Six years ago, an unforeseen incident turned Rory Gallagher’s life upside down. Now, he lives in darkness, fearing the sun, fearing light altogether. Rory has developed Heliophobia. As a creature of the night, Rory has learned to adapt to his unusual lifestyle. He draws comfort from shadows and safety from the nighttime hour. Unfortunately, his mind is the darkest place of all, and the one place … place he can’t seem to escape.
Finding help isn’t easy, but when Rory registers with a local, twenty-four-hour counseling center, the man he meets surprises him in more ways than one. Young psychology student, Adrian Anderson, is Rory’s complete opposite. How will this smart, preppy, do-gooder ever get through to the man with a chip on his shoulder who has learned to hate the world?
It doesn’t take long for Rory to discover they have something horrific in common. Despite rules and regulations, this sad detail helps them form a bond neither of them expected. Could Adrian be the shining light Rory needs to dispel the darkness for good?
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I absolutely loved this book! Gobbled it up in just one day! The main character from this one is afraid of light. He suffered something horrific that has made him a recluse and unable to stand any sort of light. Luckily he has a wonderful best friend who gives him just the push he needs to seek help. I loved the intensity that he felt for his therapist. Watching their love blossom and grow was simply beautiful! Such an awesome story! Five Love in the Dark Stars!
Powerful and Raw (an audio review)
Phobia: an extreme or irrational fear or an aversion to something
Heliophobia: a fear of the sun, sunlight, or any other bright lights
Before I listen to a Nicky James audio, I gird my loins (in a manner of speaking). I know I’m going to be challenged. I know I’m going to have to think, feel, endure, and then rejoice. I know these things and I like to think I’m prepared. Ha. This talented author always finds a way to knock me on my butt.
Shades of Darkness was no different than her other audios. And I can’t say enough good things about the book.
The second in the Trials of Fear series, the book is about a man who fears the light, and the man he’ll face that fear for.
First let me say that this book made me uncomfortable. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say there is a lot of mentioning of bullying, as well as on the page stuff. My heart was in my throat for pretty much the entire eleven hours. Most people won’t have that visceral reaction, I think, but those of us who endured bullying as a child or teenager (or even as an adult) might have a strong reaction. I know I did. And that made the book all the more powerful to me. And my feeling of pride and euphoria when I got to the end was ever sweeter.
Rory lives in darkness. His story, when finally revealed, broke my heart. Not that I ever doubted his reasons for avoiding light, but when I heard the whole story…well, punch to the gut. I have light sensitivity and often need sunglasses on cloudy days, but that has to do with my eyes, not my mind. Seeing things from Rory’s perspective put a whole new spin on the light.
Adrian is a psychology student about to start his Master’s program. He gets top grades but it’s never good enough for his neurosurgeon father. After all, a doctorate in psychology is not the same as a medical doctor. No matter how many accolades Adrian receives, it’ll never be good enough. Also a scenario I can relate to.
Rory is lucky that his friend Crew cares about him. Enough to push him to call a counseling center. But with his inability to tolerate even the smallest amount of light, he believes getting help is impossible. That is until a brave man offers to come over to his apartment. And although the first meeting doesn’t go well, both men are willing to try again. When Adrian is the butt of his roommates’ cruel prank, Rory’s protective instincts go into overdrive, even though he barely knows Adrian.
Soon the men admit they have feelings and that compromises Adrian on a professional level. So what to do? Rory has finally found someone he can share with, but is the physical attraction enough to give up what little progress has been made? Well, this IS a romance so the answer was pretty obvious. I liked that there wasn’t much skirting of the line. Being involved with a patient is not okay. Both men can acknowledge that. Doesn’t mean Adrian won’t keep pushing, though, and it doesn’t mean Rory won’t dig in his heels.
Slowly their tenuous friendship develops into more. Both men are lonely and here’s an opportunity to connect with someone. To find solace. To share intimacy. And, of course, I was rooting for them all the way. But how can someone in the dark be with someone who is in the light? And is physical intimacy enough or do they have to own up to their emotional bond as well?
When it looks like Adrian is about to be the victim of a vicious prank, Rory tries to be there for him. That day is a turning point for both men. I have to admit, I had to stop and start the audio a couple of times. As authors we are told to take the worst-case scenario and then make it happen. Put our characters through the unimaginable. Make them suffer. In the end, if they survive, it makes their victory all the sweeter. So, yeah, I was cheering through the last few scenes in the book. My relief was palpable.
Have I scared you away? I hope not. This book had a profound impact on me in all the good ways. I did, as I knew I would, think, feel, endure, and rejoice. This is one of my all-time favorite books. It competes with Ms. James’ other books that I loved: Love Me Whole, No Regrets, New Beginnings: Abel’s Journey, and Owl’s Slumber. She handles mental illness with grace, always giving her characters dignity. As someone who suffers from a mental illness, I appreciate her portrayals. Her characters are rarely ‘cured’ at the end of the book. For them, like for me, it’s a chronic condition. It impacts my life, but it doesn’t dictate how I live that life. I have found my own form of happiness. and so have her characters.
