How fun to see Styxx and Viper again. The back and forth is truly snark worthy. Styxx enlists Levet to help correct a wrong that the former Anasso perpetuated,providing humor.
Chiron and Lilah provide the romance and mystery. Lilah is unsure what she is. Her nanny from years gone is an Orge with her own secrets. I really enjoyed this light hearted, romance wrapped in a mystery and topped with humor. I was not thrilled that it had a mini cliff hanger. Thank you Netgalley , Lyrical Press and thank you Alexandra Ivy for this arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were unsolicited.

Chiron is a vampire who has made an empire of world wide casino hotels. When the possibility of his missing master has been found, Chiron follows the clues, with Levet’s help, to a small Everglade magical retreat where he meets the most memorizing young woman, Lilah. Chiron doesn’t know if he can trust Lilah or if she is responsible for his missing master.

Lilah has spent her entire life at the estate and dreams of traveling the world but breaks in her memories and a magical nanny convinces her time and time again to stay.

Mystery, mayhem and lots of sexy is just what this book reader wanted and got from Darkness Returns. She had me with Levet so all the rest just made for a magically fabulous read.

I received this ARC copy of Darkness Returns from Kensington Books - Lyrical Press. This is my honest and voluntary review. Darkness Returns is set for publication April 16, 2019.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Alexandra Ivy
Series: Guardians of Eternity
Sequence in Series: Book 13
Paperback: 186 pages
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN-10: 1516108450
ISBN-13: 978-1516108459
Genre: Paranormal Romance | Fantasy

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Retur...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark...
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark...
6 likes

I've read and enjoyed Alexandra Ivy in the past, but I've never read this series before. This book is several books in, and with that being said I was able to understand and enjoy the story. I do wish that i had started from the beginning, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this story.

After finishing When Darkness Ends I was really sorry to see an end to a series I have followed and enjoyed for years. So imagine my surprise and excitement when I saw Darkness Returns and realized there was more to come. Darkness Returns was a really enjoyable read from beginning to end. Chiron is a vampire that was banished by the former Anasso and whose master was imprisoned. After receiving a scroll from Styx, Chiron sets out to locate the prison that his master is being held. This leads Chiron and Levet to a hotel hidden with magic and owned by the lovely Lilah. I really enjoyed this one, nothing is what it seems and I loved the twist and turns. I loved how the author introduced new characters and I can't wait for Tarak's book.

Another great read by Alexandra Ivy, love her books with Levet the gargoyle! The rest of the book is great also, you get almost every kind of shifter or magical being possible, this one even had a half ogress. A must read

This read was fast and it answered a lot of.questions about Tarak. Styxx was a small role.as well, but an essential one! Milan is sweet and Inga is something else. Chiron is sweet and not himself. Good read and the gargoyle does it again!! Can't help but love Levit!!! Good read!! Fast one too!I

I received this ARC from the publisher via Net Galley at my request. The opinions written are solely my own. Thank you Net Galley!!

As a long time fan of Alexandra Ivy's Guardians of Eternity Series I was excited for the next installment. The newest baddest who swears he'll never find a mate is a vampire named Chiron. As he is hunting for his missing leader he encounters the lovely Lilah and choas ensues. Loads of drama, intrique, romance and hilarity from the always loveable Levet provide an encompassing story I couldn't put down. This book can be read on its own if you haven't read the series but I highly recommend Guardians of Eternity. I especially enjoyed the ending and anxiously await the next book!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC copy to read and give my honest opinion.

The gangs all here... Happen to love these guardian books as Styx appears in this one. After going through the old Anasso's stuff Styx realizes Tarak was not a traitor and that someone would have to go find him to undo the wrong. He gives the job to the only man to actually stand for Tarak and that is Chiron. Chiron is a hot ass vamp and owns more than a couple of hotels. Styx's last command is that Chiron take Levet, the annoying gargoyle, with him to help him find the key from the map and release Chiron's master Tarak. We all know that where Levet is, love is soon to follow.

What did I like? This is just a fun series. All can be read as stand alones but reading the entire series is fun too. Chiron and Layla are a cute couple but the relationship moves forward at lightening speed so the chemistry for me is at a low point. Levet really saves this book be cause he is just adorable and his horrible quips are just hilarious. This actually reads like a buffer book because several key things happen in this book that seem to be leading to a bigger story, kind of like a filler.

Would I buy this book? Yes! Someday when this series is actually done I'm just going to chain read it in its entirety. Its that good! I feel like I miss so much in between reading books because I read so much. The series is great and very entertaining!

Thoughts for the author? Smoking hot cover on this one...Love it! The book had a great feel but it felt like Chiron and Layla are just a small part of the story. The amassing of several characters in this book was surprising since your more dedicated to a couple usually. Still I enjoyed reading it and gave it four stars!

Darkness Returns (Guardians Of Eternity, #13) by Alexandra Ivy... I enjoy this series and would like to thank the publisher and #NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book. This is Chiron and Lilah's story and there are plenty of twists and turns, laughs, tears, steamy stuff all getting us to their HEA. I can't forget Levet... there is a bit of a cliffhanger but not enough to be upsetting.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Action-packed Happily Ever After Funny Page-turner Steamy Romantic Easy-to-read

it's so nice to return to the Guardians of Eternity world, and Ivy quickly reminds you why as old faves Styxx & Viper display the wit and irreverently humorous banter is a such a part of the series as they introduce us to the new contingent of characters, the rebels, that upcoming books will center around. before long we meet Chiron as he's off to free his long captive clan leader with questionable assistance of fan favorite Levet. Darkness Returns includes much of the what has made this series so successful -- interesting, likable characters & plots with plenty of action & adventure as well as quiet time for a love story that balances "fated mates"/"the one" against natural resistance, doubt & fear to develop and grow. there's also a couple little twists and turns to help keep it all interesting. Ivy once again provides a great hero in Charon. He's all alpha power & attitude but never strays into over the top. somehow she always creates heroes that are passionate, dangerous and delightfully sinful, and match them with a heroine who is smart, caring, courageous & keeps him on his toes. Perhaps due in part to the sabbatical the author took from this series, Darkness Returns feels fresh while keeping true the feel of the series and leaves me looking forward to more. I would definitely recommend for fans of the series or as a starting point for new readers (though be warned you may decide to go back and binge on the prior books).

I love this series and although this isn’t one of the best in the title to date, I still enjoyed it. As always well written, fast paced, good characters and humour. You do really need to read the others in the series, it would be hard to just jump right in at this point. But I highly recommend this series from the beginning

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

I have been reading this series from the first book. Admittedly I was not the biggest fan of the first book but there was something there still that drew me in. That is one of the hallmarks of good storytelling, that despite not liking the book overall I still wanted to read the next and see what happens and if it got better. It did. The books got better and better as the series progressed and drew you into her world. You will find yourself captivated by her characters, especially Levet the best gargoyle ever. Now we are here at Darkness Returns, and the best yet in the Guardians of Eternity series. Chiron and Lilah's story is compelling and exciting and leaves you wanting more.

Chiron may be Vampire King but he's humble enough to know when he's made a mistake. With his newly acquired information he and the new sidekick, who was foisted onto him, Levet the Gargoyle, are going on a roadtrip, searching for the prison of Tarak. Tarak has been incarcerated for decades due to the machinations of the previous Vampire King and Chiron intends to put things right.

Led to a supernatural friendly hotel in the middle of nowhere, Florida, Chiron and Levet meet the lovely Lilash who has secrets buried deeper than even she knows. Oh, and her former Nanny is a bit of an Ogre with anger issues LOL!!

Lots of well written secondary characters although Levet does kinds steal the show! New magic sources are involved - which I did not see coming! Great read!

3* I suspect AI has returned to the books that made her a worthy read, because of falling sales...

The Guardians of Eternity, at their peak some 6-8 years ago, almost had Alexandra Ivy up there with Larissa Ione, Lara Adrian, Gena Showalter, etc. The word 'almost' is important, as she was never quite there, but I enjoyed the characters and enjoyed them getting tales of their own... until she did that old thing of running out of planned leads and took 'redeemable baddies' and turned them into leads. Yes, the tales worked, as we'd gotten to know the bad guys over time and they weren't as bad as they could have been, but I thought that she sold out a little to expand the series. It ended up tired and a little boring, but yes, I have some of the earlier titles that I still get out to reread, unlike her later efforts that didn't really come close to being as good. I could take or leave her Sentinels tales and The Agency ones.

I was really pleased to see a reboot of the Guardians series, but barely a page into it, I had a sense of deja vu and had to go and check if this title was a re-release or a new one; it is a new one, but we've seen that opening scene between Viper and Styx more than once before. And, yes, there was the same repetition about Viper's tastes in dress and hedonism and about Styx's powers and its effect on the lights...

Anyway, the tale itself opens up a whole new host of potential books, as now Styx's band of weres/vampires, etc. (I can't recall who else is part of the gang) and the Rebels are talking. And, it looks as if things might end up mended between the supes.

The tale itself was not hard to figure out: AI mentioned a 'key' and I immediately went to Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the episodes with the Key, and sussed the tale out immediately. It wasn't hard, especially with the scary Inga doing her best impression of a bodyguard. But, that gave the game away. And, how Levet could fall for her more than once didn't really ring true.

This tale ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I say 'bit' because it's not the most exciting of cliffhangers and you have a clear idea of what's up next and who the leads will be. I wasn't mistaken, and nosed at AI's GoE upcoming release in Aug 2019, and my suspicions were confirmed.

It was nice to see the series back, but it feels a little dated compared to most contemp MF romances. It was repetitive, wordy and we didn't get to see any of the previous characters, though we got the same old whinges about Levet, which was a bit tiring, as was Levet's habit of messing up expressions. Still, it was good to see the series is back and I think I will read more.

ARC courtesy of Kensington Books Lyrical Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

I would highly recommend reading the other books in this series before you read this one just so you understand events that are spoken of that happened in the past. It has been almost 4 years since the last book in this series and I honestly thought that it was over. And then this one comes and let me tell you, it does disappoint and just reminded me all over again why I love this series to begin with! I love that we get to see a bit of Styxx because who doesn't love that vampire?? Chiron is on the hunt to find his master, Tarak, and free him. Unfortunately for him Levet has been sent with to help him, and we all know how much the men love Levet LOL! Chiron is led to the Everglades and a meeting with Lilah. This book has quite a few twists and turns and I loved every minute of it! Chiron is loyal to the point of almost excluding what could be the best thing for him. Lilah was definitely the biggest surprise for me! I definitely wasn't expecting to find out what I did about her! And then you have the side characters that are introduced and it all just reminds me of how much I truly love this author! I can't wait for not only Tarak's story but all the new characters that are introduced as well! Another great read in this series and I can't wait to see where this storyline takes us!

Alexandra Ivy makes a fabulous return to her world of the Guardians of Eternity in Darkness Returns. I truly enjoyed reading this book and loved the "mystery" element of it, it certainly kept me turning the pages. I loved seeing some familiar faces as well as meeting new characters, and getting to see previous characters "fleshed out" so to speak! I can't wait to follow Alexandra down this new path in Guardians of Eternity!

A triumphant return to this much loved series about Vampires and all the associated immortals they exist with. I wasn't exactly sure how Chiron and his previous actions would fit but happily my favourite Vampire King is magnanimous enough to admit to mistakes and give Chiron valuable information. Now Chiron is no fool but does agree to take Levet with his affinity for magic with him as he searches for someone who has been lost for a long time. However winding up in a hidden, magical hotel in the Everglades isn't exactly what Chiron had in mind but with a beautiful, mysterious owner named Lilah perhaps Chiron is exactly where he's meant to be ?
I love that I never quite know just what this authors imagination will dream up next and this crazy hotel was very unexpected. Chiron might be unsure about what Lilah is exactly due to the mysterious magic reverberating around but theres definitely something not quite right. Luckily there's always Levet to rely on but with brandy that needs drinking will Levet save the day this time ?
As much as I liked the lead couple for me it's Levet that steals every scene he is in. Chiron is so loyal and determined to rescue his imprisoned master Tarak but the author cleverly dangles supporting characters that mean already I'm longing for more. I'm reluctant to give away the plot involving Lilah but will say there's huge clues if you breathe in (hint) about exactly what magic is being used and this was fun, exciting and such a wonderful way to while away a few hours.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I'm happy I requested this book because I discovered a great series.
This book was engaging and entertaining, full of twists and turns.
The cast of characters is interesting, the plot engaging, the world building fascinating.
It can be read as a standalone.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to friends and family.

Darkness Returns by Alexandra Ivy is another thrilling and compelling instalment in the Guardians of Eternity series.

Feeling overwhelming guilt for having a part in his master’s disappearance and imprisonment, Chiron accepts a magical scroll from Styx that will lead him to a key that will free him.

In search of the key, he is led deep into the Everglades where the magic is potent and this is where he meets Lylah.

Lylah’s past and who and what she is, is cloaked in mystery. But the fireworks that spark between them is more than obvious.

Are they fated to be together or is this all a big magic trick?

Consuming, spellbinding and addictive, this book takes a hold of you and doesn’t let go.

I want more Chiron. I loved his character. He is alpha-male, protective, trustworthy and loyal.

Lilah is a sweet and caring character. I was surprised by her history.

I have read several books in this series and although I have missed a few of the most recent releases, reading this book is like coming home again.

The touch on previous characters, Styx and Viper makes me want to return and reread their stories.

Levet, OMG! I have a missed him. He is the most unique character! He is comedic and cute all in one.

From laugh-out-loud moments to edge of your seat suspense, this author has a way of writing that engages the reader and keeps their rapt attention to the very end.

Not only does she write compelling main characters but secondary ones as well.

I want stories from almost every secondary character in this book from Ulric, what a sexy wolf, to Inga, Levet not to mention Tarak. I’m absolutely obsessed!

A phenomenal paranormal romance that can’t be beat.

I received an ARC via NetGalley of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.