Dark Secrets

by Mikki Smith

Misty’s family, hid a dark secret from her. Until the coven came to claim what they believe belongs to them. Their chosen ones, to lead the coven to become the most powerful. It is written the twins who they separated at birth are to reign together as one to keep the bloodline pure. When Misty refuses to stand with them, hell will break loose.

224 pages, Paperback

Published December 24, 2015

Reviews

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received from author in exchange for an honest review.



Well, I can say with great certainty that this book was not what I expected. Like, not at all!!! While reading the blurb I knew the story was going to be dark but I had no clue just how raw, emotionally draining and what terrible horrors it truly hid. The thing that impressed and at the same time scared me the most was how realistic the whole story was written. And I have no doubts that I'm in for a restless night of sleep ahead of me. One thing is for sure, this book is not for the faint hearted readers.

It’s a good thing that you believe in God, because you are going to need him in this case. There is a battle waging between good and evil, and if you aren’t careful, you might find yourself on the wrong side.



Dark Secrets is horror mixed with paranormal elements and also a slight touch of romance. We get multiple POVs and they make the story more alive and easy to understand. Main POVs you could say are Detective Norris and Misty's. They tell the majority of the plot but we also get glimpses from other characters. After being in almost every characters mind, I can say for sure that at least half of them are not sane. Not by a long shot! Also, the main conflict of this plot is the battle between evil and good, a dark cult and one determined police detective that with the help of survivors tries to bring justice to a world where law alone cannot defeat the evils of this world.

This whole case was a bit over whelming with all the twists and turns, witches and covens, dead kids, missing children, and now Anna’s confession of a dark secret.

What I liked about this amazing yet on a level quite disturbing story is that Misty never gave up on life. She fought for her every breath and every tear was a testament to her strenght for the unberable pain she had to endure. I cannot believe she made it though all that and came out relatively sane. She has a lot to learn about her past to survive was is to come but I'm pretty sure she will come out as the winner. She definitely earned my respect.



Besides Misty I also liked Norris. He's a good guy who is willing to go out of his comfort zone to solve this case. He never gave up, despite many warnings that it could not end well for him and those he loves should he choose to further pursue the case. Ha cared and I think that's what mattered the most. The only thing that he should have done differently, in my opinion, is that he should have not let himself be seduced at the end by a bratty woman, who I still don't trust despite everything that happened.

I know how it sounds. I know how it appears, but things are not always as they seem. Evil has many faces.

My thoughts exactly! I guess we will find out what happens next in the second installment of this series, Brewing Storm.

After all, he did say he would be back.

[Danielle Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Secrets by Mikki Smith is an interesting read. A novel, where pararnormal clashes with the normal world that we all know. Mikki Smith has stunnignly created an a world full of darkness and leaves characters questioning themselves to a breaking point. Does God exist and is there a such thing as evil lurking in our world? Not just evil as in bad people, but evil as in something deadly, that you just can't explain until you experience it yourself. Readers will follow a young girl's journey as she runs from danger, pleads for help for her friends, and then begs to be taken as far away from the evil lurking deep, in the forest. Friends of hers may or may not be alive. Soon the girl gets help from a couple, and then mysteriously they both die separately. A detective called to the case, who spoke with the couple and then finds them dead. This then leads him to believe there is indeed a connection to all the cases concerning the woods and the injured girl. But what is the connection and can they solve it before it's too late?

Dark Secrets is addictive to read. A dark thriller, that will leave readers on the edge of their seats waiting for what happens next. I found the plot to be fast-paced and well-written. The characters were well developed and so realistic. It felt like this story was more real than fiction. Mikki Smith definitely has a talent with words and in creating a fictional world, that will drag you instantly into the characters' shoes. I loved how the emotions, thoughts, fears of the characters became the reader's. That is what makes a novel stand out for me. I loved reading this paranormal story. Overall, I highly recommend it to readers everywhere.

[Sandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very riveting book. A book that has you guessing at every turn. Hard to stop reading it. Thanks Mikki Smith

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark Secrets by Mikki Smith drops you right in at the deep end. No slow build up just BAM...your in the middle of a nightmare.
I knew before starting this book that the story was dark & with violence, sexual assaults, murder & child abuse all committed by a coven of dark witches it certainly lived up to expectation.
This story brings a range of emotions as you read. Hope, confusion, anger disgust as well as sheer amazement at the strength shown by the lead character Misty. Even after discovering the shocking truth about who/what she is & experiencing such horrific events she has the will to not only continue but to defy the darkness in favour of the light. I only hope this fact remains as the story progresses.
I liked Detective Norris from the start, how refreshing to have a police detective actually believe rather than dismiss the unknown/supernatural. Ignoring several warnings given, even after witnessing the aftermath if some horrendous crimes he refuses to give up.
I had such high hopes for him but I do feel let down by his apparent behaviour towards the end (Laura.)
I was stunned at how far reaching this coven appears to be, how truely terrifying it would be to know there is no where in the world you could really be safe & how could you ever really trust anyone again.
I felt annoyed by the reappearance of Laura in Misty's life. I know they had been best friends for years but I cannot understand why she would be accepted after everything that happened.
A nightmare enducing journey into the horrors of this supernatural world. Definitely not a happily ever after story.

