Desert Rose

Wow. You know when you read a book, and it leaves you incapable of thinking anything but "wow" on repeat? Well, this is a "wow" book, for sure.

Growing up, I used to love mystery novels. I've gotten more into paranormal books recently, so the idea of reading a paranormal mystery seemed pretty interesting. Luckily for me, this book is just awesome! It's like a Nancy Drew novel, for adults...with vampires and magic, of course.

The beginning reminded me of the intro to "Father of the Bride." Instead of George Banks explaining why his house is trashed, or why he looks miserable in a tux, we have Cassie Scot, introducing herself, her family, situation, and odd little town. From then on, she continues to tell us about how her world is thrown into danger and chaos...repeatedly. That's one of the things I loved about this book though, is the POV. We follow Cassie, but it's not in the typical way, where we follow her around like a fly on the wall, seeing what's going on from the outside. Instead, Cassie is telling the reader her story- she's leading us, narrating to us, while the story plays out like a movie. I adore books written like that, and this one was done very, very well.

Cassie is an awesome character. Being the outcast in not only a magical family, but an entire town filled with sorcerers, she feels out of place, and unwelcome in her own life. She has a few friends, but no one she can truly open up to, and be herself with. She's lonely, lost, and vulnerable...until Evan waltzes back into her life, that is. In one chaotic day, her life is flipped completely upside-down, and in the days that follow, it's tossed around and stretched til it breaks. Her whole life alters drastically in every way she can imagine, and watching her deal with the changes was fantastic.

Evan is an awesome character as well. He's completely mysterious, and throughout the book, I couldn't figure him out. I didn't know if he was a good guy, or a bad guy, which of course, made me want to keep reading to find out more. Surrounding him are all the mysteries Cassie ends up having to figure out, and he challenges her in ways she probably wouldn't have been before.

All I can say is, I'm really glad there's a sequel, because I'm not ready to be done with this story. There were several things left unanswered, and several questions that popped up toward the end of the book that just have to be answered. Overall, this is a book I'd recommend, to any mystery, paranormal, adventure, or romance fan.

*I was given an eCopy of this book, from the author via Goddess Fish Promotions, to read in exchange for an honest review.

Check out my blog post for this book! Includes an excerpt, extended book info, and for a limited time, a giveaway!! Check it out here!