Title: Tempt Me with Darkness Author: Shayla Black
Series: Doomsday Brethren (Book #1)
Next in series: Seduce Me in Shadow
My rating: 4.5 Stars
Synopsis: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned . . . this is one adage that Marrok of Cadbury learns the hard way when he is cursed by Morgan Le Fay. Forced to endure an eternity of loneliness, Marrok dreams that Morgan has returned in the body of a modern woman named Olivia Gray and sets out to find her, believing she holds the key to releasing him from his curse. However, Olivia and Marrok soon learn that all is not as it seems, and as they seek answers become embroiled in a life and death struggle against an evil wizard determined to bring about the end of the world.
Review: A spellbinding plot characterized by cleverly interwoven elements of Arthurian legend, witchcraft and magic. It is wonderfully refreshing to read a book about a group of warriors who are not vampires.
The romance between Marrok and Olivia sizzles. They are a great couple with an amazing chemistry and it is very easy to identify with their conflicting emotions. I like the fact that Marrok is not without his faults, and it can even be said that while his curse is harsh, he definitely had a lesson to learn and he learns it well. Olivia is also very engaging and I enjoyed reading about her discovery of magic and her powers. Nevertheless, her inability to believe that Marrok loves her despite all evidence to the contrary, and her constant doubts regarding his motives become tiresome after a while.
The book is well written with some really spicy scenes that are not overdone and contribute to the plot and characterization. The action is also fast paced and Black has established an intriguing world with its own internal rules and hierarchies. To a certain extent the social dynamic of Magickind with its various class distinctions reminds me of the Wizarding World in Harry Potter and the evil wizard who manipulates this inequality in order to achieve his own immoral goals is reminiscent of Lord Voldemort. Mathias D’Arc is an especially diabolical villain and his preferred method of torture actually made my skin crawl.
The secondary characters are also well developed, especially the various members of the Brethren (Bram, Lucan, Ice and Shock). I will definitely be continuing with the series to find out more about the underlying tensions between them, and to see how they will ultimately be resolved.
I really like this series. I recently read in the authors FB post that she is going self pub with the series. I hope that does not take away from the series in any way. Great review.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I really like that this series is different from the standard PNR books out there. I love, love, loved Ice's book! (Tortured heroes are always my favorites.)
ReplyDeleteJen at Red Hot Books