Fate's Design, a Paranormal Romance (Fate Series Book One) (vuoden 2012 painos)

An author who is climbing my list of favorites, Lola James has crafted yet another series that demands I read the next installment. Here we have twins, Morgan and Megan who head off to Italy after Morgan wins a design contest sponsored by an international fashion design house.

Once in Italy, the action in this story moves quickly, from a love interest for both, to a series of odd events that have little to no logical explanation. As the story unfolds, the Fate of the two is revealed, with several twists and turns, a few dead ends, and the reader is often left to discover the truths as the characters do, as Megan is prepared to accept her truths.

A mix that involves prophecy, fate, vampires and witches, this story starts slowly as the lives of the twins are established and detailed, giving needed information that will inform reactions and actions in what happens next. With a light and breezy writing style, the author manages to convey emotions of the characters in an easily related to way, and her male characters are always uber sexy and hot.
While answering some of the myriad of questions that both readers and characters have in this book, the cliffhanger set just before the first of what I expect to be many face-off points was perfectly set. I must read the next book, if only to see what Megan will do next.

I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review with Full Moon Bites blog tours. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Megan Romano and her twin Sister Morgan are 20 years old and on there way to Italy after Morgan wins a contest to attend design school. Megan has always had strange dreams, but never really understood what they meant. It gets even stranger when she begin to see people and places that she has had dreams about. While walking down the street one day she bumps in to Alexandros DiPiero, and she thinks he is the most beautiful man she has ever seen, yet there is something familiar about him. Alex is super hot, rich, mysterious, and Megan can't understand why he is interested in her. Despite her reservations, the relationship gets more serious and Megan decides to stay in Italy after Morgan goes back home. Things just keep getting weirder from this point on. There is a lot more to Alex than Megan knew, and he has quite a few secrets of his own. Then there is Redmond, the mysterious man who is always with Alex that talks about fate, yet Megan feels strangely comforted by him. Megan gets a call from Morgan, and finds out Morgan is expecting, and if she thoughts things were strange now, they are about to get a lot stranger.

This was an entertaining book. I was surprised when I got further into it to find out that the paranormal element in this paranormal romance included vampires, guardians, witches, and dhampir's, which was a new one for me, but did it certainly provided for some interesting reading. There are quite a few twists and turns in the story. Megan also has to face her fate, what she is destined to be, and how that relates to those she loves, and to the new mysterious people that she is meeting. She deals with tragedy, rejection, desire, and love. She has to decide if she will stay with the hottie Alex, or will she act upon her feelings for the other mysterious hottie, Emilian. Overall, this was a intriguing and fun book. The ending is somewhat of a cliff hanger, leaving you wanting to know where the story goes from here. If you are into paranormal romance, then you will probably enjoy reading this book. Please be aware that there are adult scenes in this book that are not suitable for younger readers. ( )

When Megan's sister, Morgan, wins a fashion internship abroad for the summer, she never expected to tag along. Yet she can't deny that the summer vacation is just what she needs to unwind and makes sense of the dreams plaguing her every night. Italy turns out to be everything she's ever dreamed of and she's excited about exploring every inch of it while she's there.

Running into a mysterious stranger one day, she hits it off with Alexandros Di Piero from the get go. While she'd never imagined finding romance overseas, she can't deny the fact that she's attracted to the handsome stranger. There's something about him that draws her to him, although she can't quite put her finger on what it is. Despite this, she's determined to enjoy her time with him while she's still in Italy.

A whirlwind courtship soon ensues and Megan finds herself thrust into a world she never knew existed. She becomes privy to Alex's secrets and learns that vampires do indeed exist. She accepts that he's half human and half vampire, somehow knowing that they're tied together in more ways than one.

When it becomes apparent that her sister has been inadvertently drawn into their sordid world, Megan does her best to protect her family at all costs. Her dreams are her only way of finding out what may happen next. Yet in order to do so, she must accept her fate and the tasks that have been set before her. Tasks that may prove to be her undoing if she allows them to be.

This was a very intriguing book. It's a good read, that's so for sure. I do think that certain instances within the story were rushed, like Megan and Alex's romance as well as Morgan's follies. Other than that, the premise of the story definitely draws in the reader. The cliffhanger at the end does leave me wanting to know what happens next, though. ( )