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Ollie Wit #3
Kissed by the Dark
Life with Kane is wonderful, right up until it’s not. People like me, Shadow Walkers, who know that monsters are real and nightmares don’t only happen when you’re sleeping, are always waiting for the worst. But no one believes me when I tell them disaster is looming, not even Kane, the man who has seen more than I can imagine. When the worst does happen, I’m not prepared. Months of my life are wiped from my memory, strangers call me friend, and it looks like I’m conspiring with the enemy. I need a back-up plan. Only problem is, if I have one I don’t remember it. I don’t remember anything, like who to trust and who to hate. Someone screwed with my life and they’re going to pay. But do I trust Kane to help me when all I can remember is that I hate him?
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 19, 2018
356 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
September 6, 2020
Man for such a good start to a series, this totally flopped. 2 stars is a good rating because when though it was terrible, I did binge it. I'm also going to spoil it because there's no way I can talk about it without spoilers.
Ollie and Kane have finally come to terms with their feelings and are just waiting for a time to properly act on them when she literally, randomly wakes up in an alley, bruised to hell and total memory loss of the last 3 months. When Kane finds her she treats him like he's the enemy again and we're back to square one where she's trying to figure out her crawler situation while not understanding why they aren't as bad as before.
So now we're going through the motions of her essentially being a dick to everyone trying to help her even though it's for her own good and she still has lingering emotions even if she doesn't understand them. Everytime someone tries to tell her about her past life she refuses to listen to the point of absolute annoyance.
There's some plot with the crawlers revolting on each other and trying to figure out who the evil bad guy is. Which spoiler alert it's someone they know like before. They're honestly pretty bad at investigating people. Well Kane isn't bad at it but he's too busy dealing with Ollie's shit to focus properly I think.
As the book progresses, Ollie begins to decide that maybe she actually does like Kane and they start to have these long stares and secret kisses in dark stairwells and shit and I'm thinking maybe her memory will come back before they do the nasty except that didn't happen. And while I enjoyed the scene I can't help but think this is weird as fuck. Then one time she was about to die and this Glass monster stops her from becoming a vampire by sucking out the blood after it healed her. I state this because she literally doesn't get her memory back until 95% and guess who fixes it? That's right the Glass Monster who could have done this the whole damn time but we were left to believe they had exhausted every avenue and her memories would be lost forever.
The other thing that really bugged me was how much Ollie STILL couldn't trust Kane. Like this dude had saved your life 50 billion times, has caused you to want to spontaneously combust at every second and has proved to every single person around him NUMEROUS times that he loves the hell out of you even if he doesn't say it outright. Then he says I'm sorry I didn't tell you I loved you before and you say I already knew. Why did we go through all these theatrics then???
So yeah as much as I enjoyed the beginning and partially the middle, the ending was a flop.
Ollie and Kane have finally come to terms with their feelings and are just waiting for a time to properly act on them when she literally, randomly wakes up in an alley, bruised to hell and total memory loss of the last 3 months. When Kane finds her she treats him like he's the enemy again and we're back to square one where she's trying to figure out her crawler situation while not understanding why they aren't as bad as before.
So now we're going through the motions of her essentially being a dick to everyone trying to help her even though it's for her own good and she still has lingering emotions even if she doesn't understand them. Everytime someone tries to tell her about her past life she refuses to listen to the point of absolute annoyance.
There's some plot with the crawlers revolting on each other and trying to figure out who the evil bad guy is. Which spoiler alert it's someone they know like before. They're honestly pretty bad at investigating people. Well Kane isn't bad at it but he's too busy dealing with Ollie's shit to focus properly I think.
As the book progresses, Ollie begins to decide that maybe she actually does like Kane and they start to have these long stares and secret kisses in dark stairwells and shit and I'm thinking maybe her memory will come back before they do the nasty except that didn't happen. And while I enjoyed the scene I can't help but think this is weird as fuck. Then one time she was about to die and this Glass monster stops her from becoming a vampire by sucking out the blood after it healed her. I state this because she literally doesn't get her memory back until 95% and guess who fixes it? That's right the Glass Monster who could have done this the whole damn time but we were left to believe they had exhausted every avenue and her memories would be lost forever.
The other thing that really bugged me was how much Ollie STILL couldn't trust Kane. Like this dude had saved your life 50 billion times, has caused you to want to spontaneously combust at every second and has proved to every single person around him NUMEROUS times that he loves the hell out of you even if he doesn't say it outright. Then he says I'm sorry I didn't tell you I loved you before and you say I already knew. Why did we go through all these theatrics then???
So yeah as much as I enjoyed the beginning and partially the middle, the ending was a flop.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2018
For one of my favorite series, it is sad that I'm giving the third installment two stars. Originally, I thought, you know I'll give it three stars out of my love for the series, but I simply can't overlook all the faults in this book.
Really disappointed by this one. Seems like a plot barely thrown together last minute. Why wouldn't she tell Kane where she had been instead of lying about being in bed at the apartment? How did Ollie have this premonition something 'bad' was coming? What happened exactly during the kidnapping? This was never explained. In the end, she remembers everything but that. Why throw in another 'love' interest for Ollie and Kane with Vincent and Dana? The whole jealousy angle is kinda redundant, especially since it's been used before in the series. And of course the villain is the most convenient with no buildup. Very deus ex machina to thrust the blame on someone at the end with little explanation to the motives.
Don't like the impromptu sex scene. Ollie still hadn't fully remembered Kane by that point, but she decides to jump in anyways. Which makes everything they went through before seem null. The sex scene itself was rather unfulfilling. I was like, that's it? After all the sexual tension from the first two books? All the plotholes are not even discussed, a convenient villain is blamed, and her memories are restored very easily. Too easily for comfort. The shadow walking concept is never fully explained, and I feel like it is too vague to understand. I was never really sold on the idea, but read it anyways for Kane and Ollie.
The whole 'amnesia' plotline was rather lackluster for a whole book to be devoted to it anyways. Could've easily just been a spinoff. I guess this is where the similarities between this series and Moning's Fever series end. Moning's plots are complex and unpredictable. This is unpredictable in a bad way. As in, let's-throw-in-everything-and-hope-for-a-good-book kind of way. Kane is no match for Barron. I found myself bored by Kane's love declarations. Which is never a good thing.
Overall, this was a huge let down. I rated the first book 5 stars, the second one 4 stars. I wasn't expecting this one to be so lame. I've not even touched on all the things that don't make sense about this book. And the book itself was so short that it's hard to give a complete review.
Really disappointed by this one. Seems like a plot barely thrown together last minute. Why wouldn't she tell Kane where she had been instead of lying about being in bed at the apartment? How did Ollie have this premonition something 'bad' was coming? What happened exactly during the kidnapping? This was never explained. In the end, she remembers everything but that. Why throw in another 'love' interest for Ollie and Kane with Vincent and Dana? The whole jealousy angle is kinda redundant, especially since it's been used before in the series. And of course the villain is the most convenient with no buildup. Very deus ex machina to thrust the blame on someone at the end with little explanation to the motives.
Don't like the impromptu sex scene. Ollie still hadn't fully remembered Kane by that point, but she decides to jump in anyways. Which makes everything they went through before seem null. The sex scene itself was rather unfulfilling. I was like, that's it? After all the sexual tension from the first two books? All the plotholes are not even discussed, a convenient villain is blamed, and her memories are restored very easily. Too easily for comfort. The shadow walking concept is never fully explained, and I feel like it is too vague to understand. I was never really sold on the idea, but read it anyways for Kane and Ollie.
The whole 'amnesia' plotline was rather lackluster for a whole book to be devoted to it anyways. Could've easily just been a spinoff. I guess this is where the similarities between this series and Moning's Fever series end. Moning's plots are complex and unpredictable. This is unpredictable in a bad way. As in, let's-throw-in-everything-and-hope-for-a-good-book kind of way. Kane is no match for Barron. I found myself bored by Kane's love declarations. Which is never a good thing.
Overall, this was a huge let down. I rated the first book 5 stars, the second one 4 stars. I wasn't expecting this one to be so lame. I've not even touched on all the things that don't make sense about this book. And the book itself was so short that it's hard to give a complete review.
January 22, 2018
3.5 ish So this is the conclusion of this story and while I did enjoy it I did feel a bit confused at times and after the ending, I still felt there were questions that just got skipped over. The ending felt kind of rushed and then abrupt. There is no epilogue and we really needed one. If you read the first two book then you'll want to see how things are wrapped up but you may be left feeling a little letdown.
ditched
February 6, 2018Put this on back-burner after the first chapter. I have a total pet hate for the amnesia theme.
January 23, 2018
Shadowy
KU
DNF This novel felt like the story went backwards and this resulted in a lot of repeat scenarios. In the end, despite lots of skimming, I gave up. I won’t bother with continuing the series.
KU
DNF This novel felt like the story went backwards and this resulted in a lot of repeat scenarios. In the end, despite lots of skimming, I gave up. I won’t bother with continuing the series.
Want to read
September 30, 2017Next year? Are you serious? Whhhhhyyyyyyyy 😭😭
April 4, 2023
4 stars★★★★☆
First read: September 2020
Second read: March 2022
Third read: April 2022
Ollie Wit series reviews:
#1 A Step into the Dark: ★★★★☆
#2 Walking in the Dark: ★★★☆☆
#3 Kissed by the Dark: ★★★★☆
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May 18, 2019
I wish I could give this a better rating but right now I'm feeling about 2.5*
Just when the story was moving along and we had some major character growth BAM were right back to square one. It felt like the first book all over again and not in a good way
There are so many unanswered questions....where did the money go? what is he? (if you've read this you'll know who I'm talking about) why did they want them free? and a million more
There were a few side characters that were great for some comic relief but nothing else, we know nothing about them and they were never referred to outside of Ollie/Kane and their shit
Then the book just sort of ends......very abruptly.
