The Storm and the Darkness (The House of Crimson and Clover #1) in Dauntless Indies Read and Review Squad

Jun 09, 2013 Brandy Rivers rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This story was just as good, even better than the first.
The characters are real and they have their flaws. She brings you into her world and let's you see what makes these people tick. You get to see a turn for the darker side between Ana and Jon. I loved Flynn. And Oz, I still love Oz, but maybe not as much as I had. The jury is still out on Nic. He's got his share of issues, but each character has their share.
I can't wait for the next book. I want to see who Nic winds up with and why. ...more

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Nov 29, 2013 Felicia Tatum rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow...Sarah M Cradit blew this book out of the ballpark! Ana, Finn, and Jon are an amazingly messed up trio, and of course, my heart always has belonged to Nic. I absolutely loved this book and read it in one night. I can't wait to read more of this world and learn more about these people I've come to love.

Wonderful book! ...more

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Jun 30, 2013 Marinda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Storm and the Darkness is a very well written fast paced story, I couldn't put it down.The characters are well thought out and come to life on the page. The main character Ana comes to Maine to try to start a new life, but coming from the south she's not ready for the way the locals are cold and distant to her. She seems to only make one friend, the caretaker Alex Whitman. Then she becomes friends with Finn St.Andrews and tries to be friends with his reclusive brother Jonathan. An accident a ...more

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Aug 11, 2013 Mark rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 10, 2013 Echo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Mystery, magic, suspense that even made me slightly jumpy, family and just enough romantic intrigue to keep me well, intrigued :) The writing is fabulously done, I loved how Sarah M. Cradit tells a story. Being able to be in the heads of a multitude of characters I found myself liking everyone that I was reading about. Although, I have to admit the bad guy really did creep me out and I started to get very concerned about what was going to h I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Mystery, magic, suspense that even made me slightly jumpy, family and just enough romantic intrigue to keep me well, intrigued :) The writing is fabulously done, I loved how Sarah M. Cradit tells a story. Being able to be in the heads of a multitude of characters I found myself liking everyone that I was reading about. Although, I have to admit the bad guy really did creep me out and I started to get very concerned about what was going to happen. But I don’t want to give anything away…

When Ana decides to run away to Maine after doing something that in her mind is so horrible that she is full of self loathing. She ends up getting more than she bargained for.

Ana comes from a gifted family with different abilities. Her ability is being able to heal herself. She is unable to heal others but she can heal any injury to herself. Ana was likeable but she never crossed over into being one of my favorite heroines. She is an emotionally closed off person with some very emotionally deep seeted issues. It seems like the only person she especially close to and trusts is her cousin and best friend, Nicolas, he doesn’t want her to go but he ends up supporting her. I really liked him and I hope that he gets his own book.

When she gets to Maine, she meets Alex, the caretaker of her house and multiple properties on the island. Which since I mentioned the island, I just gotta say that I think I would totally freak if I went to an island for the winter with extreme winter conditions, that gets completely snowed in and no one can come or go. Craziness, pure and utter freaking crazy...

She also meets her neighbors, brothers, Finnegan and Jonathon. Completely different men, Jonathon is a very mercurial, strange man that I actually found myself really liking. But I am a sucker for the darker book boys. Finnegan was sunny and sweet with a niceness to him. I really liked him but he didn’t grab my interest quite the way that Jonathon did.

After dinner with Finn she tries to go to his house to return something to him, on her way to his house she falls, hits her head and goes into a coma. After that things speed up and get very interesting and had me chewing my nails and stressing. Who will she choose? Jonathon? Finnegan? Add in an obsessively crazy stalker with some murderous tendencies. Her cousin and her ex coming to find her. Everything gets very tense. It’s just an incredibly awesome ride of a novel.

I will say this, I am not to crazy about how it ended, I wish that there was a bit more resolution with the relationships and quite frankly I felt a little heart broken for a couple of different characters but overall I really enjoyed this book. I really want to read the next one in the series. Solid writing with well thought out and defined characters, a plot that kept moving and kept me reading straight thru to the very end. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes contemporary romance with a touch of supernatural and suspense.

Originally posted on Me, Myself & Books Blog
http://memyselfandbooksblog.blogspot.com ...more

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Jul 10, 2013 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I received this book from Sarah in return for an honest review, and just have to say thank you so much!

The Storm and the Darkness takes place in Summer Island, Maine. Where everyone knows everyone, gossip abounds and those that only visit in their summer homes are frowned on. Population 202, Ana Dechannel thinks it's the perfect place to run to when her life turns into something she can't face any longer.

Raised in New Orleans, daughter of Augustus Dechannel- Media mogul and billionaire- Ana has ...more

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Sep 08, 2013 Shawn Verdin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 Riveting Stars!

I’m going to say this very simply. I loved THE STORM AND THE DARKNESS!

Ms. Cradit has successfully written another book that I can call a favorite. The story centers on Ana Deschanel, cousin to Adrienne and Nicolas Deschanel both of whom we are introduced to in the first book in The House of Crimson and Clover series, St. Charles at Dusk. Ana leaves New Orleans for the solitude of Summer Island, Maine after making an awful mistake. New Orleans and Summer Island could not be a 4.5 Riveting Stars!

I’m going to say this very simply. I loved THE STORM AND THE DARKNESS!

Ms. Cradit has successfully written another book that I can call a favorite. The story centers on Ana Deschanel, cousin to Adrienne and Nicolas Deschanel both of whom we are introduced to in the first book in The House of Crimson and Clover series, St. Charles at Dusk. Ana leaves New Orleans for the solitude of Summer Island, Maine after making an awful mistake. New Orleans and Summer Island could not be any different geographically and climatologically, but changing her location will not change Ana. She will have to learn that she cannot escape herself or her demons. She begins this journey with the help of some great new characters…namely Jon, Finn and Alex. These guys are the catalysts for some interesting twists in Ana’s story. To my delight, we get to spend some time with Anna’s cousin Nicolas and his best friend, Oz Sullivan, who happens to be my favorite character in the series!

Cradit’s storytelling does not hand the reader anything on a silver platter. Her writing is complex, smart, witty and beautiful. One of the things I enjoy most about her writing is her rich character development. Character development and complexity are definitely present in The Storm and the Darkness. Her characters are real. Whether or not one believes in the paranormal element of the story (which I LOVE), the intricate layers of the characters cannot be denied. Just when you think you’ve figured one out, you realize there’s more to them than meets the eye. Their motives aren’t always clear, their intentions aren’t always pure and their actions aren’t always honorable. Good or bad, the characters are relatable.

If you’re looking for suspense, romance, mystery, action, drama, a little paranormal…oh, and a creepy dude that had me peeking into the hallway as I read, please read this book! Cradit has completely reeled me in to The House of Crimson and Clover series, and I will continue reading each book and novelette as quickly as she puts them out.
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May 01, 2014 Danyca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sarah M. Cradit is a brilliant author. She has a way of telling a story that pulls readers in. This book is told from different viewpoints of the characters. It is easy to understand and helps the story flow. It is full of mystery, suspense and romance with a touch of paranormal. I love the way we get to know the characters strengths and weaknesses, we get to see them as human and not some great heroes without any flaws.

Ana is a complex character with a dark side. She is written in a way that Sarah M. Cradit is a brilliant author. She has a way of telling a story that pulls readers in. This book is told from different viewpoints of the characters. It is easy to understand and helps the story flow. It is full of mystery, suspense and romance with a touch of paranormal. I love the way we get to know the characters strengths and weaknesses, we get to see them as human and not some great heroes without any flaws.

Ana is a complex character with a dark side. She is written in a way that readers can understand what is going on in her head while at the same time see the person she works hard at showing the world. She is fighting her dark side and wants to change. When she steps over a line she leaves her home and moves to Maine to try and change. There she is treated as an outsider and even though she prefers to be alone she feels lonely. Her only friend is the caretaker of her house Alex and he seems to be a little different but he is there to always help her. S
Finnegan is a fabulous character; he is sweet, innocent and accepting. He protects his brother who has issues of his own and loves him unconditionally. He is a hard worker and is content with his life. He is smart and well educated but lives his life simply as a fisherman.
Jonathan is Finnegan’s brother and he has a darkness in him that Ana can relate to. He isn’t good around people and comes off as mean and uncaring. He is the islands vet and has some medical training. He too is a complicated character, one I would like to know more about.
Then there is Nicolas and Oz, who we met in the first book. Their relationship to Ana is a close one. While they end up at odds with each other, they still work together to help Ana. It will be interesting to see what happens with these two in future books.
We also get to see Ana’s relationship with her dad and what it is like and get to see his view of who Ana’s mother was.
As the story continues I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat. The surprising twist of events and people not being who I thought they were had me turning the pages faster than I thought possible. I couldn’t put the book down. I didn’t want it to end yet I wanted to know what happened next. I love the way Ms. Cradit can pull readers into her world and make it feel like we are a part of it. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series yet at the same time I don’t want it to end.
...more

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Jul 09, 2014 Michele Breaux-Rowley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-faves, my-reviews, favorite-series, faves-new-series

I currently am book drunk, and am sure this will leave a book hangover for a couple of days. Review to come!

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Oct 04, 2021 Sarah Cradit added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

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Jun 22, 2013 Brian & Tara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A suspenseful adult thriller. Reading this book felt much like riding a roller coaster, from the building crescendo, to surprising moments of laughter, to an end that satisfies with a strange mixture of relief, sadness, and a hunger for more. Cradit deploys her multiple point of view again for this second book in the series, but is much more effective in its’ delivery this time around. Rather than potentially being confusing for us linear story lovers *raises hand*, it functions as an open windo ...more

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Jul 26, 2013 Megan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: general-paranormal

**I was given a copy of the following book in exchange for an honest review**

I have never really been a fan of stories being told from multiple perspectives - if not done properly, the story can become overly complex and disjointed. With that in mind, I was a little wary when I started Sarah M Cradit's The Storm and The Darkness. I really need to put more faith in authors because Cradit's story is told from seven very different perspectives that not once caused any confusion. I applaud her abili **I was given a copy of the following book in exchange for an honest review**

I have never really been a fan of stories being told from multiple perspectives - if not done properly, the story can become overly complex and disjointed. With that in mind, I was a little wary when I started Sarah M Cradit's The Storm and The Darkness. I really need to put more faith in authors because Cradit's story is told from seven very different perspectives that not once caused any confusion. I applaud her ability to seamlessly weave all of the different characters' stories together into one well-made basket of a novel.

Technically the second in Cradit's House of Crimson and Clover series, The Storm and The Darkness is written and is easily read as a stand-alone novel. I have never read the first in this series and had absolutely no problems learning and understanding the world of these characters. But I am planning on adding St. Charles at Dusk to my `to be read' list.

The Storm and The Darkness follows Ana Deschanel just after she has made the life-changing decision to move from New Orleans to the small Summer Island in Maine. She leaves behind her family, friends and everything she has known trying to protect them from a mistake she made. But when she gets to Maine, Ana finds that the island is not the escape she thought it would be. Viewed and treated as an outsider by the island locals, Ana struggles to fit in. Her only friend and lifeline is the caretaker who is helping her get settled on the island, but Ana soon finds herself cut off from him and the rest of the island by a raging winter storm.

Just before the storm, Ana has a surprising encounter with one of her neighbors (the younger of 2 brothers) and she finds herself braving the storm to return something to him. When she is injured en route, the brothers find her in the nick of time and take her back to their home to heal. In the course of her time with them Ana learns a great deal about herself, but the worsening storm also brings trouble that the three never expected.

Some parts of this novel threw me for loops because I was expecting so many different things to happen that then went in completely different directions, but it's rare for a story to surprise me, so that's pretty awesome. In no way was this the "perfect novel" but I have yet to find any example of perfection. There are some things that I would have liked to have more fleshed out and maybe expanded upon, but that's the nitpicky side of me. I could feel the emotions of each character at times - Cradit has a way of describing things in such detail that you feel as if she's telling the world how you feel. This story was definitely not what I'm used to reading, but there is something to be said for just a great story told with a little suspense, a little romance (but not romance) and a little bit of the supernatural thrown in for fun.

I truly recommend this to each and every one of you. ...more

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Mar 08, 2015 Amanda Jane Williams rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

We have all have that time in our life when we just wanted to run away and that is exactly what Ana does. She runs away not only from the people that love her but her feelings, but we all know you can never truly run away from ourselves. Sarah shows us what we all want to do at some point and the beauty in actually being able too and she also shows us what happens to the people we love when we do that. Ana does find the love that she needs and so much more.
*Received a copy for a fair and honest ...more

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Jan 25, 2015 Nimia Bradford rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I can't get enough of this series. So here we get to know more about the characters that will become extremely important in this series. We see how Ana finds in a way what she was looking for and a little bit more. Her interactions with the brothers are entertaining and a very complex threesome that you learn to love and hate. This series is a most read full of supernatural suspense, love and understanding. ...more

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Mar 25, 2015 Diane rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Received a complimentary copy to read and review. I couldn't put it down. Love the characters and the world that has been created. There are some great twists and turns. Readers will be drawn into the story from the very first page. It's a great addition to the series. Look forward to reading more of the series.
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Mar 11, 2015 Gladys Garcia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book gives you all the details of the why's in the lives of people in the illusions of eventide. It gives you an understanding of why they did what they did. An excellent book. Thank you ...more

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