Ever Dark

Ever Dark #5

by X. Aratare

TWO HUMAN EXPLORERS ENTER A WORLD OF VAMPIRES.

Paranormal researchers Christian and Julian discover a hidden world of vampires while searching for Julian’s parents’ murderers. When claimed by their immortal vampire mates, exiled vampire Lord Balthazar Ravenscroft and ancient Vampire King Daemon, the two young men become more than human, but enter a dark world of intrigue, ancient secrets, and deep, possessive love.

A vampire romance with two main couples, many characters, magical powers, and a huge world of vampire culture and mythology.

Genres: Romance, Vampires, Fantasy, M M Romance, Paranormal, Audiobook, LGBT

ebook

First published August 28, 2023

About the author

X. Aratare is the pseudonym for Raythe Reign's Gay(M/M) books.

Reviews

[toointofiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Oh, by the way, King Daemon is real and staying in our House. He often doesn’t wear pants. Yeah, things have been busy with us."

Smut: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

The amount of times I've heard the word 🐓 in this audiobook has to be a new record. Not that I'm complaining. If you're going to write a M/M vampire romance, this is the way to do it. Especially if the couples are as adorable as Julian and Daemon, and Christian and Balthazar. In fact, I hope I hear it a lot more in the next volume.

That being said, as cute and spicy as this volume is, it's a little cringe too sometimes. Although every volume has its healthy dose of sickeningly sweet moments, this one felt a little more. Also, about the audiobook itself, I have two things to say: One, respectfully, the voice actor's voice is too deep to do girl voices, and two, there was a moment when the audio sped up on its own and if it was intentional it sounded a little weird.

Moreover, I do like that even though each volume is fifteen chapters long, there's always a lot going on. Other than the delightful romance, there are also quite a few plot twists. There is one in particular I didn't see coming, especially so soon, and it's always a plus when the plot takes me by surprise.

Lastly, as I've already mentioned in every review of this series, I love these gay vampire boys so much. I know I'm getting repetitive but that's the truth. Also, I don't have anything new to add to it, since all of them are cute and sexy from the beginning of the volume until its last minute/page. Not to mention that I love how both couples have been together almost since the beginning of the series with no stupid third-act breakup in sight. They love each other, they're happy and they are dealing with their problems as a team. How unrealistically beautiful is that? I'm about to get repetitive again, but the bromance between Christian and Julian, and Daemon and Balthazar is as wholesome as it has ever been.

[Ronie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vol 1 interesting another "they came to earth" vampire plot lines

[BeckieLouLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Audiobook. Vampires and humans and love romances and bromances and friendships. Series of nine books with wonderful world building and a large cast of characters. Exceptionally well done character introductions, spaced out and different enough to keep them all straight, narration is with multiple actors, so that helped too. Low angst, low drama, a lot goes right for these characters and they actively try to fix hurts and heal emotional wounds for themselves and each other. Not OTT super sweet, but lots of support and caring. Felt like a mini series or soap opera since there were multiple romances and many different storylines with multiple POV. Really enjoyed the story, kept moving, stayed interesting. Totally binge-able, no tedious recapping. Recommend reading them all together or very close together due to the large cast and many plots, you need to remember who everyone is for the full impact at the end. Must read all installments for the HEA as many end on cliffhangers.

Sounded like there was a spinoff, Vampire Academy, that I would be interested in just to see what the characters are up to.

HEA, series, vampires, humans, m/m, urban fantasy vibes.

[Sugarpop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed where the story is heading in this installment.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't ever wanted this book to end. It is soooooo good🤗

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels like a bit of a climax as the return to Ever Dark truly begins. Now that Balthazar knows who he is and other Immortals are being found, things are also being revealed to the Vampire population as a whole. Daemon is not willing to wait and is pushing forward to reclaim his people, which also means reclaiming those who were there along with him.
There is of course some issues going with Christian and Julian as well. Christian is still trying to figure out his abilities, and it is not something Balthazar can teach him. Reaching out to other houses puts Christian in danger, but not teaching him can have him in danger too. Christian and Balthazar must work this out together. At the same time Julian is dealing with more of the reality of being fledgling to the king. Daemon rules fairly unilaterally, but he rules in a stricter and harsher way that Julian is used to. Questioning these rulings can cause dissent, but not questioning them causing Julian his own levels of distress. Julian and Daemon must work out what this means for their relationship and how to deal with the public and the private.
This book I would say does not actually end on a cliffhanger. The events of this book are well resolved, it is simply larger events that still propel the story forward. There is still more to be done for Vampire-kind, but for now there is an unusual moment of quiet and calmness as the current battle in the overall war has gone well. Things ever march onwards though and more will be done in future books to secure the Ever Dark for all.

[Lucy Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and I especially like how good this author is at blending both serious plot lines, romance, and good humor.

I think one of the things that I really liked to see in this book was the development of Christian as a character especially in regard to his power as Speaker. It was fascinating especially to see how different his power actually is from Kally power even though they are similar and related to each other. I also found it interesting to see how Caemorn is playing an active role in the story. I thought this connection to Christian was interesting especially compared to his connection to Julian.

I really liked seeing the relationships between Daemon and Julian, and Christian and Balthazar develop. I feel like Daemon and Julian have an interesting dynamic especially considering that Daemon is technically not a vampire. That adds some interesting depth to their relationship and also to the way they interact. I really appreciate in Balthazar and Christian’s relationship just how cute they are together. They really rely on each other even though Balthazar sometimes seems like a strong individual I appreciate seeing him a little bit softer with Christian. The spicy level was level 5.

Overall, I would rate this story a 5 out of 5 star. It was super cute, and I really laughed at the ending of this book. I can’t wait for the next one.

[Cee-cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Would I have killed innocents to avenge you?" Daemon's expression was so strange. "I would destroy the whole world if someone took you from me."

What I like about Daemon is that he's a believable immortal. When he delivers lines like that, I can believe it because of how his character has been built up. I really enjoyed this installment of the series.

[He11zbelles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so addicting even tho the level of spice is lower than I’d like. The audiobooks are fantastic! Probably the best cast of 10-12 voice actors in a duet style I’ve ever listened to.

I love Balthazar’s humor and his relationship to Daemon. I also enjoy Daemon’s answer to everything is, “I am King” 😂

[Denise White · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the plot continues off to the next book

[Zahara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Caemorn, my very understood king

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2-3.4/5

[Kiki Pom Pom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 Stars

This rating encompasses my reading of the entire web novel (ch. 1-147) on raythereign.com, and not the individually-released volumes.

(PS. I also read the released chapters of the sequel, Ever Dark Academy (ch. 1-73), from August 12-13, but it does not have its own Goodreads listing. Current rating: 3.5 Stars)

[Precociousp · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fifth book in the series distinguishes itself by delving deeply into the development of leadership amidst a fragmented 'army.' King Daemon faces escalating vampire politics and heightened peril, compelling him to make weighty decisions that alter the trajectory of the entire series.

[Deeena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved almost every character in this book, story was great and interesting. I only missed some more action. Some Daemon saving the day or Julian being hero...... But it was good read ❤️