A Sacred Vow

PARANORMAL ROMANCE

​Title: A Sacred Vow
Author: Willa Thorne
Publication date: 10/22/2016
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 2 out of 5

Amazon blurb
I swore a solemn oath that saw to the end of the Cormacs, a family of hunters that persistently sought to rid my coven's existence.

For years we have lived in the shadows, free from hunters and the weapons of wood that could destroy us.

But the familiar scent of Cormac blood is awakening my senses. We were certain that we had ended the bloodline. Now, the vow I swore plagues my mind. The guilt I harbour buries deep. The desire and lust burns.

My pledge to my family is now a promise to protect the woman I love.
​​Aurelia Galligan is a descendant of the Cormac bloodline. I should drain her. I have to destroy her. But she may just end me.

My Review
I picked this book up because I love the concept of a romance between the hunter and the hunted. Kind of takes me back to my Buffy the Vampire Slayer days, you know?. But sadly, despite a great concept, this one just didn’t do it for me.

This was an adult paranormal romance, but it had a definite Twilight feel to it.. Lia, the heroine, is very much like Bella Swan, in my opinion. She’s beautiful and sweet and practically perfect in every way. Ugh. Perfect is so boring. And Julian, our hero, plays his Edward Cullen role to perfection as well: he broods, he wants to kill her but just can’t make himself, her blood calls to him, she’s his soulmate...blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda. BORING!!!

Then there was the angst. Page after page after page of angst. It got to be exhausting pretty early on. 
​

I struggled, fighting the persevering impulse to sink into her flesh and hide the evidence. I’d brought her out here to feed, but something about her captivated me. I was curious why, after two centuries, I was intrigued with another mortal. And so I stalled, struggling with my instincts to hunt and kill, and my unexpected desire to know her."

"My own reaction to Lia was disturbing. I knew what I should do, versus what I wanted. I couldn’t even bring myself to think about what I should have done hours ago. She’s the descendant of my enemies, and yet I wanted her- body and soul. Could I betray my family for this woman?

Lia’s reaction to finding out Julian was a vampire is pretty unrealistic, too. So, Lia, you’ve been kidnapped, you find out that the dude you’ve been lusting after is not only a vampire, but is also supposed to kill you and you don’t fight or scream or try to run away? Why not? Oh, well...because he’s so beautiful and kind to you. Uh huh. Nice work, Lia. You’ll earn that Darwin Award before you know it.

And speaking of Lia’s Darwin Award...Julian tells her not to invite ANYONE in, not under any circumstances, not even if it’s a little old lady with a kitten. So, what’s our intrepid heroine’s first move when Julian is out of the house? Why, invite someone in, of course! While reading this scene, I was literally shaking my head and muttering, “Dumbass.” I might have been tempted to stop reading at that point, but I was at 93% in the story, and I’m no quitter, so I endured. Unfortunately, all my endurance got me was a neat and tidy wrap up that was also very reminiscent of the Twilight series.

So, in summary, this one had everything I HATE in paranormal romance novels: instalove, a dumbass heroine with zero personality, over-the-top angst, and character interactions reminiscent of Twilight.   

Full disclosure: we received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
       
Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
Contributes on every front.

Other reading suggestions
For a great hunter-falls-for-vampire romance, try Jeaniene Frost’s Halfway to the Grave.

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