Blood and Snow: The Complete Set
  by: RaShelle Workman

Publication Date: Feb. 17, 2013
Publisher: Polished Pen Press
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: e-copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 518 pages
Order Links: Amazon
My Rating: 3/5 stars

Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she's chosen Snow White.

Snow isn't an ordinary girl. She doesn't know that yet.

When Snow gets bitten by a Hunter, her life is thrown into a whirlwind of change where instead of worrying about what to eat, she has to fight not to drink the blood of fellow high school students. She becomes a revenant - not quite human, not quite vampire.

With the help of an eccentric old Professor, his seven adoptive sons, and her best friend, Snow learns to control her blood craving. Sort of. She drinks a bloodlust tea, but she'd rather drink from her Hunter.

Or, a human.

She also discovers a whole other realm, one filled with fairies, dragons, and magic. And not only does the Vampire Queen want her, but there's a pendant called the Seal of Gabriel created for Snow by the Vampire Queen's twin sister. And Snow's supposed to use it to restore balance to all magical creatures. Including vampires.

                                                  -goodreads.com description

When I saw this mixed Snow White with vampires I was so sold. I believe these all started as novellas, so I'm really glad I got to read the whole set together. I think it flowed better as a whole than if I had read them as separate parts. Overall, I found it be an enjoyable read. There were some parts where I found myself losing interest and really struggled to keep focused, but I pushed forward because we definitely have multiple romances and I wanted to see how that would end up. I did find some of the plot to be predictable. The betrayal at the end didn't blindside me or phase me.

I liked how Workman portrayed Snow White. She was clumsy, wore frumpy clothing, and just saw herself as a plain girl, especially next to her beautiful, fashionable best friend, Cindy. Snow was down to earth, sweet, and a very likeable character. Cindy ended up proving to be a loyal, good friend though there were moments I doubted her genuineness and wondered if something else was going on underneath the perky exterior. Snow's father and step mother are absent most of the time, so Snow has really bonded with Professor Pops and his seven sons. All of them actually show interest in Snow, unbeknownst to her. She however, finds herself crushing on Gabe. I liked Gabe to start. He flirted with Snow, but she didn't think it meant anything more. He was sweet and caring and protective of her. However, his disposition changed once he found out she had been bitten by a Hunter. This is where he irritated me. He pulled away from Snow when she needed him the most and even went so far as to flirting with her best friend! He has a reason for pulling away that we discover later though, so I can understand why he acted as he did. I don't agree with what occurred with Gabe and Cindy though. I felt that was unfair and just wasn't something I could root for.

Then we have Christopher, who is the Hunter that bit Snow. She finds herself falling for him, despite her crush on Gabe. As a fledgling vampire, she craves blood and no amount of herbal tea is going to quench that thirst. Christopher is able to let her drink from him and he from her. Drinking from one another is not only about suppressing the bloodthirst- it's also quite intimate, and Snow can't help how she feels. There was something about Christopher from the beginning I did not quite like. I didn't trust him or his intentions. I think part of it is because he's the 'bad boy' and I don't trust paranormal bad boys very often.Though, he certainly oozed sex appeal and for a YA those two shared some sexy scenes! (No sex though.)

Finally, there is Dorian, another one of Professor Pops 'sons'. Dorian doesn't really play a major role until later. For most of the book he is merely an afterthought, but present enough so that when he does pop up, you can see all along how his role would play out. He like many of the others is also in love with Snow and during her transition he offers to let her drink from him to help her. I really liked Dorian and was glad to see how everything played out concerning him.

I also liked Professor Pops. Not only did he serve as a father figure to Snow, he also was her mentor. He was able to provide her information about her change and serve as a guide to help her and educate her. He welcomed Snow into his home and accepted her no matter what.

I found the history of the Vampire Queen and her sister to be interesting, and for awhile Snow was no longer narrating, but Silindra, the Vampire Queen's sister. We found out so much history about how the Vampire Queen came to power and how Silindra was killed. All of this information, while didn't quite hold my interest, was still key to the outcome of Snow's tale.

If you like fairy tales with a paranormal twist, you may want to check this one out. It was an enjoyable read, but I don't know that I would read it again.

Welcome to my stop on the Touching Melody tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours!

You can find the tour schedule here.

Touching Melody (Forever First #1)
  by: RaShelle Workman

Publication Date: June 2013
Genre: Contemporary
Age Group: New Adult
Order Links:  Amazon

Sometimes life isn't pretty, but you have to close your eyes and let go...

Maddie Martin's first weekend at college is nothing like she's used to. It's wild, like the wilderness on which the University of Bellam Springs sits. Roped into going to a fraternity party, she literally runs into Kyle Hadley. The boy she's loved since she was nine. The boy she promised all of her firsts to. But that was before his father killed her parents.

Determined to stay away from him, she throws herself into her music. Practicing piano eases her heavy heart, calms the sadness, and pushes away images of Kyle's face.

Until it doesn't.

Her music professor asks her to play a duet for their annual Winter Gala. Doing so means she'll be assured another full ride scholarship. It's an opportunity she can't pass up.

But Kyle is the other half of the duet. And that means hours and hours of practicing.

Weeks of seclusion - just the two of them. And it's more than just music. It's passion like Maddie never believed was possible.

The inevitable happens. She falls in love with him all over again.

But, will loving him be enough to erase all the hate in her heart for his father? Can she look at him, and not see the evil in his family tree?

And maybe it's all a set up. Maybe Kyle is only pretending to care so he can finish what his father started, and kill her too.

 

Excerpt:

Maddie

 

The tattoo studio is covered in art. It’s on the walls, the worktops, everywhere. Two guys are behind the counter, sitting in black chairs, while the artists do their work. The repetitive noise of the guns, jabbing needles into skin over and over, fills the room.
 
A guy is getting a word tattooed on one of his biceps. Not sure what it says, but the artist has completed an F and is working on the U. The other guy’s ink is nearly finished. His is a blade with a snake winding around it. Both men have blank, faraway expressions.
 
I know that look, and I envy them momentarily.
 
“Come on,” Tony says, eyeing the others. “Let’s go back here.”
 
I follow Tony through the open area and down the hall. He closes the bright yellow privacy curtain and faces me. “Maddelena, right? Take off your shirt and lie back.”
 
“It’s Maddie,” I say nervously. I’ve done this before, but I’m still edgy, mostly because Tony’s a new guy. Raffie, the guy who did my other tattoos, is on a required leave of absence, and won’t be back for three to five years—two with good behavior. I can’t wait that long.
 
He grunts his acknowledgement. 
 
Taking the scrunchie from my wrist, I pull my dark hair into a high bun. Yank off my gray tank, exposing pale skin and a white bra. I grimace at the cold air. It makes my skin tighten, prickle with goose bumps.
 
I’m grateful. Because I know what happens next. I’m anxious. Excited, even.
 
Today is an anniversary, and not one filled with happiness, balloons, and good feelings. Seven years ago today I found their bodies. Seven years ago I found them dead. It feels like yesterday. The pain is raw and rips at my heart. Scratching. Shredding. My lips and hands tremble at the pain. It’s going to swallow me, eat me alive from the inside, claw through my veins and sinews like a deadly virus. 
 
I want to shout at Tony. Tell him to hurry. Scream, “I can’t take any more,” that I need pain to redden my skin, make the outside hurt as much as the inside. 
 
His brows crunch together and he’s staring at me, at my already inked up skin.
 
“Is there a problem?” My teeth are clenched. They have to be because if I open my mouth, something other than words will come out. Sobs. Or worse.

His lips press together in a thin line. “No,” he answers, but his attitude tells me he’s lying.

About the Author:

RaShelle Workman is the bestselling author of the Dead Roses series ("Sleeping Roses" is being translated into Turkish, and will be available in print wherever Turkish books are sold in 2014), the Immortal Essence series, and the Blood and Snow series. She's sold over two hundred thousand copies of her novels worldwide in the past year, including Japan, Canada, and Europe. You can find RaShelle all over the web, but the best place to start is on her blog: www.rashelleworkman.com.

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