There Is No Light in Darkness

By: Claire Contreras

Narrated by: Felicity Munroe

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Blake Brennan's past is cloudy at best, but when she decides to uncover what happened when she was a child, she finds herself getting pulled deeper into a web of lies.

When her loved ones are threatened, she must decide if finding the truth about her family is worth losing the ones who have always been there for her.

This is book one of a duet. Book two is Darkness Before Dawn.

©2012 Claire Contreras (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Mystery, Suspense and Romance! So good!

I have been wanting to read this romantic suspense duet for years and finally made time for it on audio! I have heard soooo many good things about Cole and let me tell you he lives up to the hype, he is INCREDIBLE. As for the narration, I really enjoyed Felicity, she is new to me and I loved her voice!

“This,” he said motioning between us, “is not casual. It’s not stupid, and it sure as fuck is not meaningless.”

The reason I love romantic suspense books so much is the fact that along with sizzling romance, you get mystery and drama that leaves you on the edge of your seat not knowing what the next twist will reveal. From the prologue of this story I was hooked, Blake is haunted by nightmares of her families murders and still 20 years later she doesn’t feel safe. The only time she truly has a feeling of safety is in the arms of Cole, a man she has known for years but has kept at a distance as of late. Their past is twisted and tragic, yet together they help heal their scars and calm the panic within.

“I’ve been in love with you from the moment I saw you. I’ve been in love with you from the day I was born and possibly even before then. I belong to you. My body belongs to you. My heart belongs to you.”

The story is intricately woven revealing little hints of the mystery as the anticipation builds of uncovering the truth of who murdered Blake’s family. It alternates with views of the past along with the present to build the backstory of the murders and the reasons for the sexual tension between Cole and Blake. I loved that along with the mystery there is the renewed passionate romance between Cole and Blake, two people who are true soulmates and definitely meant to be together for life. Book one ends with one heck of a cliffhanger and I’m currently on the edge of my seat listening to book two, dying to see how this all wraps up!

AhMazing!!!!

I absolutely love this story. It was really good when I read it back in 2015. And it was more amazing listening to it this time. It’s so good from start to finish. That ending OhMgee. It left me like that back in 2015 and it left me like that again. I need book 2 now!!
Audible Romance Rocks!!!

How had I not read this?!?

Aaaahhhh! This has quickly become an all time favorite of mine. If you’re looking for romance, thrilling suspense and mystery, THIS IS THE BOOK! Absolutely amazing. I’m so in love with Blake and Cole. Every character is so realistic and I can’t get enough. On to book 2!

Wow

I have no words. Amazing story, jumping into book 2 now. 5 stars. Great narration too.

Cliffhanger but worth it

When Blake is thrown into a foster home after the death of her aunt, she becomes intertwined into the best oddball family one could have where she has all the love and support she's ever needed. As an adult, her past is still a dangerous mystery and but she wants to know the answer to her never ending questions. When the past threatens all she's ever known and the people she loves the most, tough choices will need to be made.
I wish I could give more away but there's SO many questions and the answers just lead to more questions. In the end you will be left wide eyed and open mouthed, and so goad this is a complete duet so you can quickly pick up the next book.
Going back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook, the narrator Felicity Munroe puts a believable voice to Blake, and adds an emotional connection to the remaining characters.

Duet made me a forever fan of Claire Contreras!!!!

I'm not even sure what to say after a cliffhanger like this one!! This story is just perfect!! Besides a cliffhanger, which I actually don't mind since it's out and I have it, this audiobook is one of my top favorites of the year. Besides a successfully suspenseful romance, this story had a fantastic narration and superb character development.

Worth it!

This was one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to along with one of the best solo performances. The cliffhanger ending is epic and I was shocked at the books end to notice that it was narrated by only 1 person. The variety of voices, inflections, and accents incorporated to the telling of this story were amazing. In addition, the story is one that will take you through a roller coaster of emotions, make you fall in love with the main characters, and leave you at the edge of your seat attempting to figure out where this tale will twist next. Overall, seriously recommended!

Second chance romance

Narrator:
The story was performed word perfectly.
Felicity Munroe was the solo performer of this audiobook. She was a saving grace to what I would refer to as a 2 star read. I would’ve skimmed this book had I taken the time to read it. Instead I bought both the ebook and audiobook following along. Felicity brought this otherwise 2⭐️ book to life. The sound quality was excellent. Her performance of all characters was great.

Overall:
I wasn’t feeling like Blake’s character had a dark past. When you really look at how lucky Blake was to have stable caregivers in her life it’s questionable to me as to why she behaved with so much mistrust. From what is gathered in her past memories, which are minimal, considering she was four years old, her life was turned upside down with her loss, yet turned around with a smooth adjustment.

I could not ascertain what the premise of this book was. I’m still trying to figure out Blake’s resistance with Cole. I need reasonable explanations for this so called fear she exudes in her life. It’s all very dramatic and juvenile.

Claire tried to create a dark character out of nothing significant. There was no substantial information leading me to believe Cole or Blake’s lives were in danger.
I got tired of this song and dance reading between the past and the present. This story is nothing like I expected. The only horrific scene in the book was at the beginning. Then the story fast forwards twenty-one years into the present never delving further about that scene.
I’m still trying to understand why this relationship was so important to devote so much of the story into them. If this so called fear stems from the opening scene of the book why not write about the way it impacted her life going forward. Her upbringing was not dark or dangerous.
There were no signs of trauma in Blake’s character given the circumstances of her life at the age of four. She seemed to assimilate to her new living environment unscathed. So why the constant fear of danger? Blake was taught and shown love by her new caregivers.

There are too many plot holes in this story. Claire skirted around the past only focusing on the relationship with Cole. Meanwhile, snippets about money and land get mentioned as if that’s suppose to mean something after twenty-one years of silence. This drawn out song and dance of slowly building some type of dangerous situation was lost on me. It was a inconsistent story of romance and lies.

This book sat on my TBR list for years. It wasn’t until I invested in the audiobook that I took the time to open up this book. I loved both the cover and the title of this book. However, I felt mislead by the title. Nothing about this book is dark.