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Darkness Comes #1
Darkness Comes
Malorie Sinclair once dreamed about a life without vampires, imagining a world where she was just a normal girl and she didn't have to move every couple of months as she and her father hunted the vampire hordes. When she was nineteen vast numbers of the cold-blooded creatures suddenly vanished and she was able to finally breathe. And for almost six years she struggled to forge a new life for herself and her young son, trying to be normal even as the little voice whispered in her ear that it wasn't over. It wasn't. She discovers that there's a creature even more powerful than the cold and dead vampires she had hunted as a girl, a creature that teems with life and vitality and fangs. Unable to resist the allure of this new hot-blooded vamp, she learns that her father hasn't been entirely honest about her true nature. But the hot-blooded vampire knows what she is and now that he has tasted her he's never going to let her go.
336 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
A.C. Warneke
18 books150 followersLike most writers, I spend most of my time telling myself stories and occasionally writing them down when they get too loud to remain in my head. The characters are also very demanding, wanting to go out into the world to be discovered by millions of adoring readers, though they are most satisfied with having only a few readers that truly love them. From the gargoyles that sit on top of the roofs to the Siren who lures her wolf astray to the Aradians and Apocritae to those who battle evil, the characters are everything.
Instead of going through the traditional gatekeepers of the publishing world I have leapt over the walls with the help of digital catapults (kindle direct, smashwords, and createspace) and messenger e-birds (goodreads, facebook, twitter, RNC, etc), going directly to the public. It has been a year and while my strong hold is small it grows larger every day as I connect with other rebels throughout the lands and the readers who support our work. It is a glorious day to be a writer.
When it comes to the actual writing I have discovered that every single one of my books likes to be created in a different way, which makes establishing an environment that is most conducive to my writing is not likely, though it occasionally involves chocolate covered raisins, music, minesweeper, occasionally Mahjong, lots of solitaire, notebooks and scraps of paper, doodling and day dreaming, and fruity, sugar-free bubble gum, not necessarily in that order and not always at the same time.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the love and support of my very loving and very tolerant family: my husband who encourages me to keep writing even when I act a little insane in regards to the worlds in my head, and my three kids who help out so much when I get lost in those same, darn worlds. They politely listen as I go on and on about my characters' motivations and back stories, their connections within the worlds created and how they fight to gain control of their destinies. But I am a cruel writer and make them earn their happy endings.
Since I am also a Romantic at heart, they are all happy endings.
Available books:
Darkness Comes (February 2012 – PNR)
Blight (March 2012 – UF)
Stone Lover (March 2012 – PNR, romantica)
Siren Song (May 2012 – PNR)
Stone Romance (September 2012 – PNR, romantica)
Blind Attraction (Jan. 31, 2013 – Contemporary)
Coming soon-ish:
Awakening (PNR/UF)
Stone Destiny (PNR)
After Blight (UF)
Darkness Comes book 2 (PNR – title to be determined)
http://www.amazon.com/author/awarneke
http://www.facebook.com/ACWarneke
http://acwarneke.wordpress.com
Instead of going through the traditional gatekeepers of the publishing world I have leapt over the walls with the help of digital catapults (kindle direct, smashwords, and createspace) and messenger e-birds (goodreads, facebook, twitter, RNC, etc), going directly to the public. It has been a year and while my strong hold is small it grows larger every day as I connect with other rebels throughout the lands and the readers who support our work. It is a glorious day to be a writer.
When it comes to the actual writing I have discovered that every single one of my books likes to be created in a different way, which makes establishing an environment that is most conducive to my writing is not likely, though it occasionally involves chocolate covered raisins, music, minesweeper, occasionally Mahjong, lots of solitaire, notebooks and scraps of paper, doodling and day dreaming, and fruity, sugar-free bubble gum, not necessarily in that order and not always at the same time.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the love and support of my very loving and very tolerant family: my husband who encourages me to keep writing even when I act a little insane in regards to the worlds in my head, and my three kids who help out so much when I get lost in those same, darn worlds. They politely listen as I go on and on about my characters' motivations and back stories, their connections within the worlds created and how they fight to gain control of their destinies. But I am a cruel writer and make them earn their happy endings.
Since I am also a Romantic at heart, they are all happy endings.
Available books:
Darkness Comes (February 2012 – PNR)
Blight (March 2012 – UF)
Stone Lover (March 2012 – PNR, romantica)
Siren Song (May 2012 – PNR)
Stone Romance (September 2012 – PNR, romantica)
Blind Attraction (Jan. 31, 2013 – Contemporary)
Coming soon-ish:
Awakening (PNR/UF)
Stone Destiny (PNR)
After Blight (UF)
Darkness Comes book 2 (PNR – title to be determined)
http://www.amazon.com/author/awarneke
http://www.facebook.com/ACWarneke
http://acwarneke.wordpress.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 29, 2025
3.5-4 stars!
***Warning*** There's insta-love/attraction here but it was well done and gradually explained within the plot premise.
At first glance I didn't expect much from Darkness Comes, but it turned out to be a surprisingly good book and I'm so glad I gave it a chance.
Don't be fooled by the erotic cover because this book is so much more than just erotic paranormal romance, there's a promising world building, character development, interesting myth and legend as well as a new twist on the old vampire myth!
'You're never going to survive the things I'm going to do to you but you'll die with a smile on that beautiful face of yours.'
Malorie was trained from a young age to be a Blade Soldier, to hunt vampires with her father but living in fear and constantly hiding or being on the move makes her wish for a normal life without the monsters.
'Her father trained her to be a slayer and she fought against them for all those years. Her husband was killed fighting them. She hated them.'
Her wish to live a normal life is realised when the vampires, who plagued the world, suddenly disappear, Malorie grabs this chance to make a new life for herself and her young son. But no one knows why the vampires disappeared so suddenly and who's to say they won't be back just as quickly? The whole thing makes Malorie and her father paranoid. Gradually, Malorie realises that there are things she doesn't know about the world and what she doesn't know could complicate and endanger her life and the lives of those she loves.
'She knew, she simply knew, that there was something out there even more powerful than vampires. It was terrifying not knowing whether the new player was a friend or an enemy.'
I really liked the heroine, and that's unusual because most heroine's don't live up to expectations or character description and I find that truly disappointing. Another thing I like about Malorie was that she wasn't an inexperienced virgin, she had a life before meeting the hero and that made the hero and heroine's relationship and everything else more interesting and infinitely more enjoyable.
The hero, Feryn, was intriguing, powerful, extremely hot and I liked that he wasn't bedding everything in sight. I didn't warm up to him right away, he appeared bit ruthless and even heartless but seeing things from his POV and having a glimpse into his past changed my mind.
Feryn, is the big man in his world, but I don't think Feryn is an Alpha, he's definitely a beta hero, simply because he let things happen and continue to carry on right under his nose. Even after a shocking attack and direct challenge to his authority by someone who is an annoying bug compared to Feryn's power and authority, he still didn't take action. He let that person manipulate him like a toy. At times his lack of perception and effective action annoyed me - this made no sense and it didn't fit his character. I guess that makes him alpha in terms of power, rule, body and sex appeal but he doesn't deliver the goods to be a true alpha.
There are some explorations and back stories of the main/side characters incorporated into the story and I really appreciated that because it gave the story a much needed depth and it explained the thought process and actions of some characters. But there was one disturbing revelation here that just made me a bit ill and took some of the spark and romance off of this story. I'm still not cool with that issue and I wish it had never happened. I had to pretend like hell that the creepy revelation never took place. But I couldn't help cringing every time the issue came up. I really hope the author can put it right in the next book.
Despite the above issue, I was certainly entertaining and intrigued by the plot, myth and characters. I expected this story to go a certain way but there were several surprising twists in the plot as well as enough action, romance and mystery to keep me up all night reading Darkness Comes. I can't wait to read the sequel and find out how the story concludes.
***Overall rating**
Plot: 4 stars
Main character development: 3.5 stars
Secondary character development: 2 stars
Romance: 3-3.5 stars stars
Violence/gore: 4 stars
Villain: 2 stars
Passionate scenes: 4 stars
Entertainment factor: 4 stars
Love triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
***Warning*** There's insta-love/attraction here but it was well done and gradually explained within the plot premise.
At first glance I didn't expect much from Darkness Comes, but it turned out to be a surprisingly good book and I'm so glad I gave it a chance.
