Review: Fun read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 28, 2013
One of my all time favourite TV shows is Supernatural so when I read the plot of DARKER DAYS and I figured Jessie Darker sounded like a kick-ass female version of Dean Winchester, I thought hey what's cooler than that?Jessie and her mom Klaire run the Darker Agency in the small town of Penance, USA. Most of their cases are the run of the mill cheating spouses and insurance fraud but occasionally things take a turn down weird street and Jessie needs to line her pockets with powders, potions, and crystals to dispense with Zombies, Ghosts and all manner of ghoulish things. When handsome stranger Lukas walks into the Darker Offices claiming that the Seven Deadly Sins have been unleashed unto the world and there are only seven days to capture them before the innocent humans they are possessing are condemned, weird just doesn't begin to describe Jessie's day! Oh and btw...Lukas is one of the sins.I enjoyed DARKER DAYS! I adore Paranormal fiction and aching to fill the void until Origin by JLA was released, this was a solid addition to the genre. Mostly because of Jessie. I thought she was an awesome MC. Strong, confident with a healthy dose of snark, she and her mom make a great team. They know how to fend for themselves and how nice is it to read a book where the parents (Dad makes an appearance later on) are active members of their kids lives? No YA parental disappearing acts here!Lukas was an interesting character. Chained to the sin of wrath by a vengeful witch back in the 1800′s, he's a fish out of water when it comes to modernity which led to some hilarious moments of interaction with Jessie. He was sweet and respectful with an edge and I liked his connection not just with Jessie but the secondary characters in particular Jessie's mom.There is hints of insta-love which I'm a bit meh about. The book takes place over 7 days and by day 4 Jessie and Lukas are firmly entrenched in "I can't live without you" territory! While I enjoyed their chemistry and the romance was quite sweet, that was my main issue with the book and I admit to eye-rolling at times.The non-romance plot strands were highly enjoyable however and I really liked the concept of the Sins embodying regular people and the utter chaos they caused. The book is chock full of action and chugs along at a nice pace. The connection with the past was another favourite aspect of mine and I liked the deeper threads of the plot and look forward to seeing how they develop later in the series.While there was plenty of humour, there was also a darker side to the book, Jessie may be quick with the quips but she goes through some harrowing experiences that made for some uncomfortable reading but overall I think the author handled it with sensitivity and it did add a deeper emotional level to the book rather than just slapstick humour.If you're looking for a fun,paranormal read with a sassy heroine and plenty of hijinks then check out DARKER DAYS!