Darker Days (Darker Agency, #1)

by Jus Accardo

[kimbacaffeinate]

Darker Days is the first book in the Darker Agency series by paranormal author Jus Accardo. It offers up a snarky teenage protagonist, possessed dogs, zombies and a side dish of romance that will leave you smiling. Three word review: funny, action-packed and uniquely original.

We meet protagonist Jessie Darker as she arrives at the client’s home to remove a zombie from their pool and from the very first page the tale had me in its grips. Jessie and her Mom handle cases involving paranormal activity. Imagine missing people, spell mishaps, poltergeist, and zombies in your garage. If it’s weird for a nominal fee, they will clean things up for you. When a handsome young man arrives asking for help locating a person and a stolen box the case sounds simple enough. However,things are about to get complicated. The missing box contains the seven deadly sins, and they are wreaking havoc all over town. The tale unfolds providing romance, humor and nonstop action.

Jessie Darker is anything but your typical teenager. Her mother is human and hunts paranormal activity and her father lives in the Otherworld and is a demon. Yep, things are definitely not typical at her house. Jessie is fearless, snarky and speaks a lingo all of her own. I found her to be refreshing, and her spontaneous react first, think later attitude is typical of the kick-ass heroines we love in this genre. She is a delightful blend of innocence and maturity beyond her years. The parental units are present and take an active role in Jessie’s life. We get a strong sense of who they are and I liked their interactions with Jessie. Lukas Scott is eighteen, and you could say he has old-fashion values. He carries around some guilty which makes him vulnerable and you immediately connect with this swoon-worthy young man. Other characters and sins help round out the castas they made me laugh and get caught up in the action.

Darker Days was fresh, fun, and had a well-developed story-line. The Darker Detective Agency and unique characters quickly drew me into the story. The pacing and Accardo’s descriptive, easy-going writing style,allowed me to slip into the tale. The main case involving the Seven Deadly Sins provides the reader with heart racing scenes wrapped in humor. Accardo gradually builds the world and history of the Darker family with clever twists and family secrets. The romance develops slowly over the course of five days but evolves from respect and admiration rather than hormones. Ok, so maybe some hormones were involved, but it felt real, had cute moments and the author made me believe. The possibilities for this series are endless, and I am excited to see how this develops. Accardo’s imagination and gift for spinning captivating tales made this an excellent start to a promising new series.

Fans of paranormal hunters and snark will enjoy Darker Days and its unique cast of characters and paranormal creatures. Jus Accardo is the author of the popular Denazen series. I am looking forward to reading her upcoming novel Ruined.

originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer