Dark Whispers

Title: Dark Whispers

Author: Barbara Sheridan and Anne Cain

Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing

Publisher URL: http://www.nobleromance.com/

ISBN: N/A

Genre: Gay, Paranormal

Rating: 4 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer: Caen Nymph

NYPD Detective Daisuke Matsui was groomed to be a great officer by the hands of the one man he truly loved. Living his life as a youngster in a rough neighbourhood of Chinatown – he made a life for himself with the help of his good friend Ray. As an adult and not having his friend looking after him anymore, Dai’s life is thrown into turmoil when his district is infested with vampires. Not only that, his half-brother has got himself mixed up in the fold as well.

Liu Sakurai has been called upon by the Elders to help get rid of the new vampires who have suddenly caused uproar in their world. In the midst of murder and mayhem, Sakurai doesn’t expect to fall for the aggravating but amusing Dai.

Dark Whispers is the fourth book in the author’s Dragon Disciple series. Whilst Sakurai has popped up in the previous books, I believe that this story can be read as a standalone. However, to get a better understanding of the author’s setting, it is recommended to read the previous stories. It took me awhile to get to this book, mainly because the whole series is very action-packed and fast-paced that I needed a break from reading this gripping paranormal.

I love the author’s setting; it’s a very dark story that you can imagine on screen – the darkness of Chinatown and New York is very thrilling. It almost feels like a comic strip, and whilst I read the story my mind mimicked the way the movies Sin City and 300 were made. The language was rich and the imagery was superb, the premise was so much more than a romance story. It should be noted that Dark Whispers is not just about the relationship aspect; it has a whole back story that allows the reader to delve into the world the author’s have made. The relationship aspect happens very late on the story, but that does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the novel.

The character of Daisuke Matsui is superb. He is such a strong and wonderful character. He is also a character who faces a lot of turmoil about his sexuality. It was all so endearing and he was so appealing that I couldn’t get enough of him. Sakurai is a fascinating and seductive character but one thing he did not do is overshadow Dai, and together they are just a phenomenal pair of characters.

A few things I found a little uncomfortable and that just comes down to preference is the sex scenes. I would label as being in the BDSM region but I found the humiliation the characters faced during the erotic scenes to be a tad unpleasant to read. Lastly, there is a scene that I felt uneasy with, which showed Sakurai shifting through a sex scene with Dai. I have seen this aspect happen a few times in shifter novel/situations but it never sits well with me and I have to skip the scene.

Overall Dark Whispers is a thrilling addition to the author’s series. I loved the premise and the characters; however, at times, it did make me uncomfortable to read.