When Aideen Duffy went from pursuing Druain Lindberg for the sole purpose of arresting him and throwing away the key, to becoming Drew’s lover, things certainly took a turn.
Yeah, he’s raw, cynical, and mired in the evil crimes his “boss” Costecu had him commit. But… Drew’s the good guy. For years he’s been working undercover for Aideen’s agency, and she never knew.
He protected her from Costecu’s murderous henchmen, and in so doing, blew his cover. Costecu wants revenge, and the hundreds of years-old vampire is coming for Drew.
When Drew sacrifices himself so Aideen can get away, she has a new mission: she must save the man she loves.
It’s the least she can do, especially since she means to keep him forever.
I must say I couldn’t start Darkness Exposed fast enough after finishing Darkness Within. I enjoyed the first book so much there was no way I wouldn’t read the second one and oh boy what an amazing sequel it was. It definitely did not disappoint. It exceeded my expectations tenfold.
I loved seeing a softer, more tender side to Drew. It made me attracted to him even more than I already was. His thought process, mental strength, crude remarks, overall bullheaded approach to the events taking place throughout the book was absolute delight to follow. And what crazy intense events those were!
As Drew showed his softer, caring side in this book, Aideen had to toughen up and she rose to the occasion in such an impressive way. You do not mess with a stubborn, determined selkie with a clear goal in sight. Aideen proved she can indeed take care of herself. There’s so much more to the woman and the species she represents that you learn from this book.
I absolutely admired the approach to lore that Cyprus Hart took with his characters. Among learning more about selkies, we get to see a djinn in full action and, of course, the evil vampire lord. Each and every one of the creatures brings in something new and unexpected that gives this book depth beyond just another dark paranormal romance you might find.
Dark paranormal romance, I say, but in fact the darker aspects of the story were introduced in such a delicate masterful way, accompanied by a thought process that didn’t make any of it sound too crude or brutal beyond being able to process it. It helped that even though both Aideen and Drew went through quite some hell, the aftermath didn’t break them to pieces.
I can’t praise this book quite enough and I fail to bring it high enough praise using only my words. You’ve got to read it yourself to feel the way I feel about it.
Did you enjoy Darkness Within? You’ve got to read Darkness Exposed.
You haven’t read Darkness Within, but love the darker side of romance? What are you waiting for, go get it! Now! And then go get Darkness Exposed, too, because they are both worth it!
