ARC Review: The White Lily by Juliette Cross

Series:	Vampire Blood #3
Pub. Date:	Oct. 23, 2017
Publisher:	Entangled
Length:	326 pages
Source:	NetGalley

The Vampire Blood series is probably the most interesting take on fairytale retellings that I have read thus far. I mean we have Arabella (Cinderella) as a vampire hunter, Sienna (Little Red Riding Hood) living in a magical forest with huge Hart wolves, and now Brennalyn (Snow White) as the adoptive mother to seven children. And when you pair these unique heroines with some uber yummy (and fangy) heroes, sparks fly.

I'm going to start with our hero for The White Lily, Friedrich Volya, Duke of Winter Hill, and cousin to Prince Marius from The Black Lily. We met Friedrich in the earlier books and I didn't expect him to be quite so deliciously flirty. I would describe Friedrich as a loving womanizer... he flits from woman to woman not because he is fickle or cold-hearted, but because he wants to avoid hurting any woman like his mother was hurt by his father's infidelity. I found him to be an admirable hero, and his salacious sexual appetite was lots of fun. 

Our heroine is Brennalyn Snow, a rebel loyal to the Black Lily's cause. In a similar vein to Snow White, Brennalyn has seven little people to care for... but they are children of various ages and personalities. Brennalyn has an ulterior motive for being in Winter Hill, and she does not trust the Duke at all, despite being drawn to him. Brennalyn was not my favorite heroine of the series, but I did enjoy her care and affection for the children. Once she got over her judgey inclinations, she was a tolerable heroine and I enjoyed watching Friedrich seduce her.

The Black Lily and her cause are still going strong, but so is the Queen and her spreading blood madness. When Friedrich's uncle Dominick begins hunting The White Lily, it puts him and Friedrich in direct conflict and threatens to expose Friedrich's true loyalties. I like the overall series arc and conflict, and The White Lily helped to advance that. I wish the ending and plot conflict would not have resolved so quickly, as I really like the action and drama unfolding.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Entangled.

Vampire Blood Series