The Darkest Joy by Marata Eros – a Review
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Description:
A sexy and poignant new adult novel from New York Times bestseller Marata Eros, about two lost souls who find each other in the wake of tragedy, only to learn that love may not be enough to heal the wounds of a dark and tortured past…
Twenty year-old Brooke Starr has escaped the aftermath of a brutal tragedy by abandoning her music studies and moving north to take a summer position as a part-time deck hand on a deep-sea fishing boat. When her survivor’s guilt becomes unbearable, Brooke realizes there’s only one thing she can do to finally erase the pain.
Deep sea fisherman, Chance Taylor, has just wrapped his guitar set at the local saloon when he sees the silhouette of a young woman in repose, the full moon highlighting her shadow as she plummets from a pier too high for diving… into water too cold to survive. Without thinking, he plunges in after her, saving Brooke from drowning.
As Chance works to save her from her own emotional fragility, Brooke finally begins to learn how to save herself. But when their chemistry begins to consume them, Brooke withdraws. She’s determined to be the master of her own destiny… until the past catches up with her in a cataclysmic plan so dark, so final… it threatens their love and their very lives.
Review:
When I received this book to read and review, the first thing I noticed was the nice sexy cover. I assumed (I know ) that this was an erotic novel. I enjoy steamy sexy books in my stories, but I prefer my books a mix, not just full erotic, so I never planned on reading this book. A few days later, I read the blurb on the back cover, and discovered that this was a New Adult and it sounded good. I decided to read it. I am so glad I did, as I loved The Darkest Joy and came away very impressed with the writing of Marata Eros.
The Darkest Joy blows you away with a beginning that by the time I was on page 2, I was already hooked. Our heroine, Brooke, who is a young pianist prodigy awaiting to be admitted to Julliard. She is on her way home from school for Christmas, when she gets a call from her mom, who is worried about her travelling home. What follows is a few minutes of hell, as Brooke while talking to her mom, hears the doorbell ring and then begins to hear the terrifying sounds of her family being brutally murdered. Having lost her mother, father, brother and aunt, Brooke goes into shock, with anxiety attacks when she thinks about it. She has a hard time dealing with it, and decides to sell her home and go to Alaska for a few months to get away from every one. The aunt who was also murdered, left her a cabin in Alaska.
Chance Taylor is a fisherman, who runs his own business, and is our hero. Chance is a hottie, who also plays the guitar. When Brooke arrives in Alaska, she is befriended by Evan and Tucker, and she is invited to the local tavern that night. It is here that she sees the gorgeous guitar player, not knowing he will be her boss, since she starts the next morning working as a deckhand. But before that, listening to Chance play a certain song, brings on an anxiety attack and she runs away. Brooke, thinking she doesn’t deserve to live, then attempts to kill herself, as she jumps off the bridge. Chance comes upon her when she jumps, and he saves her life.
What follows is a fascinating story of Brooke trying to accept her loss, handle her anxiety, and move on with her life. She falls hard for Chance, as he does her. Slowly Brooke realizes that her family would not want to her give up on life, and with the help of Chance, she begins to live again. She enjoys the different type of life in Alaska, and they friends she makes. Her best friend from home, Lacey, constantly calls her to give her updates. Just when Brooke is getting a handle on things, there are more murders of families from other upcoming pianist prodigies. The FBI tries to warn Brooke that the killer is probably coming after her.
Since I do not want to give spoilers, this is a great story that has everything, tragedy, romance, sex, emotional turmoil, danger, brutality, excitement, and suspense. The first half of the book, Eros pulls all your emotions, and the second half you are on the edge of your seat. There are some twists, surprise at the wild ending as we reached the climax.
Besides loving Brooke and Chance together, I thought Marata Eros has created a wonderful group of secondary characters from Evan, Tucker, Jake, Clearwater, and Lacey. She has also created a terrible villain.
This story was told in both Brooke and Chance’s POV. I usually don’t like that, but it was good to see things from both perspectives. Amidst all this tense emotions, Eros managed to give us a wonderful couple, who fall in love and find the joy from within the darkness. The Darkest Joy was a terrific read and one of the best books I have read this year. Marata Eros has put herself on my list to make sure I read more of in the future.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
