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First Taste of Darkness

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New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Cynthia Eden’s sexy romance, FIRST TASTE OF DARKNESS, will take you to the dark edge of desire…It was supposed to be a one-night stand. Hot sex. No regrets. Jess Delaney has spent her life playing the role of the good-girl. On a trip to Vegas, she decides to walk on the wild side when she meets mysterious Blake Landon. Rich, powerful, and carrying plenty of secrets, Blake is unlike any man she has ever met before.Blake is also far more dangerous than anyone she’s ever encountered. When enemies from Blake’s past attack, Jess finds herself caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Her only hope of survival? Trusting a man who knows too much about the dark side of life…and a man who—with every sensual touch—binds her to him with a desire that burns red-hot.Once you step into the darkness, there’s no turning back…

73 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2014

133 people are currently reading
528 people want to read

About the author

Cynthia Eden

311 books6,803 followers
Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes sexy tales of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over one hundred novels and novellas.


Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies including hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

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5 stars
194 (29%)
4 stars
212 (32%)
3 stars
180 (27%)
2 stars
50 (7%)
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19 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
Profile Image for Natalie  ~ The Biblioholic.
2,713 reviews1,419 followers
December 27, 2019
“Baby, my goal is to fucking ruin you for any other man.”

I've said it before... Cynthia Eden is one my favorite authors. Unfortunately, First Taste of Darkness wasn't one of my favorite reads :( I get that it was a novella, but there was zero character development... a multitude of plot holes... and I couldn't connect with any of it. I know, definitively, that if this story had more time, this would have been a greater read. I may not have loved this one, but there are plenty of others I have loved and more out there for me to adore, so I'll keep reading!
Profile Image for Somia.
2,066 reviews169 followers
March 28, 2021
A Happy Comfy 3.5 Stars

A lovely bite-sized read, with a good amount of heat and action. Blake and Jess work well together. Jess has an underlying strength that was a nice surprise.

Due to its shortness we don't get too deep into things, but Eden has packed in a good amount of engery into the pages.
Profile Image for Lynsey A.
1,972 reviews
November 29, 2018
Kindle Freebie 9/27/18

Oh man, I loved this book! My only issue is that it wasn't long enough and I wanted an epilogue. Though, when it comes to Cynthia Eden books, she doesn't really write an epilogue, so it was expected.

This is a super fast read, especially as it is a novella. I wanted more page time for Blake and Jess. They had an instant connection as soon as they spotted each other across the room. It's kind of like that moment where everyone else disappears and they only see each other. *swoon*

“The first time I saw you,” he growled the words against her lips, “I wanted you naked.”

Oh. Okay. That was…hot. No other man had ever told her that before.


Blake wrapped his hands around her shoulders. “I wanted you from the moment that I saw you. The light hit your hair—you seemed to fucking glow standing there. So perfect. And too good for me.”

Blake is super rich and owns half of Vegas...and let's say he didn't get it all by legal means...which is how our heroine ends up in the middle of a shootout between Blake and an unknown person. They're on their way up to his room for a one-night fling (yeah, right), when bullets start flying as soon as the elevator doors open.

So begins their adventure. Of course, Jess, after all the shooting is done, being pretty intelligent, tries to just head back to her hotel so she can head back to her boring life, but Blake isn't done with her. He hasn't had his night with her. However, that one night isn't really enough for either of them.

I really enjoyed the fast paced feeling of the book with the smoking hot love scenes. Blake knows there is something about Jess that just draws him to her and he tries to fight it but can't stay away from her. We also get some angsty moments near the end, which I live for...up to a point. It was enough to satisfy my need for some angst.

And it was time for her to get away from this place—and away from the man who seemed to see straight into her soul.

Her fingers fisted around the clothes. Woodenly, she moved into the bathroom and shut the door. Jess looked up into the mirror and gazed at the ghost there. The woman who had eyes that looked too big. Skin that looked too pale. You’re the one who wanted a one night stand. The bitter reminder burned through her mind. Only…the one night stand had become something more, at least for her. She’d started to fall for him. Blake and his darkness. She’d never had a chance.



She didn’t look back. What would have been the point? Blake was gone. And it felt like he’d taken her heart with him.

I highly recommend this fast read. I've had such duds in my book reads lately and I can always count on Cynthia Eden to get me out of that slump!

Quotes & Faves:

He cleared his throat. “I didn’t want that darkness to touch you.”

Her lips tilted up in the faintest of smiles. “We were just supposed to be lovers for a night. You didn’t know—”

“I didn’t know what I’d found.” He did, now. “I want more than just a night.”


“I should be afraid of you.” Her voice was sin in the darkness of the room. “I should run—”

“Baby, I’d just fucking follow you.”




Her hand rose and traced over his jaw. The sexy stubble was still there. He’d rushed right after her. “I didn’t know what I was looking for that night, not until I found you.”

“Because I wanted you more than I wanted my next breath.” Jess to Blake

“Because I wanted you more than I’ve ever wanted any damn thing in my whole life.” His head lowered toward hers. “I still want you that way, and I think I always will.”

And the first time you kissed me…” The first time she’d tasted him… “I was lost.”


Profile Image for Jessica Frances.
Author 29 books405 followers
September 24, 2018
This was a quickie bite-sized book with some hot scenes, action and suspense. It was too short to get too deep into things, and obviously it contained massive insta-love, but it was still enjoyable. I would definitely recommend to fans of Eden looking for something easy and quick to read.
Profile Image for Luli.
718 reviews77 followers
October 29, 2022
OverTheTopness in all its splendor.

This is a super short story but :
There are 3 or 4 super loooooong sex scenes.
There are 3 separations without explanations (but a lot of drama that never comes to anything).
There are scenes where the heroine feels 4 or 5 orgasms In A Row.
Really, I think it's nothing short of amazing to pack so much in such a short story.

At Wicked Firsts anthology.
Profile Image for Pamela(AllHoney).
2,694 reviews376 followers
August 14, 2025
Jess Delaney meets Blake Landon in a bar and decides to have a one night stand. But when they reach Blake's place, bullets start flying. Now Blake feels the need to protect Jess from the baddies that are after him.

I have read this before. Probably from an anthology. I liked it but it was short so not a lot of developing going on.
Profile Image for Karen  ⚜Mess⚜.
940 reviews70 followers
May 18, 2019
🎵 You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs
I look around me and I see it isn't so
Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs
And what's wrong with that
I'd like to know
'Cause here I go again 🎵

Image result for groovy dance gif
Profile Image for Darcy.
14.4k reviews543 followers
December 30, 2013
Whew, this was a hot one and a lot of fun reading it. I liked how Blake and Jess met, even better was their taking things one step further to one night of hot sex. Things should have ended there, however the couple didn't make it that far before they were thwarted by gun fire. You would think that would have been the end of things, but the pull for each other was too much. I liked that Blake kept coming for Jess, even when at times he should have walked away, but his instincts kept telling him to go to Jess. I especially liked the final choice that Blake made to be with Jess, it was the right one to make.
Profile Image for Amy R.
592 reviews5 followers
November 14, 2013
I am slowly working my way through the Wicked Firsts anthology and one of the stories I read recently was First Taste of Darkness by Cynthia Eden. Oh how I miss romantic suspense. I have been reading a lot of contemporary and paranormal romance lately, which I also like, but reading this one has reminded me how much I miss the romantic suspense genre.

Jess Delaney is in Vegas on her honeymoon, although she is not married. It is the trip she and her fiance originally booked before she found him cheating, so now she is here on her own to get away. Boy is she in for a surprise. She finds fancy in Blake Landon's eyes, the very rich and powerful hotel owner in Vegas. She is sick of her safe life back home so she wants to do something a little dangerous, like Blake. She can see the bad boy in his eyes.

Boy did Jess hit the jackpot with bad boys. Within about 24 hours Jess has been shot at and kidnapped all because of Blake. Within that next 24 hours she has been rescued and sent to the hospital for knife wounds. Is she ready to go back to her safe life in Florida? Um, yes. Right now. However, she and Blake have some amazing chemistry that is a lot more than physical and she isn't ready to give THAT up yet.

As in true Cynthia fashion, even though this is a novella, the characters are well developed with plenty of secrets of their own and the story is full of action and suspense. There is plenty of passion to fan yourself but also enough love between Jess and Blake to make you swoon. If you are looking for a quick, romantic suspense read, you should try reading First Taste of Darkness, which is part of the Wicked Firsts anthology. You won't regret it!
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
September 23, 2018
💝FREE on iBooks today (9/23/18)!💝

Blurb:
It was supposed to be a one-night stand.

Hot sex. No regrets. Jess Delaney has spent her life playing the role of the good-girl. On a trip to Vegas, she decides to walk on the wild side when she meets mysterious Blake Landon. Rich, powerful, and carrying plenty of secrets, Blake is unlike any man she has ever met before.

Blake is also far more dangerous than anyone she’s ever encountered. When enemies from Blake’s past attack, Jess finds herself caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Her only hope of survival? Trusting a man who knows too much about the dark side of life…and a man who—with every sensual touch—binds her to him with a desire that burns red-hot.

Once you step into the darkness, there’s no turning back…
Profile Image for Ashley N..
1,730 reviews17 followers
April 11, 2014
2.5 stars. Very predictable, I had the "villain" pegged from the start. Might have been better and more suspenseful as a longer novel. Not enough character development prior to the sex to make me care about them. I'm not fond of books starting off at a one-night stand, so that plus the insta-connection made this too ridiculous for me. The writing was ok, I would give a full length novel by this author a chance.
Profile Image for Linda.
2,042 reviews64 followers
June 13, 2014
Jess is in Vegas alone, not wanting the honeymoon reservation to go to waste, when what she thought just was a one night stand, turns into something more.
Blake is used to love them and leave them, but when Jess accompanies him in the elevator, everything changes. He doesn´t want her to leave.
But is there more to this chance meeting than she leads on?
Action, suspense, angst (feeeelings) and smutty fluff in an awesome combo.
Profile Image for Rachel-RN.
2,421 reviews29 followers
June 25, 2015
"Once you step into my world," he murmured...,"you may not want leave." So Blake said right after they got shot at. Ha ha. *eye roll* Then quickly after that, they get it on in the limo. Oh yeah baby! Getting shot at is such a turn on! Gotta have priorities, right?
Such ridiculousness aside, I liked Blake and Jess. They had good chemistry. I liked that Jess stood up for herself. She had attitude when necessary.
Profile Image for Mandy.
312 reviews
September 21, 2018
This little book packed quite a punch. For the amount of pages, the author was able to cram in a lot of action and enough steamy scenes to get a person all hot under the collar.

Jess is in the wrong place at the wrong time or would that be the right place at the right time? She meets Blake and decides to have a short lived fling with him. When Blake first sets eyes on Jess, it is instant attraction. Something he can't seem to fight against and eventually just gives into.

Blake's past and present collide and he doesn't know who to trust, himself included.
Profile Image for Jim D.
516 reviews5 followers
October 12, 2018
I wanted to like this as it had a very interesting start. After finishing it though i have to say it was fairly formulaic. Kudos to the author for trying, and not bad for a quick read; but nothing spectacular
Just 2.5 stars.
Profile Image for Mary.
1,857 reviews10 followers
October 4, 2018
Would have been better if it had been longer
Profile Image for Bonnie Mancuso.
703 reviews40 followers
February 18, 2019
GREAT STORY!!!
This was a great, quick read. The storyline was awesome. I thought the characters were fantastic. I really enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Zita.
874 reviews
September 2, 2016
The darker side is attractive…

Jess Delaney’s marriage plans fell through, a stab to her pride but no great loss emotionally, so she decided to go on her honeymoon to Vegas alone. She’s been a good girl for way too long and when she meets a man who excites her like no other has she allows herself to go for a one-night stand but when a ride in the elevator to his penthouse turns into bullets flying toward her when the doors open she can’t wait to get away from him. Danger she didn’t sign up for. But will he let her go? And where can she run to since she is staying at a hotel that he owns. She also really wanted to be with him.

Blake Landon is a rich man with a dark past who owns hotels. He’s made many enemies; some are even closer than he knows. A gorgeous woman comes into his sights and he can’t take his eyes off her from across the room. But when he takes her to his penthouse someone tries to kill him. Is it a coincidence that she’s with him when an attempt is made on his life? Was she a planned distraction? She runs but he follows for he really was drawn to this woman in a way that he hasn’t been to another and he now needs to question her. His actions are out of character when it relates to her and it is noticed.

I very much enjoyed this sexy suspenseful short read but I do wish it had been longer for more character depth which I am used to from this author’s longer works. There is so much more I wanted to know about Blake and Jess’s history, not just to be told about it but to feel it. They are both very interesting and likable characters. Jess who has led a sheltered life in comparison to Blake handled herself quite well in dangerous situations, she’s a natural born fighter under stress which is a trait that I love to see in a heroine and I like how she embraced the darker side of life that she found herself in. Blake is a tough and protective alpha who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants and protect what he considers his. They complemented each other well.

3.5 stars
Profile Image for Tracie R.
2,143 reviews
June 12, 2014
Jess Delaney always plays it safe right down to agreeing to marry a man because those around her said it is the best thing for her. That is until it all falls apart, now Jess is going to Vegas and maybe for the first time she won't do what she should.

Blake Landon has it all great looks, , money, women and the ability to get whatever he wants. But everything has its price and its secrets and Blake Landon has a big one that he must protect at all costs.

Blake sees Jess at the bar and the attraction is instant, he knows she is what he wants. Jess it taken with the sexy man before her and soon she is throwing caution to the wind and leaving with him. When Blake gets Jess back to his room chaos ensues and Blake and Jess must do everything they can just to make it out alive. This isn't what Jess thought of for a night of sin but it will get much worse before it gets better. Love, Loss and Betrayal, Jess will be pulled into Blake's world seeing and feeling it all and when it is over just what will be left.

I really loved First Taste of Darkness I found the characters endearing and the storyline compelling and would highly recommend other to add it to their read lists.
Profile Image for Liz.
645 reviews15 followers
September 24, 2016
Instalove drivel. 1.5 stars.
I'm so sick of reading about rich playboys who sleep around but then find 'the one' amidst their hordes of girls and suddenly change their ways and declare love by 50%. Oh, and they all start greedily grabbing said love interest, declaring 'mine' like the poor equally stupid girl is their latest acquisition. Maybe they even buy a puppy together because the previously bad boy is now all soft and in love. And the girl can TOTALLY see this guy being the father of her children after knowing him 2 days and 3 shags later. And who needs a condom anyway when they're both so 'clean'?
Aw....so romantic.
FFS!
This is NOT an original idea, authors. Go think of another overused, unoriginal plot. I can't read this crap anymore.
Don't touch this unless you're ridiculously intelligent and need some dumbing down.
Profile Image for Book Snob Sue.
1,414 reviews136 followers
September 29, 2018
This was one hell of a one-night stand. Starts right off, they are in the elevator going to his hotel suite and they are attacked. Luckily Blake is pretty much a badass. They escape and his security team gets them to safety. These two have a hot night together, a night that neither want to end. There is a lot of suspense, because he never knows who to trust since he is extremely wealthy. And with the extremes he went through to get that wealth, never trust anyone. She is there taking the honeymoon that her and her ex never got to...because is the cheating ex. These two were burning up my kindle and I loved the suspense.

Safe read, no om or ow drama, just story suspense. Love a great suspense, where you just never know who to trust. An alpha billionaire badass and the woman that has him lusting. Two weeks out and an hfn.
Profile Image for Laura.
Author 15 books613 followers
May 21, 2015
This is from the Wicked Firsts box set

After finding out her fiance was cheating on her, Jess called off the wedding and went to Vegas on her honeymoon alone.

One night.

It was supposed to be just one night. A night where the good girl could be bad.

She wasn't supposed to be shot at or kidnapped.

Blake saw Jess and knew he wanted her. Being as rich and powerful as he was, enemies were always there in the background. but when the elevator doors opened and he and Jess are shot at, he finds out they're a lot closer than he'd known.

For such a short novella, this packs a lot of action. It's sexy and suspenseful and really intense!
Profile Image for Julie.
2,003 reviews31 followers
September 23, 2014
First Taste of Darkness.
by Cynthia Eden.

I loved First Tastes of Darkness. Jess' wedding didn't go though and now she has a honeymoon reservation in Vegas still booked, why wastes it! Her stay in Vegas turns into something more than she'd ever dreamed of, a one night stand. Blake is hot, rich and owns several hotels. The attraction between them is immediate but after their one night Jess disappears, and so does a priceless diamond which Blake thinks Jess has stolen. Is she innocent, was this chance meeting set up?
This novella is cram packed with action, suspense, intrigue and steamy passion. A very entertaining little read. 5/5
Profile Image for April.
223 reviews
January 3, 2015
Don't we all love a good girl who falls for an alpha that is dark? I enjoyed this little story, I just wished it was not as predictable. Jess is in Vegas by herself instead of being there on her honeymoon. In a hotel bar she is instantly attracted to Blake who has that dark air about him. What was supposed to be a 1 night stand turns into a battle for life.
I wish the Arthur could 're write this story and flesh it out. I would love an emotional connection with the characters. It would certainly be more believable as to why Blake spilled his darkest secrets to a girl he just had for 1 night.
Profile Image for Djg.
2,046 reviews31 followers
May 28, 2015
Read in Wicked Firsts anthology

Now, Cynthia is my girl. I'm a big fan of her writing style so I'm predisposed to like anything she writes.
Left-at-the-alter Jess is in Vegas for a fling. She wants to forget finding her fiancé and best friend together just before the wedding and sexy rich hotel owner Blake is just the man to do the job. Problem is, bullets start flying just when things are heating up.
Things happen fast, maybe a little too fast and the villain was a bit obvious. But the signature humor and amazingly hot love scenes are pure C.E.
Profile Image for Celeste .
582 reviews6 followers
October 18, 2018
Unexpected journey Blake and Jess

Cynthia, you kept me wanting more. As a new to me author, more than grammar and punctuation, I look for character and plot development. You ensured that took place in a sequence that was believable. Because trust is important and love without trust never wins, it was key to see how Blake would deal with betrayal. It was critical to see how Jess would deal with disappointment. The two was each other's ying and yang. Carson was someone I felt was unhinged.
3,124 reviews
June 12, 2014
Great

Jess's fiancee left her days before their wedding. She goes to Vegas anyway, but decides to have a one night stand. Blake is rich, handsome, successful and own several hotels. When he first sees Jess, he must have her. Now a priceless jewel has been stolen from Blake and he thinks Jess did it. Short, sexy, and a little intrigue. I believe the " must have you, don't leave me" happened a little fast but still a good story.
Profile Image for Beth.
492 reviews23 followers
December 9, 2014
All of her H/h are basically the same person. They have the same thoughts, the same stutters, similar situations, and resolutions. I shouldn't have read this one right after I read Mine to Hold, I felt like I read the same book with different names and slightly different situations. I always know who the bad guy in hiding is by the third chapter and yet I still keep going. I need to either give up on her books or read them months apart.
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