To the north of the Varis empire, a mysterious faction spreads propaganda against the vampire monarchy. Friedrich Volya, the Duke of Winter Hill, seeks to discover who they are before his uncle finds them first. King Dominik will punish the traitors with brutal force. Local schoolteacher, the raven-haired Brennalyn, is on her own mission–to spy on the duke and discover what she can for the … for the Black Lily. She longs to help the commonwealth and bring justice to the many orphans left behind from the ravages of the blood madness, like the children she lovingly keeps in her care. What she doesn’t plan for is the heart-pounding attraction she feels for the duke, enemy to the Black Lily.
But when Brennalyn’s secret puts her life and the life of her children in danger, Friedrich steps in as her protector, she finds out there’s more to the duke than she thought.
Each book in the Vampire Blood series is STANDALONE:
* The Black Lily
* The Red Lily
* The White Lily
* The Emerald Lily
more
What a fabulous read!!! I loved friedrich and brenna ‘s story. Friedrich is a hot and sexy vampire Lord who is more then he seem’ s and Brennan the town’s school teacher has caught his eye and heats his blood !!! These two characters have a awesome chemistry and with a great storyline this was a page turner. Besides the main characters the secondary characters are just as interesting from Mikhail to dmitri both soldiers from his personal blood guard,who are hot and very sexy too. And also grant his half brother who is not only sexy hot ,but very funny too!!! I can’t wait to read the rest in this series!!! Juliette cross is a amazing writer and I’m her new forever fangirl !!!
I am usually not the biggest fan of Snow White twists, but throw some vampires in there and I am good to go apparently. I really enjoyed this one and I’m just really enjoying this series. The romance is so engrossing and I love that it’s vampires with a fairy tale twist. I also really enjoy the overarching story and can’t wait to see how it all comes to an end.
***5 ‘Why Are You On Your Knees?” Stars***
Ever since getting that taste of Friedrich (who will from now on be called Freddy with the blessing of the author :D) in The Red Lily I’ve been doing my best to #practicepatience (badly) for his story, and though it took me a bit to finally dive into The White Lily, I was not disappointed in any way. Even with all the tension between the royal family and those who back the Black Lily, it was a fun read filled with moments that made my heart go all kinds of wonky and twitterpated, my panties melt (and amazingly had no moments that me want to give the author the evil eye) and filled with characters I want to spend more time with and was quite disappointed when there were no more words to read.
I absolutely ADORED Freddy & Brenna! Freddy may just be my favorite non-broody yet alpha AF male Ms. Cross has written to date. He’s sneaky, charming, commanding, dominate and oh my god smexy and then mix in his compassionate heart and simple kindness and you have a very lethal male on your hands. Brenna has that potent and intriguing mix of tender heart and iron will. She’s not afraid to jump into the mix and help out in whatever capacity she can, but she doesn’t need to be the in the spotlight.
The chemistry between Freddy and Brenna was off the charts. It was seriously in that whole my my heart all kinds of wonky and twitterpated while melting my panties off chemistry (Honestly don’t even bother with panties). Even when they were dancing around each other with their “secrets” it was hot and then when they finally come clean and get to know each other without all the baggage they are both carrying around…it’s practically perfect. There is a bit of push/pull going on, but the angst is low, and I’m definitely not mad at where they were at in the end.
Part of my enjoyment of any story are well written secondary/supporting cast of characters that inhabit the world and Ms. Cross writes some amazing ones. Brenna’s children had me smiling, especially Izzy though Beatrice wasn’t far behind considering our shared hobby and Denny…Then there is Grant and the men in the Bloodguard. Let’s just say that I wouldn’t be upset at all if they all got their own HEA’s, whether it be in this series or a spin off. As for the direction the overall series arc is going, I’m really enjoying watching as everything unfolds and cannot wait to see what the next book in the series brings!
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
The White Lily was another compelling read in the Vampire Blood series.
I have to say I absolutely love the prologues and epilogues in this series. Ms. Cross writes such gripping and enticing, beginnings and ends, that I’m blown-away and hooked immediately.
This one is a loose retailing of the fairy tale, Snow White. Brennalyn Snow is a school teacher. She’s got a big heart, is a mother to seven orphaned children, and wants to aid the rebellion against the aristocracy vampires that rule over all humans. Friedrich Volya, Duke of Winter Hill is secretly helping the rebellion and has been keeping an eye on the raven haired school teacher for sometime now.
It took me a little while to get into this story. I felt the romance and plot where a little slow going, but once I got into the story, things moved quickly. A few things where easy to spot, but the danger was strong and enticing. Near the end we get a little surprise. Which made me giddy and shows that things will soon be coming to a head in the war against the crown.
“It was no longer a war of humans against vampires. It was a war between justice and tyranny.”
For the romance I wasn’t fully falling into it and I didn’t fully love it like I have the previous two couples in this series. Their romance was still good. The passion and attraction where their and very strong, but something was lacking with Friedrich and Brennalyn’s romance. I can’t put my finger on it, but I just felt something was missing.
As a last note, even though each of the books in the series are about different couples, the series is best read in order. There is a plot that continues thorough out the series and recurring characters.
The White Lily was a riveting read. I’m fond of Ms. Cross’s writing. She just has a way of pulling you into the story and characters and keeping you hooked. I can’t wait for the next installment in the Vampire Blood series.
Rated: 4 Stars
*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
Love, love, LOVE this book! I didn’t realize that it wasn’t the first in the series when I got it but it read perfectly as a stand alone.
Brenda is such an intelligent, strong-willed heroine and I absolutely adore her. Her struggle to protect her loved ones, and her heart, from the dangerous vampire aristocracy, especially the devilishly handsome duke.
This book has romance, suspense, a plot twist I didn’t quite see coming, and gorgeous vampires
4.5 stars–THE WHITE LILY is the third installment in Juliette Cross’s adult, paranormal VAMPIRE BLOOD romance series (formerly known as The Tales of the Black Lily series). This is vampire Friedrich Volya, Duke of Winter Hill, and schoolteacher Brennalyn Snow’s story line. THE WHITE LILY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty although I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing premise throughout.
SOME BACKGROUND: The Black Lily is an underground movement that is attempting to take down the royal vampire family, and their army of Legionnaires who are obliterating village after village in a frenzied blood madness known as the sanguine furorem.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Friedrich and Brennalyn) THE WHITE LILY continues to search for supporters of The Black Lily, and to prove the existence of a new threat known as The White Lily. Brennalyn Snow is a human female; a twenty three year old schoolteacher who is the foster mother to seven orphans ranging in age from preschool to late teens. But Brennalyn has a secret identity that if revealed would threaten her life and the lives of the children she loves. Enter Friedrich Volya, the Duke of Winter Hill, and a member of the reigning royal vampire family. What ensues is the building relationship between Friedrich and Brennalyn, and the potential fall out when Brennalyn’s true identity is revealed.
Friedrich Volya is no stranger to the people of Terrington, a small village of humans under the Duke’s rule but Brennalyn Snow has caught the eye of the handsome vampire Duke-a Duke who is willing to do anything to make Brennalyn his mate an his own. Brennalyn knows that once her true identity is revealed, the Duke will have no choice but to punish the woman with whom he is falling in love. What Brennalyn doesn’t know is that the Duke is also estranged from the ruling vampire family-a family of murderous, power hungry vampires who are determined to destroy and control all of the humans.
THE WHITE LILY brushes and tugs snippets of fantasy ala Snow White and The Seven Dwarves with the inclusion of vampires, wolf-shifters, huntsman and poisonous fruit. Brennalyn ‘Snow’ and her seven little children will fall victim to the evil Queen, when a magical mirror reveals all to the other side.
THE WHITE LILY is a story of adventure; of action, forbidden romance and the ongoing war between human and vampires. The ruling elite are determined to control the embittered humans of the surrounding territories but some of their own are slowly taking up arms to battle on the side of The Black Lily against the family in control. The premise is entertaining and engaging; the characters are sexy, strong willed and charismatic; the romance is seductive, energetic and provocative.
Copy supplied for review
NetGalley ARC review. The feisty librarian/part-time spy and the rakish duke. Oh what a fun read! A slow seduction at it’s finest. The verbal sparring between Friedrich & Brennalyn is highly entertaining along with the duke’s relentless pursuit of who he desires most. This is the first story I’ve read by Juliette Cross. I will be picking up additional stories by her
Favorite of the series so far. I love how each book expands on characters we know and the relationships move to the forefront. Brennalyn was perfect for Friedrich he was masculine and alpha and her character complimented him rather than overshadowed him (like Arabelle and Sienna did in the previous books. The building sexual tension between the characters was written wonderfully as were the sex scenes. The sex scenes aren’t repetitive in the series they are tailored to the characters personality in the book, so you don’t get that insert tab A into slot B moment because you read it in the last book.
I own every book by Mrs. Cross and there’s a reason for that (besides the OCD) the world building is excellent and the characters are always whole, even the secondary characters.
I was given an ARC for my honest opinion.