[Diana Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you do when life as you know it, literally turns to hell ? Well if your Misty Quinlin you fight the Devil himself (aka Bob) to keep yourself, your best friend (Laura) and your children safe. In the beginning of this story author Mikki Smith gives us a horror filled night that leaves Misty battered, broken and ..... well that would be a spoiler. Let's just say Misty's mother and grandmother had kept family secrets for way to long, opening up Misty and her friends to an evil so foul, that nobody might survive. While learning to live with the knowledge that magic and Witches and covens are real, she has to pick up the pieces that were left on the forest floor thatl night and learn to deal with the awakening good or light magic within herself. Along the way she finds love with a young police detective and a small amount of happines, until the Coven comes calling again, and this time they aren't taking no for an answer. Killing anyone who gets in their way. This is a top notch paranormal thriller with bits of romance thrown in . You get from beginning to end at the edge of your seat, hoping against all that is Holy these characters stay alive !! That's how invested Mikki Smith makes you as she spins the solid 5 ☆ tale of evil, goodness and the will to survive.

[H. Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

With her writing style author Mikki Smith creates a suffocating atmosphere that her heroes have to live in and a suspenseful story for readers to deep in. Dark Secrets isn't a book that you can easily put down. The vivid descriptions enhance the darkness of the story and the storyline has some unexpected twists that will easily satisfy every occult enthusiast.
I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

[Charles Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Misty Quinlin’s family hid a dark secret from her for years. But, that secret was unveiled when a coven of powerful witches came to claim what they believe belongs to them—Misty. Untested in the use of her powers, if Misty refuses them, all hell will break loose, and she’ll be caught in the center of a struggle she’s not sure she can survive.
Dark Secrets by Mikki smith is an ambitious story, broad in scope; that explores not just the paranormal, but the intricacies of human relationships. Secrets and lies, desires and deceptions, it’s all laid out for the reader in a dark and twisted tale.
The author does a yeoman’s job in building characters a reader can empathize with, and obstacles for those characters that would seem insurmountable. This story defies precise genre classification: it has elements of the paranormal, a bit of romance, and a compelling mystery; all the elements of a story that could—should—stand the test of time to become a classic. It is, however, marred by some technical issues, mainly having to do with grammar. While I give the concept and theme a resounding four+ stars, those technical issues force me to downgrade the overall rating to three stars.
Herewith are the problems as I see them. In places, word usage makes it difficult to know if the author is referring to past or present tense. One has to pause and figure this out. This jerks the reader out of the flow of the story, and makes it hard to re-suspend disbelief and get back into things. There’s a bit too much telling, and not enough showing, with the author dumping interesting, but essentially irrelevant information on the reader that does nothing to advance the story.
The tense issues and some of the word choice problems can be dealt with by another round of proofreading, and the tell-show issue can be resolved by judicious line editing. Despite these criticisms, I did enjoy reading the story, a laudable first effort by an author with a good writer’s imagination, who only needs more practice to hone the mechanical aspects of the craft.

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut by Mikki Smith throws you right into the action and doesn't let up. The story is dark, creepy, and at times quite disturbing. But the author doesn't throw is into complete despair, there is light at the end of that dark tunnel, and our heroine has a solid faith that sees her through some seriously tough times. Most of the story is told primarily from the perspectives of Misty and Detective Norris, who gets a crash course in the supernatural with this one. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that everything isn't what it seems in this supernatural thriller, and the same goes for its characters. This is one that kept me guessing about how it would all play out right up until the last page was turned. We do get a bit of an open ended conclusion here, so I'll be interested to see where things go for these characters in the next book. Until then, I can easily recommend Dark Secrets to anyone who enjoys the genre.

[Star]

DARK SECRETS is the story of Misty Quinlin. She’s been exposed to a world she never knew, one which her family kept from her for years. Strong in the Christian values her grandmother instilled in her growing up, Misty knows she needs help to fight off a coven of powerful witches who only want to use her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get past 29% in DARK SECRETS. There were many times when less dialogue and more action would have help carry the story along and there were too many “info dumps” and “character preaching” to keep me interested in the story. The concept of DARK SECRETS is good, but it needs a bit more polishing. I wish the author all the best, but DARK SECRETS just wasn’t for me.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story line but in serious need of an editor.