SOLVED. YA Fantasy - vampires, massacre in town center, H taken to secluded estate to participate in ritual [s]

[Krystal]

I was in another thread suggesting books to somebody else when of course, I thought of one that was perfect but ... my memory. No idea what it was called.

Not too old of a book - most likely from the last five to ten years, but not something super recent, I'm fairly sure.

Here's are the bits I remember:

It begins with our heroine walking alone at night in a larger city when she encounters what a group of vampires having a bit of a throw down in a town center in the middle of the night, leaving bodies all over as an inconvenient mess for public officials to explain the next day. One of the vampire groups grab the heroine and take her back to their secluded estate (not entirely sure why).

Now hiding out at this estate (the girl being held more or less as a well-treated prisoner), there is some sort of ritual/party/ball they are gearing up for in which this girl will need to participate in. There are several scenes of her just wandering around the house and running into the teenager vampire kids that also live there. I recall scenes in a kitchen ...

There are two main boys I believe, one that is the nicer, friendlier (and therefore destined for the friend zone) love interest, and the other main boy who is surly, mean, sort of involved with another girl, and of course, the one who is meant to be with our heroine. There are lots of scenes with this girl getting trained for her part in this upcoming ritual alongside this unwilling man.

As for the vampires, I think they are born like any other and age normally until they reach a certain point and then sort of live for unbelievably extended periods of time (not immortal, but as close to as really matters).

I also remember at some point members of a rival group trying to infiltrate this estate and doing some not-so-nice things trying to get to our heroine. I'm recalling scenes of running through the woods... a hooded figure and an attack on the heroine in some underground cave or something?

Augh, I can seem to remember so much of this book except what it was called. I hope my ramblings above will job somebody's memory. Thanks in advance!

edit: I should also mention that this book was set in the present day.

[Krystal]

Sad that nobody's memory has been jogged yet. I swear I read this book on my kindle but can't find it anywhere in my kindle library. I'm going to look through my (massive) Calibre library and see if it's there.

Sorry I don't have any more details to give.

[Michele]

The first part sounds a lot like Robin McKinley's Sunshine - captured, taken to house - then the rest not at all, sorry :(

[Krystal]

Oh most definitely not Sunshine, but thanks. That books a favorite of mine, I know it well. This is very YA. Oh I wish I could remember some character names. I do seem to recall that the higher up government officials were aware of the vampire world and helped keep the secret, similar to thru muggle government in harry potter. Which played into that city massacre and how it would be covered up. Oh, and the girl's father was somebody important, I'm pretty sure.

Flash of memory, the book opens with the girl walking home from a party alone, having left her friends. She might have taken off her shoes while walking.

And there's another scene where the vampire teens take the girl back into the city for a day trip.

Sorry all I can remember is random bits, but I shall hold out hope someone somewhere will string together my random into something solid.

Thanks again for the suggestion. :)

[Krystal]

Just trolled through my caliber library, my nook books, my kindle books ... nothing is looking familiar. Sorry folks, I was really hoping I could solve this one for myself. I'll keep thinking on it though.

[Kris]

A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest?
Captured by Erica Stevens?
Marked by P.C. Cast?

Krystal, does the heroine have special powers?

[Krystal]

Kris - thanks for your suggestions.

I've already considered and discarded A Shade of Vampire after digging it out of my kindle library.

Captured almost sounds close, but in this book the heroine wasn't being kept as a blood slave or anything like that, she was more like an honored guest (that wasn't really allowed to leave.) I almost seem to remember that she was being kept for her own protection, even if she didn't really want to be there. Which I believe had to do with that fight in the beginning of the book, the rival group who was fighting with our main group of vampires saw her and are trying to infiltrate the estate to capture her - that scene with the hooded figure in the woods I believe has something to do with that.

As for Marked, sorry, nope. I've never read P.C. Cast and the description is definitely not what I'm thinking of.

Sorry nothing fit, but thanks again for trying! :)

[Krystal]

Oh sorry, forgot to add, no I don't really remember the heroine having any sort of special powers. She was more just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She may have been sort of destined to be a part of the ritual thing (which is more of a ball than anything, really - she has to take dancing lessons with our rude hero that they are both not particularly fond of), but other than that, nope. No powers.

[Kris]

Dinner with a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs?

[Krystal]

Ooh, I think that might be the one. The name Kaspar seems extremely familiar. I have this one at home so when I'm done with work today I'll go home and read a bit of it to make sure, but I'm pretty positive this is it. I'll confirm for sure once I've read.

Thanks so much! You have saved me from the horrific descent into tip-of-the-brain syndrome.

[Krystal]

Brilliant, that's totally the book. Thanks so much to everyone for their help!

[Kris]

Great! Glad we could help. :)