There are no monsters, only good guys and bad guys. That’s the creed by which Detective Inspector Faith Connolly has always lived.
When Faith discovers that she has a time bomb counting down in her head, she has one goal; to solve the murder case she’s working on—a young girl who was found drained of blood—and in doing so gain closure for a long ago murder never solved. Her investigation brings her in contact with Ash Delacourt. Ash is all black leather, big guns and sexy bad attitude—definitely not one of the good guys.
As payment for a debt, Asmodai AKA Ash Delacourt, finds himself working with the Order of the Shadow Accords. He’s the demon representative on the newly formed Committee for the Integration of Mankind and well…everything else. It’s a chance to be near his daughter, make a new start, and—once he’s met the delectable detective—maybe have a little fun.
There are no monsters. But as Faith’s investigation deepens, her beliefs are eroded and for the first time, she is falling in love—with one of the bad guys. But how can she ever let Ash close when her time is running out…?
This is the third book in The Order series. Although it tells the story of a different couple, it would be advisable if you read the previous books before venturing into this instalment. In doing so, you will gain background information on the supporting cast featured in this instalment and learn about the inside operations of The Order of Shadow Accords.
I read the firsts two books awhile back. I received this book for review but never got around to reading it before now. I thought I would have problems getting into the story due the time I took to pick up this book. Fortunately, this was not the case. As I delved into the story, I remembered events from the previous books, which made it easy for me to be immersed in the book.
My Perspective
The Story.
If you love fast-paced, suspenseful action packed and sexy paranormal stories, then you will love this book. Based on my experience with the previous books in the series, I had high expectations for this instalment. I was not disappointed. This is not your typical paranormal romance. Yes, you will encounter the usual supernatural beings you find in this genre, but it so much more than that. It is a story of betrayal, redemption, second chances, forgiveness, healing and love.
This story introduces readers to a world where some supernatural beings, who make up the Order of Shadow Accords, are trying to create a world where they can co-exist with humans. However, other beings are not so keen on the idea and are willing to use any method possible to prevent the Order from achieving its goal. The Order is the police for the supernatural world, who metes out punishment to those beings who bring attention to themselves.
The suspenseful thread involves a group of people trying to bring down The Order by targeting the Christian Roth, a billionaire vampire one of the head honchos of The Order. This aspect of the story was entertaining and captivating. I liked that it did not overshadow the romance between Faith and Ash. In fact, both threads blended well to make for an exciting read.
The romance is not typical of what I generally see in this genre. This was not a case of the hero claiming the heroine as his from the moment he lays eyes on her. This was a case of instant attraction, which slowly grew into love. It also had its share of obstacles from both parties and external sources.
The Main Characters.
If you are a fan of heroines who are tough, self-reliant, sassy and tenacious then you will love Faith. She is human and does not believe there are supernatural beings walking the earth. When approached by a mysterious group to help them in their quest to take down Christian Roth. She thought it ludicrous and not intended to accept their offer. However, due to circumstances beyond her control, she ended up working for this mysterious group.
She has difficulty accepting the truth, even with the
evidence presented to her. She saw things as being black and white. You are either good or evil, there is no in between. This belief stemmed from an incident, which happened in her past to which she is yet to receive closure. However, she would soon come to realise that things were not as simple as she was led to believe.
When I met Ash in the previous book, I did not like him. I thought he was evil; after all, he is a demon. Well, in this instalment I discovered that there was more to him than I originally thought. He had a caring side which, he demonstrated by his actions towards his daughter, (who by the way hates him) and Faith. He had been on a quest for revenge, but his love for his daughter took precedence. He knew what it meant to be in love, but he thought those feelings were dead and buried, until that moment when Faith brought it back to life.
I loved how protective he was of Faith, even when he believed she had betrayed him and the other members of The Order. Watching him care her when she experienced here headaches was heart-warming and sweet. His reaction when he thought he was going to lose her was heart-breaking. I felt his pain throughout the ordeal. Who would believe the demon of lust had it in him to care about anyone but himself.
Conclusion
I appreciated how things worked out in the end as it relates to Ash’s relationship with his daughter and Faith. I was glad to see Faith finally getting the closure she craved in regards to the incident from her past. The ending was appropriate and nicely done. I do hope that the author will continue the series as there are characters who I would love to see them get their stories.
Recommendation
Fans of paranormal romance and strong sexy characters will enjoy Bittersweet Darkness.
Nadene's addiction to reading began at an early age, when a family friend gifted her a copy of Wuthering Heights. From that moment she was never without a book.She will read anything as long the material is compelling enough to hold her attention. She gained many experiences through the pages of the books she had the opportunity to read.She created this blog to share her love of books with like minded individuals hopes that in sharing reviews of the books read visitors to the blog will discover their next addictive read. When not reading, Nadene enjoys cooking, listening to music and watching television.
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13 responses to “BOOK REVIEW : BITTERSWEET DARKNESS by NINA CROFT”
kindlemom1
This sounds really good and I keep telling myself I need to try more in this genre. It sounds like this would be a good place to start. Wonderful review!
This sounded so good that I went and bought it. lol If I like it, I’ll probably get the rest of the books. I’m bad about reading books out of order. I seem to do it all the time. Thanks for the great review.
Good to know. Thanks for the heads up that this shouldn’t be read out of order. I’ve been seeing this book a lot lately and was thinking of picking it up but haven’t read the previous books.
Some readers say the series can be read out of order. :Personally I would not recommend it, I believe you would have a better experience reading them in order. So if you can get the others as well.
This sounds really good and I keep telling myself I need to try more in this genre. It sounds like this would be a good place to start. Wonderful review!
Thank you. I do hope you check it out.
This sounds really good. I don’t think I have read any of this author’s work before but I will definitely check it out.
This sounded so good that I went and bought it. lol If I like it, I’ll probably get the rest of the books. I’m bad about reading books out of order. I seem to do it all the time. Thanks for the great review.
Cool, I do hope you enjoy it.
Good to know. Thanks for the heads up that this shouldn’t be read out of order. I’ve been seeing this book a lot lately and was thinking of picking it up but haven’t read the previous books.
Some readers say the series can be read out of order. :Personally I would not recommend it, I believe you would have a better experience reading them in order. So if you can get the others as well.
This series sounds like one I would definitely enjoy Nadene. I love that it all came back to you and provided such a memorable read.
It was memorable indeed.
Oh syeet! I love the sound of this one. I’ll be adding this to my TBR. Great review Nadene 🙂
Well it is a good thing she meets him then if she has a timebomb in her head 😉
Sounds nicely done! I have got to get back to her books.
I really should try more books by her!