Search - Scent of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, Bk 1)

To me the mark of a good book in a series is if you want to read the next one - I do! A thousand years ago, a brutal warrior roamed the Russian steppes and struck a sinister bargain. In return for the ability to change at will into a coldhearted predator, Konstantine promised his soul - and the souls of his descendants - to the devil. In the first of the series Jasha Wilder and Ann Smith confront the results of that pact in modern day America.

This is a tightly woven, fast paced story with unusual twists and turns. Move over Kenyon, more beasts are on the prowl. The wait for the rest of the series will be painful.

Ann Smith loves her handsome, dynamic boss, Jasha Wilder, but her daring plan to seduce him goes awry when she encounters a powerful wolf who-before her horrified eyes-changes into the man she adores. She soon discovers she can't escape her destiny, for she is the woman fated to break the curse that binds his soul.

Wow, Ms. Dodd has quite a nack for the paranormal romance. Interesting start to this series. A deal struck w/the devil over 1000 years ago has a family trying to break the curse. This is Jasha (the oldest son) and Ann's story. There is a great story with terrific characters. These 2 people have worked together & she has loved him from the beginning but they both have secrets (he can turn into a wolf & she has a tattoo that comes to life & brings evil to her). Also a great love story. Looking forward to the next book with Jasha's brother Rurik.

It was good enough for me to want to read the sequels but it didn't really dazzle me. My major complaint was that the writing was disjointed. It really did read like someone who was really new at writing but it did have enough potential where I think she could become really good.

Jasha and Ann didn't do it for me. The sex scenes were very dull. Perhaps it was because Dodd had tried to make it wild but not too dirty so it came off as a bit lame. A few of the sex scene were close to rape but not in a good rape fantasy way. I spend so much time reviewing the sex scenes because there were a lot of them in the book. They weren't full-on monkey sexy wild nor were they romantic. Their dialouge was almost nonexistent and what there was didn't seem to go anywhere.

Also their behavior and motivation behind it didn't match. Jasha especially was very inconsistent. Sometimes he was downright silly and fun while all of a sudden he would be alpha, unreasonable, high-handed, and solemn. Some characters are a little bit of both but Dodd did a poor job with that here. Jasha just seemed like two different men. Ann was supposed to be reserved all her life so how did she get such a smart mouth. The list goes on. I can't tell you how many times I asked myself, "how did we get to this point?"

There were a few scenes that were over-the-top melodramatic, like when Jasha's father disciplined him physically for taking Ann's virginity at dinner. Okay, how mortifying for Ann first to witness the violence and for everyone in the family to find out she was a virgin. Anyway, I thought the scene was dumb.

The cool thing about the book were all the other characters and the interactions Jasha and Ann had with them. The big family and friend scenes (including the cat) kept me reading. They were fun with great dialogue. I also liked Ann's secret and the phone call with Sister Mary Magdeline. It was a great way to reveal Ann's past.

This book is part of a four book series so you don't get much real resolution until book four (I'm assuming). Mostly this book layed the groundwork and background while you get the story of how Jasha got together with Ann.

It was okay. I don't mind reading it when I have nothing else to read. I also will read the other ones out of curiousity but I wouldn't spend real money on them.

I read the second in this series and was intrigued by the storyline. She introduces the characters in a way that you get to know them and remember who each one is without getting confused. I would have liked to have more information about the main female character; the story behind the tattoo. But that may be addressed in a later story. This is paranormal without being dark. There is mystery, romance and the characters get to do things that sound like they would be really fun. In this instance, turn into a wolf and run with a pack. I like my stories to end with good winning over evil. I have the other two in this series and look forward to reading them. Christina Dodd never disapoints.

This book was HOT right from the start. It didn't feel like pandering or chick-porn even though the first love scene takes place pretty early on in the book. It made sense for the story and the characters. The situation was interesting, a unique mythology for lycanthropes and good setup for future books. I read all four in the series and fell in love with two of the books as real keepers.