Dark Sins & Desert Sands
by Stephanie Draven
Published by: Harlequin Nocturne
Publish Date: October 18, 2011
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Book 5 in Mythica Series
Source: Ebook provided for review
My Rating (3.5 of 5 stars)
Blurb from Goodreads:
Escaping a hellish Syrian prison, U.S. serviceman Ray Stavrakis emerged with uncanny mind-control powers and an eerie ability to morph into a mythical Minotaur. As a half man, half bull, Ray had legendary power, but only one woman could prove his innocence. The woman who’d driven him to the brink of insanity with her cool-eyed interrogation and her hot-blooded sensuality.But Vegas psychologist Layla Bahset had no memory of Ray or her past. Only a feeling of being stalked by a nonhuman predator. Was it Ray…whose eyes condemned her soul even as his hands ignited her body? Or was another evil force at work? But nothing could stop Layla from remembering what she was…and what her evil creator had planned for her and her soldier lover….
My Review:
In Dark Sins & Desert Sands, Ray is a soldier, escaped from prison and torture in the middle east. Ray had been accused of being a terrorist and seeks revenge on the people who wrongly accused and tortured him. Ray is not the same after his time in prison, while there, he was changed. He now has special powers, powers that he will use in his quest for justice. His primary target is the psychologist who mercilessly questioned him, Layla. Layla is living in Las Vegas and working as a psychologist. She has no memories whatsoever of her life before the last 2 years. She is a blank slate, and she can’t enjoy emotions or experiences. When Ray finds her, he makes her start to remember, but Layla is not sure if she really wants to remember her past.
Mythology and the modern age converge in Stephanie Draven’s Dark Sins & Desert Sands, and engaging new paranormal romance read.
I enjoyed reading Dark Sins & Desert Sands, the mythology in the book is clever, modern, and very intriguing. Former Gods roam the earth with lessened powers, living among humanity. In Dark Sins & Desert Sands, Stephanie Draven combines Egyptian mythology and gods with greek as well as south american gods. This combination of deities gives the story that extra something more, and I was curious to figure out who and what each person was, and where they came from.
As to the characters, I liked Ray a lot. I could sympathize with him and his situation. He is a good man, a good soldier, wrongly accused. Because of that betrayal, he was tortured and completely changed. Once he escapes from that torture, he seeks revenge. I can understand that, and I understood the emotional upheaval that he was suffering with. As for Layla, I am not the biggest fan. She had no memories, but once Ray showed up, the woman was a hot mess. In one paragraph, she would start to trust Ray, and kiss him. One sentence later, she is accusing him of being a terrorist and making her a slut. She was beyond frustrating. The back and forth she went through dragged on for most of the book. As the story goes on, that does get better, but she’s still not my favorite heroine.
Dark Sins & Desert Sands is book 5 in the series, but it is easily a stand alone novel. I have not read the earlier books in the series, and I had no trouble picking up the story. The paranormal world and elements in the story are unique and interesting. I love mythology, and the mixture of gods, goddesses, and mythological beings in this novel are very entertaining. The story is well developed, and fast paced. I was never bored with this story, there is always something new going on, something different to uncover. While I did not love the heroine, Dark Sins & Desert Sands is a good read. I will read more books by Stephanie Draven in the future, I am curious and looking forward to more books in this series.
Learn more about the author, Stephanie Draven, and join the mailing list at her website: http://stephaniedraven.com
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