***5 ‘Like the Stars’ Stars***

“I love the smell of sex and brimstone in the morning.”

When THAT *Pointing up* is the opening line to a book by an author you already #fangirl over you KNOW that you’re in for one hell of a ride and what a ride it was! It was a fun, quick read that was all kinds of sweet and smexy with just the right amount of drama tossed in to keep things interesting and a whole new slew of characters I want to get to know better!

Dommiel is a self professed fiend, but he’s one I’d have at my back (and other places) without question. He may have engaged in every delectable and deviant pleasure known, and unknown to man, and done unspeakable things because he could, but his black heart is not as black as he wants to believe. I loved his snark, unholy smexyness and protective streak.

Anya has a warrior’s soul and a compassionate heart. She’s a protector of the vulnerable at her very core and has no issue running (or flying) into the fray or standing as a shield for those in harm’s way. What I loved about her was that while she had certain strongly held beliefs, she was able to see beyond them and at least adjust her belief for that particular situation and accept it for what it was.

I had a lot of fun with Dommiel and Anya as they worked together to find Uriel and got very up close and personal with each other. While there were fireworks of the smexy kind going off like crazy with these two (trust me they were HAWT!) the angsty/drama between them was on the low end, this isn’t to say they always agreed on things, but they acted like the centuries plus old beings they were who had agreed to work together. I loved their bantering, it was all kinds of fun and smexy, but more than that I loved how they truly saw who the other was at their very core and appreciated what they saw. And as for their HEA? There was a bit of a hiccup but I LOVED how that all worked out.
This was a fun read. It was easy to get into and become totally wrapped up in the world and the characters. While this is a spinoff of The Vessel Trilogy & The Deepest Well, you don’t have to read the previous books in order to start on this one. You will have an advantage of knowing certain characters who are mentioned and apart of the world, but Ms. Cross does a wonderful job at getting the reader up to speed on how the world turned apocalyptic without slowing the story down with too much information. It all comes out quite organically as we get to know Dommiel and Anya and the other characters we meet along the way.

And speaking of new characters, this one is filled with unique characters whom I want to know more about, which is a total catch 22 for me because things tend to happen to my favorites that make me give the author (whom I adore) the evil eye, but that just goes to show how well written they are. Bones intrigues me, Nadya I’m hoping to see more of, but I must admit (though I’m not sure I want to just cause) I want to cuddle up with Axel, Gustav & Wolfrick (Yes. I’m claiming three of them *BSEG*), though I wouldn’t kick Xander or even Maximus and Uriel out of bed if they wanted to jump in too.

So, if you love a well written PNR then this is a definite must read!

Sultry, sexy and lots of action, Darkest Heart is one of those roller coaster romance rides that you just don't want to get off.

I received this ARC copy of Darkest Heart from Entangled Publishing, LLC - Amara. This is my honest and voluntary review. Darkest Heart is set for publication Aug 20, 2018.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Juliette Cross
Print Length: 265 pages
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication Date: August 20, 2018
Sold by: Macmillan
ASIN: B07G13C74Z
Genre: Paranormal Romance

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*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

This book started out so good. I honestly thought from the first chapter I would be giving this book a 5 star rating. Dommiel stars off being a super rad dude. Then he and Anya met and immediately the rating started slipping.

Look, I'm not into insta-love, but I can handle it in romance novels. What made it worse was that Anya is supposed to be a badass angel, but she comes off as a naive, sweetheart. She believes in black and white, no grey- which is so frustrating. And apparently since she is an angel she can't fulfill any wants... including ever having sex. Yes, she is a virgin, which also I could have gotten behind, but put everything together and Anya is no longer a soldier. Even when she fights she doesn't get the chance to prove how awesome she can be. And there is this whole part where she tells Dommiel she isn't a submissive angel, yet I found no evidence to support that claim.

This is unfortunate because I found the world to be SUPER interesting. I'd love to read more about that world and the war going on. The story we got was okay, I thought it was a bit weak at times, since things didn't always add up or seemed to be solved easily. My dislike for the romance-- which led me to disliking the characters since romance is almost exclusively what the thought about-- is what tainted this book for me, otherwise I might have really enjoyed it.

I'm sure there are romance fans out there who would enjoy this, so I would recommend people at least try it out. Unfortunately, I won't be reading the next book in the series.

How is it that I've not come across Juliette Cross' books before? It's a travesty because this book was so good! I mean you can hardly go wrong with the combination of angels, demons, and romance, but it has to be executed well too and Cross does that here with Darkest Heart. I'm glad that I'm such an impulse reader who picks up books based on just their gorgeous covers because I think I've found a new author whose books I need to check out.

Those of you who love your anti-heroes will want to meet Dommiel. This demon was one cocky bastard but was he lovable or what? I was immediately hooked into the story because his voice was engaging. Dommiel was a high Demon who does his own thing but is seen as a traitor to his kind. With his eye-patch, his scars and his mechanical arm, he was rough around the edges, but also high-key a badass. When one of the few people who had shown him kindness in the past asked for his help on behalf of an angel, he accepted knowing full well that he would have to go back into the depths of the underworld. The said angel, Anya, was another great character in Darkest Heart. Previously a guardian angel for orphaned children, she was a warrior fighting the creatures of darkness as the war between angels and demons waged on Earth. Being an angel, Anya had a kind heart and a generous personality. Even with her softness though, I loved how she could totally kick anyone's butt in battle. She was strong and fearless and was always ready to fight for what was right.

The plot in Darkest Heart revolved around Dommiel and Anya going in search of the archangel, Uriel. Anya was grazed by a demon while fighting and his essence was taking over her body. The only angel who could help her get rid of it was Uriel. Unfortunately for her, Uriel has gone missing. The plot was exciting from start to finish. There were non-stop battles and plenty of twists to keep me entertained. From my understanding, the Dominion series is a spin-off from one of Juliette Cross' previous series, but I didn't feel like I was majorly missing out on much of the world building here. The author does a good job of explaining the details of her world for readers who are new to her books. That said, I feel like there are a lot more interesting elements and I'm invested enough to want to go back and check out her previous series. The best part of Darkest Heart for me was the romance. It was so so so good! I'm always up for an opposites-attract romance and Cross wrote an exceptional one between Anya and Dommiel. The chemistry between the two was smoldering from the very start and I loved how as they got to know each other, it turned Dommiel into a softie and Anya into a braver version of herself. Their romance took place fairly quickly timeline-wise, but it didn't feel like insta-love to me because Cross made me believe in their connection. The steamy scenes in Darkest Heart were also A+.

I don't read a lot of paranormal romances, but Darkest Heart made me go on the look-out for more. It was sexy, edgy and all sorts of fun. If I'm not mistaken, the rest of the series will be a companion series, and I'm excited to see what Juliette Cross has in store! If it's going to be anything like Darkest Heart, it's bound to be awesome!

Darkest Heart is book one in the Dominion series by Juliette Cross.

This book takes part in the same world as the, Vessel Trilogy series. It’s a spin-off. Even if you haven’t read the other series, you are ok to pick this one up. It stands on it’s own! As for me I will tell you I couldn’t get threw book one, in the authors Vessel Trilogy, so I’m comfortable saying you don’t have to read one to read the other.

In Darkest Heart we quickly learn that the apocalypse has happened on earth. Angels and Demons are battling it out on earth and that the humans are in short supply, going extinct.

Our story focuses on Anya, an angelic warrior and Dommiel, a demon prince outcast. It’s opposing forces, light and dark, coming together to find love and redemption.

I have to say the author did a superb job in describing Dommiel. Oh my is he one HOT demon. Their is so much more to this demon then what everyone sees. He’s got layers that he doesn’t let the world see and I loved this about him. He’s not good, yet he’s not all bad. He had that perfect blend of both to make him enticing and help him find love and redemption. Anya our warrior angel has a heart. She used to help children before the war, but now she is a fighter. I won’t say I fell for her, but I didn’t dislike her. She just didn’t pop like Dommiel.

The secondary characters where nice to meet and I hope we get to see more of the Angel's that where introduced and one or two of those Demon's Dommiel is friends with.

This story puts opposites, light and dark, together in one common goal and on the way they both find that balance between the two and eternal love.

Darkest Heart was a satisfying read. At times it was slow, but things do pick up and we get some great action scenes and sexy times too. I’m curious to see what comes next in the Dominion series.

Rated: 3.5 Stars

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

When first starting Darkest Heart I was confused. There is a lot of backstory you simply don't know. I actually stopped reading to check if this was a second work in a series to explain how much I felt I was missing. Once you get over the fact that you're thrown directly into a world where you have to figure out the backstory as you go, the book is extremely enjoyable. It's fast paced, and as you go along you get a much better sense of who these characters are, as well as, what exactly has happened to make the world the war torn way it is. It's got romance, fighting, a kick ass heroine, and a bad boy with a heart of gold. What more can you ask for?

*i was given a copy of this book by the author for an honest review*

so let me start off by saying i LOVE Juliettes writing and i was more than excited to get my hands on this newest read and boy did it live up to my expectations!

The world has fallen, the gate to both heaven and earth is open making it so that earth is both battle ground and in many ways wasteland. humans are a dying breed that's thinning more and more by the day, demons are ruling territories and causing mayhem whenever they see fit while angles battle to send them back to hell both sides not seeming to care what damage they do in the process.

on a journey to find a lost archangel a demon and and angle will band together to make an unlike team, but a rock solid one.

i looooooved Dommiel from the moment he swaggered onto the page, i mean a broken and bruised demon who cared enough to save humans? add in the fact that all animals seemed to love him, he was hilarious and just the right amount of crude and you have me sold.

Anya was wonderful too, she wasn't overly whiney or annoying, she was passionate and full of passion for the things she believed in while not too slowly growing to understand that there really was no such thing as black and white in this world and maybe there never was..

this story was amazing, there was the perfect about of world building without fact dumping, it never felt too heavy but i could still picture everything and i understood the stylems in play with the magic and power of both sides. the story was beautifully done in dark tones made light with humor and understanding. the whole time this pair was together i felt like they not only helped each other but they gave hope to this insane world that was now the new normal.

all in all another incredible read from Juliette Cross and a MUST read!!

this is my first book by this author and i was really excited. unfortunately it didn't really work for me. i didn't hate it, but something about the writing just didn't click with me. a few of my goodreads friends rated it 5 stars so i pushed through and i did enjoy the overall story, i liked the idea of the two main characters and their relationship but it was just something in the writing that i didn't like. it kept taking me out of the story. i quite liked dommiel but anya kind of bugged me. she was just too... ugh, i don't know. weak and naive. the sex scenes were hot, the cover is outstanding, the synopsis made this book sound fantastic.... but overall it just felt a bit of a chore, a bit of a slog to get through. i think it was the style of writing but i can't pinpoint exactly. i didn't realise it was linked to another series, which i've obviously not read, perhaps that's why it didn't work for me. i'll still give this author another go as i own another one of her books but yeah... just didn't love it unfortunately.

This book was action-packed, which is unfortunately not for me. I wanted this to be romance heavy between an angel and demon, but it was very much about explosions and guns and action, which is the opposite alley from the one that I am up.

To be honest, I feel like I've been waiting for this book for a millennia. After reading The Vessel Series by this author (which is referenced in this one), I KNEW Dommiel needed his own story. I guess it's true what they say, "the best things come to those who wait". This was SOOOOO worth the wait!!!

Dommiel is a high demon. Well...he's technically more than that, but was "stripped" of his Lord title and lost an eye (yeah, you should read the Vessel series). Now that the Fall has happened, the world just isn't the same. Demons, Angels and Humans walking the earth, fighting, and playing games that never end the way they should. But when Dommiel is summoned through a blood oath to help the other side, he really doesn't have a choice. Add in the fact that there's a breathtakingly beautiful Angel and he's 100% committed. Let's just see if he comes away alive.

Anya is an Angel. Not just any Angel. She's a former Guardian Angel, but she's in trouble, and she needs to find the Archangel Uriel in order to survive. Buuuuuut, that's a problem because Uriel has gone missing. So she's asked Genevieve and Jude for help (did I mention you should read the Vessel?). The problem is that she's getting help from a traitor. A high demon who's betrayed his own kind, twice. Can she trust him? Does she have a choice?

