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A review by momwithareadingproblem
Belle Morte by Bella Higgin
3.0
I receive an eARC of this book via NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Vampires have been making a come back over the last year, and I’m not about to complain about it! Vampires are one of my favorite paranormals to read about, whether they are the good guys or the villains. Belle Morte by debut author Bella Higgin is the first in a new series about vampires who live like the Hollywood elite. Everyone knows they exist, and everyone wants to be them or as close to them as they can be as willing donors with one exception: Renie.
Renie arrives at Belle Morte, one of the vampire houses in the UK, looking for her sister who went missing a few months earlier. They were really close and agreed on most things, except her obsession with vampires. With her sister no longer appearing in promotional photos or answering any of her mail, Renie does what any good sister would do: applies to be a donor at the same house. I really like her. She’s stubborn, a little on the shy side, and loyal to a fault. The only thing I really disliked about her was her inherent prejudice against the all vampires, even the ones who seem to be protecting her.
Edmond is the second in command at Belle Morte, a vampire several hundred years old. He is clearly smitten with Renie, how she doesn’t immediately fall for the vampires’ charms, and that she doesn’t want to be there. He’s intrigued, and I love that we get a glimpse inside his point of view. It’s needed to truly understand him.
Here’s where the story falls a part for me. It is a very slow start, lots of introducing of characters, not a lot of action, more telling instead of showing. This is a common mistake I see with debut authors. Despite that I kept reading and was rewarded with an awesome, action-packed, fast-paced climax and ending. I won’t lie though, I totally predicted the ending and the big twist within a few chapters of the book so that was a bit of a let down. I did however enjoy the overall world-building, the vampire society, and how humans react to them. It’s interesting and reminds me of a cross between the Southern Vampire Mysteries (Trueblood) and the more classic vampire stories.
Overall, Belle Morte was okay for me. I didn’t enjoy how predictable it was or the cliche tropes. BUT I did enjoy the ending and world-building enough to not only finish the book but be excited for the next. If you are a fan of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and of course all things vampire, I do believe you’ll enjoy this one.
Vampires have been making a come back over the last year, and I’m not about to complain about it! Vampires are one of my favorite paranormals to read about, whether they are the good guys or the villains. Belle Morte by debut author Bella Higgin is the first in a new series about vampires who live like the Hollywood elite. Everyone knows they exist, and everyone wants to be them or as close to them as they can be as willing donors with one exception: Renie.
Renie arrives at Belle Morte, one of the vampire houses in the UK, looking for her sister who went missing a few months earlier. They were really close and agreed on most things, except her obsession with vampires. With her sister no longer appearing in promotional photos or answering any of her mail, Renie does what any good sister would do: applies to be a donor at the same house. I really like her. She’s stubborn, a little on the shy side, and loyal to a fault. The only thing I really disliked about her was her inherent prejudice against the all vampires, even the ones who seem to be protecting her.
Edmond is the second in command at Belle Morte, a vampire several hundred years old. He is clearly smitten with Renie, how she doesn’t immediately fall for the vampires’ charms, and that she doesn’t want to be there. He’s intrigued, and I love that we get a glimpse inside his point of view. It’s needed to truly understand him.
Here’s where the story falls a part for me. It is a very slow start, lots of introducing of characters, not a lot of action, more telling instead of showing. This is a common mistake I see with debut authors. Despite that I kept reading and was rewarded with an awesome, action-packed, fast-paced climax and ending. I won’t lie though, I totally predicted the ending and the big twist within a few chapters of the book so that was a bit of a let down. I did however enjoy the overall world-building, the vampire society, and how humans react to them. It’s interesting and reminds me of a cross between the Southern Vampire Mysteries (Trueblood) and the more classic vampire stories.
Overall, Belle Morte was okay for me. I didn’t enjoy how predictable it was or the cliche tropes. BUT I did enjoy the ending and world-building enough to not only finish the book but be excited for the next. If you are a fan of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and of course all things vampire, I do believe you’ll enjoy this one.