ARC Review: DARKEST HEART by Juliette Cross

Wrong side of heaven...right side of redemption.

Anya—a stoic, blue-winged angelic warrior— was bitten by a demon prince in battle, and now she has precious little time to find a cure for his deadly venom. But the only archangel with the power to stop the dark poison from corrupting her body and soul is missing. She’ll have to trust her guide, the outcast high demon Dommiel, who is as handsome as he is dangerous if she has any hope.

An outcast of his own kind, high demon Dommiel stays under cover while the war between angels and demons rages on. But when the only person who ever showed him kindness asks for his help, he has no choice but to try to save the angel. Venturing back into the dens he has avoided for so long, Anya makes him want and feel things he never thought possible.

But Dommiel knows there is no way an angel can ever love a demon…

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Review

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Darkest Heart quickly became one of my favorite reads of 2018!!

Time is running out for Anya. She was an angel bitten by a demon prince and his venom was slowly but surely working its way to her heart. Once it did, she'd be a slave to the demon and no longer in control of herself. She's desperate to find the archangel Uriel because as far as she knows he's the only one who can save her. However, Uriel has proven difficult to locate and she needs help to navigate among the mortal and immortal world to find him. Dommiel, archangel-turned-high demon, has been summoned by a blood bond to help Anya recover Uriel. Together, they must battle witches, furies, soul eaters, and other high demons to not only survive, but to right the wrongs and injustices these beings have plagued Earth with.

I would like to say that it was the world building and plot that really got my juices going, but while they were both spectacular, that wasn't what pushed this onto my favorite reads list. This tale was very much character-driven and these characters were more than worthy to tell a story about.

Anya was an angel warrior who's calling was the orphaned children of Earth. She worked alongside her fellow angels to drive warmongering demons back to where they came from. She didn't get personal and she didn't fraternize with anyone. She got along well with other angels but she knew nothing of personal pleasure or satisfaction. She also had a distorted view on other beings on a whole and grouped Dommiel under the 'unworthy' label. But everyone should know not to judge a book by its cover. Dommiel may have been an archangel cast out and made into a high demon, but at his core, after luxuriating in his new 'evildom', he was still one hell of an angel. He was kind and caring and honorable and his heart was HUGE!! This demon was truly worthy of redemption.

Tasting her might've been a mistake, because that lone demon who preferred to follow his own path could only see one now. The one that led to her. Always to her.

Something about this angel pulled at Dommiel and no matter how hard he tried to fight it, he could only last so long against the irresistible. I loved the way the author captured not only the chemistry but the inevitability of this couple. Their love transcended everything and virtually seeped from the pages. Adding in the heartache, betrayals, camaraderie, true friendships and alliances, along with the intense and amazingly detailed fight scenes, this was a story I'm so glad I didn't miss. Teaming fantasy with paranormal romance, Juliette Cross created a world full of must-read characters and I can't wait to see what's next!

Release: August 20, 2018 | Genre: Fantasy/PNR | Dual POV - 1st person | Heat: 4 | Standalone - Dominion #1 | Publisher: Entangled Publishing LLC