"Because sometimes we just need someone to sit with us in the darkness in the middle of the mess."

Lady of Darkness by Melissa K Roehrich is the first book in the series. It was slow to start but once everything was established moved pretty quickly. It did have similarities to ACOTAR but so do many other books. Sorin quickly grew on me, however, Scarlett felt like she could have split personality with all her personas.

Moving on to book two... ( )

Lady of Darkness by Melissa Roehrich is book one of now completed Lady of Darkness series. This is a new adult, dark fantasy romance. Female main character Scarlett was raised as an assassin but a tragic event one year prior has her locked away in a noble’s household. A new assignment would give her retribution for long ago events but at a cost. Tropes include hate to love, forbidden romance and slow burn. Trigger warnings include sexually explicit material, references to sexual trauma, violence, and jealous/possessive themes.

The Lovely: I love the character of Scarlett. Despite dealing (or rather, not dealing) with hat happened the year before, she’s sassy and self-reliant. She doesn’t back down and knows how to get what she needs. I like her relationships with the male main characters, each are unique and serve her in a different way. And, the story is unique and engaging. So many mysteries and threads of the lore to sort out.

The Mundane: There are A LOT of characters (and lore) to learn and keep up with in his book. Before the change in locale there were in excess of a dozen characters integral to the story and I had to resort to a list of with notes about each person to keep track of what was happening. It was a lot for the first half of the book. Once you get past that though, it’s much smoother sailing.

The Dreadful: newp. none. zip.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Recommendation: Once I realized this book wasn’t actually about an active I was a little worried if I was going to like it. I had a just push through the first of the third book due to the amount (and pace) of the character and lore building. But, I’m glad I stuck with it because I fell in love with the characters, the story and the world/lore. Then the last third of the book is where it really picks up and strap in - you’re in for a ride. This hits the spot beautifully for dark, lush romantic fantasy with a sassy heroine. ( )

4⭐️ 1.5🔥

"Darkness is not a bad thing, Scarlett, but do not let it overtake the stars."

I don't know what's going on but I can't stop reading. You don't know anything at all and it's a bit confusing but you slowly start learning and your questions answered as you go. Wow. This is so good. As you go it just gets better and better!
Sorin is dreamy!
This book was incredibly good. There were crazy plot twists but there were hidden hints of them constantly throughout the book, although you didn't know it at the time. The details of information is staggering! At first (well really the entire time) you have no idea what's going on and it was very confusing because the reader is completely left in the dark while the characters are having cryptic conversations but you have to pay close attention to them because they lead to learning it all later on. The writing is beautifully done. It's honestly very intelligent. I had so many theories throughtout my reading experience! Some were confirmed and others were debunked. And that ending! It leaves you craving for more!
I had emotional reactions. I had to stop reading at one point because I was crying. Another time my heart was racing during an exciting scene.
Appreciate the pronunciations at the beginning of the book. Some spelling errors (not that I care it's just something I noticed on more than one occasion).
3rd person, alternating POV
No explicit smut scenes.

Tropes:
Banter
Slow burn
Love triangle (sort of)
Fated mates
Teacher and Student

Character types:
Fae
Vampyre
Witches
Shifters
Mortals

Below are my SPOILER thoughts and reactions during my reading:

18%: Oh I bet Ryker is a fae. She's gonna do him. Um, not gonna talk about the exploding trees?? Whoa. He's fae. She's fae. And she's apparently very powerful. Is she the weapon? Are they fated mates?
42%: Was her mom the missing fae queen? Well I didn't see Nuri being a vampyre. There's still so much that hasn't been revealed. Not much is being answered but more questions are arising. Her mom was the queen... so she's next in line for the Throne?
61%: How is it that these people have been so close for so long but never noticed each other's true abilities or heritage? Oh bullshit. Mikael is lying. Just to get Scarlett to hate Sorin. Because he's threatened. Wow. Assassin lord is a real piece of work.
83%: Well fuck it's nearly 5 stars now because I'm bawling. Wtf Melissa, this is so heartbreaking. You made her kill her sister! Water must be one of her powers too. Fire and ice and water and shadows maybe? She's been raped and beaten. Mentally, emotionally, and physically tortured. Everything makes sense now. Well what is the prophecy?? Don't leave me hanging! And who tf is that woman? (Eliza) Yeah Sorin, you better save her ass. And Juliette was a witch and Cassius is also a witch. SO MUCH!
100%: Whoa they're connected now? Like mates? Shadows is a power of hers too? 3 powers? Oh damn she's the weapon! Who is the prince... omg I love Sorin 🥰 the constant change between hot and cold is getting annoying.
My. Heart. Is. Racing.
Omg. He's the fucking prince isn't he... holy shit he is! And she's the queens heir and a powerful weapon. She can't hate him. I need her to not hate him. ( )