Trial for The Shadow King

Captive of Shadows, Book 2

By: Bailey Dark

Narrated by: Isabella Tugman

Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Our passion burns brighter than the flames of the underworld....

In the last few months, life has gone from complicated, to unimaginable.

Kane says we must go to the mortal realm if we want to keep the tenuous peace between mortals and the God of Death. I’ll show a brave face — but the truth is, I’m terrified. Not just for my safety, but for the safety of the man who’s managed to work his way further and further into my heart.

With the leader of the rogue Nephilim plaguing humanity, it won’t be long before the mortals realize the origin of the dark creature – and seek retribution.

This soulbond has my brooding, infuriating — and far too sexy husband — acting in ways I’d never expect. But I have secrets, and if he discovers them, it may destroy everything we’ve built. I’m supposed to fulfill a vow I made, but this yearning is a delicious temptation that’s becoming harder and harder to resist....

The second book in a brand new series from author Bailey Dark.... Enter the dark, seductive world of Kane, Master of Shadows and King of the Underworld. If you loved the Mated to The Fae King series, get ready for your new obsession!

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©2019 Bailey Dark (P)2020 Bailey Dark

An excellent second book, definitely worth a read!

This review has some spoiler talk, but I personally don't think that it will have an effect on the book if you haven't read it yet. I don't think it will ruin much (since what I bring up is brought up early anyway), but I thought I'd warn you just in case you want to start reading without knowing any extra information ahead of time. If that's the case and you're wondering whether it's worth it, I believe that it truly is. I am loving the series so far, and I recommend it for sure. That being said, it's in no way perfect. There were a few dull spots in the book where I started to get a touch bored with it, but I continued on and it was worth it once the plot gets back on track. It just felt like there were some lulls here and there where I wasn't as interested, but it never lasted long. I do wonder a little bit about whether Briar has a brain in her head at all to think she can actually do what her father set her out to do (spoiler is further down, I won't tell you just yet!), and the fact that everyone around her watches her like a hawk with suspicion makes me wonder even more how she can delude herself and also feels a little unrealistic. It would make more sense to me if Willem (spelling? I have no idea how to spell that one) were to come to trust her just as much as Kane begins to, and I kind of wish he did since it's tiring to hear him trash-talk her constantly, even if he is right about her in some respects (not the useless part though, NEVER that). I did love the character development though, and I'm enjoying how Kane is growing to have actual human feelings due to the soul bond. It makes him not only more likeable as a character but more interesting since he's not as predictable anymore. I never know whether he's going to put on the 'cool and unruffled god of everything' vibe or show his honest emotions to Briar. I also like that Adrien is one of those "love to hate him" guys. He's such a piece of godly garbage that I can't stand to even hear him when he's talking in the book. I hate him, not just because he's mean and manipulative to Briar, but especially because of the way he treats the women in the brothel and likely women in general. He's got serious problems to have such pent-up hate toward women (mommy issues, probably). The small things that I would have liked to be different are as follows: 1. The books are only about 4 hours a piece in length, give or take, which signals to me that they're shorter than they probably needed to be. Yes, we hear some revelations at the end of the first two books, but they didn't feel like they had to be cliffhangers at the end of a book. Not only does it feel greedy on the publisher's part; it also results in way too much of my credits going to the series. I recommend looking closely when you buy because the first two books were less if bought outright (I think the first one was like 10.35 or something) than the price would be per credit ($11 and some change), so I just bought them outright instead of using a credit and spending more money than I needed to. 2. Another issue with the publisher: why does the description of this man on the cover not match the character? Didn't they say in the first book that Kane had shorter hair than this man on the cover does? I'm fairly certain it did. That always drives me insane when I go to read a book, since the image I now have in my head doesn't match. Again, I could be wrong on this but I do not think that I am. 3. This is just my own personal opinion, but I would have loved for this to be a dual narration with a male narrator. Isabella Tugman does a nice job differentiating the voices, but it's just a personal preference that I think would have worked well here, especially with the length of these books and continuous dialogue and especially the inner monologues between the main characters (in their own heads and each others'). It would help a little more, and it's just nice to have a male's voice narrating a strong, alpha type like Kane.. 4. While I like the suspense that comes with the reader being in the dark about certain details, the transformation of our understanding of Briar and her role in things was so quick that it makes me wonder if I'd missed something in the previous book or if it was just that abrupt. I could have missed it before, but when she brings up her role and how she's meant to kill Kane, I wasn't surprised in the slightest by the revelation itself but I was surprised in the manner it was brought up, just a casual thought about it in her head being the first I remember hearing about it.. Again, that might have been just me missing something though. Even with these thoughts, though, I still can't help but want to know what happens next. The author did a wonderful job world-building and I love the idea of an underworld in a perpetual state of dusk rather than just straight-up darkness. I also like the direction that the author is taking Briar's character into, I am all about her being an extremely powerful individual that has no idea of the depth of her strength at this moment. I just can't wait for both Briar and Kane to share their secrets that they're keeping with one another, and while I know it's part of the story for Briar to have tried to fulfill her duty to her father, I kind of hope that the end of this book equates to the end of her attempts to end him unsuccessfully and without his knowledge. Anyway, loving the series, and on to the next one now!

Getting better

This story continues to get better adding in layers of intrigue and revealed secrets. After attacks start happening Kane and Briar start looking for a solid sucking demon to put an end to it. Their journey is full of danger and relationship building moments but both are stubborn and have other agendas. Kane’s brother becomes apart of their ragtag team and add drama in his own special way. Briar is finally growing a back bone but I would love to see more! I feel like the next book is going to be explosive for her. The narrator continues to an amazing job and I love the smooth quality of her voice!

Awesome story telling!!

Loved this Audio book. Great story love Bailey Darks books once I start to read cannot put it down or stop listening. Looking forward to read and listen to more of her books.

Love the story

The narration was great I loved it all can wait for book 3 to be available