed and pushed till he broke. But she didn’t really have anything else going on besides catering to his life (another thing I can’t stand in my romance BOOKS, get a hobby at least!). She was very close with her sister and adoptive parents, but stopped seeing/talking with them as much as soon as she moved in with the male MC. She didn’t have any friends that didn’t come from an association with the male MC, and her school job was on summer break so she wasn’t working. Honestly, when considering all that, her hyper-fixation on the male MC makes a little more sense. But it’s still unhealthy as hell.
I also didn’t love the pacing of this book. A lot “happened” but not a lot really happened, if that makes sense. There was a lot of side drama and stage setting for later in the book (so lots of exposition on the different species, character histories, and such), but in terms of what this books was essentially about (young woman finds out she’s a vamp’s obligated companion and experienced physical discomfort when they’re separated until she moves in, makes friends with his head house keeper (for lack of a better word), is introduced to other vamps and their companions, learns that there are other species, learns that she is fae royalty, finds out her vamp doesn’t want to be a vamp anymore and is trying to find a “cure”, rebuffs several come-ons from some of her male associates, and saves her vamp’s life a couple times when he gets into trouble) the book felt super drawn out for no reason. There was a lot of day-to-day banalities of eating and chatting and eating some more, and going to parties, and shopping, and eating, and pining over the male MC, and rebuffing “gross” male attention (she really did come off as kind of prudish sometimes. I get not encouraging every guy who winks in your general direction, but it was the way some of it was phrased)just to repeat all over again. The fem MC repeated herself A Lot. She talked about her increased appetite A LOT. She talked about her parents trying to give her a normal life A LOT. She talked about not being able to emotionally read the male MC anymore A LOT. Her mental monologues honestly took up a pretty sizable chunk of the book, and I felt they slowed the “action” down, particularly in the beginning.
The fem MC was also casually stupid about just waltzing into the witch’s home at the end without waiting for backup. She had no self-defense skills whatsoever and was solely relying on her warlock friend to protect her. They had no idea what they were getting into (the witch could have known they were coming, she could have had friends in the house etc.). Her impatience could have gotten all four of them killed, and did kill Victor (momentarily).
This book definitely felt like more of an introduction than a nail-biting installment all its own. All told, I’m not interested in reading the rest of the series because the plot didn’t grab me by the face.
I also didn’t love the pacing of this book. A lot “happened” but not a lot really happened, if that makes sense. There was a lot of side drama and stage setting for later in the book (so lots of exposition on the different species, character histories, and such), but in terms of what this books was essentially about (young woman finds out she’s a vamp’s obligated companion and experienced physical discomfort when they’re separated until she moves in, makes friends with his head house keeper (for lack of a better word), is introduced to other vamps and their companions, learns that there are other species, learns that she is fae royalty, finds out her vamp doesn’t want to be a vamp anymore and is trying to find a “cure”, rebuffs several come-ons from some of her male associates, and saves her vamp’s life a couple times when he gets into trouble) the book felt super drawn out for no reason. There was a lot of day-to-day banalities of eating and chatting and eating some more, and going to parties, and shopping, and eating, and pining over the male MC, and rebuffing “gross” male attention (she really did come off as kind of prudish sometimes. I get not encouraging every guy who winks in your general direction, but it was the way some of it was phrased)just to repeat all over again. The fem MC repeated herself A Lot. She talked about her increased appetite A LOT. She talked about her parents trying to give her a normal life A LOT. She talked about not being able to emotionally read the male MC anymore A LOT. Her mental monologues honestly took up a pretty sizable chunk of the book, and I felt they slowed the “action” down, particularly in the beginning.
The fem MC was also casually stupid about just waltzing into the witch’s home at the end without waiting for backup. She had no self-defense skills whatsoever and was solely relying on her warlock friend to protect her. They had no idea what they were getting into (the witch could have known they were coming, she could have had friends in the house etc.). Her impatience could have gotten all four of them killed, and did kill Victor (momentarily).
This book definitely felt like more of an introduction than a nail-biting installment all its own. All told, I’m not interested in reading the rest of the series because the plot didn’t grab me by the face.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2025
DNF @ page 24 😭
February 1, 2017
Wonderful!
