4 out of 4 stars
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Dark Stranger Revealed by I.T. Lucas is the second book in The Children of the Gods series. After reading a synopsis of the first book I was immediately intrigued and excited to read this book. If you really break down the concept, it sounds like a corny x-rated adult movie idea: An immortal race is trying to survive by finding Dormant humans that may be able to be turned into immortals. Males are the only gender able to produce venom to turn others and the only way to trigger the body to produce venom is through sexual acts (with females) and aggressive acts (with males). Not to mention, the venom serves as an aphrodisiac for women, causing immediate orgasm when injected.
Moving past this very basic concept, there is a whole story taking place. Lucas takes the time to develop the characters' personalities and focuses on far more than just erotic scenes. You learn a little about each character's past. Plus, as you are reading you gain insight into everyone's thoughts, which helps to further develop an understanding of each character's present. This story is well written, organized, and detailed. I think it is an original idea for a romance novel. I have seen plenty of vampire romances, but Lucas' idea takes the legend of vampires and puts a whole new twist on things. These immortals are not evil blood suckers, but a dying race trying to survive by injecting humans in hopes of turning them.
I strongly suggest reading the first book prior to this one. Although I was able to read a synopsis, I still felt very out of the loop when I started this book. Lucas doesn't take the time to recap all that happened in the first book, so the expectation is that the reader already knows what happened. There is a clear connection between Syssi and Kian, much like every other romance novel I had read, but they try to fight the urge to be together for their own reasons. I enjoyed the moments when Kian's sister, Amanda, would have to explain female logic to Kian, who, despite being hundreds of years old, has no understanding of how women think. Not to mention his ability to sense feelings, and still have no idea how to interpret them correctly. I am pretty sure most guys could relate to this feeling.
This book definitely earns 4 out of 4 stars! I will note that it needs another round of proof reading to fix the typographical errors, but compared to other books I have reviewed there were not many to be found. Also, I am perplexed as to why the Table of Contents is at the end of the book. That being said, I was completely hooked from start to finish and did not want to put it down until I was done! I found myself devastated that the story was over already and wanting to read more. Thankfully, Lucas shares that the next book in the series is available on Amazon.
As a romance novel, this book obviously reaches a fairly narrow audience, mostly aimed at women. It is definitely for adults only due to the erotic content and descriptions. I think men could also enjoy this series due to the sci-fi element, action, and suspense. Plus, I feel like Kian's character is pretty easy for men to relate to. Typically, I am not drawn to sci-fi/fantasy romance novels. However, as I mentioned before, I am definitely hooked on this series. The way it is written makes it feel more realistic, less "out there". Anyone that is into this genre of books should definitely take the time to read this book!
A common thread I noticed while reading was the idea of loving someone without questioning that love, or true love. Syssi learns about the immortal race and how their downfall started when a female left her betrothed for a man that she fell in love with. The immortals believe in true love and soulmates. Syssi and Kian both fight their feelings for different reasons, but the reality of that connection is there and they are both hurt by their efforts to fight how they feel.
In a world (or a country) where the divorce rate is 50%, it feels like there is no such thing as a soulmate. I believe that people are looking for someone that completes them, call them a soulmate, true love, or whatever. This is why readers are driven to romance novels where this is a common theme. Reading about the passion and connection between two people that is so pure and so true allows people to escape their reality and enter into a fantasy world where this connection exists. I have yet to read a romance novel where the main characters were "average" and their relationship developed like most "average" relationships. One could argue that romance novels set unrealistic expectations on what romance is like, but the devil's advocate could argue that these novels remind people what love is supposed to be like, not the "love" that we have created. I am excited to read more in the next book to see which side Lucas is on!
I strongly recommend any romance novel enthusiasts to read Dark Stranger Revealed, but make sure you start the series at the beginning with Dark Stranger the Dream, part of The Children of the Gods series by I.T. Lucas. It is a fast-paced romantic fantasy novel that will keep you begging for more!
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Dark Stranger Revealed
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