The Dark Ones (Dark Ones Saga, #1)

by Rachel Van Dyken

Hollie Jackson (Narrator) and Chris Chambers (Narrator)

• ISBN10: 1977353517
• ISBN13: 9781977353511
• Publish Date: 30 January 2018 (first published 16 August 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 16 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tantor Media, Inc
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 7 hours and 2 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Caitiebelle]

It has potential

I like the story, the world and such of this book series. I think it has potential. It is def. tamer in its sexy scenes than what I prefer, very little description really, and over far too quickly.

I enjoyed the book never the less, and it kept my interest. I will read the next one, and with it I hope we get some more details and character + world building. The characters are very interesting, but I can't help feel like we are only skimming the topping here constantly.

And I must admit I do so hate when books drag out...

[stacey_is_sassy]

The big, bad toughies are scared of…LOVE.

Well, now I get it. Rachel Van Dyken has been on my radar for a little while. I knew she wrote romance but I heard that she only wrote clean romance. There is nothing wrong with clean romance, but I like a bit of sizzle in my reads. When I mentioned to a few friends that I heard she was clean, the responses ranged from – LOL, Hmm…maybe there might be one or two that were clean, and lastly…her books have enough connection between the characters that you don’t need to see them in the bedroom. So…my interest was piqued and I put her to the test.

Firstly …where do I start? She has written A LOT. There were contemporary romance, historical romance and paranormal romance. I was in the mood for Paranormal so The Dark Ones was the first cab off the rank. Not a bad start to be honest.

Wow, The Dark Ones really packed a punch. I was sucked into this story from the beginning until the very end. Vampires, werewolves, sirens, demons, archangels and the dark ones, all come together and we see how they live with humans.

Genesis is human and has been groomed to serve the immortals. She knew all along that she could be called up to serve them and was under the impression that her role would involve teaching immortal children modern ways. Her grooming and teaching were mainly from her horrible mother who belittled her and made her feel ugly and useless. Imagine her surprise when she is called up to do her duty and finds out that everything she has learnt is a lie. She meets The Dark One who is the King of the Immortals and he takes a fancy to her almost immediately. NOT A GOOD THING AT ALL!! She also meets some of the Elder Immortals that know how much danger she’d be in if The Dark One, Cassius, actually claimed/marked her. They spirit her away and try to hide her from Cassius.

Ethan a vampire elder is attracted to Genesis and has to claim/mark/mate with her to get her out of Cassius’s clutches. With his friends, Mason (werewolf elder) and Alex and Stephanie (siren elders) they manage to protect her.

The mating of Ethan and Genesis isn’t smooth and loving. Ethan has a history that made him weary of mating and falling in love. Genesis because of her upbringing thinks his rejection is based on her ugliness and inferiority. Their journey together to find happiness was great and I liked seeing them face and conquer their obstacles together.

The Dark Ones is full of intrigue and mystery. I was interested to see how all the immortals live and work together. Their secrets must be kept, yet they live relatively normal lives. They work, shop, eat and drink like humans, but some of them need a little more to keep them in top form. While I was mostly interested in Ethan and Genesis, I couldn’t help but be intrigued with Cassius, Mason, Alex and Stephanie too.

There were some intimate scenes which definitely had just the right amount of heat to tick the right boxes for me and showed the connection between Ethan and Genesis. They were not overdone or hardcore, just the right amount of sexy to get my heart pumping.

Well now that I’ve finished my first Rachel Van Dyken, I can definitely say that it won’t be my last. Her writing style is smooth and easy to follow. I felt connected to the characters she created and I wanted to know more about the supporting ones. Rachel doesn’t write overly descriptive or too much inner-monologue which is a HUGE plus for me. It kept the pace and storyline consistent and interesting.

Next up, Untouchable Darkness and finding out how Cassius is dealing being…HUMAN!!

To buy The Dark Ones from Amazon - http://amzn.to/1XEoDhK

I’m an Aussie chick who loves to read and review romance, drink coffee, be a Style Setter and stalk David Gandy. To see more of my reviews, fashion, food and pervathons -

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

THE DARK ONES was a bit of a surprise to me. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I find myself totally immersed in this world and wondering what exactly was the tie of humans to this paranormal world.