I am a fan of vampire books in general, some I find to be lacking in story content, character development, and as strange as it may sound considering the fictional nature of vampires believability. This book however is a delightful change. I became addicted to it as soon as I began reading, and found it extremely hard to put down. S.J does an amazing job writing characters that are relatable and giving us a completely new take on the world of supernatural beings. Highly recommended. The very fact that it is now 11pm and I have to be up for work in 5 hours should tell you just how hard it was to put down. I can't wait for more!
I am a fan of vampire books in general, some I find to be lacking in story content, character development, and as strange as it may sound considering the fictional nature of vampires believability. This book however is a delightful change. I became addicted to it as soon as I began reading, and found it extremely hard to put down. S.J does an amazing job writing characters that are relatable and giving us a completely new take on the world of supernatural beings. Highly recommended. The very fact that it is now 11pm and I have to be up for work in 5 hours should tell you just how hard it was to put down. I can't wait for more!
March 5, 2017
Kindle Unlimited-YAY!
I liked this and enjoyed the time spent reading the story. Why 5 stars? ~ A heroine that isn't TSTL and doesn't create clueless engendered drama and disaster. ~ An author that has enough confidence in the appeal of the story to forego the genre standard cliffhanger ending (especially when it's yet another crisis created by the MC's abject stupidity).
It's really nice to find an author that writes true to a genre but goes beyond the overdone, formulaic, tropes.
I liked this and enjoyed the time spent reading the story. Why 5 stars? ~ A heroine that isn't TSTL and doesn't create clueless engendered drama and disaster. ~ An author that has enough confidence in the appeal of the story to forego the genre standard cliffhanger ending (especially when it's yet another crisis created by the MC's abject stupidity).
It's really nice to find an author that writes true to a genre but goes beyond the overdone, formulaic, tropes.
February 3, 2017
Unique New World...
This is not your typical vampire story. SJ West creates a unique new world full of twist and turns as she introduces us to Sarah and Julian and their forbidden love. I really enjoyed this fascinating tale and look forward to the next book in this series.
This is not your typical vampire story. SJ West creates a unique new world full of twist and turns as she introduces us to Sarah and Julian and their forbidden love. I really enjoyed this fascinating tale and look forward to the next book in this series.
March 28, 2018
First chapter
The first chapter was a bit boring to me. It was a summary of relevant information but the way it was done had me scanning. But after getting past it, the story picked up for me in chapter three. Then I couldn’t put it down.
The first chapter was a bit boring to me. It was a summary of relevant information but the way it was done had me scanning. But after getting past it, the story picked up for me in chapter three. Then I couldn’t put it down.
May 27, 2024
S.J. West, author of my favorite guilty pleasure, The Watcher saga. When I saw another series of hers was free on Audible I just had to try it, you know?
I shouldn't have.
*Some spoilers ahead*
Let's start positive and go over the good stuff. The vampires in this novel are legitimately pretty cool. The abilities they have and especially how they fly (wings bursting out of their backs) are great, the companion system is interesting, and the mention of how abandoning it to feed on regular people makes a vampire “rabid” is an interesting.
And that's it. Now on to the bad stuff.
Good lord, where do I even begin? I wrote five pages of notes on this thing. Let's go over the basic badness that you see in every Paranormal Romance, I guess.
Our MC, Sarah, is called smart multiple times yet is dense about everything. Love Interest shows her over and over he loves her yet, after a vague comment she has no context for, she thinks it's all an act for chapter after chapter after chapter. She even twists a passionate kiss as a pity one somehow.
She also checks the boxes for being praised for doing common, everyday stuff like being polite to someone she doesn't know, getting a super special item (a pet here), and a revelation that she was super special awesome all along.
We can't forget the slut shaming, as every woman in the story, except the ones in her family of course, is an evil bitch who's after Love Interest and all they can think of is bedding him even if they're married or in relationships. But don't worry because the men are too. Every man in the story wants to bed Sarah including married ones who leave their wives to dance with her instead.
Lastly, there's the weird undercurrent that women are supposed to be okay with men acting overly sexual around them. A lot of the men touch her in ways that make her uncomfortable and she doesn't say a word, are naked around her, enter her room and lay on her bed next to her. All that fun stuff.
Now let's talk about Sarah herself, and the many, many tropes she embodies.
First is all the telling about her - we only see the "exceptions" to her behavior and rarely ever that actual behavior. We get things like "I usually don't let my temper show" and we never once see her be civil when in a bad mood. Same thing for the many other "exceptions" we get told about: "I never go out", "I rarely wear makeup", "I'm not social", "I've never been good on high heels", she gets told "don't cut yourself off from him like you normally do when you start to have feelings for someone". Yet we never SEE ANY OF THESE TRAITS. How are we supposed to see how different she acts around Love Interest if we never see her normal?
