Dark Secrets

Dark Heritage (Unpublished) #1

by Samantha Hoffman

Veronica Parker wishes that she could be like every normal sixteen year old, but normal is the one thing she can never be. Aside from the herd of cats that follow Ronnie everywhere she goes, she can also see and communicate with the ghosts of the dead, which would be hard enough without her foster family thinking she was crazy. When a strange man that may be stalking Ronnie tells her that she is a necromancer, and part of a secret society of supernatural beings, she thinks he's as crazy as she is...but deep down, she knows he's telling the truth. When she is abducted in the middle of the night and brought before the Council, they tell her that a necromancer is trying to raise an army of the undead, and they think she's the one responsible! But the Council is about to find out how wrong they are...and it may be too late to stop the real monster.

Genres: Fantasy, Ghosts

ebook

First published September 11, 2012

About the author

Samantha Hoffman is a thirty-one-year-old author who has always had a passion for both reading and writing. She began writing very young and has since unpublished most of her earlier works as her writing style has continued to develop.

Her favorite genre to write is paranormal romance, but she also likes to dabble in fantasy and horror, as well as having a new love of science fiction. She loves werewolves, vampires, zombies, magic, and anything supernatural.

Her all-time favorite author is Tamora Pierce, who shaped her view of the world, love, and heroines with her writing and storytelling.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veronica was an interesting character not figuring out what was going on before it was thrown in her face. At the beginning of the book she was just uncertain and wanting to stay out of the way of everybody. She did not take the time to try to figure things out even with clues and answers all around her. At the end of the book she is still shy and wants to stay out of the way but becomes a stronger character. The little love story is a nice little twist but not the main focus of the story.

I would of enjoyed more of a story line about Her Real father though :(

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ronnie was a normal girl or she thought... When you loose your mom. Grow up in an adopted normal family and get your world flipped upside down. Then realize there's a world of supernatural people and power in the world that exist. To find out your one of them. You get taken in and shown the ropes. Then kidnapped by your evil biological father just to prove your not like him. What more can you do or can go on in this life? Read the book to find out it's a must read I don't wanna spoil it all can't wait to read the rest.

[Lisa Kader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book.

Very good book. It has a few misspelled words. You still can understand what the author wants to say. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes anything to do with the supernatural.

[Krissy · Rating 1 out of 5]

On the B&N site (where this is free), other reviewers have suggested that this world is mirrored from Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series, and there is merit in the suggestion. There is nothing unique about a world that includes weres, shifters, necromancers, and vamps, but one where the female and male spell casters are witches and sorcerers, respectively? I only know of Armstrong's. The author tries to make her story unique by adding new details, but for me, an author should be careful to make sure that whatever new ideas are added to existing mythology should be somewhat reasonable. For instance, what is it about a person with the power over death that would attract cats? Cats prey on living animals for food, what interest do they have in death? It's a detail that doesn't match the ability, and so it's just a pointless, clumsy side effect that gets in main character Veronica's way. Werewolves with glowing eyes, how do they hide their existence? Oh, yeah, power in high places. *eyeroll*. I also got frustrated with the "good guys" acting like bad guys, holding Veronica against her will, which I guess shouldn't matter since Veronica has no family. She's a captive and can't think of a stronger reaction than stomping her foot. Seemed funny when they just get done explaining how the enemy could never discover where the compound was located and then a bunch of ninjas jump through the windows in the exact right place to kidnap Veronica. I hope there's a mole in the compound, or that's a pretty serious plot hole. I wouldn't know, because I couldn't read beyond the scene where Veronica gets saved by Finnley and she kisses his cheek. Um, yup, he saved her life, but this is a dude who has been nothing but mean to her, who continues to ensure that she remains a captive - his entire demeanor suggests 'Back Off' in neon lights, yet she's comfortable kissing his face? How about a hand shake or a shoulder touch? I just...I don't know, it seemed really odd, as though the author was pushing a relationship on them instead of letting it progress at a more comfortable pace. A small detail, true, but for me it was the last straw.

[Enchantedreader20 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good. It wasn’t anything super special, but I liked the characters, and I liked their powers. There wasn’t a ton of action in this one, but it was still well-written and I felt like I was there. The relationship between the two main characters develops from a hateful one to one that might be love, and I like that they weren’t resolved by the end of the first book. One thing I’ve noticed about this author is she isn’t scared of causing her main characters pain. They’re always betrayed, or seriously injured, or even killed in some cases, and I think their mental, emotional, and physically suffering makes them more relatable.

[Reader_girl94 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friends and I have read all of this author’s books, and they thought this one was boring compared to the others, but I have to disagree. There wasn’t as much action, but there was plenty of drama, romance, and internal angst. I liked the main character and her friends, and I liked the powers they all had. I loved the kidnapping, the rescue, and final battle, and I loved how much emotional pain the main character suffered. I found this book to be very well-written and believable.

[Tia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read anything else of Samantha Hoffman's but I certainly will now. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and was VERY impressed by how clear and precise the writing was. It painted a beautiful yet dark picture in my mind of 'The Council' and the other beings there as well. I can't wait to see the second installment.

[Danielle (Dannie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! There were some spelling & grammatical errors in it, but they were easy for me to read through. I absolutely loved the plot & the characters! I can't wait to read Book Two in this series - "Dark Revenge"!!!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read. The characters suck you right in..

[Racheal · Rating 4 out of 5]

other then the writing errors this book was AMAZING!! I loved the whole concept of this series and cannot wait to read the next one.

[Kaylee Mckay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of my favorite Hoffman books I think its just a bit of a plain and expected plot but I did enjoy some parts

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

some spelling and grammatical errors. but otherwise a good book