I do not thing I have read this author before but the idea behind the series is what got my interest. Rumors will stir trouble but in this it also starts stories. This centers around Arabelle whom has a bizarre plan considering whom she thinks she going up against, along with her choices to that is. She catches the scent and attention of Prince Marius with that taking us on her journey and can or will she succeed? Part of the fun of reading one such as this is seeing what actually works mixed with what actually happens.The intriguing part also is the Black Lily story which is the bases of this series. Many other elements are in this giving it one intoxicating mix making us forget time and space to get through this one. I would open another one of this author's novels next time I come across one in this series.

Clearly I must have read this wrong. Sure it was good, but I didn't love it like everyone else. It was a creative retelling of Cinderella. Arabelle wasn't some pathetic, lost soul who needed saving. She was intent on doing the saving herself. Prince Marius was just about perfect: intelligent, strong, charming, and willing to do what is right. Obviously being a Cinderella story instalove was going to be part of it, so I was okay with that. In the beginning Arabelle treated Marius like crap. It was hard for me to believe that she was so beautiful and brave that he was willing to overlook her major faults.

Arabelle was a hard character to like. I admit I have been obsessed with politics lately. I think that may be part of the reason why I didn't like Arabelle. Her attitude at least for the first half of the book or so was reminiscent of the things I hate about politics which are strongly prevalent in the world today. Helping her people who had been oppressed was an admirable goal. There is a right and a wrong way to go about it. IMO she chose the wrong way. She was doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. Being motivated by hatred is never a good thing. Hatred has a way of making people blind to the truth and reason.

Arabelle was obsessed with taking down the vampires. They needed to be killed because they were killing humans. Nothing is ever so simple. In any given group of people, the bad actions of a few does not mean the entire group is bad, but in Arabelle's hatred she had convinced herself that all vampires were bad. The actions she wanted to take to right the wrongs of the vampires made the humans no better. Her willful ignorance of the situation as a whole consumed my thoughts while reading this. Since she was the leader of the rebellion her stupid beliefs and actions were hard to ignore. The one good thing I will say in her defense is that she did grow as a character and change her views when presented with facts, which is why I liked the book more towards the end.

Publisher's Description:

Cinderella like you’ve never seen before…

With the threat of the vampire monarchy becoming stronger every day, the Black Lily must take drastic measures. As the leader of the underground resistance, Arabelle concocts the perfect idea to gain the attention of the Glass Tower. Her plan? Attend the vampire prince’s blood ball and kill him. Fortunately for Prince Marius, her assassination goes awry, and Arabelle flees, leaving behind only her dagger.

Marius is desperate to find the woman whose kiss turned into attempted murder, hunting for the mysterious assassin he can’t push out of his mind. But what he uncovers could change the course of his life forever…

My Thoughts:

This was my first time reading anything by this author.

It is an interesting take on the fairytale Cinderella. It obviously only feels like this fairytale near the start of the book with the nasty pair of sisters trying to catch the attention of the Prince. This is where the Cinderella parallel ends.
Although Arabelle tries desperately not to she falls for her enemy the Vampire Prince and he for her.

How can they possibly find their happily ever after with so much angst between them?

I liked the concept of this book and enjoyed the read. The premise is a unique one.

I gave this book 3.75 of 5 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 4 of 5 flames.

I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title from the publisher to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book and I have left this review voluntarily.

If you are looking for a different re-telling of Cinderella then you definitely have to check out The Black Lily by Juliette Cross. Unfortunately, there’s no Cinderella looking for her prince charming and no prince charming looking for the girl who lost her glass slipper.

Instead, in The Black Lily we have a Vampire Prince who is looking for his next bleeder and a pheasant girl who wants to kill the Vampire Prince. Yup, definitely not the same sweet Cinderella story.

Arabelle is the leader of the resistance behind trying to crumble the vampire monarchy. She’s determined to make her point known, but unfortunately her plan backfires, when she actually meets the Vampire Prince, Marius.

