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Shadow #1

Shadow's Kiss

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A violent storm. Unending night . . . Violet Archer is running through the darkness, for her very life.

A single spark blazes, calling to her. It is her chance at salvation. It is a connection beyond any she could have ever imagined. And it leads her to a lonely cabin in the woods.

But when Violet wakes, she has no memory of how she got there. She is disturbingly ill. And a chilling evil creeps through her veins. Worse still, her host, the tall and powerful Elijah Stone, is intent on killing her. Yet a cataclysmic bond, neither can deny, stays Elijah’s hand.

Radiants, immortals of the Light, have been warring with their enemies, the Shadows, for millennia. Now, twisted together by fate, the two adversaries must embark on a journey. One on which their very lives depend. Unfortunately for Violet, she does not know who she can trust, especially when it comes to her guide, Elijah.

But it turns out that Violet and Elijah are not alone on their quest. They soon realize they are being hunted along the way. It seems Violet has a dark debt to settle.

And someone very dark, indeed, is about to collect his due.

348 pages

Published June 7, 2017

3116 people are currently reading
6041 people want to read

About the author

T.M. Hart

4 books372 followers

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5 stars
1,803 (37%)
4 stars
1,456 (29%)
3 stars
1,048 (21%)
2 stars
377 (7%)
1 star
175 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
Profile Image for Shelby Marshall.
21 reviews5 followers
September 19, 2018
T.M. Hart deserves more recognition for her contribution with this series. I was unsure of the book but gave it a chance and I am so glad that I did. Just read the series! If you are tired of vampires and werewolves but love supernatural romance, this book fills all yours wants without all the overdone crap everyone else does. Fair warning... read this when you're alone ;-) it's a bit sexy. And when you are done, read book two. It is gloriously dark and even better than book 1.
Profile Image for Elle Lawrence.
23 reviews20 followers
December 1, 2020
I really DON’T like writing negative reviews… But what the hell is going on here?

I should have known from the thick pages and the blurry cover, that looks like it’s probably been grabbed from google images, that this was not going to be the worlds best book series.

Spelling mistakes all over the place. Tenses changing unintentionally.

In the first 3 chapters the dudes already tried to kill her twice and they’ve got super horny twice.

I feel like the author didn’t know what to say so there was just extreme description on clothes and makeup. Everything was so superficial with the manly muscly men and the skinny waisted but big boobed feminine women.

The main character, Violet, doesn’t care about anything. You could cut off her arm and she’d just be like “oh well”.

Not any emotion to this whatsoever. There were more than a fair share of sex scenes and that was really all this book was about because the plot was so lacking.

Honestly I was confused on where the scenes were and what was going on.

Terrible world building. They’re always in the woods with a storm and a cabin nearby...

The shadow man gets hardly any description for this big scary main evil character he’s meant to be.

I mean writing a book is not an easy task but man does this need a lot of work.

Am I going to read the rest of the series? Yes because I need to see where this storyline is apparently going. Plus I bought all the books together, for once I kind of regret doing that...

For an adult book I’m really shocked at the amazing reviews this has. I’m so hoping that this was an intro book and the other three have more going on because otherwise I’m not gonna make it.
Profile Image for Megan (The Gemini).
143 reviews3 followers
October 5, 2021
This is one of those books that you are irritated with yourself for not being able to put down even though you feel like you hate it. At least, that's how it made me feel. The MC really got on my nerves. You'd stay in the dark through the whole book and she's just bumbling about. Also, there are terrible grammar errors, which isn't something I would normally complain about, but it is such bad spelling of such simple words that it confused me on how it wasn't caught before it was published.. BUT I have to continue on to the next one because I NEED TO KNOW her backstory. So, here I am, feeling like a fish on a line being drug behind the boat.

There are some good aspects of the story line, so maybe it's redeemable.
Profile Image for dumbells.
985 reviews5 followers
December 1, 2019
I disliked being in this h’s head so much. The only good thing about her was her choice in music which made her even that much more intolerable as everything else was pathetic. Honestly the amnesia angle is not a strong one to begin with and then you chase it down with piss pore character build up and just lacking world portrayal and it leaves the reader with so more questions and rising anger as all the author seems to offer is half assed teasing answers and blurry world portrayal as seen through a shallow and confused no character whatsoever heroine. Just no.
Maybe this is a bit my fault as well as I was hungry for another fantasy read but was this one a fail.
Profile Image for Jess☺️.
582 reviews94 followers
October 28, 2020
Shadow's Kiss by T.M. Hart is the first in the Shadow series it's a fantastic start and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
It's a little bit twisted, it's a lot of fun but it definitely keeps you wanting more.
Shadow's and Light, immortality, a little dark a little danger what more can we want??? and you can just tell the heroine ( whose a light immortal) is so in love with the dark prince.
It's definitely worth a try if you want something a little different 📓
Profile Image for Brithanie Faith.
313 reviews169 followers
April 16, 2019
3.5/5 stars rounded up! ⭐⭐⭐.5

"You are destined to do great things, my dear. Just remember that the phoenix must succumb to the fire before she is able to rise from the ashes."


description


If you're looking for a fast paced paranormal romance series that'll keep you hooked from page one- this may be a good place to start! I can't remember the last time I read something from this particular genre, but I'm glad I decided to branch out- because this was such a fun read, and I'm looking forward to picking up Shadow's Touch and Shadow's Due in the months to come!
Profile Image for Harmony A Haun.
Author 10 books69 followers
March 3, 2021
Interested in reading more

Ok so this would have been a 4 star review if it wasn't for the very weird and random club scene. That whole part, with the other characters felt so out of place to me. I'm still confused as to why that was in there...?? Maybe it will come back in future books and tie in, but for this book alone...I'm confused.

The story is good and the twist at the end, I didn't see coming! I will read on to book 2 to see how the story continues.
Profile Image for DJ.
33 reviews8 followers
March 19, 2019
Not for me

The writing style was juvenile, uninteresting, and filled with grammatical errors. I skimmed half the book and almost quit reading. The characters were underdeveloped, and the addition of songs and the over attention to clothes and makeup did not help the story. Also, the time and places were confusing. I very rarely give one star reviews, but this story needs a lot of improvement.
Profile Image for Faye .
27 reviews
January 12, 2021
Where to start?

I bought this book because of the rating and was sorely disappointed.

Let’s start with the main character Violet, she is supposed to be a really bad-ass woman who knows what she wants... I get that she lost her memory and is confused, in some scenes the writer gave me hope when she tried to steer conversations and gather data. To my disappointment though she gets derailed and discouraged quite easily. Most of her inner monologues felt like self pity to me as well. What bothered me the most and had me almost throwing my kindle clear across the room was the fact that she dislikes Elijah decides she won’t take any more crap from him... And then yes you guessed it she proceeds to take crap from him. Maybe I just don’t like her because I am spoiled by writers that give me amazing female characters. I honestly just wanted to throttle Violet the entire book basically.
She also at one point *spoiler alert* finds Elijah ‘nurses’ him back to health and suddenly he is willing to share his secrets/ hopes/ dreams... It just felt like a lot was missing there.

Elijah... I can handle misguided male leads but this guy is just plain abusive without excuses and the next thing you know he’s ripping her clothes of and almost sleeping with her, to then loathe her again. The reasons that were given as to why he treats her this way, were severely lacking in my personal opinion. More over at the end of the book she gets captured by some thugs on the street and held captive, she manages to escape with the help of someone she basically just met. He tracks her down and proceeds to just rip her clothes off in some alley (???) because he’s highly possessive of her and must just have her then and there (what?!).

I finished this book, I won’t be continuing this series. All in all if you want a mindless read with some explicit scenes this might be for you just don’t expect too much character depth or world building. I wanted it to be so much more and just got frustrated trying to finish it, since the main characters just started to annoy me to no end.

Hopefully my review will be of use to at least some of you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lizzy.
22 reviews13 followers
January 20, 2021
I couldn’t put this book down, I found myself constantly wanting more. It’s not your typical fantasy book but so much more. It’s fast-paced with a lot of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the writing style! Some paragraphs were so beautifully written they had me rereading them just to stay in my feels.

There are however, some moments in the book that could be triggers for some, so I docked a star for that.
Profile Image for Angellison.
155 reviews7 followers
August 31, 2020
DNF

I stopped at 40% and couldn't continue on. The premise of violet not knowing who and what she was , was obnoxious. She could remember certain things but nothing about herself or the world she was from. I hated Elijah from the start. I've read my fair share of bully romances, but I justbhated this book almost from the beginning. There was no world building imo. I was confused on where they were, what they were. They drive through some tunnel from a cabin and end up at a gate manned by muscly males, so big and manly the MC can barely contain herself around all these manly men. Ugh.
Didn't like it.
Didn't get it.
Hated Elijah and violet.
I'm done.
2 reviews
September 23, 2019
Am I the only one that feels that someone forced to be in love, due to a bond, with an abusive lover is wrong. Right off the bat that grossed me out and I could never get passed it. Got 3/4th through the book and just had zero motivation to finish it. I liked the world building but the main characters were just not my cup of tea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Amanda.
409 reviews52 followers
February 16, 2021
I could barely tolerate the book enough to finish it. The world building is interesting but I hate the characters. I'm going to give the second book a chance purely for one single character.
Profile Image for shannonbookishlife.
1,065 reviews
July 24, 2020
Wow...loved this book. It totally grips you from the start .You have heart stopping moments..funny moments..and great characters. It's such a captivating story that you don't want to stop reading! ITS A MUST READ !!
Profile Image for Christina.
76 reviews
April 3, 2022
Uh wtf. That end snuck up me. I have no idea what just happened. Felt like I was running through the whole book with the constant scene changes. And then bam. The end. Fell right off of that cliff. Amazing world.
Profile Image for Jazzy.
410 reviews9 followers
May 18, 2021
3 stars - this book had potential, but it just didn’t do what I wanted it to do. First of all, there are two love interests, both act like assholes towards her. Romantic development? Nope, but at least there was plenty of lust. Plotwise I felt like this book was more of an introduction. Some of the writing felt a bit messy sometimes, and a bit immature as well (especially the beginning). I’m really wondering who of the two assholes she’s going to end up with, so I’ll be reading the next book.

Tropes: dark-light, love traingle, insta lust, mate bond, amnesia, angels, mean love interest(s)


40 reviews11 followers
June 4, 2018
I won this in a giveaway, and it arrived with a lovely personalised message inside, which I was very pleased with. I'd read the description before entering, and it sounded like the sort of YA fantasy that I enjoy.

I found two spelling mistakes reading the blurb on the back cover, which did not bode well for me! There were also quite a few within the book as well, which annoys me (do people not spell check any more?!); however I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that my enjoyment of the story meant that I wasn't as irritated by the errors as I normally am.

The premise and characters were great, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I thought it was well written and it drew my interest from start to finish. Perhaps a bit too pornographic for the YA audience, but overall it was a really good read.

My one criticism would be that it wasn't really a stand alone book, which was a little disappointing. While I was aware it was part of a series, I was expecting at least a little bit of closure for some of the storylines, and I did not feel that this was done - it was all too open-ended for my liking.
Profile Image for Tammy J.
7 reviews1 follower
November 26, 2020
Wouldn’t bother

I am a huge fantasy-romance lover; I plow through books and rarely stop reading a book before finishing. I couldn’t get passed 20% if this one. It’s kind of a hot mess. I didn’t like the story or the characters, and the writing is flimsy. I have to mention the horrible copy editing also—super annoying. With so many other great books, sadly I wouldn’t waste time on this one. I think the author has potential, but just missed the mark.
Profile Image for Holly.
21 reviews1 follower
August 6, 2025
Great Start!
I read this book in 2 sittings I just couldn't put it down! The characters were interesting and intriguing and I can't wait to dive more into the world T.M. created. Bring on book 2 I am more than ready for you!!!
Profile Image for ♦♣ queen of faerie ♠♥.
264 reviews204 followers
July 15, 2020
Great start, plot got a bit confused though

The main focus of this story is very much on the enemies-to-lovers romance, as the actual plot felt a bit lost with no clear destination and the rest of the book was not developed properly.


→3 stars
Profile Image for Set.Spiller.
6 reviews
October 10, 2023
It was a confusing mess. It felt like the plot line jumped around to 4 different stories with characters being introduced and then dropping off the face of the planet never to be heard of again.
I was irritated the entire book along with the heroine who doesn’t EVER get her memories back until the last sentence stating that in one split moment she remembers it all… and then the book ends without ever stating what those memories are!?
I had high hopes for this book, but they fell flat and kept falling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Fatima.
15 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2021
The story plot is captivating, the twists and turns are there. One character in particular is just hard to follow because of the way he treats the female protagonist. I feel the author may have been aiming for rough edges but it comes across extremely disrespectful and why one would tolerate such behavior under any circumstances... Again the story line hooked me enough to keep reading through
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
June 21, 2021
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/21/2021)! 🎁
Profile Image for Corie David.
180 reviews
July 28, 2021
Shadow’s kiss was very interesting. I loved almost the whole story except like 20 pages before the last 3 chapters. The ending was very intriguing and I want to know what happens after.
Profile Image for Yvonne Wood.
1,014 reviews15 followers
August 27, 2020
Fantastic series. So much content. So many changes and so much to take in. Loved the story. Glorious!
Profile Image for Amber.
74 reviews
January 13, 2021
I was so uncertain when I started this book When the main remembers nothing, it can be such a disaster if it’s not paced well. This book gave just enough away without making you writhe in pain while figuring things out.
Profile Image for Dashley.
963 reviews34 followers
August 18, 2021
Reread

This opening was strong and flung open my senses. I started this book without reading the synopsis and I felt like it was a great decision. Everything was new and inviting. The emotions seemed to ring out in the weather and atmosphere of the story. Stinging rain and cracking thunder.

All the characters were crazy fun and well balanced. The writing style was vastly descriptive and easy to read. World building was great as well and atmospheric. What aced this book for me though was the mention of songs periodically. I listened as I read and was transported. They honestly to God helped construct the scene as I went. One in particular an amazing fight scene paired with the music it offered. I saw in my mind, freeze frame wrap arounds. It was wonderfully bada$$.

Just a few complaints was that everyone was perfectly gorgeous. Adriel if I'm not mistaken was a play on Galadriel from lotr. It took away from the moment a little bit to think about it. G's character was somewhat contradictory. He was ancient but didn't act that way in the least. So while I loved his blasé attitude G still seemed a bit off knowing his history. And an Indie author so yes a few writing errors but honestly I enjoyed the book so much I didn't notice them. Lastly the story was predictable. Still none of this took away from my immense enjoyment.

That being said I hung on every word feeling as if I was watching these souls merge. The slow inevitable realization of Violet's past was aggravating yet helped spur me on to the end. Even with the soaked relentless weather of the story some moments were heartwarming and fun. And of course those steamy scenes had me strung out but in a good way. Also not usually one for cliff hangers but this one had me begging for more so fair warning. Those last words had me on Amazon buying the paperbacks and then the Kindle version because I couldn't wait that long. And so you know Hart just came out with hardbacks. You guessed it....got those too.

"She jumped me!" G blamed, pointing a finger at me.
Elijah pinched the bridge of his nose. "You can't be serious."
"It's true! She's like some little forest ninja."

"You can't save me."

"Every night I would lie awake hearing whispers of your voice calling to me. Torturing me. I conjured a specter of you. She haunted these halls. When I walked down a hallway I would catch a glimpse of her turning a corner, floating, glowing, hair flowing around her face though no breeze stirred."

"You tortured me. I suffered. You have driven me to the brink of madness."

"I know, sweet." His whisper was full of understanding. "That's why I'm going to let you run. I hope for your sake that you get away in time, because I am now a monster."

Song list:

Mika- Over My Shoulder
Maximilian Hecker- Help me
Plumb- Cut
Nemo Case- I wish I was the Moon Tonight
Florence and the Machine- Howl
X Ambassadors- Unsteady
The Soho Doll's- Stripper
Goldfrapp- Ooh la la la
Le Disko- Shiny Toy Guns
Kings of Leon- closer

By Chapter:

*Chapter 1-13
In the dark hours by Anon Berg

*Chapter 14-16
Mika- Over my shoulder
Maximillian Hecker- Help me
Plumb- Cut
Neko Case- I wish I was the moon (on repeat)

*Chapter 17
Florence and the Machine- Howl

*Chapter 18
Anon Berg- In the dark hours

*Chapter 19
Florence and the Machine- Howl

*Chapter 20-24
Mika- Over my shoulder
Maximillian Hecker- Help me
Anon Berg- In the dark hours (repeat)

*Chapter 25
X Ambassador- Unsteady

*Chapter 26-30
The Soho Doll's- Stripper
Goldfrapp- Ooh la la la
Shiny Toy Guns- Le Disko

*Chapter 31-End Kings of Leon- closer

*To fill in the blank spaces:
In the dark hours by Anon Berg

*My personal choice theme song
As the world caves in by Sarah Cothran
Profile Image for Lisa.
803 reviews42 followers
January 20, 2021
WOW, JUST WOW!!!

I'm not sure what in the world I just read or what is going on, but holy smokes!! I could not turn these pages fast enough. This has to be one of the most original storylines I've read. I've not read anything quite like this. This is light against dark, different planes of reality, beings that are not usually in most stories, so it would seem its light verses dark because I have a feeling that everything I think may get turned all around, I don't know but I'm on a mission to find out what all this is about. SO SO GOOD!!!
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