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Darkness #1
Daughter of Darkness
When a rash of hellhound related homicides sends Gwen searching for clues, she comes face to face with Pallo, the Master Vampire who owns Necro's Magik World & Supernatural Theme Park. What she doesn't realize is that she and Pallo share a past, and only he can help her discover who she really is.
340 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
10 people are currently reading
446 people want to read
About the author
Mandy M. Roth
410 books1,982 followersNY Times & USA Today bestselling author Mandy M. Roth® loves 80s music and movies and wishes leg warmers would come back into fashion. She also thinks the movie The Breakfast Club should be mandatory viewing for…okay, everyone. When she’s not dancing around her office to the sounds of the 80s, she’s busy writing paranormal operatives and kick-butt urban fantasy heroines. Mandy lives in Oxford, Mississippi with her husband and three boys. She has sold over 2 million books. Mandy has published with Harlequin, Random House/ Virgin Books, numerous small presses, and has had an amazingly successful indie career. She’s had bestselling books in a multitude of categories and genres at Amazon, Nook, Google Play, Apple Books, and Kobo.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 20, 2014
"WTF" is what I repeatedly said to myself as I read this book. And I didn't use "WTF" like I do when I've just found a dress I love for half-off. Oh, no. I used "WTF" to express the sloppy writing skills of this author. The storyline is scattershot. After you've read 1/3 of the book, the heroine has slept with more men than I did in my first year in college ... she's moved from one predicament to another WITHOUT asking any questions and is always being "saved" by one of the men she's known biblically. Oh, let's not forget the back and forth emotions with this woman. "I love you...no I hate you... no don't touch me... no ravish me...no leave...no stay." My head began to hurt from the quick changes in emotions and scenes. Honestly, this book felt like it was written by someone who has no clue how people interact and respond to critical situations. For example, if you are attacked by evil creatures of the night and told someone was trying to kill you, do you 1) go clubbing; 2) go wander off in the woods by yourself; 3) refuse to investigate who was trying to kill you; or 4) start making phone calls to find out who/what/when/where and stay home putting bullets in your gun or sharpening your knives to defend yourself. If you're Gwen, you go for options 1, 2 and 3. What is worse is that ALL the male characters sound alike. There really is no difference in how they talk to her (aside from a sprinkling of Italian). It's just so one dimensional.
There are so many great books out there, and I would tell anyone reading this review that this book IS NOT one of them. If you just want a sex scene that is a 6 on 1-10 scoring system, then this book may be for you. However, if you want a great storyline, then look elsewhere. I am quite disappointed that I cannot get the time I wasted on this book.
There are so many great books out there, and I would tell anyone reading this review that this book IS NOT one of them. If you just want a sex scene that is a 6 on 1-10 scoring system, then this book may be for you. However, if you want a great storyline, then look elsewhere. I am quite disappointed that I cannot get the time I wasted on this book.
January 10, 2015
So most people have rated this 1 or 2 stars...craptastic. If I only read the first one I might have a similar impression because it seems nothing is really explained....probably because it wasn't. I bought the trilogy and read them all together and it was amazing. I can't wait to find out the stories for the rest of the guys. I am excited for James and Sohpie (haha). You get everything answered and explained in the last book. It was a little unexpected but beautifully rounded. I loved this set.
February 20, 2014
First and foremost, before you read this review all books are not for all people and "Daughter of Darkness" is definitely not for me. It is basically written poorly with a very light plot. If that is your thing then this book will be for you. I don't like adult love triangles; so I definitely don't like sex triangles. I am not a prude but I just did not enjoy this read.
January 7, 2025
DNF I tried but I just couldn't waste any more of my time on this book. The plot is all over the place and the characters are unlikable. So much of this just seems like a set up for the next book.
I've tried this author a number of times but I don't think she's for me.
I've tried this author a number of times but I don't think she's for me.
January 6, 2016
1.5 stars (because im feeling generous) for another sad example of a story with such promise being absolutely ruined by the writing. The plot isnt exactly unique-ive read past lives messing up present ones storylines before- but this one felt like it could be interesting and compelling despite not being unique. That was the high point of the book. For most of the book you have to try to figure out what is going on yourself because nothing is explained. You figure out pretty quickly its a case of past life haunting (at least i hope you do because if not you probably shouldnt be reading adult books to start with) but theres a whole supernatural world that is NEVER explained. Like really never you just get introduced to creatures then move on with absolutely no discussion on what they are or what they can do. It is also unclear whether they intermingle with the humans since this author clearly doesnt remember what she writes as she contradicts her own words multiple times in the books. The heroine is out and out obnoxious. She is so weak it pisses me off and is constantly needing to be saved despite her powers (which are always different every time theyre used)by the men she sleeps with. Another prime example of Roths contradiction of herself is that we open with the heroine whining about how she hasnt had sex in 6 months. Unfortunate i agree but those are the words of someone who enjoys sex and isnt ashamed of it. Yet she is constantly slut shaming HERSELF! Granted if i had sex with 3 different dudes in (and im guessing the time frame of the book because i really couldnt tell) a couple of weeks i might wonder about myself too but it still makes for tedious reading with all the "woe is me why do i have to jump the bones of every man i find attractive" bit. there are four important men in the book. one is a human and a former fiance who cheated on her. Hes mostly a jerk and i cant fathom why she keeps him around. Then we have 2 vamps-one good one bad. The bad one is..well bad very bad and manipulative (and the one guy she actually turns down). The good vamp has his moments but he also has the rage potential to turn into an abuser which is so not cool. Finally we have a member of faerie who is absolutely the cream of the crop. He's sweet but not a pushover and his genuine affection for the heroine bleeds through in everything he does. Sadly he disappears for a good majority of the book leaving us with the losers. There is zip for romantic development...she loves everybody without actually knowing most of them. While love at first sight is cute lets face it you cant possibly love someone you just met...before youve even kissed them or anything. The sex scenes have their moments but with words/phrases like "love juice" it mostly gets ruined. It is also annoying how once she finds one of these awkward phrases she just uses it as much as humanly possible in a very short time frame. Apparently sperm is now "evidence of the night's festivities" *gags*. The plot as i mentioned before was interesting and engaging but, while not exactly poorly paced the authors refusal to give us even bits of the past life until near the end makes the present day motivations hard to grasp.
Overall a huge disappointment and not something id recommend
Overall a huge disappointment and not something id recommend
July 26, 2016
I give this a good, solid erotic 3 star rating. Keeping in mind that, while not a wholly different rating system, I do generally have far lower plot/character development expectations for an erotic novel.
For the most part I enjoyed the book. The men were kind and sexy, while Gwen had a wonderful sarcastic streak. Unfortunately she also slowly crept into the 'too stupid to live' category. She constantly ran out on her own, despite knowing she was being hunted. She seemed to be unable to look beyond even the simplest deception, to see the obvious truth of a situation and she was then painfully stubborn about it.
To be fair, she wasn't the only one showing evidence of stupidity though. I mean, come on, if you were trying to hide a woman from someone you know to be dangerous and who will obviously want her, would you then take her dancing in HIS club? Seriously, would you? Stupid! Honestly, some of these bonehead moves felt very much like needed plot devices. They irritated me as much for being too stupid to credit as for their obvious mechanical necessity to the plot.
When I picked this book up I was unsure how it would go over. I generally hate love triangles, but I really enjoy menage fiction. From the blurb I could have seen this going either way. It's a bit of both...or rather, there is one mild menage scene and a love pentagon (Gwen and four male pursuers). Since it wasn't an angsty read I could handle the triangle/pentagon aspect of it, but there were just too many men after Gwen. This is especially true since it wasn't really THIS Gwen they all fell in love with. (That will make sense if you read the book.) There was absolutely no way for this to have a satisfactory conclusion. Someone important was going to get hurt or left out and I'm not thrilled at how it ended. Since this is the first in a series maybe there will be a better ending in a future book.
For the most part I enjoyed the book. The men were kind and sexy, while Gwen had a wonderful sarcastic streak. Unfortunately she also slowly crept into the 'too stupid to live' category. She constantly ran out on her own, despite knowing she was being hunted. She seemed to be unable to look beyond even the simplest deception, to see the obvious truth of a situation and she was then painfully stubborn about it.
To be fair, she wasn't the only one showing evidence of stupidity though. I mean, come on, if you were trying to hide a woman from someone you know to be dangerous and who will obviously want her, would you then take her dancing in HIS club? Seriously, would you? Stupid! Honestly, some of these bonehead moves felt very much like needed plot devices. They irritated me as much for being too stupid to credit as for their obvious mechanical necessity to the plot.
When I picked this book up I was unsure how it would go over. I generally hate love triangles, but I really enjoy menage fiction. From the blurb I could have seen this going either way. It's a bit of both...or rather, there is one mild menage scene and a love pentagon (Gwen and four male pursuers). Since it wasn't an angsty read I could handle the triangle/pentagon aspect of it, but there were just too many men after Gwen. This is especially true since it wasn't really THIS Gwen they all fell in love with. (That will make sense if you read the book.) There was absolutely no way for this to have a satisfactory conclusion. Someone important was going to get hurt or left out and I'm not thrilled at how it ended. Since this is the first in a series maybe there will be a better ending in a future book.
April 19, 2012
Reviewed by Rachel
This was a good series to get into. This book has a little bit of everything supernatural in it from witches to vampires, trolls to faeries. It covers all bases and gives them all personalities that are believable and endearing. I have not read any books by this author before but I have really enjoyed this series so far. I can’t wait to see where the next book takes me. I give it four stars.
The many characters in this story were varied and well developed. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know all of them. We are introduced to Ken, Gwen’s boss and ex-fiancée, Pallo a master vampire who owns a supernatural theme park, Caleb who is a faerie and a supernatural bounty hunter and Giovanni who is also a master vampire and who sired Pallo. I felt that we got to know each of them as the story went along with Gwen. I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book as well. The only complaint is I really wish I got to know more about James, another vampire. Maybe he will be in the next books!!
The love triangles are well written as well as the more steamy scenes. Gwen finds herself torn between several different men and is unable to commit to just one or let any of them go. Every time she thinks she is certain she has chosen something else comes up or she finds herself drawn to another. There is one threesome in this book. It is an M/F/M no male on male scenes. There seems to be someone trying to force Caleb and Gwen together but who knows who she will pick or if she will pick just one. There is also still a lot of tension between Ken and Gwen.
The interactions and overall plot of this book was very well written. I found a couple typos but not many and it was not something that took away from the book. The villain was a surprise for me as well as several other things along the way. All in all this was a very good book.
This was a good series to get into. This book has a little bit of everything supernatural in it from witches to vampires, trolls to faeries. It covers all bases and gives them all personalities that are believable and endearing. I have not read any books by this author before but I have really enjoyed this series so far. I can’t wait to see where the next book takes me. I give it four stars.
The many characters in this story were varied and well developed. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know all of them. We are introduced to Ken, Gwen’s boss and ex-fiancée, Pallo a master vampire who owns a supernatural theme park, Caleb who is a faerie and a supernatural bounty hunter and Giovanni who is also a master vampire and who sired Pallo. I felt that we got to know each of them as the story went along with Gwen. I also enjoyed the secondary characters in this book as well. The only complaint is I really wish I got to know more about James, another vampire. Maybe he will be in the next books!!
The love triangles are well written as well as the more steamy scenes. Gwen finds herself torn between several different men and is unable to commit to just one or let any of them go. Every time she thinks she is certain she has chosen something else comes up or she finds herself drawn to another. There is one threesome in this book. It is an M/F/M no male on male scenes. There seems to be someone trying to force Caleb and Gwen together but who knows who she will pick or if she will pick just one. There is also still a lot of tension between Ken and Gwen.
The interactions and overall plot of this book was very well written. I found a couple typos but not many and it was not something that took away from the book. The villain was a surprise for me as well as several other things along the way. All in all this was a very good book.
