This was an ok story, I didn’t like nor did i hate it. I like the authors writing style and will continue to read from her.

Great book im so glad that you wrote this i love fantasy and your an amazing writer and the book is amazing keep writing more like this.

Highly entertaining, sweetly sexy, heart racing and action-packed adventure filled with witty and engaging charters, heart racing twists and emotionally thrilling passion. Really enjoyed this edge of your seat exciting journey from beginning to end.

I really enjoyed this book and I really want to read more books from this author in the future. I really loved the book cover as well.

I thought that this was an enjoyable book and I loved it!

It had a good storyline and was very well written – I thoroughly enjoyed it

The characters were well developed and it was a fun read – definitely one I would recommend for anyone who likes this genre – it was romantic, sexy and fun!

Is 5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended!

When Johnny a vampire priest runs into Cassie one dark night he has met the woman of his dreams. When Alaric returns to get even with the priest and the Queen of the Vampires, can he keep Cassie safe as a mortal woman?


I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Heat Factor: Purple prose fading to black
Character Chemistry: Well…
Plot: There’s a meddling vampire family and a vengeful sire and just a lot
Overall: It’s not tightly written

Back when we were talking about Men of God books, I saw this virgin priest vampire book and thought it might be a fun ride. It might be a ride, but fun? Not so sure.

For reasons that I will discuss, I was not engaging with this story but I was still curious about some points, so instead of a straight DNF, I read the first 12 chapters, skipped to the last 5 for skimming, and then hopped around in the middle a little bit. I have never done this before, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it over DNFing, but this review will probably be better for it, so that’s something.

My thoughts and reason for not engaging with the text primarily center on the writing style and the author’s narrative choices.
1. Cassie, the heroine, is not mentioned or introduced until Chapter 5. There are 52 chapters, so we are essentially 10% of the way through the book and really nothing has been achieved yet. This is because

2. The first 5 chapters are spent POV hopping around other couples in the series because the vampire family has decided that “Every man needs a woman!” Which, gag. And also I do not at all care about Esmerelda’s daughter’s husband and how he has exactly the same response to the “Find Father Lanzoni a wife” that every other male character has to his wife. I did not need to read the same conversation eight times, okay? Because

3. Is this Giovanni’s story or what? Why are we POV shifting paragraph to paragraph? I cannot remember the last time I read a traditionally published book that POV shifts like this. Too many section breaks, too many POV shifts paragraph to paragraph. There’s no time to become attached to the protagonists or what’s happening to them because the minute something is introduced or explained - BAM - we’re on to the next POV. It’s exhausting. And then

4. What’s the reward? The protagonists have insta-love. The sex is off page. The evil sire is doing whatever. The Big Fight is also insta. Then a new problem is introduced? And it’s resolved in the last chapter in - I kid you not - one paragraph. If we just wanted the explanation of what happened, I could have taken the bullet point version instead of the 300-page version that made my head hurt.

I read for the emotional journey and the romance - I like the mushy stuff - so often I don’t care if there’s on-page sex as long as it works with the story. What was Giovanni and Cassie’s emotional journey? I have no idea. He asked her to move into his house 10 minutes after meeting her, and he asked her to marry him after they’d been dating for a couple of weeks. Insta can work, but there’s got to be room for growing pains and growth or it just doesn’t do anything.

Why has a man who has been celibate for a thousand years (to the point that in the beginning he’s angsting about being able to please a woman like he’s never even masturbated before) suddenly changed his mind? Sex in this book could totally have been part of the character’s emotional journey and his romantic journey with his special partner, but NOPE. It went exactly as I expected it would, i.e. he’s never had sex in 1000 years, but they can’t keep their hands off each other because of Reasons, and after they sex each other’s brains out at 60% (before they get married), Cassie is more satisfied than she’s ever been in her 26yo life. REALLY?

Instant romance with no meaningful development, disconnected plot threads, excessive POV shifts and section breaks, named characters who mostly take up space... This book is for readers who are already invested in this series and these characters. Though, TBH, if the other books are like this one, I have to salute them for getting this far, because my head hurts.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. This book was just amazing. I just lost myself in this story and didn’t want it to end. It was really well written and just drew in you into these characters lives. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

I’m afraid to say this book as not for me, I could not get into it. I wish the author all the best for the future. I’ll rate is 3 stars as possibly to some people this book will be right up there street. Just unfortunately not for me.

This is my first book by this author and it was an amazing ride. The characters were well written, a bit of intrigue, and vampires…who can’t be intrigued by this book?! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the paranormal romance genre.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Really enjoy this author's books so was thrilled to be able to read this

Loved the mixture of threads - yes it is a romance but is also has elements of intrigue and action so a book to really get your teeth into

Highly recommend

A sweet romance, a couple who really are perfect for one another, danger, intrigue, action - with a bit of blood and violence, friends, and family fill the pages of NIGHT'S ILLUSION. And I am hoping author Amanda Ashley has more fascinating reads up her sleeve!

Review by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=75052

I've read another book in this series, which has obviously been very well established at this point. That being said, I think these can be read as standalone or as part of the series - it does a good job catching us late joiners up on the general world.

Giovanni was a priest, but everyone still refers to him as father or a priest in their general interactions. You gotta get over that real quick, because this priest is looking for his lady love. Mara, the queen of the vampires, is very eager to help hook her favorite priest up with women, but fate has other plans. Not only does Giovanni end up with his long lost vampire sire as a big bad in this book, but he also randomly stumbles upon his mate. They don't call it out that clearly at the start, but Cassie and Giovanni have an instant bond.

Cassie is not in the best place when they meet. She's working at a dive, lives in a dump, and is generally unhappy and (when they meet) on the run from terrible men. Since Giovanni has no experience to speak of, Cassie and he begin courting in a very slow fashion. Sadly, the most we get in this book is fade to black scenes, but at least you don't need to worry about reconciling a priest in bed with someone.

As I mentioned, this world is well established, which means oodles of characters to touch base with, catch up with, invite places, and generally establish ourselves in this universe. It was weird and fun to see the varied faces come and go. Overall, we get a nice resolution (with some surprising sadness), and even get to conquer evil in the end (multiple ways). I would have probably appreciated the love and loss a little more having gone through the previous books, but still enjoyed this one.

I did enjoy this book overall, however I think I would have got more out of it if I'd read the previous books in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a big fan of Romance books and I found this one to be a very enjoyable read. I will be looking for more books from this author.

I enjoyed this book very much. This was the first book by this author I have read but it won’t be my last. I would definitely recommend this book.

I may have made a mistake choosing this ARC because I didn't realize this was book 8 in a series, as it was not noted anywhere. There were so many references to other books, and other couples were included that came from other books, I felt pretty lost and like I was unable to truly enjoy the book. Add to that, the romance seemed pretty immature, and I was disappointed. And I'm not talking about sex, I mean the emotional maturity. Vampire romance is one of my favorites, but this was really disappointing and I hate that this turned out this way. #NetGalley #nightsillusion

Not a bad story by Ms. Ashley. Good characters and a fascinating plot make this a well-rounded vampire romance.

Wow, this book hooked me from the very beginning and I could not get enough of it. It moves along at the perfect pace making for a comfortable read. It has interesting characters that you will fall in love with and you want to be there for them. The story will grab you and keep you reading till the end and then you are wanting more. This book is a must read that needs to be read, there is no doubt about it.

Night's Illusion by Amanda Ashley
Publisher: Kensington Books, Zebra
Publication Date: August 24, 2021
Genre: Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy

Night's Illusion by Amanda Ashley is the eighth book in the Children of the Night series. I had not read the previous books, but was easily able to read this as a standalone romance.

Let me start by saying I love vampire romance books, but I struggled to connect with this one. I think the author was trying for a soulmates, love at first sight thing, but I didn't feel it.

Outside of the romance, I actually really enjoyed the story. It had a great mystery and was a fast read. Most of the characters were interesting and had well developed histories. Others fell flat.

Overall, this was a good read and would probably (maybe) go back and read the other books in the series.

I'm so grateful to Amanda Ashley, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.