The Key to Erebus

Les Corbeaux: The French Vampire Legend #1

by Emma V. Leech, Roisin O'Connor

The truth can kill you…

Taken as a small child, from a life where faeries, sirens and mythical creatures are real and treacherous, Jéhenne Corbeaux is totally unprepared when she returns to France to stay with her eccentric Grandmother.

Thrown headlong into a world she knows nothing about she seeks to learn the truth about herself, uncovering secrets more shocking than anything she could ever have imagined and finding that she is by no means powerless to protect the ones she loves.

Despite her Gran’s dire warnings, she is inexorably drawn to the dark and terrifying figure of Corvus, an ancient vampire and master of the Albinus family.

Jéhenne is about to find her answers and discover that, not only is Corvus far more dangerous than she could ever imagine but that he holds much more than the key to her heart…

Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Ebooks, Urban Fantasy

ebook

First published October 9, 2012

About the author

Bestselling author hiding mostly in 19th-century England, venturing out only for chocolate and tea.

Emma V. Leech is the award-winning author of multiple bestselling series across Regency romance, Regency mystery and paranormal romance. Fall in love with swoon-worthy rogues, bold heroines, witty banter and deeply romantic happily-ever-afters. Follow Emma on BookBub for new releases and exclusive deals.

EMMA’S BOOKS

Rogues And Gentlemen
Regency romance – 17-book series (ongoing)
Sexy, tumultuous and irresistibly romantic. From pirates and smugglers to earls and dukes, these unforgettable rogues will sweep you away!

Winter Rogue
A Regency Christmas romance within the Rogues & Gentlemen world
A scandal-weary earl, a runaway heiress and a crumbling country estate snowed in for Christmas. A sensual, heart-tugging holiday novella about redemption, desire and a love neither of them expects.

A Rogues and Gentlemen Christmas
A standalone Regency Christmas romance
A collection of three romantic holiday stories featuring beloved Rogues & Gentlemen characters. Expect snowstorms, sizzling tension, unexpected proposals, mistletoe moments and heart-melting happily-ever-afters – a cosy festive escape for Regency romance lovers.

The Girl Is Not For Christmas
A standalone Regency Christmas romance
Miss Olivia Penrose is the only thing standing between her family and ruin when a brooding aristocrat crashes into her carefully laid plans. Sparks fly amid family secrets, snowy scandals and irresistible festive longing in this passionate, witty and deeply romantic winter read.

Girls Who Dare
Regency romance – 12-book series
Inside every wallflower is the heart of a lioness. When these overlooked young women make a pact to change their lives, rules are broken, reputations are risked and love becomes the most daring adventure of all.

Daring Daughters
Victorian romance – 19-book series and two compilations
The next generation of the Girls Who Dare. Their mothers risked everything for love – now their daughters are ready to be even bolder. An ongoing series of fiercely romantic stories set in a rapidly changing world.

Wicked Sons
Victorian romance – 12-book series
Their mothers dared all for love. Their sisters did the same. Now it’s the sons’ turn… dangerous, tempting and determined not to fall – until the right woman brings them to their knees.

The Venturesome Ladies Of Little Valentine
Regency romance – my current series
A quiet seaside village, a wave of scandalous newcomers and local ladies who refuse to be swept aside. A warm, witty Regency series full of secrets, second chances and delicious enemies-to-lovers romance.

The Regency Romance Mysteries
Regency romantic suspense – 3-book series
Dashing heroes, wicked villains, murder, mystery – and heroines who refuse to sit prettily and wait to be rescued. Perfect if you like your Regency romance served with danger and intrigue.

The French Vampire Legend
Paranormal romance – 4-book series
A dark, dramatic and heart-wrenching tale of courage, sacrifice and a love that not even time, war or monsters can destroy. Gothic atmosphere, high stakes and a romance that refuses to die.

The French Fae Legend
Fantasy romance – 4-book series
An award-winning saga with close to sixteen million online reads. Moving between modern-day France and the Fae Lands, these books weave powerful magic, danger and an all-consuming love that proves stronger than any enchantment.

