This was kind of a Cinderella retelling, but with vampires and rebels. As much as I enjoyed the world-building and the characters, my only complaint is that I wish more time had been spent developing the romance between Arabelle and Marius. It was too insta-lovey. But in all other aspects, this book was quite good!

The threat the Varis family poses to the humans they rule over grows stronger every day and Arabelle’s resolve to overthrow the vampire monarchy grows as well. Now is the perfect time to ignite the underground resistance’s rebellion, by attending the prince’s blood ball and killing him. But Prince Marius could be more than the Prince Charming he appears to be if he listens and understands the truth.

This is the first book in fascinating and different vampire world that readers can really sink their teeth into. The chemistry between Arabelle and Marius has sparks flying in every direction from every page of this fiery and volatile romance that provides readers with a very entertaining mix of passion, laughter and adventure. The characters are strong, the emotional turmoil fits the story and characters so well that readers really feel as if they know and understand both sides of the conflict. The heroine is quite saucy and spirited while the hero is an arrogant male who soon turns into a real prince and readers just have to sigh in pleasure.

The wonderful setting adds just the right atmosphere to the story to make it believable and readers find that the story ‘feels right’ which makes it delightfully exciting and quite thrilling as they get caught up in the suspense and action of this story. The clever ‘Cinderella’ fairy tale retelling makes this vampire romance, one that readers will want to visit over and over again.

This was unexpectedly cracking read, yes I did judge this by its cover initially but I ended up really enjoying this book! 
It's well written, there's a great bunch of characters, and while it's simple it still keeps you reading and keeps you hooked in!

I must say this is the first book by Juliette Cross I read and wow, it was fantastic. The vampires from this world, well I loved them. Cinderella alike is one of my favorite kind of stories, this combination was what threw me to read it and I am glad I did. Looking forward for the next.

I'm a big fan of Juliette Cross and she now has me hooked on another of her complex paranormal series. The Black Lily is the first novel in the Vampire Blood books. Arabelle is a peasant and the leader of The Black Lily, a group trying to free themselves from the tyrannical Vampire monarchy.  Marius is a Prince of the monarchy and their chemistry is explosive. Can she keep her head both figuratively and literally while thoughts of the Prince muddle her mind and will he give up everything for her cause? The book is fast paced and entertaining. I'm ready to crack open the next one in the series, another winning story from Juliette Cross!

***This review first appeared with RT BOOK REVIEWS***

Cinderella meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets revolution in this fresh take on familiar tropes. Cross debuts her new paranormal fairy tale series with a brave and clever heroine, a Grimm Brothers-esque mysterious forest—and vampires. The world that Cross builds is layered, and we get tantalizing hints about what the forest might reveal in future books, including a killer plot twist. The fairy tale trappings are familiar with a modern horror treatment. Marius’ altruism feels a bit stiff, which detracts a little from the chemistry, but overall a solid offering for fans of dark sexy vampires and fairy tales.

SUMMARY:  As the leader of the rebellion against the vampire aristocracy, Arabelle cannot afford to fall in love with its youngest prince. Conceding that he may not be a mindless murdering monster goes against her entire life’s ambition. On Marius’ part, falling in love with and nearly being murdered by the same fascinating woman serves as a turning point. As he discovers just why she wanted him dead, he learns more than he bargained for about his life of privilege.

To help her people from the oppression of the vampires, the black lily has a daring plan to kick off their revolution. She plans on killing the vampire prince at the upcoming ball. What she doesn’t plan on is the attraction she feels towards him. As soon as Marius sees the delectable vision in gold, he knows she must be his, even after she tries to kill him.
This was a pretty good book. It reminded me of Cinderella meets Robin Hood meets Twilight. I liked both characters very much. I was so curious as to how they would find their HEA, I read the entire book in one sitting. I was very happy with the entire story. The author did not disappoint. I can’t wait to read more from this author. I highly recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

As always, Juliette creates an inspiring story with a strong heroine.

