BLOG TOUR - REVIEW: Walking in the Shadows by Cassandra Giovanni

Seconds seem like a lifetime when the life you lived is slowly drained out of you by those who care not what you felt, hoped, or dreamed. When the darkness comes it is all-consuming; there is no light and there is no pain. It is the never-ending loss of hope that now consumes me as I die in his arms.

This is Abigail Martin’s nightmare. After her parents become the first victims of a serial killer obsessed with the vampire saga, "Crimson Reign," Abigail does the only thing that she thinks will save her from her parent’s fate–she becomes some one else. As Vera MacIntrye, she falls in love with the very handsome Tad Knightley, and then walks into her first day at her new school to see him standing at the front of the classroom. He’s every teenage girls fantasy, but as he writes “Mr. Knightley: AP British Literature” across the white board Vera realizes the one person who filled the gaping hole in her heart will soon rip it wide open again. 

Vera struggles to adjust to being a ‘normal’ teenager with very adult responsibilities like paying the rent, buying groceries and making sure that lights stay on, while being drawn time and time again back to her off-limits teacher. What’s worse is he is drawn to her too, and their worlds refuse to stay apart when Tad finds Vera screaming in terror in the parking lot after the winter formal. The murderer has struck again and is getting closer to the next target–Vera. Tad will do whatever he can to save her, even if it means losing his dream job, but will it be enough when the murderer is closer than anyone ever thought?

My Thoughts:
Following the horrific murder of both of her parents by a serial killer who has become obsessed with the vampire saga "Crimson Reign" Abigail Martin is placed in the witness protection program under the assumed name and identity Vera MacIntrye. Bearing the burden of not only the grief of her parents death but also the now very real adult responsibilities of holding down a job and supporting herself. It's then that she meets gorgeous Tad Knightly, who manages to fill the void in her heart. But Vera has been keeping secrets and one of those secrets is about to be revealed to Tad when she walks into class on the first day back at school and see's that he is actually her new British Lit teacher.

Now faced with the fact that she can no longer have a relationship with the man who gave her the hope of being able to be happy again, she also has to keep their former relationship a secret. But things are about to get a whole lot worse as the serial killer starts to murder again.

Cassandra Giovanni has taken the student/teacher relationship and made it work.  Once we had that initial 'oh no, he's my teacher' moment, I never really thought of it that way again. And it's not because it wasn't refereed to because it is but Vera and Tad are only a few years apart in age and add into that all that Vera has been through and she is much older and wiser that her years. In fact is was Vera who was the one pulling back from Tad in order to protect him and his job and Tad saying 'screw the job!!' But Tad and Vera are just naturally drawn to each other and one of the reasons is that Tad is just so protective and caring!! These two just fit together. Plain and simple!!

Outside of the romance there is the suspense and murder aspect of the book which was there throughout the story but really came into play in about the final third of the book once the serial killer again reared their ugly head. But for me it was definitely the authors easy flowing writing style and the romance that pulled me in and kept me engrossed in the story.

A very enjoyable read and I will definitely be reading more from Cassandra Giovanni in the future!!

4/5 Stars!!

Cassandra Giovanni is an avid writer of young adult novels and can’t wait to share her work with you. The genres of her novels include dystopian, paranormal, mystery and romance all aimed at appealing to adults and young adults alike. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. She began writing at a very young age, in fact from the moment she could draw she was telling stories that way. At age seven she won a contest in American Girl Doll to have a chapter she had written published. She stopped writing in high school and started writing again after seeing the movie creation of a book. It inspired her to start writing again and since then its been something she just can’t let go.

Cassandra is also a photographer of everything, but concentrates on car features, floral and architectural. To learn more about her photography and to take a peek please visit her blog for the photography company Gio Design Studios, which is run by her and her husband: www.giodesignstudos.wordpress.com

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