Sienna is a young women who has escaped from a controlling mother and an arranged marriage to a cruel aristocrat. She lives in her grandmother's cottage in Sylvane Forest, but grandmother has passed away, and Sienna's only companions are four protective hart-wolves. I didn't read the first book but, apparently, Sienne is the best friend of Arabelle, the Black Lily, leader of a human resistance movement against the crown. The royalty are vampires who claim to protect the humans in their kingdom, but they're really wiping out entire villages, turning the men into vampires for an army, and using the women and children as blood-slaves.Nikolai is a vampire who used to be a lieutenant in the Legionnaires, the castle's royal guard (all vampires). After learning of the Queen's tyranny, Nikolai realizes he'd drank the Throne's kool-aid, and he joins the resistance to fight for the ideals he believes in. He turns up at Sienna's cottage to request (at Arabelle's behest) that she help enlist recruits for the resistance. Thus, Sienna and Nikolai set out on a journey to do recruitment in several towns on the way to the Black Lily's base.I'm not one for the retelling of fairy tales, but this is an adult story with all the elements for a good romance: a handsome and devoted hero; a brave, compassionate heroine; evil villains; an enthralling plot; and romantic tension that leads to hot, monogamous sex (no anal, dominance, bondage, menage, m/m, etc.). Oh, and a happy ending, though it's clear that there will be sequels in the future.The writing is excellent, the pacing is fast, and I was completely engrossed in the plot. Only one thing interrupted my suspension of disbelief, and that was Nikolai's quick, head-over-heels, respectful and total commitment to Sienna. I found it a bit hard to believe for an centuries-old vampire who'd been with innumerable women, but never for more than a night. Sienna holds back, though, so it's not an insta-love or fated-mate scenario. I wish there were more books available in this series, but will check back in the future.