Cashmere (Velvet Trilogy #2) By Temple West [Review]

RELEASE DATE:  February 14th 2017
AUTHORS: Temple West
GENRE: Young-Adult, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance.
PUBLISHER: Medias Res Publications
SUMMARY: This high-stakes sequel to Velvet proves that when you’re the only human caught in a paranormal war, high school can get a little tricky. With Adrian’s brother trapped in hell, the Praetorian Guard has made Stony Creek their base-of-operations, but Caitlin has a bad feeling they’re more interested in her than in finding Lucian. Caught in a sea of conspiracies and lies, Caitlin and Adrian perform a risky magical procedure in an attempt to protect Caitlin from compulsion.

Relieved that her nightmares have ended, Caitlin is disturbed to find that something even stranger has taken their place.

Determined to get on with her life, even amid a crazy paranormal manhunt, she applies for a competitive summer fashion internship in New York. Searching desperately for answers about what Caitlin might be, how Adrian’s father is involved, and where Lucian has been kidnapped to, Caitlin and Adrian must rely on each other to survive. But when the truth finally comes to light, the consequences are unimaginable.

And the question still haunts them both: even if they survive, how will they deal with the fact that Adrian is immortal and Caitlin is not?

*I received an ecopy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I have mixed feelings on this book because despite enjoying it, I wasn’t fully satisfied with the story. I loved the first book in this trilogy but I was little bit disappointed with its sequel because the story mostly focused on the Caitlin’s fashion internship in New York and less on the whole vampire drama. It seemed more like Project Runway meets twilight which sounds really absurd I know but that’s really what I had felt while reading it. I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoyed Caitlin’s internship in New York with vampire bodyguards secretly babysitting her in the dorms but it made the story lose its seriousness and excitement. Nevertheless, it is a good sequel but not the best.

The story starts after three months after their fight with Tommie and the day they found Lucian kidnapped by Adrian’s father. Since Lucian’s disappearance, the council has been searching for him everywhere. After Tommie’s incident, things became even more complicated for Adrian and Caitlin when the council sends Praetorian Guards to stony creek. On the other hand Caitlin’s friend Trish has been angry with her for no reason. When Caitlin gets accepted for an fashion internship in New York, she gets pretty excited about it but it’ll take her faraway from Adrian. For her safety, the council decides to send vampire guards along with her to New York. Caitlin finally feels happy living a normal life for a while and her nightmares seems to be stopped since her fight with Tommie but surprisingly, her dreams took a new turn where she could talk with her consciousness but when it intensifies into something extraordinary so many questions arise which leads to a shocking revelation. Besides her secret relationship with Adrian now Caitlin has even more dangerous secret to keep from the council.

Caitlin is a pretty likable character. I liked her in Velvet but I liked her even more in Cashmere. She stood strong despite facing lots of hard and tense situations which makes her tough and emotionally strong. Adrian is definitely swoon worthy vampire. He’s so adorable in this book especially the bedroom scene, it was quite hilarious. Though a relationship between a vampire and human is forbidden, Adrian can’t deny his feelings for Caitlin anymore and so they begin a secret relationship. Their romance is sweet, cute and oh so adorable. As for the secondary characters, I liked Kalare, Julian, Trish and Caitlin’s Aunt. In the friendship department Kalare and Caitlin top’s the score but It doesn’t mean I didn’t liked her friendship with Trish. Kalare is totally kickass character. She oozes rebelliousness which is something I always love in a female character. I will totally ship her with Julian even though how much arrogant he is. 

The plot is good but I had some issues with it. The story seemed unbalanced because the contemporary part overshadowed the paranormal part of the story. I’ve read so many paranormal books set in modern world but this one I had a bit difficulty while switching between two worlds because I can’t concentrate on fashion part while some serious shit is happening in the background. Honestly, I really felt like I was reading a contemporary book not a paranormal one. Caitlin’s internship really dragged the story and I wish the author had took more interest in other stuff too. The only exciting part of this book is at the ending. I would’ve enjoyed it more if there was more vampire action in it. I liked the writing which seems to be much improved. The book was told from Caitlin’s Perspective[first-person] and I don’t have any issues with it. 

Overall, I like it but  I don’t love it! The book finally concluded with a major cliffhanger and I really hope the finale is more action packed and thrilling. 

 Recommend it?
Yes!

Despite my issues, I think many people will definitely love it. So, I recommend this series to everyone especially to the contemporary lovers who are new to this genre.

MY RATING:  [3.5/5 Stars]

So, What do you think of this book? Please Feel Free To Comment Below. ❤

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