Although, The Black Lily is nothing like the original Cinderella, it has definite similarities, but several differences. Arabelle stands out to me in the story because of her strength and determination and I really liked her. She will do everything to crush the vampires, especially with what happened to her mother.

Then there’s the prince in the story, Marius, who is hard-headed and determined too just like Arabelle. I liked him in the story because he didn’t give up on finding out the truth and wanting to know Arabelle. He was the dark handsome prince charming who wants to win over, Arabelle, even though she did try to kill him.

Marius and Arabelle are what I would consider enemies to lovers and I always love those kind of stories. Arabelle does not make it easy for Marius in the story at all. 🙂

The there’s the craziness in the world of the vampires/humans. (First off, the first chapter tells you a little background on why there is a monarchy, but I won’t get into those details). There’s a reason why the Black Lily was formed and I really loved the idea of the storyline. The characters, the plot, the romance, and the drama all together in this book had me intrigued and constantly turning the pages. I actually finished this book over the weekend because I couldn’t get enough of it. Don’t even get me started with the ending of the book and when the truth was unveiled. Definitely, was not expecting it at all.

I give this book 5 stars and look forward to reading the next book in the series. I always love fairy re-tellings and I really enjoyed this re-telling of Cinderella because who doesn’t love the paranormal. I have found yet another author I definitely to make sure to keep an eye out for her new books coming out. I also need to check out her previous books she’s written too.

4.5 stars-- THE BLACK LILY is the first installment in Juliette Cross’s TALES OF THE BLACK LILY adult, paranormal/fantasy series. This is one hundred year old vampire Prince Marius, and peasant girl Arabelle’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Arabelle and Marius) THE BLACK LILY follows the struggles of the human population; the underground movement setting up a coup to take down the royal vampire family-vampires who now threaten the lives of everyone they love. Enter peasant girl Arabelle, a young woman, head of a group known as The Black Lily, and a woman determined to rid the world of bloodsuckers-one vampire at a time starting with the youngest royal heir-Prince Marius. The time has come to select a new concubine for the royal Prince, and Arabelle is determined to seduce the Prince to his death. What ensues is the building romance between Arabelle and Prince Marius, and the search for the vampires responsible for taking too many lives.

THE BLACK LILY is the retelling of Cinderella only Cinderella’s happily ever after comes with a caveat-the Prince is a vampire, and a man who is desperate to make Arabelle his own. While Arabelle struggles with her attraction to a man she believes is killing her people, Marius searches for the truth and doesn’t like what he is about to find.

We are introduced to a large number of secondary and supporting characters including Marius’s best friend and vampire Nikolai; Marius’s parents the King and Queen of the vampires; Arabelle’s friends Deek and Mary, as well as our heroine’s evil ’step mother’ and two wicked ‘step sisters’. On the run Arabelle befriends a woman known as Sienna, whose connection to the wolves is magical and mysterious.

The world building looks at the prejudice between human and vampire; the potential eradication of the species; and a romance between a human and a vampire that pushes all of the boundaries for our leading couple.

THE BLACK LILY is an engaging, lively and spirited retelling of Cinderella. The premise is creative and electrifying; the characters are animated, colorful and passionate; the romance is fated and uplifting. THE BLACK LILY is a wondrous start to a new series that will leave you breathless and wanting more.

Copy supplied for review.


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4.5 Stars

Holy wow! What a fantastic way to start a new series! And considering Ms. Cross is a new to me author… talk about great first impressions!

The Black Lily is an epic take on Cinderella but with a paranormal twist and a historical-fantasy feel to it. In a land where vampires rule and apparently coexist with humans (and some other magical creatures), the social class system is starting to be questioned.

After the loss of a loved one to a vampire, and tired of the mistreatment of “her people”, Arabelle, aka The Black Lily and the leader of the rebellion, sets a plan in motion to assassinate the last vampire prince at his own blood ball (where he gets his blood concubines or what you and I would call “dinner”). Things go wrong and she fails in her mission which leaves her strangely relieved.

Marius has grown tired of his life, his upcoming nuptials to someone he doesn’t even know is even more unwelcome. He didn’t even want to be at the Blood Ball, but a rumor of a rebellion changed his mind… That is until the mysterious and beautiful girl he chose tried to stab him and ran away. Now she’s all he can think about and he can’t wait to get his hands on her again.

As Marius and Arabelle begin a cat-and-mouse type chase, things in the background begin to get more and more complicated. Soon they don’t know who to trust as they begin to uncover things better left alone. When the cost of freedom is your life, is it still worth it?

Well, I absolutely loved Arabelle. She was one kickass woman, with the proverbial balls of steel. She was strong, loyal, and passionate about her cause. She was a sassy wench too, once Marius comes into the picture. Most of all, though, I loved how she would do anything to protect her friends and people, regardless of the cost to her.

Marius was one sexy vampire. Smooth and charming with all the right moves, his acceptance of the feelings Arabelle woke in him won me over. He has a couple of asshole moments where I wanted to stab him in the chest, but he just kept charming Arabelle and me every time.

With lots of intrigue, mystery, action and fights The Black Lily has it all. Marius and Arabelle’s chemistry is off the charts scorching and their encounters steaming and super hot. Word of advice, though, do not start this book at bedtime unless you can sleep in the next day or don’t mind feeling like a zombie, it’s just unputdownable. This first installment has only wetted my appetite and I can’t wait to see who is the next couple in this enthralling new series.

see goodreads link

I'm going to start out by saying that this book is worth the read just based on its originality alone. I can honestly say that I've never read another Vampire historical with a twist on the Cinderella fairytale. Just the fact that the author went the distance to write something completely unique was appreciated. The idea that Arabelle went to prince's Marius' ball to assassinate him rather than to catch his eye was pretty amazing I thought. You almost feel sorry for the poor guy as she uses her considerable feminine wiles to infiltrate the glass tower and take her stab at him. (Sorry, pun intended.) He was searching for his next blood concubine, she was seeking retribution at the end of her dagger. Marius was addicted at first glance and never stood a chance.

By day, Arabelle is a simple peasant serving woman. By night, she's the mysterious and elusive Black Lily. A woman who spearheaded the movement that wants to break free from oppression and stop the murder of the working class. The loss of her own mother at a Vampire's hands had a tremendous effect on her impression of them. She wasn't going to sit and be a helpless damsel in distress, she's a woman who takes the power back that's been stolen from her.

I'd have to say that Arabelle is probably my favorite part about this book. I absolutely love kickass heroines who know how to take care of themselves and this one defined strong. There was a red-hot attraction from the moment they laid eyes on each other, and it wasn't just one sided. Arabelle however, didn't fall prey to the But-He's-So-Hot syndrome and throw her self respect and game plan out the window because of her lust. As far as she knew, he was just another heartless blood sucker who preys on the innocent and weak.

Prince Marius was nothing like Arabelle imagined. He wasn't the evil creature she saw him as, quite the contrary. I knew from the start that he was a good guy at heart, if a little clueless. If it took a little sanguine furorem or blood lust, to take him out of his glass tower to hunt down this feisty heroine, so be it. If you love alpha obsessed type heroes, you're going to love this guy. He was completely out of his head for her despite her repeated assassination attempts. Which is pretty hilarious when you think about it. Her courage and beliefs were something he hadn't come across before. This made him more determined than ever to locate her and uncover the enigma of the Black Lily.

My only criticism is that I would have liked to have seen more actual time spent between the MCs in each other's company. I give leeway because of the fact that this is PNR and there is an instant/soulmate type of connection. But considering she's human, she took considerably longer to allow herself to trust her enemy and let him in. And even then, I didn't quite see where the development of her feelings occurred since they were hardly ever together. They were on opposite sides of the camp and when they did cross paths, they had no time to connect on a personal level. Their attraction seemed doomed in failure, so you couldn't really blame her for not wanting to put her heart on the line for sure devastation.

I loved the world that Juliette Cross created. Varis was rich with detail and an intriguing set of characters to tempt me for future books. Her writing was easily absorbing and fast-paced. There was plenty of action and adventure, and I would without a doubt read the next installment in the series. For my first read by this author, I'd say that it was a resounding success.

Arabella is a peasant washerwoman who is going to assassinate a member of the Vampire royal family. The law says that vampires are not to kill when they feed but many people have been killed or gone missing. It's time for the people to rebel.
Prince Marius is the youngest of the royal family and he doesn't mingle much with the lower classes. He is also dissatisfied with the ways of the vampire aristocracy.
A blood thirsty rebellion, a very brave heroine and an unlikely romance make this a marvellously entertaining book. The secondary characters are going to be interesting to follow into their own stories. It is the start of a series that I definitely want to read more of.

Arabelle is a peasant girl, lost in the shadows. Her home Varis has a vampire overlord, a prince who overthrew his twin brother long ago by black magic and malice to become king. He then grew an undead army and was able to control the land. She is an orphan because of him. But Arabelle wants to save her home and avenge her mother. She wants to destroy his family.The Black Lily is a group of those like her who want an end to the vampire reign.

The story was eloquently put. It was a story that draws you in and leaves you wanting more. It was a bit of romance, paranormal, and just an overall good story.

She is the driving force behind the human rebellion against the oppressive rule of the vampires. She is THE BLACK LILY. Her people depend on her to save them from the blood lust and butchery the vampire royalty had seemingly allowed. In a daring move, Arabelle was willing to sacrifice her own life at a celebration for the crown prince’s 100th birthday when she assassinated him. What Arabelle hadn’t planned on was that Marius’ kiss would be felt by her very soul, even as she buried her dagger deep within him. Now Marius will do anything to find her through the dagger she left behind. How could she fall for a monster, a murderer? How could he fall for a human who tried to kill him?

As Marius searches for the beauty filled with fire, he will uncover why she wished him dead and why the humans see his kind as murdering monsters. He will stop at nothing to stop the slaughter, no matter who is behind it, but can he convince Arabelle he can be trusted, that he is on the humans’ side and that he needs her for more than her blood?

What they each would discover will change their lives forever, because even as sworn enemies, they could not deny the call of their hearts.

Hang out the Do Not Disturb Sign, Juliette Cross has created another feisty heroine, another fabulous tale and turns Cinderella’s fairy tale into an edgy adult read that doesn’t need a pumpkin to create the magic of love and the power of the truth.

Juliette Cross is a strong writer who uses her gift to always deliver intrigue and passion while giving her readers an amazing plot, atmosphere and living, breathing characters to believe in. Looking for heaving bosoms and vapors? Look elsewhere. Looking for great storytelling? You’ve come to the right place and the right author!

I received an ARC edition from Entangled Publishing, LLC in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Tales of the Black Lily - Book 1
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: March 27, 2017
Genre: Romantic Fantasy | Fairy Tale Re-Telling
Print Length: 290 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

What if Prince Charming were a vampire? See, you’re already hooked, aren’t you? The premise of The Black Lily is just that simple on the surface. For years, Arabelle has the scrubbed floors of a hateful old woman with two horrible daughters, though in this case they’re not related. Then everything changes when she attends a ball at the palace and falls in love with the prince. It also gets a lot more complicated because while she still flees at the stroke of midnight, she leaves the prince holding not her shoe, but her dagger. Which she’s just stabbed into his chest.

Arabelle is the leader of a group called the Black Lily that wants to end the feudal system and overthrow the vampire rulers. Assassinating the prince was supposed to be the beginning of their movement. She didn’t count on the prince surviving her attack or being attracted to her in spite of it.

After the ball, the book leaves most of the Cinderella story behind. I kind of missed the shoe fitting montage, and felt like vampire senses made finding her real identity seem too easy. But it still maintains a fairy tale feel with a nod to Beauty and the Beast and a big dose of Little Red Riding Hood. And in true Brothers Grimm fashion, the story goes dark and gory at the end. But I guessed who the villain was early on, because it’s a fairy tale so of course it was.

The vampire elements and Arabella’s Buffy-like attitude gave a slightly more modern feel to the feudal era, which is earlier than I usually like my historical romance even though it fits Cinderella nicely. I enjoyed Arabelle’s adversarial relationship with the prince much more than a traditional “fairy tale romance.” I also liked the supporting characters, both the members of the Black Lily and the prince’s vampire guard.

And there’s one unique piece of Cross’s vampire mythos that I hope we get to learn more about: somewhere deep in the enchanted forest lies the hartstone, the magical gem that created the first vampire as well as the hartwolves, very large, very smart wolves that Arabelle meets in the forest. (If they have human forms, it hasn’t been revealed yet, but I’m hopeful.) I’m quite curious about whether the stone or more of its creations might appear later in the series. The second book, The Red Lily, is out in June.

Once upon a time...

...there was a beautiful girl. She grew up as an orphan because a vampire had killed her mother. As bodies of people being sucked dry keep piling up Arabella and her clandestine group of resistance fighters and friends stick their heads together and come up with a plan to combat the ruling vampires' oppression. Cut the problem by the head.
Or root.
Whatever.

The root in this case is the reigning vampire royals, amidst them Prince Marius. At a ball he meets a beautiful woman. She is alluring and he wants her instantaneously. This woman, however, has a different plan. She is there to kill him but the attempt fails and she is now on the run with a horde of vampires following her tracks to chase her down.

This was a refreshing take on "Cinderella". I don't read a lot of fairytale retellings because, you know, been there, done that. So mixing a fairytale with paranormal elements in vampire form is a stroke of genius in my humble opinion and gives it a different twist.

Arabella isn't a meek woman, she has fire and a bit attitude along with courage and common sense. She is the one her friends and allies rely on. She struggles with her feelings for the enemy almost the whole book and only when things go down the drain she realizes that Marius is one of the best men she has met.

Marius is really sweet. Fiercely loyal, kind, sensual with a generous dash of charming. He can't stop thinking about the girl who tried to kill him. I loved how he wasn't full of rage for this girl trying to kill him but was full of awe of her courage and fascinated by her as a woman.

What didn't quite work for me was the insta-love. While I usually don't mind if an author uses it to move a relationship forward I do expect a little bit more one-on-one time between the couple to work. In this case, the hero and heroine only spent a few hours max at a time and after their third encounter Marius knew that Arabella had a piece of his heart. With the little time they had spent together it just didn't seem very likely to me. You can use the "mating" trope as an explanation but it still takes a little more quality time spent between the main characters.

This story was still a great introduction to this series. I love the world building and the Cinderella vs vamps storyline is pretty unique. I loved that we didn't get a damsel in distress for a heroine, that the hero was a genuinely good person. The side cast weren't merely extras but played an important part to move the story along. I am looking forward to the next installment and I have a feeling that we'll get a certain girl with a red cloak who plays with wolves and Marius' best friend, the grave Nikolai.

The Black Lily is a retelling of Cinderella. There are even fairy godmother, stepmother and stepsister characters. Well, the fairy godmother role is shared between two unrelated characters. And the stepmother and sisters are not related, even by marriage – but they are dimwitted aristocrats that Arabelle and other peasants toil for. And there is a midnight deadline. Cinderella may run away from the ball, and her prince will be looking for her, but the reason she was even at the ball is the real story.

The basic story, is as old as humanity. Wealthy privileged take advantage of the poor and the poor stand up for their rights. That is an oversimplification, but you get the idea. In this case, the privileged are the aristocratic vampire nobles and the poor are the mere humans. The mere humans are led by a woman with rebellious ideas and courage. She is the Black Lily.

So, here’s the setting. Vampire royalty and aristocrats rule the land. Only the powerful ruling Varis bloodline can make vampires out of humans. Otherwise, vampires are born.

Vampires feed off the human population in a non-fatal manner. They have blood concubines. Willing donors. Seems innocuous enough. It has even been said to be pleasant for the concubine.

The combination of vampires being born and feeding off of willing donors seems a much more sustainable ecology than the traditional system of biting to create vampires at will and/or biting to drain victims until they die. Perhaps it is this sustainability that actually brings them out into the public eye. There is no need to fear vampire hunters.

So why are the servants afraid? They should have no reason. Fear expressed by a servant is the first hint of something not quite right. Then Prince Marius’ cousin Friedrich mentions that things are not going as smoothly as they used to up north. Another hint.

All this before the prince meets Cinderella, er, Arabelle, at the ball.

The ball is just the enticing kickoff of the game of cat and mouse that Marius and Arabelle will play. Who is the cat and who is the mouse? And what exactly will happen when the mouse is caught? Hint: cats like to play with their prey. I enjoyed that chase!

I’m giving The Black Lily 4 stars. I really did enjoy it, but I thought it was too easy for the hero and heroine to get their HEA. (More challenge for the heroine and hero please.)

1) It should have been harder for Arabelle to see Marius as something more than a vampire. I wanted Arabelle to be more kick-ass and have a bigger chip on her shoulder. This would also have the affect of making it harder for Marius to catch up to Arabelle.
2) Marius should have been slower to learn the truth. Someone who is 100 years old has formed some pretty strong opinions and is unlikely to change their way of thinking overnight. I wanted Marius to be bit darker.

According the page count on Amazon, this book has 290 pages. It did not seem that long. I must have flown through the pages! The vampire genre and an old fairy tale get a fresh, entertaining twist in The Black Lily. This is an adventure worth going on.

Through NetGalley, the author provided a copy of her book so that I could bring you my honest review.

Originally posted at Whiskey With My Book.

Oh man, this is amazing! Not only do we get to be swept away into a world of Vampires, but this has a wonderful fantasy feel that you'll find familiar, yet different.

Marius is a vampire. Ok, he's not JUST a vampire, he's the last prince to the Varis Kingdom. He's lived in his Kingdom, barely visiting the villages, oblivious as to what has been happening right under his nose. It's not until he's bewitched by a mystery woman that his eyes start to open. The story starts with the most creative "retell/revamp" of the Cinderella story we all know so well. But that's where the similarities end. You see, Marius has absolutely no troubles tracking his mystery woman. After all, he's a vampire.

Mystery woman? That's Arabelle, aka, the Black Lily. Well, "the cause" is the Black Lily, but she's the one who pretty much created it (I digress). With humans turning up dead and left behind, Arabelle not only wants answers, but justice. It's taken years of planning a revolution, hoping to bridge the gap between vampires and humans, and Arabelle is just getting started. Disguised, Arabelle sets her plan in motion by seducing the prince, to kill him. Now THAT'S how you get someones attention (I digress again...sigh). There's a problem though. As you can guess, not only does she fail in the attempt, the prince has somehow had an effect on her. An effect that's very troubling considering she's supposed to hate and kill him.

This is a fantastic way to start a series! Like I mentioned before, it wasn't just the vampires that intrigued me, there are a lot of fantasy elements that draw you in as well. But let's put that to the side...the chemistry between Marius and Arabelle was so strong and hot. I couldn't figure out who was more effected by the anticipation more, me or them. This story is far from over folks. In fact, not only has it just begun, I'm thinking that we haven't even scratched the surface yet....and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!?

reviewed by Chris

I have loved everything written by Juliette Cross in the past and THE BLACK LILY was no different.

THE BLACK LILY brings us an eventful and unforgettable twist on the story of Cinderella. Arabelle might be a peasant that serves those above her, but she has a dangerous secret. Not only is Marius a prince, but he's a vampire. They lead very different lives, but their connection is too strong for them to go their separate ways.

I liked Arabelle right away, her strength and courage shined right through the pages. She doesn't shy away from the dirty work and she doesn't need someone to save her. She was pretty bad ass and I loved watching her work through numerous sticky situations. Marius was also easy to like. He was a little arrogant, but that was to be expected from the way he was raised. Even having said that, he was willing to listen and research the claims that were brought against his people—and even fight against them to right wrongs.

There was major chemistry between Arabelle and Marius from their first meeting and it only got stronger as the story went on. They worked very well together—when they finally started working together— and they were well balanced as a couple.

THE BLACK LILY has a lot of things going for it. It had great characters, a smooth and constantly moving storyline and the world was fun to dive into. I would love to continue reading about Arabelle and Marius, but Cross often changes main characters with each book so we will have to see what she brings us with THE RED LILY. If you're a fan of fairytale retellings with a paranormal twist, pick up THE BLACK LILY.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

'The Black Lily' by Juliette Cross is book One in the "Tales of the Black Lily" series. This is the story of Arabelle and Marius. Arabelle is the leader of the "Black Lily" and has set out to kill Marius who is a Vampire Prince. Arabelle is out to kill Marius because so many of the human blood concubine are being killed and Arabelle wants this to stop. Marius is turning 100 years old and his family has set in motion for him to marry a Nobel Women that they have chosen for him. In addition he has started noticing that the servants/help is showing to be very scared of them. One servant that Marius spoke to, was so scared that she up and left town. So Marius knows something is going on and turns to have his friend help him find out what that is. When Marius goes to the Blood Ball he looks up to find Arabelle who he is taken with right away. Arabelle is pretending to be a Nobel Women named Grace. When Arabelle gets Marius alone she attempts to kill him. But unknown to her at first is that she didn't kill him. When Marius friend finds him injured he asked Marius 'Did she pierce you heart?' and Marcus said 'Yes' but then says "Not literally, old friend. I wouldn't be sitting her if she had, now would I?' Marius goes forward to finding 'Grace'/Arabelle and starts to learn what has been going on.
To me that set the tone of this book and made me fall in love with this story. The secondary characters were just as good and I hope to see more of them in future books. I also wish to read more books by Ms. Cross! "My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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There is nothing I love more than a strong female heroine that is smart, witty and can kick butt with the best of them. Cross provides that and so much more with Arabelle, The Black Lily.

Arabelle is a human servant, living under the oppressive rule of the vampires. After years of blood lust attacks, killing hundreds of humans, Arabelle creates The Black Lily persona to help garner support from the peasant human populace. All indications say the ruling vampires are backing the savagery plaguing the humans, pushing Arabelle into action. She takes on a suicide mission to kill the heir to the throne, Marius, at his 100th birthday celebration. The same celebration that Marius is supposed to pick his human concubine.

You guessed it, Marius is irrationally drawn to Arabelle and much to Arabelle’s dismay she is drawn to Marius…but that doesn’t stop her from plunging a knife into him. Marius stop at nothing to find Arabelle and what caused her to take such dire actions…but the deeper Marius investigates the more truths he uncovers about his kind; maybe even someone closer to him than he ever imagined.

I flat out loved The Black Lily. Cross, once again, writes a tale the captures and enraptures. Pulse pounding and heart aching, I was riveted from the get go and that momentum never wavered. I can’t wait to see what Cross will bring us next in this magnificent world she created.

I received this ARC copy of The Black Lily from Juliette Cross and Entangled Publishing, LLC. This is my honest and voluntary review. The Black Lily is set for publication March 27, 2017.

My Rating: 5 Stars


Paperback: 300 pages
Series: Tales of the Black Lily
Sequence in series: 1
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: March 20, 2017
ISBN-10: 1682814564
ISBN-13: 978-1682814567
Genre: Romantic Fantasy

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Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

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When I look for books to read I will guiltily admit that the covers are always the first thing that catches my eye. This one reminded me of a harlequin romance cover so I almost pasted on it. But a review or two had me thinking twice about passing this one up.

I'm more than happy I rethought that. It reminded me of combination fairy tale and since I've read all Anne Rice's vampire books, Marius is a name that has stuck deep in my mind. Both vampires but of course different stories.

This is dual POV story. Both from the vampire side and the humans. The human who is par of the Black Lily resistance who is to kill Prince Marius. Let me just say the backstory is perfection. The author really goes into details and description in her story. That is one of the most attractive items to me.

The problem with plans are they don't always go the way you want. Sometimes things get in the way, like a pesky attraction. I was hooked and before I even really got started and I will be following what comes next. Not only are Marius land Arabelle great characters but the author has given us some really interesting secondary players in this story. I'm more than surprised how much I enjoyed this book.

I can't tell you how excited I was when I learned that Juliette Cross was writing a series of retellings. I fell in love with her Morgons in the Nightwing and Vale of Stars series, so I couldn't wait to see what she would do with beloved characters from our childhood. And let me tell you... this is definitely Cinderella like you have never seen her before!

I won't rehash all of the world building because Juliette gives you a nice prologue giving the history of her fantastical realm of Varis featuring, much like the original fairytale, a hierarchical class system. The royal family consists of vampires, which are served by aristocrats, which are in turn served by peasants. Like many historical societies, the social stratification inspired a rebellion in the most harshly treated of the society. It is this framework of revolution in which we find The Black Lily.

In this version of the tale, Cinderella has been recast as Arabella, an inspiring revolutionary who stands up for her beliefs despite the danger posed by vampires. There are a number of parallels to the original story... such as Arabella's attendance at the ball, and her service to odious sisters... but that's where the comparisons end. Arabella was a headstrong young woman, brash at times and rarely vulnerable. She inspired people to revolt, and was viewed by peasants far and wide as the one who would deliver them from the oppression of the upper classes. She had all the hallmarks of a good heroine.

Prince Marius is the youngest crown prince of Varis, approaching his 100th birthday within a few days of the beginning of our story. Unlike most of his royal family, he is noble and compassionate, if a bit willfully blind to the problems in his own kingdom. What I liked most about Marius was his willingness to listen and learn about problems in the lower classes, and take corrective action. Marius' eyes were opened by Arabella and he was able to be persuaded that the situation was not as ideal as he previously believed. Of course, as a fairytale prince, he is also smoking hot! But that's a given with any of Juliette's heroes.

As you can imagine this was a forbidden romance, but our couple could not deny their attraction to one another. Marius was nearly obsessed with Arabella, and she was unable to push him away despite being part of the vampire nobility whom she detested. If there was one area where I wanted more... it was with regard to the main characters. I wished the book was longer so we could have gotten more backstory on Arabella and Marius, and spent more time with them as a couple. They were apart for the majority of the book, with only stolen moments in the midst of crises. I have a feeling they will play secondary roles in future installments of the series, so I am looking forward to revisiting them.

Speaking of future installments, this story featured some wonderful secondary characters. My favorites were Sienna, a noble woman living among the wolves in a haunted wood; and Princess Vilhelmina - an unexpectedly idealistic vampire princess. I also enjoyed the majestic hart wolves and I hope we get more of their story in the future. Juliette has some good fodder for the future books, so I can't wait to get them in my greedy hands.

I recommend this book to fans of retellings, fairytales and fantasy romance. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Entangled.