If you're an avid fan of romantic suspense, the concept behind this series should set your heart beating with excitement. What's not to love about black ops agents who are dead for all purposes, working under the radar to safeguard the nation and the world without recognition, and getting a chance for a happy ever after even in 'death'.

Last Stop, Texas was chosen as the location for The Gravediggers' hub for a reason and so far, it's working out just fine, except for Tess Sherman. She was looking forward to taking over Last Stop's only funeral home when the owner sold it but now finds herself managing it for a new owner and the men hired to work for her, who are definitely not who they say they are.

Deacon Tucker was one of the best at what he did until he lost it all. Now reincarnated as a Gravedigger, he's just glad to still be alive and do what he know best. Even though he knows he can't offer any woman a future and has never wanted to before, with Tessa he wants one. After watching her from afar for two years, he's not willing to let her leave last stop as she intends to, even if bringing her into his life will put her in danger.

This was a really great start to this series and I love how the author took the time to set the stage for the entire series. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but quite interesting to meet the characters in the small town as well as on the Gravediggers team.

Tess was something of a contradiction, funny and sweet one moment and feisty and fiery the next. She comes across as innocent and naive about the ways of the world as well as a pushover, especially with her mother but she certainly was fearless about taking on new challenges and experiences, and she rose to the occasion every time she needed to.

Deacon is a dangerous man who has seen a lot of the ugliness life has to offer and has the kind of skills that are the stuff of legends, but he was quite sweet with Tess. I like that he was very honest and open with her about who he was once he decided to go after her and didn't treating her like some shrinking violet who couldn't take care of herself.

For all the suspense and action in this story, there was just as much humor. Tess was actually very funny and between herself, her grandmother and her best friend, I was in stitches.

The Gravediggers team is like the United Nations of black ops teams because every one of the men we meet in this book is from a different country and I really am intrigued about what the author has planned for them. I am also very eager to see what the future holds for the director of the Gravediggers, Eve Winter.

Ms. Hart's Mackenzie family series has been a favorite of mine from the very first book I read. I believe this series has the potential to be just as great as that one and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it.

Loved this book! It's the beginning of a series and it hooked me from the beginning. The h is smart, snarky and fearless. The H is all alpha man! It looks like each book will be a stand alone with a story of each in the group.

Interesting premise!

Smart and funny in a gothic, out-of-body sort of way. We have US funded anti terrorists working for a faceless black op organization that operates outside of legal parameters. Putin gets a mention. That keeps things topical!
Rifting off those various SEAL type stories that have gorgeous, high adrenaline types who save the day, the gravediggers are somewhat different because they go to death and back to be reborn (not in a paranormal way, good old experimental drugs not found in the FDA list). These men are taken from organizations from the CIA to Mossard.
Their contact and boss is Eve Winter, a cold hearted queen of 'b's' who cannot be trusted!
In charge of this team is the hunky Deacon Tucker.
Then there's Tess Sherman, a third generation Russian Mafiosi brat who is apparently drop dead gorgeous although she sees things through a lens of her self-convinced imperfections.
Tess is a mortician, and yes it gets a tad gruesome!
Her mother is a piece of work, and her grandmother is delicious. The Russian connection becomes an important focus in the story
I just keep thinking that Joanne Woodwood would have had a much better time of it in 'Rachel, Rachel' if her circumstances were as Tess's.
Combining action, humor and steamy romance with a touch of the macabre makes this is an eventful read.

A NetGalley ARC
(June 2017)

The Darkest Corner by Liliana Hart is one of those WOW moment books, were you can't get the characters or plot out of your head. Book 1 in a new series, "Gravediggers", which promises to be an outstanding series. If you enjoy Romantic Suspense, you don't wish to miss "The Darkest Corner" by Liliana Hart.

The "Gravediggers" series will feature an "elite group of mysterious men who might be dead to the world, but are also tasked with saving it and no one can ever know. "Set in Last Stop, Texas.

In this first book, "The Darkest Corner", Deacon Tucker is stripped of all honor as a black ops agent, now one of the dead men walking, he's tasked with saving the world or die trying, he's also the leader of this elite group of men, known as the gravediggers.
Tess Sherman is the only mortician in this small town, and have skills of her own, which Deacon and his group could use. Deacon is a Funeral Home assistant to Tess, on a mission....
to stop a terrorist's fatal attack, known as The Day of Destiny.

Deacon and Tess was a great couple, their witty banter was great, and they relationship was fantastic. Could love be in the air?

