Short & Sweet Review: Heart of Darkness by Lauren Dane (ARC)

Title: Heart of Darkness

Author: Lauren Dane

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Bound by Magick #1

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages 
Price: $7.99 
Publication date: November 1, 2011


Where did I get it: Advance reader copy won through Goodreads's first reads giveaway. 

Summary (via Goodreads): Someone is illegally siphoning magic from the font of the Clan. When Meriel Owen, next in line to control the largest organization of witches in the country, discovers that it's the hot owner of a notorious underground club, she strokes an unusual deal that may plunge them all into the heart of darkness.

   

 My thoughts: This is the first book that I have read by Lauren Dane. Heart of Darkness is the first book in a brand new series, and I truly enjoyed it. The book follows our main heroine, Meriel Owen who is the next in line to run the Owen witch clan. The book starts out with Meriel’s mother sending her out to investigate a situation in which someone is steal energy from the clan’s source (called the font).  The investigation leads her to the Heart of Darkness’s club owner, Dominic Bright.  From the moment they lay eyes on one another, it’s an automatic chemistry waiting to explode. 

The book is told in the third person narrative and takes place in the city of Seattle.  The main paranormal in this book as mention before are witches, and some other paranormals mentioned are shifters, fae, and Mages. Meriel is a tough and strong character. She’s not afraid to speak her mind or to take charge of a situation. Dominic was a total alpha male from the start, and as the story progress readers see how protective he becomes of Meriel.  The author does a great job in explaining the magic in the novel without making it seem like a learning session.

My only complaint about the book is that it seemed rushed at the end. The beginning of the book had great pacing, but the end seemed like the author was in a hurry to finish it up. A scene where it was meant to be climatic turn out to be so rushed that I almost missed it because there was barely any action. At one point I had to go back and re-read the scene just to make sure I read it correctly. 

Overall a fun witch novel, if you’re looking for a steamy (a lot of graphic scenes) paranormal romance than pick this book up! The next book will feature a different couple but you will probably see the same characters from the first book. Some of Mrs. Dane other characters from her other novels were also mention in this book.