The road to love is paved in the dark. Former gang member Dillon Hart abandoned the streets to join the US Merchant Marines. He feels his life is finally on track until he returns home to discover that his sixteen-year-old sister is missing. With his younger brother in jail and his older brother living a life of crime, it’s up to Dillon to find Grace. After four years of searching, a phone call … phone call from a morgue gives him a lead that he can’t pass up. Enlisting the help of a cutthroat reporter may be his only hope.
Crime reporter Maggie Marx has just the right mix of grit and sex appeal to get anything she wants, even the darkest stories on the street. Growing up in a gang, she had her fair share of setbacks and obstacles. When Dillon Hart seeks her help, she’s more than ready to take down the street’s biggest enemy. Her actions could help her exact revenge or land her in the belly of the beast.
As Dillon and Maggie team up to search for Dillon’s sister, they aren’t prepared to find what lies ahead. One family is torn apart. Another is brought together. Hearts are shredded, secrets are uncovered, and love takes on a whole new meaning.
Intended for audiences 18+
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This book has everything. Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Adventure and Action. I’m sure i am missing something more, but it was definitely a romantic, steamy, suspenseful, keep you on the edge of your seat, book.
Dillon Hart…yummy! What a beautiful man! He has a heart of Gold, but when it comes to sex he becomes a tiger, and if anyone touches his family…especially his woman he becomes a dragon!!! He’s gorgeous, caring, sensual, sexy as heck, and he’s strong, powerful and knows how to fight. I mean what more could you ask for?!!!
Maggie Marx, reporter, sexy and strong. I really like Maggie. I wasn’t sure i would in the beginning. I get tired of these strong women characters who are so strong that they feel they don’t need a man, and they don’t. But that wasn’t Maggie, she is strong from her history. But she’s not as strong and independent as she thinks she is. We get to see her vulnerability. I love that.
All the characters in this book were written so well. Learning about Dillon’s family life, growing up, the things he, his two brothers and his sister went through. The family is disjointed and Dillon wants so much to find his sister, Grace, not knowing what has happened to her after all these years. Denim is in prison for a murder he did not commit, and Duke is involved is criminal activities. I am really looking forward to their stories!! But i have a hard time imagining falling in love with Denim & Duke the way i did with Dillon!!
This book is gonna grab you!
Hart of Darkness is the first in a new series by S.B., and what a story it is.
Dillon and Maggie have history, and that’s where the spark started.
Dillon is from a hot mess of a dysfunctional family, he is trying to fight his past and redeem himself with his present and future. He is everything you could ask for in a male hero. His hottest factor, in my humble opinion, is the way he is fighting to keep what is left of his family together.
Maggie, oh my. She has had horrible things happen to her since birth. Yet she rises above like she says “…like a phoenix..”. She is still scarred, both inside and out. But when she runs into Dillion and they start to work together, she learns from him to embrace them.
This story is full of twists and turns, action, romance, thrills and chills. All wrapped into one story. This is a real page turner and a fantastic introduction to a new series! I will be waiting on pins and needles for the next book!
This is the first book I have read by S.B., but it won’t be the last! This is on my must read list!!
Well done Ms. Alexander, well done!
I missed the Maxwell brothers and loved Dillon and Maggie’s story just as much. I love suspense and characters that came from a dark background that overcame their struggles to do better! I cannot wait for Denim and Duke’s story!
I loved every second of this book and the ride it took me on. I love when books have me guessing things going on in the story!
Dillion is mine!!! He is by far my favorite character Susan has written to date! He has a heart of gold and wants to help others. He loves with everything he is even if he doesn’t realize it. He is what I look for in my book boyfriends!!!
Maggie is a strong lady! She has endured more than a lot of people and she doesn’t let it tear her down. She only let it make her stronger. She would do anything for those she loves. She just doesn’t know it yet! She is what heroines should be. She isn’t a doormat and doesn’t let others dictate how she lives!! I want to be like Maggie!!
I told Susan I was going to petition to have my name changed to Maggie! Though I should have convinced her to change Maggie’s name to Heather. #DillionandHeather
This book is one that I would tell everyone to read whether you’ve read the Maxwell series or not! You will see some of the Maxwell men in this book but it isn’t required to read them. Though I would definitely recommend them all!!!
Hart of Darkness (The Hart Series #1) – S. B. Alexander
Hart of Darkness was recommended to me by Jen Owenby, thank you for the nudge to read it.
The book starts out with a ton of angst, flashbacks, dark history for both main characters, suspense around current issues and memories mostly bad of past issues.
Dillon Hart did not grow up in a loving home, no he and his brothers were beaten which lead them to join a gang, mostly to keep them away from home. Dillon has been gone for a few years and in that time his younger brother has ended up in prison and his sister is no where to be found.
Maggie Marx was left at a fire hall as a baby, lived in a series of foster homes and ended up on the wrong street at the wrong time when she was grabbed, raped and beaten. She has become a reporter and her main concern right now is to reveal the members of the Dark Knights a gang that for the most part traffics girls into the sex trade.