Danger, secrets, terrorists, romance, suspense, intrigue and action packed from the first page to the last.
I was totally intrigued from the first page, glued to the pages as Tess and Deacon's story unfolded, as well as the rest of this amazing story. If you're looking for a fast paced, action packed thrill ride, pick up "The Darkest Corner". Ms. Hart has much to offer readers in this masterfully written tale of danger and love. Highly recommended! A must read for sure! I can't wait to read Book 2.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Mild
Reviewed by: AprilR

My first from this author. This book has been categorised as Romance which isn't normally my thing, however I found the plot very enjoyable. I felt that ffter a slow start, the tension picks up to an enjoyable read. There is a humourous side to the story telling. I found the book quite descriptive in places, but this doesn't deter from the enjoyment of the story.

I am one confused individual when it comes to The Darkest Corner.

The beginning was extremely tough going and there were times that I didn't want to continue. But this book grew on me. Which is quite surprising in itself.

The Gravediggers are those who fight terrorism on home soil. Their cover? A funeral home in Last Stop, Texas.

Tess is a native Last Stopian. She lives in a quirky town with quirky characters. The overall plot was good but quite tiresome in places and felt that it wasn’t really in-depth for me. The main focus is on the characters and the plot seemed glossed over. I was sure if the author was aiming more for romance than for the suspense. I find it hard to decide. But probably the former.

Deacon was betrayed by his country because his moral compass kicked in for one of his missions. He died only to be reborn again. To become a Gravedigger for a ghost organization. Approached by one Eve Winter. Eve Winter deserves a bullet and quite frankly I don't care where as long as she is gone. But hey not my choice.

They have had chemistry from the start but they never acted on it. But the time has come. Although there are dangers with entanglements when you are one step from death’s door.


Tess liked to taunt and be sassy. Deacon. Funny in parts and it did pick up. There are parts I liked and parts I didn't. Overall I enjoyed this read. It's different to what I usually read.

Ms. Hart's writing style is solid although her tendency to go on for pages of world building and inner monologue was tiring so going to be honest hear I skimmed in parts.

The prologue is completely unnecessary IMO. What happened to the little girl? Might be trivial for some but not for me.

I am intrigued enough by the series to see how it continues.

The book starts off really well. The prologue is killer and hooks your interest. The premise, a bunch of dead-on-paper guys who do risky missions, is also wonderful. We all like Tess.

My interest just fizzled out at a certain point. I'm a huge fan of the first three Addison Holmes books and most of her MacKenzie books. It's clearly written by her. But the pace droops and I flipped to the back to see what had happened. The ending didn't make me go YAY WOW! For a Liliana book, this one was really underwhelming.

The Darkest Corner is the first book in Liliana Hart’s Gravediggers series. Based on the blurb, I wasn’t really sure what to expect because it seemed a little bit over the top. I am glad to say that it didn’t disappoint. The Darkest Corner was one of the best Military Romance books that I have read. I will admit that the description may be a bit misleading but it’s well worth the read. The action was intense and the sex was off the charts.

The Darkest Corner is the story of former CIA agent Deacon Tucker who has been presumed dead although he actually works for a secret organization call the Gravediggers. The Gravediggers are a group of highly trained men from different covert agencies around the world who are recruited to thwart worldwide threats. They literally don’t exist giving new meaning to the term ghost. They operate under the guise of actual gravediggers for a functional funeral home. Interestingly enough, their so-called boss Tess Sherman has no clue who they are or what they do. She is fed up with her current situation and considering leaving the small town of Last Stop, Texas where this all takes place. Tess and Deacon have been ignoring their attraction to each other for a couple of years but things change direction when Tess’ particular linguistic skills are needed to help take down some terrorists armed with dangerous weapons.

I love that Tess and Deacon don’t have the stereotypical textbook relationship. When Deacon recruits her, he doesn’t candy coat things. He is upfront and brutally honest but he also is very passionate about his feelings for her. For Tess, she gets out of her comfort zone and really goes all in. They seem to complement each other very well and I couldn’t help but root for their relationship. Tess also has a good friend named Miller who I thought was very fun. Overall, all of the characters made a good contribution to the book so I can’t help but look forward to the next one.

I was set to fall in love with Liliana Hart’s new series The Gravediggers when I dove into the first book The Darkest Corner. I’ve devoured her other series. Why would this one be any different?

