I love love love LOVED THIS! Seemingly picking up a few weeks or months after The Shadows Between Us, our main character finds herself notified of her sisters wedding. The later we see her husband passing. Her sister had made several official decrees and now she no longer has to wait “proper” mourning period. As she is settling into her new role of widow a mysterious gentleman appears on the scene. Claiming to be a long lost grandson of the deceased. The rollercoaster and banter between these two! The will they or wont they is highly unmatched as the both bring out a certain fury in the other! I found myself most tickled even at the most serious parts of the story! The way our mmc was written was completely troubled and complicated. He was clever but the Duchess way way cleverer!!!!

This book was okay but I enjoyed the first one more. The main characters were really well developed and complex. The banter between the characters was delightful, sharp, and entertaining. Where I got stuck was with the plot. There just didn’t seem to be enough conflict so I felt like decisions Chrysantha made didn’t make sense at times and were just used to create tension for the plot. I wish there was more of a plot so these characters could shine.

Thank you NetGalley & Tricia Levenseller for an eARC of this book. The following is my honest review of The Darkness Within Us.

After reading The Shadows Between Us, you think you know Chyrsantha Stathos but no one knows the real Chrysantha. I absolutely loved this character. The book was just as chaotic and feral as Shadows Between Us which was such a fun read, so this did not disappoint. If you enjoyed Alessandra and her antics, you will love this book.
This book had everything. Enemies to lovers, banter, feral characters, forced proximity. Even a book club which I adored, since I read Shadows Between Us in a book club. I was giggling throughout the whole book. It was funny yet I also appreciated the moments of Chrysantha coming to terms with what she had to endure to survive. It reminds me a lot of Nesta's story, so fans of A Court of Silver Flames will appreciate Chrysantha's journey. I think Levenseller really fleshed out her character and her arc in a compelling and enjoyable story. It was nice to see how similar, yet how different she was from Alessandra.
Chrysantha's interactions with Eryx are peak enemies to lovers and she is so shamelessly confrontational with him. I love that we did not get a timid FMC, but someone who isn’t afraid to put him in his place. My absolute favorite scenes are when she grabs a certain part of him to rein him in. I could read a whole other books about the two of them.
I’m glad that Levenseller returned to the world of Naxos to give us this story as well as a small glimpse of Alessandra’s story after her happily ever after. This is a great companion novel to The Shadows Between Us that's worth picking up.

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing & NetGalley for the access to the digital arc in exchange for a free and honest review!

This book has similar qualities to the former, The Shadows Between Us, while still having stronger writing. I loved book one, but The Darkness Within Us was the perfect read for what I wanted. It was engaging with a slow burn, bickering, and scheming.

Chrysantha's character development is well done. The shift from her airheaded persona to her true self as cunning and clever is like a snake shedding it's skin. The sisters are more alike than the believe, and I'd love to see a conversation between them about that.

The slow burn is the best part of this book. I'd recommend this more for the relationship development and love for both leads than I would for the plot. Considering I want more on relationship development, that was great for me.

While the plot is fine, there's not much mystery to the mystery of what Eryx is. Like book one, the final climax is very quick. It has the same base, the two leads being separated with an undertone of betrayal before racing against the clock to save their man. It was enjoyable, but predictable and that's my only criticism.

What matters most to me about a book is how much I enjoy it as I'm reading, and this is a DELIGHT. I have pages and pages of highlights.

➸ 4.5 ⭐️

loved this almost as much as The Shadows Between Us!!

"You. You make me forget all my rules and reasons for everything. You make me want to believe it's possible not to be alone forever. You make me want to claim the whole world and gift it to you on a silver platter. You are unlike anyone I've ever known. And gods, but I love your mouth. The way it smiles. The words that come out of it. How it feels against mine. Just looking at your lips makes my mouth water."

As someone who absolutely adored TSBU when it first came out, and even now after my reread more than 4 years later, I was super excited to get my hands on this sequel/spin off/companion novel.
It did not disappoint.

I was unsure at first if I'll love Chrysantha as much, because—in the words of our dear Petros—I'm loyal to her sister, but with everything we learn about her and the way she grows, I was helpless to her charms.
Chrysantha is similar to Alessandra, they're sisters after all, but she's still her own person (character?). Even though she has Alessandra's ruthless streak and she's almost as morally grey/villainous as her, Chrysantha is also very different in other ways—she loves to read, she cares about the people around her, she just want to be left alone in peace—and it didn't feel like I was reading the same story but with a different title.

She smiles. "[. . .] How fortunate that both our men survived us."
"We Stathos sisters are a force to be reckoned with."

The love interest-Eryx-is as mysterious and as interesting as Kallias, i absolutely loved him. I loved the whole knife-to-throat and hidden monstrous side we get in this book. And his banter with Chrysantha is hilarious — there's so much tension from the moment they meet and it's excellent.

"At least it's not pink," he mutters.
"What did the color ever do to you?"
"It's distasteful—and you can close your mouth right now. I don't wish to hear your comment about me being just as distasteful to match."
I close my mouth, almost embarrassed that he predicted my comment perfectly.
"Remind me how long of a ride it is to the palace," he says.
"A few hours."
He massages his temples. "I don't think I'll survive it."

Where the first book takes place in the palace and there's a lot of court intrigue and machinations, TDWU mostly takes place at Chrysantha's estate, so it gives the story very strong Beauty and the Beast vibes. I couldn't help draw the comparison and it makes a lot of sense given what type of characters Eryx and Chrysantha are. Perhaps this is the main reason why I love TSBU a little bit more — I prefer the palace setting, and I think the plot of TSBU is more interesting and to a point I even find Alessandra and Kallias more interesting and more fun.
When it comes to the pacing they are both equally fast paced and both books are equally captivating.

The ending felt a little rushed, so much happened in that last chapter, I feel like the story could've been expanded in a few places *sighs*. The bonus epilogue in the Fairyloot edition helped though and the deleted scene was super fun though I'm so happy TL decided to include the wedding instead.

It was SO MUCH FUN coming back this world—I absolutely adore that we get to see Kallias and Alessandra's wedding and what they are up to I also love that Chrysantha and Alessandra are able to reconnect and hopefully fix their relationship.
I really hope this is not the last we've seen of Chrysantha and Eryx and Alessandra and Kallias.

eternal gratitude to netgalley and the publisher for the arc
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication

An excellent return to the world I loved in The Shadows Between Us. I kind of find I really related to Chrysantha and her need for freedom and not to be beholden to anyone. She was respectable even when she was doing dirty deeds. I loved the character progression in this for both Chrysantha and Eryx and how this all wrapped up. I really don't have any complaints. It was engaging and fun. It's not forever one but it was definitely for me so thank you very much for the advanced copy, netgalley!

Truth bomb, after reading the “Shadows Between Us” and loving it so much then finding out this one was about Chrysantha whom I loathed, I wasn’t sure.

Boy was I fucking WRONG. It’s said this is to be a companion novel but to really take in some of the complexities I do recommend reading “The Shadows Between Us” first. Both of these novels are delicious. They had me hooked quickly.

Chrysantha is a ravenous beauty. A simpleton. Lovingly doting by her dying duke husbands side….

THINK AGAIN!

FEMALE RAGE. “Who’s Afraid of Little old me?/ Well you Should be.”

That right there. While she is a ravenous beauty she is no simpleton and her dying husband is an abusive jerk. Once he finally croaks, she has everything she’s ever wanted. Her freedom and money.

She is a very complex character and the author did a fabulous job of unraveling her to us readers. I did however want to see more scenes and banter with Alessandra every scene with those too once she exposes her true nature to her unveils a new side of her character.

Eryx, is a poor looking man claiming to be the rightful duke and grandson of Chrysantha’s late husband. With two big goons in tow he is very mysterious and not forth coming. Must be that occasional amber glimmer in his eyes….

Those two go toe to toe with each other. Despising. Bickering. Coming to realizations. Almost Beauty and the Beast like if you will. Enemies to lovers. Slow ass burn but worth it.

You will NOT be disappointed.

Thank you @Netgalley and Macmillan Publishers (imprint Feiwel & Friends) for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This rare beauty (I mean look at the beautiful book) hits shelves 7/9/24!

#BookDragon #Books #BookReview #BookReviewer #ARC #ARCReader #TheDarknessWithinUs #Fantasy #Romance

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because I don’t think I’d reread it!

Chrysantha was an amazing female lead! She was so snarky and willing to do whatever she had to in order to have some control over her life. Eryx was not at all what I was expecting him to be, but I loved him all the same.

