Review and Giveaway/ Crave by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

Shay could never do the things her friend could⎯never try out for sports, never go to parties, never fall in love. Because of the mysterious and incurable blood disorder when was born with, she can barely make it through three day of school a week.

But now, her doctor-turned stepfather has a brand-new treatment that he thinks will change everything. And it does. As soon as the new blood starts pumping into Shay’s veins, she has visions of a different life ... Gabriel’s life. She sees an orphanage, loss, fangs, blood, and lust that she can’t explain.

Is Gabriel real? And if he is, could he really be what she thinks he is?

Move over Bella and Edward because there is a new vamp romance in YA fiction and once it hits the bookstores this week I promise everyone will crave more. I do not normally gush over a book, and I especially am not all that taken with paranormal romance but then Crave by Laura J Burns and Melinda Metz is far from the typical paranormal romance.

One of the aspects of Carve that makes it unlike so many of the paranormal romances I have read is the original and unique plot building Burns and Metz created. The author’s chose to use both third person omniscient, and first person point of view. At first, I was a little puzzled with this choice, but as the story moved forward I began to see how pertinent it was to not only the plot but the characterization too. Most of the first half of the book was devoted to helping build a connection to Shay and her illness. How Shay’s rare blood disorder had kept her from ever leading a normal life. How everyone sees her as the “sick girl” and how much she hates being that girl. Even her “best friend,” Olivia sees her as her sick friend, “not creative or strong-will or addicted to reality television.”  But it is Shay’s journals that added a more personal dimension for me and also told Gabriel’s story. Without the journal, much of Gabriel’s history would have been lost, and in the process, Shay’s motivation and reasons for doing some of the things she does later. I’d love to say more about the story, but I would definitely be getting into spoilers if I do. What I can say is that things take an unusual turn, which catapults the action forward towards an ending that will leave you crazed and craving more.

For those of you who love the romance side of a story, you will not be disappointed. In fact,  I loved this one. The reason ... Burns and Metz spend a lot of time building trust between Gabriel and Shay. This is definitely not love at first site. While Shay’s feeling for Gabriel come more quickly, there is a reason for this, but the more Gabriel interacts with Shay he too learns to care about her in a way he has never cared for anyone outside his vampire family.

Finally, I couldn’t help but get involved emotionally with both Shay and Gabriel. Their lives are so different and yet the circumstances that force these two unlikely lovers together are so well choreographed that I was glued to the paged. I also felt an unadulterated disgust for Shay’s stepfather, which continued to grow as the events of the plot became more and more complicated.

Crave is truly a fantastic story that takes a very unique premise and builds it into a story that is different than many of the paranormal romances currently saturating the genre. I enjoyed this book so much that I am giving away a copy of the book (purchased before receiving a copy from authors)  to one lucky follower. All you have to do is fill out the form below. 

Following or spreading the word is not required but always appreciated. Giveaway is open internationally and ends 9/28.

Source: Received book from Authors for review