Into the Darkness

<b>1.5</b> <br><br><b>***Spoilers ahead and also very disturbing dark themes that might offend some readers***</b><br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1380436119ra/881400.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>This book was free on Amazon and was highly rated on GR and it also had so many good reviews. I decided to jump right into this story because it had my favourite themes: vampires, magic, one very sexy alpha hero, a heroine with a tragic past who survived a horrible epic event and learned to live, be happy and look at the bright side of life. That lovely book cover had a lot to do with why I chose this book. All in all, this book had so much potential and began with so much promise. <br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1391989267ra/8484475.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I was really excited to get stuck in but about 15% into the book something went very wrong, but I still had faith in the author and I couldn't help but admire her bravery in exploring dark and disturbing themes. Before long, we hit the mother of all icebergs and things started to go very, very wrong. Like Titanic kind of wrong! <br><br> <img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1391990101ra/8484573.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <br><br>This book should've come with some serious warning with alarms and bells attached. And saying it was 18+ just didn't cut it since it book contains events leading up to the rape of the heroine and her straight boyfriend and in the case of the later, this happened several times! Even the boyfriend's room mate didn't escape the assault and the fact that they were forced to like what was happening to them and to then forget about the whole horrific event using mind tricks and pheromones was just shocking! The whole thing sent my mind on a disturbing and twisted trip.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1391989267i/8484478._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>All of this violation was done with the knowledge of the so-called hero by his men and in some cases women! But when it came to the heroine, the complete sleaze ball 'The hero' ,aka Stefan, took her without her consent or knowledge and in the end she didn't even know what he had done to her! There was no repercussions, no consequences to the abuse and suffering of these poor humans and hardly any guilt or shame except for a twinge or two from the ass hat scum bag hero. It was all unbelievable.<br> <br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1380419572ra/832035.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <br><br>To be fair, the writing was great and the author had a great sense of humour. I loved the heroine, Sasha's character and the mystery behind her power and ability to see the other supernatural creatures was well done. I loved the snark, the banter, the drama, action and mystery in the story.<br><br>But near the end of the book, Sasha was still as much of a mystery as she ever was. The rape of several people was not dealt with and the whole thing was quietly swept under the carpet with a shrug and I was left wondering how the author was going to put this great Humpty Dumpty mess back together again. But before I could blink, it was all over and yet so much was left hanging. <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1391989267i/8484479.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I'm not a prude or a narrow minded person and I try to challenge myself and broaden my horizon by reading books that take me out of my comfort zone. I love authors who are brave enough to venture into dark subjects and skilfully pull the reader into the story and out of their comfort. But rape is a very serious issue and it is no less horrific when a man is raped by another man. This needs to be dealt with sensitivity and a degree of seriousness. There needs to be a reality check. Things just can't be swept under the carpet especially when those doing all the raping are involved the victims life. Talk about the great big pink elephant in the room!<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1391989267i/8484480._SX540_.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <br><br>Although this book had a lot going for it, I just couldn't stomach the rape issue but others might be able to look beyond that and want to see where the author takes this story in the next book. As for me, this is the end of the ride.

<b> <blockquote>"God, I was stupid."</blockquote> </b><br /><br />Yes. Yes I was. For reading this book.<br /><br />Bad books come in waves. This is a part of the seemingly endless wave of bad books I keep picking. <i>When will I learn that just because it is a freebie on amazon, that doesn't mean it will be worth reading?</i><br /><br />Honestly, compared to some of the reviews I read of this, I feel quite, ambivalent about the entire thing. I thought I would either fall instantly in love with it, or hate it so much I wanted to set fire to it, as so many people have before me...<br /><br />But I just, don't really know what to think. Overall I think I have a sense of complete and utter confusion. <br /><br />Sasha (I just had to look up her name, because she is so forgettable that I hadn't even paid enough attention to notice what her name was) was.... what I can best describe as <b>fucking beige.</b> Apparently she is meant to be this "special snowflake" and no one knows why, but I didn't find anything special about her, other than her complete inability to make a smart decision, <u>EVEN</u> to save her life. <br /><br />Seriously, her inner monolgoue is constantly telling us things like this:<br /><br /><b> <blockquote>"It had not escaped me that I was doing something so stupid it was life threatening."</blockquote> </b><br /><br />And<br /><br /><blockquote> <b>"Call me crazy - or just plain stupid - but I wanted to join their ranks and push back."</b> </blockquote><br /><br />And<br /><br /><blockquote> <b>"Yes that was the only weapon I could procure, a stinkin' rape whitle."</b> </blockquote><br /><br />*facepalm*<br /><br /><b>The Boss.</b> Look. I kind of want to do him, even though I know barely anything about him, or what he actually is, or why he is somewhow connected to Sasha, or what the fuck, other than lots of rape, is actually happening in this novel. <br /><br />You know what bothered me the most about this? The lazy way in which the story was told. It was so irritating, I wanted to tear my eyeballs out. Stefan (i.e <b>The Boss</b>) never actually tells Sasha his name. Never. Not once. She doesn't even hear anyone else call him by his name. <u>SO HOW DOES SHE KNOW HIS NAME IS STEFAN? </u><br /><br />Simple things like this, along with editing errors that clearly slipped through the cracks and weird words that were thrown in and seemed completely out of place in the book, made this a very strange and frustrating read.<br /><br />I will leave you with this amazingly strange sentence, this is a direct quote:<br /><br /><b> <blockquote>"Darla reached forward, her eyes closed, her face one of bliss, and clutched onto him, <i>scraping those sexy nipples off of his chest.</i>"</blockquote> </b><br /><br />SHE JUST DID WHAT TO HIS NIPPLES? WHERE ARE HIS NIPPLES NOW? DOES HE STILL HAVE NIPPLES?<br /><br />I will not be reading the next book, so I guess I will never find out.<br /><br />1 Star.

<strong>Who knew Vampires could be so funny?</strong><br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1597291789ra/29957962.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I liked this book much better than I expected. The plot centers around Sasha, a former foster kid who has always been able to see people in the shadows that nobody else can see. When she finally comes face to face with some of these people she finds that they are a race that the Vampire legends were created from. She also discovers there is Magic and that she has some. I liked the story, the raunchy humor and the characters. I definitely plan to read on! <br><br><a href="https://www.ilikebooksbest.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a>|<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/wennel" rel="nofollow noopener">Goodreads</a>|<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ilikebooksbest" rel="nofollow noopener">Facebook</a>|<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ilikebooksbest" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a>|<a href="https://www.twitter.com/wendysu020202" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a>|<a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/1895823057" rel="nofollow noopener">BookBub</a>

I am shocked at how surprisingly awesome this book was. Either I'm tried or this book is really good. Perhaps both. Or <i>Into the Darkness</i> was just right for me to read at that time. Sasha was also awesome and kinda funny. Her boyfriend, Jared was a weak man and Stefan was hot. Charles was adorable, he was like a little horny teenager! Can't wait to read next one!<br /><b>Rate: 3.5/4 stars.</b>

I'm flabbergasted.<br /><br />I loved - five star for three books love - the first books in her Fire and Ice Saga. The writing changed a bit and the story focus lost storyline with her follow-up to that series and went more to Paranormal Romance land versus Urban Fantasy and mystery, but the books were still good. The last two in that same series weakened further into PNR with little plot and some YA feel, but passable.<br /><br />This though? This isn't paranormal romance. It is complete, rushed, unrealistic, enraging Erotica. I think that either the author writes books I love with only one character only and those three books were a fluke, or it's just her PNR I don't enjoy.<br /><br />But this? <br /><br />Destiny, longing, sex come right away, and not just with the eventual 'hero'. I say hero lightly here.<br /><br />The cheesiness with the insta-lust is awful enough, not to mention no plot since it's erotica, but the real kicker is the huge theme of rape throughout the book.<br /><br />It may not be called rape and the author may not consider it so, but it's incredibly rapey. This race walks up to people and makes them have sex with them by magically drugging them and laughing about it. Her sweet boyfriend has this happen to him several times - as a straight man he's magically drugged into sex with men.<br /><br />An actual written point when going to get this poor guy from an apartment again:<br /><br />"Charles ushered him in, hitting him with a good dose of pheromones to loosen him up. Human males had the propensity to scream with their first experience with other men. They really needed to relax and just let the good times happen. Which was exactly what Charles was helping him do with the Dose."<br /><br />Seriously, what the hell? How is this okay in a PNR or any book where these are NOT considered to be the villains of the story?? <br /><br />Not only is this poor guy and his roommate sexually assaulted, she finds Jared later by hearing his screams through a door while a woman is raping him this time. The reason he's screaming? They are letting his fear and pain be released to turn them on further instead of just happily "Dosing" him this time in a large group that is watching.<br /><br />And yes, Dosing is always written as a capital D. Like a drug. A Date rape drug but it's magic so it's supposed to be okay?<br /><br />It wouldn't be as bad if this was a small group of corrupt souls in this group Sasha is getting involved with - but no, everyone is okay with this happening. It's all said because humans are so weak and easy to influence. Our weakness to their magical seduction powers make it okay to do this kind of thing. Yeah, this isn't like the power balance of rape at all...<br /><br />Even the hero doesn't really care about what happens to Jared. He mentions how superior their race is often, of course. All they do is walk around having sex with each other. When Sasha mentions this he brings up that the human race is just as obsessed with sex - yeah, we are not like this group - maybe some rotten apples, but not every one in the gene pool (thankfully!)<br /><br />And finally when Sasha has sex with the guy she wakes up feeling sore and having no idea they had sex because he did it when she only half conscious. <br /><br />I can't even....<br /><br />To end this review and my outrage, when she's talking to Charles about how they get their money, he casually says they get humans attached to them and have them leave their money to them in their wills when they die. Basically, they deprive the human of leaving the money to their families, children, charities, spouses --- because we're so easy to con out of our money as well as our body, and that's fine in this book.<br /><br />I will continue her Regan series because it's nothing at ALL like this, but needless to say, I won't be continuing this series. It will be hard to forget only because of my disgust at it.

Spoilers ahead, 1.5*<br /><br /><br />Now this is what you get for reading an author's back catalogue without checking reviews because you enjoyed a few of their books!<br />So.......<br /><br />Author I didn't need<br />The most asinine and ridiculous description of vampires and the bad guys I've EVER read<br />Sex between the h and her boyfriend<br />Sex between other random characters<br />Sex with the H and OW <br />To know that the clan members have sex with each other without protection in hopes of procreation<br />Secondary characters who act like horny teenagers<br />Sex with the boyfriend and the vamps while he's under the influence of their pheromones<br />A weird and mildly rapey and definitely cringey sex scene between h and H<br />To go through the frustration of the H knowing he's got a special connection with the H but him ignoring this knowledge and ignoring her<br />The h to be a pining idiot with BBS(betraying body syndrome)<br />An as yet to be understood plot<br />Then to cap it all off a cliffhanger ending<br />I mean haven't I been punished enough????<br /><br /><br />Grrrrrrrrrr a whole lotta mess in this bs

Not for the the faint of heart or narrow of mind, K. F. Breene weaves a sexy, snarky tale of magical mayhem. <br /><br /><b>Recommended for: Ages 18+ who aren’t easily offended by sexual situations that may be outside their own personal comfort zones.</b><br /><br />First off, let me say that I personally LOVE an author who isn’t afraid to push the envelope and take readers outside of their comfort zone. Couple that with a strong sense of sarcastic wit and humorous dialog, and you’ve got K. F. Breene. This was my first Breene title, but it certainly will not be my last.<br /><br /><input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="10ff9155-6131-4b15-845d-400107cd7310" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="10ff9155-6131-4b15-845d-400107cd7310">Sasha, an orphan raised in the foster system, always alone, always knowing she’s different has finally found a place where she can almost fully trust another person. Her boyfriend Jared has been her first everything. But she’s keeping secrets, lest he have her committed for seeing things no one else can. A dinner date leads to disaster when suddenly, Sasha and Jared find themselves on the wrong side of the tracks, cornered by two brutish shadow beings, overflowing with potent pheromones and intent on having their way with Sasha and Jared. Only Sasha doesn’t succumb to the overwhelming lure of their pheromones. Puzzled by this human’s ability to not be ensnared in their web of seduction, “the Boss” orders the pair to be returned home safely and their memories wiped. Unfortunately, Sasha’s memories don’t stay buried, and she’s forced to go looking for answers to whom these beings are and why she feels such an undeniable pull towards the Boss.</label><br /><br />Breene gracefully puts her characters through hell, with an outstanding unique style. Her protagonist Sasha is strong and adaptable without being bitchy as we watch her evolve before our eyes from being secure in her insecurities to taking her destiny by the horns. Oh, and did I mention it’s STEAMY? Sorry ladies, but this is NOT for the under 18 crowd. These shadow beings are purely and potently sexual. Its their nature, like any other predator, and they act indiscriminately, a task which Breene handles beautifully and maturely, addressing it for what it is, without over sensationalizing or being outlandishly graphic.<br /><br />I read this in record time considering my presently hectic schedule. I could. not. get. enough. If you’re anything like me, you will be salivating for the sequel.

I'm kind of left speechless; it started well, and then...?!? The basic idea is based around a Black Dagger Brpotherhood type community of hunky sex obsessed warriors, unseen by the average human and in the middle of a clan/ territorial power struggle. Sascha, who has been seeing things in the shadows her whole life, thinks she is being followed by a hunky mysterious shadow man. This turns out to be true when he saves her from danger while out on a date with her nerdy boyfriend Jared. This is an 18+ (which incidentally doesn't sit well with the ages of the protagonists.)<br /><br />So why the one star? Bizarely the first 10 or so pages were cliched but smoothly written, then it switched styles. It felt like the opening was produced and polished in a writing class and then the author went on to continue the novel on their own. Being a UK reader I struggled with the idea of 'school' going US kids - it felt like Sascha and Jared were 17. And then we plunged straight into a sex scene. There for me was the first problem: this pair should be firmly trapped within the pages of a YA novel with sex hinted at behind closed doors. But that wasn't the end of it;<input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="52a4c81f-2c19-46f1-9c83-c5c3ef920255" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="52a4c81f-2c19-46f1-9c83-c5c3ef920255"> there was the glamoured sex, the nearly rape sex, 'forced' gay sex, the casual sex, the vouyeristic sex, the compulsive sex, the dream sex, the healing sex, the manipulative sex, masturbation as she refused sex, the lets call it un-consenting rather than rape cos she wanted it really sex; I could go on. There was a worrying blurring of the edges when it came to sex and consent, both gay and straight. Pheromones seemed to justify most actions.<br /><br />Ignoring all that, the characterisation, world building and language was just weak. And the humour didn't work for me any more than the names; the super dude vampirish love interest is called Stefan, a 16 (38) yr old body guard that alternately fights, masturbates and knits gets the British name Charles, the enemy is called ET, and a superbitch called Darla. Mmm...I fully expect her to come in shaking a bag with a goldfish in it in the sequel.</label><br /><br />Having said that, if you want a humorous/bizarre rewrite of a BDB scenario you might like it and its currently free on Amazon -so I guess all you lose by trying it is a couple hours of your life but you do get a cute cover. If you're after a snarky heroine I'd go for Zara Laine in Skyla Dawn Cameron's Bloodlines: Sex obsessed males with permanent erections are thin on the ground but you get a much stronger storyline.<br /><br /><br />

<br />and here I am again back to vamps and their sexappeal!<br />well, in this book vamps are like a totally "different spieces" living amongst humans cause they are humans alike but only faster, stronger and very sexually liberated...<br />yes, you heard me right! They have as much as sex as possible and with as many partners as possible due to their "gifts", since everyone has a different dose of pheromones that "enchants" humans/enemies in order to keeping them subdued...<br /><br /><b>(so, yeah, vamps can fuck you sensless all the time and you'd be in a haze until they wipe away your memories...now, well that is some situation we have here, let me tell you...)</b><br /><br /><b>the story</b><br />Ok, so we have a <b>young woman in college</b> that <b>can actually see</b> them - <b>the "shadows"</b> as she calls them and she is attracted to them by sense...<b>but their "powers"/sex or other pheromones don't work on her</b>...and since <b>she can't stay away from them</b> without staying away from the troubles that come along with her (cause, of course, <b>she has "magic" too</b> but <b>she's unaware</b> of it, and that magic attracts evil demons that want her in her ranks...interesting)<br /><br />and <b>the one attracted to her the most</b> and she to him is <b>the "Boss"</b> himself (honestly, I couldn't keep away the image of Bruce Springsteen from my mind hence he's the most familiar Boss, hahahhaa) - <b>the leader vamp Stefan</b>...who needs to figure out who she actually is and to put under control his own pull towards her...<br /><br />this was <b>fast and interesting...</b><br /><br />although my mind was swirling with all the description of the evil demons and action I ended up with mixing colors in a huge blueish bulb....bwahahhaha "facepalm"

I could not finish this. It was an incredibly clichéd romance i.e. lust at first sight and all that. And of course I'm not cool with sex that's not consensual. Using magical means to make someone want sex does not mean that actually wanted it. It's disturbing that the main character is not disturbed by this when this tactic is used on her sexually immature boyfriend.