Novels and Necklaces: Blog Tour: Vernal (The Royal Protector Academy #1)

About the Book:

Title: Vernal (The Royal Protector Academy #1)
Author: Randi Cooley Wilson
Pub. Date: June 30th, 2016
Rating: 5/5 stars
Genre: New Adult/Paranormal/Fantasy
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Purchase Links:
B&N | Amazon

Synopsis:
Serena has a bright future etched in stone. Tristan has a dark past that haunts him. Together, they have a love that can never be. Sheltered, and unable to escape her bloodline, Serena St. Michael has spent the last two years training at the Royal Protector Academy. Struggling with a dark past, Tristan Gallagher’s current assignment is to protect a lifetime of secrets. One chance encounter will change everything. Serena must decide if she will follow her heart, forsaking all she’s ever known and risking a future worse than non-existence. Tristan will break every rule to save Serena, even if he can’t keep her. In their world of darkness, one love will ignite an ancient war. When pasts collide with the present, and secrets are revealed, will love be enough? Or will one lie destroy it all? When you’ve hidden behind a mask for so long, would you reveal yourself for love? Vernal, the first novel in The Royal Protector Academy series is a dangerously exciting and darkly romantic tale that will take your breath away.

About the Author:

Randi Cooley Wilson is a “New Adult” Paranormal/Fantasy and Contemporary Romance author. A resident of Massachusetts, she makes stuff up, devours romance books, drinks lots of wine and coffee, and has a slight addiction to bracelets.

For more information visit: http://randicooleywilson.com

Review:

It's finally out and I am so excited for everyone to be able to read this new novel from Randi Cooley Wilson!! This book deserves ALL THE STARS! I was extremely fortunate to read this book a bit early, but didn't want to post my review until the book was actually released. Vernal was everything I could have imagined and more. I laughed, I swooned, and I got my heart broken in the way only Randi Cooley Wilson could break my heart. I fell in love with Tristan (he's my newest book boyfriend, and believe me...he'll be yours too), and I seriously have no idea how I am going to survive until the next book comes out!

Vernal follows Serena, Abby and Callan's (from the Revelation Series) daughter. While this book can most definitely be read as a standalone, you'll definitely enjoy it more if you read the Revelation series first. That series was amazing as well, so come on...what are you waiting for? Serena was an amazing lead character. Randi writes such great female leads. I can't even emphasize enough how amazing her writing is in general, but one thing that I have always loved is her characters. Over the course of this novel, you see such character development in both Serena and Tristan's characters, and it makes for an wonderful time reading. Serena has spunk...she's rebellious and free-spirited. She doesn't want to be defined by her "destiny" and most importantly she wants to be treated as the protector she has trained to be. Serena has such a fire to her, and I loved her determination and attitude throughout the entire story. The minute Tristan came onto the scene I was in love. I guess Randi just has that way about her, but very few authors have the ability to make in fall in love with a character so fast. Tristan is such a strong, fierce protector in his own right, but I loved the balance Tristan and Serena had with each other. They worked together so well, and their banter was priceless! The had me laughing so much throughout this book. But Tristan is also an extremely mysterious character. As the son of Gage, it's bound to happen that he inherits some of Gage's behaviors...with one of those traits is being sexy even doing something like breathing.

The forbidden relationship that developed between Tristan and Serena is seriously one of my all time favorite relationships. Everything about them was perfect, and the steamy scenes certainly will leave you fanning yourself. This is definitely NA (or at least mature YA), but this girl certainly isn't complaining!! They're sexytimes seriously made you love them as a couple even more. They obviously have a chemistry that knows no bounds. But when things come out about Tristan's past, my face was the epitome of shock. Literally, I looked like this:

And a little bit of this:

I couldn't believe the huge twist that came and it broke my heart into little tiny pieces. Why Randi?? WHY?? Suffice to say, this book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and it left me very excited for the next book.

For fans of the Revelation series, we see many familiar faces, and when these familiar faces come onto the scene...well let's just say they certainly leave a lasting impression. Callan, as always, had me cracking up and I literally had to put my tablet down because I was laughing so hard! I'm so glad that Randi incorporated them into the story, but have no fear because Vernal is Tristan and Serena's story through and through. There is plenty of action and excitement, adventures into new realms, and gorgeous setting that will make you want to hop onto a plane to Ireland as soon as possible.

If you couldn't tell, I highly recommend checking this book out as soon as you can! With gorgeous writing and characters that you will fall in love with immediately, this book has it all! I seriously don't know how I'm going to be able to wait for the next book in the series Aequus, but it certainly is going to be a LONG wait.

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Special thank you to YA Reads for letting Novels & Necklaces participate in this blog tour. Be sure to follow the test of the tour and enter the giveaway below!!

The Giveaway: Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. The giveaway runs from July 1st through July 22nd. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Rest of the Tour Schedule Below!

July 1^st The Voluptuous Book Diva – Author Interview Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books! – Review

July 2^nd LitBuzz – Review Hannah Plus Books – Guest Post

July 3^rd Comet Babes Books – Review Have Book Will Read – Review

July 4^th Ordinary Girlz Book Reviews – Review For Love of Books4 – Promo Post

July 5^th Novels & Necklaces – Review RoloPoloBookBlog – Promo Post

July 6^th The Book Beacon – Review

July 7^th Quite Bookish – Review infinite House of Books – Interview

July 8^th Bookbangerr – Review

July 9^th Latte Nights Reviews – Review

July 10^th Around The World in Books – Guest Post