This was a quick easy read but I’m not sure it was entirely for me. Both main characters were very unlikable. The female main character was rude and judgmental to pretty much everyone, even people she called her friends. And since the story is told in her perspective and she hates the male main character, it is no surprise that he is seen as incredibly unlikable as well. The FMC is constantly putting the MMC down and calling him stupid. It’s hard to switch from that mindset to seeing him as desirable in no time. I loved the sister aspect of this story though and really enjoyed their correspondence.

I am in love with this book. Chrysantha was not at all what I expected, but I immediately fell in love with her. She had so much buried rage about the position of women in society, and she wielded herself as a weapon to undermine it. Her romantic arc was perfect, too. If you loved the shadows between us, you'll love this companion story.

In a tale following Shadows Between Us, Chrysantha, Alessandra’s sister, navigates high society by feigning simplicity. Married off to an elderly man, she ends his mistreatment by suffocating him, only to encounter Eryx Demos, claiming to be her late husband’s grandson. As society dictates, Chrysantha must comply with Eryx’s schemes while unraveling his true identity, all while grappling with unexpected feelings. Despite occasional pacing issues, the story captivates with its character depth and world-building, eliciting sympathy for previously disliked characters. With mature themes, this book suits older young adult readers, particularly those fond of fantasy, paranormal fiction, mystery, and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was a great sequel!

I absolutely adored Shadows Between Us and was both excited and apprehensive that another stand alone on the same world would live up to it! I am beyond excited to report that it did live up to the predecessor.

This story follows Alessandra’s sister Chrysantha Stathos. The story starts as her wickedly brilliant plan to be a free and independent woman seems to have finally come to fruition, until a man foils her plans. The story then follows a cat and mouse enemies to lovers tale full of twists and turns, snark, humor and emotion.

Themes in this story that resonated consistently were women’s rights, feminism, consent and every humans ability to be inhuman at times.

I will be recommending this book to everyone!

Overall, this was a fun and quick fantasy romance! I really appreciated seeing the development between Chrysantha and Alessandra as sisters. Chrysantha is not your average main character as she has some traits and aspirations akin to a villain in some stories. She wants what she wants, and she is not afraid to go and get it! I liked her more as the story went on and her initial beliefs were challenged. Eryx was a mysterious and interesting antagonist and love interest. The whole staff at the estate were great side characters. It gave me Downton Abbey vibes a bit, and I am a sucker for that show.

I devoured this book from start to finish. The companion novel to this, "The Shadows Between Us", is one of my favorite books ever and is now a comfort read, and I'm not a big re-reader. This book is just as good, if not better. I feel like the main character in this book was actually more relatable then her sister in the first book, and were very easily likeable. I'm not a fan of enemies to lovers, but this one fleshed out in a way that felt more natural. My only dislike of the book is that I wish there was more. Hopeful that Levenseller decides to continue on in this universe, or at least in writing more and more *truly* morally grey character duos like this one and the previous, all with such a great sense of humor.

Disclaimer: I received a digital ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

LOVED IT!

This was such a delightful 2nd installment to this realm, this time featuring Allesandra's sister, Chrysantha. Although described as dimwitted in the first book by her sister, you will quickly learn that Chrysantha is no wilting flower. In fact, she is much more like her sister than she ever seems to realize. She became a wealthy (widowed) duchess by manipulating all the men around her to get one thing - freedom. When an heir shows up saying the house, fortune, and dukedom are his, she immediately sets out to challenge this claim. He is, of course, extremely handsome.

This book was delightfully chaotic, with so many twists and turns, and a strong FMC. The ending was a bit anticlimatic, but I still love a HEA. Highly recommend this one if you liked the first in the series!

I absolutely ADORED "The Shadows Between Us," so I was practically feral in my desire to read this companion novel by one of my favorite authors, and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

Chrysantha was a hated - with cause - side character in "The Shadows Between Us," and truthfully, I never came around to actually *liking* her in this novel, but despite that I was certainly rooting for her, and the romance between her and Eryx was absolutely delicious. The author did a great job of building the tension between the two - snipes, jabs, witty remarks a thin veneer for the simmering attraction building on both sides.

It was a delight to see Alessandra again and revisit her love story from the outside. The pacing was good, the world-building decent, and the character development well done. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this novel.

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. I absolutely love this author and she did not disappoint with this one! Hands down 5 stars.