On a final note, I want to mention the narration of Adam Gold. He’s narrated all of Ms. James’ books and I’m so grateful. He is amazingly talented and his performance was incredible. In case you can’t tell, I highly recommend this book.
Amazing romance with Nicky James’s trademark angst, captivating writing style, and nuanced character development. Not to mention an intensely satisfying HEA. The MC’s struggles with their mental health and their resilience in the face of horrible, nearly constant bullying and harassment are both heartbreaking and inspiring. It’s impossible not to feel some of the anxiety that Rory and Adrian fight daily to overcome, and I felt so invested in their well-being and happiness. Rory lives in darkness, both literally and figuratively, as he has lost hope of ever overcoming his crippling fear of sunlight. Adrian is an unexpected bright spot in his dark world, and Rory, in turn, becomes a source of hope and support for Adrian, which is a heartwarming thing to see develop. Rory and Adrian are seemingly opposites in many ways, and at first, Adrian is at a loss to understand Rory’s interest in him or to see beyond Rory’s somewhat intimidating looks. I loved that early tension between them because of these misconceptions, and of course, the simmering attraction and emotional connection that followed. Krewe is a wonderful secondary character, a great friend for both Rory and later Adrian as well. I loved how protective he is of his friends
Powerful and emotional – Nicky always delivers a truly immersive tale. Adrian and Rory are opposites but sizzle on the page when they come together and share a very special bond. A dramatic story with lots of intensity.
This is one of my favorite’s in the Trial’s of Fear series. Rory suffers from a phobia of light, starting with a prank that went very wrong when he was in college. Adrian is a psych student and works in counseling center on the night shift. Rory’s bff Krew convinces Rory to get counseling, and Adrian agrees to meet this unique client at home. Rory is the complete opposite of Adrian, cynical and angry. But Rory can’t help is attraction to Adrian and is drawn to Adrian’s light. Things are complicated since Adrian is Rory’s counselor, but the two can’t help but be drawn to each other.
I love Nicky James’ books so much, every single one I’ve had the pleasure of reading and Shades of Darkness is no different. Heliophobia is the main topic of this book, but it’s also about bullying and the severe emotional and physical effects it can have on a person. I found myself in sobbing tears reading this book as this couple waved in the water of fear, light and love.
The build up and slow burn is what makes the fire burn so bright in all Nicky James books. There is no insta love between the characters and there are more challenges than what seems possible to overcome, but ever so slowly and with a fierce determination, the characters grow in themselves and their relationship.
Shades of Darkness is the 2nd in Nicky James’ Trials of Fear series. Although this is the 2nd book in her series, it can be read as a standalone. But why would you, when book 1 (Owl’s Slumber) is a beautifully written book.
In this book we meet Rory Gallagher who lives in the darkness. He has a fear of light in all forms, which now rules his life. After his best friend’s insistence, he contacts a 24hour counselling centre and meets Adrian Anderson, a psychology student.
It would be remiss of me not to mention Krew (Rory’s best friend). Krew was the sunshine in Rory’s dark existence. We should all have a friend like Krew in our corner.
Nicky James writes mental health books like no other author. She not only entertains with her books, but educates as well. I always feel like I’m wrung dry after reading her books. She writes about sensitive topics, that others shy away from, with the respect that they deserve.
Nicky James writes from the heart and always takes me on a journey of discovery – This book is just another example of another little known phobia.
Well done on another amazing book Mrs James!
Should you read Shades of Darkness? Absolutely!!
So so so good. This book felt different than the other two in the series that I read before this. Different in a good way, though. I guess I was expecting the majority of the book to be about Rory and it felt more about Adrian. Just surprised me, I suppose. I love how Erin is in each book, though.
Shades of Darkness is the second book on the Trials of Fear series by Nicky James. This can be read as a stand-alone but I encourage you to read the first book, Owl’s Slumber as it is as brilliant as this one.
The author takes a little known phobia and wrote a beautiful story. Rory has a fear of the sun because of a previous trauma. He lives in darkness, because its where he feels safe. At the insistance of his best friend Krew ( who in my opinion brought humour in little doses and he had a presence that demanded attention. Flair has got nothing on this guy), Rory finally relents and tries to get help he needs. Enter Adrian, a pshycology graduate at his first job who gets Rory’s case. A lot happens in this book, Adrian helping Rory but there is also another issue that is brought to light concerning Adrian. Together they both fight there demons and fears and find love.
Nicky has always had this talent to bring light to various and sometimes little known mental illnesses and educates us about it. Its a love story, yes but also brings light to how some people struggle with the most basic things in live.
Another beautiful story that I highly recommend you read.
I loved this even more than book 1! The description in the back for book 3 made me so excited. That one is going to be amaaaazing.