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Dark Secrets #1
Dark Secrets
Let me tell you a secret…
They hide in plain sight. They look just like me, just like you.
But they can kill. They do kill. And I’ve fallen in love with one.
I wish I’d walked away. I wish I’d followed my gut.
I wish he’d been there when I became the victim.
You’ll love this fresh take on a tired genre, because vampires should be bad, and they should do it well. So hurry and start the series today. Don’t be the last to discover it.
They hide in plain sight. They look just like me, just like you.
But they can kill. They do kill. And I’ve fallen in love with one.
I wish I’d walked away. I wish I’d followed my gut.
I wish he’d been there when I became the victim.
You’ll love this fresh take on a tired genre, because vampires should be bad, and they should do it well. So hurry and start the series today. Don’t be the last to discover it.
402 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2013
918 people are currently reading
4543 people want to read
About the author
Angela M. Hudson
32 books801 followersAuthor of books that crush your soul and leave you wanting more.
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June 28, 2024OMG- THIS COVER! - It's a whole vibe.. fingers crossed the story meets the vibe check.
June 11, 2013
The cover of this book is really beautiful, and as a bonus it actually has to do with the book! Beyond that, this book started off really well and just disappointed me page after page.
Amara-Rose, aka Ara-Rose, aka "just Ara" is a moody, stubborn, immature, selfish character who shows very little growth throughout this very long book. Everyone around her is very sensitive to her ordeal, and thus treats her as if she's made of glass. Understandably, what she went through is completely tragic and depressing, but no one wants to actually help her; they just keep letting her wallow in her misery. The fact that she treats school so irreverently is also annoying, especially given that her dad is a teacher at the school.
The romance was decent; I thought there was underutilized potential for more love-triangle situations, so that was a bit disappointing. I also thought Ara's inner turmoil was incredibly (unnecessarily) drawn out. I hated that she was so wishy-washy. Whenever she decided something, she would think of reasons, but ultimately it felt like she was just choosing because that's what she wanted. I get that - she should think about her own happiness! But no, she just drags things out and makes THREE people suffer, instead.
This book also fell under the unfortunate category of "vampires going back to high school for no apparent reason." David even has a cover story as to why he's "older" than the other students. Details get fuzzy from there. I also disliked that the book summary told you what the big "secret" was (regarding David, at least), but reading the story, it takes FOREVER and a day to get there...frustrating!
Apparently there's more to this book; definitely not interested. Glad this was free.
Amara-Rose, aka Ara-Rose, aka "just Ara" is a moody, stubborn, immature, selfish character who shows very little growth throughout this very long book. Everyone around her is very sensitive to her ordeal, and thus treats her as if she's made of glass. Understandably, what she went through is completely tragic and depressing, but no one wants to actually help her; they just keep letting her wallow in her misery. The fact that she treats school so irreverently is also annoying, especially given that her dad is a teacher at the school.
The romance was decent; I thought there was underutilized potential for more love-triangle situations, so that was a bit disappointing. I also thought Ara's inner turmoil was incredibly (unnecessarily) drawn out. I hated that she was so wishy-washy. Whenever she decided something, she would think of reasons, but ultimately it felt like she was just choosing because that's what she wanted. I get that - she should think about her own happiness! But no, she just drags things out and makes THREE people suffer, instead.
This book also fell under the unfortunate category of "vampires going back to high school for no apparent reason." David even has a cover story as to why he's "older" than the other students. Details get fuzzy from there. I also disliked that the book summary told you what the big "secret" was (regarding David, at least), but reading the story, it takes FOREVER and a day to get there...frustrating!
Apparently there's more to this book; definitely not interested. Glad this was free.
August 24, 2013
This was a freebie I picked up for my kindle from amazon.co.uk. I was initially a little dubious about it, sounded like an overly familiar plot. It did have a gorgeous cover though. So I read the sample chapters. The sample chapters were actually pretty good, I was even able to over look all the Twilight similarities. So I downloaded and kept reading.
Unfortunately, the more I read, the more I disliked it. I quite liked the two main leads at first, though David did use some rather irritating and odd terms of endearment for Ara which I think might have been deliberate hints that he was older and mysterious, but frankly, it was annoying. I was even able to over look the insta love.
But the plot dragged on and Ara became very whiny, selfish and extremely annoying and in the end she needed punching after becoming a complete Mary Sue. The book was very long winded and repetitive. At first I had a lot of sympathy for her, I couldn't even begin to imagine going through anything like she had. But her constant focus and crying and whining dragged and made her irritating.
Her best friend Mike from her home town in Perth was actually a pretty awesome guy. But that just lead to the inevitable love triangle when he finally came over to see Ara. Who by then was completely obsessed with David.
Who turned out to be a vampire. It took so long to get to that point, that by the time the big reveal came it was like, really? Yawn! One thing I did like however, was the rather unique take on vampires this book had. Not seem them done that way before.
But of course he's not supposed to love a human and wanted to change her which left Ara with a big dilemma. Give up her life for the boy she loved or not? Which lead to repetitive inner turmoil made worse when Mike showed up and was crazy about her.
Urg. It dragged and dragged and I started to hate the characters more and more and skimmed through large sections just to get to the end. Even after a big incident with David's mean revenge seeking brother didn't make the story any better. By the time I finished I almost felt like I deserved a star myself for finishing this thing and not giving up half way through.
I love Twilight-esque vampire stories, but this one didn't do anything for me.
Unfortunately, the more I read, the more I disliked it. I quite liked the two main leads at first, though David did use some rather irritating and odd terms of endearment for Ara which I think might have been deliberate hints that he was older and mysterious, but frankly, it was annoying. I was even able to over look the insta love.
But the plot dragged on and Ara became very whiny, selfish and extremely annoying and in the end she needed punching after becoming a complete Mary Sue. The book was very long winded and repetitive. At first I had a lot of sympathy for her, I couldn't even begin to imagine going through anything like she had. But her constant focus and crying and whining dragged and made her irritating.
Her best friend Mike from her home town in Perth was actually a pretty awesome guy. But that just lead to the inevitable love triangle when he finally came over to see Ara. Who by then was completely obsessed with David.
Who turned out to be a vampire. It took so long to get to that point, that by the time the big reveal came it was like, really? Yawn! One thing I did like however, was the rather unique take on vampires this book had. Not seem them done that way before.
But of course he's not supposed to love a human and wanted to change her which left Ara with a big dilemma. Give up her life for the boy she loved or not? Which lead to repetitive inner turmoil made worse when Mike showed up and was crazy about her.
Urg. It dragged and dragged and I started to hate the characters more and more and skimmed through large sections just to get to the end. Even after a big incident with David's mean revenge seeking brother didn't make the story any better. By the time I finished I almost felt like I deserved a star myself for finishing this thing and not giving up half way through.
I love Twilight-esque vampire stories, but this one didn't do anything for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 23, 2020A new girl in a new school, then she meets this handsome guy David who shows her to the school's library...
So far it looks pretty typical, I will keep going a bit further...
More to come.
So far it looks pretty typical, I will keep going a bit further...
More to come.
July 18, 2014
4.5 Stars
Wow. This book was not what I expected. I don't usually read YA, but Dark Secrets drew me in. The story is narrated by the 17-year-old female protagonist, Ara-Rose. She is prone to occasional fits of drama and temper, but her accompanying thoughts and emotional turmoil make her a sympathetic character. The author gave Ara a very authentic sounding voice and personality, and one cannot help but to relate to Ara's pain and confusion and to pull for things to get better for her.
A new beginning born in grief...
Suffering severe depression after the death of her mother and little brother in car accident, Ara-Rose moves away from her home in Australia to live with her father in New England. Ara is reluctant to begin at her new high school because she feels like a fish out of water and is self-conscious about scars she sustained in the car accident. On her first day of school, she is befriended by an enigmatic classmate, David Knight. David and Ara are drawn to one another and quickly fall in love.
A dangerous love...
When David reveals to Ara that he is a vampire, she is presented with a choice to disappear from her family and her present life, attempt to become a vampire, and stay with him; or to break up with David and condemn him to live the rest of eternity without his true love. To further complicate things, Ara's lifelong friend, Mike, travels to the States and visits with Ara's family because of his feelings for Ara. Already grieving for her mother, Ara faces the painful task of choosing which of the men she loves that she will reject. She cannot confide in anyone because David's secret must be guarded at all costs.
A painful choice...
When sudden danger threatens Ara and those she loves, Ara wonders whether she will have a future at all and whether David or Mike will be able to save her.
I recommend Dark Secrets for those who enjoy young adult paranormal romance. There is no explicit sex; however, there is some graphic violence. I will continue reading the series.
Wow. This book was not what I expected. I don't usually read YA, but Dark Secrets drew me in. The story is narrated by the 17-year-old female protagonist, Ara-Rose. She is prone to occasional fits of drama and temper, but her accompanying thoughts and emotional turmoil make her a sympathetic character. The author gave Ara a very authentic sounding voice and personality, and one cannot help but to relate to Ara's pain and confusion and to pull for things to get better for her.
A new beginning born in grief...
Suffering severe depression after the death of her mother and little brother in car accident, Ara-Rose moves away from her home in Australia to live with her father in New England. Ara is reluctant to begin at her new high school because she feels like a fish out of water and is self-conscious about scars she sustained in the car accident. On her first day of school, she is befriended by an enigmatic classmate, David Knight. David and Ara are drawn to one another and quickly fall in love.
A dangerous love...
When David reveals to Ara that he is a vampire, she is presented with a choice to disappear from her family and her present life, attempt to become a vampire, and stay with him; or to break up with David and condemn him to live the rest of eternity without his true love. To further complicate things, Ara's lifelong friend, Mike, travels to the States and visits with Ara's family because of his feelings for Ara. Already grieving for her mother, Ara faces the painful task of choosing which of the men she loves that she will reject. She cannot confide in anyone because David's secret must be guarded at all costs.
A painful choice...
When sudden danger threatens Ara and those she loves, Ara wonders whether she will have a future at all and whether David or Mike will be able to save her.
I recommend Dark Secrets for those who enjoy young adult paranormal romance. There is no explicit sex; however, there is some graphic violence. I will continue reading the series.
January 5, 2015
Dark Secrets
So, let me preface this review by saying that I am jaded and cynical when it comes to love and romance. But that doesn’t stop me from reading love stories, because I hope that someday one might change my mind. That being said, I didn’t start to read this book thinking it’d change my outlook on love, but just give me a teenage vampire story that wasn’t embarrassing to say that I read. I read the first Twilight book, and part of the second one. But you can only sit through, ‘Edward was an Adonis’ lines for so long before you want to gouge out your eyes with a rusty spoon. (Speaking of Twilight, the characters in this book mention Twilight and that it was a good book. This should have been a red flag. I should have stopped there.) Clearly massive inspiration was taken by the author as she jumped on the teenage vampire love story bandwagon. However, this wagon goes off the rails early on and leaves you annoyed and frustrated at the stupidity of the story and main character. Spoilers and ranting and raving ahead.
So let’s start with characters. My feelings towards Ara Rose can be described in one phrase: “David Knight is more believable and interesting as a real person than Ara is.” That’s saying a lot, considering David’s “Dark Secret”, as he mentions half a dozen times…before finally revealing it half-way into the book….after so-called foreshadowing that hits you over the head multiple times with a bat stamped “David is a vampire.” *huff puff* Sorry, that was a long run-on thought. Anyways, the author prefaces this book by stating that, first off, it is two books in one, which actually means, it’s just one very long, drawn out book, with hardly any climaxes or anything interesting going on until the end of the book because it’s so drawn out. I don’t even know how this was two books to begin with? She also has to defend herself in her foreword by explaining why she wrote Ara the way that she did. Red flag number two. That she wanted the readers to see her “growth” throughout the series. But let me tell you the problem with that, the entire purpose of the first book is to get the reader involved with the main character, to engage and relate to them, to make them want to learn more about this character and empathize with them and go on this journey. That being said…
I hate Ara. I hate the tantrums she throws every other paragraph. Literal tantrums. Crossed arms, storming off, pouting, yelling, crying, like the brat she is. I hate how coddled and babied she is by literally everyone, nobody opposes her, and everyone just feels bad for her and lets her get away with everything. I hate how spoiled she is, and acts. I hate how she gets away with never going to school, running away from home, sleeping with boys in their bed at her house? What father would allow any of that? Who, on this green earth, can sit back and relate to this character, in any kind of way? Now, let me break it down. Spoilers spoilers. Ara’s brother and mother died, in an accident that you learn she indirectly caused. She was throwing a tantrum, as per her usual when she doesn’t get her way(thank you Mike) and they got into a car accident after her mother/brother picked her up. Okay, two months later she’s living in the US with her father, stepmom and half-brother. You would think, after what happened, after her involvement, that she would have stopped the tantrums, and the whining, and would have turned a new leaf on her attitude at THAT point. But instead the author wants us to believe that she’s still the same person, but now she actually has a little bit of drama in her life to cause the tantrums and crying fits; Yay, an excuse to cry and whine more about her miserable life. I can feel for her, her mom and baby brother died and she feels responsible, good, do something constructive with those feelings for Christ’s sake. Stop sitting on your ass, woe is me, and crying about every little thing that doesn’t go your way. It’s clear she was this way before and after the accident, nothing changed, and that’s infuriating. Where is this supposed “growth”? She falls in love with David after she’s known him for literal days. Days. And he’s the “love of her life”. Okay…whatever, typical teens, think they’re in love after a few good dates. Fine, I’ll bite and keep reading.
Now, let’s talk about David. David is perfect looking. Of course. Similar to the description of Edward, in Twilight, which made it difficult for me to think of him as anybody else. He’s got supernatural powers, like mind reading and super speed. Sound familiar? And on day one he gets involved with the sweet looking girl next door, Ara and becomes glued to her hip. Literally, he sneaks into her bedroom constantly after he just spent all day at school or skipping school, with her. Of course she doesn’t mind because he’s hot and all the girls in school are jealous of her relationship with him. After 6 days of knowing each other, they both confess their love for one another. David’s gets written off as she’s his vampire soul-mate and that he’ll never love another person like her again, because it’s chemical, it’s some weird vampire horseshit that makes him love her. We find out later that he had been stalking her since she moved to the States and so loved her from afar until she came to school and officially met him. That’s not creepy or anything, but hey, he’s a vampire, so he’s allowed to be creepy. Also, what is the vampire fascination with going to high school? If I was an undead super-being the last thing on the planet I would want to do is relive bloody high school for crying out loud. So, different from Edward Cullen, he kills people, a couple times a week. Also he doesn’t twinkle in the sunlight and he lives by this Set of rules. I would have to say that this story would be much more interesting told from his point of view, but it’s not, sadly. He “loves” Ara, and so in true vampire form, toys with her emotions, because clearly she’s stable and can handle it, as his centuries old self should know better. He tells her he loves her, wants to turn her and have an eternity with her and that he’ll never love anybody else the way he loves her, and that she will forever be “his”. But, then he turns around and breaks up with her and tells her to live her life to the fullest without him, but just know Ara…he’ll forever be tormented and in pain because you didn’t choose him, but don’t choose him, he’s no good for you, but just know that he can’t live without you, after your two whole weeks together.*rolls eyes* They break up a lot in those first few weeks. Thanks to Ara’s tantrums and apparent bi-polar disorder. Also, there’s some weird stuff that happens, like his twin brother comes to visit her in her sleep and he warns her if he’s ever acting funny, it might be his brother and not him? Really? Okay….so don’t hear about his twin brother again until the last 90% of the book and then boy do we get a mouthful. More on the ending of this book later.
Up next is Mike. I actually kind of liked Mike. He’s also gorgeous and perfect and Australian, Ara’s best friend and madly in love with her. Mike comes by to visit for a week, conveniently when David is off doing Set stuff, and confesses his love for Ara on Day One. Surprise, surprise, this sets off another tantrum and running away from home, blah blah. I felt something a little bit endearing about Mike, because initially he acted like an adult and treated Ara like the whiny baby she is, making fun of her pouting, but after he confesses his love for her, he also turns around and baby’s and coddles her and tells her what she should be doing with her life, just like David does. Come back to Australia with him, have a life with babies and marriage(oh, yeah, he proposes using a ring he bought her a year ago? He planned on proposing all that time and never did? Ooookay). He actually yells at her and forces her to stop the tantrums, thank god, but he still always ends it with hugging her and kissing her, telling her “it’s okay” and apologizing to her. Apologizing for what? Being human and giving her a little bit of what she deserves, geez. Also, I’d just like to say, how much more I hated Ara when I found out that the only reason Mike initially “turned her down” when she told him she loved him was because she was drunk and he didn’t want her to regret what she was doing or saying. Hello, nice guy alert! And she storms off and sets this whole car accident in motion because she can’t handle the drunken rejection. Then she spends almost two months not even talking to him because he “doesn’t love her.” When that’s not even what happened. Good god girl, can you not see past your own nose? Argggh.
The rest of the characters are okay. Her father is pretty bland, doesn’t care that his daughter never goes to school, even though he’s a teacher there, and lets her sleep with her boyfriends. Her stepmother I actually felt quite bad for. Ara treats her like shit when she’s only trying to get to know her better. Her brother Sam is cool, but plays a minor role. Her friends she makes on day one of school all seem all right. Emily, as we find out later, actually knows David pretty well and she actually had a summer fling with David’s identical twin brother. We get told about this at like 90% into the book and it makes her more interesting but it doesn’t matter, book’s almost over. The supporting cast is just that, supporting, just there to move certain storylines along.
The ending of this book…let me just say. I literally had to force myself to read the last 20% of this book. I’ll be dammed if I make it this far and then give up. At least now when I write my scathing review I can say I know what I’m talking about because I actually finished it and know it’s crap. The last 20% of the book consists of Mike and Ara’s blooming relationship that she pretends to enjoy, David’s disappearance, the masquerade ball where she meets David’s brother, Jason, and then we get to the good stuff. Jason kidnaps Ara and tries to kill her. Let me just say that at this point I was pray that he actually would, and the rest these books would be told from someone else’s point of view. I was rooting for the villain. However, the way these very long, drawn out, last couple of chapters were written was a joke. Ara even mentions early on in her kidnapping that she’s just going to let Jason talk and unfurl his plan to her like villains in movies so that she can find a way to escape while he’s blabbing. And essentially that’s what happens for the next two chapters!! You find out that David is actually a bad person, killed Jason’s pregnant girlfriend, and that piqued my interest. I thought, wow, David is actually NOT a good guy. This is interesting. And, Jason is going to kill Ara, or at least if she doesn’t die she’ll be turned and that might also be interesting. Sadly, neither of those things happen. Instead, he doesn’t kill her, just mutilates her, and Mike comes to her rescue and when she wakes up in the hospital David and Mike are there to ease her mind. Turns out she doesn’t have “the gene” to turn into a vampire so of course David leaves, telling her to stay away now that she knows the monster he is and she decides that she’s going to continue her relationship with Mike, empty and hollow because she realizes she really only loves David, EVEN AFTER HEARING THE AWFUL THINGS HE’S DONE. So, have fun with that Mike, she’ll forever pine for David. The book ends with her marrying Mike and getting ready to fly to Australia with him.
*sigh* This girl has a lot of stuff going on in her life, I get it, and she is ill-equipped to handle any of it, and it shows in the way she behaves and it makes me hate her and want nothing to do with hearing the rest of her story. I could literally care less about how this awful girl develops. I don’t get why any of these guys are attracted to her past her looks. I see nothing that could happen to her, worse than her brother and mother dying in the car with her, to almost being raped and murdered, to make her change her ridiculous attitude. Also I found some very weird continuity errors in the book, when it comes to what time of year it is and how much time passes, etc, that were frustrating to read.
