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'Hidden (The Vampires of Marchwood #1)' - by Shalini Boland - Book Tour & Review

3/21/2023

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Hidden by Shalini Boland
Continue below to read my review of the book and be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the 'HIDDEN' book tour brought to you by SECOND SKY BOOKS and SHALINI BOLAND!

Hidden
The Vampires of Marchwood Book 1
Shalini Boland


Publisher: Second Sky
Pub Date: Mar. 21st, 2023
​
Genre: YA Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
​Falling in love has never been so dangerous…

From USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes the addictive Vampires of Marchwood series. Perfect for fans of K.F. Breene, Sarah J. Maas and Tracy Wolff.

My name is Madison Greene. On my seventeenth birthday, I inherited an old mansion and wealth beyond my wildest dreams. I thought it was a joke, but as I step through the creaking door of the sprawling building, I realise my life in foster care is in the past. I’ve been chosen and my world has changed forever.

But I wasn’t told that Marchwood House hides a secret.

As I explore every inch of the crumbling property, I stumble upon a set of large, dusty boxes in the basement. When I pull back the lid and look down, I find myself staring at the most handsome face I’ve ever seen. High cheekbones, porcelain skin…

And when he wakes up and locks eyes with me, I realise my heart already belongs to him, even though my head is screaming at me to get as far away from Marchwood as possible. Because I know what he really is.


I never planned to fall in love – but it’s too late now. Alexandre has a dark and dangerous past. He needs me and I have to help him. But can a human really save a vampire?
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Falling in love has never been so deadly…

From USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes the addictive Vampires of Marchwood series. Perfect for fans of K.F. Breene, Sarah J. Maas and Tracy Wolff.

My name is Madison Greene and I was an ordinary teenager until I fell in love… with a vampire. Alexandre is tall, with a sexy French accent and mesmerizing eyes. He makes me feel protected, and he’s completely captured my heart.

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 my boyfriend’s arms.

The ancient demon takes me to his underground city, deep beneath the windswept desert. In the twisting tunnels and enormous vaulted caverns, there’s a bloodthirsty vampire around every corner. I’ve never been so terrified…

It seems like there’s no way out from this underground maze. My life is hanging by a thread, and every second I’m here is a step closer to death. I can’t just sit here and hope that Alexandre will rescue me.


Can I outsmart a city of vampires to escape from this hellish place? And will I ever see Alexandre again?

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Falling in love has never been so complicated…

From USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes the addictive Vampires of Marchwood series. Perfect for fans of K.F. Breene, Sarah J. Maas and Tracy Wolff.

My name is Madison Greene and my boyfriend is a vampire. And not just any vampire, one with brooding good looks and a smile that makes my heart skip a beat. As I curl up against Alexandre’s side, our hands entwined, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Although our relationship hasn’t been easy. I’m human, so there were always going to be complications. But I thought we’d banished the demons from his previous life. I couldn’t have been more wrong…

Because there’s a new threat in the form of Nadia – a blue-eyed beauty who seems determined to do everything she can to break us apart. I trust Alexandre but I don’t trust her.

As I start digging into the truth to find out who Nadia really is, centuries-old secrets begin to unravel. And in order to set Alexandre free from the chains of his past, we must return to the ancient underground city of vampires to defeat Alexandre’s archnemesis once and for all.


Can I finally save Alexandre? Or will loving a vampire be the death of me?

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​​r e v i e w
rating:  ★ ★ ★  (3 / 5 stars)


'Hidden' by Shalini Boland is a dual pov, cross century story about a girl and her brother who are just barely getting by in the foster system. Madison is of course, a bit of an outcast. She wears a lot of dark clothing and has little money. Lately, stress also has her acting out at school. 

Just when things seem about at their worst, the siblings inherit wealth and a house. As the eldest, she's in charge of their fortune, guided by a solicitor representing the estate of their ancestors. But there's always a catch. 

Alexandre is a feisty Frenchman who always seems to find himself in trouble. Also the eldest of his family, he's expected to set a good example and maintain a good reputation for his own siblings as they come into their own. Easier said than done.

After upsetting another group of nobles, he and his family leave town for a bit on the trip of a lifetime. Off to Turkey on a career making archaelogical expedition, his sister doesn't even want to go. She finds the entire idea off-putting and boring, but has no choice other than to accompany them. 

What I love about this tale is the origin story for the vampires. It's uncommon to see authors dig deep (no pun intended) for their characters turning points, but Boland does this in a way that's almost reminiscent of the vampire queen herself, Anne Rice. 

Boland excels at the backstory, the social structure of the world she builds for that time, and the dialogue is well-done. Even Madison and Ben's backstory is handled pretty well. I find them to be less interesting characters in general, but largely because they are mostly stereotypes. They're still likable and you want to see them succeed.

I enjoyed the way the two timelines were written, with the dual-narrations coinciding with each other.. drawing closer and closer until they merged. It's at this point I think the story struggled a little, however. 

Somewhere, Alexander's personality got lost when he was put in the modern setting. Dialogue didn't mesh well and chemistry could have been better between the pair. Madison's reactions flipped in moments, in ways that didn't feel authentic. 

Nonetheless, I am looking forward to trying book two. It's possible that since this is just the first in the series, Boland hadn't fully settled into her groove yet and as it had a ton of potential, I'm hopeful the improvements will show themselves there.

Still, it was a solid enough read if you don't mind a slow pace. I think Alex could be lovely.

http://someonewotwrites.blogspot.com
About the Author:


​Shalini Boland is the USA-Today bestselling author of seventeen psychological thrillers. With over two million copies sold, her titles are published by Amazon Publishing, Audible, Bookouture, Second Sky and Grand Central Publishing.

Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her husband, two teens and their increasingly demanding dog, Queen Jess. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing (in between re-stocking the fridge and dealing with endless baskets of laundry).

She is also the author of two bestselling Sci Fi and Fantasy series as well as a WWII evacuee novel with a time-travel twist.

AUTHOR LINKS: WEBSITE | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
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  • Home/Index
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