Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

Quiet, shy Jill Jekel has always followed the rules without question. But when her father was murdered and the mysterious box that she was told to NEVER open was sitting in his office, Jill sort of broke the biggest rule of all...

When Tristen Hyde came to Jill's high school, there were a lot of jokes between Jill and Tristen's last name, always linking them together. It never mattered that they were different social status's at school; the Jekel and Hyde team were together. 

After awhile, the joke grew old and students stopped talking about it. 

But both Tristen and Jill are extremely smart at school. They are also really smart in chemistry class, giving them the opportunity to compete in a competition to receive a $30,000 scholarship for college. 

When Jill found out that her father stole her college fund, she decided to do an experiment for the competition and, following their chemistry teacher's advice, got Tristen to partner up with her to create the "Jekel and Hyde" duo to grab the judges attention. 

And the experiment? Well, recreating the potion that Jekyll made in the novel, The Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of course. 

See inside that box in her father's office? It's the original notes written by Dr. Jekyll to get rid of the curse he created known as Mr. Hyde. 

Tristen was a little leery to join Jill in this experiment, but after having blackouts and not remembering events that other people do remember, he realizes that the Hyde curse has taken over Tristen. He wants to recreate this potion to get rid of the monster inside of him before he completely takes over. 

The chemistry between Tristen and Jill is undeniable, but Tristen won't get close to Jill because of the monster trying to get control - especially when Jill is around. He needs to banish the monster forever before he can start something will Jill. 

Will they be successful to recreate the potion to 1) cure Tristen and 2) save Jill's financial crisis she's in? Or will the monster overtake Tristen and do what it does best: kill those who Tristen's attracted to? Read Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections

If you've ever read the classic story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you'll love this creative, well written, unique tale spun by Fantaskey. 

Or if you've only heard of the story, that's alright too since this goes into a more dark, haunting story about two characters who are connected from an ancient tale and a curse that goes back in both families. 

This novel is told through both Tristen and Jill's point of view, giving the reader a chance to delve in both characters and read their inner most thoughts and reactions to finding the cure for Tristen and Jill. 

I absolutely adore Jill. She reminds me of myself a little bit back in high school, though I wasn't as smart as her (especially in science, shudders). And I have to admit that I found the idea of her wearing glasses amazing, as many main characters in books I've read don't wear contacts or glasses. 

And Tristen is so torn up inside. He knows he's cursed, he knows there is a monster waiting to come out, and he knows he's done horrible things because of the monster. 

But he wants to get better and destroy the monster so he can be a better person again. And he also wants the monster gone so he can be with Jill. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but he still finds a way to resist her so she won't get harmed by the monster in case it comes out. 

I really enjoyed this book. Also, on the plus side, it's a standalone novel, so no waiting for the rest of the story to come later. 

I would definitely recommend this to any reader. I think guys might like it as well because Tristen has a voice that they can read and relate to. And to anyone who likes science  this is definitely up your alley! Pick it up today and get lost in the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde through Jill and Tristen's point of view. 

Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

This is the second novel in the Jessica series by Beth Fantaskey. 

Click here: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side to read my review of the first novel.

There will be spoilers to the ending of the first novel, just to forewarn you before you go any further!

Now that Jessica has turned into a vampire and her and Lucius have gotten married, Jessica finds herself as the new vampire princess in Romania.

At first, she was unsure what to do. What does a newly graduated high schooler from America know anything about running a government?

Things get even worse when Lucius defends Jessica during an Elder's meeting, and the man he threatened was found dead the next morning - with his blood on Lucius's stake!

Jessica found herself ruling the vampire world on her own, without Lucius after that. Thank goodness his cousin, Raniero, was helping her at the request of Lucius before he was taken in confinement.

Along with Raniero, Jessica also had help from her best friend from America, Mindy. She and Raniero had a fling for awhile before finally breaking it off, but Mindy was in Romania to be with Jess and figure out her life.

The longer Lucius was in a cell, he was growing very weak. He was not allowed to get blood, which after a few days would put any vampire into a coma - only worse.

With little time to find the real killer, Jessica must start acting like a ruler - a queen - rather than a scared high school graduate.

Will Jessica, Mindy, and Raniero be able to find the right murderer and save Lucius before he loses his mind? Or will Jessica be without a husband and find herself ruling the vampire world alone? Read Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
When I first picked this book up, I was a little hesitant. I really liked the way the first novel ended and was unsure where Fantaskey would go with this novel.

I'm glad I only hesitated for a few minutes! This is very different than the first novel. Now that Jessica has claimed her vampire heritage, she needs to start acting like it.

Only it's a little difficult for her to do that. How can one change from a high school graduate to a ruler of a species?

Well, when her husband is convicted of a crime he didn't do, that's how. Seeing Jessica transform completely was incredible. I was so proud of her and was definitely cheering for her the whole book.

This was told throughout 4 viewpoints: Jessica (Antanasia), Mindy, and, though letters to one another, Lucius and Raniero.

I was very irritated with Mindy as a narrator, because she uses the word "like" and "totally" far too often that I wanted to pull my hair out, but it was nice to get a different perspective of the vampire world through a human's viewpoint.

I was very pleased with this second novel, and I think fans of the first novel will enjoy it as well. We get to learn more about what happens after Jessica and Lucius get together and see Jessica because the leader that she was truly meant to be.

For anyone who wants a paranormal/supernatural story about vampires in a new twist, I would definitely recommend these books.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

This is the first novel in the Jessica series by Beth Fantaskey.

Getting through high school is enough for Jessica Packwood since she has two of her very own bullies at school.

But when a foreign "exchange student" comes into town from Romania and claims he's betrothed to Jessica? Yeah that might be going over the top for her.

Lucius is a vampire prince of the Vladescu vampire clan. Jessica was adopted after her parents and Lucius's parents were killed, but Jessica was born as Antanasia Dragomir, the princess vampire of the Dragomir clan.

At first Jessica denied everything Lucius stated. She was not royalty, she was not a vampire, and she was not going to marry Lucius - no matter what betrothal was made when she was an infant.

Then something changed in Jessica... She started getting a hunger for blood. And when she was angry or upset, she could feel her fangs trying to come out. Then her appearance started to change, transforming her from the original looking American teenager to a woman who knew her mind, and looked confident in her choices.

Unfortunately, when Jessica realized that Lucius was telling the truth, and she started to have feelings for him, he gave up on them. He stopped pursuing Jessica and started to act like a teenager with no rules.

After officially giving up on the merger between the Vladescu and Dragomir clan wedding, Lucius gave up on everything else. He became the dark vampire that his clan is well known for.

Jessica was not willing to give up, though. She gave Lucius the ultimate decision, that could end with Jessica's death. If there was any part of Lucius that loved her, it could mean a marriage but if he really is the dark, brutal vampire he wants Jessica to think, she could die by the one she loves.

Read Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey to find out what happens!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Lately I've been vampired out and I've stayed away from vampire books. I really enjoyed this one, though! I liked the royalty spin to the vampire clan and the fact that if Jessica and Lucius didn't get married, their families would be in a war to the death.

I also really liked that throughout the novel the reader was able to see some of Lucius's thoughts when he wrote letters to his uncle in Romania. He basically complained about Jessica thwarting his advances, but he also admired her ability to stick with her decision.

It was entertaining to see Jessica change her mind about Lucius. He grew on her, though, and when he started seeing Faith, that was when the possessive side of Jessica came out, making her realize that Lucius was hers.

There is a sequel to this book, which I will review later when I get it. I'm very interested to see what will happen between Jessica and Lucius.

For anyone who likes vampires or hard-to-get relationships, this would be a great read for you. However, if you're tired of vampire stories, I would say hold off on this so you can fully appreciate the storyline without cringing at the word vampire.