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Darkness #1
Into the Darkness
Sasha has grown up with one surety: she’s not normal.
She sees things in the darkness that no one else can see. Mysterious men cloaked in shadow, moving through the night. The problem is, pointing out invisible people is a fast track to a padded cell. Orphaned at age five, Sasha quickly learns an important survival tip: keep her mouth shut and stay out of the spotlight.
Until one night, everything changes. She and her boyfriend, Jared, find themselves stranded on the wrong side of town. Suddenly, the men she was convinced were hallucinations, are very real. And very dangerous.
As a new world opens up around her, she meets him. The Boss. An alpha leader who entrances her mind and tugs on her body. Primal and sexual, his people have a different set of rules. And they don’t always play nice.
As danger rises up around her, her differences may be the only thing that saves her life. She must embrace what she’s tried so hard to hide, while resisting the person her body craves most. Sasha has finally found her shadow men, and they will change her life forever.
She sees things in the darkness that no one else can see. Mysterious men cloaked in shadow, moving through the night. The problem is, pointing out invisible people is a fast track to a padded cell. Orphaned at age five, Sasha quickly learns an important survival tip: keep her mouth shut and stay out of the spotlight.
Until one night, everything changes. She and her boyfriend, Jared, find themselves stranded on the wrong side of town. Suddenly, the men she was convinced were hallucinations, are very real. And very dangerous.
As a new world opens up around her, she meets him. The Boss. An alpha leader who entrances her mind and tugs on her body. Primal and sexual, his people have a different set of rules. And they don’t always play nice.
As danger rises up around her, her differences may be the only thing that saves her life. She must embrace what she’s tried so hard to hide, while resisting the person her body craves most. Sasha has finally found her shadow men, and they will change her life forever.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2014
5897 people are currently reading
7828 people want to read
About the author
K.F. Breene
123 books14.6k followersFollow me!
K.F. Breene is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, Amazon Most Sold Charts and #1 Kindle Store bestselling author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy and fantasy novels. With millions of books sold, when she's not penning stories about magic and what goes bump in the night, she's sipping wine and planning shenanigans. She lives in Northern California with her husband, two children, and out of work treadmill.
Click FOLLOW for notification of new releases.
Join her mailing list to receive BONUS CONTENT, free stories, and hear about the crazy goings-on of her life. Sign up here ➜ http://bit.ly/KFBContent
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K.F. Breene is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, Amazon Most Sold Charts and #1 Kindle Store bestselling author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy and fantasy novels. With millions of books sold, when she's not penning stories about magic and what goes bump in the night, she's sipping wine and planning shenanigans. She lives in Northern California with her husband, two children, and out of work treadmill.
Click FOLLOW for notification of new releases.
Join her mailing list to receive BONUS CONTENT, free stories, and hear about the crazy goings-on of her life. Sign up here ➜ http://bit.ly/KFBContent
Check out her chat group on Goodreads!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,040 reviews
December 6, 2015
1.5
***Spoilers ahead and also very disturbing dark themes that might offend some readers***
This book was free on Amazon and was highly rated on GR and it also had so many good reviews. I decided to jump right into this story because it had my favourite themes: vampires, magic, one very sexy alpha hero, a heroine with a tragic past who survived a horrible epic event and learned to live, be happy and look at the bright side of life. That lovely book cover had a lot to do with why I chose this book. All in all, this book had so much potential and began with so much promise.
I was really excited to get stuck in but about 15% into the book something went very wrong, but I still had faith in the author and I couldn't help but admire her bravery in exploring dark and disturbing themes. Before long, we hit the mother of all icebergs and things started to go very, very wrong. Like Titanic kind of wrong!
This book should've come with some serious warning with alarms and bells attached. And saying it was 18+ just didn't cut it since it book contains events leading up to the rape of the heroine and her straight boyfriend and in the case of the later, this happened several times! Even the boyfriend's room mate didn't escape the assault and the fact that they were forced to like what was happening to them and to then forget about the whole horrific event using mind tricks and pheromones was just shocking! The whole thing sent my mind on a disturbing and twisted trip.
All of this violation was done with the knowledge of the so-called hero by his men and in some cases women! But when it came to the heroine, the complete sleaze ball 'The hero' ,aka Stefan, took her without her consent or knowledge and in the end she didn't even know what he had done to her! There was no repercussions, no consequences to the abuse and suffering of these poor humans and hardly any guilt or shame except for a twinge or two from the ass hat scum bag hero. It was all unbelievable.
To be fair, the writing was great and the author had a great sense of humour. I loved the heroine, Sasha's character and the mystery behind her power and ability to see the other supernatural creatures was well done. I loved the snark, the banter, the drama, action and mystery in the story.
But near the end of the book, Sasha was still as much of a mystery as she ever was. The rape of several people was not dealt with and the whole thing was quietly swept under the carpet with a shrug and I was left wondering how the author was going to put this great Humpty Dumpty mess back together again. But before I could blink, it was all over and yet so much was left hanging.
I'm not a prude or a narrow minded person and I try to challenge myself and broaden my horizon by reading books that take me out of my comfort zone. I love authors who are brave enough to venture into dark subjects and skilfully pull the reader into the story and out of their comfort. But rape is a very serious issue and it is no less horrific when a man is raped by another man. This needs to be dealt with sensitivity and a degree of seriousness. There needs to be a reality check. Things just can't be swept under the carpet especially when those doing all the raping are involved the victims life. Talk about the great big pink elephant in the room!
Although this book had a lot going for it, I just couldn't stomach the rape issue but others might be able to look beyond that and want to see where the author takes this story in the next book. As for me, this is the end of the ride.
***Spoilers ahead and also very disturbing dark themes that might offend some readers***
This book was free on Amazon and was highly rated on GR and it also had so many good reviews. I decided to jump right into this story because it had my favourite themes: vampires, magic, one very sexy alpha hero, a heroine with a tragic past who survived a horrible epic event and learned to live, be happy and look at the bright side of life. That lovely book cover had a lot to do with why I chose this book. All in all, this book had so much potential and began with so much promise.
I was really excited to get stuck in but about 15% into the book something went very wrong, but I still had faith in the author and I couldn't help but admire her bravery in exploring dark and disturbing themes. Before long, we hit the mother of all icebergs and things started to go very, very wrong. Like Titanic kind of wrong!
This book should've come with some serious warning with alarms and bells attached. And saying it was 18+ just didn't cut it since it book contains events leading up to the rape of the heroine and her straight boyfriend and in the case of the later, this happened several times! Even the boyfriend's room mate didn't escape the assault and the fact that they were forced to like what was happening to them and to then forget about the whole horrific event using mind tricks and pheromones was just shocking! The whole thing sent my mind on a disturbing and twisted trip.
All of this violation was done with the knowledge of the so-called hero by his men and in some cases women! But when it came to the heroine, the complete sleaze ball 'The hero' ,aka Stefan, took her without her consent or knowledge and in the end she didn't even know what he had done to her! There was no repercussions, no consequences to the abuse and suffering of these poor humans and hardly any guilt or shame except for a twinge or two from the ass hat scum bag hero. It was all unbelievable.
To be fair, the writing was great and the author had a great sense of humour. I loved the heroine, Sasha's character and the mystery behind her power and ability to see the other supernatural creatures was well done. I loved the snark, the banter, the drama, action and mystery in the story.
But near the end of the book, Sasha was still as much of a mystery as she ever was. The rape of several people was not dealt with and the whole thing was quietly swept under the carpet with a shrug and I was left wondering how the author was going to put this great Humpty Dumpty mess back together again. But before I could blink, it was all over and yet so much was left hanging.
I'm not a prude or a narrow minded person and I try to challenge myself and broaden my horizon by reading books that take me out of my comfort zone. I love authors who are brave enough to venture into dark subjects and skilfully pull the reader into the story and out of their comfort. But rape is a very serious issue and it is no less horrific when a man is raped by another man. This needs to be dealt with sensitivity and a degree of seriousness. There needs to be a reality check. Things just can't be swept under the carpet especially when those doing all the raping are involved the victims life. Talk about the great big pink elephant in the room!
Although this book had a lot going for it, I just couldn't stomach the rape issue but others might be able to look beyond that and want to see where the author takes this story in the next book. As for me, this is the end of the ride.
June 5, 2015
"God, I was stupid."
Yes. Yes I was. For reading this book.
Bad books come in waves. This is a part of the seemingly endless wave of bad books I keep picking. When will I learn that just because it is a freebie on amazon, that doesn't mean it will be worth reading?
Honestly, compared to some of the reviews I read of this, I feel quite, ambivalent about the entire thing. I thought I would either fall instantly in love with it, or hate it so much I wanted to set fire to it, as so many people have before me...
But I just, don't really know what to think. Overall I think I have a sense of complete and utter confusion.
Sasha (I just had to look up her name, because she is so forgettable that I hadn't even paid enough attention to notice what her name was) was.... what I can best describe as fucking beige. Apparently she is meant to be this "special snowflake" and no one knows why, but I didn't find anything special about her, other than her complete inability to make a smart decision, EVEN to save her life.
Seriously, her inner monolgoue is constantly telling us things like this:
"It had not escaped me that I was doing something so stupid it was life threatening."
And
"Call me crazy - or just plain stupid - but I wanted to join their ranks and push back."
And
"Yes that was the only weapon I could procure, a stinkin' rape whitle."
*facepalm*
The Boss. Look. I kind of want to do him, even though I know barely anything about him, or what he actually is, or why he is somewhow connected to Sasha, or what the fuck, other than lots of rape, is actually happening in this novel.
You know what bothered me the most about this? The lazy way in which the story was told. It was so irritating, I wanted to tear my eyeballs out. Stefan (i.e The Boss) never actually tells Sasha his name. Never. Not once. She doesn't even hear anyone else call him by his name. SO HOW DOES SHE KNOW HIS NAME IS STEFAN?
Simple things like this, along with editing errors that clearly slipped through the cracks and weird words that were thrown in and seemed completely out of place in the book, made this a very strange and frustrating read.
I will leave you with this amazingly strange sentence, this is a direct quote:
"Darla reached forward, her eyes closed, her face one of bliss, and clutched onto him, scraping those sexy nipples off of his chest."
SHE JUST DID WHAT TO HIS NIPPLES? WHERE ARE HIS NIPPLES NOW? DOES HE STILL HAVE NIPPLES?
I will not be reading the next book, so I guess I will never find out.
1 Star.
January 12, 2023
Who knew Vampires could be so funny?
I liked this book much better than I expected. The plot centers around Sasha, a former foster kid who has always been able to see people in the shadows that nobody else can see. When she finally comes face to face with some of these people she finds that they are a race that the Vampire legends were created from. She also discovers there is Magic and that she has some. I liked the story, the raunchy humor and the characters. I definitely plan to read on!
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I liked this book much better than I expected. The plot centers around Sasha, a former foster kid who has always been able to see people in the shadows that nobody else can see. When she finally comes face to face with some of these people she finds that they are a race that the Vampire legends were created from. She also discovers there is Magic and that she has some. I liked the story, the raunchy humor and the characters. I definitely plan to read on!
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May 11, 2017
I am shocked at how surprisingly awesome this book was. Either I'm tried or this book is really good. Perhaps both. Or Into the Darkness was just right for me to read at that time. Sasha was also awesome and kinda funny. Her boyfriend, Jared was a weak man and Stefan was hot. Charles was adorable, he was like a little horny teenager! Can't wait to read next one!
Rate: 3.5/4 stars.
Rate: 3.5/4 stars.
January 28, 2020
I'm flabbergasted.
I loved - five star for three books love - the first books in her Fire and Ice Saga. The writing changed a bit and the story focus lost storyline with her follow-up to that series and went more to Paranormal Romance land versus Urban Fantasy and mystery, but the books were still good. The last two in that same series weakened further into PNR with little plot and some YA feel, but passable.
This though? This isn't paranormal romance. It is complete, rushed, unrealistic, enraging Erotica. I think that either the author writes books I love with only one character only and those three books were a fluke, or it's just her PNR I don't enjoy.
But this?
Destiny, longing, sex come right away, and not just with the eventual 'hero'. I say hero lightly here.
The cheesiness with the insta-lust is awful enough, not to mention no plot since it's erotica, but the real kicker is the huge theme of rape throughout the book.
It may not be called rape and the author may not consider it so, but it's incredibly rapey. This race walks up to people and makes them have sex with them by magically drugging them and laughing about it. Her sweet boyfriend has this happen to him several times - as a straight man he's magically drugged into sex with men.
An actual written point when going to get this poor guy from an apartment again:
"Charles ushered him in, hitting him with a good dose of pheromones to loosen him up. Human males had the propensity to scream with their first experience with other men. They really needed to relax and just let the good times happen. Which was exactly what Charles was helping him do with the Dose."
Seriously, what the hell? How is this okay in a PNR or any book where these are NOT considered to be the villains of the story??
Not only is this poor guy and his roommate sexually assaulted, she finds Jared later by hearing his screams through a door while a woman is raping him this time. The reason he's screaming? They are letting his fear and pain be released to turn them on further instead of just happily "Dosing" him this time in a large group that is watching.
And yes, Dosing is always written as a capital D. Like a drug. A Date rape drug but it's magic so it's supposed to be okay?
It wouldn't be as bad if this was a small group of corrupt souls in this group Sasha is getting involved with - but no, everyone is okay with this happening. It's all said because humans are so weak and easy to influence. Our weakness to their magical seduction powers make it okay to do this kind of thing. Yeah, this isn't like the power balance of rape at all...
Even the hero doesn't really care about what happens to Jared. He mentions how superior their race is often, of course. All they do is walk around having sex with each other. When Sasha mentions this he brings up that the human race is just as obsessed with sex - yeah, we are not like this group - maybe some rotten apples, but not every one in the gene pool (thankfully!)
And finally when Sasha has sex with the guy she wakes up feeling sore and having no idea they had sex because he did it when she only half conscious.
I can't even....
To end this review and my outrage, when she's talking to Charles about how they get their money, he casually says they get humans attached to them and have them leave their money to them in their wills when they die. Basically, they deprive the human of leaving the money to their families, children, charities, spouses --- because we're so easy to con out of our money as well as our body, and that's fine in this book.
I will continue her Regan series because it's nothing at ALL like this, but needless to say, I won't be continuing this series. It will be hard to forget only because of my disgust at it.
I loved - five star for three books love - the first books in her Fire and Ice Saga. The writing changed a bit and the story focus lost storyline with her follow-up to that series and went more to Paranormal Romance land versus Urban Fantasy and mystery, but the books were still good. The last two in that same series weakened further into PNR with little plot and some YA feel, but passable.
This though? This isn't paranormal romance. It is complete, rushed, unrealistic, enraging Erotica. I think that either the author writes books I love with only one character only and those three books were a fluke, or it's just her PNR I don't enjoy.
But this?
Destiny, longing, sex come right away, and not just with the eventual 'hero'. I say hero lightly here.
The cheesiness with the insta-lust is awful enough, not to mention no plot since it's erotica, but the real kicker is the huge theme of rape throughout the book.
It may not be called rape and the author may not consider it so, but it's incredibly rapey. This race walks up to people and makes them have sex with them by magically drugging them and laughing about it. Her sweet boyfriend has this happen to him several times - as a straight man he's magically drugged into sex with men.
An actual written point when going to get this poor guy from an apartment again:
"Charles ushered him in, hitting him with a good dose of pheromones to loosen him up. Human males had the propensity to scream with their first experience with other men. They really needed to relax and just let the good times happen. Which was exactly what Charles was helping him do with the Dose."
Seriously, what the hell? How is this okay in a PNR or any book where these are NOT considered to be the villains of the story??
Not only is this poor guy and his roommate sexually assaulted, she finds Jared later by hearing his screams through a door while a woman is raping him this time. The reason he's screaming? They are letting his fear and pain be released to turn them on further instead of just happily "Dosing" him this time in a large group that is watching.
And yes, Dosing is always written as a capital D. Like a drug. A Date rape drug but it's magic so it's supposed to be okay?
It wouldn't be as bad if this was a small group of corrupt souls in this group Sasha is getting involved with - but no, everyone is okay with this happening. It's all said because humans are so weak and easy to influence. Our weakness to their magical seduction powers make it okay to do this kind of thing. Yeah, this isn't like the power balance of rape at all...
Even the hero doesn't really care about what happens to Jared. He mentions how superior their race is often, of course. All they do is walk around having sex with each other. When Sasha mentions this he brings up that the human race is just as obsessed with sex - yeah, we are not like this group - maybe some rotten apples, but not every one in the gene pool (thankfully!)
And finally when Sasha has sex with the guy she wakes up feeling sore and having no idea they had sex because he did it when she only half conscious.
I can't even....
To end this review and my outrage, when she's talking to Charles about how they get their money, he casually says they get humans attached to them and have them leave their money to them in their wills when they die. Basically, they deprive the human of leaving the money to their families, children, charities, spouses --- because we're so easy to con out of our money as well as our body, and that's fine in this book.
I will continue her Regan series because it's nothing at ALL like this, but needless to say, I won't be continuing this series. It will be hard to forget only because of my disgust at it.
January 23, 2020
Spoilers ahead, 1.5*
Now this is what you get for reading an author's back catalogue without checking reviews because you enjoyed a few of their books!
So.......
Author I didn't need
The most asinine and ridiculous description of vampires and the bad guys I've EVER read
Sex between the h and her boyfriend
Sex between other random characters
Sex with the H and OW
To know that the clan members have sex with each other without protection in hopes of procreation
Secondary characters who act like horny teenagers
Sex with the boyfriend and the vamps while he's under the influence of their pheromones
A weird and mildly rapey and definitely cringey sex scene between h and H
To go through the frustration of the H knowing he's got a special connection with the H but him ignoring this knowledge and ignoring her
The h to be a pining idiot with BBS(betraying body syndrome)
An as yet to be understood plot
Then to cap it all off a cliffhanger ending
I mean haven't I been punished enough????
Grrrrrrrrrr a whole lotta mess in this bs
Now this is what you get for reading an author's back catalogue without checking reviews because you enjoyed a few of their books!
So.......
Author I didn't need
The most asinine and ridiculous description of vampires and the bad guys I've EVER read
Sex between the h and her boyfriend
Sex between other random characters
Sex with the H and OW
To know that the clan members have sex with each other without protection in hopes of procreation
Secondary characters who act like horny teenagers
Sex with the boyfriend and the vamps while he's under the influence of their pheromones
A weird and mildly rapey and definitely cringey sex scene between h and H
To go through the frustration of the H knowing he's got a special connection with the H but him ignoring this knowledge and ignoring her
The h to be a pining idiot with BBS(betraying body syndrome)
An as yet to be understood plot
Then to cap it all off a cliffhanger ending
I mean haven't I been punished enough????
Grrrrrrrrrr a whole lotta mess in this bs
January 25, 2014
Not for the the faint of heart or narrow of mind, K. F. Breene weaves a sexy, snarky tale of magical mayhem.
Recommended for: Ages 18+ who aren’t easily offended by sexual situations that may be outside their own personal comfort zones.
First off, let me say that I personally LOVE an author who isn’t afraid to push the envelope and take readers outside of their comfort zone. Couple that with a strong sense of sarcastic wit and humorous dialog, and you’ve got K. F. Breene. This was my first Breene title, but it certainly will not be my last.
Breene gracefully puts her characters through hell, with an outstanding unique style. Her protagonist Sasha is strong and adaptable without being bitchy as we watch her evolve before our eyes from being secure in her insecurities to taking her destiny by the horns. Oh, and did I mention it’s STEAMY? Sorry ladies, but this is NOT for the under 18 crowd. These shadow beings are purely and potently sexual. Its their nature, like any other predator, and they act indiscriminately, a task which Breene handles beautifully and maturely, addressing it for what it is, without over sensationalizing or being outlandishly graphic.
I read this in record time considering my presently hectic schedule. I could. not. get. enough. If you’re anything like me, you will be salivating for the sequel.
Recommended for: Ages 18+ who aren’t easily offended by sexual situations that may be outside their own personal comfort zones.
First off, let me say that I personally LOVE an author who isn’t afraid to push the envelope and take readers outside of their comfort zone. Couple that with a strong sense of sarcastic wit and humorous dialog, and you’ve got K. F. Breene. This was my first Breene title, but it certainly will not be my last.
Breene gracefully puts her characters through hell, with an outstanding unique style. Her protagonist Sasha is strong and adaptable without being bitchy as we watch her evolve before our eyes from being secure in her insecurities to taking her destiny by the horns. Oh, and did I mention it’s STEAMY? Sorry ladies, but this is NOT for the under 18 crowd. These shadow beings are purely and potently sexual. Its their nature, like any other predator, and they act indiscriminately, a task which Breene handles beautifully and maturely, addressing it for what it is, without over sensationalizing or being outlandishly graphic.
I read this in record time considering my presently hectic schedule. I could. not. get. enough. If you’re anything like me, you will be salivating for the sequel.
