Enjoyed this book the same amount as I did the first book. The plot was very interesting and really liked the additional of the new character.

Falling in love.... vampire style.

Book two in the Vampires of Marchood series begins where the first book in the series, Hidden leaves off. Madison (Maddie) and Alexandre (Alex) are in love. They are perfect for each other except that Maddie is human and Alexandre is a vampire.

This book introduces readers with a new character - Aelia who was a young woman in 571AD. She was cast out from her village and left to make it on her own.

In the present, Maddie and Alex happily lives in the English countryside and think nothing can burst their perfect bubble until the past comes calling with a vengeance. Maddie is taken away deep into the caves in Cappadocia. Alex and his family spring into action and go searching for her, but will they make it in time?

Past and present collide in book two which kept me turning the pages and wanting to know what happens next. I was instantly drawn into Aelia's plot in the past. It was gripping, engaging and tense. I knew at some point her story would fit into the current storyline, but I had no idea how or why.

Boland continues to impress me with her Vampires of Marchwood series. This is a YA paranormal romance book that readers of all ages can enjoy.

Now that I am finished with book two, I can't wait to see what happens in book three!

Shalini Boland ups the stakes (pun intended) in her second Marchwood vampires novel. She grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go.
I love the broad strokes of characterization: the gentle vulnerability of Maddy's Marchwood family of vampires against the hideous creatures released from entombment in Cappadocia. And I love the subtle refinements of character: the handsome, gentle Alexandre, who is nevertheless ready to kill for love; Mardy, snatched from her new life; Leonora her blood relative hiding a bitter jealousy; and Aelia and Zoe, two powerful ladies of darkness.
The author surely gains her own immortality in the vampire halls of fame with a stunning, tense, emotional tour-de-force.

** spoiler alert ** I could tell from the first chapter of this book that Leonora was behind the whole thing. To be honest, I was more interested with the character of Aelia than I was with the entire present day story.
Aelia's character building was really amazing to witness. To see how she conquered one obstacle after the other is truly amazing. I really thought she was the star of the entire book, especially after we find out that she has been there since the beginning.

Shalini really impressed me with this character. I wanted nothing more than a happy ever after for Aelia at the end and I was almost in tears when I found out that at a time she did.

I wont talk about the rest of the book because I felt like I've read it all before. The love story was meh, the fact that Maddy gets captured twice trying to escape was unnecessarily long. I just felt that in the present story, Shalini was trying to create sequences when she just didn't need to.

The only reason I gave this book 3 stars is because Miss Shalini introduced me to Aelia and for that I am greatful.

This is review for a blog tour of an entire series and my review, even if details my opinion for each book, will be on the entire series.
I wanted to read these books as I am a sucker to everything vampire since I read Dracula ages ago. I think that the modern vampire was recreated by Anne Rice and there was an explosion at the beginning of the XXI century (Twilight anyone?)
When I started this series, I was very happy to discover that, even if the MCs are teens, they were not similar to the characters of Twilight or Vampire Diaries as they’re considered a sort of archetype for this type of books.
Ms Boland created two original characters and I loved Madison and Alexander as they’re well rounded and strong character.
I felt for Madison as she’s a girl who lost a lot and her only family is her brother Ben. She’s lucky and inherits a big mansion, the start of an incredible adventure. Her relationship with Ben is strong and sweet.
Alexander is a well rounded and energetic boy, he is the one who will drive Madison into a fantastic adventure and I liked hime.
Hidden is the first book in this series and, I think, the slowest one as it introduces the characters and there’s a lot of word building.
It kept me turning pages and I enjoyed it.
Taken is the second book in this series and it didn’t suffer from the book-in-the-middle syndrome. There’s a lot of developments, new characters and more world building.
It’s fast paced and I appreciated how the author developed a fast-paced plot that kept me turning pages and on the edge.
The storytelling is excellent and I liked the world building and how the plot flow.
Hunted is the grand finale, the switches between timeline but kept me hooked and inhaling this story as I wanted to know what was going to happen.
Action packed, full of twists and a firework of end that left me satisfied.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series and hope there will be other stories set in this universe.
I thank Second Sky for this ARC, all opinions are mine

2nd book to this series.
Madison did not plan on falling in love with a vampire but she did. We meet the 2 vampire families in this book and how she makes the house home for them in the basement with rooms and they can be down there in the dark.
An ancient demon takes Madison down to an underground and holds her prisoner there in hopes to get the other vampires there and have them be a part of the vampire community.
We find out how monsterous they are and seems to be a traitor amongst their group.
Thank you to NetGalley for the book to review.

Taken is the second novel in the YA series from accomplished author Shalini Boland.
Previously published as Thicker than Blood, the series is now being published by Second Books and the book is part of the Vampires of Marchwood trilogy.
Although the novels can be read as standalone stories, I would recommend reading the series in order for the full background and not to understand the connection between the characters, in particular the older individuals who join the story in book two.
There are two timelines, separated by over 1,000 years: one in 6th century Byzantium and the other in contemporary Britain but both storylines are interlinked and will come together in an exciting battle at the end of the novel.
So, we have Aelia, a young girl living in 6th century Byzantium. Aelia is about to become the saviour of future generations. Fourteen hundred years later the lives of Madison and Alexandre are once again plunged into danger. This time around, our quintet of vampires and friends will return to Cappadoccia to save Maddie and confront the ‘Emperor’.
When reading a YA novel, I often find myself thinking about the naivety of the teenage characters and also wondering what has happened to the role of the adults within the story. That is the case here, but when reading a fantasy novel, I guess that a certain suspension of belief is also required. And once that suspension is applied, the story becomes much more enjoyable.

Taken by Shalini Boland.
Marchwood vampires book 2.
Aelia lives in 6th century Byzantium. She is sixteen years old and her life is about to change forever. She doesn't yet know it, but she holds the fate of thousands in her hands and her actions will echo across the centuries. Fourteen hundred years later the lives of Madison and Alexandre are once again plunged into danger. To save Madison, Alexandre is forced back to a world he thought was dead and buried. But time is running out.
I'm really enjoying this series. Love the story and characters. I can't wait for next book. 5*.

Taken is book two in the Vampires of Marchwood by Shalini Boland.
Once again I sucked this down in two sittings and loved every second of it!
Boland outdid herself with these new epic fantasy stories.
Filled with atmospheric detail and characters who I couldn’t get enough of.
The fast paced writing was wonderfully done.
And the story sucked me and kept me glued to my Kindle.
I can’t wait to start book three.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Second Sky for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Great stuff! Book 2 of the Marchwood Vampire Series and it was just as good as the first book (Hidden), maybe, possibly, even a little bit better! This one also broke my star ratings as I rated it (same as the previous book in the series) 5 star +.

It’s been a few months since Maddie, Alex, his two siblings, Isobel, and Jacques, and two friends, Leonora, and Freddie, had a show down with the Hamilton Blythe law firm at which they were lucky to escape with their lives. A lot of this time had been spent acclimatizing the four newly awakened vampires to the world they now have to live in, but trouble is never far away. When Maddie suddenly goes missing Alex is terrified for her safety and doesn’t know who has taken her and why. It soon becomes clear that the Cappadocia vampires are, once again, alive and are bargaining Maddie’s life in return for Alex, Isobel, Jacques, Leonora, and Freddie to travel back to Turkey once again and meet the Cappadocia vampires. Whilst this is all going on there is a dual story line which follows a young girl called Aelia, living in AD 571. She is from a small village close by where the underground empire for the Cappadocia vampires is. She was banished from her village for an indiscretion and is taken in by an old lady, Widow Maleina who is a medical woman. Aelia learns about the vampires from the Widow and also learns about the Widow’s plan to rid the world of vampires and Aelia agrees that she will help. Will Aelia succeed? And will Alex be able to get Maddie back from the evil Cappadocian vampires.

Another WOW WOW WOW from me! It was so exciting for me to finish book 1 and be able to delve straight into this one without any waiting and I was not disappointed. This book was just as addictive as the first book, I had so many unanswered questions from the previous story and I loved how this one answered a lot of those questions. I absolutely adored the character Aelia and reading about her journey was amazing, I couldn’t believe her courageous spirit despite everything she went through and struggled with, one truly strong and inspirational lady. There was also another character development near the end of the book and although I won’t say too much as this is a spoiler free review, I wasn’t surprised by it and felt there was something “off” about them from the beginning of Hidden.

Overall, another great story from Shalini Boland which kept the magical feeling I experienced with Hidden going on. I’m excited to begin Hunted but am also scared as it’s the last book and I’m not sure I am ready to say goodbye to the Marchwood Vampires. Highly recommend this for anyone who enjoyed Twilight/ Dracula/ Discovery of Witches/ Vampire genre. Wholly deserved the 5 star + rating!

Thank you to NetGalley, Shalini Boland and Second Sky for my advanced reading copy. Out on the 21st March 2023.

i loved this book even more than the first one!
this is more fast paced and even though it’s flicks from past to present it leaves you wondering what will happen next. there are a few twists i didn’t see coming too. can’t wait to read book 3

Vampires if Marchwood Book 2.

At Marchwood House, our sprawling mansion nestled in the English countryside, we’re in our own perfect bubble together. But, in the blink of an eye, everything changes when an old enemy of Alexandre’s sets a trap and rips me away from his arms.

Redemption! I enjoyed book 2 so much more. This book has the usual dual time periods, which I love. Taken was fast paced with lots of action elements. I thoroughly enjoyed all the different locations featured throughout the book. Finally, the introduction of new and "newish" characters kept the book feeling fresh!

Thank you to @netgalley and @secondskybooks for giving me the opportunity to give my honest review of this book.

Oh my gosh the second book was so good. I could not stop reading this one too. The story continues on if you have read from the first book. The characters from the first book are also mentioned in this one. They continue to develop along with having some amazing adventures. Madison and Alexandre are still together and I enjoyed their connection with each other. Pretty cool. I will say that some new characters pop up such as a character named Zoe, Aelia and Mislav which made the story even more exciting and might show up in the third book perhaps?

I will say that I did not like Mislav at all. There has to be a villain in a story somewhere right? This character did make the story really good too. Tell me what you think?

There were more twists and turns in this book. Some that I did not even see coming which made my jaw drop!

There is even a back story of the ancient vampires which is called the Cappadocians. The back story was pretty awesome to learn about and does play a part with the future. I will say that the book does flip back and forth from the past and present which was easy to follow. Great flow! Great descriptions! Great adventure.

As I said from the first book, it's just a different take on vampires and stories and adventure. So far book 1 and this book 2 have not disappoint! I can't wait for Book 3 now.

This is the second book in the Vampires of Marchwood trilogy and it follows so well from the first book. Where the first book was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed it, this second one really does give you something to get your teeth into, so to speak!

Maddie did not expect to share her house with a long-lost and unknown section of her family. As far as she was aware it was just her and her brother Ben, but it turns out she does have more and they are vampires. The first book laid the foundations and this second book takes on a brilliant turn of pace and ups the ante for all involved. When Maddie is kidnapped, her vampire boyfriend Alex knows where he has to go. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game across Europe and back to Turkey, where Alewx and his friends were first turned.

I adore the way the author uses a duel timeline for these books, not only do they give a good idea of the trials of the present-day setting, but they also take the reader back in history. This is where they first became aware of the vampires. The story focuses on a young woman as well as those who live in a Marchwood House. It is such an interesting story and one that I really enjoyed, how a young woman manages to survive. It is also a chance to see how far Alex will go to save Maddie, and yes what she will do to try to save herself.

There are some things that are reminiscent of Twilight, but only small bits. The general feeling of this series is something older and dangerous at play and there are some wonderfully tense and edge-of-your-seat scenes.

This is a horror as there are vampires, so there are sections of blood and guts. But this is also a story about a family coming together and learning to adapt to new surroundings, even though they can only see these surroundings at night!

This story has a good pace to it and it brings the characters together and shows how they get on. It is not all easy though and there is some tension at times but there are things that the author has thought about that make these books very addictive. It has left me eager but also sad to read the third and final book.

This is a really good book, it has tension, a good atmospheric eerie and creepiness that I really liked. A sense of family and friendship and building trust. Ideal for those who like stories aimed more at Young Adult readers but also works incredibly well for older young adult readers! I would definitely recommend this book.

The second book in an enjoyable fantasy series aimed at YA readers. If fantasy, teenage romance, and vampires are your thing, then you will love this series. I loved the author’s writing style and the characters she has created. You can read this book as a stand alone, but all three books fit together to give you the complete story line. In this second book in the series Madison’s and Alex’s story continues. Their love continues to grow as they try to protect their family, friends and themselves from the ancient vampires. All the books in the series have an interesting present story linked to an intertwined related historical one. And again there is an exciting climax. Thank you to Second Sky publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I really enjoyed this book and it was great to see how Alexandre and his family were settling in at Marchwood.
Life doesn’t stay quiet for long though as Madison is kidnapped while they are all out ice skating.
A letter is received and Alexandre needs to go to Turkey to get her back.
Turkey is where it all began for him and the others so they know the danger they’re walking into.
This is a great supernatural thriller that will definitely have you racing through the pages.
Thanks to Second Sky and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Ooh book two continues Maddie and Alexander’s journey through life of a vampire and human and when Maddie is kidnapped Alex has to revisit his past life to save her before it’s too late and face some old foe and some buried resentments to make sure his new family is kept safe.