I've not read The Shadows Between Us, but it didn't keep me from enjoying this sequel, The Darkness Within Us, by Tricia Levenseller. It took me a while to warm up to the characters as I hadn't met them earlier in the first book. Levenseller did a good job bringing me up to speed without it seeming like a recap. It definitely can be read as a stand-alone, but I will be going back and reading the first now.
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy for an honest review!

I went into this book fairly blind. I very much enjoyed The Shadows Between Us and was really looking forward to the second book. When I started this one and realized it was from Chryantha’s POV I was worried because I was not a fan of hers in the first book. But, wow! The author proved me wrong! I ended up liking this book even more than the first. I was intrigued by the story line and loved the bits of magic. I found myself rooting for characters I thought I hated. I definitely recommend this book and it comes out in about a month! The physical book is gorgeous and I am absolutely going to need a copy for myself as a shelf trophy!

It was SO EXCITING to get to read this early! I LOVED Chrysantha so much - very morally gray, just like her sister! And Eryx was so incredibly fun - their banter was great! I truly cannot wait to have that sprayed edged copy for my shelf, and to recommend both of the books to my friends!!

Thank you so much for the e-ARC!

This was a fun read! It’s a great enemies to lovers story, where it’s so hard to tell at the beginning how the two will end up together, but it all fits together really well by the end. And while it took me a little while to warm to the characters, I grew to love them in the end, flaws and all.
This is a sequel to The Shadows Between Us, so I recommend readers read that one first. Characters and plot points from that book are relevant to this one. While this was a great sequel, I still liked the first book best.
My biggest issue is that at first I didn’t like any of the main characters. I didn’t find many redeeming qualities in them. However, Levenseller adds in depth and complexity to the characters as the story gets going, and as Chrysantha and Eryx bring out the best- and worst- in each other.
The slow burn enemies to lovers plot is worth the leading up that Levenseller builds. When the two main characters meet they truly are enemies. However, Levenseller slowly and carefully builds the love and lust between Chrysantha and Eryx in a way that works really well and is worth the wait.
4 stars and I would welcome further books in this series!

I honestly don't remember loving The Shadows Between Us or being a huge fan of Alessandra, so for me this was a big improvement! I really liked Chrysantha and found her to be very relatable - I loved how she has a lot of great qualities but is also a little morally grey at times. She did what she had to do to gain her freedom and to escape the men who would control her, and now she can finally live the quiet life she’s always wanted. Or so she thinks…

Eryx was infuriating yet intriguing and the enemies to lovers romance was well done. The development & the chemistry were great and I had a lot of fun uncovering all of his secrets. I actually appreciated Alessandra and Kallias a lot more by the end of the book, and I appreciated all of the feminist aspects as well. I would recommend this even if you haven’t read the first book!

Thank you to Macmillan for the ARC!

Excellent sequel! I really didn't think I would like Chrysantha after everything we learned from Allessandra's POV in The Shadows Between Us, but I really did. Thoroughly enjoyable. I am looking forward to what comes next.

While Chrysantha does things through out the book that a morally objectionable I still found myself sympathizing with her and the situation she found herself in. The relationship with her sister was also very relatable and it was interesting to see them work through their differences. I enjoyed the overall redemption arch and the relationship with Eryx. Their chemistry was undeniable and I found myself frustrated they couldn’t just trust one another but it was logical considering what was at stake for both if the truth got out.

I LOVED The Shadows Between Us. Thus, while I finished The Darkness Within Us at breakneck speed...I was disappointed to be left wanting.

Levenseller mentions at the back of the book that this text went through several revisions, and that she was going through a tough personal time while writing. The piece-meal nature of the book feels evident; the plot hinges upon a couple of key decisions that to me, feel flimsy and unbelievable from a character perspective. Firstly, that Chrysantha is helping Eryx learn how to be a noble in order to get the funds to hire a private investigator...to prove he's not a real noble. In my perspective...if you wanted to expose him as a fraud, doesn't it make sense to NOT help him fit in as a noble?? There's an excerpt of an earlier draft of the novel at the end of the book, where Chrysantha accompanies Eryx go to several parties. I wish there'd been a greater exploration of this journey - Eryx trying to get Chrysantha married off and vice versa, because the motivation in THAT makes sense to me. In that situation, Chrysantha would want Eryx to be a noble in order to find a noble bride.

Secondly, in the later half of the book, there's a Chekhov's gun in a letter that Chrysantha has in her pocket that she DELIBERATELY chooses not to read until after a pivotal choice is made. Again in my perspective...that's not a believable choice.

This book has SO MUCH potential, but to me, it felt like character and plot development got lost along the way. As a companion novel to the Shadows Between Us, it's fun to see the limitations of Alessandra's knowledge of her sister, and likewise, how Alessandra is viewed by Chrysantha. There's a mingling of social classes and exploration of women's rights and agency and the fallacy of seeing other women as competition. However, Chrysantha never quite loses the "damsel who needs to be saved by others" label the way her sister does. I remain an avid fan of Levenseller and the Shadows Between Us, but this book was a miss for me.

The brilliant sequel I didn’t know was coming! I have read The Shadows Between Us so many times I can quote parts of it, so when I found out this book was out I was beyond excited and surprised. I was unsure how I felt about a story from Chrysantha’s perspective since I loved the first book so much but I really enjoyed it. Will it become a book I read once a year, maybe not, but it was still a good book.
When we are first introduced to Chrysantha in the first book, it is only through letters and Alessandra’s point of view. She is shown as vain, stupid and uncaring for her younger sister. She is their father’s favorite and has just married an aging Duke. This book starts with how that marriage is going and the truth about who Chrysantha really is. She is not vain, stupid and uncaring but instead an actress who has been putting on a show for the world for the last 7 years. Despite her plotting, her situation is miserable and she has just discovered that her younger sister is marrying the king and she is MAD.
From here there is murder, plotting and other hijinks that makes me think it runs in the family. Overall an enjoyable read with an antihero FL and an equally monstrous ML

Set some time after Shadows Between Us, this follows the story of Chrysantha, Alessandra’s sister. To survive in high society, Chrysantha has pretended for year to be simple and daft. Her father marries her off to a nearly dead, bedridden old man. One night, tired of his treatment of her, Chrysantha suffocates him. Believed to have been his only family left, Chrysantha is surprised when a man named Eryx Demos shows up in her bedroom one night, claiming to be the estranged grandson of her late husband. Set in a society where the man gets everything, she is forced to play nice while thwarting off his plans to marry her off, take away any money her late husband left her, and take her late husband’s estate. Convinced that there is no way this man is her late husband’s grandson, she hires a private investigator and does some of her own mystery solving. The more she uncovers, the more dangerous she is sure Eryx is. Worse, she is starting to have feelings for him. Who really is Eryx? Can Chrysantha find her happiness outside of society’s expectations? Can she survive long enough to find out?

The plot is well-developed and engaging, but drags in places. The characters are engaging, entertaining, and relatable. The author does a great job of continuing the world building of Chrysantha and Alessandra’s world while making the reader feel great sympathy for the prequel’s most hated character. There is some implied sexual assault, sex, and more mature themes in this book that suggest this book is suited best for older young adult audiences. Fans of fantasy, paranormal fiction, mystery, and romance will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections.

Please Note: A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. No other compensation was received.

I pretty consistently enjoy Tricia Levenseller's books - I like her morally gray but still appealing characters and her world-building - and this companion to The Shadows Between Us was a fun read. Our female main character is Chrysantha Stathos, sister to Allesandra from The Shadows Between Us and very young duchess to an old, sick, but still very lecherous duke. When the duke dies, Chrysantha feels like she's finally won - after spending her 19 years on the planet pretending to be sweet and simple, she finally has the freedom and wealth that she's secretly been scheming for under the surface. All that changes, though, when Eryx Demos shows up, claiming to be the rightful heir to the dukedom as the late duke's estranged grandson. Chrysantha accidentally reveals her true intelligence to Eryx, so she can't manipulate him the way she normally would, and the two quickly become enemies sharing the same goal - to drive the other from the manor and have total control of the dukedom. I really enjoyed their banter and chemistry, Chrystantha's sharp wit and even sharper tongue, and just generally watching them be too obtuse to realize they are in their own enemies to lovers story. I also was delighted to see Allesandra again and to see the way she's used her influence with the Shadow King to change the laws the specifically govern women's rights. I'm not really sure I would categorize this as YA - the main characters are 18 and 19, but this is pretty intensely violent at moments. Either way, I enjoyed another morally gray heroine (maybe even anti-heroine?) from Levenseller, and I'll keep reading her books even though I must be way older than her target audience.