Irresistible Darkness

Kings of Blackwater #4

by Raven Wood

As the sole heir to a massive business empire, I have had my whole future mapped out for me from the day I was born. I have also had my entire life monitored. Everywhere I go, a bodyguard follows.

And I have had enough. I just want to attend university like a normal person without being shadowed, so I have scared off bodyguard after bodyguard by being an absolute menace.

But then my father called in him. Jace Hunter. The youngest son from a legendary assassin family.

Because he grew up with several unhinged brothers, he thinks that he can handle me. But he has no idea who he is up against. I will be more than just his own personal demon. I will be his undoing.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Forced Proximity, College, Mafia Romance

381 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2024

About the author

Raven Wood is an author of dark bully romance books. She loves writing beautifully messed-up relationships between dominant possessive men and strong intelligent women who refuse to back down from a fight. She is a firm believer in delicious spice and happily ever afters. To find out more, visit: www.authorravenwood.com

Reviews

[Iqra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so wholesome omfds I loveeeed it smmm

The banter between all of them 🥹🥹 I’m SO glad we got them all together in this book it was so perfffff. Getting to see them as one unit healed something in me, they’re my new family now, I claim them. I’ve gained a new core eight 🔐💋🔐💋

Also while reading this book all I could think was Jace is EXACTLY my type. Golden retriever that has a dominant streak 🫦🫦

[annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

This is my favorite in the series. It was different from the others—no useless bullying, and it was so freaking cute. 🥺 I didn't expect this to be a bodyguard x rich heiress story, & i was surprised IN A GOOD WAY!

⌞ Kayla Ashford & Jace Hunter ⌝
ᯓ 20-23

Kayla wants to be free from her bodyguards, so she always pulls pranks on them and makes them quit. Jace wants to have a choice for his own future, so he accepted the bodyguard gig for 6 months, and then he'd be free.

I expected him to be nonchalant, mostly just being his funny self, but ugh he was actually pretty responsible 🥺 He took care of her, made her food, and made sure she was safe. Their interactions were so good. Kayla drove him mad and pulled pranks on him, but he was always a step ahead. Whenever she snuck out, he was right there to catch her jasjjhshs

“She wants to be a little demon? I will be the fucking king of hell”

“They took my girl. I’m going to paint this whole fucking town with blood.”

Kayla was kind of rude to him most of the time, but it warmed my heart when she apologized and made him food. She wasn’t unfair and obviously had her own issues. Her bossy and no-nonsense attitude was damn good. also, the nickname jace gave to her 'little demon' 🛐 besides, him holding her to him when she was vulnerable and giving her space that she needed after she confessed to him everything really did smth 😭

“I’ve got you, little demon. I’ve got you.”

“Now, sit your ass back down on that chair and finish your breakfast like a good girl” - umm hellooo???

I just know their scenes were so good, and this book didn’t focus on smut as much as the others did. Though Kayla flaunted herself in front of him in lingerie and taunted him 😂, they had some serious sexual tension though Jace did everything possible to keep it professional! 🤌🏻

All the girls being possessive of their guys lmao! The brothers' relationships throughout the series is good—they’ve got each other's backs.

⌞ Best Of Each Book ⌝

• Jace, Kaden, Eli, Rico.
• Kayla, Raina, Isabella, Alina
• JaceKayla, RainaEli, KadenAlina, RicoIsabella

⌞ ratings ⌝

Alluring Darkness [RainaEli]- 3.5 stars
Inescapable Darkness [RicoIsabella]- 2.5 stars
Enduring Darkness [KadenAlina] - 2 stars

[Gry ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

°. *࿐pre-read:

this girl's anxious so I just need something to turn off my brain for a few hours... and I think Jace Hunter might just be the best man for the job🙂‍↕️

[Lammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

I have one freaking complaint 😑. ONE. And that is that there are no other crazy brothers to write about!!

Read these books. Read them 😈

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kayla is the wealthy heiress who’s used to control in her world, but when Jace steps in as her bodyguard, the power dynamic shifts in all the best ways. Jace is protective, intense, and morally gray, constantly battling between doing his job and wanting her in a way that’s definitely not professional. The push-and-pull between them — duty vs. desire — keeps everything charged.
I loved watching Kayla push back instead of just being protected, and seeing Jace’s emotional walls slowly crack added depth. I just wanted the final conflict to go a little harder before wrapping up.

[Luna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

»You hired a hitman to protect me?«
»Yes. Now, be nice.«

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

❥ 𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒂
She is my new favourite woman in this series. She‘s intelligent, sassy and funny - it was great to read and I could really relate to her.

❥ 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒆
He was kinda cute but at the same time dangerous. I liked him and the way he treats Kayla.

✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
Okay hear me out: This book was fantastic but not as nerve wrecking as the other books in this series. I loved it but sometimes had the feeling that something was missing. The vibe was not as dark as in the previous books.
Still I adored Kayla and Jace and I think the story fits these two. They‘re super cute together and the banter is chefs kiss. The bodyguard trope was well done and I enjoyed the protective side of Jace - that was hot. Both of them are intelligent and strong in their own way. Like all men in his family Jace knows how to worship an independent woman and he didn‘t try to hold her down.
The plot was mainly the love story and there was little drama / action. We got a lot of snippets from Jace family and got to meet his brothers again - I will miss these idiots.
This was a great ending to an amazing book series.
I‘m glad I found this author and her amazing books, I will definitely binge read all her upcoming books!

»No, I don't mean in a bodyguard-protecting-me-from-dying kind of way. You would actually kill someone for me, someone who isn't a direct threat, just because I asked you to?«

𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
Yes, to all my darkromance loving readers who enjoy morally grey characters.

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 5/5
spice: 3/5
humor: 4/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes

𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
bodyguard, possessive and protective hero, dual pov, school for criminals, assassin, mafia, super rich x rich, slow burn, dislike to love, instant attraction, dark, kidnapping, touch her and you‘ll die, dark golden retriever

𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: Kayla (20) and Jace (21)
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: no

𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Alluring Darkness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Inescapable Darkness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Enduring Darkness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 Irresistible Darkness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[ᴀɴɴᴀ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

[Musi ✨Vegacrux’s first child✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a MISSED OPPORTUNITY. Should’ve been gay lwad.

Jace is the most sane brother and Kayla is pretty level headed too so they are a good match(still would be better if it was gay tho)

Romance is 3 stars but extra star for that wholesome family moments. This I was craving for whole previous 3 books. 3 of the girls seems pretty tight. I loved that they were out there trying to murder someone and their men on the couch smiling and fucking proud. I LOVED THAT SCENE.

Epilogue also shows all 4 girls as a family.

I’m so happy that Kayla got best friends now and 3 unhinged protective older brothers. Made me tear up bc she truly deserves to have family life.

I hope the author does write second generation books and hopefully few of them are gays and lesbians. Specially if they’re wrong another bodyguards trope…IT BETTER BE MM.

Okay enjoyed this series a lot. Proper amount of “darkness” in dark romance. Bully romance but none of the girls are spineless. Rina Kent WISHES

[Evie James booknook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I binge read this book and it was so good. I’m not usually a body guard romance kid of girlie but this man had no business delivering all that ( yes I mean that in both ways ).
Listen here y’all he cooks, cleans, loves eating (if ykyk) is possessive and rich. He’s also CHARMING I mean come on you rly have to hand it to him and she’s stubborn asf which means the tension ? Yeah no I was crippling for these two.

I loved that this book was the end to the series and we got to see all the characters interacting it was so damn wholesome and I’m so disappointed to have to leave this family but im happy I read it.

[ApoorvaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly i am low-key shocked too but i enjoyed this quite a lot.. much more than I expected.🤭

[LuvKayKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

“So yes, if you ever want to distract me, pretend that there is a threat to your safety. Because I will always react to that.”