The Book Lover
A standalone paranormal romance novella
A book-obsessed young woman, an infuriatingly charming stranger and the unnerving sense that stories might be bleeding into real life. A short, intensely romantic tale for anyone who has ever fallen in love with books… and perhaps with something not entirely of this world.

Reviews

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Key To Erebus was probably the first ever vampire/paranormal fiction I've read where the action is set in somewhere other than the UK or the U.S. I loved the backdrop of the Dordogne countryside and found it to be a refreshing break from the norm and one that immediately caught my attention. I mean, vampires and witches in the French countryside? Really? Yeah, why the hell not!

Immediately we are introduced to our main protagonist, Jehenne, somewhat a troubled girl, suffering from nightmarish visions of the future and around whom strange things tend to happen and strange ghostly figures tend to appear. After too many disagreements with her parents, Jehenne takes herself off to stay with her eccentric, odd grandmother; a lady who has her own herb room, has a penchant for croissants, reads tarot cards and doesn't bat an eyelid when ghosts pop in for a chat. That's right, Ines Corbeaux is a witch and Jehenne finds out she has definitely inherited the family abilities; in fact she's a pretty damn good witch, only she doesn't quite know this yet.

Not long after taking root in her grandmother's home, Jehenne is soon thrust into the dangerous and unpredictable world of supernatural creatures: shape-shifters, faeries (not quite the Tinkerbell-like cuties you might expect), ghouls, sirens and vampires.

Talking of vampires, step forward elder vamp Corvus, dangerous, sexy and powerful and more than a little miffed when he learns of Jehenne's existence seeing as she looks more than a bit like his long-lost beloved.

When a fledgling vampire kills a keeper; protector of one the supernatural worlds most precious artefacts, the whole supernatural council is called into session and all fingers start pointing towards the vampires themselves, and Corvus and Jehenne are reluctantly thrown together in the mission to discover the perpetrator. Throw in a serious grudge against Corvus from Ines and an unwanted attraction to the vampire her grandmother would like to see dead, you just know Jehenne's troubles have only just begun.

What I loved most about Erebus is that you never quite know who to trust. None of the characters are quite what they appear to be on the surface, there are many secrets, many lies and danger lurking around every corner which keeps you turning page after page, desperate to know who is telling the truth and who is the enemy.

Jehenne is feisty, strong-willed and independent with just that right amount of vulnerability you need to keep you rooting for her right to the very end and Corvus is fantastically alluring as the lead vamp. Chuck in the ghoulishly wonderful Londoner, Rodney with all his 'blimeys' and 'luvs' to add in a hint of humour and the whole novel is a recipe for a real page-turning romp of wicked proportions.

If you're looking for a read that has all the right elements to keep you on the edge of your seat and characters you'll fall in love with, then The Key To Erebus is the one for you!

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Review:
This book was pretty much the quintessential “centuries old vampire falls in love with teenage girl *SPOILER* who turns out to be his reincarnated love” *END SPOILER* romance, but the thing about tropes is that they’re not inherently bad, it just depends how they’re written, and I thought this book just so happened to use the trope pretty well in combination with good characters and an interesting story, and the trope was really just used as a springboard into the series as the rest of the books so far have expanded into more unique and mature situations.

I felt somewhat torn about the book though. I enjoyed it, but I also had some issues.

First of all, there was Jehenne. She was by no means perfect, afterall she was still a teenager which means she was still making mistakes and growing and full of strong opinions and emotions, but that was what I liked about her. She felt very realistic and relatable at times. She occasionally made bad decisions, but she also made good decisions other times. She wasn’t always 100% confident in herself, but she wasn’t drowning in low self-esteem either. She made snap judgments sometimes, but she realized her mistakes later and learned from them. She also slapped a big, scary vampire when he called her a slut, which was either very stupid or very awesome depending on how you look at it. And I especially loved that she was kickass with magical powers and a reasonable ability to fight—two things she worked hard on and practiced every day—but also emotional. It seems like so many authors make their female characters emotionless and cold in an effort to make them seem “strong,” but, to me, emotion IS strength, or at least part of it, not to mention it’s just human.

