***Review*** Crave by Melissa Darnell

Released : 25th October 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Series :Yes #1 in the Clann Series

Format :Kindle

Source : Digital ARC from Netgalley

Buy at : Amazon - UK 
Authors Site:  Melissa Darnell 

Rating:   3.5 Stars

Cover:  3 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

 My Review:

I was given a copy of this book to review by Netgalley.

I have to say that when I first got this book and read the blurb I was excited.  It sounded just my kind of book.  I loved the sound of forbidden love with a bit of magic and a dash of vampires.  But, I have to say with a heavy heart, it all went wrong for me.  All the ingredients were there, but when it was all put together it left a dull and lukewarm delivery.  I felt quite frustrated at times.

I think the characters lacked depth. I really did struggle to connect with some of them.  At one stage I did think about abandoning the book, I am pleased I didn’t, because right near the end it got good.  The story somehow managed to save itself, for the first time in the book it got exciting.  So the ending has saved it and by doing this, yes I do want to read the next book.  So all is not lost!

I would love to have read more about some of the characters like Anne- Savannah’s best friend - I think she was one character who I would have loved to have known more about.  Savannah’s Dad too, maybe it would have been interesting to find out about a bit more about his past relationship with Savannah’s Mother.  So many different sub stories could have been added but without this the story stayed a bit one dimensional.

Hopefully the next book will explore these other avenues and I really will give this series another shot.  I didn’t hate this book; I just found it a bit mediocre and predictable.

My Rating: 3.5/5 The ending has given it an extra half a star

Cover Rating: 3/5   I like the cover, but sadly it doesn’t leave much of an impact.

About the Author:

Melissa Darnell is a book lover through and through. In addition to authoring a growing list of adult and YA fiction and nonfiction books on a wide assortment of topics and genres, she is also a freelance book editor, layout and cover designer, and ebook formatter with more than 75 books to her professional credit. She wrote her first story in the third grade, was first published in the sixth grade when her poem was selected for an anthology, and has since won several regional and national essay contests with prizes ranging from the complete Harry Potter collection in hardback to an actual horse with a year's worth of feed in the 1992 Ponies of America essay contest. Born in California, she grew up in East Texas and has also called the following states home at one time or another: Utah, West Virginia, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, and Iowa. A former award-winning dancer with 12 years' formal training in jazz, tap, and ballet, she currently lives in South Dakota with her husband and two children, where she enjoys watching Whale Wars, UFC matches and True Blood, trying out new hair colors, designing fun stuff to sell in the virtual world of Second Life, and of course writing her latest book!