September 24, 2015
and here I am again back to vamps and their sexappeal!
well, in this book vamps are like a totally "different spieces" living amongst humans cause they are humans alike but only faster, stronger and very sexually liberated...
yes, you heard me right! They have as much as sex as possible and with as many partners as possible due to their "gifts", since everyone has a different dose of pheromones that "enchants" humans/enemies in order to keeping them subdued...
(so, yeah, vamps can fuck you sensless all the time and you'd be in a haze until they wipe away your memories...now, well that is some situation we have here, let me tell you...)
the story
Ok, so we have a young woman in college that can actually see them - the "shadows" as she calls them and she is attracted to them by sense...but their "powers"/sex or other pheromones don't work on her...and since she can't stay away from them without staying away from the troubles that come along with her (cause, of course, she has "magic" too but she's unaware of it, and that magic attracts evil demons that want her in her ranks...interesting)
and the one attracted to her the most and she to him is the "Boss" himself (honestly, I couldn't keep away the image of Bruce Springsteen from my mind hence he's the most familiar Boss, hahahhaa) - the leader vamp Stefan...who needs to figure out who she actually is and to put under control his own pull towards her...
this was fast and interesting...
although my mind was swirling with all the description of the evil demons and action I ended up with mixing colors in a huge blueish bulb....bwahahhaha "facepalm"
February 11, 2014
I'm kind of left speechless; it started well, and then...?!? The basic idea is based around a Black Dagger Brpotherhood type community of hunky sex obsessed warriors, unseen by the average human and in the middle of a clan/ territorial power struggle. Sascha, who has been seeing things in the shadows her whole life, thinks she is being followed by a hunky mysterious shadow man. This turns out to be true when he saves her from danger while out on a date with her nerdy boyfriend Jared. This is an 18+ (which incidentally doesn't sit well with the ages of the protagonists.)
So why the one star? Bizarely the first 10 or so pages were cliched but smoothly written, then it switched styles. It felt like the opening was produced and polished in a writing class and then the author went on to continue the novel on their own. Being a UK reader I struggled with the idea of 'school' going US kids - it felt like Sascha and Jared were 17. And then we plunged straight into a sex scene. There for me was the first problem: this pair should be firmly trapped within the pages of a YA novel with sex hinted at behind closed doors. But that wasn't the end of it;
Having said that, if you want a humorous/bizarre rewrite of a BDB scenario you might like it and its currently free on Amazon -so I guess all you lose by trying it is a couple hours of your life but you do get a cute cover. If you're after a snarky heroine I'd go for Zara Laine in Skyla Dawn Cameron's Bloodlines: Sex obsessed males with permanent erections are thin on the ground but you get a much stronger storyline.
So why the one star? Bizarely the first 10 or so pages were cliched but smoothly written, then it switched styles. It felt like the opening was produced and polished in a writing class and then the author went on to continue the novel on their own. Being a UK reader I struggled with the idea of 'school' going US kids - it felt like Sascha and Jared were 17. And then we plunged straight into a sex scene. There for me was the first problem: this pair should be firmly trapped within the pages of a YA novel with sex hinted at behind closed doors. But that wasn't the end of it;
Having said that, if you want a humorous/bizarre rewrite of a BDB scenario you might like it and its currently free on Amazon -so I guess all you lose by trying it is a couple hours of your life but you do get a cute cover. If you're after a snarky heroine I'd go for Zara Laine in Skyla Dawn Cameron's Bloodlines: Sex obsessed males with permanent erections are thin on the ground but you get a much stronger storyline.
dnf-too-early-to-mark-it-read
September 23, 2025No one is acting like a normal being
The humans are too casual about all the non-con being done to them (M/M only so far) and the vampires are not freaking out enough about the only human (heroine) who can not only see them but maybe even fight them?
The writing is messy and hard to understand.
It's also way too full of unrelated sex scenes. It even starts with the heroine sleeping with her college boyfriend.
I'm stopping @ 15% into the "Books 1-4 box set"
The humans are too casual about all the non-con being done to them (M/M only so far) and the vampires are not freaking out enough about the only human (heroine) who can not only see them but maybe even fight them?
The writing is messy and hard to understand.
It's also way too full of unrelated sex scenes. It even starts with the heroine sleeping with her college boyfriend.
I'm stopping @ 15% into the "Books 1-4 box set"
November 23, 2015
I could not finish this. It was an incredibly clichéd romance i.e. lust at first sight and all that. And of course I'm not cool with sex that's not consensual. Using magical means to make someone want sex does not mean that actually wanted it. It's disturbing that the main character is not disturbed by this when this tactic is used on her sexually immature boyfriend.
August 18, 2019
This is the book that started me on my journey with KF and I absolutely love her work. This book is a paranormal fantasy story that will leave you wanting more. The story is clever and unique and the characters are to die for and you will fall in love with them.
If you don't have a read you will certainly be missing out on something great.
If you don't have a read you will certainly be missing out on something great.
May 6, 2023
Though I still have some niggles with this book around who bangs who and consent, I enjoyed the idea behind it and the slightly different take on vampires. There's also some smoking chemistry and Charles is funny too.
Read
September 26, 2022This is another booktok rec. Well, the author was so I went to old faithful (amazon) and read some reviews. Like ya do. One review in particular caught my eye because the person was going on and on about how amazon had blocked their review several times because (they supposed) of the references to sexiness which occurred in the book.
Nuff said.
Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!
You know how some people have a foot fetish while others are, like, NOPE?
This is one of those times. Because if this book is "sexy" then... you know what? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS FOR ME!
But I feel like it ain't good. Simply because in my opinion this is like half a chili pepper spicy. On a scale of 5 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Half of one of those is the best I can do. And I feel like that's me being generous.
However, I am sort of caught up in the romance storyline despite the quasi-bad writing. Not sure I can stick it out 9 books. Because 9. But anything is possible and I'm in it for the sequel at least.
Nuff said.
Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!
You know how some people have a foot fetish while others are, like, NOPE?
This is one of those times. Because if this book is "sexy" then... you know what? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS FOR ME!
But I feel like it ain't good. Simply because in my opinion this is like half a chili pepper spicy. On a scale of 5 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Half of one of those is the best I can do. And I feel like that's me being generous.
However, I am sort of caught up in the romance storyline despite the quasi-bad writing. Not sure I can stick it out 9 books. Because 9. But anything is possible and I'm in it for the sequel at least.
March 4, 2014
This book contains sex - consensual & non. It contains M/M scenes which are minor (and not in depth) but could cause issues with people as they are all non consensual.
More review to come later.
More review to come later.
March 16, 2014
The best thing about this book is the cover. I hate to tell others that their opinion of a book is wrong, but in this case I will. All those 4 and 5 star reviews are whacked out.
To call this a romance is something I can't do. Yes, it's definitely about vampires but there's nothing sexy about it. Dubious consent for the "heroine" at least once. Her poor boyfriend is raped at least three times that I can remember and her boyfriends roommate is raped and killed. Just when you think we are going to find out what the heroine actually is (not fully human, in other words), the story takes off in a different direction. And last but not least, an ending that leaves you hanging. Not quite a cliffhanger, but definitely no resolution.
For me, I can't get past the repeated rapes in this book. Some other reviewers complimented the story, saying it was gutsy to take the story into uncomfortable waters. I'm sorry but RAPE is never gutsy.
Author I commend you for putting your work out there to be criticized, and I loved the cover, but that's all I can give you.
1 star/F
To call this a romance is something I can't do. Yes, it's definitely about vampires but there's nothing sexy about it. Dubious consent for the "heroine" at least once. Her poor boyfriend is raped at least three times that I can remember and her boyfriends roommate is raped and killed. Just when you think we are going to find out what the heroine actually is (not fully human, in other words), the story takes off in a different direction. And last but not least, an ending that leaves you hanging. Not quite a cliffhanger, but definitely no resolution.
For me, I can't get past the repeated rapes in this book. Some other reviewers complimented the story, saying it was gutsy to take the story into uncomfortable waters. I'm sorry but RAPE is never gutsy.
Author I commend you for putting your work out there to be criticized, and I loved the cover, but that's all I can give you.
1 star/F
May 23, 2024
I've been reading two of Breene series at the same time. This is her first series and it shows. The writing is not stellar and the plot is quite ridiculous. The characters were fun though and the atmosphere got pretty hot. The plot announced all kinds of kinky stuff but the whole thing was quite traditional. There were some scenes at the limit of consensuallity but not something unseen with vampires.
January 21, 2022
I've been promising myself I would re-read this series for over a year now. The first time I read it I wasn't writing reviews on here, I knew I had enjoyed this story - why else would I have bought the rest of the series and other books by the author? However exactly why I'd enjoyed it, and whether it would live up to my fuzzy memories, remained to be seen.
I was quite surprised when I got to the end of Into the Darkness, it felt as though we had only just dipped our toes into this strange world found within the shadows of our own. What didn't surprise me was that I couldn't put the book down and was thoroughly caught up by this fast-paced and entertaining story. The only thing Sasha truly knows is that the men in the shadows truly do exist and she might just have found somewhere she can fit in. I adored her, she has a heart of gold and a strong moral streak. Somewhat crumpled around the edges and desperate for someone to love her, though not in a needy way, Sasha utterly stole my heart. Stefan is a brooding menace of a man (or his species equivalent) but one who will defend Sasha with his very life, so he's pretty ok in my book too.
I both felt and believed in the powerful attraction between our two protagonists. More than mere chemistry, this felt like a fated-mates bond, a connection forged beyond destiny and time. However Sasha is already spoken for and Stefan is fighting the attraction with every fibre of his being, so we only get one truly hot and heavy sexy time to enjoy. Fingers crossed that the next book will have more bedroom shenanigans for our reading pleasure.
I have a massively soft spot for Charles, he's like a very annoying younger brother crossed with a horny dog that wants to procreate with virtually anything that moves. I can't wait to see more of him in future books. I'm also looking forward to finding out more about this new world Sasha has stumbled into.
Content Warning - There are several scenes of dubious consent, some of them are presented in quite a light-hearted way but were an important part of setting the scene; giving us insight into these people and their world.
I was quite surprised when I got to the end of Into the Darkness, it felt as though we had only just dipped our toes into this strange world found within the shadows of our own. What didn't surprise me was that I couldn't put the book down and was thoroughly caught up by this fast-paced and entertaining story. The only thing Sasha truly knows is that the men in the shadows truly do exist and she might just have found somewhere she can fit in. I adored her, she has a heart of gold and a strong moral streak. Somewhat crumpled around the edges and desperate for someone to love her, though not in a needy way, Sasha utterly stole my heart. Stefan is a brooding menace of a man (or his species equivalent) but one who will defend Sasha with his very life, so he's pretty ok in my book too.