Everything started out fine. Quirky setting, snarky heroine and lots of hot men. What could go wrong? Well, the writing was kind of full of itself at times. It’s rare I need to look up words in a dictionary while reading but that happened several times and left me scratching my head as to why the writer was using such esoteric words in what turned out to be a cozy mystery. Also, while the start of the book was intriguing, it quickly got plain old boring. Nothing was happening in terms of the plot. Then, all of a sudden, we’re in the middle of the – gasp – biggest terrorist plot ever! And a couple chapters later, everything’s fine. Huh? Did I miss something? Why were the most mundane activities dragged out and then the suspenseful parts glossed over?

I’m willing to give the second book a chance when it comes out next month. I’m hopeful the author was just busy setting up the series premise in this book. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The start of a series called “Gravediggers” which sounded really cool to me plus the blurb drew me in:

The Gravediggers aren’t exactly what they seem. They’re the most elite of the world’s fighting forces—and all they have in common is that they’ve been betrayed by the countries they’ve died for. Because they are dead. To their country, their military, and their families.

Sometimes the dead do rise…

Deacon Tucker is a dead man walking. A former black ops agent, he was disavowed and stripped of all honor before being recruited as a Gravedigger. But his honor and good name no longer matter, because no one knows he’s alive, and he’ll never get the recognition he deserves. His mission is simple: save the world or die trying. And for God’s sake, don’t ever fall in love. That’s a rule punishable by death. The kind of death a man can’t be brought back from.

Tess Sherman is the only mortician in Last Stop, Texas. She has no idea how Deacon Tucker ended up in her funeral home, but she’ll eat her hat if he’s only a funeral home assistant. Deacon is dangerous, deadly, and gorgeous. And she knows her attraction to him can only end in heartache.

Deacon is on a mission to stop the most fatal terror attack the world has ever known—what’s known as The Day of Destiny—a terrorist’s dream. But when he discovers Tess has skills he can use to stop them, he has to decide if he can trust her with secrets worth dying for. And, most important, he has to decide if he can trust her with his heart.

For some reason I had it in my head that this was going to be a paranormal romance. I even continued that assumption for the first few chapters of this book. I thought Deacon was somehow brought back from the dead in a supernatural way, and his boss, the elusive Eve Winters was some sort of supernatural being. This is false. I finally realized while there is some super secret serum that can make it look like the heroes die in this series, they don’t really die. The heroes in this series are ex- CIA agents, Navy SEALS etc… who have disgraced themselves in different capacities and have been chosen by Eve Winters to “die” to everyone in their life – but to secretly live in a tiny little town and report to three top officials in the government. They go on extremely classified missions, ridding the world of terrorists.

This book features Deacon as our hero. A former CIA agent, he was Eve’s first recruit years ago. Waking up from the dead is a real bitch, and not being able to have any contact with anyone from your former life can be devastating. But Deacon commits himself to this team of black-ops men and to fighting terrorism. As the years go by, Eve recruits more men and they all move in together in a funeral home run by a woman named Tess. They chose a funeral home because they can bring “dead” bodies there without much suspicion.

Tess loves running this funeral home and working as a mortician. She sometimes feels like she should leave this small town and see what else the world has to offer, but for the most part she is content. When a new owner takes over (Eve) and hires a bunch of huge men to work with her, Tess is confused. Living in such a small town, they don’t have that many deaths a month. But these guys keep the yard clean, and help her with the heavy lifting, so she doesn’t question it too much.

Tess and Deacon have been making googly eyes at each other for some time, and as the book progresses, their attraction grows. Tess starts to get even more suspicious as to why these guys really work at the funeral home, and secretly, these guys are trying to stop an attack with a deadly gas.

This book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a cutesy small town romance, or a gritty black-ops book. It didn’t work trying to do both. The small town romance comes across well. Tess’s mother is a little (a lot) zany and added some darker humor into the book. The local beauty shop is full of old ladies and gossip. Much time is spent in the town and learning about Tess’s life and the people she knows. Had Tess and Deacon’s romance unfolded in this small town and he had a different profession, I think I would have liked this book a lot more.

On the other hand we have Deacon and his team of agents. All alpha, with attitude and swagger. Did I mention attitudes? The suspense and danger and everything surrounding Eve and her team and the danger just didn’t work for me. It didn’t feel realistic. I sometimes like the over the top black op books but with the cozy small town backdrop, the crazy black ops stuff felt unreal. And the mysterious Eve Winter did nothing for me.

The romance unfolds okay – it’s not rushed but it might not be enough to get me to read another one in this series.

Grade: C

What a novel idea! The Gravediggers are an elite collection of Spec Ops & former Spies who, for one reason or another, have been labelled as traitors to their country of origin. With a mix of Aussie, Brits, Israeli and Americans, the personalities are a similar smorgasbord! They were given a lifeline by the enigmatic but ruthless Eve Winter, die and rise to live again under her authority and after 7 years service they are free to create a new life for themselves.

The last place you'd look for excitement, never mind secret squirrel adventures, is Last Stop, Tx. Tess is a native and she sometimes revels in the thought of leaving this sleepy backwater. But with a kleptomaniac, gambling addict and all around self centre mother and a grandmother who is far removed from your stereotypical granny figure, Tess just can't seem to escape.

She loves running the funeral home but her new boss keeps hiring strapping, handsome men to work with her and there is no way they have enough funerals to pay everyone, but sure enough, cash never seems to be a problem!

Deacon was the first of the Gravediggers to be "resurrected" and still suffers from bouts of claustrophobia. He has been at the funeral home with Tess the longest. He has a real connection to Tess, but with his unpredictable life and his lying to her about his job, well he doesn't think he stands a chance.

Add in an attack by Russian terrorists, snarky team mates, Machiavellian plots by Eve Winter and scorching romance and you have yourself a superb read! Tess gets drawn into the Gravediggers fold with her talent for Old Russian, beeps the Sheriffs radar with the weird movements of the team and still finds team to deal with her dysfunctional family.

I loved meeting Miller, Tess' best friend and the other gravediggers, including the newest member who gives Tess a fright with his awakening! Great pacing, snarky but loving banter between the team and story-line that feels very believable!

The Gravediggers is an exciting, action-packed series about a group of hot sizzling Secret Ops ex-agents. This first book focuses on team leader Deacon and Tess, the mortician, who he can't stop thinking about. During tense moments the teasing and humor between the guys and especially Deacon and Tess is so funny. I can't wait for the next book! I love this author.

Sometimes the dead do rise.

This quote had me hook, line and sinker. Unfortunately, the book did not. I really wanted to love everything about this one. I was beyond intrigued with the synopsis and the promo I had seen everywhere. This was right up my alley. The bad guys, who were really good guys, excommunicated from their governments and countries. The terrorism/counterterrorism plot, I was excited. I couldn't wait to dive in. I was so sad when I finished, it was just missing something for me. Now, at no time did I want to DNF this book, it was well written and possibly a good foundation for what could very well be an amazing series. It had so much potential, but in my opinion fell flat.

The Darkest Corner opens with a prologue that grabbed every string of my heart. Yet having finished the book left me with so many unanswered questions, what happened to the little girl? What happened to the families, and why wasn't any of it ever addressed again? We are then dropped in Last Stop Texas, a quaint little town in the middle of nowhere and meet a team of captivating illusive men. Deacon Tucker being the mysterious, sexy leader, and Tess Sherman, a quirky mortician trying to sort her life and balance her head with her heart. We are given some decent tension and a cast of compelling characters. The build up was adequate and I found the elements I want from a read. All of a sudden "The Day of Destiny" project went nowhere and ended discombobulated and jumbled for me. I struggled to balance the suspense with the romance, and felt the beginnings of a connection with all of the characters, but yet never got there.

I can justify giving this three stars because Ms. Hart is a seasoned writer. I'm still thinking about this book. That is something I value in an author. I want to know these characters and see where these covert missions leave this ghost town. I want to know more. Will I read the next book? Without a doubt. #ReadingIsSubjective and I don't want The Darkest corner to be my Last Stop for the Gravediggers.

As soon as I read the prologue to The Darkest Corner I knew this was going to be one hell of a book.

Tess is a mortician, she's so use to dead bodies and when she finds out that her coworkers are Gravediggers her world turn's upside down. Her plan was to move out of Last Stop, Texas but that changed when she the Gravediggers ask for her help. What is a Gravedigger you ask? Gravediggers are a secret organization that stop any threat to the United States.

The chemistry between Tess and Deacon was everything my reading heart wanted, they both wanted love and they both deserved it. Yes they had some sexy moments but what I adored more was when they would talk about their feelings and their future. Now that they had each other, the wanted to make all the moments count and I was all for it.

The action y'all, the action and the missions were incredible, I was holding my breathe every time The Gravediggers went on a mission because I didn't want anything to happen to them ever.

The Darkest Corner had everything I love in a mystery, action, secrets, romance, I could definitely see this novel turned into a tv show. Seriously the way The Darkest Corner is written is like it was primed for a tv show, the detail Liliana Hart used to describe the morgue life and even action scenes were damn near perfect, her research paid off wonderfully.

This is first time reading a book by Liliana Hart and it won't be my last, she captivated me with this story and I am definitely a new fan. I loved the ease of the relationships and friendships she created, there was never any dull moments between anyone.

I've been waiting for this book for a while now. I love Liliana's work and she always delivers. That said I was kind of let down in this book. I'm sure you're wondering that if was let down, why I would still give it 4 stars.

Well you, the first half was a lot of world building and you have to have that in the beginning of a series... and I understand that and the plot was built up little by little which I loved, but I was constantly waiting for the suspense to start. Once the ball got rolling on the Day of Destiny, I was hooked and couldn't put it down!

The depth and thought put into the Day of Destiny plans really has my looking over my shoulder and there are things, that I will never look at the same thanks to reading this book. It takes place in Last Stop, Texas which is set just outside of Dallas, and of course I live outside of Dallas so I can only image this happening down the street from me.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series, now that the groundwork has been laid I am ready to jump right into the action!

Unfortunately, The Darkest Corner didn't work for me. I was really hoping for something amazing, it was kind of misleading and there was too much information about stuff that didn't have anything to do with the story or plot

Why I chose to read The Darkest Corner
·
Intriguing Premise
I found the idea of a secret group made of the most elite of the world’s fighting forces fascinating. What increased my interest was the fact this group of men were considered dead to everyone and as a result was unable to return to their original lives without risking those they love.

The leader of this elite unit, Deacon Tucker, is a former CIA operative. He is the first recruit of this shadowy organisation. His mission is to save the world or die trying, and as long as he does not fall in love all will be well. Falling in love would lead to one thing, certain death. However, Tess Sherman will have him breaking this rule.

Tess is a mortician, who is responsible for the operation of the funeral home in Last Stop, Texas. The funeral home also happens to be the headquarters for the Gravediggers. She has no idea that such an organisation existed. The only thing she was aware of was that she had five hot and sexy men working for her, one of whom she was attracted to.

What I enjoyed
The Prologue: The story started out on an adrenaline high. It was intense, and I was eager to discover how it would tie into the rest of the story.

The Characters: I found the characters interesting. Some were on the quirky side and some unlikeable. The main characters Tess and Deacon brought out the best in each other. I enjoyed their banter which was at times hilarious, sexy and sweet. I liked how the author went into detail about the characters allowing to me to understand what made them tick.
·
The Romance: I thought the romance was well done. I liked that the connection between Tessa and Deacon was not one of insta-lust. Deacon feelings for Tess grew over a span of two years. He never made a move as he was not sure that his feelings were reciprocated. However, the moment he realised that there was a possibility that Tess felt the same way he was determined to be with her regardless of the dangers involved.

The author provided detailed information into the operations of The Gravediggers and their purpose which I appreciated, seeing that this was the first book in the series. I got insight into Tess’s role in the set-up and how she would eventually become a part of the operations.

The issues I had

Pacing: The pacing was painfully slow to the point where I found myself losing interest in the story. I pushed myself to complete it, hoping that it would eventually pick up. It was not until around 50% into the story that it was revealed how the prologue tied into the story it was at this point that things began to take shape. However, it was not until about 70% into the story that pace picked up. By then I had lost interest in the operations. In regards to the prologue, it would have been good to know what happened to the characters that had been mentioned.

.Suspense: The story was classified as a romantic suspense, but it never delivered in that area. At no time in the story did I like I was on the edge of my seat.

.Based on the rule which prohibits members of the unit from falling in love which I expected there to be conflict regarding the romance between Tess and Deacon. However, things were tied up too neatly for my liking.

Verdict
I went into this story with high expectations and ended up being disappointed. It was not a bad read, but personally, I thought it could have been better.

3.5 stars

Very interesting heroine being a mortician! I liked that it was not a traditional career path in romance novels. The Gravediggers are an elite team that do not exist anywhere in the books. They have been disavowed and are considered dead.

Tess lives surrounded by who she thinks are funeral home assistants, but believes are something more. She speaks Russian which helps Deacon on his current mission, the biggest hurdle is figuring out how much to let her in on.

They had steam right away and it built very nicely throughout. I found it to be a good mix of suspense and romance. Her grandmother was an amazing side character. I am looking forward to reading the next instalment!

Even though I have a to-be-read pile taller than me, I’m always looking for new authors, especially new authors with a new series I can delve into. If I love a book, I love it even more when it’s a part of a series that I can keep revisiting. I’m partial to alpha heroes and military/special ops romance, so I figured this book was right up my alley. The Darkest Corner didn’t wow me, but it didn’t disappoint either. Liliana Hart has created an interesting spin on the former military hero storyline and introduced characters that were likable and believable.
Tess Sherman runs the only funeral home in the small town of Last Stop. She returned to her hometown after college intending to buy the funeral home when the owner finally decided to sell. Not only is it her workplace, but it’s also her home since she lives on the third floor. When an unknown buyer comes in and takes over, the only consolation Tess has is the fact that the seller/former boss made her continued employment part of the contract. Oh, and the fact that she now has a group of seriously hunky guys working for her.
Deacon Tucker poses as a funeral home assistant, but there is way more to him than meets the eye. Tess knows that he and the other guys are there in Last Stop for reasons other than helping the sole mortician with one funeral a month. Since they take care of everything around the place so she doesn’t have to, and they mind their own business, Tess is happy to let them have their secrets. Until the attraction between her and Deacon that has been sizzling on the back burner for two years finally ignites.
Deacon knows he has no business pursuing the sexy mortician. Thanks to his dishonorable exit from the military/government world he used to live in, he now is a man with no past and no future. He lives one mission at a time, his only priority to keep the world safe. What does he have to offer Tess, a woman with roots deep in the Last Stop soil? None of that can stop the chemistry between them from boiling over, and once they acknowledge their mutual attraction, all bets are off.
Things for Deacon and Tess are complicated even further when Tess is drawn into Deacon’s Gravedigger world. The last thing he wants to do is bring danger to her doorstep, but when he discovers she can help him, he has to figure out a way to utilize her talent while keeping her safe at the same time.
I wasn’t overly thrilled with the terrorist plot of this book. It seemed like most of the book was spent building up to this sinister world-ending attack, and yet it was handled so easily by the Gravediggers. I think I was hoping for more intensity or something. I also really disliked Eve. I think that was the point, but still. But all that aside, I enjoyed the romance between Tess and Deacon. He was a strong, caring man who only had eyes for one woman. She was awkward and insecure and wanted Deacon more than anything. Regardless of their uncertain future, they both dove into their romance whole-heartedly, and it made for a sweet & sexy read.

I give The Darkest Corner 3.5 stars.

This is my first Liliana Hart book and I was super excited to get an ARC copy. I've heard fantastic things about her as an author and her books tend to look to be right up my alley. The Gravediggers series especially sounds almost tailor made for me.

The Darkest Corner didn't wow me. The first 50% or so of the book is set up for the series, the characters, and the second half of this book. There are two things that stand out in the first half of this book: the strong sense of info-dump and the long fuse smolder between Deacon and Tess. I found myself a bit confused in the first half of the book, trying to figure out where the prologue fit in.

Not long after the 50% mark, though, things picked up. Deacon and Tess started up; the plotline started moving forward; events happened. The long wait was over and now the Gravediggers went to work. The prologue made sense; the game was afoot.

Here in the second half, emotion got kicked up a notch. While certain characters had gained my sympathy early, others had skated by with superficial descriptions. Shorthand is a given: knowing the terms for international spy agencies is a must because characters are partly defined by who they used to belong to. But now, even the characters given short shrift in the first half came to life. Watching Tess interact with the Gravediggers and change as a result was interesting.

Looking back, I feel The Darkest Corner is a great title for the first book in this series and I can see clearly where it comes from. This isn't the first book I've read - and it won't be the last - that focuses on the lives of the people we'll never know who keep us safe from the shadows. I feel like the way the book is written gives it an ambiance that does credit to these unknown warriors. There is a sense of mystery, solitude, and loss about them that feels true to life. Additionally, the slow burn of the first half reminds the reader that a lot of time is spent in preparation for a mission. There's a very real knowledge that life is fleeting and happiness is something to grab onto when it is presented.

I've given The Darkest Corner 3.5 stars but rounded down for Goodreads purposes because the first half of the book needed to be better and because even after it all, I still feel like I don't know Deacon and barely know Tess. Despite that, I am eager to read Gone to Dust and possibly even more eager to read Say No More.

"You've really got to stop telling me no."