There is so much about this world that never gets explained, it's a shame because it had potential with all the different types of supernaturals to have more depth and layers than it did. Maybe because I read these back to back it the span of two days that this lack really hit hard as everything that was missing was fresh in my mind and made the final book unenjoyable
Just when the story was moving along and we had some major character growth BAM were right back to square one. It felt like the first book all over again and not in a good way
There are so many unanswered questions....where did the money go? what is he? (if you've read this you'll know who I'm talking about) why did they want them free? and a million more
There were a few side characters that were great for some comic relief but nothing else, we know nothing about them and they were never referred to outside of Ollie/Kane and their shit
Then the book just sort of ends......very abruptly.
There is so much about this world that never gets explained, it's a shame because it had potential with all the different types of supernaturals to have more depth and layers than it did. Maybe because I read these back to back it the span of two days that this lack really hit hard as everything that was missing was fresh in my mind and made the final book unenjoyable
October 9, 2020
Say no to randomly throwing amnesia into a final book for no fucking reason. This blows, because I loved the first two books.😔
January 21, 2018
I can’t really say all I was thinking while I read this book. I know I kept asking myself why I kept reading…. The story had a bunch of potential, but Olli’s inner dialogue and the fact I got a more of a tell vibe about the storytelling rather being shown bugged me. She sounded like a petulant child a lot of the times. Or maybe a moody teenager? It was a tossup as to which I disliked more Ollie with her memory intact or the one with amnesia. The one with amnesia was just extra crabby or something. She liked to go on about how she probably had a fling with Kane, or he was a good choice to warm her bed, or some other cliché saying about sleeping with someone, but she didn’t really talk about him like that in previous books that I remember. At least not that blasé and she was also pretty mean when talking about her friends too. I think I might be way out of sync with this genre because things like this stick out to me.
The big thing that bothered me about her was the fact she was basically a pathological liar and I just don’t get that about people. Why not just say what is bothering you? Why not offer information that might be relevant to the situation and could help? That is just something else I just don’t get. Why lie just because you can?
Communication is so important and I don’t get how a whole story can mostly seem to be miscommunicating or failing to tell people stuff. When Ollie didn’t ramble in her head and things actually happened I liked the story. Sometimes I just mimicked a duck quacking with my hand when she just talked and talked about what she was going to do. I didn’t get the emotions, since that was something that seemed to be more of a tell thing too. Some of that tell being literal when other characters let Ollie know what was going on.
The stupid jealousy thing … it was annoying with Isabella in the first book and her quick exit was anti-climactic since it was explained mostly as an afterthought. The same thing, for the most part, happened with Dana in this book. That makes me wonder … does Boston have an overpopulation of busty blond vampires and are they all overly sexual hose beasts? Jerry sure did “meet” a lot and was so easily distracted by them for a doorman.
I don’t like sounding like there was nothing good about this book. There was an interesting story. I thought the shadow realm was imaginative, Kane’s background had a bunch of potential, and the idea of shadow walkers was way cool. But, they weren’t expounded on much. The other paranormal beings weren’t either; they were mostly shallow representations and caricatures that were talked about.
I will say that this whole series so far just wasn’t for me. I liked the parts of the story and a lot of the ideas the author had. I just didn’t like how she put them together and wished somethings were filled out more. I really thought the whole shadow realm/shadow walker thing a good concept, but I didn’t get much info on them after three books. Same when it comes to Kane and his background, but I guess that might be expanded on in later books. I think I gained more info on gargoyles than anything to be honest. I really liked them, totally newish concept/use of them in a UF/PNR book for sure.
The big thing that bothered me about her was the fact she was basically a pathological liar and I just don’t get that about people. Why not just say what is bothering you? Why not offer information that might be relevant to the situation and could help? That is just something else I just don’t get. Why lie just because you can?
Communication is so important and I don’t get how a whole story can mostly seem to be miscommunicating or failing to tell people stuff. When Ollie didn’t ramble in her head and things actually happened I liked the story. Sometimes I just mimicked a duck quacking with my hand when she just talked and talked about what she was going to do. I didn’t get the emotions, since that was something that seemed to be more of a tell thing too. Some of that tell being literal when other characters let Ollie know what was going on.
The stupid jealousy thing … it was annoying with Isabella in the first book and her quick exit was anti-climactic since it was explained mostly as an afterthought. The same thing, for the most part, happened with Dana in this book. That makes me wonder … does Boston have an overpopulation of busty blond vampires and are they all overly sexual hose beasts? Jerry sure did “meet” a lot and was so easily distracted by them for a doorman.
I don’t like sounding like there was nothing good about this book. There was an interesting story. I thought the shadow realm was imaginative, Kane’s background had a bunch of potential, and the idea of shadow walkers was way cool. But, they weren’t expounded on much. The other paranormal beings weren’t either; they were mostly shallow representations and caricatures that were talked about.
I will say that this whole series so far just wasn’t for me. I liked the parts of the story and a lot of the ideas the author had. I just didn’t like how she put them together and wished somethings were filled out more. I really thought the whole shadow realm/shadow walker thing a good concept, but I didn’t get much info on them after three books. Same when it comes to Kane and his background, but I guess that might be expanded on in later books. I think I gained more info on gargoyles than anything to be honest. I really liked them, totally newish concept/use of them in a UF/PNR book for sure.
January 28, 2018
Maaaaan. I dunno. So basically I’m still #hereforit but I’m kind of only here for Kane at this point?
The story just felt...jumpy. And unresolved. Not fully fleshed out, either. I like this author a lot but am realizing that once any series of hers gets to books 3/4 they kind of fall off a cliff in a bad way. (Like the Karma series, ugh.)
On top of this, Ollie wasn’t hugely likable in this book? She had valid-ish reasons to be the way she was, but that didn’t change the fact that I didn’t particularly enjoy her. She also did a lot of dumb hiding of things for no reason, which to me is just bad writing for plot purposes.
The best parts were a few interactions between Kane and Ollie when our boy Kane showed some vulnerability. But there was also some odd, seemingly manufactured conflict in their relationship in this book that I just didn’t follow because again, not fully fleshed out.
But I’d still keep reading* because Kane deserves my love, obvs. This ended really strangely though and I’m not even sure if this series is done.
*if this wasn’t on Kindle Unlimited I actually wouldn’t.
The story just felt...jumpy. And unresolved. Not fully fleshed out, either. I like this author a lot but am realizing that once any series of hers gets to books 3/4 they kind of fall off a cliff in a bad way. (Like the Karma series, ugh.)
On top of this, Ollie wasn’t hugely likable in this book? She had valid-ish reasons to be the way she was, but that didn’t change the fact that I didn’t particularly enjoy her. She also did a lot of dumb hiding of things for no reason, which to me is just bad writing for plot purposes.
The best parts were a few interactions between Kane and Ollie when our boy Kane showed some vulnerability. But there was also some odd, seemingly manufactured conflict in their relationship in this book that I just didn’t follow because again, not fully fleshed out.
But I’d still keep reading* because Kane deserves my love, obvs. This ended really strangely though and I’m not even sure if this series is done.
*if this wasn’t on Kindle Unlimited I actually wouldn’t.
April 24, 2019
A whole lotta repetitive stuff here. Ollie loses her memory and then has the same conversations, feelings, thoughts about Kane and his crew that she had in the first novel. yay. not. And the guys don't do much to help her out, reminding her of things or giving her the background. they just plow forward and get frustrated when she gets mad that they're doing their thing. stupid. It's like any progress the characters made in the first two books is erased, and again, Ollie is not curious about herself. She doesn't ask questions or demand explanations. She doesn't even check her bank balance! Ridiculous.
There is a nice turn though when Ollie seems to come to grips with her memory loss and tries to decide how to proceed. Then the book ends too quickly. ugh. It's like some of the answers you've been wanting are answered in a single phrase without any fanfare, and then "The End." I say "some" answers because we still do not have a definitive answer re: What is Kane? or Where did her money go? Not sure if I'll read the next novel. Reading is supposed to be for enjoyment, not for frustration.
There is a nice turn though when Ollie seems to come to grips with her memory loss and tries to decide how to proceed. Then the book ends too quickly. ugh. It's like some of the answers you've been wanting are answered in a single phrase without any fanfare, and then "The End." I say "some" answers because we still do not have a definitive answer re: What is Kane? or Where did her money go? Not sure if I'll read the next novel. Reading is supposed to be for enjoyment, not for frustration.
July 6, 2018
Anticlimactic is the only word to describe this book. Firs, she loses her memory so we get to go through the whole, I hate you and want nothing to do with you childish routine that was so much worse the second time. After 3 books at over 75%, they finally had sex, I think anyway. They kind of alluded to that happening, but it was anticlimactic. All that build up to not even get a fizzle. The bad guys were all taken care of outside the story and we were told about it. They forgot that important show not tell thing writers are supposed to strive for. Again, anticlimactic and disappointing. Then the end, so it's okay I forgive you let's kiss, story ends. She never declares her love. They make no type of commitment to each other. They don't appear to grow or form a lasting bond. No Epilogue, which this author just doesn't do and it's beyond sad. That ending was just.... Anticlimactic! The author can usually write imaginative stories, but just crashes and burns at the relationship building. Even the friendships seem forced and off. Relationships are a two way street, but we never get that in her stories. The friends are all add ons only being there for the h convenience. She never once goes out of her way to spend time with them unless it's to get something from them. That's not friendship. The main relationship comes across a little more two sided, but not much. Still pretty shallow in the feels department and all her stories revolve around both parties lying to each other and keeping secrets. Usually with no good reason. That probably explains all the shallow relationships as you can't get close to anyone when you throw lying and secrets into the mix. How do you ever really trust someone that lied to you repeatedly? This is all par for the course for this author. I would highly suggest she get a coauthor to help bring her books to the next level. Despite these handicaps, the author usually tells an imaginative story, but this book was a fail in every way.
July 2, 2021
What the actual fuck was this trash?
1) Memory loss for the entire book. Just wiped away everything that happened in the previous books.
2) NOTHING WAS RESOLVED. THEY NEVER REVEAL WHAT HE IS? ARE WE SUPPOSED TO ASSUME HE IS JUST A GOD OR PERHAPS THE DEVIL? THIS WAS A MAJOR PLOT POINT & IT JUST WENT UP IN SMOKE.
3) This story was incredibly rushed at the end. Why wait until 2 pages left to be like “and this is the explanation of the end.”
I’m pretty pissed that the premise was pretty cool & I like the first books, but then IT WAS A WASTE OF MY TIME because this book just takes everything I liked about the main character and was like what if we set the reset button? I don’t recommend starting this series you will be seriously disappointed.
1) Memory loss for the entire book. Just wiped away everything that happened in the previous books.
2) NOTHING WAS RESOLVED. THEY NEVER REVEAL WHAT HE IS? ARE WE SUPPOSED TO ASSUME HE IS JUST A GOD OR PERHAPS THE DEVIL? THIS WAS A MAJOR PLOT POINT & IT JUST WENT UP IN SMOKE.
3) This story was incredibly rushed at the end. Why wait until 2 pages left to be like “and this is the explanation of the end.”
I’m pretty pissed that the premise was pretty cool & I like the first books, but then IT WAS A WASTE OF MY TIME because this book just takes everything I liked about the main character and was like what if we set the reset button? I don’t recommend starting this series you will be seriously disappointed.
January 20, 2018
Slow build but still awesome
I have been waiting for this book. Just loved this series. The start was a bit annoying though. Ollie's attitude irritated me the first 35%. I started not liking her but after she accepted her memory problem and Kane being there for her I started liking her again.
There was a lot of description of the room wherever she was though. I got tired of reading about how the room looks. I didn't give this 5 stars since it had a slow start. It was more of a romance development where Ollie and Kane took the next step on their relationship which was great. Great writer. I highly recommend this series. Can't wait for the next book.
I have been waiting for this book. Just loved this series. The start was a bit annoying though. Ollie's attitude irritated me the first 35%. I started not liking her but after she accepted her memory problem and Kane being there for her I started liking her again.
There was a lot of description of the room wherever she was though. I got tired of reading about how the room looks. I didn't give this 5 stars since it had a slow start. It was more of a romance development where Ollie and Kane took the next step on their relationship which was great. Great writer. I highly recommend this series. Can't wait for the next book.
January 23, 2018
Love this series!!
Donna Augustine is a super talented author and her books are so addicting, it’s impossible to out them down. This one was awesome. Ollie was so happy for the first time in her life but kept having an intuition that something bad was going to come and destroy her happiness. And she ended up being right, loses her memories - all the good ones between her and Kade and her friends from the underground and it takes a lot of work to uncover her blackouts and find the culprits. I don’t want to spoil the story but if you love supernatural books, you’ve got to read this one!!!
Donna Augustine is a super talented author and her books are so addicting, it’s impossible to out them down. This one was awesome. Ollie was so happy for the first time in her life but kept having an intuition that something bad was going to come and destroy her happiness. And she ended up being right, loses her memories - all the good ones between her and Kade and her friends from the underground and it takes a lot of work to uncover her blackouts and find the culprits. I don’t want to spoil the story but if you love supernatural books, you’ve got to read this one!!!
January 19, 2018
Loved it!!!
Please let there be another book. I love these characters and this world. This was another great addition to the series. There's something about Kane and he's reaching number 1 book boyfriend status.
I have a hard time getting into books. I'm extremely picky but never with Donna Augustine's books. You just get sucked in and it plays out like the best movie ever. This series might just be my favorite so far.
Please let there be another book. I love these characters and this world. This was another great addition to the series. There's something about Kane and he's reaching number 1 book boyfriend status.
I have a hard time getting into books. I'm extremely picky but never with Donna Augustine's books. You just get sucked in and it plays out like the best movie ever. This series might just be my favorite so far.
January 23, 2018
Ugh! What happened!? I loved this series. I was so super excited when I saw this come out. I love Ollie and Kane and was so happy to see things go right for them. Finally! But... it turned in a weird way I wasn’t expecting and I felt like I reading book two with a different plot. Waiting for things to build back up again. Blah!
I’m really hoping that there is another book to these, cause if it ended like that then I won’t read the series again. I’m hoping the author will pull out one more to make it all right. Fingers crossed.
I’m really hoping that there is another book to these, cause if it ended like that then I won’t read the series again. I’m hoping the author will pull out one more to make it all right. Fingers crossed.
January 28, 2018
Amnesia?
There wasn’t anything spectacular about this book. It wasn’t necessary to have the main character, Ollie, have a dissociative disorder. I thought it stagnated the whole plot and didn’t add much substance to the whole novel.
There wasn’t anything spectacular about this book. It wasn’t necessary to have the main character, Ollie, have a dissociative disorder. I thought it stagnated the whole plot and didn’t add much substance to the whole novel.
April 17, 2019
✨ Read for the 2019 KU Shitathon™ challenge - [Yearly Edition] - over at Maraya's Cave Of Freaking Wonders ✨
◼ Book: # 1 of 2 -- Month: April ◼
◼ Book: # 1 of 2 -- Month: April ◼
November 16, 2019
A decent read to pass time, all the books of this series are 🧐
February 13, 2018
Kissed by the Dark
Donna Augustine
Augustine’s final chapter in her Ollie Witt trilogy is powerful with unexpected twists and unpredictable turns that will keep reader’s interests and the pages turning. The informal casual narrative really works for this very diverse human and non-human cast of characters. Ollie continues to be her badass with an attitude self, funny and frustrating who uses sarcasm to mask her insecurities and yet isn’t afraid to put herself in harms way to do the right thing. The author’s use of giving Ollie amnesia is a brilliant ploy and the back step the romance takes because of it is spot-on! The explosive ending is very satisfying and ties up all the loose ends. The series must be read in order.
Series so far––
After losing her family to a mysterious explosion Ollie Wit learns she’s a Shadow Walker, she can see beings who have a foothold in two realms, human and the Shadowlands. Kane, a powerful being befriends her and hires her to help him find spells shadow walking, and surprisingly is attracted to her and now she’s is finally ready to do something about that mutual attraction.
SUMMARY:
Everything is going good for Ollie, she’s finally got more friends than enemies in the Underground, successfully shadow walking and getting stronger in her own magic and happily loosing herself in Kane’s kisses. But she’s got this niggling feeling that something’s not right –– then everything goes wrong when she disappears and shows up a week later beaten and bloody. Worse there’ve been unexplained explosions all over Boston, just like the one’s she’s capable of causing. To top it all off all her memories of the last six months are gone, which makes all the people around her strangers who she only remembers as adversaries, not the friends and especially the lover she’s suppose to know. She’s determined to get answers but that means she has to go it alone because she is the only one she can trust.
Donna Augustine
Augustine’s final chapter in her Ollie Witt trilogy is powerful with unexpected twists and unpredictable turns that will keep reader’s interests and the pages turning. The informal casual narrative really works for this very diverse human and non-human cast of characters. Ollie continues to be her badass with an attitude self, funny and frustrating who uses sarcasm to mask her insecurities and yet isn’t afraid to put herself in harms way to do the right thing. The author’s use of giving Ollie amnesia is a brilliant ploy and the back step the romance takes because of it is spot-on! The explosive ending is very satisfying and ties up all the loose ends. The series must be read in order.
Series so far––
After losing her family to a mysterious explosion Ollie Wit learns she’s a Shadow Walker, she can see beings who have a foothold in two realms, human and the Shadowlands. Kane, a powerful being befriends her and hires her to help him find spells shadow walking, and surprisingly is attracted to her and now she’s is finally ready to do something about that mutual attraction.
SUMMARY:
Everything is going good for Ollie, she’s finally got more friends than enemies in the Underground, successfully shadow walking and getting stronger in her own magic and happily loosing herself in Kane’s kisses. But she’s got this niggling feeling that something’s not right –– then everything goes wrong when she disappears and shows up a week later beaten and bloody. Worse there’ve been unexplained explosions all over Boston, just like the one’s she’s capable of causing. To top it all off all her memories of the last six months are gone, which makes all the people around her strangers who she only remembers as adversaries, not the friends and especially the lover she’s suppose to know. She’s determined to get answers but that means she has to go it alone because she is the only one she can trust.
July 22, 2019
Ollie and Kane are getting through things much better now. And they are closer than ever before, but then something bad happens, and Ollie loses her memory of the last few months. She doesn't remember her relationship with Kane, and he seems to be doubting her when strange things start to happen. However, these two will have to work together if they want to figure out what is going on and who is against them.
This book was really good, and it was also a little bit sad and frustrating as well. I was annoyed with Ollie at times, and then I was annoyed with Kane. I was, however, happy with the way it ended. I'm excited for more in this series, especially excited to see how Kane and Ollie progress in their relationship.
This book was really good, and it was also a little bit sad and frustrating as well. I was annoyed with Ollie at times, and then I was annoyed with Kane. I was, however, happy with the way it ended. I'm excited for more in this series, especially excited to see how Kane and Ollie progress in their relationship.
June 21, 2025
I wanted to rate this higher, but the issue with this series is how superficial the world building is. There is no critical thinking. No one seems to actually understand what the shadowlands or crawlers are, what their motivations are, if they are truly monsters or distinct individuals capable of good and evil just like humans, etc. They just completely ignored how Asher was able to disguise himself as human and never thought about him again or what it meant for other crawlers. Ollie never asks the right questions to really understand the evil plots going on around her. She really only knows enough to survive without actually understanding the intricacies of her new world. It made this frustrating to read because there is so much more to learn and we have an MC that doesn't care. Plus, Kane and the other side characters really aren't great people. The terrible things they were doing before book 1 were never addressed, there was never redemption, Ollie just accepted them. And I do agree that they are charming and easy to like when they're getting along, but it's so weird to me that Ollie never even thinks about the past or what awful things they were doing to the other shadow walkers. Kane is still an ass, and while I don't like him, I can understand that love isn't rational and she could still fall for him, but it would be a much better story if she actually tried to know and understand him instead of just accepting his terrible qualities.
February 4, 2018
Kissed by the Dark, Ollie Witt Book 3 by Donna Augustine.
If you are looking for a page turner, then this series and this book are for you. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series, that I didn’t want it to end.
The story continues with Ollie, who is very likeable and charismatic character, who protects the ones she loves and has so much to live for, for once in her life. Ollie is settled in the underground with Kane, who is also loveable, despite his arrogance, bossy and hard edges along with the friends and also the enemies that she has made along the way.
With life carrying on and in a sense of calm, easy and relaxed mood, Ollie feels that something bad is about to happen, that disaster is just around the corner and this is the calm before the storm. Though with no proof, no one seems to believe her gut instinct, not even Kane, in his opinion would protect Ollie to the ends of the earth if anything did go wrong.
Though no one is prepared for when disaster does strike. Who do you trust, what do you believe and how do you handle situations that cannot be explained and are unpredictable?
The story is very well written and in Ollie's POV. It is brilliantly set out and lots of answers are revealed at the end. This story made me laugh, cry and also set butterflies off in my tummy in the steamy scenes, so definitely one for the older teen/ young adult.
If you are looking for a page turner, then this series and this book are for you. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series, that I didn’t want it to end.
The story continues with Ollie, who is very likeable and charismatic character, who protects the ones she loves and has so much to live for, for once in her life. Ollie is settled in the underground with Kane, who is also loveable, despite his arrogance, bossy and hard edges along with the friends and also the enemies that she has made along the way.
With life carrying on and in a sense of calm, easy and relaxed mood, Ollie feels that something bad is about to happen, that disaster is just around the corner and this is the calm before the storm. Though with no proof, no one seems to believe her gut instinct, not even Kane, in his opinion would protect Ollie to the ends of the earth if anything did go wrong.
Though no one is prepared for when disaster does strike. Who do you trust, what do you believe and how do you handle situations that cannot be explained and are unpredictable?
The story is very well written and in Ollie's POV. It is brilliantly set out and lots of answers are revealed at the end. This story made me laugh, cry and also set butterflies off in my tummy in the steamy scenes, so definitely one for the older teen/ young adult.
January 29, 2018
Third book in the Ollie Wit series, third home-run! Prepare to get emotional with this one, and I mean all the emotions. I had some righteous anger going on for a few chapters. Love a book that makes me feel something as I read it!
Ollie is my favorite type of female lead; sassy and loyal to her friends, a smart mouth and unique thought process that can be hilarious. Here is one of my favorite highlighted passages:
I got another nudge, this time from Flip, my favorite half-fairy, half-leprechaun. "You've got to stop. You're killing us." She was the only mutt of her kind in existence. Leprechauns didn't breed well and fairies didn't intermingle, but apparently both breeds got drunk on occasion.
Priceless!
And then there's Kane. His and Ollie's connection is undeniable and heats up in this third book. Alpha males are a weakness of mine and Kane is the poster-child for alpha males. It's not simply Ollie and Kane that makes this a great read, though. The secondary characters aren't just talking heads, they have depth and personalities that make me love them.
An easy to book to recommend because it's so well written, as is any Donna Augustine book.
Ollie is my favorite type of female lead; sassy and loyal to her friends, a smart mouth and unique thought process that can be hilarious. Here is one of my favorite highlighted passages:
I got another nudge, this time from Flip, my favorite half-fairy, half-leprechaun. "You've got to stop. You're killing us." She was the only mutt of her kind in existence. Leprechauns didn't breed well and fairies didn't intermingle, but apparently both breeds got drunk on occasion.
Priceless!
And then there's Kane. His and Ollie's connection is undeniable and heats up in this third book. Alpha males are a weakness of mine and Kane is the poster-child for alpha males. It's not simply Ollie and Kane that makes this a great read, though. The secondary characters aren't just talking heads, they have depth and personalities that make me love them.
An easy to book to recommend because it's so well written, as is any Donna Augustine book.
August 2, 2021
I really enjoy the humor in books from this author, but the romance is annoying and the MC is equals parts fun and idiotic. I admit that I skipped quite a bit because it was too annoying, but I still enjoyed the humor. Overall the book was disappointing. Book 1-2 was better, but suffered from some of the same flaws. Those had slightly better plots though.
The amnesia plot was lazy writing and it was so boring getting through everything from previous books being told all over again accompanied with insufferable inner monologues. The jealousy plot was annoying too. I realize that this author likes the other woman trope, but I am not a fan. I think it’s offensive to portray women like that. The ending was too abrupt. The way the male MC treated the female MC the entire book was not redeemed at all and then it just ended with an oh well he is mine and I am his. Were they even able to have a stable relationship? We don’t know, but if the drama from this and previous books were any indication I guess not.
The books has potential to be really awesome but it’s like the author keeps making the same mistakes over and over. It’s like a bad recipe being used again and again. At some point the humor will not be enough for me to read them.
The amnesia plot was lazy writing and it was so boring getting through everything from previous books being told all over again accompanied with insufferable inner monologues. The jealousy plot was annoying too. I realize that this author likes the other woman trope, but I am not a fan. I think it’s offensive to portray women like that. The ending was too abrupt. The way the male MC treated the female MC the entire book was not redeemed at all and then it just ended with an oh well he is mine and I am his. Were they even able to have a stable relationship? We don’t know, but if the drama from this and previous books were any indication I guess not.
The books has potential to be really awesome but it’s like the author keeps making the same mistakes over and over. It’s like a bad recipe being used again and again. At some point the humor will not be enough for me to read them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2025
What's wrong with this book🥲. I really enjoyed books one and two, but this last book was such a letdown. I was so invested in Ollie and Kane’s journey and thrilled to see things finally going right for them after all they’d been through by the end of book two. But then their relationship took a sudden turn, again!
Let's just say I was hoping for a different kind of story to wrap up this series. One that focuses more on strengthening their relationship by throwing some adventure into the Shadowlands, retrieving more spells and Ollie showcasing her ability against a more formidable opponent. I was also expecting some clarity about Kane's identity. Perhaps even a glimpse into his origin or a bit of his history.
Instead, things felt unresolved, and I couldn't help but wish for an epilogue to give Ollie and Kane the happily-ever-after I was rooting for. It’s frustrating because I’ve been so invested in their journey, and this book just didn’t live up to the standard set by the first two. For this reason, I can only give this book a three-star rating, while the series as a whole deserves a four-star rating.
Let's just say I was hoping for a different kind of story to wrap up this series. One that focuses more on strengthening their relationship by throwing some adventure into the Shadowlands, retrieving more spells and Ollie showcasing her ability against a more formidable opponent. I was also expecting some clarity about Kane's identity. Perhaps even a glimpse into his origin or a bit of his history.
Instead, things felt unresolved, and I couldn't help but wish for an epilogue to give Ollie and Kane the happily-ever-after I was rooting for. It’s frustrating because I’ve been so invested in their journey, and this book just didn’t live up to the standard set by the first two. For this reason, I can only give this book a three-star rating, while the series as a whole deserves a four-star rating.
October 5, 2018
4.5 STARS
This is hands down my favorite Donna Augustine series.
I love Ollie!
I love Kane!
I love Butch, Leon, Flip, and Zee!
I just adore this series. I love the world the author created and The Underground. The characters are amazing! The slow burn between Ollie and Kane is fire! And the plot is so good!
The only complaint I had was the lackluster sex scene... I mean we have this epic build up and sexual tension and then... that’s all we got.
Lame.
Also, so many things were left open. Where was Ollie the week she went missing? What happened to her? What is Kane? Is he a God? Why is Ollie so different from other Shadow Hunters? Why do the shadow creatures treat her differently?
Sooooooo many left open questions about EVERYTHING.
Please please let there be a fourth book! I need more Ollie, Kane, and gang. I feel like there is sooooo much more story left to tell and some plot holes that need filling.
This is hands down my favorite Donna Augustine series.
I love Ollie!
I love Kane!
I love Butch, Leon, Flip, and Zee!
I just adore this series. I love the world the author created and The Underground. The characters are amazing! The slow burn between Ollie and Kane is fire! And the plot is so good!
The only complaint I had was the lackluster sex scene... I mean we have this epic build up and sexual tension and then... that’s all we got.
Lame.
Also, so many things were left open. Where was Ollie the week she went missing? What happened to her? What is Kane? Is he a God? Why is Ollie so different from other Shadow Hunters? Why do the shadow creatures treat her differently?
Sooooooo many left open questions about EVERYTHING.
Please please let there be a fourth book! I need more Ollie, Kane, and gang. I feel like there is sooooo much more story left to tell and some plot holes that need filling.
March 29, 2018
I've read some of the other reviews ... and all I can say is "WTH". If you wanted a stand alone story, this is not the book to start with! Yes, it is a little hard to figure out but you need to read Book 2 at least. All will become clear. I've known couples that have had a harder path to walk.
As you can probably tell, I'm a die-hard Donna Augustine reader. I do understand that in this book the ending is a little confusing. All is well, there will be another book to straighten stuff out. The characters are still my favorite people to play with, but I would have liked to see the witches blow up more than once. (They are like the girls club from high school, and need to be taken down a peg.) The plot-line is still true to the beginning of the series. I love these characters, and I look forward to the next in the series!
Write on Sister!!
As you can probably tell, I'm a die-hard Donna Augustine reader. I do understand that in this book the ending is a little confusing. All is well, there will be another book to straighten stuff out. The characters are still my favorite people to play with, but I would have liked to see the witches blow up more than once. (They are like the girls club from high school, and need to be taken down a peg.) The plot-line is still true to the beginning of the series. I love these characters, and I look forward to the next in the series!
Write on Sister!!
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