Reviewer: Holly Darkest Heart by Juliette Cross
Series: Dominion #1
Also in this series: Hardest Fall, Coldest Fire
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication Date: August 20, 2018
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Point-of-View: No
Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
Content Warning: View Spoiler »
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Pages: 265
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: Holly's 2021 Goodreads Challenge
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Series Rating:
Anya—a stoic, blue-winged angelic warrior—was bitten by a demon prince in battle, and now she has precious little time to find a cure for his deadly venom. But the only archangel with the power to stop the dark poison from corrupting her body and soul is missing. She’ll have to trust her guide, the outcast high demon Dommiel, who is as handsome as he is dangerous if she has any hope.
An outcast of his own kind, high demon Dommiel stays under cover while the war between angels and demons rages on. When the only person who ever showed him kindness asks for his help, he has no choice but to try to save the angel. Venturing back into the dens he has avoided for so long, Anya makes him want and feel things he never thought possible.
But Dommiel knows there is no way an angel can ever love a demon…
Each book in the Dominion series is a STANDALONE.
Darkest Heart by Juliette Cross is the first book in the Dominion series. I read and enjoyed another novel by Cross, Wolf Gone Wild, and when I found this one on KU I decided to give it a try. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this is a spinoff of another series (which I have no interest in reading). I like that each book in this series features a different couple. I’ve been reading a lot of UF lately, so this was a nice change.
In this apocalyptic world, the war between Heaven and Hell waged quietly for millennium, until the gates opened and battles between angels and demons started raging on Earth. Humans – those who survived – are just trying to find a safe place to exist, while the lines between good and evil blur…
Anya is desperate to find the Archangel Uriel. She is slowly being poisoned by the essence of a demon and Uriel is the only one who can remove it before it turns her into a mindless slave. With the help of a friend, she enlists the aid of High Demon Dommiel to help her locate and rescue Uriel. Anya has always fought on the side of the angels or humans, and has no love for demons, but Dommiel is different. From the beginning they have a deep connection, and he makes her want things she never even thought about before.
Dommiel was once the High Demon of New Orleans. He’s committed a lot of sins since his Fall, and he’s not done yet. He will have Anya, he can’t help himself. Walking away may prove to be impossible, but how can a demon and an angel ever make it work?
Anya used to fight for the angels, but now she and Uriel, along with some others, are fighting for the humans – trying to save them before it’s too late. Dom was betrayed by the one who was closest to him, and he was cast out of heaven, then branded a traitor to demonkind. Now he works as a mercenary, helping the human resistance and others …for the right price.
I walked on, following in her footsteps, letting her take me wherever this path led—to death or to freedom—it didn’t matter. As long as we walked together.
I really liked the world and the way Cross blurred the lines between good and evil. Nothing is black and white, and it’s surprising what allies may be found in the gray shadows. The romance was also well done. I liked watching Dom fall for Anya, and her open up to him. Her faith and trust were given so freely, I couldn’t help but laugh at how he tried to resist..and couldn’t.
This is a dark, gritty novel. All in all, a great start to a new series. I can’t wait to read the next two books (which feature characters I fell in love with here).
Rating: 4 out of 5
Dominion
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