Dark academia and enemies to lovers between a vampire and vampire hunter! I ate this book up!
The book follows Rebecca our vampire hating vampire hunter as she goes undercover at a vampire university in Scotland searching for the “book of blood & roses” While undercover she finds herself questioning everything she’s come to know as facts and having feelings for her vampire roommate, the ultimate forbidden love.

A few times I was confused about where I was, as the scene changed or a character I thought was still in the scene had left etc but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book, also as a Halloween baby it’s definitely 31st October not November. Can’t wait to see where the story goes in the second book and hopefully get more of the found family and Julia’s story.

Hmmm it held such promise. It wasn’t the book for me. The writing style did not have enough depth or richness to hold my attention nor did the narrative. I am sure there is an intended audience perhaps YA. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, Annie Summerlee, and Del Rey publishing for an ARC of “The Book of Blood and Roses” in exchange for an honest review.

While I didn’t hate this story, I didn’t love it either. I had difficulty with the first few chapters. There were incomplete sentences which caused me to have to reread and were somewhat bothersome since they made the story telling disjointed. There appears to be a good deal in the first several chapters of this book that was unnecessary to the plot - what was with the constant mention of seagulls? Perhaps I missed something because at times I did find myself skimming over paragraphs since there was just so much that didn’t feel needed.

I had a difficult time connecting to the characters in this book which made it difficult to care about what they were doing or what happens to them. Too much of this book was cliché and at times, rather boring.

On a more positive note, I did feel the book’s pace and story telling improved around 30% of the way in. Unfortunately, by that point I was disinterested with the characters and only completed reading so I could give feedback.

Overall, I was disappointed with this novel since this book’s description was intriguing and I usually love books about vampires.

This was a great first book for me into this dark academia world that Annie has built and dropped the reader in. It's such a captivating blend of things together, that are written extremely well and perfectly for the reader to follow. This story was interesting, captivating, and overall just had a beautiful fantasy plot to it.

I loved this one so much! The vampire book lover in me was thrilled to find this book and enjoy it!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC ebook for an honest review.
Vampires? Check
Vampire hunter? Check
Academy? Check
Action? Check
Love story? Check
Hidden libraries? Oh my…..

I really enjoyed this book. The title had me intrigued and the synopsis. When I found out it was lesbians I got wary as it’s not my type to read but honestly it had me feeling hot and heavy, definitely changed my thinking. I couldn’t get enough of Cassie (Rebecca) & Aliz and wanted more. Especially of Elia too.

I can’t wait for Book 2 and see where the story goes from here.

a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a. a a a a a a a

Not only does Summerlee conjure up imaginative language and fun energy with overdone tropes, but she also managed to hold my attention throughout the entire book. I devoured it in just a few days, and I loved how her blend of dark academia and a fantastic cast of characters kept me hooked, even into the early hours of the night. The emotional stakes were really compelling.

I mean, what more could you want? Academic setting? Check. Sapphic romance? Check. Scottish Highlands? Check. Vampires?? CHECK. I had a great time reading this and am excited for my friends to get their hands on it. I thoroughly enjoyed the world building, the romance, the friendships, and the character development. I have some big questions about certain characters, but I guess I will have to wait to see if there is a second one (FINGERS CROSSED).

Thank you so much to the publisher, Annie Summerlee, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is hotter than a vampire walking out in the noon sun! Roommates and forced proximity with vampire cliches and lesbians!! Summerlee builds a world with imperfect women that you root for and hope they will find their way. Rebecca tries to navigate a society she’s only viewed through grief and vengeance. Her instant attraction to Aliz gives this romance a spark that grows into a wildfire through adventure and intrigue.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me access to this eARC. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

What do you get when a vampire hunter infiltrates a vampire university in search of a myth?
This was a great story, I was never bored and thought the premise was done well.
I'm sad that I can't start the sequel just yet. 😞 I'd have eaten it up.
Some things did end up being a bit too coincidental to me in a way, but really most things were tied up nicely.
Was a little spicy, but there was so much tension and yearning.
Sapphic romance between a vampire and vampire hunter.
Would recommend and would read it again.

Beautiful, breathtaking enticing and wonderful in glad to have read this and miss the way reading this for the first time made me feel, thankyou for this chance and this world

After a life shattering event, Rebecca (a vampire hunter) finds her next mission to be her hardest yet … going undercover in a vampire university on the search for a mysterious book and meeting Aliz, heir to one of the most powerful vampire families.

A great paranormal fantasy with a lot of unexpected plot twists - this book is perfect for fans of dark academia, found family, forced proximity and sapphic romance.

I found the writing to be a little repetitive and sometimes the sentences were a disjointed with vague descriptions, and I didn’t realise something had happened until it was mentioned further down the page (I had to read back a few times to make sure I actually didn’t miss what was happening, when it was more like we were not told).

Review will be posted to Instagram closer to publication date.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this eARC.

What happens when a vampire hunter becomes entangled with the heir to one of the most powerful vampire families? A fun, dark academia, sapphic, vampire story that takes us through those quarter-life crisis questions that are not, apparently, unique to humans.

Rebecca Charity's parents died at the hands of vampires and she has spent the years since in training and service as a vampire hunter in order to avenge their deaths. She's promised by her handlers that they will finally tell her the details of her parents' death if she's able to locate The Book of Blood and Roses from a secret university library. Fortunately for Rebecca and the vampire hunters, this vampire university has started accepting humans.

Enter Aliz, Rebecca's roommate and the heir to one of the most powerful vampire families, and one botched vampire attack on Rebecca that makes her Aliz's familiar and suddenly we're off on an adventure that pairs two likely enemies with one common goal: Find the Book of Blood and Roses.

This is a fun, fast-paced read with layers that effortless pull back as the story unfolds to make for some clever plotting. The author, Annie Summerlee, doesn't overcomplicate things but she also doesn't keep it one-note. There's evolution and revelation to keep the pages turning.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you NetGalley and Annie Summerlee for giving me an early chance to enjoy this gem!

The cast of characters are charming, deceptive, alluring, and full of the confidence and uncertainty that go hand-in-hand with one another in your early 20's. And, adding to the fun of the book, not everyone is who we think they should be. It's not that they're aren't who the author says they are - it's that Summerlee doesn't fall into the trap of tropey creature characters. The humans and vampires in this story are grappling with questions of who they should be and who they are. Who they should or shouldn't love. Where their loyalties should be placed and what values they should hold. It's angsty and moody with high stakes and lots of longing and lusting ... so, basically it's college life when the consequences are literally life and death but your roommate is hot.

Fun, right? Yeah, it is.

This is happily going on my recommend pile to any readers who love a clever plot, want some longing and spice, enjoy strong characters, and love a dark academia vibe.

The Book of Blood and Roses follows a young woman as she learns her heart has betrayed her only to realized it was the best thing that could have happened

This book is perfect for fans of First Kill and Carrmilla the web series. I love the romance and spice in this book. I had a lot of fun reading this book.

I was really drawn to the premise of The Book of Blood and Roses, and I think the worldbuilding had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the main character, Rebecca. Her reactions and choices often left me feeling disconnected, and I found it hard to stay invested in her journey.

There were some interesting ideas throughout the story, and I can see how other readers might enjoy the darker themes and atmospheric tone. For me, though, the emotional core just wasn’t strong enough to pull me in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This story pulled me in with its dark beauty and aching intensity. The heroine is caught between power and vulnerability, navigating a world ruled by ancient magic and dangerous desire. Her connection with the love interest builds slowly but burns with every stolen look and tense exchange. The world is rich with gothic atmosphere and high emotional stakes, and every chapter feels like it’s steeped in longing and secrets. I loved the way the story balanced romance with raw survival.

If you are drawn to slow burn tension, forbidden love, and a heroine who refuses to break, this book will absolutely keep you hooked

For a debut novel, Annie Summerlee has my full admiration. I was addicted to the settings atmosphere with its dark academia aesthetic, and this paired with the thrill of forbidden romance and supernatural mystery made for a truly captivating experience. I am a sucker for both romantasy and sapphic romance, so this combination was perfect for me, as I personally feel that there is not enough queer focused fantasy even now. However, I often found Rebecca’s decisions to be naive or trope‑driven, so that may test the patience of some readers. But character flaws aside, The Book of Blood and Rose’s is a stunning debut; a fiery, gothic romantasy that reinvigorates vampire lore with emotional depth and steamy tension. I can honestly say there are many people I know who I intend to recommend this book to!

I finished this book a week ago and remember really enjoying it and wanting more - but now I've sat down to write a review and unfortunately so much of the story has already faded from my mind. It wasn't quite original enough to stand out starkly and memorably so it's not quite a five star read.

However, there were so many aspects of this book that I loved - and so many more aspects I wanted to dive into and discover more. I'm looking forward to the sequel (but will definitely have to find a recap to remind myself what happened first!).

I read this book in a day. I was pleasantly surprised by the pace, and storytelling, and the many plot twists in this (what I consider) small book.

Within the first 10 pages, I was captured into a world where with each page turn, fueled my curiosity even more. Originally, there was only one plot (one main mission) but then it branches out and although one would think that it would be hard to follow along with what was going on, the story was super easy to follow; making this a very enjoyable read.

I didn't expect for the enemies to lovers trope presented in this book to go in so many different directions. This definitely made it a breath of fresh air to read a common trope with a different twist to it.

In addition, the side characters in this story were also captivating. The ghost, I found, was hilarious and Elia really surprised me. You will have to read more to know what I am talking about!

There are definitely themes of trust, maybe a touch of lost family, betrayal and of course, magic and vampires. It is a very unique world that the author has made and as soon as I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down!

I highly recommend this book to any readers who love vampires, but with a twist.