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Darkness Dawns
Darkness Dawns is a love story. It also tells the tale of one man's war with himself, brought onto the battlefield of his blindness. Leo Ferrar suffers from diabetic retinopathy and lost his sight two years ago. Unable to bear the scrutiny of strangers or the impact of his blindness on those he loves, Leo has determined on shutting the world out ever since. This is the man Ben meets on his first day at work as Mr Ferrar's care assistant.
A former heroin addict, Ben was sentenced to six months community service as punishment for his crimes by a judge entitled to condemn him to a seven-year stretch. Far too charming for his own welfare, Ben soon proves unaccountably brilliant at 'bulldozing the blind'.
When fate sees fit to dispatch Ben to the home of the man he has internally dubbed Mr Ferrarcious; it is with the words of the last five unfortunates who'd dared darken Leo's doorway ringing in his ears.
A door that is opened by a man who might be Lord Byron himself. Drop dead gorgeous and as hot as hell, Leo Ferrar has the most beautiful eyes Ben has ever seen.
Never has an irony seemed so cruel. Nor fate so fortuitous.
A former heroin addict, Ben was sentenced to six months community service as punishment for his crimes by a judge entitled to condemn him to a seven-year stretch. Far too charming for his own welfare, Ben soon proves unaccountably brilliant at 'bulldozing the blind'.
When fate sees fit to dispatch Ben to the home of the man he has internally dubbed Mr Ferrarcious; it is with the words of the last five unfortunates who'd dared darken Leo's doorway ringing in his ears.
A door that is opened by a man who might be Lord Byron himself. Drop dead gorgeous and as hot as hell, Leo Ferrar has the most beautiful eyes Ben has ever seen.
Never has an irony seemed so cruel. Nor fate so fortuitous.
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2019
4 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Zakarrie Clarke
3 books27 followersI was once asked...if you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Two things, I decided:
1. Those dreams that feel too daft to ever believe into being? Hug them to your heart and keep them safe; for sometime, somewhere, over the rainbow? You might just wake to a day so impossible, you’ll suspect you made it up yourself.
2. You are never going to be the next Enid Blyton. Oddly ’nuff.
1. Those dreams that feel too daft to ever believe into being? Hug them to your heart and keep them safe; for sometime, somewhere, over the rainbow? You might just wake to a day so impossible, you’ll suspect you made it up yourself.
2. You are never going to be the next Enid Blyton. Oddly ’nuff.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 12, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
I. Loved. This. Book!! You guys, this was one of the most charming, sweet, and sexy books I’ve read in a long time. It was beautifully written (also very British), with a character driven story that was compelling and held my attention all the way through to the very end. There was nearly zero conflict…just two men who clicked. It may have taken a little bit (and I mean a little bit) for Leo to warm to Ben, but even that was relatively low stress. Ben took Leo by surprise. I would even say he steamrolled him, and that’s exactly what Leo needed.
Darkness Dawns is almost 200 pages long, but it most definitely didn’t feel like it. Everything was so smooth, I felt like it was over in a flash. What is interesting, though, is the story itself only takes place over two and a half days. There was a spark between the two men, and it burned like an inferno. Along with charming me with their amusing banter, Leo and Ben melted my Kindle. The sex scenes were smoking hot, but they weren’t over the top.
Read Kenna’s review in its entirety here.
5 stars
I. Loved. This. Book!! You guys, this was one of the most charming, sweet, and sexy books I’ve read in a long time. It was beautifully written (also very British), with a character driven story that was compelling and held my attention all the way through to the very end. There was nearly zero conflict…just two men who clicked. It may have taken a little bit (and I mean a little bit) for Leo to warm to Ben, but even that was relatively low stress. Ben took Leo by surprise. I would even say he steamrolled him, and that’s exactly what Leo needed.
Darkness Dawns is almost 200 pages long, but it most definitely didn’t feel like it. Everything was so smooth, I felt like it was over in a flash. What is interesting, though, is the story itself only takes place over two and a half days. There was a spark between the two men, and it burned like an inferno. Along with charming me with their amusing banter, Leo and Ben melted my Kindle. The sex scenes were smoking hot, but they weren’t over the top.
Read Kenna’s review in its entirety here.
Read
January 29, 2019I began, intending to write with utmost gravitas and circumspection, to tell the tale of my embattled hero. Leo Ferrar; a man much-miffed with the world and hell-bent on shutting himself off from it. Ha...thought I, there you go: Proper Writing. It was all going splendidly well…until Ben turned up. In chapter one. If only, it was a very short story, then I might've managed to rescue my earnest endeavours from Ben’s clutches, but there seems to be another eighty chapters or so…and an epilogue. The first 43 chapters form Darkness Dawns; it concludes on a HFN and the sequel completes the novel. I've written both, but thought it best to split it, or it would be over 140,000 words long.
March 30, 2019
Aww. Leo and Ben.
Ben has no filter. My favorite kind of hero.
Leo starts out in a place that worries me with he being a fairly (sadly) typical representation of an angry blind hero.
However, Zakarrie Clarke does a good job making his anger very connected to who he is and we aren't so far along in his time of being blind that it doesn't make sense. Also, his anger is really about people's treatment of him as less than a person.
They fall in love like BOOM! And the plot takes place over three days as Ben comes to work as Leo's carer while grieving for the woman he had been taking care of.
Ben, for all his lightness, has many dark elements and we don't really get into his history as much as I would have liked.
Because this book is on such a small set in the two heroes apartments, it remains insular. I wanted to see Leo take back his music and contend with being in love with an addict in recovery and see Leo's family as well.
However, their romance is charming (and hot so hot) the banter everything and I love a character driven story so I am a fan.
Ben has no filter. My favorite kind of hero.
Leo starts out in a place that worries me with he being a fairly (sadly) typical representation of an angry blind hero.
However, Zakarrie Clarke does a good job making his anger very connected to who he is and we aren't so far along in his time of being blind that it doesn't make sense. Also, his anger is really about people's treatment of him as less than a person.
They fall in love like BOOM! And the plot takes place over three days as Ben comes to work as Leo's carer while grieving for the woman he had been taking care of.
Ben, for all his lightness, has many dark elements and we don't really get into his history as much as I would have liked.
Because this book is on such a small set in the two heroes apartments, it remains insular. I wanted to see Leo take back his music and contend with being in love with an addict in recovery and see Leo's family as well.
However, their romance is charming (and hot so hot) the banter everything and I love a character driven story so I am a fan.
March 4, 2019
The blurb above says it all, so I’ll get straight to the review. When reading the first paragraph, I was hooked. The voices of the characters were rich and strong, so strong I swore Leo and Ben were showing me their story. Not telling. Showing. You swear Leon and Ben simply had author Zakarrie Clarke take dictation.
The novel played out with the richest and deepest scenery in my head. The dialogue was real, so real I could see Leo and Ben standing there, jabbering back and forth with their naughty puns, dry humour, and oh-so-casual banter. Yes, the dialogue—each had a distinct voice. I knew who was speaking at all times.
These characters JUMPED off the page.
As for their story, the author did her research. She captured Leo brilliantly as a man who’s lost his sight and refuses to accept his blindness. When I finished the book, I had a great sense of knowing Leo, because I had a hunch he was a man who fumbled through life trying to find his place and happiness, even before losing his sight. Yes, he had his music that brought joy. Yes, he had the odd fling or two. But Leo didn’t really understand the beauty life offers. He seemed to exist. And his impending blindness through his illness only made matters worse for him.
So when we meet Leo, he’s deep in grief. He’s at that spot the author captured brilliantly of before and after. I loved how Ms. Clarke named when Leo lost his sight as before. Because when a person grieves a deep loss, this is how they think. Time stops at that moment when their world crumbles to dust. Before. Nicely done.
Enter Ben, a man who’s spent his last two years acting as caregiver for the cranky, what-the-hell, so-be-it Violet before her death. Most would run in fear from her, unable to cross the rickety bridge she’s built, but Ben does cross, with flying colours. No falling into the ravine full of trolls. And he’s able to do the same with Leo.
Read more here: https://maggieblackbird.com/2019/03/0...
The novel played out with the richest and deepest scenery in my head. The dialogue was real, so real I could see Leo and Ben standing there, jabbering back and forth with their naughty puns, dry humour, and oh-so-casual banter. Yes, the dialogue—each had a distinct voice. I knew who was speaking at all times.
These characters JUMPED off the page.
As for their story, the author did her research. She captured Leo brilliantly as a man who’s lost his sight and refuses to accept his blindness. When I finished the book, I had a great sense of knowing Leo, because I had a hunch he was a man who fumbled through life trying to find his place and happiness, even before losing his sight. Yes, he had his music that brought joy. Yes, he had the odd fling or two. But Leo didn’t really understand the beauty life offers. He seemed to exist. And his impending blindness through his illness only made matters worse for him.