The author takes us through their journey trying to find Dillon’s sister Grace, while hunting for that one piece of evidence that ties the man that raped Maggie all those years ago to the Dark Knights.
It’s dark, dangerous story, there is betrayal, anger, bad blood between brothers not very many happy moments. Through all of this there is a relationship that grows between Maggie and Dillon, there is obvious attraction but at the beginning neither one of them wants to have anything permanent. Until they realize that they could help each other in rebuilding trust and learning about relationships.
Both characters have to travel a winding dark road to end up with each other at the end of the book. I already have Book 2 in the series in my library! Can’t wait to see what happens next!
Fabulous story. This is a new to me author so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t too sure about the direction the story was taking, but it sucked me in and I couldn’t put the book down. This read was action packed and filled to the brim with twists and turns, just the way I like it! It was a great read and now that I’ve been introduced to some of the interlinking characters, I want to read more about them too.
Very much a slow burn with a slow start. The author takes his time introducing the main characters (Dillon and Maggie) to the reader and making sure you understand where they are coming from and their background. Dillon looking for his sister, Grace, who disappeared 4 years previously and Maggie abused a child and looking for revenge against the man who raped her and left her for dead. The chemistry between them is hot and whilst they work together to try and achieve their goals your taken on a roller-coaster of action and emotions.
Dillion is setting up a shelter for women on the street. He’s spent the last years looking for his younger sister who ran from their alcoholic abusive father while he was in the Merchant Marines. He and his brothers haven’t seen her since. Dillion knows what happens on the street especially with a gang in the human trafficking business. He even checks the morgues hoping he won’t find her there.
Maggie has a score to settle. As a crime reporter, she has some helpful contacts. Bringing one abused, running victim to the shelter she and Dillion decided to join up. Maybe with their different contacts, they will be more successful. Fighting their attraction isn’t as easy as they thought.
In addition to learning to trust each other, they will find others to trust and some loyalties become disappointments. It is a dark story with some of the worst and best introduced to the reader. The question becomes not only will he find his sister and Maggie her abuser, but will they live trying to?
Reviewed for Words Turn Me On
Oh, how I loved this book! I’m not going to lie, when I saw the genre of romantic suspense I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, I usually stray from suspense, but holy wow. I loved everything about Dillion’s book! It fit him perfectly! It was fun getting his story after the snippet of him we saw with Kelton. Dillion’s story was perfect for him, Maggie was perfect for him!
Everything about this book was what I needed! The last half of the book was suspenseful and sucked me in hard! This might just be my favorite book Susan has written to date. There are so many things that have me intrigued that I can’t wait for more of. Duke and Denim has some major stories I hope we get, along with Grace!
Five amazing stars for Hart of Darkness!
5 Dillon is sexy, gritty, but holds nothing back to find his family & love Stars
I was lucky to have found this author when she release her first Maxwell book, Dare to Kiss 4 years ago. Through each book since the first one, the main characters has gotten older, and they have grown into strong and loving adults. With each new book, new supporting characters are introduced. Dillon Hart is a dark character who is introduced in Dare to Love, which is Kelton’s (my favorite Maxwell Brother BTW) book. When Dillon is introduced not much is know about him except he is searching for his lost sister and will protect any woman he thinks needs help. So finally after we have heard all about the Maxwell brothers it is time to find out more about Dillon. This book is set in the future from all the Maxwell books by a few years, and what I love the most about this book is if you have read all S.B. Alexander’s books in the Maxwell Series you know these take place from high school through college and beyond. While I read this book, I got goose bumps for several reasons.
1. I felt like I had experienced the growth of Mrs. Alexander’s writing style right along with her.
2. Mrs. Alexander definitely went darker and edgier with this book and in my opinion this story not only needed this change, but it showed the author’s capability of adapting and reaching beyond her other works to truly deliver a story worth telling.
Dillon and Maggie’s story is not a simple one. Each of these two have baggage and a past that neither of them are really proud of. No matter what life has thrown at them, they want to find a way to push through the bad decisions they made in the past to become better adults. They want to find the truth and help those in need. These two will forge a bond not many could handle yet alone but they will be forced to trust one another to bring down the elusive Black Knights. Can a history of crime and gang life help these two solve the biggest mysteries of their lives without destroying the bond they began to form with one another. This story contains the prefect amount of suspense, intrigue as well as sexual chemistry oh and don’t for get a little humor too. It packs the full punch and it worth the ride.
Hart of Darkness was a phenomenal read! I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t put down. The book was full of suspense, darkness and mystery. This was so well written and easy to flow. Dillon Hart has a rough background but turned his life around and started a shelter for girls and abused women. His main quest in life is to find his missing sister and in the process gets reacquainted with Maggie Marx. Their attraction towards each other is undeniable. Loved seeing Kelton come into this story as well! This was so good!!! I highly recommend this book! I can’t wait for more of the Hart brothers!
Here is a review by Crystal: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2412869034
Another FABULOUS book well written by an AMAZING author!! 5 stars just doesn’t do justice. Where to begin? We fall in love with Dillon in the Maxwell series. Well now we get his story. Dillon has had a hard life, he’s been in a gang, has an abusive alcoholic father, one brother in jail, one he has issues with, and a sister who ran away from home. He doesn’t do relationships. All his time is spent looking for his sister and running his shelter. That is until he sees Maggie again… Maggie has had her own hard life. Raped and hurt by a guy she can’t pin down as being in a certain gang, being abandoned as a baby, foster care, and no real family. Maggie spends all her time trying to get revenge, so no relationships for her, until Dillon. Maggie and Dillon are perfect for each other. Read this wonderful book to find out more! CONGRATS on another amazing book Susan!!
A Hart for My Heart
I couldn’t believe any girl would be worthy of my new book boyfriend, Dillion Hart. Dillion has that bad boy edge that is cloaked in mystery that I love. And he has this huge heart even though his family is fragmented. Dillion’s sister, Grace, has been missing for four years. Enter Maggie, a fearless and rough around the edge woman, who just maybe the yin to Dillion’s yang. But first, they both have to survive. This book is a must have and the best I’ve read all year!
Sb has done it again.
This spin off from the Maxwell series is wonderful , I just fell in love with Dillon and Maggie, she took us on their journey of their past and their present in such a way that it just sucked me on to their lives.
Wonderful story, wonderful characters I just loved it. Great read.
I knew when Dillon was introduced in the Maxwell series that he had a story to tell. He has been looking for his missing sister Grace for four years. He teams up with Maggie after she brings a troubled girl to his shelter. Their attraction is instantaneous!! Dillon and Maggie embark on a suspenseful and dangerous journey to find Dillons missing sister Grace and for Maggie to seek revenge on a man who scarred her for life. Dillon seeks the help of his brother Denim who is serving time in jail and his brother Duke who has his hands dirty in the criminal world. How far will Maggie go to seek her revenge and get justice to what was done to her and how far is Dillon willing to go to save Maggie, Grace and himself… I wanted to take my time and savor this book because In all honesty I usually devour SB Alexander’s books! I love this book! It has it all! Romance, suspense, people who walk the lines of the right and wrong side of the law. It’s intense and it did not disappoint! I have waited so long for Dillon’s book and it as so worth the wait! Love love love this book soooo much!
First let me say that this book is for mature audiences. Second, this may very well be the best book this author has written! It has all the key elements for a great story: an excellent plot, romance, suspense and a HEA ending. It is cohesive without superfluous descriptions that make you nod off. The story flows well, is well-written and entertaining. Dillon Hart is a caring man with a hard exterior while Maggie Marx is a newspaper reporter. Both grew up in the school of hard knocks. As adults, they meet under circumstances where both wish to help vulnerable girls achieve a better life. This leads them into the mirky waters of the underbelly of Boston. The book is scary, steamy and satisfying. A 5 star read!
This was an awesome read. Dillon and Maggie are two pieces of the puzzle that just fit together so well. Both are broken but together they can overcome their pasts and hopefully have a bright future together. Not only did the reader fall in love with Dillon but now they will wait patiently for his brothers, Duke and Denim, to get their books. Both which cannot get here fast enough. I cannot wait for more in this series and if you are looking for a romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat and sucks you right into the storyline – this book should not be missed.
For all of you who like me have been wanting to read “Dillon’s Story” when you first read about in the Maxwell Series, we can now breathe easier. Both Dillon and Maggie did not have the best childhood and youth but sometimes the hard things in life seem to make some people stronger while others fall and wallow in their own worthlessness. Dillon and Maggie both found a purpose in life from their rise to pull themselves above all the hard things that life seems to keep throwing at them. Dillon’s shelter for abused women was started in part as attainment for his guilt over finding out his sister, Grace ran away from home over four years ago while he was gone in the Merchant Marines. Maggie Marx is a crack crime reporter who has no issues about digging into the seedier side of human cruelty to bring to life stories like the horrors she experienced after being raped and left for dead when she was fourteen. Neither Dillon nor Maggie realized that their two stories would come crashing together and all their questions would be answered. Can they find their HEA or will they find more horrors when secrets are revealed. GREAT BOOK!
I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest and totally voluntary review.
I love this one. Dillon was mention in the Maxwell’s series And he opened up a shelter for Women that are runaways, gangs, living on the streets. This book tells you more about Dillon. How he is hunting for his sister Grace for 4 years and can never seem to find her but he still has hope that she is alive.
Maggie is runaway from abuses foster homes and was grab one day and raped and cut up left for dead until Lou came upon her and helped her, taught her how to fight gang style and she started working at newspaper looking for revenge on the guy who gave her the scared.
Maggie runs unto a girl that is trying to get away from the cops and her pimp and Maggie got a call from Dillion that told her that he has a shelter for women so Maggie take dillion the girl.
Maggie and Dillon works to help each other If you want to find out if they fall in love and if they both get what they are looking for you will have to read this book