***NOTE: Please know that this is a series you NEED to read in order or you will be hopelessly lost with the events that finally culminate in this book. There are so many players, clues, incidences, and circumstances that shape and create the main characters and that intertwine with the plot. If you haven't read the previous books, be warned that this review has major spoilers for the series, but not for THIS book...there is still a lot left for you to discover.
Click here for the list of books and the order they need to be read.
As a child, David Sutter's soul was shattered, but his spirit wasn't broken.
The Cronus Club did it's best to reign him in, but to no avail. While he
was able to escape the physical monsters that plagued him, he had a
long way to go toward recovery. After 20 years, when he thought
it was all done, evil begins to resurface, and he knows that it is time
to come out of hiding. He faces the devils of his past, but it could drag him down further, as people he cares about are being murdered, along with members of the diabolical cult. One woman has the power to keep him from falling into the depths of his darkness...
Sybil Chalmers has loved David for many years, but he keeps pushing her away. She will fight for him, but if he can't accept her love she knows that she will have to let him go. With David's past coming back to haunt him and the entire town of Madison, IN in upheaval, can she make him see that he already holds the tools to destroy his darkness and rebuild his life...
***
This is a dark series that showcases characters rising above their demons and addictions, making it easier to find peace and happiness in their future. I was so excited when I discovered that Sybil and David/Cain got their HEA in
Darker Than Desire. I adored Sybil, who refuses to take crap from anyone, making her a perfect heroine for David. Cain is a character that intrigued me from the start and I wasn't surprised to learn that he was actually David Sutter, hiding in plain sight. I knew there was more to the cold, standoffish, Amish fellow than met the eye and was curious to discover how intimate his connection was with Sybil.
David and Sybil have dynamic chemistry. Their passion sizzled, as their erotic interludes burned up the pages. Neither of them would back down when they had a point to get across to the other. Sometimes it worked for them, and other times they would just butt heads. David's stubbornness got in the way of their relationship more than once, but Sybil was just as determined to make him see that together they could conquer the demons.
I loved that Noah, Adam, Lana, Jensen, etc...were all still a big part of the story, as these are characters that I really got hooked on. I liked that it was shown how David was drawn to be part of a family with Sybil and her nephew, Drew, but he refused to acknowledge that it was what he really wanted.
I was shocked when I finally pieced together who the murder was. I knew early on who was killing the members of the Cronus Club, but the other murderer threw me. I thought that the differences of insanity vs. evil was well described and played out through this series, and it was a great twist to this dark, emotional story.
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