March 19, 2014
The first book of this series is a book that appears to focus on explicit sex and sexual tension rather than maintaining a storyline that keeps you hooked, and this bores to death.
It starts off with some promise, but following the first sexual incident, this is all the story seems to do.
The novel compounds into one sexual adventure followed by another, losing my interest, plummeting my attention span culminating in massive skimming. I get the sex, I understand it's fun, but hey, I need a story or I could just read the first incident in a loop.
There's many books on the market like this, and it fails to keep my interest, including the concept of pulling in past lives.
End result: ditched.
It starts off with some promise, but following the first sexual incident, this is all the story seems to do.
The novel compounds into one sexual adventure followed by another, losing my interest, plummeting my attention span culminating in massive skimming. I get the sex, I understand it's fun, but hey, I need a story or I could just read the first incident in a loop.
There's many books on the market like this, and it fails to keep my interest, including the concept of pulling in past lives.
End result: ditched.
April 13, 2014
This was...well, dumb is too mean, but along those lines. The romance was unbelievable/just boring. She fell way too easy even for their "predicament". The characters were...well static for starters, but also just trite. The main girl couldn't decide if she was a badass or a pushover...not to mention her inability to avoid hopping into bed with anything that moved. It was apparently uncontrollable or something.
Anywho, this struck me as trying to be similar to the Anita Blake series and just falling short.
It had some interesting plot choices. I will give it that. I think it may have been better had the characters been fleshed out more and had less happened. It just felt like the author was attempting to do too much with too little.
Anywho, this struck me as trying to be similar to the Anita Blake series and just falling short.
It had some interesting plot choices. I will give it that. I think it may have been better had the characters been fleshed out more and had less happened. It just felt like the author was attempting to do too much with too little.
February 8, 2009
Gwen Stevens has signs of ESP, though she has not quite gotten used to using these skills. Her job at the Paranormal Regulators Law Offices keeps her quite busy, especially now that the supernatural-related homicide rate is rising...
For the entire review please go to the Best Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Review site on the web, Bitten By Books for the review of Daughter Of Darkness in it's entirety. You won't be sorry.
For the entire review please go to the Best Paranormal & Urban Fantasy Review site on the web, Bitten By Books for the review of Daughter Of Darkness in it's entirety. You won't be sorry.
December 8, 2011
This was a fun romp! At times I wasn't sure what the heck was going on, and at other times I had much more of an idea of what was going on than the heroine did. I really love the characters of Kerrigan, Sharon, & Caleb. I think I'll like Gwen more as I continue with the series. Having Gwen learn more about her past life throughout the book really helped me to be less irritated with her when she did things that made no sense to me. But I LOVE her spunky attitude :) Will definitely be continuing this series.
March 21, 2014
Oh my god cann anyone say slapper this. Book didn't offend me in any way it just made me want to slap the main character talk about a bike. She shags everything then gets pissed when they do it apart from all the shagging the story could have been quite good just was too much to an fro for me she should have charged she would have made a killing
January 23, 2014
Only thing that made me not give this 4 stars is all the different men. Would be rooting for one and then another. Too many love interests. Didn't look good on her part if u know what I am saying. Lol
May 9, 2009
the series is reminiscient of laurell k. hamiltons plots. didn't think this was better than that. didn't like how caleb seem to just come out of nowhere. may not read again.
April 7, 2012
This book pulled me in so many directions I felt like taffy - not quite sure who Gwen was with or what she wanted. So I had a very hard time wanting to like her as a character, either.
April 29, 2010
My very first ever Mandy M. Roth book. My life was never the same. :) Great book, wonderful series.
July 3, 2013
Enjoyed the different characters and the crazy ride they begin.
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January 4, 2014holy hades, what was that -_-
March 20, 2014
A book to read if you don't want or need to put a lot of thought into it, I was not disappointed with it and will read the other two in the series but I'm glad the series was only .99!
September 12, 2016
Bad awkward writing, little plot interest.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews