I've recently had the opportunity to read Dark Rising in return for the opportunity to provide an honest opinion about this book. Much thanks to the authors (Brian Wilson and Jeffrey Andrews), Blackstone Publishing, and the fine folks at Net Galley.

First and foremost, I believe that this book, which was the fourth book of the series, cannot be read as a standalone as it makes a lot of references to the previous books in the series.

The synopsis is that the saga follows former Navy SEAL Jedidiah “Jed” Johnson, who, in the first book, takes a “leap of faith,” literally and figuratively, to embrace a set of gifts he was born with, in order to fight a dark and evil enemy.

The story follows that of the third novel where the Shepherds, led by Johnson, proceed to live their lives after defeating their arch-nemesis Victor in an epic showdown at Saint George’s Academy, Jedidiah and the Shepherds have the Dark Ones on their heels. During the respite, Jed decides to take a much-needed vacation to the Dominican Republic to rest, heal, and recuperate. But all is not as it seems in the Caribbean paradise. There are whispers of a growing darkness in Haiti—children disappearing on both sides of the border. When Jed personally intervenes to stop a kidnapping on the streets of Santo Domingo, he finds himself drawn into conflict with a secret order intent on bringing forth the Dark Rising. Voodoo, zombies, and the history of the Dark Ones all factor into this fourth installment of the Shepherds series.

The faith-based series, which was originally published by Tyndale House Publishers, is now being published by Blackstone Publishing. The Shepherds Series is about spiritual warfare; about good versus evil. The hierarchy of The Shepherds loosely mirrors the military structure. You know who is calling the shots when the rubber meets the road. There is a lot of prayer, guidance, sacrifice, and scripture on these pages. It should make you think. Everything that happens in this series happens behind the scenes.

Normally, I have been a huge fan of some of the other series that have been written by the tandem of Andrews & Wilson and would rate this book a lot higher. Having accidentally started the series with book 4, being surprised with the subject matter (more religious-based, voodoo, magic, perhaps?), and not having a good base on the story, I would probably have to give this book a solid three stars. I believe that anyone who has read some of the previous books in the series would likely enjoy this novel. This is a definite Mea Culpa.

As with all my literary ramblings, this is just my five cents worth.

My favorite co-authors, Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson; are back with the fourth book in the Shepherds series. I'd have to say this is not my favorite series in their library, but it's still very good...Good vs Evil. Great cast of characters, good plot line, and enough action to keep you reading till the end.
Could be read as a stand alone, but start at the beginning to enjoy the rise of the Shepherds and of course the Dark Ones.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Publication date on April 8!!

Dark Rising by Andrews & Wilson is the fourth book in the Shepherds series and it is a great one; builds off the past three books really well. I enjoy anything by Andrews & Wilson, but I can honestly say this might be my favorite series from the writing duo. I really enjoy the spiritual warfare background of the series.

Dark Rising follows the fall of the Dark One Victor in the third book and has a great plot evolving around the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Jed is on a much needed vacation/time away and things build from there. You won't want to miss this book!

Jedidiah Johnson, ex Navy Seal has bested the evil Victor and his boss, Ben Morvant, demands that he take a vacation. So it is off to the Dominican Republic for some R&R. Soon he finds that children are being snatched of the streets towards untold horrors. After almost being killed by the Dark Ones he teams up with his CIA Liaison , Gayle James. The tension is rising and all hands on deck are needed to save the world from this horrible new threat. Are the Dark Ones rising again.

Dark Rising
Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson
The Shepherds Series I Book 4
04/08/2025
Blackstone Publishing

Ben, Jed, David, Rachel, Corbin, Sarah Beth, Paster Dee and others are back! Book 3, Dark Fall, leaves a little breathing room for the Shepherds with Victor being defeated. However, there is no rest for the wicked. During the Dark Rising, the Dark Ones are to select the new General on Earth to do the devil’s will. Jed finds a new ally in CIA liaison Gayle James. This group of men, women and children from all over the world and different backgrounds are brought together for this epic battle.

The Shepherds Series is about spiritual warfare; about good versus evil. The hierarchy of The Shepherds loosely mirrors the military structure. You know who is calling the shots when the rubber meets the road. There is a lot of prayer, guidance, sacrifice and scripture on these pages. It should make you think. Everything that happens in this series happens behind the scenes. Temptation is happening around us all day, every day even to the Shepherds.

This battle is unlike anything they have encountered. The Dark Force continually gets stronger. The divide on the dark side is that women cannot be in charge. The Shepherds are facing a new battle, and they must come together and face the unexpected. Manboo, an evil woman, brings a lot of magic, power and voodoo to the table causing a rift. She moves the men who are in power within the Dark Ones organization with ease – like players on a chess board. Wonderfully complicated layers of characters, growing story lines, themes of sacrifice and temptation fill each page perfectly. Evil never stops. It will always try to beat the light. Join the Shepherds on this continuing journey to fight until the end.

I probably should preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of this writing duo. They have several active series out right now and I honestly do not care when I see a new book. I don't even need to know which series it is for because I am already pretty sure that I'm going to love the book. They haven't let me down yet.

This series, though, it IS a little different. I've said to my husband many times that books in the horror genre really do not scare me. The only thing that makes the hair on my arm stand up is when there are books on spiritual warfare - because there really IS a "good" side and a "bad/evil" one. Scary stuff.

So, this series is probably not for everyone (though it should be). Why? Well, because this series is actually about the war between good and evil, between God and Satan and it uses scripture sometimes to make points. It uses the same systems as in their Tier One series - but this time the good guys are called the Shepards, and the bad guys are the Dark Ones.

This is not the first book in the series. I think it is the third book and we are building on the world that has been previously built. Can it be read as a stand alone? Probably. But, the first two books are exceptional so why would you intentionally miss out?

This book starts a new story/plot line in the series, and it also has some real character growth occurring for some of the main characters - specifically Jed, Sarah Beth, Corbin, David and Ben.

Another great book. Truly. Can't wait for the next one in the series, because we have some bad people still out there.......

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on Apr 08, 2025.

This was a strong fourth book in the Shepherd’s series, it had that element that I was looking for from the previous three books. It uses the overall feel of this and had that feel that I wanted. The characters had that element that worked with the previous book and enjoyed how they were used in this universe. Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson wrote a strong story and has been great each book, I hope there is more in this series and can’t wait for more.