LIGHT WARRIORS BOOK 4: IN THE DARKEST NIGHT
Patti O’Shea
ISBN: 978-0-7653-6170-7 (Mass Market Paperback)
B003E74BJW (Kindle eBook)
April 2010
Tom Doherty Associates, LLC/Tor Books
Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy
Paranormal Romance/Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback

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 it out by providing many light moments as well.

I was especially intrigued by our new mystery characters of In the Darkest Night. I don’t want to go into any detail to spoil the story for anyone, but these new beings are quite fascinating. I had a few different ideas of who and what they were. Let’s just say, I was spot on in a few of my guesses, and way off the mark on a few others. Yet this only added to my enjoyment of the story as I tried to solve that little mystery.

One thing is absolutely certain after finishing In the Darkest Night. Patti O’Shea is at the top of her game and there’s no telling where she will take us next on this adventure with the Light Warriors. I look forward to seeing what will come in the next book.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2010. All rights reserved.

Reviewed By:

I have been reviewing since 2001 and got started on it completely by accident. That accident turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I discovered a hobby I thoroughly enjoy and an outlet for my opinions about the books I love... or love to hate. Now I don't think I'll ever stop! I live in the DFW area with my three "children" of the four-footed and furry variety, Sheba, Aker, and Amun, affectionately known as cats. I work as an environmental contractor for the Army Reserves, a job I've had since 1997 in which there is never a dull moment and no two days are the same.

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