Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Review: Romanov by Samaire Provost with Giveaway





Romanov

by Samaire Provost
January 24th 2018
NA Urban Fantasy






In an abandoned warehouse in Manhattan, two enemies battle to the death, while outside, a malevolent entity watches and waits and plots, eager for blood. On an island in the heart of Seattle, an immortal princess struggles to lead a normal life just as a flood of terrifying creatures starts to pour in through a portal that should not be there. A young man meets a classmate while walking home from the college library, and embarks on the most dangerous adventure he’s ever known – will he survive? A deranged madman hunts the girl he’s lusted after for a century, in a relentless pursuit for vengeance. A prehistoric, mythical beast jealously guards a primeval land, which is leaking into present-day Seattle. A sweet, forbidden passion blossoms between two lovers who steal moments whenever they can, while unbeknownst to them, they’re hunted by a deadly creature.
A royal family threatened at its weakest – yet lethal in its own right – is stalked by an ancient evil that will not rest until they are utterly destroyed: a nightmare incarnate that has waited millions of years for revenge threatens the very existence of the young lovers and their family.
Will they prevail?


MY TIDBITS

Vampires, dark monsters, a desire for power, and romance fill these fast-paced pages.

Anna is a vampire. A strong one, over one hundred years old, and comes from a very renowned family—the Romanovs. After her father dies in a struggle against one of his greatest adversaries, her and her family go into hiding. Little do they know that there are other evil powers lurking in the shadows, who are determined to kill them. But life isn't all danger. Anna runs into a guy at college and soon finds herself falling in love. As the relationship deepens, the evil threat grows, and soon, Anna must protect him as well.

After reading the blurb, I was excited to dive into this dark world and sink into more of the Romanov legacy. There is darkness and danger lurking around every corner. It hangs in the background like an ever nearing storm. The constant need to always be alert drips from Anna and her family on every page, and the danger is a real threat. However, this isn't as much a tale of intrigue, power struggles, the Romanovs and nightmares as I thought it would be.

The romance plays front and center for much of the book. It's well done, and although a love at first sight, has its reasons for being so and carries the needed tension and build-up a romance requires. The romance takes up a large chunk of the plot, making the book slide closer to a NA romance than I expected. Even the 'bad guy' wavers into the background for awhile, letting the romance take center stage for several chapters.

The tale itself is told through different shifts in points of view. At first, it feels more like separate building blocks before smoothing out into a connecting, flowing plot. It makes for an intriguing read, but also takes a few chapters to figure out exactly what the main story is and where it's heading. To raise tension and keep a hum of darkness constantly hovering in the background, a last paragraph always ends each chapter in which an approaching, dark monster hides, kills and eats. What exactly this monster is or what its intentions are, drift along most of the book without explanation. While this does add to the tension (at first), it soon borders on redundancy. Add the ability of the vampires to change into various animal forms, not nearly as much depth into the Romanov family as I expected, and writing, which at times skimmed over the surface instead of diving deep into the characters, and this was not quite for me. Still, it's an engaging read in many aspects and shouldn't be overlooked because fans of vampires, lots of young romance, and dark corners with powerful creatures are sure to enjoy every page.



And here she is. . .

Samaire Provost lives in California with her husband and son.
Her love of paranormal stories, odd plots, and unique tales as well as the works of Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, Madeleine L’Engle and Stephen King has deeply influenced her writing. 

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2 comments:

Giselle said...

Thanks for being on the tour! Great review, T! :)

Mary Preston said...

This sounds amazing.