Imagine your boyfriend is trying to beat the crap out of you, and you end up hating him because he gave up on you before he could finish you off.

That’s the dilemma Emily finds herself in at the beginning of “Rival.”
I should note, the fight was a karate match, and Emily was sure her eventual-boyfriend, Brett, gave up.

This is a book where the main characters have big secrets they have to keep from one another. Brett has a painful illness that attacked him during his match with Emily. Emily’s secret is no doubt a bigger one: for generations, her family have been “Chasers,” brave, ruthless warriors who attack and kill vampires.

After Brett and Emily run into each other at the mall, they encounter a clan of these monsters, and Brett is left clueless.

Naturally, the two fall in love, and share their respective secrets. All too soon, they find themselves in a situation requiring all the strength, skill, and courage they can muster.

I liked Rival. It’s a fast read–at 79 pages, more a novella than a novel–and it’s perfect for YA-Romance fans, but with enough action that its appeal transcends that narrow group. I think any YA fan would like it. There’s enough smooching for the romantics, and enough action for the rest.

All in all, I like the world author Lacy Yager has created. There are two other books in this series, thus far, and I can’t wait to read them.

Highly Recommended.