I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Darkness Revealed
by
Alexandra Ivy
paranormal romance in a paperback edition that was published by Zebra on March 1, 2009 and has 363 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include When Darkness Comes, Embrace the Darkness, Darkness Everlasting, Darkness Unleashed, Supernatural, Blood Assassin
Fourth in the Guardians of Eternity paranormal romance series set in Chicago and revolving around a group of vampires. The couple focus is on Conde Cezar and Anna Randal.
My Take
Gimme a break, the Spanish Cezar has been around for 500-some years and all the Spanish he uses is five words???
While it is fairly obvious what Anna’s fate will be, Ivy does a reasonable job of stretching it out before she lays it on the line. Part of that is due to the sexual tension she is creating between Anna and Cezar while another chunk of tension is Cezar’s unwillingness to tell Anna what’s happening. Poor thing just keeps stumbling along although, having Cezar as a bodyguard ain’t all bad. There is certainly a lot of action and drama right along with the appalling behavior of Morgana.
Okay, how lame is this that Anna can’t use her power to protect herself until she’s practically dead? I know it’s usual fictional practice to exaggerate for a better story, but Ivy really goes above and beyond with Morgana le Fay.
I so do not blame Anna for being incredibly irked. People, things, whatever, just keep popping in on her with no courtesy at all. Bad guys, good guys, spirits, whatever. I do love what Anna does/says to the Commission…go, Anna! They are such jerks and certainly don’t have any people skills. How can they possibly be surprised when Anna is afraid of them???
Good realization: “Magic isn’t evil, it isn’t good. It is whatever, however, its wielder uses it.”
It goes right along with why Anna is so perfect for her destined role.
The Story
Anna Randal is torn between her intense attraction for Conde Cezar and her knowledge of his true nature. And what he did to her almost two hundred years ago. Damn it. She’s managed to elude him for all that time…why, oh why, does he have to show up now!?
It’s lucky for Anna that he has shown up as she has no idea what or who she really is. She will need all his help and that of his friends to survive what is coming down.
The Characters
Anna Randal was a poor cousin almost two hundred years ago. Now, she’s decided to use her unexpected immortality to help the less fortunate.
Conde Cezar used to be a carefree rake hopping in and out of beds before the Oracles took issue with his antics. He’s spent almost the past two hundred years doing their bidding. Not a fate he would wish on anyone. Styx is the king of all vampires, the Annaso. And he’s angrier than all get out at the Oracles. Darcy is his werewolf mate (see Darkness Everlasting). Levet is a miniature French gargoyle with a fine taste for food and its preparation. Viper is a local vampire with a Chicago kingdom of businesses; his mate is Lady Shay (Embrace the Darkness). Dante (vampire) and Abby (goddess) also play a part (When Darkness Comes; the best in this series, IMO). Jagr is a vampire recluse who strongly prefers his isolation in his library researching history to interacting with anyone. This obviously means that we’ll be seeing Jagr starring in his own story at some point.
The Oracles, a.k.a., the Commission, are the top of the heap when it comes to judgments, laws, what thou shalt do at the drop of a hat! They certainly need to learn manners! I don’t care where someone falls in a power structure, consideration for others is also powerful. Siljar is one of them.
Troy, Prince of Imps, is forced to obey Morgana although he can interpret those orders to suit his preferences.
Sybil Taylor is a shark of an amoral lawyer who has a twin, Clara. Who just happens to be hiding an even deeper secret. Morgana le Fay, bitch Queen of Fairies, has been spent centuries hunting down and killing Arthur’s descendants. Anything to spite the prophecy. Modron is a powerful seer who has managed to survive Morgana. King Arthur may be dead, but he’s not out of the game.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a gradient of black melting into purple into lilac and finally yellow around Conde’s eye. Any resemblance to a bruise is probably not intentional! It is well done, though. It’s only Conde’s eye with his lashes and brow that are visible in the lightest tones with a hint of tree shadows between him and the blackness.
I suspect the title is the Darkness Revealed as Anna learns of the truth of her life since Conde bit her, as the fairies hunt her, as the Oracles reveal themselves.
