After forever trapped in hell, Drake is free and learning about the new world he has found himself in. After a long TASTE OF DARKNESS, he sees the light and that light is wolf shifter Victoria. He had been a 12-year-old dragon when he was sacrificed into hell and now remembers nothing about his past life and wants to forget the time he spent in the hellish realm. Four months isn't very long to acclimate into who he thinks he needs to be for becoming a proper mate to Victoria.
Victoria is a healer for the Stavros pack and had befriended the confused dragon, teaching him about the new world and all the modern technologies including driving. The one thing she can't seem to teach him is that she wants to be more than a friend. When his family members finally show up, Drake and Victoria are plunged into chaos and danger neither expected.
TASTE OF DARKNESS is an enthralling read. Four months before (in DARKNESS AWAKENED) Drake had exploded out of hell to save the daughter of the Stavros pack alpha and became a member. Since then, he has worked on becoming modern. That was the fun part of reading this book, having Victoria scare him with her driving skills, and trying very hard to be the friend he needs when she and he both want so much more. A lot of this book is them taking it slowly, and when you think about how old he was when he went into the hell realm, it is understandable. I mean the guy didn't even know his name when he was released, it was the alpha's daughter Vega, who gave him the name Drake. (It turned out to be correct as he is Dragos Petronilla - a good guess or does the young Vampire-shifter know things?)
Getting to know his family, brother Conall and sister Keelin, added some spice, especially when those two become the interested party of others. Conall seems to have developed an interest in Rhea, a tracker for the pack and Keelin becomes of interest to the Devlin Dragon Clan leader Bran. Bran is an interesting figure who believes he is less than perfect, and no woman would be interested in him, but Keelin makes him feel different.
TASTE OF DARKNESS was originally released in 2014 as second in her Darkness series and is filled with all the things loved in paranormal books - romance, wolf shifters, dragon shifters, drama, turmoil, danger, intrigue and did I mention all the romance in the air. An enjoyable fun read all in all and will no doubt have you looking for others in this Ms. Reus' series.
He spent more than a thousand years imprisoned in Hell…
Drake is an ancient dragon shifter, one of the most powerful beings in existence, but over a millennium trapped in utter darkness has left him ill-equipped for modern society. If it wasn’t for Victoria, the sweet female brave enough to befriend him, he’d be lost. She’s smart and gorgeous and everything he never dared dream of during his years of agonizing loneliness. He may not have anything to offer her, but one thing he knows for sure: he’d die to keep her safe.
Only to fall into the heaven of her touch.
Victoria is a wolf shifter, healer of the Stavros pack. She’s seen a lot, but she’s never met anybody quite like Drake, the fiery, fascinating shifter who can blaze through the skies unseen by mere mortals. He’s lost, dangerous, and the last male she should fall in love with, but the more time she spends helping him navigate modern life, the deeper—and hotter—their connection becomes. She’s thrilled when they finally locate his family, but reuniting with his people plunges them both into unimaginable danger. It's a race against the clock trying to figure out who wants them dead and who they can trust, especially when the threat is closer than they ever imagined.