This is a Cinderella retelling complete with a ball,  wicked stepmother and stepsisters. One of the things I enjoyed most was the non stop action in this story. Combine that with the marvelous world building of Cross, a new species of vampires and you've got the recipe for a killer series. This is one of the better vampire romances on the market and though it's told from dual POVs, it was a marvelous read.

Unfortunately, I DNFed this book in the first 22%. It just didn't grab my attention.

Wow! Another amazing read by Juilette cross! Actually it's my most favorite read by her and all her reads are on my must read list again and again♡ no spoilers but if you love paranormal romance with sexy alpha males and strong female leads then this is your kind of book!!!

Real Review 3.5 Stars


Arabelle is a peasant girl working for a wealthy domineering family, an orphan ever since a vampire murdered her mother. Most of the villagers love the Vampire Royalty who rule the land with their enhanced skills and longevity, but Arabelle despises them. When a ball presents it's self as the perfect opportunity to kill the Vampire Prince Marius as part of the rebellion, Arabelle takes the chance. Little does she know that she does not kill him like she thought, but instead he now has her scent and a desire only she has stirred in him.

When I started this book, I honestly thought that this was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which I absolutely love and will always read retellings of B&TB. So color me surprised when I started reading the book and realized that it was a Cinderella retelling (loosely- but I really don't like the Cinderella story in general) and a romance (which I guess I should have been able to tell from the cover, but in this situation, I did not see the cover before starting the book) not the sci-fi/fantasy book I anticipated. That being said, after a rocky start where I was slightly miffed at my wrong misconceptions, I found that the more I read in the book, the more I enjoyed the story. I really hope that this is the first in a series of fairy-tale inspired books that deal with the Vampire Lords and Ladies, as well as the mystery and destruction that was only glimpsed at the end of the story here.  

I thought Arabelle and Marius were sweet together and most certainly full of passion, but I have a lot of questions about their future together (especially the feeder dealio with the lust, but whatever) that will hopefully be addressed in another book to come. But I absolutely loved Nicolai and the keeper of the wolves Sienna (who were so cool on their own, I want to know more about the wolves!) so I can't wait to see if they get a story because hands down they were my favorite and I want to know more...and about the last Vampire Princess Vilhelmina...she was a great character. 

Overall this was a good paranormal romance that hints at it's fairy-tale origins, but in darker much more adult way with a twist ending. I look forward to more from this world. 

I received this title in return for my honest review.
For more reviews visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

I love retellings and when I saw that THE BLACK LILY was based off of Cinderella, I jumped at the chance to read it... and quickly realized it wasn't what I expected.

There was a prince. There was a peasant girl. There was even a ball. And that's where the similarities end. First of all, the prince was a vampire and it got real when Arabelle went to stab Prince Marius in the heart. Of course she missed. However, they both threw doubt on everything they had ever known. That near-fatal blow was the catalyst to an irresistible connection that sparked between and the start of one rocky road. 

Arabelle was the leader of The Black Lily, an underground resistance group against the tyranny of the aristocracy, most notably the vampire nobility. Rogue vampires were killing off her people adn she intended to put a stop to it. She hated all vampires, with just cause, but Marius made her realize that they weren't all bad, as he himself embodied the characteristics of honor, integrity, goodness, fairness and mercy. The fact that he was absolutely gorgeous was obviously a bonus. Their attraction, as taboo as it was (think Angel and Buffy), fairly sizzled through the pages and their thoughts and feelings for one another were not only undeniable but also beautiful to watch unfold.

There was plenty of action, blood and gore, deception, betrayal, redemption, hope and love. My only real disappointment with this story was Arabelle's excuse for remaining human. It didn't make any sense to me. It's clear that vampires are superior in physical strength. Why wouldn't you want that strength as you're going up against other vampires??? I can only hope that this issue is rectified quickly in the next book, a book I intend to read.

Release Date: March 27, 2017
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
POV: Dual - 3rd person
Steam: 3 out of 5
Book Type: Book 1 of the Tales of the Black Lily series
Publisher: Entangled Publishing

This was my first book by this author and I must say I am hooked.  This book had a little bit of a Cinderella vibe to it; almost could say it was Cinderella with a twist.

