Crave by Melissa Darnell

Crave by Melissa Darnell
Release Date – October 25, 2011
Publisher – HarlequinTeen
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 416 pages
My Rating- 7/10
**obtained from Netgalley and HarlequinTeen for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.
For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

I wanted to read this book as soon as a I read the synopsis and saw this gorgeous cover. I am happy to say that Crave was an interesting, quick paced read.

The characters were likeable. It’s easy to feel for Savannah. This poor girl has been ditched by her best friends and doesn’t really know why. She is treated like a freak by her classmates, but has a great group of friends. She seemed like every other high school girl. She seemed like someone you knew.

Tristan is the “golden boy”. Similar to most sport playing high school “superstars” that we may remember from high school . This one just happens to have a sweet side, and is part of the Clann. He seems to have it easy but struggles with living up to his parents expectations of him, and doing what he wants vs. what they want.

The secondary characters, especially Savannah’s friend Anne were even better. I loved how supportive and caring Anne was. She was willing to help out Savannah even without having all the facts. Emily, Tristan’s sister, intrigued me. I can‘t wait to see more of her in the next books. She was powerful, and seemed to be very capable of running the Clann. She was my favourite character in the book, and I wished she was in it more.

The two different narrations made it easier to get to know Savannah and Tristan. I felt more invested in them as a couple. The great thing is that their relationship does not feel forced or instant at all. They have known and liked each other since they were kids. They got pretend married when they were younger. It was nice to see a history and a past that could help explain the feelings they were having for each other.

The Clann and the reasons why Tristan and Savannah are forced apart are interesting and developed well. The writing is easy to follow, and keeps your interest. The only thing I could mention is that it often felt predictable. I knew early on what was going to happen, and what the outcome would be. I like a book that keeps me on my toes and doesn’t feel like a formula was used (even if one is used).

The ending was a little abrupt and if this was not a series I would not have been satisfied with it. However, there are more books to come, and I am curious to see what Melissa Darnell has in store for us.