I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook for this. The narrator, Caitlin Davies, is stellar, extremely pleasant to listen to. I read this as a standalone having never read the first book about Alessandra and Kallias, but I did not feel like it was necessary for the purpose of this book to do so. Chrysantha is a very fun character. I've gathered she was unpopular in the first book with readers, but from the beginning of this book, she shines. I felt like maybe she denies her attraction to her uninvited house guest a bit too long to be believable, but I still enjoyed this book very much.
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced copy to review.

Thank you MacMillan Audio for the Audiobook Arc exchange for an honest review.

Narrator: 5 Stars
Story 3 Stars

I really can't believe I requested this after giving the Shadows between Us a 2.5 but here we go.

Which for the most part I enjoyed this more than Shadows even tho I was so close to DNFED it.

This is set around the same time as the Events of Shadows but can pretty much be read as a Stand Alone or a Companion Piece. If you don't want to be spoiled with some events of Shadows, you can read Shadows first then this but it's not needed to understand this because certain things will get explained. This is not a direct sequel to Shadows. 

The Darkness Within Us is dealing with Chrysantha Santos aka Alessandra Sister which if you read Shadows was only mentioned in letters to Alessandra.

Chrysantha played the role of an airhead for seven years to get married to a duke who is actually a smart woman but her perception of her little sister is all wrong.

Chry is married to a duke at 19 which she gained the full Dukedom ( title, land ,and money)  when the Duked died but lost it when his “ Grandson”  Eryx Demos came back to claim it for him and want her gone.

I almost DNFED this at 13% if it was for the Chry and Eryx interaction at breakfast which saved it for me and made me give it a chance. Before that scene it was looking really shaky for me because I didn’t like Chry at all.

The banter between the two is really the backbone of this book and what keeps this book fun and funny. I saw another reviewer say this but think of  The Princess Diaries Two which did give me those vibes. It also surprisingly gives me Beauty and the Beast vibes if you are familiar with the OG BATB story and not the Disney Version.

I didn’t like Chry at first because I felt she was very hypocritical towards her sister  but she calls herself out on it towards the middle of the book. I do like the fact she does care about her servants to the point she gave them raises and felt like they were family towards here. Also the fact that she was smart as hell that she was figuring out things way before the private investigator aka the person she paid to figure out things for her.

Eryx Demos for the most part was pretty good for a love interest and a character since his banter was Chry is what kept the book fun. At first he was an asshole then you realized he was a tortured soul like most of them are.

There is still really no World Building like in Shadows. Like I said in Shadows, Naxos is Victorian England. Nothing groundbreaking about it.

The Magical System still doesn’t make no lick of sense.

The plot is simple and nothing convoluted which is why the pacing is pretty fast in this. It also feels rushed towards the end and everything is wrapped up in a nice bow as always.

Some side characters of flat with the expectation of two or three you will care about.

No one really faces any consequences of their actions. I mean it’s a body count but no one seems to care about that at all.

There is feminism in this story like just in Shadows but if I get into the logistics of it this will turn into an essay.  It just feels really shallow. 

I have to remind myself that Chry and Eryx are 19 and 18 years old because both of them feel like they are in their 20’s just like Alessandra and Kallias did in Shadows.  Like this supposed to be upper YA but could have benefited being NA because the Author tightropes the line between YA and NA.

All and All Like this one better than Shadows because I didn't take it as seriously as Shadows.  

Recommend this if you want something low stakes,  Enemies to Lovers, Witty banter, some feminism, don’t really care about world building ,plot, and magical system,  some steam and romantic tension.

Chrysantha Stathos Seems like the snobby self righteous girl who will do anything to get what she wants. Though the whole book I was rooting for Eryx Demosto win in the pissing math of a battle between the two of them on who was rightfully the owner of the estate. Ian’s the end it was a love hate relationship. Chrysantha Didn’t seem to care the Eryx was a werewolf and people were trying to kill him.

3.5-Stars

The Darkness Within Us was s a thrilling and fast-paced read, with prose that is both accessible and engaging. One of its standout features is its intriguing premise, with characters who actually fit the morally grey archetype. As always, Levenseller excels in crafting unapologetic and authentic an fierce female characters, with Chrysantha emerging as an absolute tyrannical force. TDWU is full of unexpected twists and turns, and really showcases TC's adeptness at fantastic world-building. The book was also refreshing with taking the time to developed our MCs emotional intimacy and building to the more (and limited) physical moments.

However, the ending may feel a tad too neatly (and quickly) resolved, and there are occasional lulls in pacing throughout the book. While I'm absolutely obsessed with Chrysantha, Eryx was a little too derivative of every other dark-haired, handsome, and secretive romantasy love-interest (Casteel, Azriel, Xaden, etc) for me to really care about him. The Darkness Within Us was a great palate cleanser read that delivered a fun, but unimpactful story.

This is the second book of The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller. It says it can be read as a stand alone, but I don’t think you would be able to really grasp the relationships, the big twists, or character development without reading the first.

I was actually very surprised by this book, and think that I liked it better than The Shadows Between Us. I liked Chrysantha, our FMC, and her plotting and scheming a lot more and thought overall she was an easy character to root for.

The only thing I didn’t love about the book was how quickly the big ending conflict started and wrapped up, it felt very fast where as the drama in the beginning felt long and had the tension building the entire book.

4/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC!

Big thanks to Netgalley and Tricia Levenseller for the audio ARC in exchange for a review.

This is the second in the series and from the perspective of the sister.

I've read a few of Tricia's books and I felt like this was fairly tame compared to the others. There was domestic abuse, misogyny in abundance and violence, but the main focous was on how Chrysantha felt and how she struggled to become independent. Not that I'm complaining, it was a good read.

It was hard to like Chrysantha for more than most of the book. I understand why she was written the way she was, her ploy to be thought of as an idiot and her plans to marry rich and become independent, she's meant to be seen as taking back her power, maybe creating her own. But she comes off as whiny, shallow, and impulsive, rather than the smart, driven character she's supposed to be.

I'm ALL for the less than straight edge MC. I want the vengeance and power hungry rage that comes from being wronged. I think Chrysantha's character misses the mark a bit.
I'm giving 4 stars - I enjoyed the book, and the idea behind the characters. It would have been 5 had she not been so whiny.

AHhhHhh!! Another smash hit romantasy by Tricia Levenseller! Just like 'The Shadows Between Us', this book promises to be another sensation in the genre. I quickly found myself immersed back in Levenseller's captivating world and writing style.

Deliciously mischievous, it was refreshing to delve deeper into Chrysantha's character and uncover her true essence. Her instantly likable personality compelled me to root for her as the story unfolded. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic added an extra layer of intrigue, weaving the plot together seamlessly. I relished discovering Chrysantha's penchant for revenge and her unwavering determination to prioritize her own desires, without diminishing those around her—except, of course, her sister and Eryx. Exploring Eryx's character evoked both delight and fervent curiosity, mirroring Chrysantha's complex emotions towards him.

Similar to 'The Shadows Between Us', 'The Darkness Within Us' delves into explicit themes, particularly focusing on women's sexuality. While it's empowering to see female characters express themselves freely, the explicit nature of these themes might be overwhelming for younger readers, especially considering these are YA novels featuring mature protagonists.

The audiobook was perfection! Highly recommend that format to consume this book.

"NOTE: It's been years since I read "The Shadows Between Us," so I quickly reread it to jump into "The Darkness Within Us," and I was happy to see that you don't really have to. This is a good way to enter the world Levenseller has set up without feeling confused by not having read the first book in this series. However, I do think that if you read this one first, you would be greatly disappointed by Chrysantha's actions in the previous book. All of this is quickly explained in TDWU, adding a delicious layer to the character's personality.

Absolutely looooooved this book!

Chrysantha (a very young woman) is finally free when her very old and abusive husband (the duke) finally passes away. Free to enjoy life and be her true self. Nothing can get in the way of her happiness.. that is … not until HE shows up. Ericks is the grandson of chrysantha’s late husband. From the very beginning he has been a mystery. No one knew the late duke had a grandson. Theres a darkness to him. Is he the true heir or a con artist ? It’s a mystery that Chysantha is going to solve no matter what! She just needs to ignore the strange butterflies she feels whenever she looks deep into his color changing eyes. And possibly ignore the way he looks incredibly handsome in those glasses he wears.

The intense passion the fmc and mmc had for each other was everything I needed. It was an enemies to lovers and a slooow burn but boy was it worth it!
From the very beginning this book peaked my interest and as it continued, I became obsessed and invested! Would definitely recommend this book!!

This was a good companion to the first book! I think I’m not totally in love with this duology/story so it didn’t really hit right for me personally. But the audio was great and captivating so I was entertained enough at least.

I have preordered this book before I knew anything about it because of the pretty stenciled edges and cover. I am really glad I judged a book by its cover in this instance, it was so much better than I expected!
I had a little difficulty with the very beginning, but then it grabbed me, pulled me in, and would not let go. Since I had never read anything by this author I didn’t have any preconceived notions in any way. Yes, now I will go back and read “The shadows between us”
The audio version was excellent, and I enjoyed the banter between Chrysantha and Eryx. I am so excited to get this pretty hard back now!

Tricia Levenseller is a master at creating fast paced, romance-fantasy, featuring strong female leads. In this companion to "The Darkness Between Us," readers follow Alessandra's sister. It was a quick and fun read. I do question rating this as a "teen" book. While there is nothing explicit, sex is a large part of the book - for example Chrysantha engaging male prostitutes. With the main characters being 21, I just felt that it doesn't quite fit in the teen genre. Overall, an solid "new adult" read.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

In this companion book to The Shadows Between Us, Chrysantha becomes the main character. Rather than being the naive, innocent, and somewhat dumb character that the previous book made her out to be, in this story she is cunning, deceptive, and on a mission. She has spent the past seven years playing a part so that she can become a wealthy independent duchess, however her whole plan is shattered when an unknown man steps in to take away her inheritance, title, and independence. For 3/4ths of the book, I was entertained and loving the strong female character, however towards the end, it lost me. Still, if you enjoyed the first book, you'll more than likely enjoy this one as well.

actually really enjoyed this one. great narrator and all! loved the morally grey fmc and stuff. thank you so so much netgalley for the audio arc!

THE RAGE.

The overwhelming feminist rage of this book about overwhelmed me. NOW. I totally understood and was behind much of it, I just think it became a bit much at some points where I was hoping to see growth and acknowledgement of the other things around her. And I didn’t love the way the book started off with Chrysantha. Rubbed me the wrong way.

ALSO NOTE: This is NOT YA. THIS IS NA. Definitely written for older audiences. I love NA, so that doesn’t bother me, but I’m pretty sure the marketing has been for YA and I wouldn’t feel comfortable handing this to a young teen.

ANYWHO. The characters did grow on me a lot. This is a TRUE enemies to lovers and really got my attention with the vitriol and sass between Chrysantha and Eryx. The slow burn brought them together and the beast that’s prowling makes a show for itself too. I was intrigued by much of this and I liked the general plot. I also loved that Chrysantha was able to reconnect with her sister. I loved seeing her and the king again too.

There’s some good themes and I did see the character growth eventually. I’m still a big fan of Levenseller’s books.

Overall audience notes:

NA Fantasy Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: closed door, innuendo throughout
Violence: moderate-high
Content Warnings: sexual assault (unwanted touching)

I loved this book! The story was so addictive and I loved the cameos from the first book. The narrator was fantastic! I would highly recommend this book!

I wanted to dnf this book so many times. I stuck it out because I heard there was a twist and I had hope, but even after that it didn’t get much better. I gave it an additional star because of the feminist one liners throughout. Our FMC was completely insufferable. She was so rude to most everyone in the book. She delivers low blows to the people around her completely out of left field. I don’t even know what else to say. This book was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC. 

Caitlin Davies is simply awesome as narrator. I love how she brings Chrysantha (as well as Alessandra, in the previous novel) to life!

The Stathos sisters are captivating. I love them. Chrysantha is a breath of fresh air, reminding me of my all-time favorite FMC.


The audio book of The Darkness Within Us was so good that I gobbled it up in two days. Chrysantha's quick wit, conviction that she deserves more, and determination to get it, won me over right away. I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope and this book delivered in abundance. The appearance of Eryx after Chrysantha has finally found happiness and peace, is devastating and once again, Chrysantha is under the control of the men around her. But Chrysantha is made of strong stuff and plots a new path to freedom. And Eryx isn’t everything he seems at first.

Such an exciting read! I truly LOVED the FMC! It was interesting to watch her character development throughout the story. I was also super intrigued by the new mysterious MMC. So many twists and turns. The author truly has a beautiful way with world building and making the words seem together flawlessly. I felt like I was on an entire adventure in a new world the entire time. Definitely worth reading! And that ending 🤌 All around a great read. Plus the narrator was SUPERB with storytelling and truly embodying the female main character's personality. I feel the audiobook made it even better of an experience for me!

I received this ARC in audiobook format from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully listening to this audiobook.

This duology is a guilty pleasure read for me. My favorite characters always tend to be the ones that are "unlikable" on paper, so this was something I knew I was going to enjoy--plus I was excited to hear this story after listening to Alessandra's. The narrator did a great job and I'll miss this world and these characters!

I enjoyed this! It gave folk of the air vibes mixed with heartless. Chrys just wanted to be her own person and I can respect that. Was she a bit overly selfish? Yes. Was Eryx kind of dumb and self centered? Yes. Were they both completely toxic and homicidal? Yes.

This was an entertaining slow burn, enemies to lovers that didn’t actually focus on romance.

The narrator did a fantastic job and I enjoyed the energy she brought to the story. Solid 4⭐️