25 Days of Book Boyfriends: Adrian Ivashkov

A couple weeks ago I joked on Twitter that I was in need of a book boyfriend Advent calendar. There was quite a bit of “yes, please!” from others, but no one could find a good one. Clearly, this was up to me. So, to make the chaotic holiday season a little more fun and a lot more sexy, we’re going to feature a book boyfriend every day for the next 25 days.

That’s right. Welcome to VBC’s 25 Days of Book Boyfriends.

DAY 12: ADRIAN IVASHKOV
(BLOODLINES)

Oh, Adrian. When he first made his appearance in Richelle Mead’s Frostbite, the second Vampire Academy book, I never would have thought I’d be head-over-heels for him. That’s probably because I was a Rose/Dimitri ‘shipper from the start for that series. Over those books, though, I found he was a character I cared about and wanted to see where his journey led.

Richelle must have agreed, as when she started the VA spinoff series Bloodlines, she made it clear she had an endgame for Adrian. He became a hero, a man who wanted to be better, do better, and was totally what Sydney Sage, the spinoff series’s heroine, needed. Plus, his efforts for her particularly in The Fiery Heart solidified him as one of my all-time favorites.

Get to know him by reading Bloodlines (VBC review | Amazon):

I wasn’t free of my past, not yet.

Sydney’s blood is special. That’s because she’s an alchemist – one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets – and human lives. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with her allegiances in question, her future is on the line.

When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she’s still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir – the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir – is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill’s guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.

The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside – and within – the school grounds. Now that they’re in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.