Die for Me (Revenants #1)

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I must say that it has been a long time since I’ve read a paranormal romance novel that I actually enjoyed as much as the Twilight series. Even if you’re not a fan of the Twilight books, you would still like this book. It’s very fresh and original. The concept of guardian angels falling in love with humans seems to be a little over played at the moment, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment any. The chemistry between Vincent and Kate was so believable that their story sucked me in. I was completely captivated.

The characters in this book are awesome! I loved, loved, loved the fact that Kate was intelligent and strong. Even though she was devastated by her parents’ death, she held on to life. Of course, for a while there wasn’t much to her life, but she overcame that. Kate loves to read (already a plus in my book for lovable characters) and she loves fine art. She is described as an “old soul,” which I find to be the perfect description for her. It seems like the majority of the heroines in romance-type novels seem a little weak or too dependent on a male for security and strength. This was certainly not the case with Kate! She was a fantastic strong, female protagonist.

I also adored Vincent. His description just makes him seem delicious. Dark hair, blue eyes… sigh. His attraction to Kate was simply steamy, yet it managed to stay clean. I do love a boy with virtues in YA novels. The other characters were also enjoyable. Georgia, Kate’s sister, came off as flippant and irritating most of the time. I’m pretty sure that’s how a typical self-absorbed teenage usually acts, so it worked. Jules and Ambrose were nice sidekick types. Both were standoffish in the beginning, but they ended up having a nice supporting role by the end of the book. But my favorite minor characters have to be Kate’s grandparents. They just seemed charming. I loved how “progressive” the grandmother tried to be, but at the same time they were old fashioned. They seemed eloquent, sophisticated and completely in love with one another. I loved their relationship. It gave me tingly feelings like a Hallmark commercial.

Every good book would not be complete without a character or two that you loathe. There were several that I could pick, but I have to express my frustration over Charles. I wanted to punch the little brat. It’s a good day when a book can evoke that much emotion from me to make me envision choking and punching a character. That is certainly how I felt with Charles. Such.a.punk.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to the paranormal romance lovers out there. It’s clean—no X rated material. The characters are well written and well developed. The plot is fast paced enough to keep you reading. (I managed to finish this book in one reading.) The concept was somewhat original, but I am getting tired of angels and demons, vampires, and werewolves. I guess it can’t be escaped in the genre. If you liked Twilight, you should love this book. The connection between Kate and Vincent is every bit as strong as Bella and Edward’s pull on one another. Plus, Kate doesn’t come across as a whiny, irritating, self-pitying baby like Bella did in New Moon. (Her constant pining away for Edward almost drove me away from the series.) This book will be a series, so I am anxious to see what happens with Vincent and Kate. I’m pretty sure the troubles they will face together are just beginning.