Sexy, alluring, ruthless, and oh so complicated.West Moseley is known as the “charming” Dark Dweller. With his cheeky grin and southern drawl, he can charm anyone, especially women. And does.But after being held prisoner and tortured by the cruel Seelie Queen, West’s past comes back to haunt him. His memories of a tragic event and the truth of what happened on the Light side goes deeper than … goes deeper than anyone realizes. Things he wants no one to know about.
Struggling with his own demons, he battles the very essence of what he is—a Dark Dweller—a terrifying beast from the Otherworld designed to hunt and kill.
When the Unseelie King sends him to Ireland to uncover a dangerous artifact, West’s entire world takes a dangerous turn.
When a treasure lands in his hands, one he never suspected, nor wanted, he learns one crucial thing: you don’t steal from the Demon King . . . not if you want to live.
West is a spin-off of the Darkness Series. It is a stand alone adult urban fantasy romance, but it would greatly benefit the reader to start with the Darkness Series (1-4) first. West contains story-lines, world building, and spoilers from previous books and characters. It’s highly recommended starting with Darkness of Light (Book 1)
Sexual content, language, alcohol, violence, death, and other mature content intended for readers 17 and older.
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West is Wickedly Delightful …
It’s been a while since I visited the Darkness series and oh … how I have missed these characters. So, for readers that have not read the series from beginning to West then that is an absolute must, don’t be putting the cart before the horse. Go check out Darkness of Light, book one in the series.
Now that is out of the way, West’s story had to be told and I’m so glad that it was. It just put another layer on the already complex characters and the world that Stacey has so wonderfully created. Once I got started the book was difficult to put down.
So, on to my likes and dislikes: Who am I kidding, there were no dislikes, none whatsoever. I loved West’s character, I knew that getting to know him in his own book would have me melting into a puddle of goo with his southern drawl, charm, and good looks. But there is more to West that all the superficial bull, he’s complex, he’s been through hell and back again and lived to tell about it. From the previous books in the series, we all know that West has a lot of healing to do, but before he can put his past behind him, the Unseelie King, Lars, sends him on a quest with the one woman in the world that can see past his BS, Rez. The two make quite the pair as secrets are revealed and lost artifacts are sought after.
This is a great read, but I would caution no young readers due to mature content. These two characters are raw, and both have led a rather checked past, but that is their story to tell and not mine. Hope you enjoy. Happy reading!
West is such a complex character. In other books, we have seen his surface personality, watched him betray his brothers, and get tortured by the light queen. But in this book we get to find out more about West and why he chose what he did. We also find out why he acts the way he does. I think West is probably the most complex out of all the male dweller characters so far. Although, I was on the Darkness King’s side until West’s book. Now I kind of want someone to put him down! Haha
3.5
“You are being a coward. Hiding behind your ghosts. You’re letting your fears rule you instead of letting them out.”
West’s story took place after the Dwellers of Darkness. The dwellers were working with Lars and West was assigned to a mission with Rez. I didn’t expect this pairing at all.
What I love about West’s story was we were able to know what really happened to him. How he was abducted and what he went through with Aneira. I also liked that their relationship was gradual & they were able to get to know more of each other first. I also love how they fought for their relationship and the punishment given to them by Lars (it was perfectly executed)
We also get to see the whole gang, love the cameos.
This was a great addition to the series and I’m looking forward to Kennedy’s story .
3.5/5 Stars
This review MAY contain spoilers.
I really enjoyed this book a lot, but it was quite different from the rest of the Darkness series. I loved getting a better glimpse of West, his past, and his inner turmoils. I always loved his character and it was awesome to see him as the star of the show. That southern accent of his melts my heart.
The thing about the Darkness series that I always loved was the characters. The characters really bring this series to life more than anything else. At least to me. All of them together have so much incredible chemistry. I think that is the reason why this book, as well as the first book of the series, fell a little bit short while books 2 through 4 were ballpark knockouts. It is the only thing that is different about those two books and the other books in the series. I think that if all of the characters were present throughout the entire book then it would have added more to the book. The chemistry between the characters in this series cannot be overlooked. Once West reconnects with the rest of the Dark Dwellers at the end of this book I felt like I was back in books 2 through 4. The spark was back.
I felt that the plot was good. It does have a fairly self-contained plot of its own while stemming off of events and themes from the first four books in the series. It definitely had a different feel to it. I like that the plot in this book leads into what will happen going into the Lightness Saga.
The world building was detailed and easy to comprehend. West travels to Ireland in this book and I loved all the details specific to the different villages and places in Ireland that he and Rez traveled. It was quite atmospheric and very easy to visualize. The descriptions were great. I could feel the freezing ocean water and cold wind that was described in the book. It was easy to see and feel the surroundings described in the book.
The characters are the same from the rest of the Darkness series with a couple more new additions. We have already gotten to know most of these characters. The character development for West and Rez was incredible. We get to dive into the pasts and see the things that have formed their identities. We get to see and experience the demons that haunt them and it really makes you appreciate their character growth. Most of the characters in this series do not have happy pasts by any means, but I felt especially drawn to West and Rez’s sad pasts.
I liked the romance between West and Rez. I liked that it was a forbidden type of romance since she was technically the Unseelie King’s mistress. The fact that Rez and Lars didn’t love one another really made me feel guiltless about repping the romance. I am not usually into the cheating aspect. I did feel that West talked a little too much about how horny he was over Rez. It was almost a little overpowering. But I liked that their romance was gradual. They got to know each other on their trip and fell in love along the way. I liked that West’s beast claimed her. It was kind of perfect. It does make me want to see all of the Dark Dwellers claim their mates as well.
Overall, this was a great addition to this series. I loved reading about West’s story. If you are a fan of this series then I would highly recommend reading this book. It does add a lot to the overall story. Especially if you are going to continue on to the Lightness Saga from here. If you haven’t tried this series then I greatly recommend you read it!
When I say “Take Me West,” I don’t mean a direction… This book, even by Stacey Marie Brown standards, is quite the sizzle! Don’t get me wrong, there’s adventure and action, fantastical creatures and of course a lot of emotional baggage from their pasts that West and his travel companion Rez (both introduced in the Darkness series) struggle with every day, but the attraction and tension between the King’s minion and his mistress wouldn’t let me put the book down. I was a little surprised at the many explicit scenes versus a seemingly short climactic action scene from this author, but as with the author’s other work (her complex characters is one of the reasons I devour each of her releases ASAP), this book is more concerned with matters of the heart than the actual quest that simply exposes it, less about West’s physical prowess and more focused around the growth of his emotional strength and his internal acceptance. I also really enjoyed all the little allusions to the Collectors Series, connecting the authors’ work and building one tantalizing Fae world that I wish I could portal into, even with all its tests and dangers. Especially if West is there!
This was a book about one of the minor characters in the Darkness series and I highly enjoyed it. The Darkness series and the Collector series were related and set in the same world. Now the Lightness series is a continuation of the Darkness series, focused on different characters but the old beloved characters show up occasionally so we know what they are up to. I love these books!