I both felt and believed in the powerful attraction between our two protagonists. More than mere chemistry, this felt like a fated-mates bond, a connection forged beyond destiny and time. However Sasha is already spoken for and Stefan is fighting the attraction with every fibre of his being, so we only get one truly hot and heavy sexy time to enjoy. Fingers crossed that the next book will have more bedroom shenanigans for our reading pleasure.
I have a massively soft spot for Charles, he's like a very annoying younger brother crossed with a horny dog that wants to procreate with virtually anything that moves. I can't wait to see more of him in future books. I'm also looking forward to finding out more about this new world Sasha has stumbled into.
Content Warning - There are several scenes of dubious consent, some of them are presented in quite a light-hearted way but were an important part of setting the scene; giving us insight into these people and their world.
January 29, 2014
4.5 Stars. Not your average Adult,Vampire romance. No sparkles or fangs but plenty of action and excitement. Larger than life characters in the age old battle of good versus evil, but at this stage it's difficult to determine which side is which.The first book in the Darkness series gives a lot of bang for your buck and has me already addicted to the complex storyline. Write faster impatient fans waiting :)
May 11, 2022
The world & species are unique & interesting. The story has potential.
Pet-peeves- Non-consensual sex Cliffhanger ending.
2 star read. Will continue the series.
Pet-peeves- Non-consensual sex Cliffhanger ending.
2 star read. Will continue the series.
January 13, 2022
Meh. I thought there were interconnected stand-alones but it’s clear this romance is going to take forever to develop, i love blood sharing but the writing isn’t good enough for me to sit through that
December 8, 2014
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO SO MUCH! This book starts off very benign feeling almost innocuous in its content. You think the main character may actually be a little nuts. Then BOOM!!! The whole story knocks you and sucks you in and takes you for a steamy ride. Its hot and kinky. Its complicated with someone finding herself and finding out about herself. Hurt feelings, hurt asses, pulsing desires, new species and new cultures all wrapped up in a teeny little bundle of happiness. I LOVE when I can sit in the middle of my job and read between what I am doing and get completely stuck and immersed into a story and THIS did it for me. I had someone come into my cubicle and practically scream in my ear before I was able to come up for air and remember I am at work. Sasha is an amazing smart ass, ass kicking, woman and that is part of what makes her so great. I could literally feel Sasha exude Sass and the angst between the Boss and Sasha. There is humor and sex, magic and demons, Sex crazed vampires that aren’t the normal boring types of vampires and unbelievable mind wipes. The scenes are thorough, detailed and mind blowing. Some of the scenes have the ability to make you squirm in discomfort and others have you fan yourself from the steaminess. You end up smiling with their jokes and hilarious antics and trying to speed read to see what happens next. I have the ebook but will buy the paperback as well. It is simply an awesome book.
Original post at: http://babygotstacks.com/2014/03/09/i...
Original post at: http://babygotstacks.com/2014/03/09/i...
November 8, 2015
4.5 stars!
I love it when I pick up a book not having any expectations and it totally blows me away. INTO THE DARKNESS was one of those books … it blew my socks off! Wow! What a surprise read this turned out to be.
As an orphan, Sasha has grown up on the outside. She’s not popular or a great student, and to top it off, sees people that others can’t—invisible people she calls shadow men. Fortunately, she has her boyfriend who keeps her on track until her life changes one night when these shadow people turn out to be real!
It took me a few pages to get hooked, but once Sasha met the shadow men and their leader, Stefan, I couldn’t put INTO the DARKNESS down. The chemistry between Sasha and Stefan is intense and hot. Although they try to deny their feelings, especially Stefan, the attraction they have for each other is undeniable and builds quickly.
While I loved the romance between Sasha and Stefan, I also thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Breene’s dialogue. Dialogue can be hard to write in a way that’s not stilted or awkward, yet Ms. Breene’s wit and humor had me laughing aloud in places. The banter between Sasha and Charles is just too funny!
I believe Ms. Breene keeps INTO the DARKNESS as a free read, so it was easy for me to give it a try, and I’m glad I did. Great chemistry between the main characters and strong supporting characters, along with excellent world-building and a strong magical premise will keep me reading this series.
I love it when I pick up a book not having any expectations and it totally blows me away. INTO THE DARKNESS was one of those books … it blew my socks off! Wow! What a surprise read this turned out to be.
As an orphan, Sasha has grown up on the outside. She’s not popular or a great student, and to top it off, sees people that others can’t—invisible people she calls shadow men. Fortunately, she has her boyfriend who keeps her on track until her life changes one night when these shadow people turn out to be real!
It took me a few pages to get hooked, but once Sasha met the shadow men and their leader, Stefan, I couldn’t put INTO the DARKNESS down. The chemistry between Sasha and Stefan is intense and hot. Although they try to deny their feelings, especially Stefan, the attraction they have for each other is undeniable and builds quickly.
While I loved the romance between Sasha and Stefan, I also thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Breene’s dialogue. Dialogue can be hard to write in a way that’s not stilted or awkward, yet Ms. Breene’s wit and humor had me laughing aloud in places. The banter between Sasha and Charles is just too funny!
I believe Ms. Breene keeps INTO the DARKNESS as a free read, so it was easy for me to give it a try, and I’m glad I did. Great chemistry between the main characters and strong supporting characters, along with excellent world-building and a strong magical premise will keep me reading this series.
July 24, 2019
Short book I didn’t like where it ended because it didn’t seem like the place you’d end a book.
The story is interesting but takes a bit to get started. The writing is fast paced and written in a sassy snarky way I can get behind and read easily.
The premise of the story, or the actual things they are is a bit fuzzy. I still don’t know what’s going on with Sasha. I have some thoughts about what’s going on but I’m not certain I know or can guess everything.
I do like the book though it’s weird they have this weird pheromone they give off to seduce people? Make it sound questionable in consent but also in some ways they are supernatural beings and not human so they don’t think the way humans do either. Not that it makes it better but yea. Most of the time though it happens with Sasha’s boyfriend Jared. I’m not a fan of Jared’s. He’s too crass, and I usually don’t have a problem with that but he didn’t seem as great as Sasha was pointing him out to be.
I’m excited to see where things go with Stefan, the Boss.
The story is interesting but takes a bit to get started. The writing is fast paced and written in a sassy snarky way I can get behind and read easily.
The premise of the story, or the actual things they are is a bit fuzzy. I still don’t know what’s going on with Sasha. I have some thoughts about what’s going on but I’m not certain I know or can guess everything.
I do like the book though it’s weird they have this weird pheromone they give off to seduce people? Make it sound questionable in consent but also in some ways they are supernatural beings and not human so they don’t think the way humans do either. Not that it makes it better but yea. Most of the time though it happens with Sasha’s boyfriend Jared. I’m not a fan of Jared’s. He’s too crass, and I usually don’t have a problem with that but he didn’t seem as great as Sasha was pointing him out to be.
I’m excited to see where things go with Stefan, the Boss.
April 22, 2018
DNF & 61%.
Safety -
*Shes in a relationship with some guy. Slightly detailed scenes of them having sex. A couple of times.
* Two scenes of the boyfriend getting “raped”. The vamps in this book give off pheromones that make humans want to have sex. Slightly detailed.
* The Hero has detailed sex with one of the candidates that might become his mate. Not overly detailed but More detailed than the heroines sex scenes. This is before him and the heroine got together in any way. Still a no for me.
Way Too much sex with other people in this book. The overly detailed scene with the hero made me quit the book. Which I’m glad I did because I noticed their story doesn’t end with this book it continues in book two. I have no desire to see them with others. The world this author built was interesting and I was enjoying it - just not enough to chance it with the other books.
Safety -
*Shes in a relationship with some guy. Slightly detailed scenes of them having sex. A couple of times.
* Two scenes of the boyfriend getting “raped”. The vamps in this book give off pheromones that make humans want to have sex. Slightly detailed.
* The Hero has detailed sex with one of the candidates that might become his mate. Not overly detailed but More detailed than the heroines sex scenes. This is before him and the heroine got together in any way. Still a no for me.
Way Too much sex with other people in this book. The overly detailed scene with the hero made me quit the book. Which I’m glad I did because I noticed their story doesn’t end with this book it continues in book two. I have no desire to see them with others. The world this author built was interesting and I was enjoying it - just not enough to chance it with the other books.
April 15, 2018
Don't know if it's possible but, second time around I loved it more than the first time I read this.
I first came across the Darkness series,by K.F. Been when Into The Darkness was a freebie in 2015. Back then reviews weren't a thing for me but O.M.G. I loved this book so much.
I remember being so damn into it I immediately bought the available books and didn't come up for air until I was done.
This time around it's basically the same, the humor and banter between Sasha and Charles, the action and sexiness, the love/hate, push and pull relationship between Sasha and Stefan aka Boss, the mystery, and the DAMNED CLIFFY still brought me the same giddy feeling.
It's still one of my favorite books. Highly recommend.
I first came across the Darkness series,by K.F. Been when Into The Darkness was a freebie in 2015. Back then reviews weren't a thing for me but O.M.G. I loved this book so much.
I remember being so damn into it I immediately bought the available books and didn't come up for air until I was done.
This time around it's basically the same, the humor and banter between Sasha and Charles, the action and sexiness, the love/hate, push and pull relationship between Sasha and Stefan aka Boss, the mystery, and the DAMNED CLIFFY still brought me the same giddy feeling.
It's still one of my favorite books. Highly recommend.
May 24, 2017
A bit quick
It's a bit quick but there is lots of mystery and sex so it feels jam packed with excitement. Sasha is an enigma. She is human but more. I loved the hot sizzle that her and Stephen are having, but I feel bad for Jared since he gets put on the crazy ride with her. There are still lots of questions that need answering. Stephen has a jerk side to him but if anyone can handle him, it's Sasha.
It's a bit quick but there is lots of mystery and sex so it feels jam packed with excitement. Sasha is an enigma. She is human but more. I loved the hot sizzle that her and Stephen are having, but I feel bad for Jared since he gets put on the crazy ride with her. There are still lots of questions that need answering. Stephen has a jerk side to him but if anyone can handle him, it's Sasha.
January 24, 2014
I loved this book, the characters and the action and the chemistry. It had an alpha male in it, and the female was also a heroine in it which I liked. There is no mention of book 2 yet and it wasn't a huge cliffhanger but it makes you want the second book to come soon.
April 10, 2015
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one. Intriguing. Kind of odd. Liked the H/h, but didn't care for the other characters at all. Not sure if I'll continue this series. I'm curious, but not dying to know what happens. Hmm...
February 3, 2017
Ho hum. On the fence with this one. It felt a little repetitive considering it was so short. I'll give the next novella a shot because this is a serial and things are still just getting started. I have a feeling I will have preferred this as one full-length novel, though.
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