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Violeta Graceling has been protecting her younger brother for years. He has occasional nightmares that leave him consumed by shadows when he wakes up. She fears, rightly, her foster mother’s reactions to the darkness, and how others in the village would react. Then the young lord of their valley catches a glimpse of Arien’s shadows when somehow they manifest themselves at the village’s tithe day. He insists on taking Arien back to his manor, and Leta insists on coming with them, which Lord Sylvanan grudgingly allows.
She’s terrified for herself and for her brother because she has heard the rumors about the young Lord Sylvanan. He’s called the Monster of Lakesedge because he drowned his entire family when he was just a boy.
But slowly, Leta learns the truth: Rowan isn’t a cold-blooded murderer; he is bound to the Lord Under, the god of death, to whom he owes a debt. And he is desperately fighting to push back a malignant corruption starting to take over the land. He needs Arien’s magic in his battle. But Leta finds herself not only falling for Rowan, but drawn to the Lord Under, to the black waters of the lake next to the manor. To save herself, to save Rowan, to save her brother, and even the land, Leta must face the truth about her own past and figure out how to use what gifts and knowledge she has.
Lakesedge is a serviceable gothic tale. It is sufficiently spooky and has a good storyline. Some of it just got a bit old for me: so much repetition about all the inky-black water, for one, and then this book (the first in a series) seemed to be ending at least two or three times and then reversed course. The pacing didn’t seem quite right at that point. I may or may not come back to read more of this paranormal romance book when a sequel comes out.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes fewer than 10 instances of mild language. Sexual content includes a sex scene where characters undress each other and kiss and touch each other in private places, but it doesn’t go into detail about specifics. There is a conversation between two women about herbal methods for contraception. Violence is fairly frequent; at the beginning, the main character and her brother are abused by their foster mother. There is a lot of blood-letting; deaths caused by supernatural creatures, including drownings; a lot of inky-black poison in the water and one character’s blood.
*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