When we're introduced to Genesis, her number had been called and she was being take to the meeting with the immortals. She believes her role with the immortals is as a teacher, but she soon discovers she's there for so much more.

All of the immortals, Alex, Ethan, Marcus and Stephanie, treated Genesis much differently than she was treated at home and once she was mated with Ethan, she was protected and shown she had a value. I loved how this small band of immortals went to protect what they felt was their own, even if that meant protecting from themselves. They showed Genesis the true meaning of family and how she was so much more than her looks and by no means worthless.

The relationship between Ethan and Genesis was a bit contentious at the start but Ethan's fear of losing someone he loves caused him to take things out on Genesis. Despite his actions, Genesis was able to break through his barriers and prove to him what they had was worth fighting for.

As only my second book by the author, I definitely look forward to seeing what happens next in this world, especially with Stephanie and the Dark One, Cassius.

Reviewer information can be found under the Tags section of the post on our site.

[Romance Schmomance]

Oh man, this has become my new favorite series and I am beyond eager for the next installment. I'm a huge paranormal junkie and this book sated everything that I wanted in a PNR and more! I'm not really sure what I was expecting with book, but it exceeded them all ... Bravo, Rachel, you have a new fan!

First let's start off with Genesis, all her life she was constantly told that she was nothing, she wasn't important nor was she beautiful. Talk about a depressing life and all this coming from her mother, I'd like share some not so kind words with that lady. Your heart just completely breaks for Genesis and you can't help but want to constantly share positive words. But it's hard for her to see any differently since she was taught that from such a young age. The whole time, I was just intrigued to see how her character would develop because my heart couldn't handle the poor girl, it's so sad. AND to top things off, let's just throw her in front of a pit of immortals. Genesis has prepared all of her life for this day, immortals aren't an unknown topic to her; her number was picked and it was time to do her duty. But little do we know, she was picked for an entirely different purpose and I'll be honest, it blindsided me. And that little details just adds to your intrigue!

In comes Ethan, the vampire, still dealing with his past of love and not entirely sure what to do with Genesis, the one who is now under his care and protection. There's so much I want to tell you all, but you just have to read the book to find out. I love Ethan, it may have taken me some time to come around to him, but he quickly became one of my faves. Genesis and Ethan have a lot to get through until they're finally on the same page, there moments of push and pull especially with Ethan. Eventually you can't fight the inevitable, you just have to give in ... ETHAN!

The whole time, you'll be guessing what is going to happen next. The supporting characters are AWESOME, even a certain one you're not a fan of in the beginning, you'll quickly learn that there's more to that character than we initially thought. That character actually might become one of my tops faves, which is funny because I loathed him in the beginning of this book. Not only is the banter between Genesis and Ethan priceless, add all the dialogue between the other immortals, Alex, Stephanie and Mason. Good luck having ONE favorite character from this series because you'll love each and every one of them for different reasons.

There's so many twists and turns in this book that'll leave you on the edge of your seat. You'll constantly be wondering what will happen next and left wanting more with each of the characters. This PNR has just about everything, love, laughter, tears and new beginnings. Please don't make us wait too long for the next one, I can hardly wait! Solid beginning for this series!

[thebookdisciple]

Wow.
Seriously, just wow.
This book is everything I want in a PNR. Angels, demons, vampires, werewolves, sirens and humans. True love, mates, powers, and more. Rachel has created a world that is both familiar and unique and totally intriguing. I absolutely love Genesis and Ethan and their story is a beautiful, tragic romance that you don't want to miss. Alex, Mason, and Stephanie are well written supporting characters who I hope will get their own book (Hint, Hint, Rachel Van Dyken!). I don't think I will ever get tired of the world she has created and this book will go into my very small pile of books I will reread (I already started it again and I just finished it!). I don't know if I can say any more wonderful things other than to say this: read this book. Think you don't like PNR? You will like this book. I promise you. And Ethan knows when you lie ;)
Heat: 2.5 (sex but not descriptive)