This was one of my most anticipated books this year, and it did not disappoint. I loved the dynamic between Eryx and Chrysantha. It was so much fun to return to this world—I especially enjoyed seeing Kallias and Alessandra's wedding and catching up on their lives. It was also great to see Chrysantha and Alessandra reconnect and work on their relationship.

I hope this isn’t the last we see of Chrysantha, Eryx, Alessandra, and Kallias. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend this duology!

I really enjoyed the development of Eryx and Chrysantha's relationship - I do think the pacing was a bit off and felt rushed, and had a little more time been spent on building their connection, I think this could have been even more enjoyable.

I think an opportunity was missing leaving this as a single POV - the MMC is maybe too mysterious, and I would have loved the opportunity to get inside of his head!

I love and adore Tricia Levenseller's writing so I had really hight hopes coming into this and I WAS NOT LET DOWN! I adored this story. I really enjoyed Chrysantha as a character but for me that didn't happen right away. You get to see her grow and change as you read and that is part of the fun of this book. Eryx was NOT my favorite MC but for the story, it made sense for this book. Overall, a good time! 3.75 rounded to 4!

Included as a top pick in weekly July New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Following Alessandra's sister Chrysantha in this one, we find out how she's doing with her new marriage. To a man on death's doorstep, who somehow still manages to mistreat and abuse her. Of course, she won't have long to wait, as he's been on his sickbed their entire marriage.

Finally, she is free. She is the dowager duchess and no man, or anyone else, will ever have power over her again. Until Eryx shows up claiming to be the proper heir to the dukedom. What. The. Hell. Chrysantha does her best to suss out what's going on and just who this infuriating man is. Of course, they can't wait to be rid of one another. Until she learns his secrets anyway.

What now? She knows too much, but will she share his secret with others? She is desperate to know everything about him, and she actually wants to help him control his secrets. But he must let her in. As they both fall helplessly and refuse to admit it to each other, more secrets and betrayals come to light. Will they survive it?

A fantastic follow up to The Shadows Between Us! I love Tricia Levenseller's work. Seriously sign me up for anything she writes--ever!

The Darkness Within Is is a variation on Beauty and the Beast. The beast is not locked in a tower, and the beauty is a noblewoman. Still, they end up in the same ducal residence, and slowly get to know each other. It’s an entertaining story, suitable for teens and adults.

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

protagonist was much more nuanced than protagonists in similar genre books. I am very excited to read the sequel in just a few days!

I loved the first book and was so excited when I heard she was writing another book in the world. I loved reading the sisters POV book and I thought at times the enemies to lovers relationship worked especially in the beginning but towards the end I did not like the development and was very let down. It almost ruined the first book for me.

this was such a great book! Between the character development and the story line, I was sucked in by chapter 1. I will definitely recommend this book to others and purchase for my personal collection.

I loved this book! Chrysantha, the FMC was so intriguing and powerful in her own ways. I love books that have a FMC that is powerful, knows what she wants and is willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. She’s not the good girl heroine, but deep down she does have a heart and cares for those around her. Erxy on the other hand is full mystery and inner darkness. I was so intrigued by his character and was itching to know who and what he is just as bad as Chrysantha. He was the perfect antagonist arriving to foil all of Chrysantha’s plans for his own secret schemes. Their energy and back n forth bickering was perfect, so much that I was sad when the book ended and there wasn’t anymore. Overall this book was a fantastic read.

I adored The Shadows Between Us. It was a villian story and I loved it. I have also read other books by this author. I have strayed from YA, as my fantasy and scifi tastes are changing. I just want more. I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I remembered my love for the companion novel and decided to give this a try. I'm so glad I did. I loved every minute of it and promptly ordered my own copy. These are books you can read again and again. I'd love for the author to venture in adult cozy fantasy one day. Really love the empowering of women themes in both books.

The story continues with the older sister! I loved the first book in the series and was really excited for her to continue the story line. How many books can you say that you read the opening line to be " My husband is taking too long to die."? I absolutely started laughing by the first page because her internal monologue is full of dark humor. I appreciate when the villain gets to be the main character and really shine. I also appreciate how Levenseller portrays her villains' as very one sided at first. She really does the work of making you think that this story is just going to be a basic villain gets the love interest and there is no depth to it. When you dig deeper into the story you really see how much character development she hides at the first part.
If the first line doesn't sell you to read this book then the banter between the two main characters will. The mysterious "nephew" that appears and just wants to get rid of Chrysantha by marrying her off to the next available man. It gives a very Bridgerton vibe with some magical elements to it. The nephew has secrets of his own that is almost like a game of clue. It kept me guessing for sure till the very end. I was kind of let down by the secret though. It felt very anticlimactic after we spent the better part of the book trying to know what is his secret. The only other issue I had was the end. We had made such good headway in developing these characters and then turn around and quickly fix the second act break up. Then all is good and everyone is happy. I wish we could have gotten a more developed ending arc where you really felt like the story was concise.

Thank you NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for this ARC Copy!

Book two in the The Shadows Between us series but I feel like it can be read as a stand along as well.

I enjoyed this as a fun little YA Romantasy book with the forced proximity trope and of course a shadow daddy love interest.

Nothing about this story was wholly original or captivating but it was still a fun read that kept me interested from start to finish.

Chrysantha was a fun character that showed a lot of growth through the story and watching her scheme and plan was enjoyable, but it was just so hard to believe so many parts of the story. If you are looking for the most realistic and even remotely period accurate book then this may not be the one for you, but if you are just here for the love story and vibes then definitely worth giving a chance.

Chrysantha, stifled by a patriarchal society, has been cleverly masquerading as a naive, simple girl. Upon the death of her elderly, infirm husband, the Duke, she finds herself the sole inheritor of his title, lands, and fortune. At last, she possesses the freedom and power she has longed for. However, her newfound independence is threatened when a man named Eryx arrives at the manor, claiming to be the true heir as the Duke's grandson. Chrysantha must uncover the truth and reveal Eryx’s secrets before she loses everything she has fought to attain.

This book is an engaging enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romantasy. I especially enjoyed that the female protagonist is a morally grey character, and the closed-door romance added a refreshing touch (though it still maintained plenty of tension). This novel can be described as Fantasy Lite™️, reminiscent of Bridgerton but with more murder and characters possessing supernatural abilities. I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 because some parts of the plot felt rushed, but overall, I found it intriguing and enjoyable. I didn't realize until receiving the ARC that this is actually the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. Now, I'm eager to read the first book to delve deeper into this world.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 overall
Spice: 🌶️.5 (YA novel)

This was my fourth book by this author and it’s one of her better books! I found the FMC, Chrysantha, to be a little cringy at first, but she ended up growing on me throughout the book. I LOVED that she runs a smutty book club. It was such a fun, minor detail that made me like her so much more.

I wish we had more background information, but I never read book 1 of the series. I assume I’m missing some backstory and info about Chrysantha and her sister. Eryx is a likeable MMC, but we also never find out his motivation for certain things (I’m trying to be vague to avoid spoilers). I did really enjoy the enemies to lovers perspective of this book.

Overall, this one was cute but it could’ve been a novella instead of a novel. Thank you to Netgallery for the electronic advanced copy of this book.

Chrysantha, oppressed as a young woman in a heavily patriarchal society, is a mastermind that has been posing as a foolish, simple girl. Her old, sickly husband, the Duke, has now died, leaving her as the sole inheritor of his title, lands, and money. Finally she has gained the freedom and power she has so desperately wanted…until a man name Eryx shows up at the manor claiming to be her deceased husband’s grandson and true heir to the dukedom. Now Chrysantha must find out the truth and expose Eryx’s secrets before she loses everything she has worked so hard to achieve.

This was a pretty good enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, romantasy. I really appreciated that the female protagonist is a morally grey character, and the closed door romance was refreshing (but don’t mistake closed door for a lack of tension). This is also Fantasy Lite™️…imagine Bridgerton with more murder and with some characters with supernatural powers. I rated this book 4 stars instead of 5 because I did feel like the plot was rushed in a few places, but overall I enjoyed it and it kept me intrigued. I didn’t realize until I received the ARC that this is actually the second book in the series but is able to be read as a standalone. I do want to go back to the first book now to experience more of this world.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Enjoyed the first book a bit more, but still enjoyed reading this. I wish the cover was a little less goofy looking.

Loved it! No notes. This series continues to be perfection and it reads like it was written specifically for me!

I absolutely love this book! I think that booktok will eat this right up. At first, I was skeptical that this series needed another book, but it was the conclusion that we all needed. Five stars!!