This book had so many of my favorite troupes: enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, touch her and die.

I haven’t read The Shadows Between Us so this was my first time entering this book world and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I already have The Shadows Between Us on my kindle and I will be reading it very soon.

Definitely give this book a read if you love a strong female lead and a male lead who tries not to fall in love with her, but he just can’t help himself.

The Shadows Between Us is one of my favorite books, so when I found out we were getting another book in this world, I was very excited. Unfortunately this book was not as good as the first one, but still entertaining.

I loved the enemies to lovers banter between Chrysantha and Eryx and the tension that was created because of the situation. I also was happy to see bits of Kallias and Alessandra.

I did feel like Chrysantha was a little too similar to Alessandra’s character and parts of the story felt the same. I would have loved something a little different. I am also disappointed that this book is marketed in the YA category as I do not feel like it fits at all. I would not let my teenager read this book.

Content: closed door, prostitution

Tricia Levenseller really knows how to start a book. The opening line immediately had me hooked and The Darkness Within Us kept my interest until the very last page. I was originally hesitant since I don’t always love spin off sequels, but Chrysantha is a FMC that I could read about all day, every day. There’s something fascinating about a woman who pretended to be dull in order to shape the world around her to her will. I also felt a particular kinship to a woman that just wants to read in her garden undisturbed. I loved getting to see familiar favorite characters pop up from The Shadows Between Us in this installment. One of my favorite tropes deals with excellent banter, and Levenseller is an absolute master of banter. The back and forth between Chrysantha and Eryx was sheer delight. I also enjoyed how fast paced this book was making it so easy to binge read. If you enjoy morally grey characters and fast paced YA fantasy books, I highly recommend pick this one up.

LOVED this book!!!!!! I was bummed I did not get the audiobook (I loved the narrator) but I was happy to get approved for this-THANK YOU!. I read TSBU working as an ER nurse during covid and it helped me a lot so reading this was bittersweet. I loved the characters-thought they were well developed and I was happy with the ending. I love that the girls murder and scheme but are still sympathetic. I have an IG account that is cocktails and books centered so I can't wait to post what I made for this book (homemade heart gummy and bubbles)
I'm buying this ASAP for those edges at B&N.

I devoured this in one day! I couldn’t stop reading!

Tricia! My goodness my friend, you’ve done it again! Dynamic characters, witty banter, and ooh so steamy kisses!

Love love loved it!

Obsessed! I read the first book along with the audible and I loved that the same voice actor did this! I then was graciously provided with the audible again for this book and was so happy because I was able to read along while listening which is one of my favorite things to do.

I will say I was not expecting this to be from the sisters point of view as I grew to not care for her much in the first book. I blew through the first book and then again, with this one as I could not put it down. But I truly loved it! It was another enemies to lovers and I did feel like it was similar yet different from the first book. I found myself rooting for them the entire book! The banter back and forth was great! I love the strong headed MFC and that he eventually understands her. It is not my typical read and I am so happy I picked it up and read it. I will be recommending this book to friends! Thank you Netgally as well as the Author and publishing company for allowing me to read this. I truly enjoyed every minute of it.

Chrysantha Stathos (Polios) finally has everything she wants. She locked herself into a semi-abusive marriage with an elderly Duke, knowing that he wasn't long for this world, in an effort to grant herself the freedom that comes with being a Dowager Duchess: control of her own home and money. But only a few short weeks into the life she worked so hard for, a man shows up claiming to be the Duke's grandson who has inherited the estate. Just like that, Chrysantha is back under the thumb of a man, beholden to his whims and wishes. There's only one solution: he has to die. Even if he is sort of hot.

I loved The Shadows Between Us, so I was excited, curious, and a tiny bit wary to read Chrysantha's story. In book one she was set up as an off-the-page judgmental and anti-feminist antagonist, the sister our Slytherin hero Alessandra had to overcome.

I was thrilled with the author's conceptualization of Chrysantha. She didn't try to undo what we saw of her in the first book, but instead created a context to help us understand her words and actions. Chrysantha is a very driven character, like her sister, who has chosen a very different way to "play the game" of a patriarchal society and get herself ahead. I appreciated that she was equally cunning to Alessandra but also unique.

All of Tricia Levenseller's books are wonderfully feminist and empowering, and this one might be the strongest entry yet. Chrysantha is very aware of how society functions to limit and shackle her and most of her moves are placed in the context of the world she is forced to live in.

I really enjoyed the love story in this book, but I think my favorite arc was the one between the sisters. And there's bonus Kallias, as well!

"The Darkness Within Us" by Tricia Levenseler is a sequel I didn't know I needed. Initially, it seemed like a repeat of the first book in terms of character archetypes, but as the story progressed, the unique motivations of each character became more apparent.

What truly captivated me was the evolving relationship between the sisters, Chrysantha and Alessandra. Their initial hostility towards each other, fueled by misunderstanding and personal battles, gradually gives way to a deeper, more nuanced connection. Watching them realize that they are not each other's enemies but are instead fighting their own struggles was a highlight of the book.

The plot twists, especially with Chrysantha's determination to reclaim what she believes is rightfully hers, kept me engaged. Her complex feelings towards Eryx Demos, a man who is both a threat and an enigma, added layers of intrigue and tension. Levenseler masterfully weaves these elements together, making this sequel not just a continuation, but an essential expansion of the story.

If you're a fan of Tricia Levenseller, you'll love this one! I enjoyed it more than the first, and found it to be super entertaining with historical romance vibes. I really liked Chrysantha personality (and pretending to be dumb), and Eryx being so suspicious! Their relationship was fun and closed door, though I did end up aging them up in my head. I loved that the sisters reconcile, but found I wanted a bit more out of the ending!

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC!

The Darkness Between Us - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read this one as an ARC and I am so glad I signed up for it. When finishing TSBU, I thought about where the story would lead us and I loved that we got Crysantha’s story. She played her father’s games and married a bed ridden Duke. When he finally dies, she inherited all the money and earned the freedom she worked so hard for but when an unknown man named Eryx shows up claiming to be the rightful heir to the estate, she will do anything she can to get him out & when his secrets start to unravel she decides to use that to her advantage!

It’s no secret that I love a good enemies to lovers romance so TDWU was ✨PERFECTION✨. Both books had wonderful world & character building. The banter between all of the characters were 👨🏽‍🍳💋

Thank you @netgalley, @tricialevenseller & @macmillanusa for the advanced reader copy of The Darkness Within Us! #duologyreview #bookreviewer #netgalley #theshadowsbetweenus #shadowdaddy #friendstolovers #enemiestolovers #romance #fantasy #romantasy

Deliciously witty & unputdownable enemies to lovers sequel to The Shadows between Us! After her bedridden duke passes Chrysantha finally has everything she’s ever dreamed of… freedom from patriarchy. Until the night the duke’s heir mysteriously appears and she knows, without a doubt, he is an imposter, the duke had no heirs, she chose him for just that reason. Chrysantha is conniving and snarky and will stop at nothing to get back what’s hers.

I’ve already preordered the special edition to sit beside The Shadows between Us on my trophy shelf.

ARC review
“When you hate someone so fiercely, they have to be worthy of that hatred…You have to be on equal grounds to hate someone so much. And that level of hate inherently comes with a level of respect. You’re recognizing that they’re an actual threat. That they compare to you.”

Chrysantha’s husband has finally died, leaving her a dowager duchess with the freedom to be her own entity. Life is perfect. Until a young man shows up claiming to be the grandson of her late husband the duke, and the sole heir to Chrysantha’s entire fortune, property, and freedom. Chrysantha must now attempt to prove that this young man, Eryx, is not who he claims, by whatever means necessary. But Eryx is not all he appears, and the two find themselves discovering more and more about each other, and themselves.

The Darkness Within Us was THE definition of enemies to lovers. The main characters could not stand the sight of each other while forced to share a home. The banter was to die for, both Chrysantha and Eryx are witty and bold and unafraid to share their thoughts.
The sibling angst of Alessandra and Chrysantha tentatively trying to rebuild their relationship was so sweet, and I loved the glimpses of Alessandra and Kallias relationship and life from The Shadows Between Us.
This was an easy, utterly delightful read! Tricia Levenseller knows what the people want and never misses.

I had a blast trying to piece together the clues and figure out everyone’s secrets. It was fun to watch the relationship between Chrysantha and Eryx evolve throughout the course of this book.

Thank you NetGalley, MacMillan, and Feiwel & Friends for the arc!