needed more suspense. ( )

Meriel Owen knows her place in the world, she's going to be the next leader of her local witches group. She's asked to look into a local nightclub owner who appears to be using magic and when they meet sparks fly.
They're well suited but another group are hunting witches and one of them is his mother.
I liked the characters and the world felt quite real. ( )

I enjoyed the romance, but the world-building was oddly confusing given how simple the concept is. Would have been better overall with more skillful writing --- awkward word order, missing pronouns, and constant head hopping led to a lot of unnecessary confusion. ( )

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Sexy, sweet and steamy paranormal romance with two very lovable characters, great start up to a new world of witches, but confusing dialogue and a slow start to the real action may turn some readers away.

Opening Sentence: Meriel sat, taking notes as her mother spoke from the head of the table.

The Review:

Meriel Owen is a powerful witch but she has the potential to have a lot more power after she meets her bond-mate. Meriel has no idea that she will find that mate in Dominic Bright. Mr. Bright is also a witch and he has no idea how powerful he can be. He has been stealing power from Meriel’s “clan” of witches to protect his nightclub, Heart of Darkness. Their first meeting together is filled with sexual tension and their chemistry just drips off the page.

True witches are being hunted by mages and turned witches for their magick. Witches are being attacked and are disappearing across the country. Meriel and the other witches from Owen have taken it upon themselves to find out who is behind the stealing of magick. They team up with other groups to consolidate their power and learn new spells and wards to protect everyone better. Unfortunately all roads lead to Dominic’s mother being behind the attacks, she has set her eyes on Meriel and Dominic’s power, to take as her own.

The first half of Heart of Darkness is all about the relationship between Meriel and Dominic. Meriel is headstrong, knows what she wants and she will fight for it so she believes in taking it slow between her and Dominic. He needs to get used to what it means to be a bond-mate to someone like Meriel. Their relationship is hot and steamy. Their love for each other really carried throughout the book and kept me hooked to what would happen to them next. The second half of the book is all about fighting off the mages and how it affects Meriel and Dominic’s relationship. Even though attacks are discussed from the beginning of the novel, they don’t really start effecting the plot and action until the second half.

The secondary characters in Nell, Gage and Simon were very entertaining themselves. Nell and Gage are Hunters for the Owen. They protect the witches. Although, Nell has recently been married, I liked her so much I’d like to know what her story is. (Has there already been a short story or novella about Nell and William? I am a new reader to Lauren Dane.) Simon is a sexy werewolf, from the Fae world of Tir Na Nog, thankfully I will get to read more about him in Chaos Burning. I like the attention to these characters and Meriel’s relationship with her mother. Meriel is so intimidated by her mother in the beginning but even their relationship grows by the end of the novel.

The world building is a little confusing in the beginning. Especially learning why some witches are attacking other witches, the differences between magic and magick. Learning about the different groups of witches and why they hate or like each other. As the novel progressed, it became easier to understand this world. I do like the prospect that there are other dimensions to this world but there was no visiting them in this novel.

My only real complaint with the writing is that I had a hard time with the dialogue. I couldn’t follow who was talking in quite a few of the conversations. For me, it wasn’t obvious who was speaking at all times, this could be just a problem I had, but it made me go back and re-read conversations again to try to figure out who said what. It was even more confusing when three or more people were talking. People would jump into the conversation and you could tell it wasn’t who was originally talking but there was nothing saying who the line belonged to or if it did it was acknowledged several lines later, hence the re-reading.

Overall, I like the way Lauren Dane builds up the relationships in this novel and her characters. Heart of Darkness is a beautifully thought out story and I can’t wait to see what is next for this world.

Notable Scene:

“She can’t get in again.” Meriel got in his face, his shirt gripped in her hand. “Listen to me, Dominic. She can’t. Nothing and no one else can. I’m there now. I cut off that bond to her. I cut it off and cauterized it and then I put my own energy there. She can’t get in. You’re not going to go anywhere but home with me.”

“How do you know?” God, he couldn’t bear it, couldn’t bear to think on hurting her. How could she ever trust him again? Would she be scared of him forever?

“Because it’s my spell and your mother is a punk-ass bitch in the magick department. Oh, that’s right.” Meriel was pissed off, he realized. Not upset with him, not afraid of him at all. But murderously pissed off at Gloria Ochoa.

Simon eased back and sat on the corner of the desk as they settled in to watch Meriel.

“I got her number. She’s a fucking amateur wearing a costume of a powerful witch. She will not get in because you are mine and that is that. She can’t best me. Not ever. I am badass, Dominic. I know most people don’t know it, but you better believe it. I will tear her apart when I find her. You can’t bet on that. I. Am. Not. Having. This.”

FTC Advisory: Penguin/Berkley provided me with a copy of Heart of Darkness. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

http://readersedyn.blogspot.com/2011/10/arc-review-heart-of-darkness-by-lauren.h...

Favorite Dialogue:

“I got her number. She’s a f***ing amateur wearing a costume of a powerful witch. She will not get in because you are mine and that is that. She can’t best me. Not ever. I am badass, Dominic. I know most people don’t know it, but you better believe it. I will tear her apart when I find her. You can bet on that. I. Am. Not. Having. This.”

He exhaled long and hard and took her in.

Magnificent.

Glorious.

Righteous.

“I am stupid in love with you.” He moved to her, putting his arms around her. Their magick flared and flowed into the room again. It felt good to be back in synch.

Review:

Heart of Darkness was the first Lauren Dane book I have had the pleasure of reading. This book is a paranormal romance filled with mystery, suspense, romance, and numerous magickal components. The story primarily follows witches Meriel Owen and Dominic Bright. Meriel has been groomed practically since birth to take over her mother’s position as head of the Owen clan. Dominic has been raised outside of clan affiliation and harbors a deep distrust of anything remotely smelling like an invitation to clan membership … until he meets Meriel.

The two meet up when Meriel is instructed by her mother to investigate a drain from an outside source on the clan’s power source, the font. Attraction is instant for both, but Meriel discovers that Dominic is much more than a potential fling. Ever cautious, Dominic is not exactly receptive toward Meriel’s announcement … Dominic and Meriel are bond-mates. Understanding Dominic’s difficulty, Meriel allows Dominic to adjust to her revelation without pressure.

The couple slowly progresses until another unexpected danger looms over their future. Secrets are divulged, lives are endangered and through it all, the Owen clan must take a stand against the threat. But will Dominic be able to set aside his distrust of clan affiliation to aid Meriel and her clan … a woman he has come to care for? Guess you will have to read this fascinating novel to find out. 

Dane does an outstanding job of world building with Heart of Darkness. Oftentimes the first novel (especially in a planned series) can become cluttered with information, leaving the reader in a haze of confusion. Also marvelous is the task of not only introducing characters, but including back stories that enhance the reader’s ability to get to know the secondary cast on a deeper level than merely “supporting character”. The story successfully flows from beginning to end, never letting up on the suspense, romance, and depth of character.

I really enjoyed that Meriel and Dominic’s characters have a chance to evolve past the level they begin at in their magickal confidence. Another fascinating aspect was Meriel’s growth in roles from support within the clan, to leadership. Her personality comes across initially as intelligent, resourceful, and dedicated toward work and the clan. But underneath the cool exterior of Meriel the lawyer, lurks Meriel the badass witch who will do everything within her magickal power to fiercely protect anything or anyone who belongs to her. And Dominic belongs to her. Together they are an unstoppable force. Dane well and truly sucked me into this fascinating escape into the world of the Owen clan.

Heart of Darkness is the first of the Bound By Magick Novel series. Readers are treated to a glimpse of the next installment of the series giving Simon a much needed nudge to leading role from secondary character in Heart of Darkness. I for one am looking forward to reading more about the Owen clan and learning more about the uber-sexy Lycian, Simon. Heart of Darkness releases on November 1, but can be pre-ordered now by clicking the link at the top.

(ARC Book received from a Goodreads Giveaway) ( )