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Dark Love #1
End of the Line
Book One in the Dark Love series.
Bookworm David knows the difference between fantasy and reality...until he meets Alex.
Orphan and loner David Greene has always found solace in the dark romance written by his great-grandmother. The book and a crumbling old house on the edge of town are all that remains of his ancestry and the family he never knew. But when David meets Alex, the new owner of the house, his world spins out of control.
Alex is every bit of man and mystery David could have conjured in his wildest erotic dreams, and he is drawn into a strange romance where weirdness becomes the norm. He even begins to sense the spirit of Vincent, the novel’s mysterious anti-hero, who issues a warning about the dangers of involving himself with Alex.
As Alex begins to manoeuvre and manipulate David’s empty life, the question soon becomes not who is Alex, but what is Alex? And once the truth is out David discovers that the fictional world of his great-grandmother’s novel was never quite so fictional after all.
Bookworm David knows the difference between fantasy and reality...until he meets Alex.
Orphan and loner David Greene has always found solace in the dark romance written by his great-grandmother. The book and a crumbling old house on the edge of town are all that remains of his ancestry and the family he never knew. But when David meets Alex, the new owner of the house, his world spins out of control.
Alex is every bit of man and mystery David could have conjured in his wildest erotic dreams, and he is drawn into a strange romance where weirdness becomes the norm. He even begins to sense the spirit of Vincent, the novel’s mysterious anti-hero, who issues a warning about the dangers of involving himself with Alex.
As Alex begins to manoeuvre and manipulate David’s empty life, the question soon becomes not who is Alex, but what is Alex? And once the truth is out David discovers that the fictional world of his great-grandmother’s novel was never quite so fictional after all.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 5, 2013
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 5, 2014
4.5 stars.
I love Ash Penn books, her contemporary novels have all been five star reads for me so I was intrigued by the fact that she'd done a vamp story. I have to be honest this has been sitting on my kindle for far too long so when I came across it I decided it was time...I had to read it and I'm really glad I did.
David is a slightly downtrodden character as the book starts. In his eyes he's just an ordinary, quiet bloke with bad eyesight. Rooming with a selfish, self absorbed woman and her little girl, who uses him as a live in babysitter while she goes out gallivanting with her 'boyfriend' of the moment and working at a little out of the way bookshop, most of David's days are spent doing the same old, same old. The one thing in his life that lifts him out of the doldrums is his family history. His author Grandmothers mysterious past, the best seller she wrote which was supposedly based on fact and the mansion style house that she lived in, which David often goes to look at ...daydreaming of the day when he'll live there and restore it to the grandeur he imagines it looked like, in his head.
On one of these visits he finds it scaffolded and being worked on by workmen and out of the corner of his eye he sees a shadowy figure gesturing to him but in a split second it disappears. Later he goes to his local cafe where he's sitting drinking a coffee when a beautiful man just comes and sits at his table, flirting madly with him and making David feel things he's never felt before. He gives David a pristine first edition copy of his grandmothers book and from then on the story switches up as this stranger, Alex, relentlessly pursues and seduces him. Caught up in a whirlwind, David begins to realise that there's far more to this perplexing, hypnotic , enigmatic, gorgeous man who people forget they've seen within minutes of being in his company and who awakens sexual feelings in him that he never thought possible. Their encounters are hot and sensual and for David unexplainable, as everytime they're intimate his eyesight improves for a while and his dreams become more vivid and lucid. Who is the delicious Alex really...and what does he want with ordinary, non entity David?
The first in a series, it finishes slightly abruptly.. not so much on a cliffhanger, but with lots of questions still waiting to be answered and threads to be concluded. I don't know how many books Ash means to do but I'd be very happy to pick up and carry on from where this left off. I love her men.. They're generally flawed, sometimes not so likeable but always memorable. I'm a fan and always will be. Its a while since I ventured into the vampire realm so this was a really great reintroduction! Loved it.
I love Ash Penn books, her contemporary novels have all been five star reads for me so I was intrigued by the fact that she'd done a vamp story. I have to be honest this has been sitting on my kindle for far too long so when I came across it I decided it was time...I had to read it and I'm really glad I did.
David is a slightly downtrodden character as the book starts. In his eyes he's just an ordinary, quiet bloke with bad eyesight. Rooming with a selfish, self absorbed woman and her little girl, who uses him as a live in babysitter while she goes out gallivanting with her 'boyfriend' of the moment and working at a little out of the way bookshop, most of David's days are spent doing the same old, same old. The one thing in his life that lifts him out of the doldrums is his family history. His author Grandmothers mysterious past, the best seller she wrote which was supposedly based on fact and the mansion style house that she lived in, which David often goes to look at ...daydreaming of the day when he'll live there and restore it to the grandeur he imagines it looked like, in his head.
On one of these visits he finds it scaffolded and being worked on by workmen and out of the corner of his eye he sees a shadowy figure gesturing to him but in a split second it disappears. Later he goes to his local cafe where he's sitting drinking a coffee when a beautiful man just comes and sits at his table, flirting madly with him and making David feel things he's never felt before. He gives David a pristine first edition copy of his grandmothers book and from then on the story switches up as this stranger, Alex, relentlessly pursues and seduces him. Caught up in a whirlwind, David begins to realise that there's far more to this perplexing, hypnotic , enigmatic, gorgeous man who people forget they've seen within minutes of being in his company and who awakens sexual feelings in him that he never thought possible. Their encounters are hot and sensual and for David unexplainable, as everytime they're intimate his eyesight improves for a while and his dreams become more vivid and lucid. Who is the delicious Alex really...and what does he want with ordinary, non entity David?
The first in a series, it finishes slightly abruptly.. not so much on a cliffhanger, but with lots of questions still waiting to be answered and threads to be concluded. I don't know how many books Ash means to do but I'd be very happy to pick up and carry on from where this left off. I love her men.. They're generally flawed, sometimes not so likeable but always memorable. I'm a fan and always will be. Its a while since I ventured into the vampire realm so this was a really great reintroduction! Loved it.
August 19, 2013
I have to say I was hooked on this story from start to finish. The author threw in plenty of twists and turns among some things that were admittedly a little predictable but not so much so that I was able to see the end from the beginning.
Because this is the start of a series, don’t expect a tidy ending, and do expect some places where the pacing is a little slower to allow for the world-building. This is a paranormal story that’s originating some of its own mythology, so it’s to be expected, but I found even in those parts that slowed down a bit, the end-goal was worth the wait.
Book Two is now much anticipated, and I would give this one a recommended read in the meantime.
You can find the full review at The Novel Approach
Because this is the start of a series, don’t expect a tidy ending, and do expect some places where the pacing is a little slower to allow for the world-building. This is a paranormal story that’s originating some of its own mythology, so it’s to be expected, but I found even in those parts that slowed down a bit, the end-goal was worth the wait.
Book Two is now much anticipated, and I would give this one a recommended read in the meantime.
You can find the full review at The Novel Approach
October 3, 2013
I reserve the 5 star ratings for books that suck me in – no pun intended – and leave me wanting more. The ones that make the story come alive in my mind until I see and feel everything the characters do.
End of the Line was one of those books.
I loved this book and devoured it within a few days – which is saying something since I’m usually a slow reader. The character development was perfect, the plot intriguing, and the way the author pushed the boundaries ever so slightly within the relationships added an extra, titillating facet, too rarely seen. I can tell I will be addicted to this series. It’s sexy, dark, emotional, and deliciously erotic — with a dangerous edge reminiscent of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. If you haven’t read End of the Line yet, I highly recommend it.
End of the Line was one of those books.
I loved this book and devoured it within a few days – which is saying something since I’m usually a slow reader. The character development was perfect, the plot intriguing, and the way the author pushed the boundaries ever so slightly within the relationships added an extra, titillating facet, too rarely seen. I can tell I will be addicted to this series. It’s sexy, dark, emotional, and deliciously erotic — with a dangerous edge reminiscent of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. If you haven’t read End of the Line yet, I highly recommend it.
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July 10, 2013Temporary 85% price drop to $0.99 at ARe and Amazon US! 7/9/13!
October 22, 2017
It was really good. Except by the end I realised that i did not care for either of them. Specially david. why was he so bloody confused all the time. One moment he knew something for sure the next he thought completely opposite. The ending where the writer started to lay grounwork for the sequel about made me think I've wasted my time on this one.
March 12, 2015
this book pissed me off. a lot.
first, David is spineless. and dumb. He doesn't know what he wants, and can't express himself. and doesn't understand anything... it is very tiring to read his indecisions.
everything changes all the time. it's confusing, and i don't know what is happening. david's actions are illogical.
second, the book is full of contradiction :
David thinks he is straight, but further in the book he says that he regularly dreams of fucking his grand mother's lover...
he doesn't want something and one page later he does this thing..
David is angry because Alex cheats on him, and two page later,it is not a big deal !
he doesn't understand what Alex and Vale are, but one page later, everything is ok and he wants to become like them....
so for me, not a good book
first, David is spineless. and dumb. He doesn't know what he wants, and can't express himself. and doesn't understand anything... it is very tiring to read his indecisions.
everything changes all the time. it's confusing, and i don't know what is happening. david's actions are illogical.
second, the book is full of contradiction :
David thinks he is straight, but further in the book he says that he regularly dreams of fucking his grand mother's lover...
he doesn't want something and one page later he does this thing..
David is angry because Alex cheats on him, and two page later,it is not a big deal !
he doesn't understand what Alex and Vale are, but one page later, everything is ok and he wants to become like them....
so for me, not a good book
September 27, 2013
I went into this one not knowing what in the world Alex was and the author did a good job at keeping me guessing for quite a while. There was quite a large section in the middle/end that had a lot of sex in it that I sort of skimmed through a little. But, I thought it was interesting how the author pulled us into David's slide into insanity. And, I LOVE that little twist right at the very end. Ha!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2013
I actually really liked this book. It kept you guessing. I loved the ending and cannot wait for the next book.
December 10, 2013
Definitely can't wait for the next book.
December 25, 2018
3.5 The book was entertaining.
I liked the MCs however I thought there could have been a bit more character development. I also believe the character of Vincent (Valentine) could have been a great opportunity to insert a sultry, sexy personality.
The story was readable and I will probably read the sequel if one is written.
I liked the MCs however I thought there could have been a bit more character development. I also believe the character of Vincent (Valentine) could have been a great opportunity to insert a sultry, sexy personality.
The story was readable and I will probably read the sequel if one is written.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews