Darkly is part of the Follow Me series and is the POV of the mysterious Braden Black, the self-made billionaire. He's possessive, dominant, desirable, and sexy as hell. He has worked hard to be where he is and never forgets where he's come from but he holds secrets, he's had me intrigued. The way he keeps his emotions hidden, I could never really understand him but with his POV we find out a little more but I am still sitting here with unanswered burning questions!
There is so much hidden inside him and the reason he loves and craves the darker side of passion and sex.
Bradens POV in Darkly sheds a little light on him but there is still so much to uncover. One thing is for sure, he's become a favourite character that Helen has written and I have fallen even more in love with him and the growing love story between him and Skye. As always, the author delivered an all-consuming, dark, delicious and sexy read adding even more heat and action to the story!


I NEED MORE!!
5 Stars!

Oh my! I loved getting Bradens POV. Getting into his head was the best! This author finds ways to draw you into every story.

If you love reading the Follow Me series then this book is not to be missed.

Braden Black is a man who knows what he wants and doesn't settle for anything less. Will he finally receive the one thing he desires from Skye Manning?

It's time to discover another layer to the Billionaire who craves a darker, more spicier side that he shares with those he trusts.

This book has elements of BDSM, overcoming expectations, awakening desires, being able to unconditionally trust, and finding love.

3.5 stars
Scorching hot!! So this is a companion to book 2 in the original series (Follow Me). However, you could read just Follow Me Darkly and then Darkly and only get Braden's POV. It might be an interesting way to read the series, especially if you prefer the male POV. The plot is seriously hot and the characters are likable. Honestly, this series is just really engaging and interesting.

After reading this series and then seeing everything from his perspective was an amazing addition to the entire experience. Honest to the character and providing such a unique look into the exact same story but from the other side after all is said and done was perfection!

This book felt so short while reading it! I loved reading the guy's PoV in any book and so this one was also a treat for me! It felt so good getting into Braden's head and getting to know what exactly he was thinking during certain times....

Darkly by Helen Hardt
Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Triggers: BDSM with strong power exchange elements.

To be honest I really can't stand books that are retold from another characters perspective especially in dark romances. My biggest dislike is retelling from the hero or antiheroes perspective. I find it often ruins the edge from the dark elements of the orginal. The thrilling and often scary feeling of the unknown. It often ruins the reveal of the anti-heroes feelings at the end of the book.

So that being said...

Darkly was a comple surprise to me. I absolutely loved it. It helped that Braden wasn't a complete jerk in Follow Me books. So reading his feelings and his journey towards love made sense. He wasn't emotionless and he and the world thought but it takes time for him to understand what he's feeling. Darkly stands as a great book alone but it brings greater context to the Follow Me books. It deepens the narrative and gives it richness. Basically it doesn't have all things I hate about retellings. It doesn't weaken the tellers stance in the first book. It doesn't conterdict the first books narrative. The story is told in way that allows it on its own. Each scene that is a repeat is told in an unique way rather than feeling like the same scene it feels new. The sex scenes are just as hot if not hotter by adding Braden's perspective.

Even though I know the book was written in response to audience demand and released quickly it does not feel like a rushed book. In fact, I have to applaud Helen Hardt on writing an excellent book in a very short amount of time. Not often does an author get me to make a 180 about a type of book I dislike. Not only did Darkly have me doing a 180 to like it it had me loving it by the end.

Whether you've read the series or not this is a great read. If you aren't a fan of retellings I strongly suggest giving Darkly a try anyways. It's not a long read and in my opinion is a more than worthwhile one. I am even more of a Helen Hardt fan than I was before. Every book she writes shows strong story telling skills. Her mastery of the written word just gets more must read as time goes on.

If you haven't read the Follow Me series you need to and make a point to read Darkly as you go!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book, I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down! it was a great story with amazing characters

I really enjoyed seeing things from Braden's perspective. It is intense and raw and so much more. I could not get enough. I devoured each and every word. Seeing how things work in his mind and his side of conversations as well as things that we never saw in Follow Me Darkly gave it so much more depth and understanding. I loved it!

This book is Braden's POV of the Follow Me Darkly story. And I kind of like it better. Let's me know how his mind works and even though he is the king of smugness, his POV still softens my perception of him. Don't get me wrong, Braden still needs to get it together in the relationship department BUT one of the points this story shows is that a relationship is completely new for him. Caring about Skye and changing his routines to put her first is a shock to his mind. So he has to slowly learn to lead with his heart.

My fault but I didn't realise this was book four do I have decided to delay reading this book until I have read the previous books in the series. I feel this would make the book a lot more enjoyable for me.

Yowza, this is one hot read!
I mean you kind of know what your getting into right at the cover, but it’s so much more. I really liked the storyline and the way the author ended each chapter with something that hooked you and you simply couldn’t put the book down. I ended many chapters with a silly grin on my face. When I got to the last page not knowing it was the last page I was like nooooooooooo, then I read the message that part 2 comes out January 26th and I’ve never been so happy to see the end of the month creeping up!
Fans of Fifty Shades of Grey this book is for you!
Skye Manning works as a photographer for a famous Instagrammer. Spending her days finding the perfect lighting to showcase a new lip color or the right table at the coffee shop to make her boss look amazing as she drinks her latte. It’s a job and it pays well, but her dream is to take photos that touch people and really make a difference. Spending her days deleting negative comments and booking new clients get pretty mundane, until Braden Black shows up. He’s serious and seriously perfect.
Braden can have any girl he wants, but he wants Skye. This is one time his millions won’t be able to buy him the girl, because she doesn’t care about his money. There’s something about her that has him hooked. She’s different than anyone he’s ever met. Sure she’s sexy and has lips he can’t stop thinking about, but she’s smart and innocent and she drives him mad! The problem is she wants a relationship and a future and he does not. How can he keep Skye to himself without giving her the one thing she wants....
Pick up your copy quick so you can read the second book, Follow Me Under when it releases Jan.26th

This book was amazing, I mean come on Helen Hardt wrote this book of course it was amazing! This is the 4th but technically can be read as the "3rd" book. This one is from Bradens POV. It's kind of like 50 shades of grey BUT way way BETTER! Like heps better. It is your choice if you read this before the 3rd book or after, but you can not read it before reading the 2nd book! It's steamy, hot, and spicey. You can not go wrong!

Having read the Follow Me Darkly, last year I was curious to see how I would find Braden's POV. While majority of the time I wasn't in love with the story or perspective. In terms of Follow Me Darkly I thought Darkly executed Braden's POV and the story itself from his perspective differently. It actually felt like a completely different story even if readers at first got Skye's perspective first. While I didn't love it since I didn't love Follow Me Darkly. I did find it to fit in with the remaining series.

Darkly is book four in the Follow Me series and in this book we get Braden's version of his and Skye's story. From the moment Braden meets Skye he wants her and what Braden Black wants Braden Black gets. Their journey of love is a dark and captivating one as their relationship goes from steamy to scorching hot. If you love to read dark romance with delicious characters then grab this book and jump into the world of Darkly.

Helen Hardt's writing is addictive, fast paced, and every page is a must know what's next. Helen leaves you hanging on a cliff page by page, book by book. This one was slightly different, being from the Steel perspective. It was a fast read, that filled in lots of gaps.

Braden Black, self-made billionaire meets 24yo Skye Manning, you know we’re in for a treat. His immediate attraction and subsequent actions show a man in love but fighting it. But why? What secrets does he hide? Oh. My. Word. If you like scintillating and tantalizing scenes with lots of dirty talk, read this book!

This was the second book I've read by Helen Hardt. I missed reading the second book in this series, so I haven't gotten to continue the series yet. I did decide I wanted to read Braden's POV and jumped on it when offered. It was just as good of a read as FOLLOW ME DARKLY, and can be a standalone with cliffhanger just like book one. I was already invested in the characters and I'm even more so now. I do think that I'd had preferred reading viewpoints at the same time since this is a cliffhanger series anyway, It's worth the read though!

*I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Book 4 in the Follow me series and Oh boy this one is good, as told by Braden's point of view.
While you still don't learn "exactly" what makes Braden tick, it does give you some insight and back story into his early life and upbringing.
Absolutely looking forward to book 3 which goes back to being told by Skye's point of view. Read this one in a day and a half!
Thank you to Netgalley, Entangled books and the Author Helen Hardt for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I first read FOLLOW ME DARKLY I really enjoyed it but I ddi feel the story was lacking by missing out on Braden’s POV. Now we have Braden's Point of View on everything that was happening and it really does help the story along. It makes it easier to understand some of the choices and movements that happen.
From their very first meeting thru them realizing they had fallen for one another Darkly adds so much to their story. We get the inner workings of this billionaire's mind on so many things and this story reveals so much about who Braden is and how he works. Some of the things I found frustrating in the first story really do clear up by having this other point of view. I wasn’t sure if I was going to read book 3 but now I would love to have Braden’s point of view on part of the story and see them come together in book 3 with dual points of view.