3.5⭐️
A dark academia book where a vampire hunter is roommates with a vampire, a hidden library with a magical book and it's a slow burn romance? when I read that blurb I was HOOKED!
And I this book didn't let me down one bit!
The world building with all the different groups like Callisto, the Council, the Vessels...it was all so interesting to read and easy to follow along. There was some politics involved between those groups which I found so interesting to read and I wish I could read book two already because i'm just so invested!
Our first FMC's, Rebecca, background story was really heartbreaking so I totally understood her prejudice against vampires. And when she started developing feelings for Aliz and her mind got twisted between her missions and falling for a vampire is what really compelled me to like her. Also she had the most character evolvement, which I absolutely LOVE!
Aliz, our second FMC, was at the beginning very hard to read for me. Especially because I couldn't really say what her true intentions were. Was she really so naive and did those things by accident or was she playing a bigger game? Towards the end though she made me fall in love with her and I desperately wished we would have gotten some chapters in her POV.
The romance between our FMC's was absolutely delicious to read. You could feel the tension through the book and I mean who doesn't love a slow burn romance?
The only reason I deducted some stars was because some scenes felt a bit rushed, the pacing just felt off for me.
Other than that I really enjoyed reading this book and I will most definitely and (im) patiently wait for book two so l can find out what happens next.
Thank you so much for sending me this ARC!

This book is a FF Vampire Human Romance book, I enjoyed it! There are definitely some dub con elements so read your trigger warnings before you read the book! It has a great dark vampire academia world. Not sure if it is going to be a standalone and I feel like there is so much that can be done with these characters.
There are elements of vampire hunters vs Vampire secret societies with lots of cloak and dagger. The main FMC’s start off in a pseudo frienemy vibe with lots of sexual tension. Would recommend if any of this is your vibe!
4 ⭐️ 2 🌶️

The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee is a dark, romantic fantasy with a mysterious and moody atmosphere. The writing is rich and descriptive, and the romance is intense and engaging. The story moves a bit slowly at times, but the mood and characters kept me interested. Great if you like dark fantasy with strong emotions and mystery!

Dark acedemia sapphic vampire hunter/vampire story. Great for fans of the Vampire Acedemy. There was lots of detail and description in this book. This made the actions of the characters clearer, which helped the relationships develop smoother.

I AM OBSESSED!!!!

I have finished this book in one day. As soon as I picked it up I couldn’t put it down! This is the first book that I have read involving vampires and I am so glad this was it! 🧛🏼‍♀️

The plot in the book was so captivating, it is the first book in a long time that has had me desperate to see how it ends. I loved all of the characters in this book, especially Julie and Elia.

Also Aliz <333

I would highly recommend this book to anyone starting out with fantasy genre, or long time readers of fantasy. The description pulls you in and the world building is great, without feeling like a drag at the beginning.

I am so grateful that I got to read this book. Thank you Annie summer-lee, NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for giving me access to this book. I am obsessed!!! I cannot wait to read the next book.

Rebecca's parents were killed by Vampires, so naturally she became a Vampire Hunter.
The last thing she expected was to be sent on an undercover mission to a Vampire Academy, not kill anyone but to steal a book.... oh and for her roommate to be a Vampire.

Dark academia, vampires, slow burn enemies to lovers, accidental bonds, unexpected friendships, magical libraries, totally awesome side characters, twists and turns and Lesbian representation?! Seriously, what more could you want?!

The world building and the way the characters were written was really well done. Although I think I actually liked the side characters more than the main FMCs.
I loved that the Vampires in this book were very different to anything I have read so far.
The Queer representation was top tier for me.

The ending though? I need book two immediately because I have questions that I need answered!

All in all I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend.

Thank you to the Author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Annie Summerlee for providing an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Vampire x vampire hunter, sapphic romance, and a dark academia setting? Yes, please! This was a fun, fast-paced read and perfect as a palate cleanser between heavier books. Plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!

That said, I didn’t feel super connected to the characters. The side characters didn’t get enough page time to leave a strong impression, and while our FMC, Rebecca/Cassie, was fine, she didn’t stand out as much as I hoped—especially since the entire book is told from her POV. I would’ve loved to see things from the love interest’s perspective too, just to add more dimension.

The romance also leaned heavily into insta-love, which isn’t really my thing. I’m more of a slow burn fan.

Overall, this is a quick, enjoyable read with a great premise and aesthetic.

Rae is a vampire hunter with a tragic past that fuels her hatred for vampires. In search of answers about her past, Rae is willing to do anything. She accepts a mission to go undercover at a university in Scotland to find a book, A Book of Blood and Roses, in exchange for the answers that she so desperately craves. This book contains a list every unknown weakness of vampires making it possible to finally rid the world of vampires. However, someone must have made a mistake. When Rae arrives at the university, she finds that her dorm mate is a vampire who is otherworldly attractive. Rae finds herself drawn to Aliz, can't stop thinking of her, and can not stop what forms between them. AND THIS IS A SAPPHIC BOOK? Sounds good, right? What could go wrong?

I've compiled a short list of some of my complaints:
Complaint 1 → Taking garlic pills to deter vampires? What.
Complaint 2 → Wooden stakes. Crosses. Silver. How very original.
Complaint 3 → The vampires sleep in coffins. Yes, really.
Complaint 4 → It shouldn't have taken reaching 25% before the two characters officially met.
Complaint 5 → Rae's inner monologue consisted of her constantly judging others. It was so bad. Each person she met, there would be a huge chunk of writing inserted about Rae judging someone. Prejudice and negative attitude? Tendency to discriminate? It was annoying and irritating.

There was a lot of telling rather than showing. Not much of a back story into Rae that helps a reader understand, relate, and connect with a character. So, I felt this detachment from the beginning. Light, light fantasy. Mainly gave contemporary, college romance vibes.

I love a vampire romance so this was always going to be favourite for me. The book of blood and roses is really well written, especially for a debut, has a fantastic dark academia setting and a likeable cast of characters that combined make for an addictive read.

What I loved in particular:
- Plot twists galore! Particularly in the last 30%, I was on the edge of my seat with no idea who might secretly be an enemy or what might happen next.
- The romance 💕 Rebecca and Aliz were perfect, originally I thought the attraction moved a bit too quickly but after the side effects of the familiar mark were explained it made much more sense and fit with the story.
- The side characters, I loved Elia, Julia and Ife. I hope we get to see more of them in the next book.

I loved this book and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this ARC.

really liked this! I can’t wait for the second one! It was kind of like True Blood vibes mixed with dark academia!!

Our FMC is a badass vampire hunter and she goes undercover into a vampire school on a quest to find a lost book with secrets to killing vampires! It’s FF love interest. There was a little bit of spice but still plot forward!!

I was able to read an eARC through Netgalley thanks to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore. These opinions are my own!!

Arc review of the book:

I had few months now I wanted to read something with vampires and I was given the opportunity to read this book.

Really good enemies to lovers story. Vampire hunter with a vampire. I loved how much detailed the author was with the hate that Cassie/Rebecca had for the vampires even when on the first days at the university. This gave better emphasis to the trope.

Dark academia vibes are my absolutely favourite as well and the way the campus was described made me jealous of the character since I would love to be there. The description was so good that helped me to imagine the whole scenery of the book. Same with the description of the characters.

The plot is so interesting that I didn’t want to leave my kindle until I finish it. It has few plot twists and I love the up and down with different characters like Penny that I didn’t know if I hate her or I like her.

I noticed that there will be a second book and I am really looking forward for it ☺️☺️

I love vampires. I will always be here for vampires. And The Book of Blood and Roses is exactly what I was hoping for--gothy vibes and blood and kissing, and vampire majors that take decades to complete (a detail that I found absolutely delightful). The first half is a little laggy, and the switch from "we are drawn together due to magic" to "I love you for real" was a little jarring, but overall I had an excellent time.

I stumbled over this book by chance, thought lets give it a try, why not and off I was reading The Book of Blood and Roses. I love the vampire trope, love the setting in Scotland, but what I totally oversaw was, this is a lgbtq+ story. ff, the vampire and the vampire hunter, roomies at university, an epic lovestory, drama, action, kind of a cliffie, 3,5 stars.

lately, I’ve been craving vampire books—and this did not disappoint. annie had me in the kind of chokehold every reader deserves.

as the reader, we’re promised sapphic romance and boy do we get it. throughout this read, we have a delicious tension mixed with slow burn enemies to lovers and to top it off, twists you don’t see coming.

there’s so much to love about this book. summerlee’s writing is incredibly atmospheric and when you throw in an ancient university that is so steeped in the world’s core with these immersive descriptions, I was foaming at the mouth. I adored the approach of the lore of vampires, differentiating them based on location and mythology as it really set this book apart from some other vampire reads.

I can’t wait to see if there’s a book 2!

I absolutely loved this book, I've always been a sucker for a vampire novel and this certainly did not disappoint!

The setting for this was really atmospheric and the dark academia vibes were immaculate. I really enjoyed getting to know the main character and to see the way that she developed throughout the course of the book in a really satisfying way. I did find it a bit difficult to warm to Rebecca at first, but I do get the sense that was entirely part of the plot and by the end, I was completely rooting for her. The slow-burn enemies to lovers plot was really executed and I was engaged throughout the book. I also thought the plot had plenty of intrigue and the twists definitely kept me guessing about what would happen next.

There was definitely enough material for a second book and I'd be really excited to see the next installment and learn more about the different organisations and their histories as well as how they all relate to each other. I also eagerly look forward to the next installment of Aliz's story and I'm really interested to learn more about her and her family history. Definitely hopeful that there will be more world building in the next installment, I only wish it was coming out sooner!

4⭐
"As much as I don't want it to be true, my roommate is a vampire."

The blurb of this sounded right up my street and the first couple of chapters absolutely caught my attention quickly.
I really didn't expect to like any of the vampires, but I couldn't help it! Julia is such an interesting character I really looked forward to seeing her. And Aliz? Swoon!!!!
Rebecca/Cassie is an absolute badass, she went through so much trauma and she's still fighting to just find her place in the world.
Oh the forbidden love 😭
The last few chapters were so fast paced and had so many twists I am still processing everything. I absolutely can't wait to read book 2!
Highly recommend this book to anyone that's a fan of vampire stories like I am, of a strong FMC, sapphic love, enemies to lovers, and stunning visuals.

arc review: this had me in a chokehold through the entire book. everything was perfectly done in my opinion. i ate it up. every character felt real and the plot twists got me. this was my first sapphic romance and i LOVED it. i need to get the physical copy asap. thank you to netgalley and annie summerlee for this arc!

This was a delightful, albeit kind of strange book. Strange in a good way! I liked the worldbuilding, the side characters, the ways in which the story developed. It's well written and captivating but I struggled to understand sometimes how we got to certain places within the story! Perhaps that's just me not paying attention but some things just seemed a bit strange sometimes plot-wise.

This was so much more than I expected!

Rebecca's parents were brutally murdered by vampires.
When Callisto comes forward and offers Rebecca an opportunity to train and become a vampire hunter, she cannot turn it down. Four years later, she is posing as a student, Cassie, and finds herself at a vampire/human university to locate the Book of Blood and Roses which is rumoured to be hidden away there. While she is here, truths that are lies and lies that are truths, change everything that she has been told and believes in. Now she must find a way to not only save herself, but also the one vampire she fell in love with.

I am pretty sure I felt my heart rate speeding up and slowing down reading this book. It is edgy, dark and addictive and never really slows down. A definite must read for any paranormal readers!

Buffy the vampire slayer meets Vampire Academy in this sapphic vampire romance following Rebecca, A vampire hunter with a unique blood type that makes her irresistible to vampires, who is sent on an undercover mission to a vampire university to retrieve a lost book called “The Book of Blood and Roses”. Upon arrival, she meets Aliz Astra, her stunning and mysterious roommate from a powerful vampire family. After an attack, Aliz saves Rebecca but inadvertently turns her into her familiar. Now, bound by a potent curse and undeniable passion, they must unite to break the curse before the next full moon seals their fate forever.

The Book Of Blood And Roses distinguishes itself with its intricate plot twists, palpable tension, and a refreshingly original take on vampire mythology. The compelling side characters were a notable highlight. While the initial pacing felt somewhat accelerated and slightly disjointed, the narrative quickly gained momentum and cohesion as the story unfolded. Overall, it provided an engaging reading experience, and I intend to continue with the series."

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to review this ARC for an honest review! ❤️