So when we meet Leo, he’s deep in grief. He’s at that spot the author captured brilliantly of before and after. I loved how Ms. Clarke named when Leo lost his sight as before. Because when a person grieves a deep loss, this is how they think. Time stops at that moment when their world crumbles to dust. Before. Nicely done.
Enter Ben, a man who’s spent his last two years acting as caregiver for the cranky, what-the-hell, so-be-it Violet before her death. Most would run in fear from her, unable to cross the rickety bridge she’s built, but Ben does cross, with flying colours. No falling into the ravine full of trolls. And he’s able to do the same with Leo.
Read more here: https://maggieblackbird.com/2019/03/0...
February 13, 2019
“If you're brave enough to get through the darkness then you shall shine in the light.” ~ Matthew Donnelly
No matter what happens in our lives, we still have the choice either, to wallow in our sorrow, or make the best of the situation. Leo, of ‘Darkness Dawns’ by Zakarrie Clarke, loses his sight to retinopathy, takes a situation that would be difficult for anyone, and prolongs his agony by his inability to accept his misfortune. Instead of doing what he needs to do to deal with it, he hides from the world, trying hard to ignore his plight. It takes Ben, a young man sent to assist Leo with his daily needs, to help him see that the absence of light in his life is not so much caused by his lack of vision, but by the lack of faith in his ability to deal without it.
Considering all that Ben has heard about Leo, Ben nicknames him Mr. Ferraocious, because he has terrorized everyone who has been sent to help him. Ben is more than a little anxious about meeting him. When Leo answers the door, Ben is amazed to find that Leo is nothing like he expects him to be and is quickly enthralled. Either out of nervousness or because that’s merely who he is, Ben greets Leo with an ongoing stream of consciousness, giving Leo a headache. When Leo asks, Ben tells him about his recent caregiving experience with an extremely unconventional older lady who has just died. Ben misses her and regales Leo with tales of their adventures together. Listening to him, Leo has to wonder if Ben’s former client was quite as exceptional before Ben came to care for her, or if part of her eccentricity was, indeed, caused by Ben’s presence.
Leo is fed up with people either feeling sorry for him because of his condition, or being condescending, uncomfortable, or treating him like glass. Leo is angry at his circumstances and, instead of learning how to manage in his new situation, e.g., learning Braille, the manner in which people treat him makes him even more determined not to put himself out there. Leo would rather stay home, feel sorry for himself and be miserable, than having to face what he considers to be humiliation and failure.
Ben can see what Leo is doing and why, but, at the same time, he knows he has to win Leo’s trust and prove to him that Ben doesn’t pity him. Instead of handling him with the same kid gloves as everyone else, Ben goes out of his way to prove to Leo that he is perfectly capable of breaking out of his self-imposed isolation, and find hope and self-confidence again. Ben also knows that it is not going to be an easy task.
I was expecting a story about a man who lost his sight to be more sad and anxiety ridden, but Zakarrie managed to take the situation and turn it around with humor and profound insight. Without Ben, Leo would have wasted away in self-loathing, fear, and darkness. Instead of that, Ben managed to show Leo that, although his life has changed, it doesn’t mean it’s over. Ben brought encouragement, humor, and love back into his life. By doing so, Ben helps Leo to find the courage to have more in life than he thought he ever could again. Thanks, Zakarrie, for giving me a story of hope, spiced with hotness and humor. I can hardly wait to see what happens with these special men in the second book in the series.
NOTE: This book was provided by MLR Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
No matter what happens in our lives, we still have the choice either, to wallow in our sorrow, or make the best of the situation. Leo, of ‘Darkness Dawns’ by Zakarrie Clarke, loses his sight to retinopathy, takes a situation that would be difficult for anyone, and prolongs his agony by his inability to accept his misfortune. Instead of doing what he needs to do to deal with it, he hides from the world, trying hard to ignore his plight. It takes Ben, a young man sent to assist Leo with his daily needs, to help him see that the absence of light in his life is not so much caused by his lack of vision, but by the lack of faith in his ability to deal without it.
Considering all that Ben has heard about Leo, Ben nicknames him Mr. Ferraocious, because he has terrorized everyone who has been sent to help him. Ben is more than a little anxious about meeting him. When Leo answers the door, Ben is amazed to find that Leo is nothing like he expects him to be and is quickly enthralled. Either out of nervousness or because that’s merely who he is, Ben greets Leo with an ongoing stream of consciousness, giving Leo a headache. When Leo asks, Ben tells him about his recent caregiving experience with an extremely unconventional older lady who has just died. Ben misses her and regales Leo with tales of their adventures together. Listening to him, Leo has to wonder if Ben’s former client was quite as exceptional before Ben came to care for her, or if part of her eccentricity was, indeed, caused by Ben’s presence.
Leo is fed up with people either feeling sorry for him because of his condition, or being condescending, uncomfortable, or treating him like glass. Leo is angry at his circumstances and, instead of learning how to manage in his new situation, e.g., learning Braille, the manner in which people treat him makes him even more determined not to put himself out there. Leo would rather stay home, feel sorry for himself and be miserable, than having to face what he considers to be humiliation and failure.
Ben can see what Leo is doing and why, but, at the same time, he knows he has to win Leo’s trust and prove to him that Ben doesn’t pity him. Instead of handling him with the same kid gloves as everyone else, Ben goes out of his way to prove to Leo that he is perfectly capable of breaking out of his self-imposed isolation, and find hope and self-confidence again. Ben also knows that it is not going to be an easy task.
I was expecting a story about a man who lost his sight to be more sad and anxiety ridden, but Zakarrie managed to take the situation and turn it around with humor and profound insight. Without Ben, Leo would have wasted away in self-loathing, fear, and darkness. Instead of that, Ben managed to show Leo that, although his life has changed, it doesn’t mean it’s over. Ben brought encouragement, humor, and love back into his life. By doing so, Ben helps Leo to find the courage to have more in life than he thought he ever could again. Thanks, Zakarrie, for giving me a story of hope, spiced with hotness and humor. I can hardly wait to see what happens with these special men in the second book in the series.
NOTE: This book was provided by MLR Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
March 20, 2019
5 stars for uniqueness and 5 stars for a wonderful, little story. MC Leo has gone blind from diabetes. He is angry at the world and vicious toward his caregivers. In walks MC Ben, assigned Leo because no one else will take him on. Ben has become a caregiver as a community service assignment for some misdeed I don't think we ever found out what it was.
Ben is, to put it lightly, a free spirit who thinks with both his heads (brain and somewhat lower). Once Leo discovers Ben's "technique" the world definitely lightens for Leo.
Such wonderfully witty and thoughtful writing. Totally different (and enjoyable) from anything else I can remember. This probably should only be read by experienced M/M readers since there is lots (lots) of on page, vanilla gay sex. Also beware this has very English English. This American English reader needed a translation or two.
Ben is, to put it lightly, a free spirit who thinks with both his heads (brain and somewhat lower). Once Leo discovers Ben's "technique" the world definitely lightens for Leo.
Such wonderfully witty and thoughtful writing. Totally different (and enjoyable) from anything else I can remember. This probably should only be read by experienced M/M readers since there is lots (lots) of on page, vanilla gay sex. Also beware this has very English English. This American English reader needed a translation or two.
April 1, 2019
I don't read contemporaries much these days but Darkness Dawns was one of the few exceptions. I got it in the give-away.
It cannot be easy having one's sight then losing it. That's Leo who became so hard on himself he pretty much gave up on life as it could be lived. Even his music. But then Ben popped onto his doorstep and Leo had no choice but to take stock and acknowledge his proverbial half full glass. With Ben's friendship, Leo gradually began to acknowledge that with some adaptations, his life is definitely not over. In fact, under Ben's auspices, it has probably just begun.
DD was a real contemporary treat for me to read.
Zakarrie Clarke has a writing style that is not mainstream. I don't even know how to describe it except to say it's refreshing, quirky and different. (Yes, all clichéd but my vocab ain't all that at the moment). It also shows in the historical story, The Duke and The Dandy Highwayman -which I totally enjoy and since I'm all about historical stories, I do hope ZC writings swing into both courts equally.
It cannot be easy having one's sight then losing it. That's Leo who became so hard on himself he pretty much gave up on life as it could be lived. Even his music. But then Ben popped onto his doorstep and Leo had no choice but to take stock and acknowledge his proverbial half full glass. With Ben's friendship, Leo gradually began to acknowledge that with some adaptations, his life is definitely not over. In fact, under Ben's auspices, it has probably just begun.
DD was a real contemporary treat for me to read.
Zakarrie Clarke has a writing style that is not mainstream. I don't even know how to describe it except to say it's refreshing, quirky and different. (Yes, all clichéd but my vocab ain't all that at the moment). It also shows in the historical story, The Duke and The Dandy Highwayman -which I totally enjoy and since I'm all about historical stories, I do hope ZC writings swing into both courts equally.
March 21, 2019
This book, for me, rates a 3.5 to 4. 3.5 because it’s hard to get into the slang writing style - 4 because of the OMG FUNNY! And then OMG HOT! And, finally OMG, the feels are overwhelming! I’m a fan of dual POV as well, so that just added the topper for me. Loved this one!
February 12, 2019
This story is just so good. Leo and Ben are adorable, I loved their banter and the daily details of Leo's reality threaded throughout. This book is such a page turner, I can't wait for the sequel.
October 9, 2020
What I Think: This tale was deliberately misguiding. All the way. Having read a couple of Madam Zak’s works before, I was certain I had her number. Ha! The joke was on me. You see, the summary was very deceptive. I should have known it was too simple. It set a particular theme in my mind only for the characters to be so far from what I thought. They were too sinfully gorgeous for what I had in mind. So, you already know I have a size kink but it always ran to big top/little bottom which I still love. I’m a little on the tall end and can never be described as cute. Hence, I’m madly in love with small, cute things. But there is nothing that has blown my doors wide open and opened my eyes to the biases that we retain from society even when we are queer, like LGBTQIA romance tales. When I began reading Mme. Zak’s work, it opened me up to a different size kink: little top/big bottom. And I found myself looking at taller women in a different light. This tale? Cemented my attraction to all size differences. Enough of my confessing. Let’s see why my innocence has been thrown away like the lightweight it is. I’ll even try to be coherent! Leo and I have so many similarities that by the time Ben came knocking, Leo was solidly in my protection and I was ready to snarl and snap at the next caregiver that turned up. Having lost his sight, Leo is tired and fed up of all the seemingly knowledgeable caregivers that were sent his way. Content to lie in his darkness and stew on his own terms, desperate to prove to himself that he would live on his own terms while locking up all his shreds of self. But we were flattened and steamrolled by the unknowable package that’s Ben. We simply stood no chance. From the first disarming ”fuck” to the first trip to Ben’s apartment in a bid to know if Ben is part of The Patronizing Patrol (capitalized so you know its true). This is what it means to be swept off your feet both figuratively and literally when you find yourself dancing like Bella. Ben sees more than he should and I almost ran at the thought of being so naked and exposed, looking to Leo as though for guidance as Benisms left us too confounded to do ought but crave more. Only to find Leo coming undone in the most spectacular of ways. All growls one minute and like a gorgeous tabby cat the next. The perfect descriptions used make this couple so real to me that I’m keeping them both, especially as they share my favorite vice. What saddened me though was seeing in action the power people have over each other which is often abused by humans who just hurt each other when we have the power to heal. Poor Ben receives so many assaults as Leo tries to figure out distance and length of too long limbs. It’s a wonder that Ben is still alive but I can’t feel sorry for him because he’s such a drama queen. Methinks Mme. Zach has a thing for absurdly long, sexy legs and she’s infected me completely with it! Being entwined with incongrously elegant limbs has never been more neessary. Even as gratitude for the blessing of sight has never been more deeply felt. The humor that bursts forth in the weirdest places and times made this love more solid even at its newness and made me want a Bennie of my own. It made the inability to hide in the dark more bearable. And then it ended. Shocked into breathlessness, my brain went into Ben mode and all I could think was ”mmmore”. The halt was so shocking that I went back several times to see what I had missed, protesting it’s end like a drug addict fighting for his next fix (forgive me. Addiction is horrible. Bad Lissandra!) I lay awake at night thinking of how this tale was as sublime as Leo’s sweeping spine, only for it to hit me: it ended exactly how it was meant to because Darkness dawned. Still doesn’t make sense? Ha! Read it!
Verdict: A comfort keeper that is proof of the proverb – ‘It’s never how long, but how well’ because only love can put together that which has been irrecoverably damaged in the twinkle of an eye!
Verdict: A comfort keeper that is proof of the proverb – ‘It’s never how long, but how well’ because only love can put together that which has been irrecoverably damaged in the twinkle of an eye!
July 1, 2020
Gosh darn it...I wanted to like this one because it could have been awesome. However, the story takes place over two and a half days and all they really do is have sex. There's lots of laughter, humor, entertaining banter, and plenty of connection while they're having sex, but I kept tapping the screen on my Kindle to get the "meat of the story" if you will....and it was just more sex. That was basically it. I wanted more plot! I wanted to see relationship development! I wanted to see their first date and Ben introduce Leo to his friends! What about Ben's former drug addiction? Or the fact that he's banging a client? Is he going to resign as Leo's care assistant since it could be a conflict of interest? I want to know more and I'm irked that I only got to see two and a half days. Wah!
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