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Protected by the Shadows #1
The Drosera Legacy
A Legacy built on secrets.
Ryon has no memory of his life as a human - being made and not born did that to a Vampire. As an enforcer to the Vampire King, it was his duty not to ask questions. And when the King declares war on the humans of Ladwick, Ryon suppresses the voice of his conscience to follow orders. Amid the chaos, he meets a captivating human woman called Laina. Fragments of a past shrouded in secrecy come to the surface when Ryon finds himself caught between his loyalty to the crown, his desire to protect Laina and the ever-growing feeling that he was made to do something else. Be someone else.
Laina was a shadow of her former self after abruptly losing her parents six months ago. Locals believed their deaths to be the work of Vampires, but that was impossible because Vampires didn’t exist. She couldn’t bring herself to believe the rumours, but when bodies began showing up with the same tell-tale wounds as found on her parents, she couldn’t help but question what she knew. Then one night, she met Ryon. He was mysterious, handsome, and endearing. And he was also the one thing she never believed existed. A Vampire.
Ryon has no memory of his life as a human - being made and not born did that to a Vampire. As an enforcer to the Vampire King, it was his duty not to ask questions. And when the King declares war on the humans of Ladwick, Ryon suppresses the voice of his conscience to follow orders. Amid the chaos, he meets a captivating human woman called Laina. Fragments of a past shrouded in secrecy come to the surface when Ryon finds himself caught between his loyalty to the crown, his desire to protect Laina and the ever-growing feeling that he was made to do something else. Be someone else.
Laina was a shadow of her former self after abruptly losing her parents six months ago. Locals believed their deaths to be the work of Vampires, but that was impossible because Vampires didn’t exist. She couldn’t bring herself to believe the rumours, but when bodies began showing up with the same tell-tale wounds as found on her parents, she couldn’t help but question what she knew. Then one night, she met Ryon. He was mysterious, handsome, and endearing. And he was also the one thing she never believed existed. A Vampire.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 17, 2022
55 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
N.A. Rose
4 books13 followersIf you have a dark side with a weakness for epic Vampire love stories that include lots of action, drama and, of course, steamy love scenes, then you’ll be entertained by N.A. Rose’s books.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 11, 2024
I have read my fair share of vampire novels and I still always love them. This was was very good without being overdone, in fact, I could have done with more character building but this is still great. This is technically a slow burn but since the book isn't overly long, it doesn't feel like we have to wait too long to get to the spice. On a scale from 1-5 I would only give this one 2 chili peppers.
I am excited to read the second book to get to know a bit more about Kove's character because I will admit I liked him at the beginning of this book but he totally went off the rails. I hope he is able to redeem himself.
This book does remind me a bit of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (especially with the semi-goofy names) so if you have read that series and loved it, give this one a shot.
I am excited to read the second book to get to know a bit more about Kove's character because I will admit I liked him at the beginning of this book but he totally went off the rails. I hope he is able to redeem himself.
This book does remind me a bit of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (especially with the semi-goofy names) so if you have read that series and loved it, give this one a shot.
March 29, 2025
Intriguing Vampire/human read.
This was an easy book to get through, and I reallly appreciated the ‘Vamp obsessed/forbidden love’ vibes.
I loved the general premise and where the author went with the world building— but I feel like there was so much more character building that could have been explored.
I wanted to get to know Ryon & Laina a little more in depth, setting up the rest of the series…
All in all, this was a good way to pass the time, & I’ll likely be looking into dipping my toe into the second book.
This was an easy book to get through, and I reallly appreciated the ‘Vamp obsessed/forbidden love’ vibes.
I loved the general premise and where the author went with the world building— but I feel like there was so much more character building that could have been explored.
I wanted to get to know Ryon & Laina a little more in depth, setting up the rest of the series…
All in all, this was a good way to pass the time, & I’ll likely be looking into dipping my toe into the second book.
May 10, 2022
What a great introduction
I felt like this could have been expanded upon with a bit more depth, but the bones is there. The story is captivating. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book and I expect great things. 5 stars for a solid storyline.
I felt like this could have been expanded upon with a bit more depth, but the bones is there. The story is captivating. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book and I expect great things. 5 stars for a solid storyline.
May 7, 2025
This slightly spicy, forbidden vampire love story was a great short read! Everything about the world building was kept simple and moving forward rather quickly. It was packed full of action and an array of characters. I wish we learned more about Ryon and the Shadows backstory, but that may come out in other installments.
Overall, I was intrigued by the story, and I'm ready to dive into book 2!
Overall, I was intrigued by the story, and I'm ready to dive into book 2!
October 30, 2022
The Drosera Legacy: A vampire romance story (Protected by the Shadows Book 1) Kindle Edition
by N.A. Rose
I borrowed this book via the Kindle Unlimited program and am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
The first thing I must say is WOW! What a fresh and original vampire romance. I haven't had this feeling since I read my first Christine Feehan Carpathian novel.
Having an adult heroine, age 30 years, is so nice. Laina, a graphic designer, recently lost her parents in what looks like a vampire attack. That couldn't be possible, right? Vampires don't exist. That's what she believed until she met Ryon, a member of The Shadows, a group of vampire enforces who protect humans from the predation from the Reds, vampires gone bad.
Rose does an amazing job with the pacing of her novel, which kept me “Just-one-more-chapter”-ing until the wee hours of the morning. Her new take on vampires embraces both the traditional vampire tropes and the newer, modern ideas. She doesn't give up having Laina work through all the issues that come with losing family members in a horrific crime.
It's nice to not have overly brooding vampires. Ryon and his friends enjoy being vampires. And again, having an adult heroine is just brilliant.
Rose's fight scenes are exciting, thrilling and believable. While her weapon knowledge is extensive and well-presented, it isn't obsessive and doesn't sidetrack the reader.
The love/sex scenes are erotic, gentle and reason for a cold shower!
Reminiscent of both The Black Dagger Brotherhood and The Carpathian Novels, this book is a wonderful read.
5 stars out of 5
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09...
by N.A. Rose
I borrowed this book via the Kindle Unlimited program and am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
The first thing I must say is WOW! What a fresh and original vampire romance. I haven't had this feeling since I read my first Christine Feehan Carpathian novel.
Having an adult heroine, age 30 years, is so nice. Laina, a graphic designer, recently lost her parents in what looks like a vampire attack. That couldn't be possible, right? Vampires don't exist. That's what she believed until she met Ryon, a member of The Shadows, a group of vampire enforces who protect humans from the predation from the Reds, vampires gone bad.
Rose does an amazing job with the pacing of her novel, which kept me “Just-one-more-chapter”-ing until the wee hours of the morning. Her new take on vampires embraces both the traditional vampire tropes and the newer, modern ideas. She doesn't give up having Laina work through all the issues that come with losing family members in a horrific crime.
It's nice to not have overly brooding vampires. Ryon and his friends enjoy being vampires. And again, having an adult heroine is just brilliant.
Rose's fight scenes are exciting, thrilling and believable. While her weapon knowledge is extensive and well-presented, it isn't obsessive and doesn't sidetrack the reader.
The love/sex scenes are erotic, gentle and reason for a cold shower!
Reminiscent of both The Black Dagger Brotherhood and The Carpathian Novels, this book is a wonderful read.
5 stars out of 5
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09...
March 1, 2022
3.5 stars
The Drosera Legacy is another entry in the paranormal romance genre. It centers on Ryon who's a vampire and Laina, who's human. They are both characters with known and unknown (in Ryon's case) tragedies in their past.
It is quite well written only excepting the fact that the whole premise of forbidden vampire-human love has been severely explored in a multitude of novels. That makes it hard to come up with something unique and interesting. Multiple factors become repetitive, for example, take the vampires here-they have the powers to compel, there are so-called good vs bad (or uncontrolled vampires with red eyes), they can teleport, etc, etc or in Laina's case, she has a dashing best friend who loves her from long, only she has no idea till the end (would have never seen that one coming 🙄). Still, there are one or two surprises here and there, which overall makes it a good(ish) read.
This would be a good read for those looking to dip their toes in the paranormal romance genre (specifically with vampires). A seasoned reader may not gain a lot new.
Thanks to the author for providing me with an advance reader copy.
The Drosera Legacy is another entry in the paranormal romance genre. It centers on Ryon who's a vampire and Laina, who's human. They are both characters with known and unknown (in Ryon's case) tragedies in their past.
It is quite well written only excepting the fact that the whole premise of forbidden vampire-human love has been severely explored in a multitude of novels. That makes it hard to come up with something unique and interesting. Multiple factors become repetitive, for example, take the vampires here-they have the powers to compel, there are so-called good vs bad (or uncontrolled vampires with red eyes), they can teleport, etc, etc or in Laina's case, she has a dashing best friend who loves her from long, only she has no idea till the end (would have never seen that one coming 🙄). Still, there are one or two surprises here and there, which overall makes it a good(ish) read.
This would be a good read for those looking to dip their toes in the paranormal romance genre (specifically with vampires). A seasoned reader may not gain a lot new.
Thanks to the author for providing me with an advance reader copy.
May 2, 2025
My Rating: 3.00⭐️
My Series Rating: 3.42⭐️
Goodreads Rating: 4.06⭐️
Release Date: 25th February 2022
Pages: 230
🧛🏻🩸My Thoughts🩸🧛🏻
What I Loved:
🩸 Forbidden Romance
🧛🏻 Vampire x Human
🩸 He Falls First, and Harder
The Drosera Legacy is the first book in the series; ‘Protected by The Shadows’ by N. A. Rose. This was a fast-paced, action-packed novel that will have you offering up your blood to every hot vampire that wanders by.
N. A. Rose did a terrific job of world building, and I love the idea of a secret vampire underground. However, I wish the two main characters Ryon, and Laina had more character development, as well as more of a romantic plot and tension between them- where when they said I love you, it felt very sudden.
I feel as though there was an underlying, and unspoken theme of fated mates, and I wish as this was explored further, as maybe that would have explained the quick and intense relationship between the main characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed the fight scenes, and this was a nice and quick read to break through my current reading slump. So if you enjoy a paranormal romance, forbidden romance with some 🌶️, and of course biting… look no further!
🧛🏻🩸🧛🏻🩸🧛🏻
My Series Rating: 3.42⭐️
Goodreads Rating: 4.06⭐️
Release Date: 25th February 2022
Pages: 230
🧛🏻🩸My Thoughts🩸🧛🏻
What I Loved:
🩸 Forbidden Romance
🧛🏻 Vampire x Human
🩸 He Falls First, and Harder
The Drosera Legacy is the first book in the series; ‘Protected by The Shadows’ by N. A. Rose. This was a fast-paced, action-packed novel that will have you offering up your blood to every hot vampire that wanders by.
N. A. Rose did a terrific job of world building, and I love the idea of a secret vampire underground. However, I wish the two main characters Ryon, and Laina had more character development, as well as more of a romantic plot and tension between them- where when they said I love you, it felt very sudden.
I feel as though there was an underlying, and unspoken theme of fated mates, and I wish as this was explored further, as maybe that would have explained the quick and intense relationship between the main characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed the fight scenes, and this was a nice and quick read to break through my current reading slump. So if you enjoy a paranormal romance, forbidden romance with some 🌶️, and of course biting… look no further!
🧛🏻🩸🧛🏻🩸🧛🏻
July 17, 2022
The Drosera Legacy is a NA paranormal romance.
🖤Forbidden Romance
🖤Fated Mates
🖤Angst
🖤Drama
🖤Action
If you love Twilight and/or The Vampire Diaries, you should definitely check this book out! In my opinion, The Drosera Legacy is a mix of both with a twist.
The story is captivating, interesting, and addicting. I didn’t want to put the book down.
Let me tell you a little about the story:
Ryon is a vampire. Laina is a human.
Laina is just going through the motions of day to day life, struggling after her parents passed six months ago.
Ryon is a vampire. He is an enforcer for the vampire king.
One fateful night Laina encounters Ryon in a dark alley.
They are enamored by each other.
And Ryon keeps finding excuses to see Laina regardless of the rules he’s breaking.
Humans aren’t to know vampires exist and are definitely not supposed to fall in love. To make matters even more difficult, King Drosera (vampire) has life altering plans. *dun dun dun*
I’m telling y’all…this book is fantastic! So many twists and turns!
I can’t wait to read what happens next!
🖤Forbidden Romance
🖤Fated Mates
🖤Angst
🖤Drama
🖤Action
If you love Twilight and/or The Vampire Diaries, you should definitely check this book out! In my opinion, The Drosera Legacy is a mix of both with a twist.
The story is captivating, interesting, and addicting. I didn’t want to put the book down.
Let me tell you a little about the story:
Ryon is a vampire. Laina is a human.
Laina is just going through the motions of day to day life, struggling after her parents passed six months ago.
Ryon is a vampire. He is an enforcer for the vampire king.
One fateful night Laina encounters Ryon in a dark alley.
They are enamored by each other.
And Ryon keeps finding excuses to see Laina regardless of the rules he’s breaking.
Humans aren’t to know vampires exist and are definitely not supposed to fall in love. To make matters even more difficult, King Drosera (vampire) has life altering plans. *dun dun dun*
I’m telling y’all…this book is fantastic! So many twists and turns!
I can’t wait to read what happens next!
April 2, 2025
Such a great way to start a series, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, but I got sucked in by the vampires!
Ryon is a vampire, with a secret hidden identity and hidden family that he has no idea about. He is instantly attracted to Laina, who is a human- it is like a fated mate bond, but not.
It was fast paced, definitely not for those of you who like slow burns. But I love it hard and fast falling, so I devoured reading this book.
As oppositions go, war between vampires and humans is inevitable, but whose in the wrong?
The ending to this book was a little predictable, but in a good way where you gather all the clues and points from the story and put it together and was written very well.
Ryon is a vampire, with a secret hidden identity and hidden family that he has no idea about. He is instantly attracted to Laina, who is a human- it is like a fated mate bond, but not.
It was fast paced, definitely not for those of you who like slow burns. But I love it hard and fast falling, so I devoured reading this book.
As oppositions go, war between vampires and humans is inevitable, but whose in the wrong?
The ending to this book was a little predictable, but in a good way where you gather all the clues and points from the story and put it together and was written very well.
May 3, 2025
OMG! Where do I even start? This book was absolutely amazing, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. I loved finding out what was truth and what was myth when it came to the vampires and what they could do. I'm so excited to read the other books, and I definitely recommend you try this book out, especially if you love vampires, action, a bit of drama, and romantic relationships between humans and vampires. Well, I'm off to start Kove's book because I'm dying to know more about the grumpy, anti-human vampire who kinda seems like he will be such a softy on the inside once you get to know him lol
August 15, 2025
The Drosera Legacy was just so fun to read. It’s part of an ongoing compaion series with each book following different characters. Book one is a quick 230 pages - perfect if you love fast-paced plots with lots of action. Something different seemed to happen on every page, which really kept me committed. I stayed up till 3am reading this! It gave me similar vibes to Court of Shadows by C.N. Crawford which I absolutely devoured. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Ryon and Laina - there’s spice, plot twists, and chaos. Overall, it’s a fun, addictive read, and I look forward to seeing more of the world in book 2 😍
March 28, 2025
Everyone knows I'm a sucker for a good
Vampire book and this hit all the cravings. Fangs check. Vampire lore for this world, check. And the ability to essentially teleport, check.
I love love loved some of these tropes:
🧛 He falls first and harder
🦇 She saves him
🧛 Biting and sex
🦇 He protects her
🧛 He's obsessed with her
Its giving vampire diaries in the best way and I definitely recommend it for those who love vampire books. On my way now to go check out book 2 in the series on KU. Thank you so much for the E-ARC for an honest review
Vampire book and this hit all the cravings. Fangs check. Vampire lore for this world, check. And the ability to essentially teleport, check.
I love love loved some of these tropes:
🧛 He falls first and harder
🦇 She saves him
🧛 Biting and sex
🦇 He protects her
🧛 He's obsessed with her
Its giving vampire diaries in the best way and I definitely recommend it for those who love vampire books. On my way now to go check out book 2 in the series on KU. Thank you so much for the E-ARC for an honest review
April 27, 2025
Great read
This book - whew. For only 230 odd pages, it has an *epic* feel to it. There’s some great world building, serious crumb laying, and a steamy slow burn.
The vampire mythology that Ms Rose creates is familiar enough to be easy to follow, but unique enough to feel fresh. There isn’t a lot in the way of spicy-ness, but the door is most definitely open.
The Drosera Legacy is book one in the Protected By The Shadows series. With book three dropping in a matter of weeks, now is the perfect time to binge the first two books. You won’t regret it.
This book - whew. For only 230 odd pages, it has an *epic* feel to it. There’s some great world building, serious crumb laying, and a steamy slow burn.
The vampire mythology that Ms Rose creates is familiar enough to be easy to follow, but unique enough to feel fresh. There isn’t a lot in the way of spicy-ness, but the door is most definitely open.
The Drosera Legacy is book one in the Protected By The Shadows series. With book three dropping in a matter of weeks, now is the perfect time to binge the first two books. You won’t regret it.
March 28, 2025
Finished this book in one day, I was that into it!
It was such a rollercoaster from start to finish, I really liked how we got to have snippets of the next MC’s without it taking over the main plot. Hopefully we get to see more of the other Shadows as well in the series!
Although I’m looking forward to the next books, I really hope we can get a continuation with Laina and Ryon in the future, I want to see how our new King and Queen rule their world!
It was such a rollercoaster from start to finish, I really liked how we got to have snippets of the next MC’s without it taking over the main plot. Hopefully we get to see more of the other Shadows as well in the series!
Although I’m looking forward to the next books, I really hope we can get a continuation with Laina and Ryon in the future, I want to see how our new King and Queen rule their world!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2025
A great intro into Vampire and paranormal romance novels!
What it’s got -
🧛🏼 Vampire X Human
🧛🏼 Fated mates
🧛🏼 Forbidden love
🧛🏼 Vampire Royality
🧛🏼 Biting & Spicy scenes
Ryon is a Vampire. Liana is a Human. Both fated to be together, but are challenged by their pasts. A great read if you love Twilight/Vampire Diaries. I wanted to know more about the characters, I wish the book didn’t end! Thanks for a great read!!
What it’s got -
🧛🏼 Vampire X Human
🧛🏼 Fated mates
🧛🏼 Forbidden love
🧛🏼 Vampire Royality
🧛🏼 Biting & Spicy scenes
Ryon is a Vampire. Liana is a Human. Both fated to be together, but are challenged by their pasts. A great read if you love Twilight/Vampire Diaries. I wanted to know more about the characters, I wish the book didn’t end! Thanks for a great read!!
Read
February 7, 2024DNF so will not rate. It had a lot of potential, but ultimately fell flat for me. It lacked depth and therefore failed to really draw me in. The vampires “characters” and dialogue felt cringy to me at times and therefore felt unrealistic….yes I know I’m saying a vampire didn’t seem real in the story, but I’ve read many other vampire books and they felt realistic to me.
March 22, 2025
Humans and vampires and royalty oh my!!!
I started this book and thought it would take me a couple of days to read but I couldn’t put it down, thank goodness football season has started and I don’t have to interact with my family because I had to know what happened and who did the thing that I can’t say because… spoilers sweetie!!!! Such a great read!!!!
I started this book and thought it would take me a couple of days to read but I couldn’t put it down, thank goodness football season has started and I don’t have to interact with my family because I had to know what happened and who did the thing that I can’t say because… spoilers sweetie!!!! Such a great read!!!!
September 13, 2024
First book in the series, I wish there was a bit more world building for a first book. It felt rushed but I still very much enjoyed it! Enough that I've finished she second one already and I felt it was better! Definitely read this one first though!!
April 22, 2025
I was so happy to read about someone who wasn’t 18!! I am knocking one star off for ‘instant’ love (probably my least favorite trope). This was a quick read and I found it to be extremely fast paced- everything happened so quickly. Slightly predictable but sometimes we just need that kind of book.
November 1, 2022
This is a slow burn but its a pretty good slow burn. I really enjoyed this book!
April 1, 2025
This book was great. While the book was short it didn't lack story. Can't wait to read book 2.
May 7, 2025
so good!
Absolutely loved this book! Was well worth the read and I’m so glad I did! Cant wait for book 2!
Absolutely loved this book! Was well worth the read and I’m so glad I did! Cant wait for book 2!
June 16, 2025
It was good just felt a bit rushed, it should have been a longer story with more relationship building
April 19, 2025
Forbidden romance at its finest; this captivating story was like sitting in a rollercoaster of emotions. The twists and turns as Ryon and Laina navigate their forbidden love will have you on the edge of your seat with excitement. A fantastic story for all fellow romance readers to read.
July 16, 2025
The Drosera Legacy is the first book in a new paranormal romance series by Australian author N A Rose. It follows the relationship between graphic designer Liana and vampire enforcer Ryon. The book gives Vampire Academy and Twilight vibes but in a grown up, spicy way. The prose was engaging and I knew I would love this book from page one! My favourite part was how Liana didn’t just swoon over Ryon from page one (like Bella did Edward) and how Ryon really fought for Liana at the end. I will say the ending felt a little rushed and I would have loved more character development. Overall, I can’t wait to jump into book 2 in the series!
Trigger warnings:
Death of a family member
Death
Violence
Blood and gore
Trigger warnings:
Death of a family member
Death
Violence
Blood and gore
July 6, 2025
Fantastic take on the world of vampires, and I didn't see the twist coming. Loved Laina and Ryon's dynamics, seeing how they both handled the chaos around them. Can't wait to dive into book 2.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews