Hearts at Stake (Drake Chronicles, Book 1)

Solange's life is miserable not only because she's the only girl in a family with seven overprotective brothers, but she's also the only girl (in nearly 800 years) in her family of vampires.

And her sixteenth birthday when she'll turn from a mortal to a vampire is coming up. Along with the stress she would otherwise feel with that transition coming up, there's a legend attached to Solange that she will be queen and pheromones she's emitting that are attracting ever male vampire anywhere to her.

The lovesick, often cheesy males are a problem, but the attention they're likely to attract from vampire hunters could be even more of a problem.

All of this is not to forget that the current queen hates Solange for the threat she presents--no show more matter Solange doesn't want to be queen at all.

Solange's brothers are being even more overprotective than usual, but at least Solange has her best friend Lucy to help keep her sane. Lucy and her family aren't vampires but they know about Solange's family and Lucy looks more like a vampire than Solange usually (with a her red velvet dresses, etc).

Soon, with Lucy staying at Solange's home while her parents are on a retreat danger threatens and it's up to the girls, the brothers and a few others to save Solange!


This was a massively enjoyable book and I am so, so glad it is a series. I loved that there girls in this book were strong characters and weren't easily pushed around. There were vampire hunters like in some other teen vampire books and the danger that comes with them but a lot of the story was focused on Solange and Lucy (and some boys for them!) and their friendship and relationships. The family relationships were strong, too and also an integral part of the story.

This was not simply a love story that focused only on two characters and the progression of their romantic relationship, but instead had romantic relationships woven into the plot. (There was a romantic relationship that I'm almost desperately hoping shows up in one of the later books in the series, too so I would say the method worked.)

The hierarchy of the vampire culture in The Drake Chronicles first book was set up very well and I'm really looking forward to seeing how new characters are pulled into this world (the second book of the series, at least, involves some different characters).

There was enough similarity in the vampire lore to make reading Hearts at Stake fun and enjoyable but enough that was unique to make it still very interesting and worthwhile.

I loved that so many characters were used in this book--but not in a superfluous way. They added to the story and were brought back later to be involved in some other way.

I'm really looking forward to reading the second book in this series (and the others as well.) This was a great change of pace from the other teen vampire books that are so focused on the romance between two characters, having both the familial relationship and the friendship between Lucy and Solange was great.

10/10 show less

Summary: Turning sixteen is exciting enough for anyone, but for Solange Drake it's a little more eventful than just birthday cake and a driver's license. In a world where most vampires are made by the usual methods, the Drake family is different - they are born as humans, but undergo the bloodchange on their sixteenth birthday. All of Solange's older brothers have undergone the painful and potentially deadly process, and now it's her turn... but the bloodchange itself isn't the only thing that could potentially kill her. Female genetic vampires are extremely rare, and an ancient prophecy speaks of one who will become the ruler of all the vampire clans... and the current Queen is none too pleased to think that someone might usurp her show more power. But Solange is not in the fight alone; her over-protective family, her all-too-human best friend Lucy, and even the rogue vampire hunter Kieran Black are all fighting to make sure Solange sees her sweet sixteen.

Review: This book was exactly what I needed at the right time. It was fast-moving, funny, attention-holding literary candy that didn't demand too much thought and provided a few hours of entertainment and escapism. It's jam-packed with romance and action and vampire history and snappy, realistic dialogue and some very Buffy-esque fight scenes, and it managed to suck me in quickly and keep me reading.

I had been avoiding it for a while, since I was kind of burnt-out on the teen paranormal romance front, and was fearing another Twilight knock-off. But, although there are vampires, and vampire-human relationships, Hearts at Stake has enough twists and turns and original angles to make it stand out from the pack. For one thing, it's told in alternating chapters from Solange and Lucy's points of view, which was for the most part a really effective way of keeping the story moving, although their voices were similar enough that I occasionally had a hard time keeping track of whose chapter was whose.

The two main female characters also meant that there was twice the romance of a normal book of this genre. Harvey's good at writing the twitchy, palm-sweaty, slightly crazy nature of a fifteen-year-old's crush, and the interactions between her characters felt natural and unforced. While the romance angle of this story was pretty predictable, and in places not as well developed as it could have been, I did enjoy the fact that there was a little bit of role-reversal going on; you've got your standard human girl/vampire boy pairing, but she's largely immune to his supernatural charms... and there was also a human boy/vampire(-to-be) girl pairing to watch. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this book - it was fast and easy to read, which I was expecting, but was also a bunch of fun, and not at all the standard paranormal romance fare. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: I'd recommend this to Buffy fans, or those who like reading about sassy girls dusting hordes of vamps... and more generally, to readers of YA paranormal romance who are starting to feel like they've seen it all already and want something fast, fun, and new. show less

This book was lot of fun to read and I can already tell it's a series that will be at the top of my fave list. The characters are diverse and interesting, the plot was quickly paced, full of action, romance and humor to lighten up the darker moments.
The story is told in alternating POV's between Solange, a living vampire and her best friend Lucy, who has grown up knowing the Drake family secrets and is just as much a part of the family. Both girls offer unique views to the story and this is one time when I really enjoyed reading from two perspectives.
The characters each get enough face time for you to get a vibe for who they are and where they stand in the story but without and an actual listing of their traits. Harvey seems to do that show more with everything, she slides the information in so subtly that everything maintains a natural flow. She doesn't break off into rants of background and character building it's just there.
The mythology is original, and an awesome spin on vampires I haven't seen. The Drake family even have their own history different from most other vampire clans in the story. Basically this book was flippin amazing. I did some digging and found the series is set for 6 books, Yay! So bring on the Drake brothers because I am in love ;) show less

Budding romances, mystery, political plots, and adrenaline inducing fight scenes! This book kept me involved and intrigued the whole way through. I found myself not wanting to put it down and even now, I'm impatient to start book two. I like the differences this author put into the whole vampire legends. I also liked that there was just enough of each of the elements to not make this strictly a romance, or mystery or thriller. It was everything all rolled into one.

Reviewed by Samantha Clanton aka "Harlequin Twilight" for TeensReadToo.com

The prophecy stated that the vampire tribes would be united under the rule of a daughter born to an ancient family. The Drakes are that family, and Solange is that daughter. Solange will change from being mortal to being vampire in a matter of days, on her sixteenth birthday. In the meantime, she's fighting off the "suitors" who are attracted by her lineage and pheromones, and the vampire hunters who are after her family. As if her situation isn't difficult enough, she also has to deal with all seven of her gorgeous vampire brothers and her impossible best friend, Lucy.

Solange and Lucy have been best friends for their entire lives. Lucy is also the closest human show more to the Drakes and is basically a member of their family, which tends to make for some rather interesting exchanges. When Solange is kidnapped, it's up to Nicholas, her older brother, and Lucy to find her and save her before time runs out. But can Lucy save herself when every glance or touch from Nicholas makes her go weak at the knees? And despite her almost impossible situation, what will happen if Solange decides to give her heart to the beautiful, but dangerous, vampire hunter who's helping her survive? A lot of drama and amusement for the reader, that's what!

Our story is told in alternating voices and I'm going to start by saying that despite the fact that the story is mainly about Solange and her family, Lucy has got to be my favorite! She's spunky and full of bite and I love it. She's so funny and vibrant that she balances Solange very well. I found Solange to be quite amusing herself, but she's a lot more subtle than Lucy and while being very sweet, I was drawn more by Lucy and her love interest than I was Solange's predicament.

There's something to be said for a book that is totally well-written and engaging that it has me running into things as I walk through the house because I don't want to put it down. I loved the characters, Lucy and Nicholas are totally my favorites, and they're hilarious, especially when they argue and bicker and try to hide their totally hot attraction to one another. Solange and Nicholas' mother, Helena, and brother, Logan, are totally in second place as to favorites. There are a lot of characters in HEARTS AT STAKE, but they all stand out in their own ways and I really like being able to remember characters after the fact and still know why I like them.

I really loved all the vampire lore, and Alyxandra Harvey not only found a new take on vampires, but also was able to separate her vampires and her story from all the TWILIGHT hype that is obviously here to stay for awhile (and don't get me wrong, I love TWILIGHT and all, but come on). But I do need to point out that within the first few chapters I saw the words "twilight" and "the Host" used and while not references or anything, it still made me giggle...a lot. The lore that Harvey brought into the story was so interesting and there's all kinds of little vampire subcategories so to speak, like the Host, the Hounds, and then the scary blue skinned ones (and no, they are not at all Smurf-ish or from Pandora) called the Hel-Blar.

I found HEARTS AT STAKE to be very enjoyable and fun and I absolutely loved it! I flew through it in just a few hours and ate up every page. The bruise on my shin can sorely attest to that, since I ran into the coffee table while reading because I didn't want to stop. The writing is fantastic, the characters are simply awesome, and I can't wait to read the next book - I've marked my calendar and am totally excited. show less

A fun story, but it felt like the lead characters where in a different league from the other vampires. They didn't have to fight very hard in the combat scenes in order to overcome their foes, so why were they so worried about them in the first place?

Let me start with this: Hearts at Stake was just TOO DARN CUTE! I kept turning the pages mostly because I wanted to see more Lucy-Nicholas action. Let me tell you, this couple sizzles! Alyxandra Harvey did a FABULOUS job of writing in the perfect amount of sexual tension between the two. Swoon!

Although Hearts at Stake is supposed to be about Solange, the only born female vampire in hundreds of years, I found myself attached to Lucy, her best friend. Lucy and Solange switch off narrating chapters, and I couldn’t help but always want to hurry up to Lucy’s chapters! She’s spunky, sharp-tongued, and funny! I couldn’t get enough of her banter with Nicholas and Solange’s other siblings.

I loved the whole family dynamic that Hearts at show more Stake portrayed. I haven’t read about a family of vampires in a while, and it was great to see every member of the family given a role in the story. All the members of Solange’s family were great fun.

I guess I should talk about the actual story, so I’ll mention that I did find it entertaining, but not really memorable. The action was exciting, the suspense was there, but the conflict between the vampires and the vampire hunters wasn’t near as good as the other elements of the book (Like Lucy! And Nicholas!).

Overall, I really enjoyed Hearts at Stake! I have to admit that I wasn’t expecting much when I picked up the book, but I’m so glad I gave it a chance. Between the family fun and the Lucy-Nicholas pairing (oh, okay, and the actual storyline), Hearts at Stake was a nice change of pace from your typical angsty-vampire story.
(Originally posted to 365 Days of Reading) show less