THE BLACK LILY (Tales of the Black Lily #1) by Juliette Cross-dual review and book tour
THE BLACK LILY
Tales of the Black Lily #1
by Juliette Cross
Genre: adult, paranormal, romance
Release Date: March 27, 2017
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ABOUT THE BOOK: RELEASE DATE March 27, 2017
Cinderella like you’ve never seen before…
With the threat of the vampire monarchy becoming stronger every day, the Black Lily must take drastic measures. As the leader of the underground resistance, Arabelle concocts the perfect idea to gain the attention of the Glass Tower. Her plan? Attend the vampire prince’s blood ball and kill him. Fortunately for Prince Marius, her assassination goes awry, and Arabelle flees, leaving behind only her dagger.
Marius is desperate to find the woman whose kiss turned into attempted murder, hunting for the mysterious assassin he can’t push out of his mind. But what he uncovers could change the course of his life forever…
••••••
SANDY’s REVIEW: THE BLACK LILY is the first installment in Juliette Cross’s TALES OF THE BLACK LILY adult, paranormal/fantasy series. This is one hundred year old vampire Prince Marius, and peasant girl Arabelle’s story line.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Arabelle and Marius) THE BLACK LILY follows the struggles of the human population; the underground movement setting up a coup to take down the royal vampire family-vampires who now threaten the lives of everyone they love. Enter peasant girl Arabelle, a young woman, head of a group known as The Black Lily, and a woman determined to rid the world of bloodsuckers-one vampire at a time starting with the youngest royal heir-Prince Marius. The time has come to select a new concubine for the royal Prince, and Arabelle is determined to seduce the Prince to his death. What ensues is the building romance between Arabelle and Prince Marius, and the search for the vampires responsible for taking too many lives.
THE BLACK LILY is the retelling of Cinderella only Cinderella’s happily ever after comes with a caveat-the Prince is a vampire, and a man who is desperate to make Arabelle his own. While Arabelle struggles with her attraction to a man she believes is killing her people, Marius searches for the truth and doesn’t like what he is about to find.
We are introduced to a large number of secondary and supporting characters including Marius’s best friend and vampire Nikolai; Marius’s parents the King and Queen of the vampires; Arabelle’s friends Deek and Mary, as well as our heroine’s evil ’step mother’ and two wicked ‘step sisters’. On the run Arabelle befriends a woman known as Sienna, whose connection to the wolves is magical and mysterious.
The world building looks at the prejudice between human and vampire; the potential eradication of the species; and a romance between a human and a vampire that pushes all of the boundaries for our leading couple.
THE BLACK LILY is an engaging, lively and spirited retelling of Cinderella. The premise is creative and electrifying; the characters are animated, colorful and passionate; the romance is fated and uplifting. THE BLACK LILY is a wondrous start to a new series that will leave you breathless and wanting more.
Reviewed by Sandy
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Barb’s Review:
The Black Lily by Juliette Cross is the first book in her new Tales of the Black Lily series. I have been a big fan of Juliette Cross, since I started reading her Nightwing series; her stories are always captivating, exciting, adventurous, sexy and pure fun to read. The Black Lily is no different and after I finished this book, Juliette Cross once again rises up on my list of books and authors I MUST read. I loved loved The Black Lily; it was a fantastic ride from start to finish, with a couple that blew us away with so much chemistry. Now for my review. 🙂
The Black Lily has a slight take on the Cinderella fairytale, but it is nothing like it. Arabelle, our heroine, lives as a peasant, with a woman and two daughters, who treat her miserably. But Arabelle is the leader of The Black Lily underground resistance that is trying to rebel against the vampire kingdom that rules the Glass Tower. Humans are dying, having been found murdered and drained blood dry. Arabelle devises a plan to kill the Prince, at the upcoming ball, in order to make the King and Queen listen to their grievances.
Prince Marius, our hero, dreads going to the ball, but he needs to pick a woman who will become his next blood concubine; especially in a matter of days he will be getting married to a princess he has never met. At the ball, he becomes mesmerized by a beautiful young woman dressed in Gold, and after a dance, he whisks her away for a tour of the Glass Tower. He finds her irresistible, and when he makes advances on her, which she encourages, Marious is shocked when she plunges a knife to his chest.
Arrabelle, thinking she killed her target, manages to escape, but leaving behind a gold pointed knife (no there is no slipper here). Marius, after he drinks blood and is healed, goes with his best friend, Nikolai to search for the woman who has a tattoo on her shoulder. During the search, he will notice the fear in the folks in town, as well as those working at the Tower. Marius will also discover that the missing servant in the house is the one he is looking for, but sees the condition of how she lives. This will open his eyes as to the conditions that surround the lands his family runs, which was not as he was led to believe. After a few times of catching up with Arrabelle, Marius knows she is a handful, but she is a handful he cannot resist. Arrabelle, despite thinking Marius as the enemy is also unable to resist his charms. Arrabelle will begin to trust Marius, and tell him about the murders, forcing him to investigate with Nicolai to find out what is happening behind the scenes. Marius knows he loves Arrabelle, and knows he must do everything in his power to protect her against his mother and father’s determination to have her killed.
What follows is a fantastic exciting story that will have you either on the edge of your seat or swooning over their hot sexy romance. Arrabelle was such a wonderful heroine, strong, beautiful, and determined to fight for her friends. Marius was not only a great hero, but also very charming and sexy; and they were so good together. The wildly exciting climax was so tense, suspenseful, with non-stop action, that we were left breathless. I also want to point out that I loved two of the secondary characters; Sienna and her wolves; as well as Nicolai. The Black Lily was such an amazing book, as well as steamy, and very well written by Cross. Bravo to Juliette Cross for giving another sensational new series. I cannot wait for the next book.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy supplied for review.
“Come. Get out of the pool.”
Her mouth dropped. “I’m not getting out of here with you standing there. I’m…I’m naked.”
“Of which I’m well aware.” His voice dropped low and deep. “Come out.”
“No!”
“Then I’ll come in after you.”
He took one step. She splashed backward.
“All right!” She huffed. “Turn around.”
He shook his head, unable to keep a smile from his face. “Not on your life. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“You expect me to—”
“Yes. I do. Now, come out.”
She snapped her mouth shut. Flustered, her pale cheeks flushed pink. Marius was thankful for his vampire eyesight to see the pretty blush crawl up her neck. What he wouldn’t do to chase that path with his mouth.
Arabelle’s expression shifted, her brow smoothing, eyes narrowing, lips parting. She slowed her breathing and uncrossed her arms, standing with poise from the water, revealing the sensual gifts nature had given her. Marius swallowed hard, but his mouth had gone dry. Thirsty. He was so thirsty.
She moved unhurriedly through the water into the shallows, emerging like a goddess who knew her power. Marius actually stepped backward as she stood on the ledge in front of him—completely bare and utterly beautiful.
“I’m here now, Your Highness. What will you do with me?”
Juliette calls lush, moss-laden Louisiana home where the landscape curls into her imagination, creating mystical settings for her stories. She has a B.A. in creative writing from Louisiana State University, a M.Ed. in gifted education, and was privileged to study under the award-winning author Ernest J. Gaines in grad school. Her love of mythology, legends, and art serve as constant inspiration for her works. From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance–brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.
Juliette is a multi-published author, including her Nightwing series with Kensington Publishing and The Vessel Trilogy with Samhain Publishing.
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