Thank you to Netgalley and Avery Sterling for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really really enjoyed this one! It was a different take on vampire lore, which kept it interesting and didn't make it seem like "just another vampire story".

I loved the chemistry between the MMC and FMC, even though their relationship happened by accident and seemed quite fast. This kept me hooked and left me wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen. The only slight criticism I have is I would have loved a bit more spice, or have this fleshed out a bit more. In saying that, the story isn't complete with this book so I assume there will be at least one more book in their story, leaving more time for this to develop.

I do feel like the first half of the book was a little slow, and then things really ramped up at the end, almost feeling a bit too rushed. However, I think this added to the suspense and addictiveness of this book, and definitely contributed to the cliff-hanger at the end. The cliff-hanger has killed me, I cannot wait for the next book and to see what happens and how this develops.

The setting up of the lore in this first book was done so well, and has set the stage for a really interesting next instalment - this has really drawn me in.

Tropes:
Vampires
Secret society/world



Paislee fell flat to me. She seemed all over the place with her actions and I genuinely did not connect well either her. There is light world building and I’m hoping in book 2, there’ll be more information added onto it. It’s not the best book written but it has a lot of potential.

The Cardinal Code
*ARC review* Release date: June 24th
4.5/5⭐️

The Cardinal Code by Avery Sterling is a vampire romantasy that I could not put down. Sterling’s writing style kept my eyes glued to the pages. From the beginning, I could feel the chemistry between Paislee and Michael. Their relationship continued to progress as well as Michael’s character. I love a good “Touch her and die” MMC. The lore was also an interesting take that felt like a mafia Twilight. I personally would’ve preferred the story be told from first person dual POV over third person. I also felt the ending was rushed and needed to be developed more. This story does leave on a cliffhanger, making me want more. I can’t wait to see where their story goes. Recommend: yes

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ — “Interesting premise, but lacked the bite I was hoping for.”

The Cardinal Code had potential—vampires, betrayal, secret worlds... The story kicks off fast, after a traumatic accident, our FMC Paislee, starts over in NYC, and take a job at a nightclub to pay her bills.

What worked:
🧛Quick read with short, digestible chapters
🧛 A solid cliffhanger that makes you curious about what’s coming next
🧛 Hints of classic vampire lore, fated mates, and simmering brotherly rivalry givingThe Vampire Diaries vibes

However, I wanted to be swept away, but the characters didn’t carry me (I wanted more nuance and emotional depth), the world-building was thin, and the love story was too “fated mates” style for a first book. There’s potential here, especially with the cliffhanger ending—but I wish the emotional stakes and tension had been stronger.

💫 If you’re looking for a fast-paced, vampire romance with fated mates and don’t mind light world-building, this might hit the spot.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It felt as though the author was rushing through the narrative, skimming over key moments that could have added much-needed depth to both the storyline and the characters. There were so many opportunities to flesh things out, to build tension, atmosphere, and emotional connection—but instead, it all felt a bit superficial.

The writing itself isn’t bad—it’s clear and readable—but it stays very much on the surface, never really diving deep enough to fully engage or immerse the reader. And that’s the real disappointment here, because the concept holds so much potential. A vampire story with a fresh angle is always exciting, but in this case, the execution just didn’t live up to the promise. I really wanted to love this one, but it left me wanting more in all the wrong ways.

Unfortunately for me this book didn't live up to the potential it could have been.
The book was very fast paced which I do appreciate, however in this scenario I found that because of this fast pace the world building was getting lost in the plot.
There were chapters which were too focused on characters that didn't really add anything to the plot in itself. I wish those could have been replaced with more detailed descriptions about the world, the Order and more background stories about our FMC and especially our MMC. I think that would have helped me as a reader more to connect with the story.
Speaking of the MC's. I sometimes couldn't really follow Paislee's thought process and actions. I suppose if I would have been in her situation I wouldn't have been able to accept everything that fast so it was very difficult sometimes for me to connect with her. Michael on the other hand was a very interesting character and I do desperately would have wished we would have gotten more from his background and how everything works in his world.
The Order was also something that i found sometimes very confusing in this book. Yes they are „making" the law for the vampires but it sometimes felt like in reality they were bad? There was just not enough information given to me as a reader to fully understand how they work as a foundation.
I did appreciate the last few chapters. I felt like the odds were picking up much more and the story came alive, especially then with the cliffhanger at the ending.
However, I personally won't be picking up the second book because of everything i have written above.
I am grateful though for having received this book as an ARC, as reading is always subjective and I do believe there will be readers out there who will absolutely enjoy this book!

This book was a decent dip into the vampire world. It gave me some old school vamp story vibes. It was really enjoyable and an easy read.

I struggled with this read. The story itself seemed to stay at too surface level with very superficial thinking on the part of the FMC and MMC. This made it hard to stay engaged in the story as the characters seemed very shallow, and the world building felt a bit forced rather then natural.
But my real issue with this surprised me. I love dark romances, dub-con, etc. However, this book was not dub-con in the slightest. The FMC is constantly grabbed by multiple men, and physically and emotionally manipulated. The MMC furthered this with the same behaviors and only loosely rationalized it as a part of his “condition”. His “condition” however also created a ‘venom’ that completely manipulated the FMCs physical, mental, and emotional state and when she raised this concern with the FMC he shrugged it off as “well its that and I protect you or you die”. This is so far beyond the bounds of any type of acceptable consent and it doesn’t fall into dark romance, it’s just straight non-con. That mixed with only having a surface level view of the FMCs thoughts and emotions on the matter just made this feel like a WattPad story for people with a forced sexual servitude kink.

**ARC REVIEW**
3⭐️

I think this book has SO MUCH POTENTIAL. I liked it, but it felt rushed like I was constantly trying to catch up to where the story was going without the evidence to back it up. I think if maybe another 100 pages added into making sure the plot isnt rushed and it would be an EASY 5 stars.

I feel like the romance needs to either be love at first sight/mate feeling or you need to be able to back up a buildable romance. in this situation, she fell too fast and all the challenges they hit needed more depth to be believable.

Vampire romances are just hard bc they are either turned into some excessively overly erotic book or feel too surface level. They are also a favorite of mine and many ppl.

I will definitely continue the series, but seriously, give me more... more details, more dialogue, more time building up the connection or explaining. just more pages. I want to love it so badly!! Theres so much potential here! I like the whole Vampire Code part of the plot.

UPDATE:
Ok so immediately after writing this review, I laid down to go to bed and thought "that was kinda like 50 shades of grey" and now i cant unthink it. I legit had a hard time sleeping bc i was comparing the parallels. obvi not with sex but her being a blood bag instead, the contract, having her own room, Nevia was giving Mrs. Robinson.... tell me im not the only one who sees it....

I devoured this book in a single day! Avery Sterling masterfully weaves complex characters into a vivid, real-time world, one filled with hidden threats and shadowy figures we may never realize exist. But our fiery female main character is about to learn the truth.

What choice will she make to survive in their world? And now that she knows the truth, what new dangers surround her?

This high-stakes, slow-burn, suspenseful vampire romance grips you from the very beginning and doesn’t let go. I’m already eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Avery Sterling for the opportunity to read and review this captivating book!

This book gave me so many good, nostalgic feelings! As a Twilight and Vampire Diaries fan I felt like this story took me back to those worlds which I was loving. There is something about a human x vampire relationship that always pulls me in immediately, and I thought that Avery captured the arrogance of Michael and the naivety of Paislee so well! Paislee was giving me major Bella vibes and Michael was giving Damien vibes. I had a really fun time with this book and read it in just a couple of days! I struggled a bit with Paislee, she felt very helpless most of the time which can be frustrating, but it did serve its purpose in showing Michael as the hero of the story. I also wish that we had a little bit more world building, as I feel that this was mostly focused on the romance and relationship development, and I was missing more of that Fantasy world building that I love within my Romantasy books. All in all, Cardinal Code gave me warm & fuzzy nostalgic feelings and I can't wait to see what else Avery Sterling does! Thanks to both Avery and Net Galley for the eArc, I'm so thankful.

Thank You to NetGalley & The publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I very quickly devoured this book! This was EVERYTHING all of us teen Twilight girlies wanted out of a more adult vampire novel. I went in with the expectation of liking it, not being COMPLETELY INTHRALLED by it! You're telling me I have to wait a year or 2 for the next book??

Was it a little cliche? Yes. Was it a little cringy at times? Yes. Did I kinda love it for that though? Also yes. I completely relived my Twilight fantasy through this novel which a lot of the time doesn't work for me as a reader -- however, this book was still very much its own unique plot & character lineup. I do think it suffers the most from pacing issues, and I do have one larger gripe that kept nagging at me.

Let's talk about Consent in this novel -- ***SPOILER AHEADDDDD***

Consent is basically non-existent in this novel, which is a weird choice on the author's part. There is a time and place for consent in books like this, always, and Paislee almost never gets a say in what is happening to her inside her intimate relationship - nearly 0% of the time. How many times in the same paragraph can he "grab her wrist" or "stop her from leaving", and how many times does she threaten to leave or try to leave because he's done something shitty or hypocritical, and she immediately changes her mind and comes right back to him? Paislee is too smart for that shit. She isn't acting like someone that has been betrayed before. As someone that HAS been betrayed in a previous relationship, I'll tell you right now that is NOT AT ALL how I'd react to perceived lies/betrayal.

Anyway. My main issue here is every time Paislee says "fuck this", she's stopped physically, pulled back, and usually immediately kissed or physically touched to "calm her down" or keep her there. Bro put a TRACKER on her phone without her permission too. I don't care if you're a 1,000 year old vampire and I'm everyone's #1 target -- this is relationship breaking 101. Don't be a possessive, controlling creep. What is up with that? But also, consent or no, Paislee caves to him every time he does this shit and she was also cool with the tracker so. Who am I to judge what they have going on if she acts okay with it, I guess?

***END SPOILERRRRRRR***

Overall I was extremely invested in this novel & basically finished it within 2 days once I sat down to start it. I didn't want to put it down and now I will be starved by the time book 2 comes out! 4.5 stars from me, rounded up!

Thank you Netgalley :)

I really enjoyed this book, It was a fun read and finished this the same day.

I was hooked from the first chapter and loved the romance between the characters. The romance to plot was perfect.

This book was not what I was expecting in the extreme.
It was well written in the plot well thought out. But I very clearly am not the type of person who would enjoy this book.
There is assumed cheating, and non-consental acts take place between mains (FMC is “drugged” with venom)

The MMC quite literally disgusted me, and I only made it through this book on share force of will.

However, if you are into things both illegal and morally evil, he might be into it…

Thank you to Netgalley and Avery Sterling for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was hooked, this book exceeded all my expectations for all the wrong reasons.
Season 1 Stefan gets to keep the girl, Damon remains evil and hell bent on revenge, all under the governance of Twilight's order. That's it. That's the plot.

Well until you get to the epilogue but that's for next time.

I'd firstly like to thank Avery Sterling and Netgally for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Cardinal Code is a romantasy that I consumed in less than 24 hours.

The Cardinal Code follows college student Paislee who is struggling to pay her medical and student debt. Her fate entwines with Michael who is in the process of taking over his father's business. Michael and his family have a secret; they are a genetically superior species who age slowly, have advanced healing abilities, and rely on the blood of humans to survive. They also despise the term humans use to describe them; vampire.

The chemistry between the MMC and FMC is impeccable, although the MMC is a bit of a walking red flag at times. Think twilight, except the vampires aren't mopey but are super wealthy and influential a-holes who will only watch you sleep if you consent first.

This was enjoyable enough for me to want to read the sequel!

So I really wanted to like this book and for the most part it wasn’t bad. My main struggle was the number of problems and the character development. I feel like overall this story just needed fleshed out more. Everything happened quite quickly without much time. Likewise I felt like every other chapter there was a new problem. Basically if this book was a 3 book series with the amount of problems going on I think it would have been amazing. Throwing everything into one book just made it seem confusing and disjointed. I found myself often saying “what now?” a lot. I would maybe consider reading the next book but overall although the idea was amazing I think the execution needs some help. Thank you for allowing me to read this though!

The Cardinal Code by Avery Sterling was a great vampire book. I really believe there was a different take on vampire and humans. I like the concept that they could still eat and there was more of an order being a vampire.

Michael and Paislee's relationship was perfection! They had an instant attraction but I liked how Paislee didn't fall at his feet. There were some twist and turns in the book that kept you on your toes while reading. But boy was I mad to learn it kind of ends in a cliffhanger! I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Thank you ##netgalley for allowing me to leave an honest review!

Dark, seductive, and surprisingly deep.

The Cardinal Code delivers a gripping blend of paranormal intrigue and forbidden romance. The world-building is immersive—vampires hiding in plain sight, bound by ancient laws and contracts, adds a fresh twist to a well-worn trope. Michael is the perfect brooding anti-hero, while Paislee brings heart and determination to balance the darker elements of the story.

Their chemistry crackles from the moment they meet, and the slow burn tension kept me turning the pages. I appreciated the exploration of consent and power dynamics—it added layers to the romance and made the stakes feel real.

That said, some pacing issues and occasional predictability kept it from being a full 5 stars. Still, it’s a strong start to what could be a very compelling series. If you love your romance with danger, secrets, and a bite of the supernatural, The Cardinal Code is well worth sinking your teeth into.

I was hooked pretty quickly into this vampire romance and actually finished it in one day. Paislee was sassy and all in on a situationship that was clearly terrible from the start and I felt that. Michael was rich and controlling (shocker) and honestly I did not like him until about 75% in because he was a tool. My heart broke for Paislee on multiple occasions especially when Michael would keep telling her to let things go vs sticking for her. He seemed to come around but we’ll see as the next book comes out, which since this ends on a cliffhanger I’ll be anxiously waiting for. The only thing this from being a 5 star for me was I felt like there was a bit of a lack of character description. Like I didn’t have a great picture of any of the characters and that’s difficult for me when I’m reading. Also some of the dialogue was a bit B movie cheesy at points but overall the story was so good it was easy to overlook. Definitely invested and looking forward to next one to see where Paislee and Michael’s story will lead.