Prince of Darkness

Dark Protectors, Book 17

De: Rebecca Zanetti

Narrado por: Gabra Zackman

Unknown to humans, beyond daylight lies a world of intoxicating darkness where deadly creatures prowl with insatiable desires and unbelievable power: vampires, demons, witches, shifters. When vulnerable humans find themselves thrust into that realm, they’ll never be the same … The 17th installment in the long running fan-favorite Dark Protectors series from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti

In the aftermath of war, a fragile peace hovers between the Kurjan nation and the Dark Protector coalition. Yet amid labyrinthine politics and intrigue, Vero Phoenix, a Kurjan, stands apart. He has lived devoid of legacy or lineage—until the day he backed his newfound brother as king, putting himself into the treacherous position of enforcer and shield. Yet there is another thorn in his side, no less vexing, undeniably captivating—and all-too-human …

Lyrica Graves was once ensnared by Kurjan captors and now embodies defiance and freedom as she guides other women to independence and modernity. She is particularly amused—and breathtakingly challenged—by her battles with Vero. But their clashing also belies a sizzling connection, a dark attraction between supernatural and fully human that threatens their chosen destinies and makes them a target for far too many bloodthirsty enemies …

©2025 Rebecca Zanetti (P)2025 Recorded Books

Wonderful

I have listened to all 17 of these dark protector audiobooks. Gabra Zach friend is wonderful the stories are great I’ve enjoyed every single one. Thank you

The Kurjans....?????

I am already a longtime fan of this series, so I was really excited to see that there was a new book out. This book focuses on Vero Phoenix- a Kurjan vampire - who we just recently discovered is Paxton's brother. Paxton, a demon vampire - who is now the King of the Kurjan Nation (definitely a long story behind this one). The challenge comes with the fact that Vero WAS also very close to his cousin - the now deceased third in the love triangle with Hope and Paxton. So, while Vero was never specifically a really bad guy, he definitely hung around with the bad guys.

So, this forces us to do a bit of a mind shift as we now see Vero as the Kurjan Prince trying to help newly appointed King Paxton keep the newfound peace between the Kurjans and the Realm. I mean, the KURJANS....they were the bad guys for so long.....

And then we meet Lyrica. As a human, she was kidnapped and held by the Kurjans (because that is how they did things). Things are changing and they are trying to fix some of their wrongs, and Lyrica has emerged as a leader for the women who have been held, kidnapped, or possible mated against their will. She is leading the push to make things right.

Because this series revolves around mated pairs - we get to watch Lyrica and Vero deal with the unexpected complications that emerge with their pairing. There are a couple of unexpected twists to make things interesting. Oh, and not to mention - there are some new bad guys......

While this could probably be read as a stand alone, there really is a lot of history and information that would be missed if you jumped in at this point. Plus, the series as a whole is awesome so why not start from the beginning? Seriously?

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing | Lyrical Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on April 29, 2025.