ARC Review: Jessica Rules the Dark Side (Jessica #2) by Beth Fantaskey

Synopsis: It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

Review
Plot: I'm glad I had the pleasure of getting the chance to read this before it comes out. I fell in love with the previous installment and couldn't wait to read this one. The second installment follows Jessica after she has just married Lucius and getting into the swing of becoming a ruler. Jessica is still not used to being a ruler and relies on Lucius to make commands since he's used to it. But, after an elder is murdered and Lucius is blamed, it is left to Jessica to uncover the real murderer and why they would frame Lucius. Along with Jessica's troubles, we get to follow her best friend, Mindy, and her love affair with Raniero and her suspicions of Jessica's cousin. The different POVs did worry me but after reading them, I love each one. There was never one that I got bored with, plus the male POVs (Lucius and Raniero) were very funny to read.

Characters: Jessica - Jessica is one of my favorite characters. She's very strong and brave, but she isn't used to being in the position she's in now. She wants to be the wife Lucius deserves and slowly molds herself into that role, not only because she needs to but because that's what she's destined to.
Mindy - Mindy is a breath of fresh air since her biggest troubles are trying to win back the vampire she lost. She goes to see Jessica in her time of need and tries to support her while Lucius is in confinement. Mindy is a very strong character in herself and I feel like there is more to her story.

Cover: I love how the covers of the series are cohesive to one another. One depicting Jessica's innocence and the other showing Jessica fall into her position as a royal. The cover is very beautiful and sums up a few key points in the story.

Overall Rating: I have to give this book a three out of four. I thought the book was a great conclusion on Jessica's story and maybe a spin-off for Mindy. The book gave a nice journey for Jessica to see that she does deserve to be a royal and she can be one. I loved the POVs between the four characters and the surprise twist of who the actual murderer was. I would recommend any vampire or romance fans to read this series; it has a great balance of romance and action/drama.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha