500+ PAGES OF “CAPTIVATING” AND “UTTERLY CONSUMING” STANDALONE ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS ROMANCEOnce upon a cold, dark night, a Russian killer stole me from an alley.I’m dangerous, but he is lethal.I escaped once.He won’t let me do it twice. The revenge is his. The betrayal is mine.But so are the lies to protect the ones I love. We’re cut from the same twisted cloth. Both merciless. Both damaged. In his … same twisted cloth. Both merciless. Both damaged.
In his embrace, I find hell and heaven, his cruelly tender touch destroying and uplifting me at once.
They say a cat has nine lives, but an assassin has just one.
And Yan Ivanov now owns mine.
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Assassin Yan Ivanova doesn’t mind sharing women with his twin brother Ilya. That is, until he kidnaps the beautiful but mysterious Mina Belan and decides she’s his and his alone. Yan obsessively searched for days after Mina ran off and thought he’d never see her again. But when Yan finds out who Mina really is, he plans to make her pay for every bit of her deception.
Darker Than Love is an action-packed, suspenseful and steamy story full of twists and turns that will suck you in
Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls knocked it out of the park. This story is steamy, full of action and the character development is much better than book typical of this genre. The twists and turns make this one another page turner. Anna is an automatic purchase for me. She and Charmaine did an awesome job together on this one! Highly recommend this or anything written by Anna or Charmaine. Five stars!!
This book never disappoints for a second. This is a book you can’t put down. Mina is one tough woman and Yan is just straight out dangerous. When Yan and Mina mix, they are explosive. There is danger at every corner where these two are concerned. Yan and Mina do not have a typical love story, but what they become something neither one of them expects.
This was given to me as an ARC.
The beginning of this book just drew me in. It left me wanting and questioning. Who is she? What has happened to her since she was a child? I loved the part where Yan thought he was going to keep her. There was a moment where I was like, “Yes! Do it!” Sadly it didn’t. There was no chase though.
Later we found out who she was in relation to the other books and we knew things were going to go down. It was so nice to see Yan and his twin like this. Next, we will have to get better with Anton. But this took me on a great journey. I am sad that it is only one book, but it was such a great book. I cannot wait to re-read the whole series over and get back to this one.
What a fabulous, suspenseful tale of betrayal and deception with a strong heroine and a protective hero.
The premise of this enemies to lovers story was really original and kept me engrossed throughout.
A dark and exciting plot with a broken man and woman who together travel a rock road toward their redemption…I received an advanced copy of this book from the authors.
Mina is a waitress with a painful and dark past. She is kidnapped by Yan after hearing a conversation she should not have heard among his associates. Mina can’t understand her attraction to Yan especially given they are on opposite sides. Yan only planned on a one night kidnapping but Mina is different for him. He becomes obsessed and determined to make her his. This story has everything and you won’t be disappointed reading it.
Charmaine Pauls and Anna Zaires make one hell of a writing duo. They did an incredible job on this enemies to lovers standalone novel. I have enjoyed books by both of these authors separately, like Twist Me from Anna and Beauty in the Broken by Charmaine – I rec those two if you are unfamiliar with these authors and are looking for more after reading Darker Than Love- but reading Darker Than Love co-written by both of them? Amazing!
The chemistry between the two main characters, Mina and Yan, was explosive. The secondary characters were interesting and left me wanting to see more of them – especially Yan’s brother Ilya. But it really was the storyline that had me hooked and kept me guessing where this story was going – loved it.
Darker Than Love is told in dual POV as well as broken up in three parts. Which I liked because it gave me the background, the build-up and then the conclusion of their love story.
There is a novella, Sweeter Than Hate featuring this couple – my understanding it was a sneak peek to DTL and not necessary to read prior to this book. I could be wrong though so don’t quote me!
I have read and enjoyed Anna Zaires before, so when I saw she was releasing a new book with Charmaine Pauls, one of my favorite authors, I knew I have to read it.
Set in Anna Zaires’ world, Darker than Love is an intoxicating blend of passion and suspense that I thoroughly enjoyed. A messy and complicated enemies-to-lovers romance that brought the heat to a new level—It was fucking delicious.
In the beginning, the connection between Mina and Yan was more physical than anything, but as the story progressed, the authors managed to turn it into more than sex, creating a dark love story that will have you as obsessed with them, as Yan was with Mina.
Sexy, intense, and addictive. Charmaine Pauls & Anna Zaires are brilliant in this scorching hot must-read. Here’s to hoping to see more from these two together.
If you’re looking for a story filled with revenge and a dark obsessive kind of love to sink your teeth into, this is your book.
I love Ms. Pauls’ books.
I loves Ms. Zaire’s books.
These two collaborating together hell yeah!
I knew I was in for one incredible read.
And I got exactly that!
Suspense,drama,intrigue and a whole lot of sizzling hotness.
Yan and Mina are first physically attracted to each other.
The pull they have between them is intense and out of control.
But further into the story their relationship gets complicated and dangerous.
Yan and Mina should not fit together.
But they absolutely do.
Enter their world of violence,criminals and darkness.
I loved Yan’s possessiveness and alpha personality.
And Mina is no shrinking violet but strong and tough.
This story was written very well.
It captivated me from start to finish.
a very quick and interesting read, got me hooked from the first page. A lot of action, a lot of steaming scenes, it has dark elements too. The heroine is not usual lady in distress but one of the assassin kind. The only thing that I wish now is a happy ever after for Ilya too. Hope the next book will be his story.
If you’re familiar with the work these two authors, then you know you’re in for one heck of a rollercoaster ride! I’m a huge fan of both these ladies! I was introduced to Anna’s work when I first read the Twist Me series, followed by Capture me and Tormentor Mine. The possessive alphas take first then work things out, because what matters first is what they want and they will capture your heart in doing so!
Yan and Mina met under unlikely circumstances. They both hold similar positions in life that are dangerous and life-threatening. Their love stories starts with a guise of betrayal and lust and is filled with action, adventure and heart-wrenching events. If this sounds up your alley, then get to reading this book asap. Be prepared to fall in love with the words these ladies have cooked up in this very spicy telling of a match no one can compare to.
Darker Than Love
Darker Than Love, written by the wonderfully talented Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls is fast paced, punchy and incredibly dark. A perfect mixture!
Mina appears to be a delicate damsel in distress but looks can always be deceiving. Her past is full of tragedy and heartache, hardening her to the possibility of love and relationships.
Yan is brute force, focussed and deliberate in all things. His intensity almost jumps off the page.
A twist of fate, a betrayal and a whole ocean of lies and untruths mean that Mina and Yan must face their pasts, navigate old hurts and give in to the raw passion that exists between them.
This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I couldn’t put it down. A truly masterfully written dark romance!
Darker Than Love by Anna Zaires & Charmaine Pauls is the First book in the Darker Than Love Series. This is the story of Yan and Mina. There is a prequel to this book called ‘Sweeter Than Hate’ that is free on Amazon at the post of this review. I must say that I am a fan of both authors and I hope they do more writing together. This book was a total page turner with some hot scene but also so dark times that just kept me hooked. I would totally recommend this book.
Amount of sex 4 / 5
How explicit are the sex scenes 4 / 5
Story 5 / 5
Overall: 5 / 5
Wow!
Darker than Love is the first book in the Darker than Love series by authors Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls. This enemies-to-lovers book tells the story of Yan and Mina, and it can be read as a standalone romance. Just so you are aware, there’s a prequel called Sweeter than Hate, but it’s not mandatory to read before beginning this one.
I’ve been into bully/enemies-to-lovers stories lately, and I was so excited to read this book. Not only is it blazing hot, but the storyline is completely captivating. Mina is a strong, engaging woman, and I immediately loved her. Yan is such a complex character, and he slowly made his way into my heart. And let me tell you, when these two were together, they were explosive.
Darker than Love is a fabulous story, and I cannot wait for the next in the series!
Voluntarily Reviewed an Advanced Copy
Wow!!!! Two of the best authors come together to make this fabulous story. What can I say about this story but Awesome and amazing. Yan and Mina crazy love story is a none stop emotional Rollercoaster ride. Great job. Loved it
OMG. !! What an mind blowing book. Mina and Yan took me on an action packed journey. I loved every second of their story. So full of twist and turns that kept me captivated and riveted to every single word. An absolutely Stunning story. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an amazing read.
What a great blend of Ms. Zaires and Ms. Pauls! I absolutely live the writing styles of both authors and this book was a beautiful blending and a continuation of much loved characters. Definitely recommend as I couldn’t put this down!
Gripping and emotionally devasting
When two of my favorite Dark Romance authors announced that they were going to team up for a project I was beyond excited and my expectations were high. This exciting high-octane, roller-coaster tale certainly delivers and then some. It is Mina (Mink) and Yan’s story and it is set in Anna Zaires’ world of international arms dealers and mercenaries. I guess it could be read as a standalone, even though the two main protagonists both featured in the Tormentor Mine tetralogy, so you might want to start there. Yan and his twin Ilya used to be part of Peter Sokolov’s merry band of mercenaries, and now that Peter has retired Yan has taken over the operation.
It all starts when Yan and his men are in Budapest, planning an op and they run across Mina, herself a former government operative who now hires out her talents. But Yan doesn’t know that as she is recovering from an illness and masquerading as a waitress. Yan and Ilya are afraid she might have overheard some of there planning, so they decide to detain her for the night and a competition ensues between the two brothers of who can seduce her to their bed…. Yan, with his more polished façade emerges as the winner and he and Mina spend a passionate night together and they also connect on a deeper level. But the next morning Mina vanishes and Yan thinks he’ll never see her again, only to discover later on that she is the sniper who is involved in the ambush on Peter. He assumes (incorrectly) that Mina was spying on him in Budapest and feels a uncharacteristically deep sense of betrayal and vows revenge. But when he finally manages to get his hands on her he can’t bring himself to really go thru with it…
I felt the voices of Anna Zaires and Charmaine Pauls meshed perfectly in this engrossing tale of danger, passion, and ultimately love. I do love their signature style of dark romance where they skate the edge of “dubious consent” and throw two deeply damaged characters together who then despite all their emotional (and other) baggage manage to connect on a deeply emotional level. If you crave this type of romance, too, then Mina and Yan’s story is for you.
5 stars because it grabbed me from the first sentence and didn’t let me go until the very last word. So I am willing to overlook some inaccuracies with regard to content, such as the drive from Prague to Budapest (by car) doesn’t really take 11 hours, not even in heavy traffic. Also, it was never explained how, when, and why Yan and Ilya would have gotten fluent in Hungarian, even as Spetsnaz operatives, especially as Hungarian is quite difficult to master and the geo-political importance of Hungary for Russia would have been rather low after (and even before) the fall of the USSR…
When two dark authors work together, you bet it’s gonna be dark, dangerous and deliciously steamy
Fast pace, this dark enemy to lover romance is definitly a must read.
Love the chemistry between Yan and Mina. It’s sizzling hot.
Mina is strong woman. An ex special ops with tatts and piercing, she’s definitly not one to be underestimated. But mixed that toughness with her vulnerability makes her that enticing to Yan.
Yan Ivanov have no heart. He’s an assasin. Mercenary. Feelings aren’t for him if he wish to have long live. Until Mina. She consume him to be this posesive man who will have what he wants even it means he will have to keep captive this little traitor.
Love the “mission impossible” vibe going on in this book. The action. The romance. The steamy scenes.
Wow! This was an awesome story! It might seem like a dark premise but really it was two people with dark pasts trying to find their way to the light. There were some crazy twists and turn that had me reeling! If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would!