My Only Love Sprung From My Only Hate

Romeo Montague; a name that has been remembered for his ruthless and evil ways. He has been cursed by the Mercenaries to spend eternity in his rotted corpse, until he was given a second chance by the Ambassadors. These two sides are at war, and neither side will stop until they achieve their final goal. Juliet's nurse, on the Ambassador side, gives Romeo the chance to redeem himself after his horrible acts of murder and deceit. She transports him back into the body of Dyan Stroud, the young boy who was deceiving Ariel Dragland. Romeo's task is to show Ariel that true love exists, and he takes this challenge.
Within days, Romeo has pulled out all the stops in order to win Ariel's heart. But this time, there is something different. Romeo's heart begins to succumb to Ariel's touch, her voice, her desperate love for him; He has fallen in love with her. However, just as Romeo's soul begins to change for the better, Ariel is falling deep into a pit of anger and vulnerability. The Mercenaries have been watching; and they have been manipulating Ariel's inner thoughts. Now, both Romeo and Ariel are in a fight for their lives and in the middle of a war. But the more the fight persists, the less anyone can tell which side is really telling the truth. 

Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay was the sequel to Juliet Immortal. Romeo and Juliet did not die in Verona, Italy as Shakespeare explained. They both were brought into a good vs. evil war, meanwhile fighting each other the entire time. This story tells of Romeo's second chance after his lying and cheating ways. Juliet's Nurse gives him the second chance he has been hoping for, and so his journey begins.
The reader cannot help but feel sorry for Romeo. He continues to express how he's only showing Ariel the way of love, but you can feel the love in his words. He begins to let himself be taken by Ariel's love, but it appears maybe this second chance was misguided. Perhaps Romeo was just a pawn and always destined to fail.
As I said with Jay's last novel, I really connected with her writing. It has a beautiful flow to it, and each scene could take you immediately there. The characters are so well developed you can feel their anger, especially when it comes to Ariel. She is such a broken character that it is no wonder the evil side has targeted her. Meanwhile, the reader can see a change in Romeo's arrogant "bad boy" exterior. Towards the end, I did really want him to succeed in his journey because he has truly changed. But the great surprise was the story behind the Ambassadors and the Mercenaries. The more the story continued the more you can tell something was not right and there was a different reason behind the war and the recruitment of these two star crossed lovers. 
I truly enjoyed this series. The two characters are reunited, the plot does come to a close, and in the end it seems everyone does finally get what the deserve. I do love how Jay incorporated the aspects of the play into her novels. It's a fresh new idea, and it is something that fits into the modern world. Definitely worth a read.

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told Was A Lie...

Remakes of Shakespearean classics are always a hit with me. This one, Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay, earned 5 stars because I absolutely fell in love.

After being murdered by her husband and soul mate, Romeo, Juliet is now working for the Ambassadors of Light. Her job is to help protect and bring together soul mates. She is transported into other girls' bodies and strives to create lives filled with the promise of love. Romeo works for the Mercenaries, who are the opposite. Romeo's spirit takes over helpless teenagers in attempts that one of these soul mates Juliet protects will kill themselves or their partner. Juliet finds herself in the body of Ariel, a broken young high school girl who needs all the love she can find. Romeo is not far behind, and he tries to convince Juliet that loving him again would set them both free. However, Juliet is in a pickle as Ben, new guy to the high school and the complete white knight of the modern age,  steps in to steal her heart. With time running out, no way of contacting the Ambassadors's, and Ariel's life unwinding in completely unexpected ways, Juliet must choose. Is this forbidden love meant to be, or is Romeo truthful in his vows? 

The writing is what wrapped me up instantly. Jay's writing winds ribbons of description and beautiful dialogue that it is hard to stop reading. I couldn't stay away for long. The great thing was all the possibilities I expected for the plot were wrong and new turns happened constantly. The ending was a surprise, but it was unexpected and refreshing. The characters, the concept, the description; I just fell in love with this book. Plus it really does give readers a whole new perspective on the classic star crossed lovers angle. Romeo's a jerk, but he appears to want things to work out for the two of them. It is unclear if his motives are selfish or if he truly cares for Juliet. On the other hand, Juliet is beginning to have a strong connection to Ben. So what's a girl to do?
Loved this book! It is a must read. :)