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When the road forks, how do you know which path is the right one? Raven Black hunts evildoers for fun, but her vigilante justice isn't the only reason she's hiding from the law. Half vampire, half mage, she's spent years living as a rogue to stay alive. When a Russian shifter offers her a job in his covert organization hunting outlaws, dignity and a respectable career are finally within her grasp.
Saiya Buchanan is a wraith, able to detach her shadow from her body and send it off to do her bidding. But, unlike most of her kin, Saiya doesn't deal in death. Instead, she trades secrets - and in the goblin besieged city of Stirling in Scotland, they're a highly prized commodity. It might just be, however, that the goblins have been hiding the greatest secret of them all. When Gabriel de Florinville, a Dark Elf, is sent as royal envoy into Stirling and takes her prisoner, Saiya is not only going to uncover the sinister truth.
I thought this would be a simple profiling case. Just another Jack the Ripper wannabe, prowling London’s streets, searching for easy kills. I was wrong. This killer is fae, and he’s as elusive as smoke on the wind. But I’m an FBI profiler, and it’s my job to track him down. It doesn’t matter that one of the main suspects - a lethally alluring fae - is trying to seduce me...or kill me, I’m not sure which. I won’t be stopped, not even when panic roils through the streets of London or when the police start to suspect me.
My name is Callie Penrose - and I'm a rookie spell-slinger from Kansas City. I work part-time for the Vatican Shepherds, hunting monsters for them, but you won't find me in the pews on Sundays. Not really my thing. But when my boss is injured by a werewolf, it's time for me to put my big girl pants on. Because the Spear of Longinus - the one that allegedly stabbed Jesus on the Cross - has surfaced, and it's going up for auction.
"They say I'm half demon, but I like to think of myself as half human, especially as the demons want me dead." Charlie Henderson is living a lie. Her real name is Muse and her attempt at a normal life is about to go up in smoke. When a half-demon assassin walks into her life, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, Muse must return to the one man she hoped never to see again and ask for help. The Prince of Greed isn't known for his charity. The price is high, but the cost could tear her apart.
Piper Jones can't catch a break. After a lifetime of animosity and indifference from the supernatural community, she thought she'd finally found a home with the vampire king's enforcers. Then the dark and mysterious Merc walks into her life, and it takes a disastrous turn for the worse.
When the road forks, how do you know which path is the right one? Raven Black hunts evildoers for fun, but her vigilante justice isn't the only reason she's hiding from the law. Half vampire, half mage, she's spent years living as a rogue to stay alive. When a Russian shifter offers her a job in his covert organization hunting outlaws, dignity and a respectable career are finally within her grasp.
Saiya Buchanan is a wraith, able to detach her shadow from her body and send it off to do her bidding. But, unlike most of her kin, Saiya doesn't deal in death. Instead, she trades secrets - and in the goblin besieged city of Stirling in Scotland, they're a highly prized commodity. It might just be, however, that the goblins have been hiding the greatest secret of them all. When Gabriel de Florinville, a Dark Elf, is sent as royal envoy into Stirling and takes her prisoner, Saiya is not only going to uncover the sinister truth.
I thought this would be a simple profiling case. Just another Jack the Ripper wannabe, prowling London’s streets, searching for easy kills. I was wrong. This killer is fae, and he’s as elusive as smoke on the wind. But I’m an FBI profiler, and it’s my job to track him down. It doesn’t matter that one of the main suspects - a lethally alluring fae - is trying to seduce me...or kill me, I’m not sure which. I won’t be stopped, not even when panic roils through the streets of London or when the police start to suspect me.
My name is Callie Penrose - and I'm a rookie spell-slinger from Kansas City. I work part-time for the Vatican Shepherds, hunting monsters for them, but you won't find me in the pews on Sundays. Not really my thing. But when my boss is injured by a werewolf, it's time for me to put my big girl pants on. Because the Spear of Longinus - the one that allegedly stabbed Jesus on the Cross - has surfaced, and it's going up for auction.
"They say I'm half demon, but I like to think of myself as half human, especially as the demons want me dead." Charlie Henderson is living a lie. Her real name is Muse and her attempt at a normal life is about to go up in smoke. When a half-demon assassin walks into her life, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, Muse must return to the one man she hoped never to see again and ask for help. The Prince of Greed isn't known for his charity. The price is high, but the cost could tear her apart.
Piper Jones can't catch a break. After a lifetime of animosity and indifference from the supernatural community, she thought she'd finally found a home with the vampire king's enforcers. Then the dark and mysterious Merc walks into her life, and it takes a disastrous turn for the worse.
I knew the sins of my past would call to collect what was left of my soul. If I'd known the price I'd pay, I would've sacrificed more to stay hidden from the magic. In the middle of Wyoming - away from the abnormals of the world - I thought I was free and clear. I started a new life. Found a love I'd never known in a husband, and a son who was my everything. And in a blinding instant, that life was stolen from me.
Rosalind lived for the hunt. Now she might die for it. Rosalind's mission is simple: hunt demons and mages. As a member of the Brotherhood, she's dedicated to protecting the world from dark magic. Someone's got to stop the supernatural bloodlust - plus, hunting's a hell of a lot more exciting than her computer science classes.
Mya's world is falling apart. After a series of earthquakes, deadly animals with glowing red eyes begin attacking people and start the spread of a zombie-like plague. Safety is just a memory as she tries to make her way home. When a different creature attacks the people helping her reach Oklahoma City, Mya is sure she'll never see the light of another day. Despite his eerie green eyes and very sharp teeth, the grey-skinned creature is more intelligent and humanlike than he first appears. He's determined to keep Mya by his side and protect her.
Let's get one thing straight - Ivy Wilde is not a heroine. In fact she's probably the last witch in the world you'd call if you needed a magical helping hand, regardless of her actual abilities. If it were down to Ivy, she'd spend all day every day on her sofa, where she could watch TV, munch junk food, and talk to her feline familiar to her heart's content. However, when a bureaucratic disaster ends up with Ivy as the victim of a case of mistaken identity, she's yanked very unwillingly into Arcane Branch.
Piper Griffiths wants one thing in life: To become a Consul, a keeper of the peace between humans and daemons. There are precisely three obstacles in her way. The first is Lyre. Incubus. Hotter than hell and with a wicked streak to match. His greatest mission in life is to get Piper into bed and otherwise annoy the crap out of her.
For years now, Scarlett Bernard has counted on two things: her ability to nullify magic, and Shadow, the bargest who guards Scarlett with her life. But after a sudden revelation turns Scarlett's world upside down, she panics and leaves town without warning, leaving Shadow with her partner, Jesse. In the chaos that follows, the bargest is stolen - and Jesse nearly dies from a brutal psychic assault. It seems that an old enemy has returned for revenge...and the attack on Shadow was only the beginning.
Sky Brooks's life started with a death - her own. Sky's spent the first 23 years of her life unaware of this, among other things. She always thought she was just a shapeshifter until she wakes up in a strange house in rural Illinois - battered, bruised, and with only vague memories of her mother's death at the hands of vampires. At the request of a powerful witch, Sky is put under the protection of the Midwest Pack. But she isn't sure she can trust them, especially after she meets the dangerously sexy Ethan, a pack member who's known for being more ruthless than altruistic.
Samantha Martin is an imp, enjoying an extended vacation from Hel. All she wants to do is drink beer by the pool, play mischievous pranks on the humans, and get her hot neighbor in the sack. It's a relaxing break from her infernal home as long as she manages to avoid the angels, who won't hesitate to execute her on sight. But when her naughty hellhound lands her in trouble with the local werewolf pack, Sam is blackmailed into helping track and catch a killer. The steps she must take to appease the werewolves will put her right in the crosshairs of the angels.
New Orleans is a hot mess.
Ancient feuds. Demonic forces bent on destruction. Oh, and apparently vampires are real.
Della didn't sign up for any of this. She didn't sign up for violence and mayhem in the streets of the Big Easy. She didn't sign up to be a magnet for an evil force intent on hunting down the reincarnated souls of its enemies. She sure as hell didn't sign up for rescue by a sinfully tempting vampire lord and his fashion-model-gorgeous friends. Especially since he seems convinced that she's the living embodiment of his long lost human mate.
Eve's power-hungry witch parents will kill at the slightest insult, and Eve's unwillingness to use her own supernatural abilities is enough to incite them. Boaz, a powerful vampire, may be the only one able to save her, to give her the one thing she's never had--love. But in Eve's world, no one is who they seem and everyone has an agenda. And the more she stays with him, the more difficult it becomes to spot the true devils, especially when she becomes one herself.
It's hard enough being an undergraduate student, an intern at Downtown Manhattan's police station, and a bouncer at a local bar. Add her now-ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her for the school's resident bimbo - oh, and she's a werewolf. Mackenzie Grey meets her match when she is kidnapped by the Brooklyn Pack and tossed between Sebastian and Jonah - the Alpha and the Beta. Being a lone wolf in the city is dangerous, and now that the Pack has found her, so can every supernatural being in the Tri-State area.
Marnie's first big FBI case ended with a bullet in one shoulder and a chip on the other, a queasy heart and a serial killer in the wind, leaving her a public flop and a private wreck. When the FBI's preternatural crimes unit tracks her down at a remote mountain lodge for her insight on a local case, her quiet retirement is promptly besieged by a stab-happy starlet, a rampaging ghoul, and a vampire-hunting jackass in tight Wranglers. Marnie figures the only real mystery is which one will kill her first.
Claire, the Devil's assistant, knows very little about the world she was dropped into five years ago, when she inherited her mother's unpaid debt to the Demon King. She certainly didn't expect to be a contender for the Fallen Queen's throne, a target for the Druid King's mafia, or a suspect in the murder of Junior, the Devil's oldest hell spawn.
In a last-ditch effort to save her life and get out of her deal with the Devil she sets out to solve Junior's murder only to be taken prisoner by the four most dangerous immortal hell spawn alive.
Not to be outdone, the Pagan Queen Mab claims Claire for entering her realm uninvited. She has an old debt to settle with her brother, the Devil. Taking Claire from him after losing her years ago is just icing on the cake.
Will Claire win her freedom and save herself from the Devil? Or will she be trapped by Mab forever?
First Thought
Lauren Fortgang is the narrator? Heck yeah sign me up!
What I liked
Dark Hope started out as a kind of light UF story that turned into a complex story that had me wondering where the roller coaster was going to stop. I liked the fact that I couldn't easily figure the plot out by chapter 5 like other books I've read. Dark Hope is an audio you need to listen carefully to because you can find yourself lost if you check out from time to time. A lot of plot twists happen.
What Didn’t Quite Work For Me
I actually took a break with only 2 hours left in the audio because I was as lost and pissed as Claire and just wanted to know what the heck was going on. After I took a break and came back to Dark Hope I was glad I did.
Will I continue the series?
Yes. I enjoyed the plot and Claire enough to give a second book a go. Especially if it's on audio and narrated by Lauren Fortgang. Plus I NEED to know who was taking Claire home at the end. H.D. Smith you left me hanging. LOL
Why I listened
Lauren. Freaking. Fortgang. Seriously if I see her name as the narrator I'm going to give it a try. I could listen to Lauren read the phone book. Lauren nailed Dark Hope's 1st person POV through Claire.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Ok, I think I might be in the minority with this book. I struggled to finish listening to this because the main character just GOT ON MY NERVES. She was so whiny and seemed to accept the abuse that all the factions: Boss, Druids, Pagans, etc wanted to heap on her. Maybe this is me just preferring more strong characters that are a little more snarky and who attempt to fight back against the bad guys. Her character is probably more realistic (if you were in that situation), but for some reason I didn't sympathize with her like I have with other "underdog" characters.
If you are into YA books you will probably like this as their is a lot of angt for boyfriend that she discusses (way too much) throughout the book that plays really no part in the storyline. If this is meant for an adult audience then I think the main character needs to grow up a little more (which, to be fair, she did appear to do in the last couple paragraphs of the book).
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
What did you love best about Dark Hope?
The way the story unfolds and the unexpected twists
What was one of the most memorable moments of Dark Hope?
There are too many to list
What about Lauren Fortgang’s performance did you like?
She did a really great job with all the voices and making each different
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It took a couple of chapters for me to get into this book, but once I did I didn't want to stop listening!!! I finished it in 2 days.
Any additional comments?
This is the only book by this author on Audible and I really hoping there will be more to this series soon. The story really draws you in and has so many turns. When I first bought this book I thought it would be a light probably funny read, but it's not that. You really feel for the main character and all she goes through in this book.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Would you listen to Dark Hope again? Why?
I loved reading Dark hope and was thrilled when the audio book was released. I have listened to it twice now and it will definitely listen again!
What did you like best about this story?
I love a book that pulls the reader in instantly and Dark Hope does. H.D. Smith has created a fantasy world that overlays the real world in a cohesive believable way. The protagonist, Claire, is both smart and strong but she has been dealt a raw deal. I love the way she kept her head and solved problems, learning to use her emerging powers. I felt her hurt and betrayal; my heart ached for her each time she learned a new truth. The action never slows or stops. The ending was fantastic--everything was tied up perfectly. I think it would be a spectacular movie!
What about Lauren Fortgang’s performance did you like?
Dark Hope is told in the first person from Claire's point of view and Lauren Fortgang captured her personality perfectly in my opinion. She performs each character in a unique, believable way.
Any additional comments?
H.D. Smith has woven a compelling urban fantasy and Lauren Fortgang brings it to life beautifully. Don't miss this one!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
What made the experience of listening to Dark Hope the most enjoyable?
The story was interesting and different...fairly unpredictable, too.
What does Lauren Fortgang bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She's one of my favorite narrators, so I would have to say her contribution certainly was a benefit to the story.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
A really different adventure! Well written and narrated. Magic meets mystery. I highly recommend this book!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I normally love books with a good bit of romance, but I was surprisingly IN LOVE with this book even with the very small amount of romance! There were innuendos for days about a relationship though! It was pretty awesome to not have a full romance to cloud everything else going on in the book!
The story was GREAT, and kept me completely interested! The characters were fun and pretty amazing. Claire was bada$$! At first I thought she may be a character I would hate, but she turned it around as the book progressed and took charge!! 💪🏼👏🏼
I highly recommend this book!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Can't wait to listen to the rest of the series! Enjoyed the narrator. Love the story!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
It's written in a way that everything is revealed and explained as you go. Usually an ok style to read, but we really needed a bit more of a base, a background. It was frustrating to not understand how she got where she was, why, and how the world around her worked. But, it was still very interesting and I did enjoy it. I just purchased the second book, we'll see how that one pans out.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
This is such a fast book. Something is always happening and it is not predictable at all! Fun and the narration is great. Would recommend.
It was hard to warm to the main character Claire as her life seems to go so fast. You want to go on her journey but you don't know where it started from. It would have been nice if the book warmed you to the character before the main story started so you could feel excitement, empathy and sadness.
There are good parts to the book and you certainly see the devil and his children in a new light.