Dark Paradise (Dark Paradise, #1)

by Angie Sandro

[Sam@WLABB]

Angie Sandro's "Dark Paradise" was a pleasant surprise. When I received my invitation for this book, I thought it was going to be a typical romance. However, this is a bigger story with a paranormal twist and a murder mystery. Mala is a 20 year old young woman who is a decedent of a former slave and her former owner. She is also the daughter of one of the town's prostitutes and a suspected witch. She spent her life fighting her background and trying to establish herself. When she drags the body of one of the town's folk from the bayou, she becomes entrenched in this dangerous mission to discover the truth about the woman's death. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded, alternating between the romance and the mystery, and learning more about bayou culture and politics.I found that I could not read the last 20% of the book fast enough to satisfy my need to resolve the mystery and Mala's romantic drama. Lots of action, drama, mystery -- totally kept me captivated.