I WILL NOT spoil this. I WILL NOT mention a scene that is incredible to try to get you to read this. Why? Because this is truly something that you need to pick up and read with fresh eyes, creating your OWN vision of this world and characters. Because it's THAT spectacular.

The world that this author created picks up where the Vessel series left off, but set after the Fall. So although it's the same, it's different. It's a world that pulls you in to the making of Angels, how they can fall from grace, but be redeemed, all the same. It's about how Demons can be crude and deadly, but still manage to do the right thing. It's about acceptance, hope, love. And even the damned have a heart.

If you like PNR's, you HAVE to read this. I swear on everything that you won't be disappointed. This. Is. EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!

reviewed by Chris

4.5 Stars Darkest Heart is book one in the Dominion series and my first read by Juliette Cross. It felt a bit overwhelming feeding a lot of information early on but it is well worth it, a great read with amazing characters this one hooked me and totally kept me there throughout. Darkest Heart was a promising start to this new series and I very much look forward to reading more.

The first thing that drew me to this book was the forbidden romance of an angel and a demon - it blurs the lines between good and evil, and it gives a realistic portrayal of love that can be glossed over a lot in other books. Not to mention the hot guy on the cover, let's not forget him and his tormented, broody pose. I have heard a lot about Juliette Cross in the past, but this is the first book I have read by her. Although it took a bit to really understand the world I was diving into, it was written in a way that works whether or not you've read previous books. The hero, Dommiel, has shown up before in other books, so I imagine you, as a reader, would enjoy him even more if you already have a bit of the backstory. But I am impatient and picky about what books I read, and this is the one I wanted. So I read it, previous books be damned. :)

High demon Dommiel is a merc for hire, straddling the line between the angels and demons, he helps those who give him enough incentive. Whether they be demon or angel makes little difference. But when a favor is called in requiring him to be saddled with a blue-winged angel named Anya, his patience is pushed to the limits, for here is one angel who could destroy him. Anya is desperate, bitten by a demon prince and slowly being consumed by his essence, she is in danger of becoming a slave. Her only hope is to find the archangel Uriel and have him heal her, but in order to do so, she needs the help of a demon. As they travel together, their prejudices towards each other begin to diminish, and their passion rapidly gains strength. If they surrender to their desires, it could lead to their doom - or their salvation.

Dommiel is basically the bad boy of every girl's wet dream. Don't make that face - read the book and you'll agree. He's a demon, so obviously he has done some things that would keep you up at night, but he is also kind to animals, saves children, and stands up to his own kind when it's right. I wouldn't want to take him home to mom and dad, but I love living vicariously through Anya. Anya was a really interesting character to read about, because she's a 400-year-old virgin who desires Dommiel but is fighting it desperately. She doesn't truly know what she's missing, but her feminine instincts tell her that it would be SO good. I loved the angst between them, and it's always nice in these sorts of romances when both characters really start to learn about each other and find things in common. Even though they both know a relationship could be disastrous, they can't help falling in love. It was both hot and sweet at the same time, and I couldn't get enough. I finished reading this at about 1 in the morning, that's how addicted I was.

Juliette Cross has got me hooked now! I can't wait to read the next book in the series and get some more demon and angel excitement. Please, can I have some more?

**I received a free copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.**

Darkest Heart is about the battle between Angels and Demons. Before the war, Anya was a guardian angel over orphaned and neglected children. Now she is fighting against the demons who are taking fellow angels and humans as slaves. She's about as innocent as you can get and still be a fierce fighter.

Dommiel is a high demon who was once betrayed. He may be a demon but he also known as a traitor for helping angels and a human underground resistance named the Twelfth Night. He's the anti-hero that has more good in him that he or anyone else believes he has.

This book begins with Anya seeking help to free Uriel, an archangel who is in a demon infested territory. She was bitten in battle and took in a demon princes essence. This poison is threatening to take her over and making her into a slave to the demon prince. Her only chance of survival is to find Uriel who has the power to pull the essence from her.

This is my first read from this author and I was very entertained. The story was imaginative and very well described. I immediately dived into Anya and Dommiel's world and could imagine each of the scenes as they played out. I love that a demon and angel were paired together. It has a touch of the forbidden to it that added to the excitement of their story.

I'm not sure if the author has plans to make this into a series but I sure hope that she does.

Juliette Cross kicks off her Dominion series with one hell of a bang and if you’ve read The Vessel Trilogy and The Deepest Well (although not imperative), demon, Dommiel will be no stranger, nor will the battle between angels and demons. Some books are there to be savoured rather than devoured and I took my sweet time reading this, absorbing the atmosphere, falling in love with the characters, the romance and the tension, build-up and fight as war on modern day earth rages on.

“...he was definitely a fallen creature of the underworld, but his rough, take-me-or-leave-me appearance and attitude drew me in.

I love a tale of redemption and I’ll take the bait when an anti-hero is up for grabs, and Dommiel’s story is one of best I’ve read—he’s a fallen angel, a high demon and isn’t missing an eye and limb for no reason. His past has been brutal, he’s a loner and also a traitor amongst his ranks, and he’s something special.

“I was doomed. Fated to follow her and this quest till the end. Even if it led me to the darkest pit of hell.”

Anya is his polar opposite—once a guardian angel watching over orphans and abandoned children, she left that behind to take her place on the battlefront—and she needs Dommiel’s help in finding missing Archangel, Uriel. And when you combine her light with his dark, what develops is a story rich and bold, and full of feeling.

“We were so opposite in every respect. Light to his dark, angel to his demon, calm to his storm.”

I have loved so many of Cross’ couples in the past, but Anya and Dommiel are up there as one of her finest with a chemistry which was perfection. Anya is the heroine we’d all love to be—a fearless, kick-arse warrior who epitomises what we perceive in angels with her protective, guiding nature, and Dommiel is deliciously dominant with a subtle, dry sense of humour, but underneath has many layers—many new and unrecognisable to even himself—and as Anya peels them away, we begin to see exactly why he is the demon he is today.

“The darkness cannot win.”

I highlighted so many quotes as I read, many which made my heart hurt, particularly for Dommiel, but which also showcase Juliette Cross’ gift with words and making her reader feel. And to say I’m excited to see how this series unfolds as there’s a wealth of possibility to be had from the cast of characters, is an understatement.

“Aren’t we a motley crew? Two archangels, an angel, and three hunters. Oh, and one demon-spawned raven. Against two demon princes and their horde of infernal priests. Good odds, I’d say.”

Darkest Heart is an absolute must-read.

My review has been posted to Goodreads.

Review has also been tweeted as usual.

Thank you! :c)

A little slow and confusing at the beginning, but I enjoyed the story once I got into Chapter 2. The story and characters evolve from there in a well-paced and exciting storyline. Darkest Heart is extremely well written with excellent dialog and a clear descriptive voice, along with a lot of sexual heat between the two main characters. Wonderful love story - I finished the book in two days!

At the beginning of this book I kind of felt like I was playing catch-up, there was a lot of information and introductions and it just seemed as if I was missing out.
Things settled down and it can easily be read as a stand-alone (it is a stand-alone). I was a little annoyed with myself when I discovered (on finishing) that the series it links with (The Vessel series) is actually on my to-read list. I really wish I’d checked and read that first.

Anyway back to Darkest Heart.

I really enjoyed this read.
Earth is the battle ground in a war between angels and demons. Humans are in real danger of becoming extinct as the war rages on. There’s no black and white anymore, the lines have become blurred and it’s not always pretty.

Dommiel is a demon he’d been the high demon of New Orleans for over a century before the war. But he’s a demon with a heart who’s considered a traitor by both sides. This makes for a lonely life but he considers he’s paying his penance for his previous sins.

Anya is an angel who desperately needs help and together they both find themselves in each other.

It’s entertaining and exciting, I liked the characters, the romance and the world building and I’m looking forward to the next book.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley.

Thank you to Entangled and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this.

This is the second Juliette Cross novel I have read. The first one I enjoyed, but did not love, but when I read the synopsis for this one, I was taken with it instantly. I loved me some angel and demon YA romances, so got really excited to find an adult one.

I’ll be honest for the first 20%, I did not love it. In fact, I was actually quite bored. It was a slow build to anything actually going on, other than the two characters just meeting each other. I found myself skimming a few pages here and there. Somewhere between 20% and 30% is where it started to get really good! And from then on, I was hooked into the story. It took me so long to read only due to working all the time, but had I been at home relaxing, it would have been read really quickly because that is how into it I was. The drama, the fantasy elements, the sex, the characters, and the romance were ALL on point!

I loved Dommiel’s character. He’s fun, sexy, fierce, but more so…no perfect. He isn’t built to be a perfect looking demon. In fact, the author gives him a robotic arm and an eye patch to cover an old eye scar. He’s built to look broken and I guess, at first image, not the perfect sexy god that is usually built in these books. Now, for the rest of his looks though, he isn’t ugly. This is not a Beauty and the Beast retelling. But his image flaws help, I think, with the romance and suits the fact that his other half is an angel.

Anya is an interesting character. She’s fierce too, and super loyal, doing all this to save a fellow angel. I loved the scenes when her wings are described, because as I read I was often imagining her without wings for whatever reason, so the small reminders here and there helped a lot. To read about her using them was fun.

There were two sides of the romance: the sexy and the romantic. The author blended both of them beautifully! The scenes of Dommiel and Anya together were super hot all through the novel. But when they started to fall for each other, the novel and its romance, turned super sweet. Given the character built up for Dommiel especially, being in his head was wonderful when it came to thinking about and protecting Anya. My stomach was in knots for much of it because of how swoony it really was. I loved reading about these two falling in love and I loved Dommiel’s reaction to Anya and falling in love in general.

I give this 4 stars because the beginning started out quite boring, and I found the ending was a tad rushed for my taste. I would have liked it stretched out a little bit more because Anya’s issue was solved with no trouble at all really, when it came down to it.

Overall, though I did enjoy this book a lot and I will be keeping my eye out for book 2!

Goodness but this was seriously breathtaking!
A bite from a demon prince means his venom slowly works it’s way towards her heart and thereafter enslavement. Only an arcahangel can remove the venom but the only one who would be willing to spend such power was missing; feared taken by demons himself.
Interestingly, the angels in this story are rather selfish and self serving. Most are mainly fixated with their wat with demons and aren’t bothered much that humankind are caught in the middle. Anya is the epitome of the perfect, compassionate angel. Innocent, pure yet a skilled warrior, she leaves the archangel general she served under when it became apparent that he was one of the “callous” ones. Preferring to align herself with other guardians and demon hunters who work to save the humans. It is one of those that call upon Dommiel, a notorious high demon to help Anya locate Uriel, the archangel she seeks.
Dommiel is a fascinating character. Such a conundrum of a demon! One who serves as a mercenary, open to hire in helping humans infiltrate demon strongholds, who seems to have quite a few connections with angels and demon humters no less. Even with his outward devilish behavior, it was pretty obvious he was so much more than a demon.
The story is fast paced, loads of action and wonderful chemistry between Anya and Dommiel. When he falls for her, wow but did he fall hard. It was smoking and totally swoonworthy. All I can say is “read this!”

Darkest Heart is a gritty, raw tale of an apocalypse. Where the demons are taking over the world. And the angels and human’s are trying to stop it, trying to survive.

Darkest Heart had a draw to it; the cover initially caught my attention. I had to have it, and I had to jump into this story. I don’t like to read blurbs or reviews. I had never read anything by Juliette Cross. But I had a feeling. This was written in such a poetic way. The detail of the world and what was going on around them was enthralling.

Dommiel and Anya are by far total opposites. A Demon whose own kind is out to destroy him. And Anya an Angel, whose sole purpose long ago before the fall was to protect children. Dommiel is one of those characters that you should hate. But you adore. He’s real, and even as a Demon, he has a bit of a conscious. But he wasn’t always a Demon.

I didn’t want to stop reading this story. I love when that happens, that urgency. This world is full of evil, full of hope, and death surrounds everything. But there’s a light in that darkness. There was never a dull moment in this story. Dommiel and Anya’s connection was real. The fire that was between them no one could extinguish.

Overall, I have to give this Five Boundless Stars. Thank goodness this is a series. I can’t wait for the next one.