Dark Pleasures by Aja James (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT ADULT title

Dark Pleasures

by Aja James

ADULT title

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GENRE:   paranormal, fantasy romance

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BLURB:

Devlin Sinclair, the New England Dark Ones’ Hunter, is on a mission to track down the elusive and mysterious Medusa, perhaps the ultimate nemesis the Pure and Dark Ones have been battling in recent years.

But he can’t do it alone.

Grace Darling has isolated herself from the world since a very young age, after her parents’ death and because of her own social disability. Awkward and brilliant, a born sensualist, Grace agrees to a blind date that changes the course of Destiny.

She has the skills he needs. Their chemistry is off the charts, but will she, can she give him the love he craves?

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EXCERPT

The taxi jolted to a stop and Grace got out without waiting for Devlin to disembark first and open the door for her.

He never understood this aspect of modern women, in particular American women. Were they so independent that they couldn’t appreciate gentlemanly behavior? Did they never think that some men simply enjoyed being a gentleman?

After some two hundred years, Devlin would always behave according to the principles and manners that had been ingrained in him since birth. Not because they were habits he couldn’t shake off but because they were part of who he was, part of the man he was.

Well, bloodsucker now.

He rapidly scoured his mind for ideas. How could he get this strange, Sphinx-like woman to invite him inside? Surely there was a—

“Come inside,” she intoned with nary a trace of emotional inflection. Not excitement, anticipation or nervousness.

But at least she saved him from thinking up an excuse to impose on her.

Devlin was about to thank her for her invitation when he met her eyes.

Her pupils had fully swallowed her irises. Her stare was so intense now that it actually gave him pause.

Just who was the hunter and who, the prey? Her unblinking black eyes reminded him of a cobra hypnotizing a field mouse.

He silently accepted her invitation anyway by following her down the steps of her basement apartment in a posh part of Soho, and then inside her abode once she unlocked and opened the door with efficiency.

He was well over ten times as strong as she and a trained killer besides. He was certainly not the prey in this scenario.

Just as efficiently, she locked the door the moment they were both within the entryway, working a series of four locks and deadbolts in addition to punching in the codes to a state-of-the-art security system. No one was getting into her fortress unless she voluntarily admitted them.

Devlin wondered if the same applied for getting out.

Purchase Links

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Aja has been writing stories since the age of six, and novels since the age of thirteen. While she'd be the first to admit that those early efforts weren't particularly good, she sure loved putting them down on paper!

The best part of writing, according to Aja, is that it’s completely organic, the way the stories develop. When the inspiration hits, she writes just so she herself can learn where the characters are headed because oftentimes, they take her by surprise! It is her ultimate dream to share her stories with as many readers as she possibly can.


Her other loves include art, cooking, old movies (anything with Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Redford, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Clark Gable, and all the song and dance numbers because she can’t watch them and not be happy!)
She adores taking long walks with her husband and running after her two rambunctious kids. She has traveled extensively (all seven continents except Antarctica) and has a multi-cultural upbringing. She speaks two and a half languages and binge watch TV shows when the mood strikes.


Aja has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Comparative Literature and Economics and two Master’s degrees, one of which is in East Asian Studies.

Contact Information

Website

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GIVEAWAY


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The tour dates can be found here

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My review:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Dark Pleasures by Aja James follows expert computer hacker Grace Darling who is being pursued by Devlin Sinclair as he searches for a way to take down the enemy Medusa and her minions. He’s astounded by the way this very different human reacts to him, seemingly unfazed by his revelations of a world she’d never dreamed of, but he doesn’t expect the way she’s able to turn his world upside down.

This dark adult paranormal romance is part of the ‘Pure/Dark Ones’ series. It features an almost overwhelming number of characters for someone who is new to the series the way I am, but they are so well-written, one is drawn into this complex world. There is a fair amount of violence so those who are squeamish should be forewarned.

I adore this heroine, with her straightforward approach to coping with her handicap, and her unconventional methods. The fact that she can seduce and wear out an ancient being and continually surprise him provides both humor and heat to the story and it was very entertaining to watch him cope with this enterprising and brilliant human he has spent so much time stalking.

Their intense sexual connection complicates his investigation into the inimical Medusa and Grace’s direct approach to every problem that she faces provides a unique twist on some of the standard tropes of vampire stories. I love her reaction to the discovery of new erogenous zones as well as her courage with Devlin’s colleagues.

There are multiple threads traveling through this story that are part of the series arc as well as secondary characters with their own vivid conflicts and issues and I think it would be much better to start from the beginning to understand the major conflict but this story can be read as a stand alone without too much difficulty if one just focuses on the main couple.

This is a new-to-me author but I certainly will be looking for other stories by her.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review