Book Review: Dark by Kat Kinney

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My Review:

Hayden is the hard-working lead in an up-and-coming all-girl band that is slowly gaining popularity in the music industry. However, when she is mugged in an alley after a gig, her life takes an unexpected turn. Unwillingly turned into a werewolf, Hayden turns to the only person who can help – Ethan.

Ethan is stunned when Hayden walks back into his life and is desperate for help. Against the wishes of his pack, Ethan determines to help her through the difficult transition that’s upon her. He also vows to find out who turned Hayden against her will, especially since she becomes a victim of stalking. Who is targeting Hayden? What do they want with her? Does this have anything to do with the other missing people in the area? Ethan isn’t sure, but he will do whatever it takes to protect the only woman he ever cared for.

Dark is an intense paranormal romance with well-developed characters, excellent dialogue, and super-steamy chemistry. The story is told from both Hayden and Ethan’s perspectives, which I liked. You really get to understand their emotions and motivations and why they resist their feelings. Hayden, for example, is a newly-turned werewolf, and her struggles with this change, as well as her conflicting feelings about Ethan, are skillfully explored. I love the humor and sarcasm that the author weaves into Hayden’s story. Hayden is fierce and independent, and her funny and sometimes acerbic personality shines through, even in the midst of her complex situation. The dual perspectives also help to delve into Hayden and Ethan’s family dynamics and how they’ve influenced Hayden and Ethan.

Flashbacks to Ethan’s childhood provide further context for his tortured actions and explains why he struggles to let people in. His memories, as well as his fear of abandonment and rejection, guides his relationships. Ethan constantly questions his worth, and Hayden is the only one who has ever gotten past the walls he has put up.

Ethan and Hayden both have difficult pasts and put a lot of pressure on themselves, and their tumultuous relationship prevents Hayden from fully trusting Ethan. However, he’s the one she turns to in times of crisis. Ethan is the person that she knows can help her. It is clear that both are afraid to give in to their feelings for each other, but their connection is too strong to deny. I loved how their story progressed! Their chemistry is fantastic, their bond is deep, and their love is true.

In addition to the awesome characters and the swoon-tastic romance, I enjoyed the suspenseful plot in Dark. This is a world where vampires and werewolves are common knowledge, but humans aren’t entirely comfortable with the knowledge. Many possible antagonists could be targeting Hayden, and I enjoyed trying to figure out who turned her and who was stalking her. The closer Hayden and Ethan get to the truth, the more dangerous their lives become, which led to some nail-biting scenes.

I really enjoyed this paranormal romance, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the Blood Moon, Texas Shifters series! Thanks so much to Kat Kinney for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Rating:

Favorite Parts:

• The romance!!! Ethan and Hayden have so much chemistry, and their love story is fantastic!

• The world. Basically, it’s our world except vampires and werewolves are common knowledge. This brings so many issues with it, and it’s fascinating to see the effects this knowledge has on human and supernatural characters.

Favorite Lines:

That was the thing about scars. We guarded them fiercely. Denied them until our last breath. But hard as we fought, they never really went away.

Maybe fate was a series of chances. Maybe it was a lost boy and a stubborn girl circling in a field of daisies until one day they collided. Or maybe in the end, some things just came down to choice. And I was choosing us.

Recommendations:

I recommend this novel to anyone who likes steamy, contemporary, paranormal romance.