Wow I can’t believe I finished this series. What an amazing journey. Raven Wood I applaud for how amazing this whole series was. Not once did I get bored. I was so invested in each brother and surprisingly I loved all 4 of these FMC’s. Jace’s book is so wholesome compared to Eli, Rico, and Kaden’s but that’s okay because Jace is such a golden retriever and I love him for that. The way he felt hurt my heart and the relationship he has with his brothers is truly amazing. He didn’t realized that they have his back just like he had theirs. I just love their dynamic and the banter with his brothers. The way he is with Kayla I love. Jace may be all sweet but he has that dangerous side to him. Touch Kayla if you want he will hurt you. I love Kayla she’s so sassy and funny trying to pull pranks but of course Jace will retaliate. These two are perfect for eachother. The plot was great and the little drama that happened I knew but I still enjoyed it. I’m sad to say goodbye to these characters I genuinely had an amazing time getting to know these characters. This series had a special place in my heart.

♥ “Outside these walls, everyone you meet might jump to obey your every order,” he begins, his eyes searing into mine. “But in here, you obey my commands. So when I tell you to crawl, you fucking crawl. Understood?”

♥“Because I want to feel you, all of you, when I show you how those other guys should’ve fucked you.”

♥“Fuck, I think I love this girl. No, I don’t think I love her. I love her. I love Kayla Ashford so fucking much that I would burn the world down for her”

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

I just couldn’t relate to Kayla at all. All the other girls were so badass and I thought Kayla was so privileged and spoiled. Yes it sucks to have a bodyguard your whole life and therefore no privacy but when she was planning the silent auction for her school project and just wanted to “buy” all the items and then made Jace do all the labor to get them was annoying to me. Her whole personality was just “spoiled and entitled” to me. She gets irrationally jealous anytime someone has a sibling yet refuses to talk about her brother who died. You’d think she would want to prolong his memory? And then there’s hot Jace who agrees to be her bodyguard in exchange for having a say in his future and if he wants to be an assassin. My favorite part of the story was honestly the relationship with his brothers and their wives. Really Raina was everything and book 1 was by far the best and it slowly declined from there. Also I felt the whole kidnapping of Kayla by her school mate to pay off his gambling debt was a little flat. I was hoping for more out of that considering the whole story was Kayla talkin about how she would never be kidnapped. I also wish Jace would have taught her some self defense or something like Kaden did for Alina in the last book just so she wasn’t so useless. Good series overall

[Tereza Jurakova · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,7*

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

beyond 5 stars

I actually shed tears this is the end… this was a masterpiece to me.
This series has made me so incredibly happy and I’m so glad I found this author
I couldn’t recommend this series enough. It’s too hard to choose a favorite out of all 4 since they are ALL perfect… but damn Jace’s story went above and beyond my expectations. I literally just finished this and I’m ready to read this again.. I’m ready to binge the whole series again!!!
Looking forward to all this authors future works

[xS!kDollReaderx · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Outside these walls, everyone you meet might jump to obey your every order,” he begins, his eyes searing into mine. “But in here, you obey my commands. So when I tell you to crawl, you fucking crawl. Understood?”

I'm so sad this series is over. These are definitely a favourite read for this year. I was so excited to get Jaces' story. And it was fantastic.

All that Jace ever wanted was a choice. A choice to do whatever he wanted in life. So his father gives him a proposition to be a bodyguard for a client's daughter for a few months. If he fails this task, he must continue his training at Blackwater. If he passes, he has a choice for his future. Sounds easy for a hitman, right? Wrong. Not when Kayla is a 20 year old with the same dreams Jace has, being free.

Tws and Content include
🗡 hitman/assassin college
🗡violence
🗡attempted murder
🗡murder
🗡threats at gunpoint
🗡threats at knife point
🗡kidnapping
🗡captivity
🗡alcohol use
🗡mention of family members death
🗡bondage
🗡dom/sub behaviour

[Daniela Cantusio · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

It's far from being a bad book. I managed to connect with the characters, and the way the story was written kept me engaged and brought genuine smiles to my face.

It's nowhere near as bizarre as the Eli and Raina storyline we read, so I truly found the story cute!

I think Kayla has become my favorite female character after finishing the book because she's so determined and sassy (a bit childish at times, but that's part of her charm), and I think she and Jace deserve each other

Also, it's really nice to read the parts where the 8 of them are interacting like a family (a bit crazy and dysfunctional, but still) and it's sweet to see how they protect each other... I liked it!

[Kim Stalder · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was her writing, not the story that ruined this. Terrible and repetitive descriptions

[ree · Rating 2 out of 5]

ADORABLE *I say as I throw the whole series*

[LizzyBeth | BookTok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED this book!!!
I can confidently say that this was my favorite book out of the Kings of Blackwater series.

This was my first dark, college, bully, romance series and I have to say I am a big fan! Raven Wood did an incredible j0b with this series . I loved every single character and was so happy to see previous main characters throughout the entire series.

I'm super sad that this is the end of the Hunter brother's but, I think this was the perfect conclusion to their story.

I'll forever think about this series. <3

This series is an absolute must read !!

[Myah Shaikh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, I loved this. Rich heiress x Bodyguard who really is a Hitman.

Kayla, that girl was a spitfire. She was so sassy and all the things she did her old bodyguards had me laughing. It made sense though, she had no freedom she couldn’t live. Jace was her perfect opponent, each of them could handle each other craziness so well. I loved that all the other brothers and girls were in this book, it was so nice to see it all connected. I loved that Kayla found her family and that Jace truly got to make his own choice. I am glad they both found freedom.

[Kellie Ferris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Jace and his little demon.....this was bodyguard/rich heiress 🔥🥵🌶️....with cameos from our favourite psychopath brothers Eli, Rico and Kaden and their equally insane girls Raina, Isabella and Alina👑💕🫶🏻

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm actually sad for this series to end. I could keep reading book after book about these characters. I loved every single one of them. The banter was hilarious, the way the jokes always came full circle. I enjoyed every single story line. The women were such bad asses and the men 🥵🥵 gah, I don't want it to be over. This series became a top fave.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 best of the 4 books when in comes to plot. Her writing improved A LOT over this series. It’s still ridiculous and fully smut driven but I cared about the plot even though it was predictable cause it was fun.

[Shannon Widdowson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one so much😩 this one is wayyy less dark than the rest of the series and I love a golden retriever, messed up man! Also, the last book in most series always has a solid ending and all of the couples together is like my fav part, so this one ate! Loved!!

[Danielle stories_and_coffee_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh!

What an ending to a great series. I loved Jace's story so much! He might have moved into my favorite one after this.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jace Hunter really is like a golden retriever that just needed some love and attention. He and Kayla make the cutest couple

[Karla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah no….no,no,no

[Madison Honeycutt Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jace….. you stole my heart. I was so scared to read this because of his little parts in his brother’s books. However, to my surprise he becomes my favorite brother…. i still really love Eli tho… The storyline was so different from the other brothers I think thats why I love him. Him and Kayla are a match made in heaven. They feed off each other so well. The chemistry is unmatched. I love the Hunter boys so much, I will never forget about them. I love the enemies to lovers soooo much. This whole series is a must if you love dark romance.

[lau ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall: good
POV: first person (both)
Trope: bodyguard, enemies to lovers
MC's names: Jace and Kayla
H likable? yes
h likable? yes
H/h virgin? no
First time they kiss: 47%
First time they sleep together: 48%
Steamy? a little
OW/OM drama? no
H/h cheat? no
Did I skip pages? no
Big secrets? no
Did I cry? no
Did I smile? a little
Did I laugh? no
Cliffhanger? no
HEA? yes
Epilogue? yes
Recommend? yes
I loved this book, although the first one is still my favorite and I was glad we could see again some old characters, but overall I loved the book and read it all in one day

[Rai · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly i loved this series.
the books were insane and unhinged and honestly i fucking loved how instead of making the girls stable and comforting Wood made them as deranged and fucked up as the Hunter brothers themselves so all in all i had a lot of fun reading this for the laughs.

a good book(and series)?
absolutely fucking not ladies and gentleman please dont commit mass murder sane people do not find that attractive
fun?
absolutely.