Hearts in Darkness
by Laura Kaye
Published by: Wild Rose Press
Publish Date: April 21, 2011
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Novella
Source: Paperback Personal Copy
My Rating: 
Blurb from Goodreads:
Makenna James thinks her day can’t get any worse, until she finds herself stuck in a pitch-black elevator with a complete stranger. Distracted by a phone call and juggling too much stuff, the pin-striped accountant caught only a glimpse of a dragon tattoo on his hand before the lights went out.
Caden Grayson is amused when a redhead literally falls at his feet. His amusement turns to panic when the power fails. Despite his piercings, tats, and vicious scar, he’s terrified of the dark and confined spaces. Now, he’s trapped in his own worst nightmare.
To fight fear, they must both reach out and open up. With no preconceived notions based on looks to hold them back, they discover just how much they have in common. In the warming darkness, attraction grows and sparks fly, but will they feel the same when the lights come back on?
My Review:
I love this novella. Laura Kaye explores what could happen with 2 people who meet and get to know each other without relying on looks, misconceptions, and stereotypes. The result is a hot, sweet, and captivating short story that I am calling a must read.
In Hearts of Darkness, Caden and Makenna both get on an elevator and only get a brief glimpse of each other before the power goes out and they are stuck in the elevator in the dark. Caden is a big, tough guy, but he has issues. He is claustrophobic and being in the cramped, dark space is difficult for him. Makenna feels for him and helps to distract him. They begin talking and playing 20 questions. Without the distractions of looks and misconceptions based on appearance, they get to know each other for who they really are. The more they get to know each other, the more the attraction and chemistry between them builds. However, once the power is restored and the lights come back on, will they like what they see?
I loved this short story. Caden is a sweet guy, who hides behind tattoos and piercings. He has a traumatic past and his image gives him a certain armor, protection from being hurt again. When Makenna is able to see beyond his outer appearance and get to know the man, she finds a sweet, sincere person. Makenna herself is known for being a woman in a man’s world. She has 3 brothers and she has a tendency to be “just one of the guys.” When Caden gets to know her, he gets to know Makenna as a woman, and a smart, caring person. When the lights go on, and the elevator time comes to an end, both Caden and Makenna have to reconcile the people they were in the dark with their appearances.
There was nothing that I did not like about this novella. Sometimes in novellas there are too many concepts in too short of a story, but Hearts in Darkness was perfect. The story was written and developed very well, and I believed the romance between Caden and Makenna. Laura Kaye has written an amazing and captivating story. There is more to this short story than romance, it is a love story, and I highly recommend this novella to romance readers. This is not a paranormal romance, the genre is contemporary romance (don’t be fooled by the tattoos on the cover, for some reason tattoos are linked with paranormals in my brain).
The more I read by Laura Kaye, the more I am convinced that I have found a wonderful new author. If you have not read any books by Laura Kaye, I recommend giving Hearts in Darkness a try. It is a short novella, but the story is fantastic, and you will not be disappointed.
If you would like to know more about Laura Kaye and her books, you can visit her website: http://www.LauraKayeAuthor.com/
If you would like to read this book, you can find it at: Barnes and Noble | OmniLit | Wild Rose Press
December 19, 2011 at 6:21 am
I absolutely agree! I adored this book and you captured the nuances of it perfectly in your review. It’s a great review! smiles….
December 19, 2011 at 1:48 pm
THANK YOU! My husband left my notebook on the plane when we returned from Vegas back in September. Mostly the notebook had notes I took for books I was reading and would later write a review for. It also held a list of eBooks that I wanted to read. Most of which I still do not know the name to.
I’ve asked several people about the claustrophobic tatted pierced guy stuck in an elevator romance. No one has been able to tell me the title to the book. Now I can finally read this book! YAY!
December 20, 2011 at 8:52 am
LOL, it is a really, really good read, I’m glad to help!
December 19, 2011 at 5:51 pm
This does sound really good. I have it on my wish list.
Thanks for the review!
December 20, 2011 at 8:03 am
Trust me this one is on my wishlist!
Great review!!
Mary