Don't be fooled by the erotic cover because this book is so much more than just erotic paranormal romance, there's a promising world building, character development, interesting myth and legend as well as a new twist on the old vampire myth!
'You're never going to survive the things I'm going to do to you but you'll die with a smile on that beautiful face of yours.'
Malorie was trained from a young age to be a Blade Soldier, to hunt vampires with her father but living in fear and constantly hiding or being on the move makes her wish for a normal life without the monsters.
'Her father trained her to be a slayer and she fought against them for all those years. Her husband was killed fighting them. She hated them.'
Her wish to live a normal life is realised when the vampires, who plagued the world, suddenly disappear, Malorie grabs this chance to make a new life for herself and her young son. But no one knows why the vampires disappeared so suddenly and who's to say they won't be back just as quickly? The whole thing makes Malorie and her father paranoid. Gradually, Malorie realises that there are things she doesn't know about the world and what she doesn't know could complicate and endanger her life and the lives of those she loves.
'She knew, she simply knew, that there was something out there even more powerful than vampires. It was terrifying not knowing whether the new player was a friend or an enemy.'
I really liked the heroine, and that's unusual because most heroine's don't live up to expectations or character description and I find that truly disappointing. Another thing I like about Malorie was that she wasn't an inexperienced virgin, she had a life before meeting the hero and that made the hero and heroine's relationship and everything else more interesting and infinitely more enjoyable.
The hero, Feryn, was intriguing, powerful, extremely hot and I liked that he wasn't bedding everything in sight. I didn't warm up to him right away, he appeared bit ruthless and even heartless but seeing things from his POV and having a glimpse into his past changed my mind.
Feryn, is the big man in his world, but I don't think Feryn is an Alpha, he's definitely a beta hero, simply because he let things happen and continue to carry on right under his nose. Even after a shocking attack and direct challenge to his authority by someone who is an annoying bug compared to Feryn's power and authority, he still didn't take action. He let that person manipulate him like a toy. At times his lack of perception and effective action annoyed me - this made no sense and it didn't fit his character. I guess that makes him alpha in terms of power, rule, body and sex appeal but he doesn't deliver the goods to be a true alpha.
There are some explorations and back stories of the main/side characters incorporated into the story and I really appreciated that because it gave the story a much needed depth and it explained the thought process and actions of some characters. But there was one disturbing revelation here that just made me a bit ill and took some of the spark and romance off of this story. I'm still not cool with that issue and I wish it had never happened. I had to pretend like hell that the creepy revelation never took place. But I couldn't help cringing every time the issue came up. I really hope the author can put it right in the next book.
Despite the above issue, I was certainly entertaining and intrigued by the plot, myth and characters. I expected this story to go a certain way but there were several surprising twists in the plot as well as enough action, romance and mystery to keep me up all night reading Darkness Comes. I can't wait to read the sequel and find out how the story concludes.
***Overall rating**
Plot: 4 stars
Main character development: 3.5 stars
Secondary character development: 2 stars
Romance: 3-3.5 stars stars
Violence/gore: 4 stars
Villain: 2 stars
Passionate scenes: 4 stars
Entertainment factor: 4 stars
Love triangle:
Cheating:
HEA:
January 3, 2013
3.5
Malorie is a former vampire hunter and she's been dreaming of a mysterious man with black hair and green eyes since she was sixteen. The vampire wars have ended so she, her 6-year-old son and father have settled in one place and she's comfortable enough to go to the mall Christmas Eve.
During an unscheduled open feed in the mall, she finally comes face-to-face with the mystery man and her life will never be the same.
There was good world-building and characters and Feryn is truly the man of Malorie's dreams but she's a Breeder meant to propagate more of Feryn's kind and can she accept that?
Did end on a cliffhanger. I liked this book.
Malorie is a former vampire hunter and she's been dreaming of a mysterious man with black hair and green eyes since she was sixteen. The vampire wars have ended so she, her 6-year-old son and father have settled in one place and she's comfortable enough to go to the mall Christmas Eve.
During an unscheduled open feed in the mall, she finally comes face-to-face with the mystery man and her life will never be the same.
There was good world-building and characters and Feryn is truly the man of Malorie's dreams but she's a Breeder meant to propagate more of Feryn's kind and can she accept that?