Sarah, like all the leads of the Watchers saga, has the "Makes it Easy" thing going on. She's an empath so she never once has to worry if someone might be a danger or what they think about her. In the few cases she can't use it, she's also a master at reading body language (even though she said she's not social, so where did she get the practice?). Whenever she has to do something she's not good at (like walking on high heels and dancing) her powers kick in to save her the trouble of actually learning how to do those things. When there's danger she's immediately whisked away and returns when it's over, when someone is injured someone else already has the answer to how to help. There's always someone with the exact thing she needs so she doesn't go through any trouble at any point in the series.
Now let's go over Love Interest. His name is Julian but he's no different from other Paranomal YA love interest so we'll just call him that.
As is expected of someone who was turned into a vampire in his late 20s and has been one for 400-500 years, Love Interest acts like a teenager. He keeps saying they can't be together and that he's "not right for her" but won't sit down and just explain why (he's immortal, she's not, it won't work). Instead we have him leave the house over and over and trying to hook her up with some other guy (WTF, West?!).
And that's really all I got for him, really. He's so one-note and generic that he only filled one paragraph of the five pages of notes I took.
To end this review, I'd like to share two moments near the end of the novel that show how WTF this whole things is:
1. Late in the novel, Love Interest is possessed by the spirit of one of the women he helped kill in the past, implied to be a young girl. How does Sarah respond to this? By calling her a “malevolent spirit.”
2. At the end of the novel, they talk about them getting together and the challenges they face. When he brings up his guilt over helping kill so many people, how does Sarah respond? By basically telling him “I'm glad you helped kill those countless innocents, otherwise I wouldn't have met you.
The end
I shouldn't have.
*Some spoilers ahead*
Let's start positive and go over the good stuff. The vampires in this novel are legitimately pretty cool. The abilities they have and especially how they fly (wings bursting out of their backs) are great, the companion system is interesting, and the mention of how abandoning it to feed on regular people makes a vampire “rabid” is an interesting.
And that's it. Now on to the bad stuff.
Good lord, where do I even begin? I wrote five pages of notes on this thing. Let's go over the basic badness that you see in every Paranormal Romance, I guess.
Our MC, Sarah, is called smart multiple times yet is dense about everything. Love Interest shows her over and over he loves her yet, after a vague comment she has no context for, she thinks it's all an act for chapter after chapter after chapter. She even twists a passionate kiss as a pity one somehow.
She also checks the boxes for being praised for doing common, everyday stuff like being polite to someone she doesn't know, getting a super special item (a pet here), and a revelation that she was super special awesome all along.
We can't forget the slut shaming, as every woman in the story, except the ones in her family of course, is an evil bitch who's after Love Interest and all they can think of is bedding him even if they're married or in relationships. But don't worry because the men are too. Every man in the story wants to bed Sarah including married ones who leave their wives to dance with her instead.
Lastly, there's the weird undercurrent that women are supposed to be okay with men acting overly sexual around them. A lot of the men touch her in ways that make her uncomfortable and she doesn't say a word, are naked around her, enter her room and lay on her bed next to her. All that fun stuff.
Now let's talk about Sarah herself, and the many, many tropes she embodies.
First is all the telling about her - we only see the "exceptions" to her behavior and rarely ever that actual behavior. We get things like "I usually don't let my temper show" and we never once see her be civil when in a bad mood. Same thing for the many other "exceptions" we get told about: "I never go out", "I rarely wear makeup", "I'm not social", "I've never been good on high heels", she gets told "don't cut yourself off from him like you normally do when you start to have feelings for someone". Yet we never SEE ANY OF THESE TRAITS. How are we supposed to see how different she acts around Love Interest if we never see her normal?
Sarah, like all the leads of the Watchers saga, has the "Makes it Easy" thing going on. She's an empath so she never once has to worry if someone might be a danger or what they think about her. In the few cases she can't use it, she's also a master at reading body language (even though she said she's not social, so where did she get the practice?). Whenever she has to do something she's not good at (like walking on high heels and dancing) her powers kick in to save her the trouble of actually learning how to do those things. When there's danger she's immediately whisked away and returns when it's over, when someone is injured someone else already has the answer to how to help. There's always someone with the exact thing she needs so she doesn't go through any trouble at any point in the series.
Now let's go over Love Interest. His name is Julian but he's no different from other Paranomal YA love interest so we'll just call him that.
As is expected of someone who was turned into a vampire in his late 20s and has been one for 400-500 years, Love Interest acts like a teenager. He keeps saying they can't be together and that he's "not right for her" but won't sit down and just explain why (he's immortal, she's not, it won't work). Instead we have him leave the house over and over and trying to hook her up with some other guy (WTF, West?!).
And that's really all I got for him, really. He's so one-note and generic that he only filled one paragraph of the five pages of notes I took.
To end this review, I'd like to share two moments near the end of the novel that show how WTF this whole things is:
1. Late in the novel, Love Interest is possessed by the spirit of one of the women he helped kill in the past, implied to be a young girl. How does Sarah respond to this? By calling her a “malevolent spirit.”
2. At the end of the novel, they talk about them getting together and the challenges they face. When he brings up his guilt over helping kill so many people, how does Sarah respond? By basically telling him “I'm glad you helped kill those countless innocents, otherwise I wouldn't have met you.
The end
November 20, 2018
Moonshade is the first book in the Vampire Conclave series by S. J. West. The story follows Sarah and is written from her point of view as she finds out her family is connected to vampires, and she is the new companion of the vampire, Julian. If that isn't shocking enough, Julian then tells her that she has to leave her small town because he cannot be away from her due to their companionship. Because he never ages, if they stay in one place for too long, people will start asking questions.
As Sarah begins to come to terms with her new life she not only starts to fall in love with Julian but she's also introduced to this underground world of vampires, werewolves, witches and more mythological people.
I picked this book up while it was free on Amazon Kindle. While I normally do not read contemporary romances, I've been in the mood for vampires lately.
The story really picks up about half way through when Julian introduces Sarah to the secret world of vampires, witches and other mystical beings. That's when the action starts and we see some character development. We learn some secrets about Julian and more about Sarah's parents. We also dive a little deeper into Julian's curse. Julian's vampire transformation was the result of magic by Elizabeth Báthory and other nobles engaging in dark magic. It turns out there's more to things than Julian thought. We also get introduced to Julian's sister at the party and learn that she is the Queen of New Orleans. It will be interesting to see how her character plays a role in the story in the next books because, outside of the huge party, she is not an important character in book one.
Some parts of the book seemed a little silly to me but they were not annoying to the point that I would put the book down and stop reading. For example, Sarah accepting her faith after watching a DVD of her deceased mother explaining the vampire companion thing to her was a bit silly and too easy.
Of course, Sarah starts to fall for Julian and he also starts to fall for her. This creates a couple of problems because Julian needs her to have a child so that he can continue living. If Sarah's family line dies, Julian will die with her because he cannot exist without being tied to a companion. So, Julian is constantly trying to deny his feelings and push Sarah to see other people while at the same time begin defensive over her.
The first half of the book is kind of average but once the New Orleans party takes place, the action and story gets more interesting. I was flying through the last few chapters because I couldn't stop reading! The end of the book left me wanting to read more.
This review is also posted to my blog.
As Sarah begins to come to terms with her new life she not only starts to fall in love with Julian but she's also introduced to this underground world of vampires, werewolves, witches and more mythological people.
I picked this book up while it was free on Amazon Kindle. While I normally do not read contemporary romances, I've been in the mood for vampires lately.
The story really picks up about half way through when Julian introduces Sarah to the secret world of vampires, witches and other mystical beings. That's when the action starts and we see some character development. We learn some secrets about Julian and more about Sarah's parents. We also dive a little deeper into Julian's curse. Julian's vampire transformation was the result of magic by Elizabeth Báthory and other nobles engaging in dark magic. It turns out there's more to things than Julian thought. We also get introduced to Julian's sister at the party and learn that she is the Queen of New Orleans. It will be interesting to see how her character plays a role in the story in the next books because, outside of the huge party, she is not an important character in book one.
Some parts of the book seemed a little silly to me but they were not annoying to the point that I would put the book down and stop reading. For example, Sarah accepting her faith after watching a DVD of her deceased mother explaining the vampire companion thing to her was a bit silly and too easy.
Of course, Sarah starts to fall for Julian and he also starts to fall for her. This creates a couple of problems because Julian needs her to have a child so that he can continue living. If Sarah's family line dies, Julian will die with her because he cannot exist without being tied to a companion. So, Julian is constantly trying to deny his feelings and push Sarah to see other people while at the same time begin defensive over her.
