In the Darkest Night

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques Farran lives a life of fear after barely escaping the cruelty of her Tàireil family with her life. She also hides from the enemies of her kind, the Gineal, in fear of the reprisal they will take for her role in the near death of their Dragon Mage (see Edge of Dawn). As if that wasn't enough, she also has a demon hunting her and a strange new enemy she has never known before. The only chance she has of survival is to throw herself upon the mercy of her former best friend, Shona's, trouble shooter husband Logan. What Farran gets is Logan's twin Kel, a Gineal man battling with his own personal nightmares. Kel Andrews is in agony. He is suffering severe PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome) after being imprisoned and brutally tortured by the Tàireil. He experiences horrific nightmares almost daily that are slowly destroying him. When he shows up at his brother's house in search of some peace, he finds Farran, one of the Tàireil, desperately seeking protection. Kel reluctantly agrees to help her, especially when he discovers the odd calming effect she has on his suffering. Soon Kel and Farran find themselves caught in a battle between various enemies wanting Farran and Kel dead. As they race against time to find a way to defeat their previously unknown enemies, they find healing with each other. But is the growing love between them enough to slay their worst demons, In the Darkest Night? I had been really looking forward to reading Kel's story, especially since I knew from the end of Edge of Dawn that Farran would be his mate. I have had many instances over my years of reading when I fell in love with a secondary character or two, but the deep pain Kel and Farran were fighting touched me deeply and I wanted so much for them to find their own happiness. Here in In the Darkest Night, we have their story! Kel and Farran desperately need each other, even more than they realize. Yet they are absolutely terrified at what would happen when they gave their hearts and souls to one another. Both have been through severely abusive circumstances, different though they may have been, and this has changed them at their very cores. Watching them slowly come together, only to have something push them apart before they could come back to one another makes for an incredibly beautiful story. In the Darkest Night is the perfect title for this novel as it speaks to so much of what we find between the covers. Both Kel and Farran are at very dark places in their minds and they need each other to provide the light to break through. This book is very gritty, really reaching deep into those bleak places in our couple's souls. There are some explicit torture scenes we see through Kel's nightmares, discovering just what he went through during his imprisonment. Patti never crosses the line into unacceptable range, and she never uses these scenes except when necessary for us to really understand how much Kel suffered. She also balances i

Best book she's ever written, I can *NOT* wait to see what she comes up with next!

I've been waiting for Kel's story since Edge of Dawn was released. I found him such a fascinating character in the previous book, I was a little worried he wouldn't hold the same fascination for me in his own story. Often times I've found that when I really want to read a secondary character's romance, when the story actually arrives I'm left feeling disappointed and/or let down. Thankfully that wasn't the case in Darkest Night. Kel was just as complex and fascinating and yes-- HOT!! as he was in the previous book. I loved getting to know the reason behind his behavior in Edge of Dawn. The heroine, Farran was every bit as wounded and raw in her way as Kel was in his. It was great to watch these two step past their pasts and learn to trust each other. Patti O'Shea really does excel at bringing her characters, step by step, through the darkness and into the light and this book is no exception. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for the perfect combination of action, characterization and romance. You won't be disappointed.

In Seattle, novice mage Farran hides from her family the Taireil and more so from the Gineal who want them dead. However, she knows she is fortunate to remain alive after Seth the demon attacked her. Farran needs help so she asks exiled Gineal Kel Andrews to keep her safe. Kel has issues having barely survived being a tortured hostage. He sees Farran like a sister struggling against a world of maliciousness as he suffers nightmares from his captivity. As they fall in love, danger mounts from paranormal and human enemies, and almost as perilous their personal fears. The latest Light Warrior romantic urban fantasy (see In the Midnight Shadows and Edge of Dawn) is a terrific action-packed thriller that opens with a powerful setting the background scene with references to Crest gel for instance to counter balance Seth. The story line is fast-paced throughout, but accelerates when the heroine faints at the doorstep of the hero. The sub-genre audience will be enthralled with Patti O'Shea's latest Light Warrior battling In the Darkest Night. Harriet Klausner

I've read all of Patti O'Shea's books and enjoyed them, but she's really outdone herself this time. With In the Darkest Night she's created two of the most compelling, wounded characters I can remember reading in ages. I ached for Kel and Farran, and I don't normally react that strongly to fiction! I absolutely couldn't put this book down and was sad to see it end. A MUST READ!!!