However, I kind of liked her less as the story went on. I hate myself a little bit for what I’m about to say, especially since the first time I read this book I felt like some other reviewers who said the very same thing were just judging Jehenne too harshly, but she could sometimes be too emotional. That whole part when she was upset with Corvus was especially frustrating because her reaction to that bit of news that she got was overdramatic, and it didn’t make sense that she wouldn’t even let him explain his side of things when it was painfully clear that Ines’s version of the story was warped. Jehenne just threw every good thing she knew about Corvus and all the kindness he had showed her out the window the second Ines told her the story. And then the way she continued to push him away later didn’t make sense either. I 100% understood her concerns about him only loving her because she looked like his past love, but how was he supposed to prove that he loved her for her if she refused to ever spend time with him? And that scene when she got unfairly jealous and just kept slapping Corvus until she was exhausted was completely over the top. It also frustrated me that Jehenne just couldn’t seem to understand that vampire society works differently than human society—she seemed horrified or offended by every new thing she learned. And a few of her decisions weren’t quite TSTL but were cutting it close. To be fair about Jehenne’s character though, she always felt consistent, and her emotionalness was just a legitimate part of her.

Then there was Corvus. I liked him, but he was kind of the typical tortured hero/scary-but-good vampire love interest. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though; it just depends what you like. And he did have a bit of a temper, so that could be considered a flaw. Plus he was nearly as emotional and dramatic as Jehenne at times, just with less tears.

As for their relationship, there was no instalove, Jehenne and Corvus took some time to get to know each other before actually deeming it love, but I still felt like the start of the relationship was a bit rushed.

There were also some minor grammar mistakes, mostly punctuation errors and too many exclamation points, so not anything terrible, but it would’ve come across a lot more polished with a good proofreader.

Ok it seems like all I’ve talked about in this review are negative things, but I swear I did like this book. Even though I had issues with certain things Jehenne did, I still loved some things about her. And even though Corvus was kind of typical, I liked him too. And I happen to like drama and angst in romance, so I at least liked the layer of emotion they provided even if I didn’t always understand why the characters were acting how they were acting. Plus the story itself was enjoyable, what with the vampires and witches and shifters and magic and murders and romance. I’ve also already read the second and third books and can tell you that I liked those even more, and they fixed many of the problems I had with this book. So it’s still a book I enjoyed and recommend if it sounds like your kinda thing!

*I’ve read this book multiple times. This review was written after my 2nd read.*

Reread Ratings:
3.5 Stars (1st Read – 2015)
3.5 Stars (2nd Read – 2016)

Recommended For:
Anyone who likes vampires, witches, emotional characters, romance, unusual but sweet family relationships, and tension-filled plots.

Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight

[Polstar · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few years ago a girl came onto the scene called Buffy. Buffy killed vampires. She had a best friend who was a witch. Her friend who was a witch dated a werewolf. Buffy may have killed vampires but she also went out with two. She had a sister who was a 'key'. Her other friend, Xander, went out with a demon.

If you have read The Key To Erebus all of this will sound VERY familiar.

There is nothing new, ground-breaking or at all exciting about this novel. It is vampire romance schtick by numbers. The emasculation of male vampires in popular culture recently has gone from the unique (Angel and Spike) to the ridiculous (Edward Cullen and Corvus) and this novel suffers greatly for it.

Although it is not original, the storyline to this novel has some promise. A young woman returns to France and discovers the world isn't quite as she thought it was. So far so good. When she faces the 'supes' for the first time you really feel that there is some potential. But the love story that unfolds between Lehanne and her vampire lover is simply annoying. It's going well, it's going well ... ahhhh ... she throws a strop again. It's going well, it's going well ... ahhh ... strop time. Now, you'd expect the leader of a family, ancient vampire etc. etc. to just tell her to sod right off and find someone else to annoy but NO. When did male vampires become SO pathetic?

And don't even start me on the almost self-referential nod to Twilight. It was as if the authors decided that if they mentioned it no-one could accuse them of running behind on the coat-tails of this flawed but successful series of books.

Oh I know I'm sounding cruel and unkind, and to be fair I probably am. Afterall I didn't abandon the book, in fact I carried on reading right to the end (but couldn't bring myself to read the 'exclusive sneak preview of the second book') so I must have enjoyed something about it.

So what did I like? I thought Ines was an interesting character but it was too convenient that she kept 'popping off' and 'disappearing' when things were getting tough as it allowed the romance to blossom.
Rodney is adorable and I think I would only read the second book to find out more about him.
I loved the fact that the book was set in France also.

So there you go, that's it for me, no more vampire romances unless an author agrees to allow the male vampire to keep his balls in tact.

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out with such great potential... the prologue was interesting and intriguing introducing the possibilities of a fascinating storyline; however, once the storyline began to evolve, it lost focus and direction... We meet Jehenne, an 18 year old girl who is introduced to a supernatural world she never knew existed only to discover that she is a powerful witch; understanding that she is young and naive to this new world allowed me to tolerate some of her impulsive, immature responses to situations, however, she seemed to stagnate in her development never really focusing on this profound realization of her abilities but instead gets lost in (unnecessary) angst in an insta love relationship with Corvus... Corvus is a two thousand year old vampire who is introduced as a powerful Master Vampire with an edginess and mystery to him, however, as the story progresses he loses that edge and becomes predictable and boring... the story seemed to lack balance between the love story and the supernatural elements making me wonder about the direction and focus of the book... unfortunately, I chose not to finish this read due to these issues... 1 star:(

[Ashley]

I will admit... Yes, I did add this purely based on my last name being the same (4+ star rating helped as well), lol.

[SIS · Rating 2 out of 5]

To quote another: Frustrating characters

There was enough interest in the basics of the story to MAKE myself finish the book, but in the words of another reviewer, FRUSTRATING CHARACTERS. ( I agree with that entire review) Namely, the h. I just couldn't tolerate her after the 1st 3rd of the book. Forced myself to finish the book but won't be able to garner enough interest to pick up the sequel.

[Precious Garnett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Annoying main character

All Jehenne does is throw up and panic. As the book progresses her attitude never improves. I've never come across a more unlikeable main character.

[Nikki Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't care what anyone else thinks. This book is just awesome. So there's witches and vampires along with other supernaturals, that's the point of reading it if you love that kind of thing. I'm patiently waiting for the sequel while reading the author's other books, therefore, this book is worth the time reading it. One of my top 5 faves :P

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok, mainly because Jehenne (main character) really bugged me. She made dumb choices, cried too much, and was emotional irrational most of the time. Not sure if I'll continue with the series.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 68%. Just too long and slow, and too much teenager drama.

On the flip side, I love her regency romance series. It’s like another author wrote them.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

such an amazing book. My first in this type of Series and I look forward to reading more..

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out really well. I was quite interested and excited about the possibility that I had found the next series to get stuck into. Sadly it went downhill from there.

The writing turned very pedestrian (lots of 'he did this...', 'they said that...' and 'I thought something..." style sentences that make the book feel monotonous) and became tell rather than show.

And then there was the main female character...

I don't know why writers who set out to write a strong female character feel the need to give her the three S's - selfishness, stubbornness and stupidity. I have read a few books where the writer has nailed a good female character - someone who doesn't just blindly do everything she is told but, rather, uses her brain to work through the situation, taking their own views and the opinions of those around her into consideration and then coming up with a course of action that may or may not be what they were asked to do. Yes, they can be ignorant and manipulated into making a bad decision, and things can go wrong, but they show some intelligence along the way. In this book (and far too many like it) the female made decisions based on: "no one tells me what to do, and if they attempt it I am going to do the opposite." Unless the writer needed Jehenne to blindly go along with someone, and then she decided she couldn't be bothered fighting them and just followed along. There didn't seem to be any thought going into anything she did, making her come across as very stupid.

And for the majority of the book, she was either furious and getting into major fights with people or off on her own sulking because life didn't go her way. I kept thinking it was a phase but no. The very last scene was her having a major fight with Corvus. Seriously, I was at the point where I genuinely wanted Corvus to announce that he was done; that Jehenne needed to go off and have her temper-tantrums elsewhere, because he didn't want to ever see her again. That would have been an ending I could have enjoyed. There is no way I can endure another moment of the trainwreck that was Jehenne and Corvus.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back to the ancient pile of freebies for yet another experience of "eh... nah". Halfbaked plot that didn't seem to know where it was going half the time, exposition delivered solely in bouts of infodumping, a woeful lack of editing, insufferable characters... need I continue? Not worth the time spent reading it.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned - DNF - 68%

The first 60% was relatively good.
Unfortunately, the second half took a hiatus into the Twilight Zone.

[Yvonne Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing. Liked all the characters. Just enough intrigue to keep you wanting the end.

[Blanca · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are truly not enough words to describe how much I loved this book. Emma Leech has become one of my favorite authors from the instant I read one of her books I knew her others book would not disappoint. You can’t help but become a part of the world she has created for her characters it’s like you are literally right there along with them throughout their journey. The exquisite details lure you in and keep you enthralled and immersed in each of her stories.
Jehenne Corbeaux is such a unique heroine although frustrating at times, she is very independent, resilient and quick witted. It’s easy to find her character alluring and relatable.
Jehenne flees her home in England and her mother’s expectations to be a normal girl and live a normal life and seeks refuge in her strange and peculiar grandmother.
Her world begins to shift into something inexplicable, ghosts are popping up, a ghoul and then a revelation from the grandmother about the Corbeaux family, she is a witch just like the rest of the women in her family.
The world she thought she lived in is nothing compared to the world she will become a part of. It’s full of vampires, witches, shapeshifters, ghouls, angels and other mythical creatures. It’s truly a magical world full of endless possibilities and intriguing revelations.
Corvus is breathtakingly beautiful and powerful vampire, who’s charming qualities will leave you breathless. Jehenne is drawn to him immediately and their lives are more entwined then they are first led to believe.
She battles with herself and the choices she has to make, she isn’t perfect and fears her decisions aren’t the best ones, but she must stand behind her choice to do what’s right no matter what people may think. I love that she doesn’t let what others think affect her choices and does what she feels is right.
Truly a remarkable and thrilling emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end I can’t wait to continue reading this series!

[Hellvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jehenne Corbeaux flees England, and her mother's insistence that her dreams are just that and nothing more to seek refuge with her somewhat eccentric, seemingly harmless grandmother.

Her brief reprieve is shattered when a ghost pops up at her window, a mohican-sporting ghoul starts knocking at the door, and her grandmother reveals the Corbeaux families' gift (or curse, depending on who you ask about it).

The Key to Erebus has an intricate plot, interwoven with the author's 'Dark' series to create a vibrant and exciting world of all things paranormal. Vampires (of course), Witches (naturally), Shapeshifters, Ghouls, Fae... even an Angel and an Incubus settle comfortably into a story arc with endless possibilities.

Jehenne has received some backlash from readers for not jumping into bed with the male lead - Corvus - in spite of his looks, charm, powers of seduction, and, well... let's just say I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crisps (or bagels. This is France, after all), but I applaud her for it. If there's a list of Spunky Female Heroines out there, Jehenne is well deserving of a place in said list. She has dignity and moral integrity, she battles with herself over her choices and makes decisions that break her heart. She isn't perfect of infallible - she's an 18-year-old girl with hopes and fears like anyone else. She stands up for what she believes is right, no matter how many people she pisses off in the process, and that's what I love about her.

The Key to Erebus is a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end and the teaser for the next book in the series is cruel. It's evil incarnate. I'm on tenterhooks while I wait for the notification that I can finally buy the bloody thing!

[Alexandria Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 56%

****Spoilers*****

Much eye rolling and face scrunching reading this one. I didn't like Jehenne or Corvus or Gran for that matter. Missing information, the story jumps from one thing to the next without any hint or explanation. We're about six chapters in when there's a mention of a friend that Jehenne is going to hang out with whom we hadn't been introduced to even by reference at that point in the book. Jehenne's emotions are all over the place and the same for Corvus. It reads more like hormonal teenagers than intelligent adults and in the case of Corvus, a long lived vampire. One minute Jehenne is terrified of Corvus and thinks he's there to kill her, then a second later she's shivering with arousal then shortly after to anger. The rapid changes in mood were hard to keep up with and just seemed wrong.

I still don't understand why Jehenne needed to go see the incubus with Corvus, and why is his name the same as the werewolf? And for some reason Jehenne thinks, now living in a world where she knows magic and it's creatures are real, she jumps into a lake to get a necklace for a little girl ghost. She didn't find it strange that the damned thing was still visible after how many ever years, months, days, it whatever? She even wonders why her Gran never retrieved it for the ghost girl. It's just nonsensical this book in so many ways and so very frustrating. The characters were dull and didn't seem real at all. I could go on but I just couldn't with this one.

[Elli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zu Beginn dachte ich mir, dass dieses Buch wieder so eine abgedroschene Vampir-Geschichte sein wird und dieses Gefühl blieb sogar bis zu ca. einem Drittel der Handlung. Doch dann wurde die Geschichte wirklich spannend und umfassend. Es offenbarte sich eine Welt, die sehr gut durchdacht und interessant war und von der man mehr erfahren mochte.

Leider waren die ewigen Zwistigkeiten und das Hin und Her der Hauptcharaktere sehr ermüdend. Sie liebten sich urplötzlich, hassten sich dann wieder, konnten nicht von einander lassen und im nächsten Moment ertrugen sie noch nicht einmal mehr die Anwesenheit des Anderen. Das war weder unterhaltsam noch emotional sondern einfach nur anstrengend und machte die Geschichte sogar teilweise sehr kaputt. Denn eigentlich gab es eine gute Charakterentwicklung, die jedoch nicht wirklich hervor trat.

Schade! Die Idee zur Geschichte gefällt mir. Ich möchte sehr gern mehr von der Welt erfahren und bin auch gespannt wie es weiter geht, aber ich brauche erstmal eine Pause von diesem unerträglichen Liebespaar.

[RB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that I picked up this book because it was cheap. I surprised to find that I had chanced upon such a great story! Self-published, this book is an easy read that weaves connections between characters that you never saw coming... but also some you do see coming on purpose. There isn't an angsty teen brat at the center of this story though she certainly can get a little silly in her love life. I felt connected to her easily as an independent thinker, strong woman, dealing with a difficult family and personal weaknesses. I don't want to comment on the elements of the story for fear if ruining it for others. I will say that Emma wove together multiple mythos together in a way that immediately made me accept angels, roman/greek gods, demons and fae without question. I cannot wait for the next book (probably not done until the end of the year) and pray the series is picked up by a publisher so Emma can write more, faster. If you like this genre, it is a must read!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago and left a review elsewhere but neglected to leave one here, for which I apologise, here it is.

I have one thing that I cannot stress enough. GET THIS BOOK!!!! It was fantastic! I was caught on a couple of occasions by my hubby neglecting the housework curled up on sofa reading as time had flown by. I'd pick this up to read a few pages to find a couple of chapters had gone by and yet still I read!! It was sooo good I almost missed the school run!!

The main female character was engaging although at times a bit frustrating!!! The male lead . . . . (sigh) and then there was Rodney the ghoul!!!! I won't say too much about the plot as I struggle to find something that I can say without giving too much away as I am just gushing about it!! I am now eagerly book 2 and will definately be re-reading this book. An honour that only a few books/authors have ever captured me enough to do. 5stars is just not enough!!

[Bo0kSLoth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, but . . .

So I wanted to like this book, I really did, but Jehenne made it really hard. She was wishy-washy. For someone who wanted to know who she was, she never once fought to learn about being a witch or controlling her powers. The majority of the book is her just being forced to learn or her complaining she can't deal. For someone who knew that she was manipulated her whole life, she lets her Gran, Felix, and Corin do it to her. Her so-called feelings for Corvus are enough to make me want to punch her in the throat. She pushes her insecurities off on him and then plays with his emotions while coyly saying she doesn't know how she feels. She says she needs distance then calls him to save her then tells him to leave once he does. Cold, so cold. The book it unnecessary long and I had to finish it in the hopes there was a redeeming quality to Jehenne, but sadly I won't be continuing to series.

[Sooz Malinoski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am truly bummed about this book. I love this author, but this book screams self-published and could have been a much better story if it had been edited (or re-edited if that was the case). There was so much telling and not as much showing. The protagonist is wildly naive at times and blunders her way through things. She lets people take advantage of her and is so hot and cold with Corvus that it took me out of the story. I didn't see any growth in the character.

The best part of the book was Rodney. He stole every scene he was in. As much as I like this genre, I don't think I can read another in this series. Such a shame since I love her historical romance books!

[Lilian Flesher · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many characters so many supernatural beings written so splendidly you never lost track of who was who. I AM CONVERTED will definitely be reading more of these. The authors now go on my fab list. The story was amazing from start to finish and I hated the fact I was finished the book but as title said Book 1 - so off now to get book 2 yippee

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. The story was good. I just couldn’t stand the h. She acted like she was an adolescent instead of 18. She was either throwing up or crying. When told to stay out of something she would get upset, do it anyway and then need help no matter how many lives she cost...nope. I struggled to finish. Won’t be going on to the next.

[2TNWalkers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where to start...the overall story was very interesting but the FMC yeah, understand that she is young and just learning about the paranormal world, but she falls in the “too stupid to live” category. Too naive and trusting. Put a female with some backbone in this story who can actually make a decision and stay with it as well as learn all side of a story before casting judgement.

[Louise Mchugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant book, can't wait for no2!

[Coco.V]

FREE on Amazon today (10/25/2017)!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

When I first started reading this book, I REALLY liked it. In fact, I was thinking about giving it 4 stars, at least. I found the characters to be somewhat interesting and different from each other. I liked the direction it was headed and the story in general. It was fun to discover alongside Jehenne.

Then, somewhere in the middle, things got scattered and it felt a little all over the place.
*SPOILERS*
So, wait? Are we worrying about some new vampire? Wait, no, we are worrying about Tacitus...no, wait....Gran might be evil....wait no, Rodney is a squirrel now. Hold on, Elf Prince might be up to something....see what I mean? I don't mind a little side drama and character builder. I love character building, but a lot felt unnecessary. I felt like this book could have easily been 300-350 pages instead of almost 500.

I did find a lot of similarities between this book and Twilight, however I did enjoy that the heroine wasn't completely helpless. In fact, she kicks arse. :)

I do plan on reading the others, possibly even in chronological order, which include Les Corbeaux- The French Vampire Legend and Les Fees- The French Fae Legend:
The Key to Erebus
The Heart of Arima
The Dark Prince
The Dark Heart
The Fires of Tartarus
The Dark Deceit
The Darkest Night

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Jehenne Corbeaux has had anything but a normal life. As a child, strange things seemed to happen around her and her nights were filled with terrifying visions. Her family and the doctors do their best to dissuade Jehenne's "delusions," and they succeed for a time, but as Jehenne begins to reach adulthood, it all starts coming back...

After a family fight, Jehenne decides she needs a change of pace and visits her Grandmother in France. While there, Jehenne finds that maybe when her parents called her Gram a witch, they weren't waxing metaphorical.

Jehenne is tossed into a world where fairies, elves, witches, and yes, vampires really exist. If this weren't enough, Jehenne learns that she herself is a witch with extraordinary powers, oh, and she might also be the reincarnation of the scary-as-all-get-out Vampire Lord's long lost girlfriend....and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Jehenne is now a 'key' piece in a rivalry that has spanned thousands of years, as well as being a pawn in a game of gods, spirits, and paranormals. Jehenne undertakes a journey to find herself whilst protecting her loved ones, but will they do the same for her?

Cons
1. When I first started this book, I was a little put off by the choppy way things seemed to progress. One scene led to another with very little to tie them together. The beginning of the book feels more like a jumble of ideas that were tacked together but not fleshed out. There are several jumps from day to night and from thought to thought that are jarring. Luckily, the second half of the book gets a grip on itself and seems to know where it wants to go.
2. There were several things that happened in the story that felt like they should be significant, but never lead to anything. For example, the first scene is 7 year old Jehenne being forced into a "treatment" by her mother and doctor. The doctor thinks the treatment is to extreme for Jehenne, but Mom is determined. We never find out what the treatment was or anything else about this period in Jehenne's life. I suppose the author could have written it simply to show the audience that Jehenne's mother was ruthless in her desire to stamp out Jehenne's witchy predilections, but it seemed like such a big deal and then it was dropped. This happens enough times that while I was reading I struggled to clue into what details were of import and what were not. Things that hold the familiar ring of foreshadowing lead nowhere, and not in a well-crafted purposeful way. To be fair, this is the first book in the series, maybe the rest of the books will go back and address some of the things I thought were dropped.
3. This is my biggest frustration with the story: No one tells anyone else anything. It's pretty typical of the genre that the characters keep secrets and there are misunderstandings, but there are just SO many! I felt like I was getting emotional whiplash from all of the times the main characters hid facts, felt betrayed, and then had emotional melt downs, and they all came one after another without more than a few page buffers. It was a constant I love you, no one explains anything, I feel betrayed, I leave you, and repeat! I wanted to throttle the characters every time they were asked a straightforward question, and instead of answering it they said, "You'll see..." No, that hasn't worked out the last 20 times you did it, clearly this method is not effective and it leads to someone getting hurt, getting mad, and then leaving and saying they'll never come back. I wanted to yell multiple times: "JUST START EXPLAINING THINGS TO EACH OTHER!" I understand the need for mystery and drama, as well as the need for the characters to come across as rounded and emotional, but I think the miscommunication, betrayals, and yes I'll say it, hissy fits, needed to be cut down by at least half. It made the main characters feel like they were too dumb to survive the hectic lives they led, which didn't match up with the personas being woven by the rest of the story. I really do like the characters, but they are short on common sense.-P.S. on this one, you can only use the "will they, won't they?" so many times before it gets old too.
4. I ADDED THIS AFTER READING THE REST OF THE SERIES: The books get super rapey. Not even just "bad guy rapey," but fetishized "she says no but thinks yes, so it's okay" rapey. It's disgusting and the rest of the series deserves 1 star because of it.


Pros
1. Like I mentioned above, the second half of the book is well fleshed out. The story gets pretty intense near the end and it really drew me in, despite the frustration I felt towards the characters obtuse and emotionally-stunted reasoning towards each other. The book really starts to flow and hits it's stride. I think that this book sets up the next book to be far superior, and I look forward to checking it out.
2. The romance is oddly sweet. Frustrating, but sweet. While I may have spoken against the emotional outbursts of the main character, I also feel like she is justified and somewhat relatable in ways that many heroins are not. The romance is the typical "I'm the alpha vampire and I know what's best and will keep everything a secret," but at the same time, the heroin is very focused on making her own choices, I may not agree with those choices, but I approve of the idea that she's not going to blindly submit to someone just because they're sexy. I also like that the love interest vampire isn't a total masochistic jerk. While he follows hard and fast rules and has that edge that paranormal romance audiences love, he's toned down and not emotionless or cruel like many of his counterparts in similar stories.
3. It's diverting. I'm not saying it will win a bunch of awards, but it's a pretty cool idea and it looks like it's going places. The premise really pulled me in and as the story progressed it made me feel like I wanted to know what would happen next, and that's it's own kind of good writing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants some quick paranormal-romance that has the potential.