When I first started reading this I thought for sure there was a book before it. But nope, definitely the first. A little while later I thought maybe a spin-off? And yup, that's what it is. There was just too many things being mentioned and people talking about other things for it to be a first first. Does that mean you have to read the other series? I definitely don't think so. But it could be nice to get a little more background on many of the characters that play a role in this. Even so, despite the fact that I (obviously) haven't read that series, I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Kyra is a dark witch. Her magic is powered by sacrifice but she is one of the few who do not embrace that cost. She would rather use her own pain as payment. Unfortunately for her, black magic is illegal and witches caught practicing it are pretty much put to death right away. Except for a select few who have caught the attention of one of the most powerful people in that community. He uses these witches for his own nefarious desires with no care for their well being. But Kyra is special and he keeps her on a tighter leash than she even realizes.

Xander is a guardian. He is a druid that was forced to merge with a beast when he was just a child in order to be able to fight against and kill demons. Something that happened in the past has made him absolutely loathe black witches. And he lets Kyra know this the first time they meet.

I really enjoyed how these two went from "enemies" to lovers. And I put it that way for two reasons. Kyra never hated Xander, she just knew that he hated her. And also because no matter how much Xander said he hated Kyra, he couldn't help how much he always thought of her and wanted to protect her. It drove him mad! It flowed so naturally how these two eventually learned more about the other and found themselves falling for each other despite everything.

This story kept me totally interested. There is more to Kyra than anyone except the bad guy knows and she wants to keep it that way. But then the threats on her life get worse and worse. The final straw was when she was forced to summon a demon and she knew she had to get away. She seeks help from the guardians because her best friend had married their leader and she has no idea where else to go. Xander is furious when he learns of what she has been enduring and it only gets worse the more he finds out. Together these two try to find some sort of safely for Kyra but trouble literally follows her everywhere. Despite being labeled a black witch, Kyra calls herself a dark witch and so many of her actions prove she is not like the others she is grouped with. She tries her hardest to protect people and that in turn makes many more want to protect her. In the end, after many fights and close calls, Kyra finally finds the freedom she had spent her whole life searching for. As well as a love she never thought possible.

Like I said, this book really worked for me in pretty much every way. So I would totally be interested in checking out more of this series.

This has the perfect balance between well thought out and written plot and spice! The story is so lovely and that end had me rolling on the floor, I need a guardian in my life!.

This book is an urban fantasy and the author is really ambitious in her world-building. I had a really hard time getting into this book. I felt like this book started in the middle of a story and the world and conflict were already fully fleshed out. So I felt like I was trying to play catch up at times. The author also mentions other world characters but never goes into full detail. There is some spice but literally in the last chapter so you really have to hang in till the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This title fell kind of flat for me as someone who loves a good Sci-fi/Fantasy Romance.

The dialogue felt really awkward and clunky between the characters in a way that didn't flow really well or feel natural to read. On top of that i felt like there was a lot of filler disguised as world building that felt really unnecessary and dragged at times.

I liked Kyra but Xander felt like a very cookie cutter "Alpha-male" stereotype that didn't come across as endearing or lovable at any point.

It was an okay book but it felt like there was something I wasn't told before the book started and i was missing a ton of pieces to a puzzle i wasn't aware had already been started.

Thank you publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

I looked forward to this, and ended up being disappointed. The story felt really disjointed and not really well plotted out. While I usually enjoy typical enemies to lovers, fated mates, even forced proximity as tropes, here it seemed bit hollow, not really integrated into the plot. Characters were pretty 2 dimensional, a stereotypical alpha, a bad reputation, goody "princess" that needs his help.

All in all, you want spice, its there, but be ready to push through to get it.

This book was hit/miss for me. On one hand I really enjoyed Kyra and her journey but on the other hand I was a little frustrated w/ Xander. He's prejudiced when it comes to her and its almost borderline hate with him. It was hard to see these two becoming a couple and I still struggled with it at the end. I enjoyed the world building in this one and will likely continue to the series.

**Thanks to NetGalley, Taylor Aston White, and Dark Wolf Publishing for this ARC**

Kiss of Darkness by Taylor Aston White was a good, but not spectacular, PNR. I wish I had known going in that, while this IS the first book in the series, it is a spin-off series to another, fully completed series that is referenced heavily throughout. As a result, I felt like I entered this story in the middle of the action, and was supposed to already know and care about characters I had just met. The author sometimes neglected to explain things, presumably because they were explained in the previous series. Unfortunately, I wasn't interested enough to go back and read 5 other books to understand this one better. There were also A LOT of weird editing problems. The author used the wrong word frequently (bumbling instead of bubbling, etc) and it was distracting and took away from the story.

