• Hearts of Darkness

  • A Deadglass Novel, Book 1
  • By: Kira Brady
  • Narrated by: Xe Sands
  • Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (640 ratings)

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Hearts of Darkness  By  cover art

Hearts of Darkness

By: Kira Brady
Narrated by: Xe Sands
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Publisher's summary

In this first novel of a dazzling paranormal romantic trilogy, set in a grisly version of modern-day Seattle, one woman’s courageous search plunges her into a millennia-old supernatural war - and an irresistible passion.

Nurse Kayla Friday has dedicated her life to science and reason. But for her, Seattle is a place of eerie loss and fragmented, frightening memories. Now the only clue to her sister’s murder reveals a secret battle between two ancient mythologies - and puts Kayla in the sights of lethally sexy werewolf-mercenary Hart. He’ll do whatever it takes to obtain the key to the Gate of the Land of the Dead and free what’s left of his soul. But seducing the determined Kayla is putting them both at the mercy of powerful desires neither can control. As the clock ticks down to a hellish catastrophe, the untested bond between Kayla and Hart may lead to the ultimate sacrifice.

Kira Brady graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. She now writes apocalyptic paranormal romances set in a grisly modern-day Seattle.

©2012 Kira Brady (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"In this dazzling debut, Brady blends Norse, Babylonian, and Native American mythology to create a dark and compelling story set in an alternate present day.… This dark paranormal moves quickly to a thrilling finish, setting the stage for the next installment of this irresistible new series." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Working with a completely unique premise, Brady blends mythologies and paranormal elements from different cultures.… In the world Brady brings to life, the characters are fresh and exciting, and the story is fascinating. Dragons and shapeshifters will never look the same." ( RT Book Reviews)

What listeners say about Hearts of Darkness

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A 3.5 star apocalyptic paranormal survival story

This was a dark intense paranormal world-building mythological fantasy with many different shapeshifting supernaturals, ghosts, wraiths and soul sucking demons all living in the underbelly of Seattle without humans knowledge and they battle a hidden war and use each other in the most dangerous and torturous way.

I have mixed feelings about this book - I prefer a bit more romance to my listens however I found this to be a very well written multi-layered complex story (which will appeal to many of you) with some really evil characters that do some wicked acts and even the hero starts off dislikable then slowly changes as he grows to care. Eventually the romance element kicks in as they have to battle together to save themselves - but little do they know that there's a bigger battle coming up that will touch everyone's lives.

Worth a credit? Well it was a very addictive listen but it also left me quite depressed which I don't like (I'm afraid I fall into the ahhhh a delicious listen category) I enjoyed parts but was pleased to eventually finish it and I don't anticipate downloading book 2 so it's a NO - but I'm sure there are plenty of listeners who will be hooked on these types of books.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Pretty decent book but annoying narration

What would have made Hearts of Darkness better?

I had a hard time with the narrator. It's hard for me describe, her reading was kind is shaky & breathy, mostly breathy I guess & the voices she did for most characters all kind of sounded the same. I particularly couldn't stand her men's voices.

Would you recommend Hearts of Darkness to your friends? Why or why not?

Eh, probably not. The book was pretty good, but when I finished I asked myself if I wanted to read the rest of the series & decided on no as my answer. If I didn't like it well enough to continue the series, I'm definitely not recommending it to anyone. There are just much better books to recommend.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Already described above. I downloaded the ebook & enjoyed it MUCH better that way.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Hearts of Darkness?

Hmmm. I can't really thinking of any. There wasn't one that I really thought, "Man, I really could have done without that scene!" I think mostly, I wish sex scenes in books like these were't so graphic.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

A great storyline. Narration was good except for the Scandanavian accent.it was like Dracula

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love!

I love fantasy, so when I can find an urban fantasy book narrated by Xe Sands, I grab it. She is a phenomenal narrator! The story was excellent and I cannot wait to hear the next book. 100% recommend!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic awesome 👌

Xe Sands is the perfect narrator for this awesome story! What a book to get lost in. I can't wait to read the next one!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So good

I fell in-love with the characters in this first book. I can’t wait to hear all their next adventures!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

would recommend

The story was amazing! the narrator kept me hooked! would definitely recommend to friends

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book

Great story. It is a stand alone which I greatly appreciate.
The narrator is exceptional.
I highly recommend this book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heart of Darkness

I absolutely loved 🥰 this audible book it was sad, heartbreaking 💔 but it was also just a great listen !!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

I don't like it.

Maybe 'bad' is the wrong word? It's a romance. I had been looking for one when I started it. I just couldn't get into it. I finished it out of stubbornness but....while there are some decent bits of description and character development, I found the lore was...cluttered. It felt like way too many myths were being shoehorned unnaturally into something cohesive. While most theology nerds can point out parallel myths and traditions between Norse, American Native, and the near east, the whole lore system felt like all the parts that DON'T line up from these faiths were crammed together more for an excuse to write more hot fantasy guys than out of respect for any tradition they were supposed to be based on. It really handicapped my enjoyment of the passionate bits when my brain was trying to figure out why Istar is used instead of Freya for concubines but the chocolate factory is named for Loki...while the werewolf is American? Maybe it's not bad, but I didn't like it.

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