The first half of the book is kind of average but once the New Orleans party takes place, the action and story gets more interesting. I was flying through the last few chapters because I couldn't stop reading! The end of the book left me wanting to read more.
This review is also posted to my blog.
June 13, 2024
Sarah lost her parents when she was very young. Her friend's parents took her in and cared for her and she is really close with all of them still. When Sarah goes out to a night club with her friend, a mysterious man greets her and tells her to find him. But she doesn't even know his name so why is it as if she can feel him and knows exactly where to find him?
His name is Julian and he's a vampire. When Sarah's grandfather that she knew nothing about passes away, Julian has to find the next relative in the man's family to be his companion. Without a companion to feed him their blood, Julian will die. So when he tells Sarah that he's a vampire and she is to be his companion if she's willing, she doesn't know what to think at first.
These vampires are different. They are all descendant from Madam Bathory because of a black magic spell she did or had done, the vampires aren't too sure what really happened to make them. But because of that he and the other vampires who were created at that time can only feed from a descendant of the first person they fed from when they were turned into a vampire. Which is why he sought out Sarah when her grandfather died.
Julian tells her that she needs to date in order to find a suitable husband to have kids with. Because when she dies her children will become his companion. At first it seems that's really all he cares about until he feeds from her the first time. Then it becomes apparent that he has feelings for her, something that he tries to fight since he cannot father any children and doesn't usually have romantic feelings for his companions but she wasn't raised around him so things are different. Her parents took her away from everyone because they wanted her to be raised as a normal human.
It takes a little while for this book to really get going but I was intrigued by the vampire/companion storyline so I kept reading and I'm glad I did because this got so much better. Family secrets are revealed and that was quite the twist. I'm really looking forward to reading more of this series now and finding out how things turn out for some of these other characters.
His name is Julian and he's a vampire. When Sarah's grandfather that she knew nothing about passes away, Julian has to find the next relative in the man's family to be his companion. Without a companion to feed him their blood, Julian will die. So when he tells Sarah that he's a vampire and she is to be his companion if she's willing, she doesn't know what to think at first.
These vampires are different. They are all descendant from Madam Bathory because of a black magic spell she did or had done, the vampires aren't too sure what really happened to make them. But because of that he and the other vampires who were created at that time can only feed from a descendant of the first person they fed from when they were turned into a vampire. Which is why he sought out Sarah when her grandfather died.
Julian tells her that she needs to date in order to find a suitable husband to have kids with. Because when she dies her children will become his companion. At first it seems that's really all he cares about until he feeds from her the first time. Then it becomes apparent that he has feelings for her, something that he tries to fight since he cannot father any children and doesn't usually have romantic feelings for his companions but she wasn't raised around him so things are different. Her parents took her away from everyone because they wanted her to be raised as a normal human.
It takes a little while for this book to really get going but I was intrigued by the vampire/companion storyline so I kept reading and I'm glad I did because this got so much better. Family secrets are revealed and that was quite the twist. I'm really looking forward to reading more of this series now and finding out how things turn out for some of these other characters.
April 11, 2025
I almost DNF because the entirety of the FMC is just.... so absolutely fucking ridiculous.
The fact that Sarah is just so accommodating without struggle and just rolls over to be some subservient being is PATHETIC... oh you showed me a video of my dead mom when she was pregnant saying 'I want my baby to have a normal life" so now Sarah's just accepting to be some generationally bonded vampire's nightly snack is just... ludicrous. She's WAY too complacent to just throw her whole life upside down without some kind of internal struggle or anything. I can't jump on board with that. Made zero sense. That in and of itself should have been a complete chapter through her internal struggle that should be really have been fleshed out.
That and this man who is supposed to have survived through hundreds of years and yet he's the one nearly mortally wounded and she has to save him twice.... ghhhhad could my eyes roll any further back into my head.
The "find me, Sarah" was my favorite part of the whole book....and I want to say that was in the first chapter... maybe second. That was literally the best part of the book.
But, I did finish (via audible book so that I could do something else while listening because I couldn't bear the idea of wasting actual hours of my life sitting and reading this book). I mean, I still needed to vacuum, so an audible worked great. I could listen to that suck while I listen to how much this female character sucks.....
...and frankly, even while this whole thing was flat-out stupid, I still wanted to see what was going to happen because I just did. At least I know what happened.
If this is a series (I didn't even look), I won't be finishing it.
The fact that Sarah is just so accommodating without struggle and just rolls over to be some subservient being is PATHETIC... oh you showed me a video of my dead mom when she was pregnant saying 'I want my baby to have a normal life" so now Sarah's just accepting to be some generationally bonded vampire's nightly snack is just... ludicrous. She's WAY too complacent to just throw her whole life upside down without some kind of internal struggle or anything. I can't jump on board with that. Made zero sense. That in and of itself should have been a complete chapter through her internal struggle that should be really have been fleshed out.
That and this man who is supposed to have survived through hundreds of years and yet he's the one nearly mortally wounded and she has to save him twice.... ghhhhad could my eyes roll any further back into my head.
The "find me, Sarah" was my favorite part of the whole book....and I want to say that was in the first chapter... maybe second. That was literally the best part of the book.
But, I did finish (via audible book so that I could do something else while listening because I couldn't bear the idea of wasting actual hours of my life sitting and reading this book). I mean, I still needed to vacuum, so an audible worked great. I could listen to that suck while I listen to how much this female character sucks.....
...and frankly, even while this whole thing was flat-out stupid, I still wanted to see what was going to happen because I just did. At least I know what happened.
If this is a series (I didn't even look), I won't be finishing it.
July 13, 2024
I am starting to become wary of picking up a random fantasy book now. Once again a possibly interesting story has been ruined by a really idiotic heroine.
Case in point:
The FMC meets this guy for whom she feels a weird unexplainable connection, she is unable to sleep or eat for two weeks. After this when the guy says he is a vampire she scoffs and calls him crazy. Hmmmmmm...
The second time she meets the guy, the guy starts the history of their relationship by hinting at a possible guilty action. The FMC immediately promises him to not leave him whatever it might be. The next second as soon as she hears half of his explanation she is all "yewwwww this guy n me.. Nahhh". The speed of her changing minds is like wow.
Lastly the thing that turned me off... The guy is explaining why her family is blood bound to him by a 400 year old curse. And then the FMC is all like "what you mean magic.. Explain everything in scientific terms cos I ain't believing in crazy magic mumbo jumbo cos I'm so awesomely logical"
No lady, you are not logical you are close-minded. You are asking a scientific explanation for a person who drinks a specific type of blood for last 400 years without aging. That's not logical, that is being stupidly close-minded in the face of evidence
And stupid heroines are not my cup of tea.
Dropped this book
Case in point:
The FMC meets this guy for whom she feels a weird unexplainable connection, she is unable to sleep or eat for two weeks. After this when the guy says he is a vampire she scoffs and calls him crazy. Hmmmmmm...
The second time she meets the guy, the guy starts the history of their relationship by hinting at a possible guilty action. The FMC immediately promises him to not leave him whatever it might be. The next second as soon as she hears half of his explanation she is all "yewwwww this guy n me.. Nahhh". The speed of her changing minds is like wow.
Lastly the thing that turned me off... The guy is explaining why her family is blood bound to him by a 400 year old curse. And then the FMC is all like "what you mean magic.. Explain everything in scientific terms cos I ain't believing in crazy magic mumbo jumbo cos I'm so awesomely logical"
No lady, you are not logical you are close-minded. You are asking a scientific explanation for a person who drinks a specific type of blood for last 400 years without aging. That's not logical, that is being stupidly close-minded in the face of evidence
And stupid heroines are not my cup of tea.
Dropped this book
October 4, 2025
This is a complete rip off of the Sookie Stackhouse series. Actually, its a rip off of True Blood, not the books. I listened to the audiobook version and there were places that the narrator even said Sara the same way Bill Compton would say Sookie.
this single book included at least 4 different story lines from True Blood, all of the same twists (there was 1 that was new to this book as opposed to other series in the genre), and an equal amount of whiney characters with no ambition or thoughts beyond "I'm my own person and I'll make my own [bad] choices. "
the MFC accepts everything thrown her way in an unusually short period of time. half the book seems to be focused on her eating habits and the food being made. the best friend seems to just go with the flow and not question things while also being described as someone who would demand answers.
the MMC is mediocre....the whole time I was thinking if you were going to rip off True Blood why did you pick Bill Compton who was the weakest whiniest character? there wasn't even a strong character to offset him.
the secondary characters were all "oh, my. that's terrible news. let me know if you figure it out" through the whole book. it was infuriating.
thankful this was a free listen and hope the author got out of their True Blood fanfiction phase.
this single book included at least 4 different story lines from True Blood, all of the same twists (there was 1 that was new to this book as opposed to other series in the genre), and an equal amount of whiney characters with no ambition or thoughts beyond "I'm my own person and I'll make my own [bad] choices. "
the MFC accepts everything thrown her way in an unusually short period of time. half the book seems to be focused on her eating habits and the food being made. the best friend seems to just go with the flow and not question things while also being described as someone who would demand answers.
the MMC is mediocre....the whole time I was thinking if you were going to rip off True Blood why did you pick Bill Compton who was the weakest whiniest character? there wasn't even a strong character to offset him.
the secondary characters were all "oh, my. that's terrible news. let me know if you figure it out" through the whole book. it was infuriating.
thankful this was a free listen and hope the author got out of their True Blood fanfiction phase.
April 25, 2024
I have a few things I think should be said about this book.
1. Don't give cats milk or cream, it wreaks havoc with their digestive system. Please get him the full cat tower, he's worth it.
2. If a man/woman bit down at that part of your neck with No Fangs it would hurt like hell, the Jugler vein is not that close to the surface. It is beneath the sternocleidomastoid muscle and she would bleed out in seconds. (Ugg Vamipire writers not doing homework)
3. Don't we all want money and to be treated like a princess? How stupid to say, Oh I don't want that! at least have her think to herself "I think I like this"
4. If she owns it all where is her paycheck for blood donations to make up for the $300 for food and $300 for cat toys? She is a teacher, not a rich person.
5. Stop laying in your room crying get some self-pride take up a hobby, do a house inventory, and hire a decorator on his account. Learn about antiques.
These are things I kept thinking: where is the woman of today? Be strong, face the fact you want those things and get your feelings out there.
Sincerely yours
Your Inner Princess
1. Don't give cats milk or cream, it wreaks havoc with their digestive system. Please get him the full cat tower, he's worth it.
2. If a man/woman bit down at that part of your neck with No Fangs it would hurt like hell, the Jugler vein is not that close to the surface. It is beneath the sternocleidomastoid muscle and she would bleed out in seconds. (Ugg Vamipire writers not doing homework)
3. Don't we all want money and to be treated like a princess? How stupid to say, Oh I don't want that! at least have her think to herself "I think I like this"
4. If she owns it all where is her paycheck for blood donations to make up for the $300 for food and $300 for cat toys? She is a teacher, not a rich person.
5. Stop laying in your room crying get some self-pride take up a hobby, do a house inventory, and hire a decorator on his account. Learn about antiques.
These are things I kept thinking: where is the woman of today? Be strong, face the fact you want those things and get your feelings out there.
Sincerely yours
Your Inner Princess
March 18, 2019
Not your standard vampire story.
A different take on the vampire genre. I found it interesting to be based on a curse and related to Madam Balthory. Just touching on other supernatural beings brought intrigue and didn't distract. As the story progresses you find out a bit more and there is more interaction with 2 of the supernatural races. I thought it was a bit confusing and misleading that in the beginning out main vampire is incapable of reciprocation when it comes to romantic love. Every other vampire suffers this same gate but inexplicably Julian loves our heroine from the first blood exchange and has a hard time being around her because he doesn't know how to handle those feelings. Emotional pain whenever someone leaves to run an errand? Suffocating and too much. Knowing when someone is hurt or in danger and being able to find them off an internal radar is cool. A lot of interesting and entertaining elements and some areas were just a bit juvenile (maybe a young author still figuring out how love is). Would recommend as overall it was entertaining and new.
A different take on the vampire genre. I found it interesting to be based on a curse and related to Madam Balthory. Just touching on other supernatural beings brought intrigue and didn't distract. As the story progresses you find out a bit more and there is more interaction with 2 of the supernatural races. I thought it was a bit confusing and misleading that in the beginning out main vampire is incapable of reciprocation when it comes to romantic love. Every other vampire suffers this same gate but inexplicably Julian loves our heroine from the first blood exchange and has a hard time being around her because he doesn't know how to handle those feelings. Emotional pain whenever someone leaves to run an errand? Suffocating and too much. Knowing when someone is hurt or in danger and being able to find them off an internal radar is cool. A lot of interesting and entertaining elements and some areas were just a bit juvenile (maybe a young author still figuring out how love is). Would recommend as overall it was entertaining and new.
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