Review: Will keep you hooked to your e-reader!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 23, 2013
Find this review and more at Lusty Penguin Reviews!Dark Universe, the second book in the Universe series, is a compelling contemporary romance by Devon Herrera. The author creatively and effortlessly uses the first person point of view to pull the reader into this engrossing story. The first half of the story is told through the eyes of Lola Chase, and the second half is told through the eyes of Drake Thomas.Tired of being set up on dates by her mother, Lola decides to give the next guy the brush-off, but everything changes when she lays eyes on Drake. Nothing like the country-club types her mom usually sends, Drake is a ruggedly handsome, muscle-covered cowboy. But, Lola’s mom didn’t send him. Drake is looking for a job and place to board his horse, which Lola agrees too. While working together, Lola and Drake discover that they are really attracted to each other. Since neither of them is looking for a long-term relationship, they agree to be friends with benefits with no emotional entanglements. Their sexual chemistry is blistering, and their bedroom play is passionate and scorching hot. Sassy and playful, Lola just loves to give Drake pet names and tease him too. I really loved the playfulness of her character. Their rapid-fire, witty dialogue provides many laugh-out-loud moments throughout the story. As they spend more and more time with each other, Lola realizes she doesn’t just like Drake, she is falling in love with him. Lola feels safe with Drake. Lola never thought she would find the one, but I really enjoyed reading the story through her eyes as she figures out she is in love.The second half of the story is from Drake’s point of view. Fine with the friends with benefits arrangement, Drake is shocked when Lola confesses her love. Not knowing what to do or how he feels about it, he leaves her a Dear John letter. Coming from an abusive home, Drake truly believes that he is incapable of giving or receiving love. On top of that, Drake harbors a secret that he knows will end any potential relationship he could have. When he runs into Lola, Drake can’t believe that she is willing to talk to him and forgive him too. Drake does some serious soul searching and sees that he loves Lola, which is a beautiful thing to see.Drake and Lola are captivating characters as they separately come to discover that they are in love. I really enjoyed being in the heads of both characters on their journey. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the quotes at the beginning of the chapters. These quotes were meaningful and fit right into the story, providing depth as the story unraveled. Herrera interweaves characters from the first novel with just enough background information to understand what happened earlier, successfully making Dark Universe a stand-alone story.Lively characters and stunning plot twists make Dark Universe a book that will keep you hooked to your e-reader until the last work is read.I received an eBook copy of the book for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibility.