“Ann, you’ve stepped into the middle of a legend. Now you’re trapped.”
─ Christina Dodd
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Book Information
Title: Scent of Darkness
Author: Christina Dodd
Publisher: Signet Select Book a division of Penguin Group, New York
ISBN 978-0-451-22173-5
Genre: Romance, Paranormal
Ages: 18+
392 pages
Book Summary:
Ann Smith loves her boss, Jasha Wilder. Ann makes a daring plan to seduce him at his remote mountain home. Her plan goes awry when she encounters a wolf, and unbelievably it transforms into Jasha. She quickly discovers that not only can she not escape him, but the destiny of breaking a curse. Jasha is one of the descendants of the brutal Russian warrior, Konstantine who promised his soul and those of his descendants to the devil.
Book Rating 3/5
Scent of Darkness is the first book in the Darkness Chosen series by Christina Dodd. The series follows the Wilders that are the cursed descendants of Konstantine. Each one of the Wilders is fated to meet the one that will help break the curse that binds their soul to the devil. In the first book, Dodd introduces the curse, the members of the Wilder family, and the manner in how the curse will be broken through love.
Time is pressing as the curse is nearing a deadline, and the Wilder patriarch is dying. If the curse isn’t broken before he dies, his soul will belong to the devil. Amid a prophecy by their gypsy mother, and father being hospitalized Jasha is unexpectedly ambushed by Ann trying to seduce him and being hunted. Jasha struggles with his attraction to Anna, and the need to protect them both.
Warning – Scent of Darkness does contain some explicit sexual scenes. This is not mentioned to stop you from reading the book, just informing the presence of the content.
I liked the character dynamics of the main characters Ann Smith and Jasha Wilder. The characters worked together and respected each other. Ann loved Jasha, believing he was oblivious to her interests in him. Jasha knew of her interests but purposely ignored it to maintain their working relationship. An open full disclosure changes their dynamics, by allowing them to see themselves how others view them.
The part I disliked the most also involved the character dynamic and personality. The character of Jasha Wilder changes into a wolf, certain areas of his personality seem to develop as more animalistic as needed for the storyline. This didn’t hinder or disrupt the story in any form, I just didn’t feel it was as woven into the character personality as Dodd has done in other books. Scent of Darkness made Jasha Wilder seem to have two sides, the animalistic and the public persona.
Overall, the aspects of the Wilder family and the consequences of the curse on the descendants of Konstantine keep the reader interesting. I look forward to reading the continuation of the story in other books from the series.
For those interested in the complete series, the books are in the following order:
Scent of Darkness
Touch of Darkness
Into the Shadow
Into the Flame
Wilder Family Halloween
Those who read Christina Dodd’s books will notice a crossover of the Wilder family into another series, The Chosen Ones. The curse is mentioned within that series, but not in great detail.
Also, if you like the book check out Christina Dodd’s website for other information on her books and appearances:
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