SO! I think the biggest mistake I made with this book was read some of the reviews on here before reading the book itself. Usually it doesn't deter my interest in reading but I think I read one too many of the baddies on here to influence me a little when I started to read it. I kept expecting to not like the book and kept looking out for all the stuff others didn't like. Well that and the author's little confession before the book began was not so great either. The author states how she knows she is not the best author out there and that yes there are a bunch of things wrong with her book because she didn't have the money to hire an editor. She mentions that she is selling this book at the lowest price available because it's so bad and that all of the funds will go towards hiring and editor...With that said... Jennifer Hampton don't sell yourself short. This was a very good book on many levels. These are one of those books I wish the author would have contacted me about prior to releasing it ;-). First, the concept is good, the characters likable, the pace was great, cliffhanger ending a really good one. Now, the book did need some majoring proof-reading. Usually when I encounter an author who has misspelled something I am able to still figure out what they meant but in this book some things were put in by mistake that I just couldn't figure out what it was meant to be. Once again the concept of the book was a great one but towards the end of the book it resembled Twilight WAY TOO MUCH! Like WAY TOOOOOOO MUCH! The story revolves around Leigha and her mother moving from Detroit, Michigan to Banks, Oregon. It's 2026 and Oregon is not even a part of the United States anymore. It actually belongs to "The Coast" which is being ruled by King Royce. We quickly find out that Banks, Oregon is full of mystical creatures. Leigha's friendships and loyalty to some of the characters were not believable to me. The author doesn't go into enough getting together time to make them believable. However, there was one friendship just like this one where the author didn't go into a whole lot of spending time together but the frienship proved to be believable and great... maybe because they would text, IM each other and had a class together BUT Leigha wasn't even in school that much because she kept getting hurt and getting into so much trouble... Yeah, she ummm kept running into trouble or trouble just kept finding her according to her and OF COURSE there is Prince Alexander who keeps coming to her rescue(TWILIGHT). Ok, I digress. Note to Author: I think Leigha had too many rolling of the eyes and she did too much groaning. Seriously, nip that. Note to Readers: Seriously, this was a good book. You will need to get passed all the grammatical errors, misspelled words, rolling of the eyes and groaning but it will be well worth it. Yes, it's like Twilight. Not all throughout but you will find some commonalities which can be forgiven until about the last third of the book. Again, if you can get passed some of these and actually are seeking something like Twilight but a bit different, then this is the book for you. I do recommend this book. I think it was a great start to a series. I think this was a great and brave attempt by the author and I commend her for it. AND I THINK SHE SHOULD LET ME READ THE NEXT ONE BEFORE RELEASING IT!Enough said! ( )

I found this book to be a very fast paced and intriguing story. The overall world construction was very unique and imaginative in that it almost employs both dystopian and paranormal YA genres. The characters were enjoyable and I was always on edge wondering what was going on and who was what they seemed and who maybe had other agendas. Leigha was a good girl for the most part and I liked her although I am unsure of her two love interests. I agree with the fact that this book needs some serious editing. I however understand that this was independently published by the author and it isn't always easy to find or pay for editing. I plan to read more books in this series but I feel they would be accepted more by readers if the author could find the editing this series deserves. ( )

Set a few years from now, this is a paranormal romance about a young woman suddenly thrown into a very different world.

America is on the verge of splitting into two pieces. The West Coast is now called the Dark Coast. Living under perpetual dark clouds due to a US military experiment gone bad, it is about to be handed over to King Royce. This is in exchange for his help in America's war with Russia.

Leigha Lowery is a resident of Detroit. One day, her mother abruptly tells her that they are moving to a small town in Oregon, so that she can marry Randy, a very handsome man that she met on the Internet. Leigha is not happy. Once in Oregon, she makes a few friends at the local high school. Some of the women look like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine, and some of the men are very handsome, and with very hypnotic eyes. From the beginning, Leigha realizes that things around here are very different.

She eventually finds out that Randy is King Royce's personal physician, so that makes her an important member of Royce's Court. A number of disappeared in the local forest, and never been found. Leigha attracts the attention of Prince Alexander, heir to the throne, and also very handsome. That is because Randy and Alexander, and a number of people all over town, are vampires. Leigha unknowingly puts herself in danger, more than once, and has to be rescued by Randy and Alexander. Why don't the vampires attack the humans, and drink their blood? It is now official vampire "policy" to co-exist with the humans, instead of killing them. Leigha has no interest in entering the world of etiquette and fancy parties as part of Royce's Court; she would much rather be Ms. Average High School Student.

On the positive side, this is a very good and easy to read teen romance story with just a bit of weird in it. On the negative side, if there are to be future printings of this book, it really needs a trip to an editor, or, at minimum, a proofreader (which the author acknowledges in the beginning of the book). ( )