This book follows the story of Marius, a vampire prince who is approaching his 100th birthday, and Arabelle, a human peasant who is heading up the resistance against the vampiric monarchy.  These are two people who are on opposite sides of the fight and would never be put in the same room.  Unfortunately, Arabelle’s assassination attempt requires her to get close to the prince.  And everything just kind of goes down hill for the resistance from there.  These two are thrown together many times and the more time they spend in each other’s company, the more they question their own previous stances.
I very much enjoyed this read.  There was the cinderella aspect and almost a romeo & juliet aspect to it to (the two of them should never be together, families despise each other – that type of thing).   I was very happy that it wasn’t just one character who changed their way of thinking.  In this book both Marius & Arabelle realize that the way they’ve always thought the system worked is incorrect and there is a little give on both their parts.  Both characters are pretty stubborn, so it takes a while but eventually they realize that they need each other in their life.  The book was very addicting and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down.  I think it is one that will be enjoyed by all.

The Black Lily By Juliette Cross is my first book by this author.
It's a kind of Vampire Twist on the whole cinderella story and seeing as I love fairy tales and am a sucker (sucker get it he he ) for vampires this seemed a win-win.
We have a fairy tale world ruled by vampires, nobles and then the poor peasants
Our Prince Mariel is a vampire and he's having a ball for all the nobility to attend to find his latest bleeder.
Enter Arabelle AKA The Black Lily she's at the ball until midnight to entice the prince so she can drive a gold edged dagger through his vampire heart.
Arabelle is part of the underground movement to stop vampire tyranny.
fleeing the scene of the crime just after midnight. Arabelle thinks she's succeeded in her mission.
Prince Marius wants to find the enchantress bearing a tattoo of a lily and proceeds to start a hunt across the kingdom for the mysterious woman.
Now It took me a while to get into this book, this might have been because I was in a bit of a reading slump, or just plain I wasn't sure about it.
anyway, something must have clicked for me as this changed for me around chapter seven and them a steamrolled through the rest.

so in conclusion, fantastic original plotline, I don't think I've ever seen cinderella imagined with vampires, a great narrative and excellent world building.
this was a fun read with great fleshed out characters my only issue was my inability to originally connect with the story this pulled it down slightly for me and my rating reflected this.
saying that this is still a great read.

I received a free e-copy of The Black Lily from NetGalley and this is my own honest opinion.

It's been a while since I've read a good vampire romance. Initially, I wasn't sure if I would like this but I do enjoy fairy tale re-tellings and the blurb intrigued me enough to give it a try. From the start, I was drawn into the world that Ms. Cross develops.

Marius is the youngest son of the ruling family. He is about to turn 100 soon, which means he will be set to marry and take his place as ruling king in the only part of the kingdom that is not currently ruled by a vampire of the Varis line. While he has no desire to find a blood concubine, he attends the Blood Ball being held when he realizes that the servants in the castle are terrified of him. He wants to know why.

After her mother is killed by a vampire and seeing a steady stream of drained and dead vampire victims left in the forest, Arabella knows that someone has to stop the vampires. She starts the Black Lily rebellion movement to do just that and sees the Blood Ball as the perfect time to assassinate the prince. What she doesn't expect is the instant attraction she feels towards Marius - not that it stops her from her plan. When she fails in her attempt, she flees and Marius is determined to find her - not because she tried to kill him but because he can't forget the passion in their one kiss.

This is an unconventional Cinderella story. Instead of a glass slipper, Arabella leaves behind a dagger. Instead of living with her stepmother and stepsisters, she works for a mother and her two daughters - though they have all the characteristics of the stepmother and stepsisters. Instead of a fairy godmother, she has a blacksmith. Arabella herself is not content to meekly stand by in the face of injustice. For all that we know there is a happily ever after with Marius, she also sticks by her principles, which is nice to see. It all makes for a rather unique retelling of the classic fairy tale.

I do have a few complaints. For all that this is a fairy tale, I still had trouble believing that Arabella, who is described multiple times throughout the book as a peasant, can easily pass herself off as a noble for the ball. Secondly, I wish I had seen more in the development of their relationship.

Beyond the plot, the cast of characters make this well worth a read. Not simply content with creating a memorable hero and heroine, Ms. Cross also creates some well developed secondary characters, who are just as interesting as Marius and Arabella.

Overall, this was an exciting introduction to a new series, with a nice mix of romance and suspense. I look forward to reading future installments in this series.

4.5 stars

I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to read this book. I'm not normally a fan of books set in some made up mystical kingdom. I wasn't sure of the topic - hasn't Cinderella been done to death? Plus the cover didn't do much for me.

I am SO glad I let go of my biases because the book was awesome. I loved that Arabelle was a kick ass heroine and Marius was no slacker himself. I enjoyed watching them grow throughout the book. Arabelle began with a lot of prejudices in her head. She saw everything in black and white. Vampires were bad. Period. Until she met Marius. Then she began to see things in a different light. That perhaps there was a grey area she hadn't yet considered. 

Marius started off very naive. He had grown up sheltered in the castle and had no idea of the things going on outside his window. Once he learned of it though he was horrified and tried to do something about it. He was a very good guy at heart and so sweet. Even after Arabelle tried to kill him when she first met him he was more concerned about her safely than his anger. I loved him. He and Arabelle, while opposites at first, were great together. I could feel the connection and loved the heat.

The reason I dropped half a star (I almost dropped a full one) was for one reason only. This part of the plot, or incident, really threatened to sour the book for me. <spoiler> I really REALLY hated that the author killed of one of the main side characters. A person who was so pivotal to the story. Honestly I felt very betrayed. This was such an interesting character and I was already so excited to see how his story panned out. I assumed he would have his own book. I just don't understand why that had to happen. I know an author has "artistic license" and all but I did not like it. Not at all! I think it was completely unnecessary and I hated it. </spoiler> I liked the book so much otherwise that I left it at just taking half a star.

I'm very much looking forward to the next book and am excited to find a new series I am interested in.

I know I don't need to say that I love fairytale retellings, but there it is. I said it. And having read (and enjoyed) Cross's work before, I was very curious about THE BLACK LILY and the direction she would go. It ended up being quite a fun read, with plot twists, steamy romance and a mystery to keep me entertained.

Upon starting THE BLACK LILY, the reader is immediately thrown into the action. The retelling part of Cinderalla happens almost immediately - servant girl gets fancy dress and carriage and goes to ball to catch royal prince's attention. There's a bit of lust at first sight on Prince Marius' side, as upon seeing Arabelle, he immediately wants her. However, as they get to know each other, his attraction to her starts to go beyond her physical appearance. Same with Arabelle, who finds the prince attractive at the beginning, even if she does not like what he stands for, but as she begins to learn about him she starts to question her preconceived notions about what he is like. However, it takes a lot for Arabelle to get past her automatic dislike of vampires, and that, combined with other factors, keeps her and Marius separate for a majority of the book. But oh man, when they get together, do sparks fly! Scratch that - more like full on flames. There is definitely enough to keep a romance reader happy.

There's a lot going on in THE BLACK LILY. First of all, there's the vampires, the mystery of the disappearing humans, the rebellion, plus a magical forest and a lot of back story that the reader gets in bits and pieces. Some interesting facts were revealed at the end which felt a little like they were inserted just to keep the reader wanting to know more - and possibly read the next book. My only small complaint would be the world building - it was written to seem like a society similar to a feudal society that we would be familiar with from history (except with vampires ruling) and so not much was explained unless it was pertinent to Arabelle's ranting about the class system.

Using Cinderella as a springboard, THE BLACK LILY takes some aspects from the original tale and runs with them, making a wholly original tale of vampires and humans, and the romance between two highly unlikely characters. I am curious as to where Cross will take the story, since it seemed rather finished to me (minus the few questions at the end) and I will definitely pick up the next book in the Tales of the Black Lily series.

I loved The Black Lily! The author did an excellent job of blending fantasy, action, and romance. I couldn’t put this book down!

My full review can be read on my blog Books That Hook.