All in all, I liked this, but it wasn't a new favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and TAW for this ARC.

3.5⭐️

For me, this book took some getting into but once it got going it was really good. I just needed a little bit more at the end to satisfy me. If you love these tropes, you will love this book;
☆Enemies-to-lovers
☆Slow burn
☆Fated mates
☆Forced proximity

Great read! The first 60% is more so world building and character development then the remaining is really focusing on the plot. It could have been tidier with the plot, but it was very engaging nonetheless. Similar vibes to Crescent City.

This is book 1 in a Supernatural Romance series by Taylor Aston White. This isn't the best beginning to a new series. The story feels as if I am missing book one and not starting book one. The story seems to be missing something I can't quite put my finger on. The story is your typical supernatural romance with all the supernatural beings from Demons to Fea's. The story is very typical with the strong male and hot sexy romance that many supernatural readers I assume enjoy.

The world the author created didn't seem to quite comes to life and instead fell flat and dull. Well written supernatural stories the author is able make the world or cities as a character in the story. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen in Kiss the Darkness.

Kiss the Darkness is nothing more than what I have been avoiding in Supernatural romance stories. Alpha, sex and very little story.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Taylor Aston White Kiss Of Darkness.

Kiss of Darkness throws you in and leaves you a tad confused, intrigued, and wanting more. When I started reading the story, I almost felt as if I had missed an entire chapter or so because I had no idea how Kyra and Xander knew each, what kind of magic was in this world, and what the world was in general. At times I found myself confused by new characters who weren't mentioned before but were thrown into crucial parts of the story. I wish there had been more world building or even a page at the very beginning of the book explaining the types of "Breeds" and magic we'd encounter. The story felt rushed and jumbled (the romance between Kyra and Xander, Kyra's big secret) unfortunately but there is potential. I am a big fan of paranormal romance so I hope to give the next book a try and hopefully will be less confused when thrown in to this world.

Thank you NetGalley and Dark Wolf Publishing for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Kiss of Darkness was a bit hit-and-miss for me. On the plus side, I liked the premise and the characters had potential. The sex scenes were also steamy. However, I struggled to feel attached to any of the characters and the world building was lacking, often leaving me confused about the exact skills different Breeds had, with new powers suddenly appearing without any foreshadowing when they were needed for the plot. Like I said, there was potential here, but the book needed better world building and editing to pull it all together. I am giving it three stars, as I didn't hate it and found it reasonably entertaining, but I won't be rushing to continue the series.

I received an e-ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own!
Kiss of Darkness is the first book in the Guardians series, preceded by the Alice Skye series that is set in the same universe. It is a world of magic and violence, populated by the powerful and secretive "Breeds". You're just as likely to encounter a "Normie" (non-magical) as you are a Witch while getting your morning coffee. The magical is mixed with the mundane, but that does not mean that the Breed are any less deadly.
Kyra is a Black Witch, feared and punished by the Magicka for their practice of death magic. But Kyra is free... At least, she is as free as she can be while leashed to the power-hungry Frederick Gallagher. She's happy enough, until the shadowy presence that has been stalking her for months escalates to physical attacks. Kyra finally reaches out for help, but she certainly doesn't expect for it to come from Xander. The broody, mysterious, sunglasses wearing Guardian expressed his disdain for the Black Witch from the very first moment he met her and is not looking to change his opinion of her because of some measly threats. But as the danger grows and daemons become involved, Xander finds that there may be more to Kyra.
This book checks all my favorite paranormal romance boxes! A vivid world that is bursting with magic, enemies-to-allies-to-lovers, and whole bunch of kick ass characters. The spice is minimal, but what we do get is excellent. Every single character has a unique personality and I look forward to seeing them all shine in the following books in this series.
However, while Kiss of Darkness is the first book in a standalone series, it didn't exactly "stand alone". The world building drew heavily from the preceding series, and since I have not read the Alice Skye series, I felt as if I was missing part of the story. Additionally, there was vagueness in the transitions between scenes, locations, and times. All of which resulted in an emotional distance from the characters that prevented me from being fully invested in the story.
Overall, Kiss of Darkness is good time! I can’t wait to explore and get to know the other Guardians better throughout the series. If what we see in Kiss of Darkness is anything to go by, it is never boring when one of the Guardians (or Lucy) is around.

Really enjoyed Kyra although initially I got Holllows vibes because of a witch and a demon ! However the story was complex enough to let me overcome that . I will say if you enjoy BDB this will strike a core with its uninvited guest !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

4 Stars!!

I feel like this book was thrown into my "lap" (aka kindle lap) by the universe or something bigger picture because I have been craving a paranormal romance with demons! This book has witches, druids, demons, and fae in an urban fantasy setting. The heroine is a black magic witch who is trying to escape indentured servitude and the hero is a druid/demon hunter/beast. They start as enemies and progress pretty quickly to lovers. I really wish they groveled a little more and kept the angst high.

Overall, this book was a great first book in the series and I cannot wait to read about more of the Guardians and their future partners. However, I felt that this book just needed a little bit more. Maybe more about Kyra's childhood, more about how she was first discovered in London as a black magic witch, more about how the Guardians formed or what led up to their formation. I just wanted more details because I loved the setting and the premise of the book!

I received this book as an ARC and reviewed it voluntarily.

Ghosts - dark witches - betrayal - power - and needing to belong. All tied in a unique adventure of magic, lust, and ultimate trust and freedom. Not the usual, a nice bit of creativity here

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆-𝒂𝒓𝒄.


To start, I didn’t quite picture the world here as I was confused most of the times with the many varying mythical creatures here which I think in that part is pretty interesting but the execution and the writing, not so much.

I tried to connect with the characters but I would say, I didn’t really get to relate nor get attached to any of them or their qualities aside from their powers; being a witch/ shifter.

The story kind of jumps to this scene to the next that didn’t really leave any sort of solid elaboration or consistency that I would have enjoyed if there was any of it.

I also didn’t care for the romance at all as like I said, I didn’t get attached to the characters.

Overall, I think this is a pretty messy execution of an interesting premise to which I hope would be better considering this is the 1st installment of the series, so hopefully.

2.5 ★ for the overall execution .5 for the cover. 3 ★

Thanks to Dark Wolf Publishing and NetGalley for granting me an ARC.

Dark Paranormal Romance MF - Overall 4/5 - Spice 3/5

Kyra forced into terrible situations and stuck surviving. All because of what she is and what runs through her veins. Determined, strong, and trouble seems to follow her.

Xander fierce, controlled and in control. Drawn to what he should not want and tied to a complicated past.

Lots of secrets and dark turns though this story that runs at a quick pace. A different type of world with all different types of magic.

A good enemies to lovers story in an interesting paranormal world. There is some detailed violence and adult content.

** Always check age ratings and trigger warnings.

I really don’t know what to say after finishing kiss of darkness. I think a lot of people might like it because it checks alot of boxes that people like, such as paranormal romance, fae and demons, different realms, fantasy, but I just didn’t feel connected to the story. It was a good story and there wasn’t really anything wrong with it but I just didn’t click with it. There were so many different fae/ creatures and breed and I felt sort of confused through most of the story, there’s brief explanations about everything but I didn’t feel like I got a good enough concept of this world to really picture and understand how this world or realm works. I didn’t feel like I got to connect with the characters and their relationship felt a little rushed for me. But like I said, it’s not a bad story, I just might not be the right reader for it. And it’s also the first book in a new series so as the series goes on some of the world building and confusion I had might make more sense with more books. All in all, this is a pretty good story, just not the best fit for me personally, but I think others might really enjoy it.


*(I received a free e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed or influenced my views or opinions.)

✨Kiss of Darkness Review: ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


A kiss of darkness oh my! I’m going to need some water to cook down from the built up tension!

Kyra is a dark witch that undergoes lots of judgement and is locked into a certain aspect of survival for a secret that if people knew it could damn her in ways where she may just loose herself.

Xander is a Druid who has a thing against dark witches. He hates everything about them and believes they are all the same.
When Kyra starts receiving lots of death threats, Xander is tasked in protecting her at all costs. Can do much pent up tension be a good thing? i think so!!

I really enjoyed the writing style! Kyras and Xander are the perfect example on how it’s important not to judge someone by previous encounters. I can’t wait to read about all the other characters in future books!

Thank you Taylor Aston White and NetGalley for supplying a digital arc for exchange of an honest review.