Lords of Darkness

Darkness #1

by Amanda Richardson

Il est impossible de choisir... on ne peut que supplier.

Les Lords me possèdent, et ils ne me laisseront jamais partir. Du moins, c'est ce qu'ils me disent. Lord Alaric Cross. Lord Gideon St. Claire. Lord Sterling Beauchamp. Lord Theodore Wolf. Quatre hommes qui font passer mes pires cauchemars pour les plus beaux des rêves. Pour le public, ce sont des aristocrates titrés de lignée royale. En secret, ils forment les Lords of Darkness, un ordre ancien qui règne sur les bas-fonds de l'Angleterre d'une main de fer mortelle, laissant des squelettes dans son sillage. Et mon père était le cinquième Lord of Darkness. Sa mort soudaine fait de moi une Lady of Darkness. Je refuse d'entrer dans leur jeu tordu et malsain. Je ne m'agenouillerai jamais devant eux, même s'ils insistent pour me briser par plaisir. Ils pensent peut-être pouvoir gagner, mais ils n'ont fait que réveiller une bête capable de les anéantir. Au fond de moi, j'ai toujours été la fille de mon père, une Lady of Darkness. Après tout, j'ai cela dans le sang.

  Lords of Darkness est le premier tome d'une duologie de dark romance. Vous aimerez les héros, puis vous les détesterez avant de les aimer à nouveau. Si vous cherchez des méchants qui finissent par devenir bons, ce n'est pas le cas dans ce livre. Ils sont l'antithèse d'un héros romantique dans tous les sens du terme.


A propos de l'autrice

Amanda Richardson écrit des histoires d'amour avec des héroïnes badass et des héros aussi mystérieux qu'inquiétants. Elle se nourrit de café et vit dans le Yorkshire, en Angleterre, avec sa famille.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Why Choose, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Smut, Contemporary

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 11, 2022

About the author

I write love stories with badass heroines and mysterious, brooding heroes. I survive on coffee and live in Yorkshire, England with my family.

Reviews

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon the death of her father, Harlow Windsor, is thrust directly into the deep end of a world she didn’t even know existed.

A secret order known as the Lords of Darkness rule the underground of Britain, exacting their own brand of vigilante justice.

Not ready to accept her birthright, she immediately begins looking for a way out. Yet as she gets to know the charismatic Lords, she begins to understand not everything is black and white.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🖤🖤
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😳😬🥵🤬
Ending: 🧗🏻‍♀️ {Cliffy}
POV: 👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻🧍🏼‍♂️👫🏻 {Multiple}

🗂 Genre: Dark Romance

✨ Tropes: Secret Society, Forced Proximity

💋 Kinks: Primal, Exhibitionism, Voyeurism

⚠️ Warning: This book may cause blushing, squirming, combusting panties, and/or self-care.

🚩 Safety Squad: There are triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📣 Type: Lords of Darkness is part of the Darkness Duet and ends on a cliffhanger.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[✡Weed Dragon✡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 🐉

Was waiting for the orgy but it never happened 😔

[Antonella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really do not care about reverse harem . I read it because I received it as a gift, and I got this wild idea to read all physical books I own...
1.5 ⭐️

[Krystal- Celestialbookdragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok look, I'm not proud of it, but I can admit that my TBR plan was completely derailed by this duet because I kept seeing reels from the author pop up on my timeline and I couldn't stand it anymore, I had to read it! Turns out it was just what I needed because I devoured this book in a single day and didn't want to put it down! If you like over the top, possessive, and bad to the bone men then you should definitely add this to your TBR! These Lords are brutal from the get go and while they might not be for everyone, I LOVED them! They definitely had her at the beginning but Harlow did not take any of their nonsense lying down, she went toe to toe with them whenever she could and watching her consistently knock them on their butts with her sass was freaking hilarious. I loved how often they didn't know how to respond or what to do with her! 🤣

As the story progressed we got to experience some great sexual tension and watch a foundation of trust form, that is until that dang cliffhanger happened. Knowing that something would be coming at the end still didn't make it any easier to stomach and gah my heart was breaking while I was forced to watch everything crash and burn. I could feel the emotions from everyone on the page and it was gut wrenching. I'm not sure where we're gonna go from here but it's not like it can get any worse right? 😅

Anyway I'm going to be starting Lady of Darkness ASAP to see how this whole scenario gets rectified because I'm impatient and tbh I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to last with all of the tension between Harlow and the Lords. I need it to EXPLODE dang it! Hopefully the next book is filled with lots of spice because I have a feeling these guys are going to blow my mind once we finally get to experience what they're like in the bedroom! Now, if anyone needs me I'll be resuming my degenerate ways! 🤭😈

[nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO FUCKING GOOD OMG😩🤌🏻 ONTO THE NEXT BOOK WE GOOOOOO😌

Safety Squad:
- RH
- No cheating
- No OW/OM drama
- Brief scene (sexual) with OW before the MMCs meet the FMC
- Dark romance (murder, gore, violence)
- Posessive/Jealous/OTT Hs
- Breeding kink
- Revenge trope

[🦉Maggie Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋💋

My first by this author and I can’t wait to read all her others.
This was dark, intense, beautiful and wonderful.
It’s full of everything that you shouldn’t want to read, but once you start, you can’t stop.
R/H romance, terrifying and passionate in the extreme.
But just so good!

[Brittany (Brit.tea.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I did not see that coming, and the suspense has left me speechless. That cliffhanger? I am glad we don't have to wait long for Lady of Darkness.

𝐼 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 😻, 𝐻𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑜𝓌. 𝐵𝓊𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓌 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅, 𝒾𝓃𝒽𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜𝓍𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓈𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒹𝒾𝑒 𝒶 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝓂𝒶𝓃.

Damn, Gideon, Sterling, Alaric, and Theo are so possessive, twisted, dark, and HOT. Harlow is sassy and badass; I love it. I want more of them! I can't wait to see what happens next.

𝒲𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝑔𝑜𝒹𝓈, 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓃𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈.

[dais · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my fuck…
This isn’t just dark romance, it’s PITCH BLACK.
I’m absolutely fucking mind blown at the shit that has gone down… like holy fuck it’s INSANE. I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to spoil it but fuck me, the Lords Of Darkness are something else!!! They’re over possessive, controlling, blood thirsty and hot as fuck!
Harlow is beyond strong, knowing she suffers so badly from anxiety and panic disorder broke my heart as I know exactly how that feels. Her pain and heartache bleeds out of this story, it’s powerful and you can really feel how she feels… I know that the Lords just wanted to help her but forcing her into getting revenge was definitely not the right way to go about it. I could completely understand why she reacted the way she did as I would’ve done the same.
But on the other hand, their heart was in the right place, the Lords wanted Harlow to take back control and stop letting that monster and what he did to her from ruling over her life.
The way she retaliated made me break out in goosebumps, I never thought she’d actually go through with that plan… the ending had me all twisted up inside, my god I felt like my heart was in my throat.
I’m so ready to jump into book 2!!!

[Tai Nelson-Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by FLB

I usually only do a 5 star if I cry. Although I did not cry, this story is so good I had to give it the five stars.
RH stories are one of my favorites, but this story has a story with lots of sexual tension thrown in.
Lords of Darkness is a !its read book!!!

[Badwill Ambassador · Rating 1 out of 5]

Logic has left the chat. Forty psychiatrists unalived themselves reading this.
Under-researched, written quickly, left me unimpressed to say the least. Very little sex especially for how it was "advertised" by the synopsis and some instagram posts. I feel cheated.

[Laura (lady_h_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️½
She was ours, body and soul, and we would have all of her.

📚 Book Review 📚
This book covered so many of my favorite tropes and features: secret society, age gap, enemies to lovers, anti-hero psycho men, dirty kinks, “good girl,” and touch her and die. I absolutely loved it and devoured every word.

It’s no joke how this book goes from a simmering heat to OMG, that was hot AF! Did I highlight almost the entirety of Chapters 37 and 38? You betcha! (Here’s your reminder to charge your BOB or have fresh batteries on hand.)

Lords of Darkness ends on a cliffhanger. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧
This already spicy book was made infinitely more spicy in this duet narration. Brooke and Michael did a fantastic job bringing Harlow and the Lords to life.

⚠️ Dark Elements/Themes Warning – check TWs ⚠️

Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Tropes/Features: Secret society, age gap, enemies to lovers, anti-hero MMCs, 18 yo FMC, touch her and die, OTT J/P
Narrator: Multiple 1st Person POV
Audiobook Narration Type: Duet Narration
Voice Actor (s): Brooke Daniels and Michael Gallagher
Relationship Type: Why Choose MFMMM, fast burn, very spicy
Book Type/Ending: Book One Darkness Duet, cliffhanger ending
TW/CW: Available in Author’s Note

[Whatishreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, it started good and it was 4 stars for me until the end. I didn't like the heros much, and I didn't even feel any connection between them. Their cold and hot behavior was confusing because one min they are threatening her and triggering her trauma and next they are tending her burned mark(which they put there in the first place), reading her books etc etc 😒 and I don't even want to talk about heroine.

I don't think I will read the next book because I don't like the direction it is going.


Safety squad:
-no virgins
-no cheating
-no omd
-lil owd (there was a brief sexual scene of one of hero with ow before they met the herione and later on, one of them flirted with another woman to make h jealous)
-h was SA in the past
-breeding kink
-@nal sex
-no condoms
-cliffhanger

[Sue Miz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why are Dark Romances starting to be copy cats of each other? Especially the RH ones
From the first three chapters I could predict exactly what would happen next
Where is the originality?
Seriously
I could take this book, change the names with other books of the same topic and nothing will be new
Let me break it down
1- all powerful all magnificinet all clever Male leads ...check
2- the naive 18-year old heroine (why are they always 18????) Who has a previous trauma and nothing interesting about her except her looks...check
3- for somereason unfathomable, the male leads feel this instant possessive about her...check
4- they start pushing and bullying her ..check
5- she vows revenge but they are always one step ahead of her because she is not smart enough or resourceful enough...check

Book ends at cliffhanger
And I can predict what happens in book2
She suddnely has this revelation that she belongs to them
Sex sex and more sex
Someone kidnaps her
They look for her
Lots of blood
Sex sex more sex
Story end

[Christi Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Lords of Darkness
Author: Amanda Richardson
Format: ebook
Genre: Dark Romance, RH, BDSM, DubCon
Standalone: No
Part of a Series: Book 1 in the Darkness Duet
POV: Aleric, Harlow, Gideon, Sterling, Theo
Steam Level: Hot
5/5

Lords of Darkness is the first book in the Darkness Duet. And Holy Heck did it end on a cliffhanger. The type of cliffhanger that makes me glad that I only need to wait a few week to get the next book. Lords of Darkness is dark, makes you question if these guys are heroes or antiheroes. Is doing bad things for a good cause still bad? The lines are so gray and murky you can't even see them. The things the guys do to Harlow were wrong but was the intention behind their actions so bad? And the steam was off the charts hot. I cannot wait to see what will happen next. Next month's release of book two can't come soon enough.

I received an advanced copy of this book for free. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Basak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lords of Darkness by Amanda Richardson is a dream come true romance for me since it consists some of my favorite tropes including a secret society, a reverse harem consisting of four British aristocrats with arrogant and bossy personalities, an intriguing storyline with mürder and suspense and emotionally traumatized heroine with a backbone nonetheless. The chemistry among the quintet is at nuclear 🔥🔥🔥 level to say the least and I am quite sure things will get even hotter with the second part of the duet Lady of Darkness. Beware that the cliffhanger is rather daunting but thankfully the new book will be available in just a few weeks.

[Inês Gomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
I’m shocked with how much I loved this book. I was obsessed from beginning to end, ate this up. The obsession of the Lords for Harlow was super extreme but so addictive to read. Harlow was such a strong character, she went to so much and still came on top despite her massive traumas and anxiety problems. I really liked how everything them threw at her just made her stronger and the fact that that was their main goal made everything better.
I loved all the guys but Alaric just hit different, a love a good morally grey in a suit and he didn’t disappoint. I’m literally on my way to read Lady of Darkness because I can’t wait to read what happens next after that ending.

[Jordan | jordans.bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ This book is DARK so please review trigger warnings!

Harlow’s life is turned upside down when her dad unexpectedly passes away. When she goes to his home in England she discovers a dark truth about her family. Being the eldest child, she is now the Lady of Blackwell. This title comes with a dark price. Can she find her way out of this and return to her normal life?

This is a slow burn reverse harem duet. It has multi-character POV that I love with reverse harems! It helps give depth to each of the individual relationships within the harem.

[Aries Will Never Finish Their TBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many twists and turns!

Fantastic start to a saga that is sure to make your thighs clench and your head spin.

The characters are well developed and the plot is an interesting twist to most Cloak And Dagger novels.

A bit of a slow burn but it still packs plenty of heat.

[hugsandcookies · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

Sorry I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t finish this book. It might be for others but this one wasn’t for me. I got to chapter 4 and I knew that the characters, mainly the four Lords had me eye rolling at their demands.

[Ninita · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok é um livro super rápido e é um harém gostosinho, é lento, mas não tão lento.
gostei bastante e agora tenho de ler o próximo que o plot apareceu🫠
será que eles me estão a enganar? se for um sonho vou odiar...

[F ౨ৎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know when you find yourself watching something bad purely for entertainment?

[Dreyyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️
No thoughts only vibes reverse harem for the win

[Bruna Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

QUE FINAL FOI ESTE???? Preciso de ler a continuação urgentemente!!!!!!

[Trinity · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶/5

TW - graphic violence incl knife and gun violence, torture, stalking, drugs and weapon trafficking, money laundering, extortion, loan sharking, graphic crime scene descriptions, parental death (murder, on page x1, loosely recounted x1, mentioned, suicide mentioned), drugging of the FMC, kidnapping, needles, murder, SA / rape (off page, not by the MMCs, lead up recounted incl flashbacks), pedophilia and human trafficking (scs, mentioned), arson, medication for mental illness taken on page, grief, panic attack (on page), branding, nightmares, overdose (medication, unintentional), hidden cameras, exposure therapy

CW - DubCon, degradation, exhibitionism, choking

Tropes - touch her and die, organised crime, secret society, rich, why choose, age gap, stalking

Representation - polyam - MFMM, mental health (anxiety, panic disorder and psychosis, PTSD)

He reads her smut to sleep, where do I buy one of those?

Harlow (FMC) is thrust into a world she knew nothing about following the death of her dad. She's discovered as the secret child and the Lords of Darkness, Alaric (MMC), Gideon (MMC), Sterling (MMC) and Theo (MMC), come calling but little do they know, Harlow meant it when she said she didn't want to be apart of their little games.

This book is the first in the duet and does a good job at introducing the characters and the world to us. Harlow's push and pull is constant throughout and she flits between falling for the Lords or killing them and whether she wants it to or not, something is bound to happen.

Harlow's mental health is a very prominent part of this story and she is dealing the best she can. The guys decide to take matters into their own hands and some (maybe all) might say their plans make them irredeemable despite their intentions. Up until this point, I was very annoyed with Harlow constantly blaming them for a birth right she didn't want but they also didn't have a choice in claiming themselves. It was hard to see what was driving her motives when, ultimately, no one had a choice in the life they've had to live. Her motives seemed very murky especially when she started warming to them... that was all until things went left sharply and very fucking quickly which takes us to the cliffhanger this ended on... it's not looking good and I'm eager to see what happens next

Scale:
⭐️ - would've DNF'ed / continued out of spite
⭐️⭐️ - shit, but whatever
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - meh, could've been better
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - lit 👅
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - loved it, inject this shit into my veins 🤪

🫑 - no smut
🌶 - no point
🌶🌶 - mediocre at best
🌶🌶🌶 - standard smut, hot
🌶🌶🌶🌶 - 🥵 okay, some CW
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 - fuck me 🥵🥵 CWs / filthy with a side of filth - see Poison / Room Twenty-Two: Hide and Seek/ The Naughty List

[bookishfrag · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will I could give more than 5 stars to this book!

F*CK NOOOOO! This is my first book of the author and I really don't wanna say this but I HATE YOU RIGHT NOW. I can't! I can't wait till December 20th to know what happens next, coz that was sooooo crazy! Whyyy 😭. There aren't many books that make me cry but I'm literally crying right now, so hard. I can't, oh God! This cliffhanger has killed me, I can't even process what happened right now! How am I going to write a review 😭
I took a break and read the bonus scene! I'm so angry at Harlow, even though I understand her! BUTTTT NOOOOO. Shizz I'm going out of my freakin' mind! Sorry to be ranting about the last scene but READ IT AND YOU'LL KNOWWWW!

Okay now to the procedure review-

Harlow was an intriguing character. When I started, I thought she'd be a shy and timid character, but she evolved so much and the role of Lady of Darkness is made for her. She couldn't see it but she is as much a "lord of darkness" as the guys! The overcoming of her fear was such a powerful scene, and even though she couldn't see it, the guys actually helped her get over it!

The guys! Okay I know we're supposed to hate them coz they are psychopaths but OMG I LOVE THEM! They are part of my book boyfriend harem, permanently! I'm really looking forward to seeing more of them and learn about their childhoods/backgrounds (Ms. Richardson 👀👀)!

Alaric is the typical broody and short tempered guy with the need for cleanliness which I believe stems from something from his past! I spice with this guy! So hot 🥵 I was on fire!

Gideon is so funny and a grade A assh*le but he has to be! And his knifes, omg we need knife play so bad! They way he's flicking them all the time is so hot!

Sterling! What can I say about you, Sir? He is the perfect dominant, and the spice scene with him was 🛐. It was everything I expected from him and more! The story behind his rings was really touching and I felt so much for him!

Theo! Okay, I wanna say he should've gotten more screentime because I loved him! And I missed him but I'm sure we'll see more of him later (Again, Ms. Richardson 👀👀).

I absolutely agree with all the names Harlow gave the guys, and wish she'd call them by that. I don't know why, but I really want that! And I'd love to see the guys reaction to it! 🤣

I know this book didn't have a lot of spice to it but I think that was required for the story to build. If it had had too much spice, the storyline would've gotten lost. I'm so glad how the author balanced the two but I really hope there's more spice in the next book!

I know this wasn't a very good review coz I forgot everything after that last scene and I'm going to lose sleep over it! December 20, please come fast! 😭

I highly highly highly recommend this to EVERY dark romance lover out there. I read it slow coz of some family problems, but I guarantee you'll read it in one sitting and then crying with me! If you like why choose dark romance with lots of triggers, you'll definitely love this book! I know I did, with all my heart. I'm definitely reading all the books by Amanda Richardson!

- bookishfrag

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 and 1/2 stars

The story doesn't pull any punches. It jumps straight into the fray. This does grab your attention almost immediately. The Lords live up to their name. Darkness indeed. The first time Harlow saw them, she described them well: almost like they were the four horsemen. Bringers of Death and Destruction. Even though there may be four of them, Harlow doesn't back down. The story was riveting and I was not expecting that ending. I have no idea how things will continue or what is next but I look forward to the next book!

[Teresa Juckett (Love Dark Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my lord that ending😱 what the french toast! Noooo it can't stop there😔 Ever since I found this lady and her book's I've not found one book of her's yet that I haven't loved, and this one wasn't any different. I absolutely loved the darkness, grittiness and dare I say the angst that just flies off of each and every page between the 5 mc's, and let's not forget the sexual tension or the scenes that transpire in here...phew can she write some hot af scenes. You'll need a fan afterwards lol. This book was so hard to put down I couldn't stop reading once I started.

🚫There are triggers in here, so read them before reading 🚫

[Laurenloveslit81 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you really enjoy the story and you’re left wanting more because you know the next book is going to be even better. Thank god we the next book is only a few weeks away because we are left with a brutal cliffhanger and lots of tension between the FMC and the guys.

One of my favorite parts about the book was the back story of how the lords came to be but I hope we get to dive more into the guy’s individual backstories in the next book.

We don’t get a lot of spice in this first book but I know when they finally come together it’s going to be explosive! I’ll definitely be counting down the days until we get book 2!

[Ana ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For everyone who always wanted to hate f*ck the villain
"

Billionaire Daddy, Trouble, Mr. Grumpy, Murder Puppy.
Yesss please😉💕
I don't know why, but I really enjoyed the book. MMCs are perfect, but in the end I understood why Harlow wanted to do that.


TW: Dub con/non con, graphic violence, stalking, mental health issues, drugs, graphic descriptions of a crime scene, explicit sexual situations, death of a parent, kidnapping/abduction, needles, murder, sexual assault/rape
(not on the page, not by main characters), and degradation.

[Vanessa Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ARC Review ✨
***
Thank you to Amanda Richardson and Give Me Books Promotions for the ARC to review.
****
Lords of Darkness is so good!! I loved the writing and the characters. The lords are everything. Dark, mysterious, sexy, protective, and twisted. Harlow is brave, stubborn, and determined. I loved the twistedness in this book and the darkness in each character. The spicy scenes were perfectly written. The ending left me speechless and I need book 2 now!!!
***
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
***