ARC Review: Velvet by Temple West

Velvet by Temple West (May 12, 2015)
416 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Vampire
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Source: I snagged a free copy at ALA Midwinter. This did not affect my honest review.
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.

After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.

Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

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MY REVIEW

My First Impression: I'm liking it and enjoying the laughs, but it seems a little too Twilight and not unique enough.

Velvet is more unique than it seems at first glance. I'm not going to lie, Velvet has the same framework as Twilight, BUT as I found out while I continued to read, it is different. So I want you to look past the few opening scenes that remind you of Twilight and focus on the wonderful funny story that actually fills its pages. One big difference that most will like, Caitlin isn't a bumbling weakling and Adrian isn't an overly stalkerish vampire. (Just for the record, I have no problem with Twilight. I have read it and enjoyed it. I'm just saying.)

Velvet started off with some intrigue and managed to get a few chuckles out of me. As I got deeper into this fun story I laughed louder and louder and loved the characters more and more. I am always looking for a new vampire book to read, and I'm glad I chose this one.

Every single character in Velvet was amusing, to say the least. I wish they were real and were my friends. I especially cheered on Caitlin and Adrian and their friendship blooming into something more. I wanted them to have their happily ever after. This makes me none too surprised that this book was chosen to be published by the Swoon Reads romance imprint.

If there is a second book (after that ending there better be) not only do I plan on reading it, but I think it will be even better than the first book based on how Velvet ended. I think it will have more action, the one thing I wish Vevlet had touched more on. I mean, there was evil always lurking in the background, but I wanted more confrontations. (Update: There are going to be two more books! So excited!)

The Bottom Line: Velvet is a good read. A perfect read for anyone looking for romance and laughs with some vampires mixed in. I loved it and I hope you do to.