3.5 stars— DARK INHERITANCE is the fifth and final instalment in Charlotte Byrd’s contemporary, adult DARK INTENTIONS romantic, suspense serial focusing on businessman/assassin Dante Langston, and journalist/receptionist Jacqueline Archer. DARK INHERITANCE should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events and cliff hanger of book four DARK TEMPTATIONS
NOTE: If you have not read the previous instalments, there may be spoilers in my review.
SOME BACKGROUND: Jacqueline Archer’s mother needed a life saving procedure, and our heroine needed a quick influx of cash. On the recommendation of her best friend Allison, Jacqueline applies for an exclusive membership to the $ex club Redemption, where she will meet businessman Dante Langston. This is their story.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Dante and Jacqueline) and several third person perspectives DARK INHERITANCE picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book four DARK TEMPTATIONS.Dante Langston’s father has resurfaced following a life of crime, and with it everyone he loves is now in danger. Not wanting to place Jacqueline in the direct line of fire, Dante and Jacqueline go their separates ways, never forgetting about the love they left behind but Dante’s father has plans to retaliate against the people he believes have done him wrong, and in this Jacqueline will find herself reunited with the man that calls to her heart. Years will pass, Dante and Jacqueline will move on with their lives together , start a family, and look forward to their own happily ever after but the past, once again, resurfaces, and with it betrayal from a familiar but not surprising source.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline’s brother Michael has ‘returned from the dead’, and continues to ask forgiveness from the sister whose heart he broke months before but Dante is in desperate need of help, and a debt owed must be paid by Jacqueline’s brother.
DARK INHERITANCE is an intriguing story that closes several open ended plot points involving a number of secondary and supporting characters. We learn about the depth of betrayal, and the truth behind Dante’s father’s ongoing troubles and ‘desire’ to run, as well as Dante’s brother’s Lincoln marital woes, and growing family. Jacqueline and Dante spend a large portion of the story line apart, each moving forward without one another but once reunited, the story line skips several years wherein our couple look to the future, all the while, continuing to look behind. The slow building premise is captivating but felt rushed to the finish; the characters are impassioned; the romance is intense-the $ex scenes are limited .