Hunt the Darkness (Order of the Blade)

Two warriors, Vlad and Gabe, go into the demon realm to find and rescue those dearest to them. Vlad's been guilty ever since he lost Sophie, his wife and beloved, and it's been two hundred years without her. Gabe's just out to get the leader of their order, Dante, and when the two think they'll swoop in, kill some demons, get who they want and leave- they realize that it's not that easy.
I really did like the story line and more so how Vlad had to lean on others for help while on his quest.
I was not a major fan of the sex and that kind of underscores the whole theme of this book.
So, I'll go with a star rating of 3.5 stars.
If you are into sci-fi and fantasy and love you some demon action, then you'll love this book and definitely enjoy the action too. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

Two hundred years ago, Vlad lost his new wife of 12 hours, a sacrifice to the demon underworld. His wedding ring turned black and then gray to signify the loss. He has never loved another and has stayed true to her for all these years, turning into a bitter, broken man. While drinking a beer at a table, a mysterious man in a cape sits with him and tells him his wife isn't dead and that the gray only signified a lack of danger, not death. Now, however, his ring is heating up and turning black again. He knows he must find Sophie, his wife, no matter what it takes.

His journey takes him to The Order of the Blade, a group of part demon men who are on a crusade to fight their people who give in to the demon side. On paper, this seems a little Star Wars-ish, but in the book it doesn't come across that way at all. He has a volunteer (Gabe) from the group who goes with him and between the two of them, they manage to break into the underworld and find Sophie. From there, the struggles and danger are intense and there is no certain way out.

Rowe wove in several different subplots, adding more intricacy to the story.  This is a plot with many characters and it is not one of those stories that is over in a flash. There were a few parts I didn't understand, such as Sophie's ability with rocks, but I felt like the story didn't suffer despite me leaping in at book 11. The emotions from Sophie and Vlad were surprisingly complex and I appreciated that the author gave thought to the years of separation vs teenage love vs adulthood experiences.  There are daring rescues, tense battles, and tender moments inside the cover of Hunt for Darkness. Enjoy!

Review at http://www.readingobsession.com/2018/04/05/rita-nominee-hunt-the-darkness-by-stephanie-rowe/

a well-crafted paranormal romance with suspense. I am looking forward more by Stephanie Rowe. The writing and story line were engaging. Lots of action. No cliffhanger.

This book has a lot going on –demons, half demons, princesses and other supernatural beings. Mostly, it has romance and enduring friendships that bind the characters. I’m a fan of the author and this book continues to demonstrate her ability to tell a story that draws the attention of the reader and keeps it close.

I have missed a few of the Order of the Blade Series by Stephanie Rowe. Still it did not hinder my enjoyment of Hunt the Darkness. Each book has a haunted soul in search of redemption, this time it is Calydon warrior Gabe Watson and mage Vladimir Hawkings.

The book gives us not just one strong male out to change the past which would then affect the present but two. Along with them are two females, who are survivors, loyal and gutsy. Their story is not a predictable one. A wonderful story of lost love reclaimed, loyalty, danger, suspense. The evil is real in this book as well as the consequences that follow when it succeeds. Hunt the Darkness is a remarkable paranormal read.

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If you're looking for something different in the paranormal category, this is definitely worth taking a look.

This book is dark, steamy, and totally a wonderful turn of the female protagonists not being damsels in distress. And the character development is pretty awesome too. Especially, Gabe. *sighs* I definitely would #recommend this read.

Admittedly, I’ve jumped around in this series quite a bit. That being said, I was able to join this storyline, already in progress, without any issues. It was filled with demons, warriors, and a time-crossing love story.

Vlad is a jerk. Sure, he spends his time saving kids from whatever they get themselves into, but he is still mostly unhappy with life. It all stems from his childhood, where he feels he should have been able to save the love of his life from being killed by demons. Or so he thought. Turns out, Sophie actually survived falling into the demon world, although she has suppressed all memory of it. She’s made her own way in this horrible world, developing a magical defense against the demons who look to use her. She’s also found a calling and spends all her time trying to rescue women from their demon lovers.

Rescuing Sophie turns out to be exactly the motivation that Vlad needed to apologize to the group of warriors he screwed over in recent history. As they are the only ones that can help him find demons, he reluctantly teams up with Gabe, one of the last remaining warriors. It’s clear that this is a turning point for them, and it was interesting to watch the dynamics both between Gabe and his team and Gabe and Vlad (his new team). Of course, we also go to watch Gabe fight (a little) the fated bond that begins to develop soon after arriving and meeting Sophie’s BFF.

All in all, this book had all the key elements of an epic paranormal romance. There was even a happy ending that seemed to satisfy just about everyone involved (and there were lots of people involved). Reading this book made me want to go back and fill in the gaps. With writing like this, how could you not?