Defeat the Darkness by Eliza March

DEFEAT
Defeat the Darkness by Eliza March
Demons of the Bayou Hearts of Darkness, Book One
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (295 pgs)
Other: M/F, M/F/M, spanking, menage
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Possessed by evil, ruled by lust, driven by hunger. Can love defeat the ancient demon and turn the darkness into light?

Max Hamilton and Shelby Mackenzie go way back to being in diapers together. Over the years, they’ve shared playgrounds and fishing, first dates and first sexual experiences. It wasn’t a surprise when she followed Max to Tulane Medical School where they shared Kyle Lachlan—Max’s new friend and Shelby’s first real love.

Before Kyle, something had always been missing in the romance department for Shelby. But when Kyle announces he’s joined Physicians International Charity and is heading out to save innocent lives after the mudslides in Guatemala, Shelby is devastated. Until, he gives her a family heirloom engagement ring.

Kyle is determined to make up for his privileged Boston upbringing even if it means being separated from Shelby for a few months while she finishes her residency. But when he arrives in the makeshift medical camp, strange things begin to happen. Local legends inspired by the jungle jaguars tell of men who shift into the form of the large cats.

While out searching for a missing boy, Kyle is attacked by a rogue jaguar. His life changes, instantly and so does he. His former beliefs and ideals manifest into the myths and legends of a bad “B” horror flick.

Pursued by a demonic vampire, the exquisitely beautiful yet evil, Amyra de la Santiago plans to use him for her own selfish purpose. Kyle is determined to fight becoming the dark demon he senses within her.

She will stop at nothing to fulfill her ambitions, and Kyle is the answer she’s been waiting over three thousand years for. Leverage is what she needs to convince him, and who better to use against him than the people he cares about most?
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Kyle will do anything to protect innocent lives like Max’s and keep the woman he loves safe even if it means sacrificing himself to the demon. What does it matter since his soul is already lost to the darkness?

Shelby must learn to believe in Kyle, again, then trust him and finally, she must be willing to fight for him. Later, there will be time to deal with the secret need she developed from the transition he caused. The hunger for sexual satisfaction drives her the way a vampire is driven by the need for blood. Max is always a willing partner, but as relationships change, so do their needs.

Will Kyle adjust and accept their new roles? After the danger is past, will Kyle be able to love a sex fae?

Shelby holds out hope since she is the light to his darkness. Only she can defeat the demon darkness taking over both Kyle and Max.

Welcome to the dark side of passion is the theme in Ms. March’s latest paranormal erotic adventure. There are plenty of opportunities for fans of erotic romance to experience the thrills and chills beneath the sheets but the tale’s suspense and drama is revved up by a dark and sinister plot with twists and turns to keep the pages flipping.

The author initiates a reader to a very complicated relationship dynamic between three best friends, Shelby, Max and Kyle. They love each other on various levels: long term, growing up as best friends, the new guy on the block that clicks with both, friends with benefits – the author had the characters revealing all sorts of ways these three love each other. The result is a depth of being, friendships that survive as each of them grow in their careers, in their lives and as they follow their dreams. Unfortunately for one of them, their dream is about to turn ugly.

That’s when the darkness shows up. The author explored that twisted, deviant and debasing period of Kyle’s life when he had to take a stand for what he believes in, and pays the price. I won’t mince words. Those scenes with the villain disturbed me. I want to warn readers of a few scenes during one of the early pivotal points in the story. I believe they can be classified as torture and rape. I thought about labeling it as forced seduction but the recipient fought it, it was against his will and he was angry. But it’s not gratuitous. There is a purpose to the evil deed and an even more powerful revelation and a credit to Kyle’s resistance. It lays the groundwork as to why the villain is so focused on achieving their agenda with the hero as the means to an end. One of the saddest tragedies of the whole story is what this does to his friendship between Shelby and Max. It’s a major conflict which dominoes throughout the rest of the book.

I started connecting to the characters more towards the point when all three were faced with running the gauntlet. It was at that time that I found the best dialogue, the most solid character interactions and the most interesting and fascinating plot points and revelations starting to occur. The pace really picked up for me and I couldn’t put the book down. Clues and facts were falling in place and many left me wide eyed and captivated.

What surprised me was how the author chose to have everyone saved. Although, I’m not sure ‘saved’ is quite the right word. It was actually a kind of bizarre and wild idea to fix everything the way Ms. March did. Some readers might think it over the top and maybe even a bit contrived. I got a kick out of it and in an oddball way found it funny. What are the odds they’d all become friends in the first place and then Wham! they become ‘super friends’? I quite enjoyed that plot twist.

Secondary characters served many purposes, whether they were onscreen a short time or popping up here and there throughout; everyone helped the heroine and heroes get to where they needed to be. I think the world building in the beginning, using the rogues and the indigenous people, was stilted. It didn’t flow well for me at first but I advise readers to stick with it. The author does have her characters emerge from that rocky start in glorious fashion. The secondary characters later on truly enhanced the tale, the plot movement and added extra layers of interest, excitement and enjoyment.

I also enjoyed the exploration of Max and Shelby’s relationship, then Shelby’s and Kyle’s. It became apparent that Shelby is the cream filling between Max and Kyle’s Oreo cookies. Erotic romance fans will have a lot of opportunities to watch them learn to express their love physically.

Defeat the Darkness is not a lightweight read. It packs a punch in both plot and character dynamics. It’s not a book that is stuffed with fluff and sweetness – it’s tart, tantalizing and at times disturbing. It has a solid story line and a complicated romance to go with it which concludes with a fitting happy ever after for the trio. If you like your paranormal romances to have bite, sauce and vinegar, and surprises, then give Defeat the Darkness a whirl. There’s a lot to like.

Comments

  1. This is a great review and very aptly explains the plot, twists and turns, and enough sex thrown in so the reader has an enjoyable time turning the pages quickly. Once you start it, it’s hard to put it down.

  2. Xeranthamum says

    Thank you so much for the compliment on the review!!
    That means a lot to me. 🙂

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