There’s a lot of books in this series for those that like this stuff, enjoy, you’ve got a lot to read, but there’s no way I’m giving this series any more of my hard-earned money. I gave it one star because I bought it and one more because I read it. Zero stars for content. Unbelievable human beings in a world of vampires? No thanks. Ara is bad, and you should feel bad for writing her.
So, let me preface this review by saying that I am jaded and cynical when it comes to love and romance. But that doesn’t stop me from reading love stories, because I hope that someday one might change my mind. That being said, I didn’t start to read this book thinking it’d change my outlook on love, but just give me a teenage vampire story that wasn’t embarrassing to say that I read. I read the first Twilight book, and part of the second one. But you can only sit through, ‘Edward was an Adonis’ lines for so long before you want to gouge out your eyes with a rusty spoon. (Speaking of Twilight, the characters in this book mention Twilight and that it was a good book. This should have been a red flag. I should have stopped there.) Clearly massive inspiration was taken by the author as she jumped on the teenage vampire love story bandwagon. However, this wagon goes off the rails early on and leaves you annoyed and frustrated at the stupidity of the story and main character. Spoilers and ranting and raving ahead.
So let’s start with characters. My feelings towards Ara Rose can be described in one phrase: “David Knight is more believable and interesting as a real person than Ara is.” That’s saying a lot, considering David’s “Dark Secret”, as he mentions half a dozen times…before finally revealing it half-way into the book….after so-called foreshadowing that hits you over the head multiple times with a bat stamped “David is a vampire.” *huff puff* Sorry, that was a long run-on thought. Anyways, the author prefaces this book by stating that, first off, it is two books in one, which actually means, it’s just one very long, drawn out book, with hardly any climaxes or anything interesting going on until the end of the book because it’s so drawn out. I don’t even know how this was two books to begin with? She also has to defend herself in her foreword by explaining why she wrote Ara the way that she did. Red flag number two. That she wanted the readers to see her “growth” throughout the series. But let me tell you the problem with that, the entire purpose of the first book is to get the reader involved with the main character, to engage and relate to them, to make them want to learn more about this character and empathize with them and go on this journey. That being said…
I hate Ara. I hate the tantrums she throws every other paragraph. Literal tantrums. Crossed arms, storming off, pouting, yelling, crying, like the brat she is. I hate how coddled and babied she is by literally everyone, nobody opposes her, and everyone just feels bad for her and lets her get away with everything. I hate how spoiled she is, and acts. I hate how she gets away with never going to school, running away from home, sleeping with boys in their bed at her house? What father would allow any of that? Who, on this green earth, can sit back and relate to this character, in any kind of way? Now, let me break it down. Spoilers spoilers. Ara’s brother and mother died, in an accident that you learn she indirectly caused. She was throwing a tantrum, as per her usual when she doesn’t get her way(thank you Mike) and they got into a car accident after her mother/brother picked her up. Okay, two months later she’s living in the US with her father, stepmom and half-brother. You would think, after what happened, after her involvement, that she would have stopped the tantrums, and the whining, and would have turned a new leaf on her attitude at THAT point. But instead the author wants us to believe that she’s still the same person, but now she actually has a little bit of drama in her life to cause the tantrums and crying fits; Yay, an excuse to cry and whine more about her miserable life. I can feel for her, her mom and baby brother died and she feels responsible, good, do something constructive with those feelings for Christ’s sake. Stop sitting on your ass, woe is me, and crying about every little thing that doesn’t go your way. It’s clear she was this way before and after the accident, nothing changed, and that’s infuriating. Where is this supposed “growth”? She falls in love with David after she’s known him for literal days. Days. And he’s the “love of her life”. Okay…whatever, typical teens, think they’re in love after a few good dates. Fine, I’ll bite and keep reading.
Now, let’s talk about David. David is perfect looking. Of course. Similar to the description of Edward, in Twilight, which made it difficult for me to think of him as anybody else. He’s got supernatural powers, like mind reading and super speed. Sound familiar? And on day one he gets involved with the sweet looking girl next door, Ara and becomes glued to her hip. Literally, he sneaks into her bedroom constantly after he just spent all day at school or skipping school, with her. Of course she doesn’t mind because he’s hot and all the girls in school are jealous of her relationship with him. After 6 days of knowing each other, they both confess their love for one another. David’s gets written off as she’s his vampire soul-mate and that he’ll never love another person like her again, because it’s chemical, it’s some weird vampire horseshit that makes him love her. We find out later that he had been stalking her since she moved to the States and so loved her from afar until she came to school and officially met him. That’s not creepy or anything, but hey, he’s a vampire, so he’s allowed to be creepy. Also, what is the vampire fascination with going to high school? If I was an undead super-being the last thing on the planet I would want to do is relive bloody high school for crying out loud. So, different from Edward Cullen, he kills people, a couple times a week. Also he doesn’t twinkle in the sunlight and he lives by this Set of rules. I would have to say that this story would be much more interesting told from his point of view, but it’s not, sadly. He “loves” Ara, and so in true vampire form, toys with her emotions, because clearly she’s stable and can handle it, as his centuries old self should know better. He tells her he loves her, wants to turn her and have an eternity with her and that he’ll never love anybody else the way he loves her, and that she will forever be “his”. But, then he turns around and breaks up with her and tells her to live her life to the fullest without him, but just know Ara…he’ll forever be tormented and in pain because you didn’t choose him, but don’t choose him, he’s no good for you, but just know that he can’t live without you, after your two whole weeks together.*rolls eyes* They break up a lot in those first few weeks. Thanks to Ara’s tantrums and apparent bi-polar disorder. Also, there’s some weird stuff that happens, like his twin brother comes to visit her in her sleep and he warns her if he’s ever acting funny, it might be his brother and not him? Really? Okay….so don’t hear about his twin brother again until the last 90% of the book and then boy do we get a mouthful. More on the ending of this book later.
Up next is Mike. I actually kind of liked Mike. He’s also gorgeous and perfect and Australian, Ara’s best friend and madly in love with her. Mike comes by to visit for a week, conveniently when David is off doing Set stuff, and confesses his love for Ara on Day One. Surprise, surprise, this sets off another tantrum and running away from home, blah blah. I felt something a little bit endearing about Mike, because initially he acted like an adult and treated Ara like the whiny baby she is, making fun of her pouting, but after he confesses his love for her, he also turns around and baby’s and coddles her and tells her what she should be doing with her life, just like David does. Come back to Australia with him, have a life with babies and marriage(oh, yeah, he proposes using a ring he bought her a year ago? He planned on proposing all that time and never did? Ooookay). He actually yells at her and forces her to stop the tantrums, thank god, but he still always ends it with hugging her and kissing her, telling her “it’s okay” and apologizing to her. Apologizing for what? Being human and giving her a little bit of what she deserves, geez. Also, I’d just like to say, how much more I hated Ara when I found out that the only reason Mike initially “turned her down” when she told him she loved him was because she was drunk and he didn’t want her to regret what she was doing or saying. Hello, nice guy alert! And she storms off and sets this whole car accident in motion because she can’t handle the drunken rejection. Then she spends almost two months not even talking to him because he “doesn’t love her.” When that’s not even what happened. Good god girl, can you not see past your own nose? Argggh.
The rest of the characters are okay. Her father is pretty bland, doesn’t care that his daughter never goes to school, even though he’s a teacher there, and lets her sleep with her boyfriends. Her stepmother I actually felt quite bad for. Ara treats her like shit when she’s only trying to get to know her better. Her brother Sam is cool, but plays a minor role. Her friends she makes on day one of school all seem all right. Emily, as we find out later, actually knows David pretty well and she actually had a summer fling with David’s identical twin brother. We get told about this at like 90% into the book and it makes her more interesting but it doesn’t matter, book’s almost over. The supporting cast is just that, supporting, just there to move certain storylines along.
The ending of this book…let me just say. I literally had to force myself to read the last 20% of this book. I’ll be dammed if I make it this far and then give up. At least now when I write my scathing review I can say I know what I’m talking about because I actually finished it and know it’s crap. The last 20% of the book consists of Mike and Ara’s blooming relationship that she pretends to enjoy, David’s disappearance, the masquerade ball where she meets David’s brother, Jason, and then we get to the good stuff. Jason kidnaps Ara and tries to kill her. Let me just say that at this point I was pray that he actually would, and the rest these books would be told from someone else’s point of view. I was rooting for the villain. However, the way these very long, drawn out, last couple of chapters were written was a joke. Ara even mentions early on in her kidnapping that she’s just going to let Jason talk and unfurl his plan to her like villains in movies so that she can find a way to escape while he’s blabbing. And essentially that’s what happens for the next two chapters!! You find out that David is actually a bad person, killed Jason’s pregnant girlfriend, and that piqued my interest. I thought, wow, David is actually NOT a good guy. This is interesting. And, Jason is going to kill Ara, or at least if she doesn’t die she’ll be turned and that might also be interesting. Sadly, neither of those things happen. Instead, he doesn’t kill her, just mutilates her, and Mike comes to her rescue and when she wakes up in the hospital David and Mike are there to ease her mind. Turns out she doesn’t have “the gene” to turn into a vampire so of course David leaves, telling her to stay away now that she knows the monster he is and she decides that she’s going to continue her relationship with Mike, empty and hollow because she realizes she really only loves David, EVEN AFTER HEARING THE AWFUL THINGS HE’S DONE. So, have fun with that Mike, she’ll forever pine for David. The book ends with her marrying Mike and getting ready to fly to Australia with him.
*sigh* This girl has a lot of stuff going on in her life, I get it, and she is ill-equipped to handle any of it, and it shows in the way she behaves and it makes me hate her and want nothing to do with hearing the rest of her story. I could literally care less about how this awful girl develops. I don’t get why any of these guys are attracted to her past her looks. I see nothing that could happen to her, worse than her brother and mother dying in the car with her, to almost being raped and murdered, to make her change her ridiculous attitude. Also I found some very weird continuity errors in the book, when it comes to what time of year it is and how much time passes, etc, that were frustrating to read.
There’s a lot of books in this series for those that like this stuff, enjoy, you’ve got a lot to read, but there’s no way I’m giving this series any more of my hard-earned money. I gave it one star because I bought it and one more because I read it. Zero stars for content. Unbelievable human beings in a world of vampires? No thanks. Ara is bad, and you should feel bad for writing her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2020
Ugh, my poor shattered heart. This story started out silly and cliched with too many pulls from Vampire Diaries and Twilight (why are they all obsessed with Muse?) Anyway... I encourage you to keep reading because something shifts halfway like the writer found her path and her own way to tell the story. It was heartbreaking and while it at times crossed over to ridiculously cheesy and I couldn't help but laugh, other times it took my heart and smashed it into a million pieces.
Dark Secrets centers around Ara-Rose after she is struck by tragedy. Due to her circumstances she's plucked from Australia and put down in America with her father, step mother, and step brother. Her first day of school she's immediately commandeered by the local bad boy and falls head over heels for him, cautiously. As their relationship progresses she discovers his secret life and must come to grips with what that will mean for their relationship and what she would have to do to keep the relationship alive. The story also works to develop the relationship Ara-Rose has with Mike and her new friends and little by little she begins to understand herself.
There were some weird continuity issues with the book, but I think it was a matter of the author finding her stride and developing her own style. It was interesting to watch the story change into something more unique since it started with such a typical premise. Also, there's a good number of typos in the book which stand out because I'm picky about it. However, it is worth ignoring as the author has a compelling story to tell.
Dark Secrets centers around Ara-Rose after she is struck by tragedy. Due to her circumstances she's plucked from Australia and put down in America with her father, step mother, and step brother. Her first day of school she's immediately commandeered by the local bad boy and falls head over heels for him, cautiously. As their relationship progresses she discovers his secret life and must come to grips with what that will mean for their relationship and what she would have to do to keep the relationship alive. The story also works to develop the relationship Ara-Rose has with Mike and her new friends and little by little she begins to understand herself.
There were some weird continuity issues with the book, but I think it was a matter of the author finding her stride and developing her own style. It was interesting to watch the story change into something more unique since it started with such a typical premise. Also, there's a good number of typos in the book which stand out because I'm picky about it. However, it is worth ignoring as the author has a compelling story to tell.
June 7, 2013
This book is very enjoyable to read. The first time I read it, my thoughts were like "oh gosh.. another Twilight type book". But, it isn't. Yes, there are some similarities but that's to be expected with a most books in a certain genre. As the series progresses, it really gets much better and more interesting than Twilight ever was (which I read like...8 times). The heroine in this series is dealt a troubled hand from the very beginning and definitely has the whole woeful teenage angst going on but as the series progresses so does the character. Hudson develops her characters much like a regular person would develop. No one changes overnight so why should any character? All in all, the books are free/inexpensive in this series and are well worth the couple of dollars you'll spend on them.
June 24, 2016
DNF ------- 33%
November 24, 2013
I wish we could give half a star because I would have given this book a 2.5 . The book started off great. I was taken back thinking I never read anything like this. The way the author explored death, guilt , tragedy really was amazing. I felt so many emotions through the passage. The author really paints a picture with her words and sadly up until the supernatural (sad because I love the supernatural) part I was pretty interested. Now the bad.
Ara was the most annoying character ever. She constantly was begging for confirmation and attention then when she got it she would question the motive and push those people away. I was forgiving of this because she had gone through so much. But it never let up even when she got over the pain of her issues. She was and is forever fickle about who she loves. Which can be typical for a teenage girl(and adult ones), but the fact that the men put up with it is kind of ridiculous. She must have golden women parts. She also throws herself at every rather casually, which is crazy considering she supposedly loves guy 1 or guy 2.
The men of Ara's life are a huge problem. They must be really creepers to keep pushing a girl who is not mentally there to make life altering decisions at such a young age. Guy 1 "I know your grieving the lost of your mother and baby brother, and your in love with your BFF, and you have just started growing a healthy relationship with your brother, stepmother, and father. But you have two weeks to decide if you want to give it up forever to possibly (if it doesn't kill you) become the least appealing type of vampire fiction has every created ( including the sparkling kind)?" Guy 2 " I know you blame us for your families deaths, and you moved away and "fell in love", and you keep telling me you will always want the other dude, and you mentally unstable, and all the family stuff mentioned above; but would you give all that up and marry me an move away to Perth with me?" If they are not creeps then something is wrong for them to be so obsessed with her.
The book which I only download a week ago (so it is the new one), fades in and out of scenes with no transition. This is annoying because I have to keep going back to see if I missed a page or missed the transition. Once I realize I am not crazy i have to figure out what is going on.
Overall I was disappointed after such an amazing start.
Ara was the most annoying character ever. She constantly was begging for confirmation and attention then when she got it she would question the motive and push those people away. I was forgiving of this because she had gone through so much. But it never let up even when she got over the pain of her issues. She was and is forever fickle about who she loves. Which can be typical for a teenage girl(and adult ones), but the fact that the men put up with it is kind of ridiculous. She must have golden women parts. She also throws herself at every rather casually, which is crazy considering she supposedly loves guy 1 or guy 2.
The men of Ara's life are a huge problem. They must be really creepers to keep pushing a girl who is not mentally there to make life altering decisions at such a young age. Guy 1 "I know your grieving the lost of your mother and baby brother, and your in love with your BFF, and you have just started growing a healthy relationship with your brother, stepmother, and father. But you have two weeks to decide if you want to give it up forever to possibly (if it doesn't kill you) become the least appealing type of vampire fiction has every created ( including the sparkling kind)?" Guy 2 " I know you blame us for your families deaths, and you moved away and "fell in love", and you keep telling me you will always want the other dude, and you mentally unstable, and all the family stuff mentioned above; but would you give all that up and marry me an move away to Perth with me?" If they are not creeps then something is wrong for them to be so obsessed with her.
The book which I only download a week ago (so it is the new one), fades in and out of scenes with no transition. This is annoying because I have to keep going back to see if I missed a page or missed the transition. Once I realize I am not crazy i have to figure out what is going on.
Overall I was disappointed after such an amazing start.
March 13, 2016
I just... Ugh. I don't like to give negative review, but this was insane.
This actually didn't start off so bad. I mean, the first... 2 chapters where alright? Maybe 3. Whenever she met David, it went to shit.
Ara's inner monologue was actually pretty decent 40% of the time, the other 60% of the time she was just whining. It was the conversations between her and David that are truly cringe worthy. After their second, possibly 3rd meeting, they declare their undying love for each other. What the hell?! What ever happened to slow build up?! I mean this takes insta-love to a whole new level.
Also, NOTHING HAPPENS. The whole book, until the last 15%, nothing happens. It's Ara being a whiny child and trying to decide if she wants to be with David as a vampire or not. That's 85% of the book right there. Back and forth of "do I or don't I?". It was sheer willpower that allowed me to finish this. I was about to DNF it soo many times, but then I was like... something HAS to happen. It can't be that kind of book.
If you like uber insta-love, love interests with NO redeeming qualities whatsoever, plots that literally go nowhere and whiny selfish heroines, you'll like this. If those things turn you off, avoid it. Seriously.
This actually didn't start off so bad. I mean, the first... 2 chapters where alright? Maybe 3. Whenever she met David, it went to shit.
Ara's inner monologue was actually pretty decent 40% of the time, the other 60% of the time she was just whining. It was the conversations between her and David that are truly cringe worthy. After their second, possibly 3rd meeting, they declare their undying love for each other. What the hell?! What ever happened to slow build up?! I mean this takes insta-love to a whole new level.
Also, NOTHING HAPPENS. The whole book, until the last 15%, nothing happens. It's Ara being a whiny child and trying to decide if she wants to be with David as a vampire or not. That's 85% of the book right there. Back and forth of "do I or don't I?". It was sheer willpower that allowed me to finish this. I was about to DNF it soo many times, but then I was like... something HAS to happen. It can't be that kind of book.
If you like uber insta-love, love interests with NO redeeming qualities whatsoever, plots that literally go nowhere and whiny selfish heroines, you'll like this. If those things turn you off, avoid it. Seriously.
February 25, 2014
Where to start with this one? I wanted to love it, but really didn't. I wouldn't go so far to say I hated it, but man there were some issues. It was mostly predictable (from the second a masquerade ball was mentioned, I knew the "malevolent" identical twin would show up in true Damon Salvatore fashion).
The heroine drove me absolutely crazy. She was weak and whiny, but worse she was completely codependent on the guys in her life (whether it be her "best friend" Mike or David) she wrapped her own self worth and life so completely around a guy that it wasn't healthy. Their whole relationship was disastrous with no really redeeming qualities. Their love is not what love should be. It shouldn't be this dangerous, possessive, all consuming emotion. I just didn't get it. Then let's add her fickleness of which boy to love when both love her so completely...gag me.
The supporting characters couldn't even redeem it for me. Emily seemed just as annoying and high strung as Ara. Vickie seemed just as annoying and overbearing. I mean what kind of step-mom expects you to call her mom after your own mother has died?! As I continue writing this review, I waver between an 1 star and a 2....so disappointing.
The heroine drove me absolutely crazy. She was weak and whiny, but worse she was completely codependent on the guys in her life (whether it be her "best friend" Mike or David) she wrapped her own self worth and life so completely around a guy that it wasn't healthy. Their whole relationship was disastrous with no really redeeming qualities. Their love is not what love should be. It shouldn't be this dangerous, possessive, all consuming emotion. I just didn't get it. Then let's add her fickleness of which boy to love when both love her so completely...gag me.
The supporting characters couldn't even redeem it for me. Emily seemed just as annoying and high strung as Ara. Vickie seemed just as annoying and overbearing. I mean what kind of step-mom expects you to call her mom after your own mother has died?! As I continue writing this review, I waver between an 1 star and a 2....so disappointing.
February 27, 2015
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!! I honestly have not put the series down since I started reading it. I have read a few reviews saying they think it is a lot like Twilight Series, but honestly Twilight has NOTHING! on this series. This is coming from an all out fan of Twilight and don't get me wrong I still love that series but these books have everything mystery, heartbreak, love, and my personal favorite VAMPIRES! EEEPPP! ok done with the girly moment. A.M. Hudson has immediately became one of my favorite authors since reading these books. Once you start you will NOT be disappointed that you started and have an offal hard time putting it down. I stayed up one night reading the 3rd book in one sitting, that's how good it was. Now that I am on the 4th and almost finished with it (a few chapters left.) I'm starting to take my time because I'm sure I cant wait until December for the release of the 5th installment. Everytime I start to read it it immediately sucks me into Amara's world full of passion, and keeps me wondering what she will do next...
July 31, 2013
Wow. The award for the most nonsensical, masochistic, annoying, immature, bitchy, spoiled child heroine goes to Amara (or was that Ara? Ara-Rose? Amara-Rose? What the hell was the deal with the nicknames?)! If I'm not being clear enough, I've never hated a heroine in a book more. Also, the whole sexual murder-y vibe thing was way beyond disturbing. Twilight, you are now off the hook when it comes to romanticizing domestic abuse, because you don't even come CLOSE to this little "gem." Wow. Just. Wow. I almost feel like recommending this book (which I received free through Pixel of Ink, in case that deal is still going on and you are interested) just so I can discuss its ridiculousness with someone I know. Did I mention this novel may, single handedly, set back feminism twenty years?
June 8, 2013
Really liked this book after I got past the beginning. I agree with some others that it kinda started off like the twilight series but by the end of the first book I was hooked. I actually like these better. At least the heroine shows emotion!
June 11, 2013
I don't understand why everyone always compares every vampire book to twilight! This book is No Twilight, it is great, and as the books go on they get even better! A.M. Hudson is one of my favorite authors and I can't wait for the last 2 books!
June 3, 2021
Dark Secrets:
PSA:
This is my first time reviewing a book so please forgive me if it’s not the best!
5/5 stars
I’m currently still reading the rest of the series but I can say without a shadow of a doubt this has to be one of my most favorite series. The author has a way of making you related to the character’s pain and triumph. You laugh when they laugh and cry when they cry. It was easy for me to become consumed by this series and I recommend it to all of my fellow readers.
Let me begin by saying that some of you may see the main character Ara as dramatic. Keep in mind this book is written from the point of view of a 17-year-old girl. Not only that but the number of emotions she is dealing with may show her as an angry and emotional person. Many of the reviews are based on those who have only read the first book. However, this part of her personality is vital to her growth throughout the series. Now, let's get on to the review!
Loss and Change…
"We are the authors of our own stories, and what we suffer is our fault. How we endure is determined by our will to survive in a world we’re forced to accept. You can either fly or fall. -Ara”
After the death of her mom and baby brother Amara, also known as Ara-Rose is uprooted from Australia and is forced to live with her stepmom, dad, and stepbrother. Consumed by grief, embarrassment, and guilt, the story opens to Ara’s first day at her new school. It is the beginning of the senior year and all she wants is to remain invisible. Within her first day, she comes face to face with the school’s mysterious “David Knight”. It does not take long before the two become inseparable. And for the first moment since the accident, Ara begins to feel like there might be some hope left in the world after all.
An Old Friend and Dark Secrets…
“Everyone has a secret. The depth and darkness of that inner truth can be the precursor that determines one's lifeline or, perhaps, eventually, personality. To err is human, so I'm told. But my mistakes and regrets were buried so deep, darkened my soul so black, that they were no longer secrets, but bars on a prison I trapped myself in,”
Further in the book, Ara opens up about her dark secrets and guilt towards her mom and baby brother’s death. After a conflict, it is Davids’s turn to talk about what he keeps hidden from the world. David is a vampire… Which comes with many choices that leave Ara lost and confused once again. Either leave her world behind or say goodbye to David forever. To make things more complicated Mike, Ara’s childhood best friend comes to town. This is her first time seeing him since everything happened. She has some decisions to make and not a lot of time to do it.
A Night to Remember…
“The truth about my life, clearer now through the eyes of Death.”
Darkness comes into the story and completely changes everything. Without spoiling anything I will say Ara goes through a traumatic experience that leaves the readers on the edge of their seat until the very end of the book. Personally, it made me begin book two immediately afterward.
Final thoughts:
Angela M. Hudson has created a world that is vastly different from any vampire series I have ever read. Having been someone who has read a little over half of the series I urge you to give it a chance. Amara’s character growth is so fascinating to see. As well as that of the other characters in the book. You will find yourself loving those those you hated and despising those you once loved. This series will take you on a whirlwind of emotion and consume you in a world where we could all use the distraction. Angela has become one of my favorite authors and I highly recommend all of her books to you.
Thank you for this book and for this series Angela.
PSA:
This is my first time reviewing a book so please forgive me if it’s not the best!
5/5 stars
I’m currently still reading the rest of the series but I can say without a shadow of a doubt this has to be one of my most favorite series. The author has a way of making you related to the character’s pain and triumph. You laugh when they laugh and cry when they cry. It was easy for me to become consumed by this series and I recommend it to all of my fellow readers.
Let me begin by saying that some of you may see the main character Ara as dramatic. Keep in mind this book is written from the point of view of a 17-year-old girl. Not only that but the number of emotions she is dealing with may show her as an angry and emotional person. Many of the reviews are based on those who have only read the first book. However, this part of her personality is vital to her growth throughout the series. Now, let's get on to the review!
Loss and Change…
"We are the authors of our own stories, and what we suffer is our fault. How we endure is determined by our will to survive in a world we’re forced to accept. You can either fly or fall. -Ara”
After the death of her mom and baby brother Amara, also known as Ara-Rose is uprooted from Australia and is forced to live with her stepmom, dad, and stepbrother. Consumed by grief, embarrassment, and guilt, the story opens to Ara’s first day at her new school. It is the beginning of the senior year and all she wants is to remain invisible. Within her first day, she comes face to face with the school’s mysterious “David Knight”. It does not take long before the two become inseparable. And for the first moment since the accident, Ara begins to feel like there might be some hope left in the world after all.
An Old Friend and Dark Secrets…
“Everyone has a secret. The depth and darkness of that inner truth can be the precursor that determines one's lifeline or, perhaps, eventually, personality. To err is human, so I'm told. But my mistakes and regrets were buried so deep, darkened my soul so black, that they were no longer secrets, but bars on a prison I trapped myself in,”
Further in the book, Ara opens up about her dark secrets and guilt towards her mom and baby brother’s death. After a conflict, it is Davids’s turn to talk about what he keeps hidden from the world. David is a vampire… Which comes with many choices that leave Ara lost and confused once again. Either leave her world behind or say goodbye to David forever. To make things more complicated Mike, Ara’s childhood best friend comes to town. This is her first time seeing him since everything happened. She has some decisions to make and not a lot of time to do it.
A Night to Remember…
“The truth about my life, clearer now through the eyes of Death.”
Darkness comes into the story and completely changes everything. Without spoiling anything I will say Ara goes through a traumatic experience that leaves the readers on the edge of their seat until the very end of the book. Personally, it made me begin book two immediately afterward.
Final thoughts:
Angela M. Hudson has created a world that is vastly different from any vampire series I have ever read. Having been someone who has read a little over half of the series I urge you to give it a chance. Amara’s character growth is so fascinating to see. As well as that of the other characters in the book. You will find yourself loving those those you hated and despising those you once loved. This series will take you on a whirlwind of emotion and consume you in a world where we could all use the distraction. Angela has become one of my favorite authors and I highly recommend all of her books to you.
Thank you for this book and for this series Angela.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 1, 2013 I can't really tell you a lot about this series with out SPOILING it!
These books are very well written. The author does an amazing job of making you feel for the characters. You laugh with them and you cry with them. The first book introduces Ara or Amara-Rose who has lost her mother and little brother under tragic circumstances. You will also meet David who has one very DARK SECRET and several smaller secrets to hide. They fall in LOVE at first sight. Ara may love David but she also has an old flame in the form of her best friend Mike.
Read this book and the sequels to find out how it all plays out. This series is for ANYONE who loves romance, paranormal and just a good book.
PLEASE PLEASE just take my word about it and go download it!
Oh and the 4th book comes out in OCTOBER!
To read more on my thoughts of this series please go to this link:http://www.greenmountaincouple.com/20...
These books are very well written. The author does an amazing job of making you feel for the characters. You laugh with them and you cry with them. The first book introduces Ara or Amara-Rose who has lost her mother and little brother under tragic circumstances. You will also meet David who has one very DARK SECRET and several smaller secrets to hide. They fall in LOVE at first sight. Ara may love David but she also has an old flame in the form of her best friend Mike.
Read this book and the sequels to find out how it all plays out. This series is for ANYONE who loves romance, paranormal and just a good book.
PLEASE PLEASE just take my word about it and go download it!
Oh and the 4th book comes out in OCTOBER!
To read more on my thoughts of this series please go to this link:http://www.greenmountaincouple.com/20...
June 6, 2013
A.M. Hudson has introduced a main character that has the reader both rooting for her and wanting to slap her from the start. Much mystery surrounds Ara and her moods and temperament, a mystery that slowly unwinds when she meets David, who seems to understand her better than she understands herself. Trust is difficult, and strange occurrences abound. Overall a good read that leaves one wanting more. The reader is not disappointed as the next book in the Dark Secrets series only deepens the plot and creates more mysteries. These books aren't your typical "tweeny" vampire novels. They explore deeper emotions and have more complex characters than most.
July 21, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint and it’s not really even a complaint is it’s a long book but its book 1 and 2 together so that is to be expected.
I was pulled into this book pretty quickly. AM’s writing flows very well and just sucks you into her imagination and you get completely lost in the characters and their emotions. With all the twists and turns I was left trying to guess what was going to happen next and sometimes I got it right and others I was so wrong. But not once was I left bored while reading this book. I will defiantly be reading more from AM and I can’t wait to buy book 3 and see what happens next. 4/5 Bloody Fangs
I was pulled into this book pretty quickly. AM’s writing flows very well and just sucks you into her imagination and you get completely lost in the characters and their emotions. With all the twists and turns I was left trying to guess what was going to happen next and sometimes I got it right and others I was so wrong. But not once was I left bored while reading this book. I will defiantly be reading more from AM and I can’t wait to buy book 3 and see what happens next. 4/5 Bloody Fangs
May 25, 2013
This book is pretty good. It did take me a while to get into it but once I did, I became emotionally involved with the characters. I did read this in one sitting (minus the bathroom and food brakes.) I did cry a few times and yell at the characters about things. It ended in a way that insures happiness yet invokes sadness as well. I have read a few reviews to the next book and from what I can tell, we will enjoy another rollercoaster!
July 21, 2013
Man! I fell in love with the story! It is dark and full of love. This is the type of love that would be everlasting and I hope it is.(I love the love triangle is amazing and I fell in love with the twist at the end. Made me cry but I believe it to be one of the best I have ever read. I read part of the second book and lets just say I was pleased. David's twin brother has won a place in my heart even if he did do horrible things the Ama-rose.
May 1, 2014
This book series is definitely one of my favorites. I love it. the characters seem so real.I have immersed myself in their lives and they will forever be apart of my soul. I cannot wait until they come out in paperback. If you have not read it you should.
*Update*
I have now purchased the book in paperback,I think I am in love :)
*Update*
I have now purchased the book in paperback,I think I am in love :)
June 11, 2013
This is one of my all time favorite Series. I am rereading it again, starting at the beginning, and
I love it just as much this time as I did the first time I read it. I would highly recommend it to anyone!
I love it just as much this time as I did the first time I read it. I would highly recommend it to anyone!
July 15, 2013
Bought it because it was free but kept reading because it was just good! There were a couple things I thought were .... Silly like profession of love so soon but overall it was a good read , so good that I continued with the other books and I'm hooked waiting for book 4!
July 18, 2013
At first I thought it was another TWILIGHT!! BUT................ It was completely different. The emotion, the depth, the love and the two way streak!
This is more then a love story and I do hope it has a happy ending.
FINGERS CROSS !!!
This is more then a love story and I do hope it has a happy ending.
FINGERS CROSS !!!
July 15, 2013
This is probably the saddest book that I have ever read. It made me cry multiple times. It also had me staying up till 3 in the morning wanting to read more to find out what would happen.
April 6, 2022
I read the ENTIRE series of ‘Dark Secrets’ by Angela M Hudson and it was INCREDIBLE 🤯🤯🤯! (FYI, I’m not affiliated with the author, not in the book biz, reading is just a HOBBY, and I’m just a regular reader that is super passionate 💗 about spreading the word on GREAT books!) There are NO spoilers 🙌🏻!
OK ✅! So this is a series of 15 books (9 main books, and 6 spin-offs!) I read these BEFORE I started writing these emoji 🤪 reviews (which is why there wasn’t one written before!) But there are several series like this that I want to circle ⭕️ back to and write ✍️ an emoji review ... and thought I’d kick it off 🦵 with this one 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻!
This will give you EVERYTHING you need to know 🙌🏻… without spoilers 🥳... to determine if this series is for you 💕! There are TONS of posts about this series on FB and I’m going to try to answer all those questions 🙌🏻!!
So first off 🤗! What is the series even about?! Well! It actually starts off A LOT like Twilight 🧛(sorry Angie 😆!) After a tragedy, Ara travels from Australia 🇦🇺 to America 🇺🇸 to live with her dad and go to highschool 🏫 ! Where she then meets a HANDSOME, GREEN eyed 👀 … vampire 😱! He’s MYSTERIOUS 🕵️♂️ and she’s SMITTEN 😍! NO ONE has EVER held his attention before like Ara ❤️ and we soon get swept into a sweet romance 💘…. UNTIL… well… BOOM 💥! We DON’T 😵! Muhahahahaa 😈😈😈! By the end of the first book you realize this is NOT TWILIGHT 🩸! It’s an entirely UNIQUE and CRAZY 😲 story that kicks off at the MASQUERADE 🎭 BALL (FYI around 80% into first book!) and the insane ride doesn’t stop until the FINAL book 😱!
So much to say 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! OK! The BIGGEST thing to mention is this author is a MASTERMIND 🧠 (aka EVIL 😈 MASTERMIND!) at plot twists 🌪 ! You LITERALLY have NO idea what is going to happen next! EVERY book is like PEELING away a layer of an ONION 🧅 to only find out in the FINAL book you were eating an ORANGE 🍊 ALL ALONG! A very, VERY large COMPLICATED ORANGE 😂😂😂!) There is soooo much EMOTION 😩 in these books! You literally want to THROW your DEVICE 📱 (seriously, Angie!! … you NEED a device throwing warning ⚠️!) … and other times, you want to SOB 😭 away with a box of tissues and a bottle of wine 🍷!
These characters!! BOY, can they annoy the CRAP out of you 😂😂😂! But at the SAME time, you still feel SO attached to their journeys! We have our main girl, Ara 👗, who starts off super immature (she is YOUNG!!) … but does GROW 🌱 as the series progresses 👏🏻! YES, the first book takes place in highschool. BUT 🤚🏻! After that, it launches 🚀 into a more ADULT series (and thank you 🙏🏻 thank you 🙏🏻 thank you 🙏🏻 Angie that she is no longer in high school 🥳!) DAVID, Ara’s handsome green-eyed 👀 VAMP, is actually the PURE definition of EVIL 👿! But he’s HOT 🥵 as well (so there’s that 😅!) Seriously, it is sooooo REFRESHING 🌬 to get a VAMPIRE 🧛 story where the VAMPIRES actually don’t give a YOU KNOW WHAT about eating their FOOD 🩸! Oh & get this!! … HOT 🥵 David has a HOT 🥵 BROTHER… a TWIN BROTHER 😮! JASON!! Oh my goodness… JASE ❤️ JASE ❤️ JASE ❤️… nom 🤤 nom 🤤 nom 🤤! Let me tell you, LOVING ❤️🔥 on DAVID or LOVING ❤️🔥 on JASE is like FIGHTING 🤺 words 🤣🤣🤣! People tend to be DIEHARD 😍 David fans or DIEHARD 😍 Jase fans! And YES… this is a LOVE ❤️ TRIANGLE 🔺! But! For those of you who don’t like them… just KNOW 💡… the author is BIG TIME into HEA’s and you WILL GET ONE 🥳… for EVERYONE 🙌🏻… errrr … EVENTUALLY 🤣😂🤣! HONESTLY, there are so many twists 🌪 & turns ↩️, I didn’t even know who Ara would end up with until Book 15 😲😲😲! And there is NO way you can guess this ending BTW! I PROMISE ✌🏻!
Now speaking of books… YES… there are A LOT 😆! BUT! For those of you who don’t want to invest the time for 15 straight books… there are NATURAL breaking points along the way 🥳! Book 6 feels like it has a HEA 💘 at the end, so does Book 9 (it’s a spin-off) and so does Book 12 (it’s also a spin-off!) ANY of those times is a GREAT 👍🏻 time to take a break 🏝 and read something else for a bit (and then come back for MORE emotional devastation later 😂!) Cuz let me tell ya… this series is EMOTIONALLY DEVISTATING 😩😩😩! It has it's DARK moments… and a helluva lot of secrets 🤫… hence ‘DARK SECRETS!’ 😉😉😉 There may be some triggers for some (cough* cough* torture 🔪 ) but outside of THAT 😆, other than ABSOLUTE EMOTIONAL AGONY 😭😭😭… it’s not TOO bad compared to other dark series out there 👍🏻!!
And speaking of emotional AGONY 😩! HOLY BOJANGLES 😲! The three spin-offs ‘In Another Life’… WHAT. THE. HECK. ANGIE!!!!!!! 😩😩😩 I literally put my book down, walked to the gas station, bought a bottle of wine 🍷, got some tissues, and then SOBBED 😭😭😭 my eyes out while yep, continuing to reading IAL Book 3 😂😂😂! TO THIS DAY, with all the books I have read (and if you follow my reviews, you know there are QUITE a FEW 😉😂!,) I think this one takes the emotional CAKE 🎂! It was so GENIUS 💡, but SO HEARTBREAKING 💔💔💔! For all who wonder what’s the deal with the IAL books… it’s a VISION 💭 being shown to Ara of what COULD have happened. But it’s KEY 🔑 to the main saga, so they can’t be skipped! And if you thought the MAIN SAGA was BRUTAL 😩… WOW 😲… just imagine how bad THIS is since it is literally NOT the path that was chosen for Ara because it is MORE BRUTAL than the MAIN SAGA 😲😲😲!
A lot of people start this series and mistakenly think it is YA. And I GET IT 👌🏻! MOST of book 1 feels that way! But just HOLD on to your HATS 🎩 folks, it is soooooo NOT YA and once you get on that emotional rollercoaster 🎢 … it just does NOT STOP! There is STEAM 🔥 (NOT tons, but the non-romantic plotline is SO engrossing, you literally don’t care!) There is DRAMA 🎭 ! There are MIND BLOWING 🤯 twists 🌪 ! There is EMOTIONAL AGONY 😩😭😩! Honestly, it’s a BRILLIANT 💡series and the writing is TOP NOTCH 🤌🏻! This lady KNOWS what she is doing 👏🏻! There really is nothing else out there like this series! I usually try to say when recommending books… “If you like this series, then you’ll like this series.” But I LITERALLY CANNOT 🚫 with this one. There is NOTHING out there like this!!!
So if you LOVE to be constantly SUPRISED 😲 & SHOCKED 😵, you LOVE to read series that make you want to THROW YOUR BOOK 📕 (watch out, cuz it has happened to someone 😅!,) you LOVE the emotional AGONY 😩 of a love triangle 🔺 … but at the same time, LOVE that you KNOW 💡 it will ALL WORK OUT RIGHT in the end 💗💗💗… give this series a shot! It’s free on KU and you never know, it may JUST be the best kept SECRET 🤫 of a series that is PERFECTLY DARK 👌🏻 for you!
FYI Perfect Reading Order below (Spin-offs are CRUCIAL to main saga! Recommend getting the boxset with all books in the right order!)
💗Dark Secrets
💗The Heart's Ashes
💗Mark of Betrayal
💗Lies in Blood
💗Echoes: Part One of Echoes & Silence
💗Echoes: Part Two of Echoes & Silence
💜Bound 1 (spin-off)
💜Bound 2 (spin-off)
💗Bound by Secrets
🤍In Another Life 1 (spin-off)
🤍In Another Life 2 (spin-off)
🤍In Another Life 3 (spin-off)
🖤In My Blood (spin-off)
💗Heart of Darkness
💗Underworld
Dark Secrets (all 15 Books!) by Angela M. Hudson
OK ✅! So this is a series of 15 books (9 main books, and 6 spin-offs!) I read these BEFORE I started writing these emoji 🤪 reviews (which is why there wasn’t one written before!) But there are several series like this that I want to circle ⭕️ back to and write ✍️ an emoji review ... and thought I’d kick it off 🦵 with this one 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻!
This will give you EVERYTHING you need to know 🙌🏻… without spoilers 🥳... to determine if this series is for you 💕! There are TONS of posts about this series on FB and I’m going to try to answer all those questions 🙌🏻!!
So first off 🤗! What is the series even about?! Well! It actually starts off A LOT like Twilight 🧛(sorry Angie 😆!) After a tragedy, Ara travels from Australia 🇦🇺 to America 🇺🇸 to live with her dad and go to highschool 🏫 ! Where she then meets a HANDSOME, GREEN eyed 👀 … vampire 😱! He’s MYSTERIOUS 🕵️♂️ and she’s SMITTEN 😍! NO ONE has EVER held his attention before like Ara ❤️ and we soon get swept into a sweet romance 💘…. UNTIL… well… BOOM 💥! We DON’T 😵! Muhahahahaa 😈😈😈! By the end of the first book you realize this is NOT TWILIGHT 🩸! It’s an entirely UNIQUE and CRAZY 😲 story that kicks off at the MASQUERADE 🎭 BALL (FYI around 80% into first book!) and the insane ride doesn’t stop until the FINAL book 😱!
So much to say 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! OK! The BIGGEST thing to mention is this author is a MASTERMIND 🧠 (aka EVIL 😈 MASTERMIND!) at plot twists 🌪 ! You LITERALLY have NO idea what is going to happen next! EVERY book is like PEELING away a layer of an ONION 🧅 to only find out in the FINAL book you were eating an ORANGE 🍊 ALL ALONG! A very, VERY large COMPLICATED ORANGE 😂😂😂!) There is soooo much EMOTION 😩 in these books! You literally want to THROW your DEVICE 📱 (seriously, Angie!! … you NEED a device throwing warning ⚠️!) … and other times, you want to SOB 😭 away with a box of tissues and a bottle of wine 🍷!
These characters!! BOY, can they annoy the CRAP out of you 😂😂😂! But at the SAME time, you still feel SO attached to their journeys! We have our main girl, Ara 👗, who starts off super immature (she is YOUNG!!) … but does GROW 🌱 as the series progresses 👏🏻! YES, the first book takes place in highschool. BUT 🤚🏻! After that, it launches 🚀 into a more ADULT series (and thank you 🙏🏻 thank you 🙏🏻 thank you 🙏🏻 Angie that she is no longer in high school 🥳!) DAVID, Ara’s handsome green-eyed 👀 VAMP, is actually the PURE definition of EVIL 👿! But he’s HOT 🥵 as well (so there’s that 😅!) Seriously, it is sooooo REFRESHING 🌬 to get a VAMPIRE 🧛 story where the VAMPIRES actually don’t give a YOU KNOW WHAT about eating their FOOD 🩸! Oh & get this!! … HOT 🥵 David has a HOT 🥵 BROTHER… a TWIN BROTHER 😮! JASON!! Oh my goodness… JASE ❤️ JASE ❤️ JASE ❤️… nom 🤤 nom 🤤 nom 🤤! Let me tell you, LOVING ❤️🔥 on DAVID or LOVING ❤️🔥 on JASE is like FIGHTING 🤺 words 🤣🤣🤣! People tend to be DIEHARD 😍 David fans or DIEHARD 😍 Jase fans! And YES… this is a LOVE ❤️ TRIANGLE 🔺! But! For those of you who don’t like them… just KNOW 💡… the author is BIG TIME into HEA’s and you WILL GET ONE 🥳… for EVERYONE 🙌🏻… errrr … EVENTUALLY 🤣😂🤣! HONESTLY, there are so many twists 🌪 & turns ↩️, I didn’t even know who Ara would end up with until Book 15 😲😲😲! And there is NO way you can guess this ending BTW! I PROMISE ✌🏻!
Now speaking of books… YES… there are A LOT 😆! BUT! For those of you who don’t want to invest the time for 15 straight books… there are NATURAL breaking points along the way 🥳! Book 6 feels like it has a HEA 💘 at the end, so does Book 9 (it’s a spin-off) and so does Book 12 (it’s also a spin-off!) ANY of those times is a GREAT 👍🏻 time to take a break 🏝 and read something else for a bit (and then come back for MORE emotional devastation later 😂!) Cuz let me tell ya… this series is EMOTIONALLY DEVISTATING 😩😩😩! It has it's DARK moments… and a helluva lot of secrets 🤫… hence ‘DARK SECRETS!’ 😉😉😉 There may be some triggers for some (cough* cough* torture 🔪 ) but outside of THAT 😆, other than ABSOLUTE EMOTIONAL AGONY 😭😭😭… it’s not TOO bad compared to other dark series out there 👍🏻!!
And speaking of emotional AGONY 😩! HOLY BOJANGLES 😲! The three spin-offs ‘In Another Life’… WHAT. THE. HECK. ANGIE!!!!!!! 😩😩😩 I literally put my book down, walked to the gas station, bought a bottle of wine 🍷, got some tissues, and then SOBBED 😭😭😭 my eyes out while yep, continuing to reading IAL Book 3 😂😂😂! TO THIS DAY, with all the books I have read (and if you follow my reviews, you know there are QUITE a FEW 😉😂!,) I think this one takes the emotional CAKE 🎂! It was so GENIUS 💡, but SO HEARTBREAKING 💔💔💔! For all who wonder what’s the deal with the IAL books… it’s a VISION 💭 being shown to Ara of what COULD have happened. But it’s KEY 🔑 to the main saga, so they can’t be skipped! And if you thought the MAIN SAGA was BRUTAL 😩… WOW 😲… just imagine how bad THIS is since it is literally NOT the path that was chosen for Ara because it is MORE BRUTAL than the MAIN SAGA 😲😲😲!
A lot of people start this series and mistakenly think it is YA. And I GET IT 👌🏻! MOST of book 1 feels that way! But just HOLD on to your HATS 🎩 folks, it is soooooo NOT YA and once you get on that emotional rollercoaster 🎢 … it just does NOT STOP! There is STEAM 🔥 (NOT tons, but the non-romantic plotline is SO engrossing, you literally don’t care!) There is DRAMA 🎭 ! There are MIND BLOWING 🤯 twists 🌪 ! There is EMOTIONAL AGONY 😩😭😩! Honestly, it’s a BRILLIANT 💡series and the writing is TOP NOTCH 🤌🏻! This lady KNOWS what she is doing 👏🏻! There really is nothing else out there like this series! I usually try to say when recommending books… “If you like this series, then you’ll like this series.” But I LITERALLY CANNOT 🚫 with this one. There is NOTHING out there like this!!!
So if you LOVE to be constantly SUPRISED 😲 & SHOCKED 😵, you LOVE to read series that make you want to THROW YOUR BOOK 📕 (watch out, cuz it has happened to someone 😅!,) you LOVE the emotional AGONY 😩 of a love triangle 🔺 … but at the same time, LOVE that you KNOW 💡 it will ALL WORK OUT RIGHT in the end 💗💗💗… give this series a shot! It’s free on KU and you never know, it may JUST be the best kept SECRET 🤫 of a series that is PERFECTLY DARK 👌🏻 for you!
FYI Perfect Reading Order below (Spin-offs are CRUCIAL to main saga! Recommend getting the boxset with all books in the right order!)
💗Dark Secrets
💗The Heart's Ashes
💗Mark of Betrayal
💗Lies in Blood
💗Echoes: Part One of Echoes & Silence
💗Echoes: Part Two of Echoes & Silence
💜Bound 1 (spin-off)
💜Bound 2 (spin-off)
💗Bound by Secrets
🤍In Another Life 1 (spin-off)
🤍In Another Life 2 (spin-off)
🤍In Another Life 3 (spin-off)
🖤In My Blood (spin-off)
💗Heart of Darkness
💗Underworld
Dark Secrets (all 15 Books!) by Angela M. Hudson
August 1, 2013
We are The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club, to know more about this book, go to the post in our website:
Dark Secrets (Dark Secrets #1) by A. M. Hudson
If you are interested, you can visit our website:
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:
If you were looking for a vampire story with a fresh ending and plot this is your story. A. M. Hudson creates a strong, yet emotionally weak character that has suffer the loss of not one, but two loved ones: her mother and her little brother and she blames herself for what happened that night.
After some struggling with dealing with the memory of that night, the main character, Ara Rose, finds herself drown to David a hot and inaccessible boy. He's known to be all mystery guy and no girl was able to inspire some interest in him until Ara Rose shows up. The insta-connection between the characters is obvious and from the first lines of this book you know that Ara Rose would do anything to be with David.
If you're comparing right now this book with obviously the YA most famous book of vampires, Twilight, don't. Because Ara Rose has a logic mentality. She's freaked out, like not talking to David and not wanting to see him, when she finds out about him. Bella is all like bite me! No, girls, Ara Rose has some sense of danger here. Not saying we don't like Twilight!
What we liked about David is that he accepts what he is and he understand why, the person who turned him, did it. It's nothing like he was dying and that person took him off from his misery. Not at all, was something practical and logical. He also makes some confessions to our main character like that he enjoys killing and it's not ashamed of it. I mean, it's his nature, it's what he's now. He would be lying if he would say that he didn't enjoy it and he makes clear to Ara Rose that. No matter how much he loves her, he's afraid that the beast inside him, his vampire side, wins over his heart. So we get back our bloody, merciless vampire stories without loosing the part of love story and fighting for what is worth in life.
About Ara Rose... We have mixed feelings for her. I totally understand her loss. She thinks it's her fault what happened back in Australia to her family and she's mourning. I understand that. What I don't understand is the part where she swears to David that without him her life has no meaning and when the other australian (that was a mixed feelings, too. Later we would talk about it) boy shows up at her door claiming that he always love her and was about to proposed when the accident happened and she accepts now his proposal, I was like: What the hell happened here?
Seriously? If you love someone that you can barely breathe without him or that you cannot think of a life without him, you don't go marry another man after he says you and him cannot be together for what he is. For God's sake! He's a vampire! He'd have to turn Ara Rose, meaning she could die in the process, just to be together. He's not willing to do that, to lose her that way and she goes all girly crying and saying she doesn't want to see him again and marries the australian boy? Come On! I know you can feel the frustration here.
And for the australian boy... We don't like him, because you could have figured out by now that we're on team David at the moment, but the guy is sweet and clueless and hot and... sweet. He's just too damn sweet and australian! That accent is like a huge plus to be on his team. He confesses her undeniable love to Ara Rose and explains everything that happened that night, the night of the accident; his point of view. And then we feel bad for him and angry with Ara Rose to act like a baby and wake up her mom just to pick her up when she could have walked to her house, because she was near.
Wow... too much feelings here. But guys, you should read this book, because it's not another vampire story, it's much more and we have the strong feeling that you're gonna love it.
Dark Secrets (Dark Secrets #1) by A. M. Hudson
If you are interested, you can visit our website:
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club
The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club's Review:
If you were looking for a vampire story with a fresh ending and plot this is your story. A. M. Hudson creates a strong, yet emotionally weak character that has suffer the loss of not one, but two loved ones: her mother and her little brother and she blames herself for what happened that night.
After some struggling with dealing with the memory of that night, the main character, Ara Rose, finds herself drown to David a hot and inaccessible boy. He's known to be all mystery guy and no girl was able to inspire some interest in him until Ara Rose shows up. The insta-connection between the characters is obvious and from the first lines of this book you know that Ara Rose would do anything to be with David.
If you're comparing right now this book with obviously the YA most famous book of vampires, Twilight, don't. Because Ara Rose has a logic mentality. She's freaked out, like not talking to David and not wanting to see him, when she finds out about him. Bella is all like bite me! No, girls, Ara Rose has some sense of danger here. Not saying we don't like Twilight!
What we liked about David is that he accepts what he is and he understand why, the person who turned him, did it. It's nothing like he was dying and that person took him off from his misery. Not at all, was something practical and logical. He also makes some confessions to our main character like that he enjoys killing and it's not ashamed of it. I mean, it's his nature, it's what he's now. He would be lying if he would say that he didn't enjoy it and he makes clear to Ara Rose that. No matter how much he loves her, he's afraid that the beast inside him, his vampire side, wins over his heart. So we get back our bloody, merciless vampire stories without loosing the part of love story and fighting for what is worth in life.
About Ara Rose... We have mixed feelings for her. I totally understand her loss. She thinks it's her fault what happened back in Australia to her family and she's mourning. I understand that. What I don't understand is the part where she swears to David that without him her life has no meaning and when the other australian (that was a mixed feelings, too. Later we would talk about it) boy shows up at her door claiming that he always love her and was about to proposed when the accident happened and she accepts now his proposal, I was like: What the hell happened here?
Seriously? If you love someone that you can barely breathe without him or that you cannot think of a life without him, you don't go marry another man after he says you and him cannot be together for what he is. For God's sake! He's a vampire! He'd have to turn Ara Rose, meaning she could die in the process, just to be together. He's not willing to do that, to lose her that way and she goes all girly crying and saying she doesn't want to see him again and marries the australian boy? Come On! I know you can feel the frustration here.
And for the australian boy... We don't like him, because you could have figured out by now that we're on team David at the moment, but the guy is sweet and clueless and hot and... sweet. He's just too damn sweet and australian! That accent is like a huge plus to be on his team. He confesses her undeniable love to Ara Rose and explains everything that happened that night, the night of the accident; his point of view. And then we feel bad for him and angry with Ara Rose to act like a baby and wake up her mom just to pick her up when she could have walked to her house, because she was near.
Wow... too much feelings here. But guys, you should read this book, because it's not another vampire story, it's much more and we have the strong feeling that you're gonna love it.
April 19, 2025
Dark Secrets, a paranormal romance, written by A.M. Hudson is the first book of the Dark Secrets Series. At the time of this review the first book is free on Amazon. It is also good to note that the entire series has already been published so you won't have to do any waiting if you are an impatient person like me. Dark Secrets introduces us to Amara-Rose, or Ara, as she wishes to be called. She is searching for a new identity after the loss of her family and move across the world. She finds solace in new love. However, her new relationship with David comes with secrets. Not only must Ara deal with the scars of her past, her new boyfriend's secrecy, but she must also define her relationship with Mike, her childhood friend. It all comes crashing down in a roller coaster ride that will leave you wanting more.
It was somewhat hard to review this book because I don't want to give away any of the secrets before you read it. So, if this review is a bit vague that is why. This is a long book but it is worth every minute, every page, and the lack of sleep. A.M. Hudson creates masterful characters that are multifaceted and real. Ara is a girl who is struggling with the loss of her family. A loss so unimaginable it cripples her. The editor notes in the description of the book that "Enter with an open mind. Ara was deliberately written to be very young and immature, but she grows tremendously through the series." She does start the story a bit naive and immature, but she develops into so much more as the book carries out. I can't imagine how much more incredible she will become in future books. She is just real, and she is just human entitled to make mistakes and to be indecisive. I loved the relationship between Ara and David. They way they could communicate. The way he helps her to find strength to move on from tragedy.
One of the things I love most about this book is the angst in the story. I'm a big sap when it comes to angst. When the characters fight their feelings, when they guard them in order to protect themselves or others, I can't get enough. Throw in a love triangle, and you've made my day. It doesn't come across that way in the beginning but A.M Hudson masterfully weaves it into the story. Each character is just so well developed and you can see each one's point of view.
Dark Secrets just kept me right on the edge of my seat. Some things are foreshadowed, and you can most definitely see where the story is headed in some aspects. They are easy giveaways. We know the story is about a vampire. Certain actions and things that happen early on in the story can be predicted but those are just the easy things. There are so many more plot twists and turns that come right out of nowhere that will slap you in the face and leave you a little dumbfounded. I can also see them being further developed in the series.
This book is five stars for me, and I don't often give those. It met all of my criteria, however. The belly drop in the midst of the angst. The beautiful characters that were just so real. This book had me feeling every emotion. I laughed. I cried. I swooned, and I almost threw my device across the room. That was even before the suspense came out of nowhere and left me saying "What the heck?" I can't wait to read the next book in the series, The Heart's Ashes, and see where A.M. Hudson takes us next.
It was somewhat hard to review this book because I don't want to give away any of the secrets before you read it. So, if this review is a bit vague that is why. This is a long book but it is worth every minute, every page, and the lack of sleep. A.M. Hudson creates masterful characters that are multifaceted and real. Ara is a girl who is struggling with the loss of her family. A loss so unimaginable it cripples her. The editor notes in the description of the book that "Enter with an open mind. Ara was deliberately written to be very young and immature, but she grows tremendously through the series." She does start the story a bit naive and immature, but she develops into so much more as the book carries out. I can't imagine how much more incredible she will become in future books. She is just real, and she is just human entitled to make mistakes and to be indecisive. I loved the relationship between Ara and David. They way they could communicate. The way he helps her to find strength to move on from tragedy.
One of the things I love most about this book is the angst in the story. I'm a big sap when it comes to angst. When the characters fight their feelings, when they guard them in order to protect themselves or others, I can't get enough. Throw in a love triangle, and you've made my day. It doesn't come across that way in the beginning but A.M Hudson masterfully weaves it into the story. Each character is just so well developed and you can see each one's point of view.
Dark Secrets just kept me right on the edge of my seat. Some things are foreshadowed, and you can most definitely see where the story is headed in some aspects. They are easy giveaways. We know the story is about a vampire. Certain actions and things that happen early on in the story can be predicted but those are just the easy things. There are so many more plot twists and turns that come right out of nowhere that will slap you in the face and leave you a little dumbfounded. I can also see them being further developed in the series.
This book is five stars for me, and I don't often give those. It met all of my criteria, however. The belly drop in the midst of the angst. The beautiful characters that were just so real. This book had me feeling every emotion. I laughed. I cried. I swooned, and I almost threw my device across the room. That was even before the suspense came out of nowhere and left me saying "What the heck?" I can't wait to read the next book in the series, The Heart's Ashes, and see where A.M. Hudson takes us next.
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