Did end on a cliffhanger. I liked this book.
July 15, 2012
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This book was actually a pretty good read. At times in the story I wished the author would have moved the story along faster. The sex scenes caught me off guard because I really wasn't expecting them to be as....umm how do you say it....detailed.
Over all the book was a good read and it wasn't just another vampire story, it was one in which the author created twists and turns.
This book was actually a pretty good read. At times in the story I wished the author would have moved the story along faster. The sex scenes caught me off guard because I really wasn't expecting them to be as....umm how do you say it....detailed.
Over all the book was a good read and it wasn't just another vampire story, it was one in which the author created twists and turns.
December 9, 2012
Oh my goodness! A.C. Warneke has introduced a wonderful world of vampires, slayers, and aliens! It’s awesome!
Malorie lives is trying to live a normal life. The vampire war has ended and all she wants to do now is live a normal life with her son. All that changes on Christmas Eve when she gets caught at the mall during an open feed.
Not only does Malorie get bit, she’s marked. Her once normal and peaceful life is about to change…..forever. Nothing is what she thought. Everything she knew is about to change.
A.C. Wareneke’s vampires are not the sexy, mesmerizing creatures we know. They’re something else. Their creators are not vampires, yet they drink blood. They’re something more than vampire and they are mesmerizing! I loved the world A.C. Wareneke created!
Malorie is a wonderful heroine. She’s grown up strong because she had to. She grew up fighting the vampires, protecting humans! They only thing she wants now is to protect her son and let him choose his own path, let him grow up normal and make normal choices. She tries so hard to do what’s best for him. Making these choices is not easy as she’s drawn to Feryn, but giving in to him means taking choices away from her son. Giving in to Feryn also means she gets to live a normal life. A life free of stress, worry, and she’ll be cherished and loved. How can she decide? What will she decide?
Darkness Comes is the first in a series and I’m eagerly waiting for the next one. I love vampires in all their variations. A.C. did something that I love and hate! She left us with a cliffhanger! I love cliffhangers because it means I get more of the stories and characters I love. I hate them because I have to wait so long for the next one to come out!
I received a copy of this book from author as a prize in a contest.
April 3, 2014
I don't even know where to begin with this review....I guess I should start by saying that I'm not really a PNR reader, so picking up this book was a bit of a stretch for me, but it was highly recommended by a close friend, so hey.
That being said, I'M ADDICTED!!!! What the hell did this author do to me? Vampires aren't supposed to be hot and sensual and sexy and....ok, I need to breathe.
I love how A.C. made Malorie a mom who had already loved. It made the story more....real for me to grasp. You always hear about the incident young woman with no family being taken in by Vampires. Not in this book.
The pull of the story, plot, character building, all of the above was so nicely done. So much so that I'M DYING OVER HERE FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!!
Oh the anticipation....
That being said, I'M ADDICTED!!!! What the hell did this author do to me? Vampires aren't supposed to be hot and sensual and sexy and....ok, I need to breathe.
I love how A.C. made Malorie a mom who had already loved. It made the story more....real for me to grasp. You always hear about the incident young woman with no family being taken in by Vampires. Not in this book.
The pull of the story, plot, character building, all of the above was so nicely done. So much so that I'M DYING OVER HERE FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!!
Oh the anticipation....
April 27, 2012
I really like what this story was trying to do and I like the twist to the traditional vampire story.
There were times I was a bit annoyed because the writing was not that good but I think that will get better with experience.
When you start reading this book it gives you the feeling that someone took a Young-Adult vampire romance and tried to bring it to an adult audience. There were times the language was a bit rougher then it needed to be so that it could prove to us that it was made for adults.
I really did like the way the story developed and I can see a sequel coming and I look forward to reading that also.
There were times I was a bit annoyed because the writing was not that good but I think that will get better with experience.
When you start reading this book it gives you the feeling that someone took a Young-Adult vampire romance and tried to bring it to an adult audience. There were times the language was a bit rougher then it needed to be so that it could prove to us that it was made for adults.
I really did like the way the story developed and I can see a sequel coming and I look forward to reading that also.
April 6, 2012
2.5 stars. There were times reading this that I saw so much potential...but it just left me cranky in the end. Sometimes it felt like the author was just trying to fill in space, and the narrative was just going in circles and circles... So much time spent analyzing. When the plot moved forward with actual action, it was enjoyable... But when they were hanging out in the room ruminating over why they feel the way they do...well it just lost me. And I'm not actually someone that requires a lot of action...it just seemed like going over and over old ground. So yeah, this book was not for me. Ah well...
September 13, 2013
I enjoyed the concept of this story, but the delivery needed assistance.
There were many editing errors, and the characters didn't seem to connect for me (with the exception of Mallory & Toby).
The flow and style of the writing made it difficult to know if you were in the here & now or if you were in a dream, or memory sequence. I also think there were some Hot sex scenes in the book but they were not memorable I think because of the overall writing of the book.
The story/plot has possibilities, it had me engaged, but all of the parts put together just didn't make for a great read for me
There were many editing errors, and the characters didn't seem to connect for me (with the exception of Mallory & Toby).
The flow and style of the writing made it difficult to know if you were in the here & now or if you were in a dream, or memory sequence. I also think there were some Hot sex scenes in the book but they were not memorable I think because of the overall writing of the book.
The story/plot has possibilities, it had me engaged, but all of the parts put together just didn't make for a great read for me
December 11, 2013
As other reviewers said the story jumped around quite a lot, memory sequences were indicated by italics in this version which is a change from the version I started on my previous kindle. A lot of the editorial issues have been corrected but there are still some lurking in the text.
The story overall was OK, it's a new take on the vampire/slayer theme with the addition of the vampires having been created by a third group. I won't be rushing out to get the next books on the series but if I see them around I'd not be adverse to picking them up.
The story overall was OK, it's a new take on the vampire/slayer theme with the addition of the vampires having been created by a third group. I won't be rushing out to get the next books on the series but if I see them around I'd not be adverse to picking them up.
April 23, 2012
This book was one that I loved yet hated at the same time. The story was good the characters good but at certain times the story went around in circles not getting to the point quick enough. I have to say that it did leave me wanting more. How to rate it was another problem, I gave it four stars because i did enjoy and would like to see more books join this one. Give it a go...
March 23, 2017
I got this book as a free Goodreads giveaway. I was initially attracted to the cover, which BTW is HOT! I enjoyed the story. I like the different take on vampires and their creation. I enjoyed the interactions between the main characters. Looking forward to reading the next book.
December 7, 2014
Enjoyed it, is there a second book? It looks like there should be, I'd like to find out more
June 25, 2014
Once again I am blown away by A.C. Warneke's book. It was so good.. And the ending.. Wow!! Just wow! From start to finish could not put it down.
December 23, 2012
I'm still in a quandary on what to say about this story. I was very excited to get it free from the author in a contest, but it really didn't live up to the synopsis given.
There are lots of grammatical errors which made it very hard at times to read. You would get stalled, have to fix the meaning in your head, and continue on. There is lots of jumping around in the story which at times gets confusing because you don't know who's memories you are seeing.
All in all, I can't truly recommend this story farther than a 2.5... just made me want to get through with it and be done.
OH.. and for those that are thinking this is vampire erotica... it takes over half the story to actually get to the hotness in the relationship (not including the teasers in dream sequences).
There are lots of grammatical errors which made it very hard at times to read. You would get stalled, have to fix the meaning in your head, and continue on. There is lots of jumping around in the story which at times gets confusing because you don't know who's memories you are seeing.
All in all, I can't truly recommend this story farther than a 2.5... just made me want to get through with it and be done.
OH.. and for those that are thinking this is vampire erotica... it takes over half the story to actually get to the hotness in the relationship (not including the teasers in dream sequences).
November 23, 2015
I thought this book was very good. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. The storyline was original. It was well written, and I really liked the characters. My only complaint about the book was that the main romance involved characters that loved each other without any real reason why; they basically fell in love at first sight.
September 5, 2012
Has the potential to be a good story if it were written better. New input on vampires. There's smut which is never bad. Some of the events though were not that surprising, there were times I said "saw that coming from a mile ahead" (maybe I watch too many tv shows) Let's see how the second book does.
July 20, 2012
love the cover,sounds great!!!!!!!!
April 1, 2020
Poorly written and riddled with grammatical and mechanical errors and typos. Storyline was chaotic and illogical.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews