This one was a bit slower than book one, but the witty comebacks between the two MCs MADE this novel. It was fun to see what they would do next to get at each other haha
Love that they truly start as enemies to lovers, it was a sloooooow burn 😂
Also, gave me a bit of Beauty and the Beast vibes what with Chrysantha being into books, the beast, the slow burn, someone coming for the beast, etc. Of course, Chrysantha was VERY different than Belle. She was vengeful and petty and yet smart and generous. Love how she fights for her staff's welfare! And happy to join in her investigation of Eryx. Felt like a mystery 🤭
Also.....LOVE the few snippets we get of Alessandra and Kallias 😍
The sisters have some exchanges and it's nice to see how their relationship develops.
For those interested, it's closed door love scenes. Some kisses and fade out haha
Only downside for me was the demon thing. Wish there'd been another answer than that. Demons aren't my thing 😅 Otherwise, solid companion novel. Reads like a mystery Regency romance almost, actually 😂

It was just cute fun! I love the tension and plot building. I think this is generally a good book that can be enjoyed by a lot of age groups. I loved the shadows between us so I knew this one would be just as good

Chrysantha is married to an old dying duke. Just waiting for the day of her freedom Chrysantha decides to take matters into her own hands. Once she is free and now is the inheritor of her husband's estate she can do whatever she wants. From redecorating to changing her wardrobe she is finally free to be happy. That is until she has a surprise encounter with Eryx. Claiming to be the nephew of the deceased duke, Eryx is to be the inheritor of the duke's estate and wealth. This is a new problem for Chrysantha. Unwilling to give up everything that should be rightfully hers Chrysantha must get rid of Eryx.
Tricia Levenseller is great at writing enemies to lovers novels. A little more dark fantasy than what I expected but it was feisty and I did enjoy that part. Chrysantha is basically having very bad day. Her sister is getting married to the Shadow King which she is jealous of. It seems like Chrysantha is just a jealous person who can never get her way. This story has like House of Dragon vibes. Her character reminds me of Alicent. She is always struggling to fight for what she wants and things just get in the way. At first her character is unlikeable but I totally understand why. I enjoyed The Shadows Between Us but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I felt like the vibe in this one was so different and it did not feel like a sequel.

Tricia Levenseller is an auto-buy author for me and she's done it again. Truly she manages to balance important and sometimes heavy topics with humor, grace, and some nice romance. I so enjoyed returned to this world and learning more about a character I initially disliked in the first one. I have to say, I was skeptical, but I really ended up enjoying this.

I was initially not looking forward to reading a book about Crysantha. She had me fooled in the Shadows Between Us, but the more I read, the more I NEEDED to read. This book was so captivating. I loved the characters, the depths of Crysantha that we had never seen. The plot kept me turning pages, and I loved the slow reveals. It was really such a satisfying read and I loved it as much, if not more than the first book. Tricia never disappoints!

This is an interconnected fantasy novel with The Shadows Between Us, however you could technically read these books separately.

This is my fifth Tricia Levenseller book, and I must say her writing is improving with each book, and I am loving her style.

WOW!! I was so hesitant on reading from Chrysanthas POV, because prior to this we only had a view of her from her sisters POV, and she was not painted in the best light. However imagine my surprise when I found myself loving her even more than Alessandra! Both sisters are a bit unhinged (killing off those who they perceive has done them wrong and without any feeling of remorse), witty, funny, and snarky. Chrysantha is everything I love in a MC, she's unapologetically herself, she is set in her ways, she's not wishy-washy, and she's not afraid to go after what she wants.

Okay, I thought I loved Kallias (I mean-hello shadow daddy) but Eryx took my obsession to a whole new level. Thank you Tricia Levenseller for giving me another book boyfriend to obsess over. I love Chrysanthas and Eryxs true hatred for each other and how that manifests. There bickering and banter were top notch. The tension and chemistry was such a nice slow burn that I was speed reading through the book to find out when they would finally have *that* moment.

I loved all the side characters in this one! They all felt so real, and added a lot of depth to our MCs.

My one complaint is the pacing at the very end. I felt the last 10% of the book felt a bit rushed and then all of a sudden the book ended. I thought we were going to get at least one more chapter or an epilogue to kind of seal the deal of their relationship and see it past where we left the couple.
My only other complaint is that I am sad to leave this world, and I wish the book was a million times longer so I could keep reading.

Im giving this book 4.5 stars, but for the review I am rounding up to 5 stars.

This book follows the story of Alessandra older sister Chrysantha. It seems both girls are quite the scheming villains. Pitted against each other since the beginning, the competition and jealousy continues. How far is it going to go.

Settling for dream of becoming a widow. It is short lived. An heir has come out of the woodwork. The drama is excellent.

The shift from contention to affection starts almost abruptly. The abrasive behavior falters and reciprocity takes place.

I’m struggling with liking Chrysantha. She’s smart, conniving and manipulative. I appreciate her perspective and her want of freedom. Real freedom. She’s also manipulative and I don’t like that. Even when she befriends her staff it’s a manipulation not a real desire for friendship with these people. Her dalliances with the male prostitutes came across as hypocritical.

The wedding was great. I loved the black wedding dress, the reunion with Alessandra was well executed. It was nice to see the

The ending was dramatic and endearing for all. I love it!

I received an ebook arc of this book through NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

I gave this book 5 stars. I loved the first book, The Shadows Between Us, when I read it years ago, and I loved this one just as much!

This book is about Queen Alessandra’s simple minded sister Chrysantha. She has been married off to an old, dying duke and will inherit his whole dukedom and all his belongings and money upon his death. Her true wish is to be free of men telling her what to do, and living a quiet life in the country. She achieves that for a short period, then a man named Eryx shows up claiming to be the late dukes grandson.

Eryx and Chrysantha immediately hate eachother and want to be rid of eachother. They both claim the rights to the property and money, but it can only go to one.

Chrysantha starts to realize she is more and more like her sister, while also revealing her true self to others, instead of pretending to act simple minded. She also starts to find Eryx has some odd qualities that she is determined to figure out. As well as if he is the true grandson of the duke.

I loved the relationship between Eryx and Chrysantha! My favorite parts of both of these books are these sisters. They both go for what they want, and are not afraid to get their hands dirty. They know that by being born women, they are limited in ways they have to learn to get around.

King Kallias and Queen Alessandra make appearances in this book and the relationship between the sisters is so great! They go from barely knowing eachother and being jealous of eachother so finally truly I’m and being honest. And I love the way both of their men get them and listen to them and basically let them rule.

Also Kallias has finally found a worthy opponent.

Every detail in this book is great, definitely worth the read!!

I was so excited to dive into The Darkness Within Us, especially after how much I enjoyed the first book in the duology. Unfortunately, I felt like this book suffered from second book syndrome.

The Darkness Within Us offers a lot - enemies-to-lovers, loveable estate staffers, a mystery into the legitimacy of the Duke, and a feisty heroine. But with that…I struggled with the genre throughout the book. While there are fantasy elements, the Duke and his estate, the clothing, the staff… so many things kept giving historical romance vibes.

While it was a generally enjoyable read, there’s nothing specific that I’d say stood out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own opinions.

I read this without reading the first book, which was fine but I definitely think I would have connected with it more if I had read that one first! That being said, I liked the main character - this book was a fun, fast-paced YA read.

Oh my this book was so good. I loved Levenseller’s book “The Shadows Between Us” when it released in 2021. This one is a companion novel to the first one.

It was such a fun, quick YA fantasy read. It will release in July.

Lady Chrysantha has finally become a widow after her much older, Duke husband dies. She finally got what she has always desired, to live a life free and doing whatever she wants. That is until Eryx appears at her door claiming to be the late Dukes grandson ready to take his rightful place as the new Duke. Now she must find a way to get rid of him before he messes up all her plans.

THE DARKNESS WITHIN US is one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I absolutely loved The Darkness Between Us and I reread it every year. This book is one that is no different. I read this book in a day and everything about it is pure perfection. This met my expectations and then some.

I love how this author crafts a story, while also creating characters that contain depth, and moving the plot along. This is what makes her books so enjoyable and ones that I inhale. The story was great, focusing on Chrysantha, who was an antagonist in the previous book, and her journey to freedom. In the first book, she is devious and mean, and in this book she is too, but now we have background and context for her actions. It is a testament to the author that a character I disliked so much previously is one that I was rooting for throughout this book. She is the perfect morally grey character who fights for her wants and needs and does so with a ferociousness and manipulativeness that makes her a fighter and a badass.

Overall, I really loved this book. If you love morally grey characters, badass female main characters, a fantasy world, and enemies to lovers, this is the book for you. And trust me, this is worth the read.

Thank you to Fierce Reads and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I got this book as an arc from NetGalley.

This book was a good escape from reality. I feel that the author did a good job of world building and making me like the characters. I love a bit of shadows anytime I see it. I wish I had read the first book before this one however now that I know how they write, I’m excited to go back and read it.

Tricia Levenseller excels at writing anti-heroes! You don't want to love Chrysantha, especially after "The Shadows Between Us" but you can't help it. She's prickly, vain, and cut throat. But all she's been trying to do is to make a life for herself as a woman in a society that treats women as property rather than people. And she thinks she's done so, after the old, decrepit, and childless Duke she married dies and she's left the estate and his fortune. Until his mysterious grandson appears who wants nothing to do with Chrysantha and wants her out of the estate and his life. She wants her money and her freedom back and she will do anything to get it, including getting rid of her new nemesis (even if he intrigues her).

How cute is this cover? I didn't know this was a sequel so I did read some of this and figured it out. It was well written though. thank you netgalley/.

Oh my GOD. If I hadn’t had work I would have easily devoured this book in two days. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to have early access to this book. (I can’t wait to get the physical copy I ordered back in December) 💗💗

Since I go in blind to every book I read. This one was not what I expected at all, it was 10x better than I could have predicted. I was entertained from the beginning all the way through the end. I could not decide how I liked the FMC, at first it made me dislike her and I also felt for her. A true morally gray female. However, seeing her growth and her resistance to not stand down was incredible. I started to cheer her on.

The schemes and secrets between the FMC and love interest were top notch. Always keeping me on my toes. I seriously laughed so hard reading the banter between them. I even cried when the FMC cried while reading a certain letter. I felt that pain deeply.

I am a huge sucker for YA books and overall this one did not disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley and Tricia Levenseller for the opportunity to read it.

Chrysantha likes to hide her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl and has now become a wealthy duchess. A man claiming to be the estranged grandson of Chrysantha’s lecherous late husband has turned up to steal her inheritance. This book made me laugh multiple times. The personality that Chrysantha and Eryx has are amazing. I’m so glad that our main characters from The Shadows Between Us also made appearances! I loved everything about this companion novel.

Wow! Thank you netgalley for the arc!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, because I have loved every other Tricia book!! I swear she has drugs in her books because of how quickly I devour them! And this was no exception.

This follows Chrysantha in the companion novel to The Shadows Between Us. She has finally gotten all the power she has ever wanted when a new duke enters the picture named Eryx. She will have to fight her feelings for Eryx while trying to get all her land back!

Chrysantha is headstrong and knows exactly what she wants out of life. She has fought nail and tooth to get to where she is and she will not accept defeat! She learns to love and care about her staff members, Eryx, and her sister Alessandra! She learns to trust and to be better. And to fall in love completely.

Eryx is a beast in human clothing and has to learn to let people in and fight for what he loves. He is willing to die to protect the people he cares about and is willing to change to help them.

Them together create a story of villainy, lust, love, and family! I love this book and I can’t wait for all of you to read it!

5/5 ⭐️❤️

A stellar fantasy standalone perfect for fans of shadow daddies, Bridgerton, and monster romances. Nobody writes love interests like Levenseller, from charming personalities to lively banter, Eryx delivered as the love interest for Chrysantha. Chrysantha is reminiscent of her sister Alessandra (applause to the Alessandra and Kallias cameos) in many ways. Her female rage is just as strong as her sister and she plots to get what she wants. Chrysantha is clever, funny, and a strong morally gray main character. I adored her girly tendencies too, from repainting the manor in pinks to holding a romance book club. So relatable! The story was compelling and engaging even though it was a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance, the plot was engaging and I was never bored. No complaints!

Big shoutout to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the awesome opportunity to dive into this book! Thanks for letting me join the adventure early!