**Re-Release Review ~ Vision of Shadows ~ Vincent Morrone**

Earlier this year, I read and reviewed a wonderful YA Paranormal novel, Vision of Shadows, by Vincent Morrone. Recently, Vincent contacted me to let me know he was re-releasing the book with a brand new cover. So along with the new cover, here is a re-post my review of the book. Enjoy! :)

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Vision of Shadows by Vincent Morrone

Series: Vision series #1

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Synopsis 

Is Bristol Blackburn about to meet the love 

of her life...or her killer? 

After the death of her parents, Bristol Blackburn's life is thrown into chaos and she's forced to move to Spirit, a small town where shadows are stirring. As she learns to navigate her new school and figures out how to keep her psychic abilities secret from her family, Bristol comes face to face with the boy who makes a regular appearance in her dreams: the gorgeous, possibly deadly, Payne McKnight. Soon she’ll find out if Payne will be the love of her life, or the end of it — and she has no idea which possibility scares her more. 

And that's not even the worst of it. Strange shadows are haunting her dreams, and they're up to something that could put Bristol and the lives of everyone she loves in jeopardy.

Want to chat with Bristol, the main character of this series? Well she has her own twitter account: @BristolBlackbur 

Oh my goodness! What an enjoyable read. Mr. Morrone crafted an excellent story and filled it with great characters.

Bristol Blackburn sees dead people. She talks to them actually - a gift she's had as long as she can remember. A gift she keeps secret, because her parents referred to her as a freak. She also has visions that sometimes come true. She's been dreaming of a certain boy for as long as she can remember too. And one dream she's had is of him killing her. Now she's come to stay with her uncle, cousins, and grandpa following the death of her parents. On her first day of school, she meets dream boy.

Payne McKnight is an intense young man. He's intensely compassionate, intensely loyal, and he sets his intense eyes on Bristol. As they spend more time together, it becomes clear that Payne has a few secrets of his own. Oh, and I liked the parallel between Payne's name and the activities he engaged in for fun.

Vision of Shadows revolves around the family feud between the Blackburns and the McKnights, and the curse on them. There is a whole lot of odd happenstance in Spirit, the small town these families inhabit. Mr. Morrone constructed a unique and suspenseful mystery. I was left guessing again and again. 

Mr. Morrone populated Spirit with a great cast of characters. Honestly, there isn't a character discussed that wasn't important to the plot. It was thrilling to watch as Bristol, who desperately wanted to be loved and accepted, fight against the forces trying to take away the family that gave her that. I enjoyed seeing Payne begin to heal and let go of the remorse and guilt he's carried for so long following the death of his mom and the disappearance of his cousin. And I loved the grandpas. Witnessing them build bridges toward one another was heartwarming. Mr. Morrone did a fine job of conveying how events in each character's life affected them. I also delighted in the humor each character injected with their own brands of snark. Although Vision of Shadows is a paranormal romance and dealt with some heavy topics, it was a lot of fun to read as well.

Vision of Shadows was such a pleasure. The story is told in first person and flows well. I was immediately drawn into it. The story is full of ghosts and mysteries. The world building, while not complex, was well done. And I adored the characters, obviously. 

**I received an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.**

“I’ve never met anyone like you before in my life,” Payne said.
Now it was my turn to grin. “Yeah, girls who talk to ghosts are rather unique.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Payne insisted. “You’ve never told anyone about your secret before, have you?”

I didn’t answer, but I didn’t need to.

“I cannot begin to tell you how touched I am,” Payne said. “Not only that you’re helping me, but also that you trust me. I know how big a deal it is.”

“It’s not.” I shrugged. “Not really.”

Now Payne touched my cheek, and my skin tingled underneath his
fingers. “It is. Bristol, you’re braver than I am.”

I looked up into Payne’s magnificently dark blue eyes and saw it. The emotion that I always saw in my Payne loves me dreams. It was the look in his eyes he got when we were making love, or at least would get if we ever did. There was a connection between us that went beyond anything I’d ever known. I knew Payne could feel it, too.

Payne brought his other hand up, gently caressing both sides of my
face. In that moment there was no doubt he would kiss me. I was ready. I didn’t care about anything else. 

When I heard the laughter from behind me of a little boy, it took me a second to blink back into reality. I backed away, and Payne’s face fell. 

“We’re not alone,” I explained.

Jared McKnight had appeared, his little dog sitting obediently by his feet, its tail whipping back and forth. Jared had his hands by his eyes as if ready to cover them. A huge smile was plastered on his face. 

“I can’t believe Payne was gonna kiss a girl!”

I closed my eyes and sighed. Well, he was!

Born and raised in Brooklyn NY, Vincent Morrone now resides in Upstate NY with his wife. (Although he can still speak fluent Brooklynese.) His twin daughters remain not only his biggest fans, but usually are the first to read all of his work. Their home is run and operated for the comfort and convenience of their dogs.

Vincent has been writing fiction, poetry and song lyrics for as long as he can remember, most of which involve magical misfits, paranormal prodigies and even on occasion superheroes and their sidekicks.

As they say in Brooklyn: Yo, you got something to say to Vincent?

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