Scent of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Christina Dodd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2012

From New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd comes the seductive Darkness Chosen series-about an ancient, dark evil that lives in the modern world...

 

A thousand years ago, a brutal warrior roamed the Russian steppes, and struck a menacing bargain. For the ability to change at will into a cold-hearted predator, Konstantine promised his soul-and the souls of his descendants-to the devil. Then one day a dangerous prophecy reveals the truth: one family has been chosen to battle the darkness -- or face damnation.

Ann Smith loves her dynamic boss, Jasha Wilder, but her daring plan to seduce him goes awry when she encounters a powerful wolf who -- before her horrified eyes -- changes into the man she adores. She soon discovers she can't escape her destiny ... for Jasha is Konstantine's descendant and Ann is the woman fated to break the curse that binds his soul...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This satisfying series kickoff finds Ann Smith, an inexperienced, plain-Jane office assistant, dropping off some paperwork at the home of her handsome, successful boss, Jasha Wilder—and hoping to use the opportunity to confess her mad crush on him—when she catches him transforming from wolf to man. It's just the beginning for the dumbstruck secretary, whose discovery draws her into Jasha's cursed world—his family's ancient pact with the devil, the search for their clan relics, a gang of boisterous, unpredictable relatives who share his shape-shifting ability—and onward to her extraordinary destiny. Dodd's latest is a fast-paced, well-written paranormal, with a full, engaging mythology and a handful of memorable characters. In Ann, she creates the quintessential all-American girl, counterpointing nicely the rich tapestry of Jasha's family history; the mix shows great promise for future volumes. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Good Ann. Dependable Ann. Invisible Ann. No more. It is no longer enough to be Jasha Wilder's top-notch assistant. She has been in love with her boss for years, and the urgent fax from the Ukraine is just the excuse she needs to drive to his home for a private weekend. The wine, the clothes—she has it all planned. But finding out that Jasha isn't only all man but also all wolf puts a major damper on her perfect date. Even worse, the fax is a cover. His family from the Old Country has found him and is looking to bring the rogue back into the fold to strengthen their deal with the devil. If theWilders won't yield, they will die. Dodd kicks off her new Darkness Chosen series with a bang. A multilayered heroine and a sizzling-hot hero give readers plenty of emotional—and physical—action, and the relentless game of hunter and prey adds an adrenaline ride for good measure. Davis, Nina C.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Signet (April 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451221737
• ISBN-13: 978-0451221735
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #502,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dodd, Christina

More About the Author

Chat with Christina via Facebook and Twitter, and even better, join her mailing list to have her news delivered right to your inbox! http://christinadodd.com/lists/?p=subscribe

Readers become writers, and Christina Dodd has always been a reader. She reads everything, but because she loves humor, she likes romance best.

A woman wants things like world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants things like a Craftsman router with attachments, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will miraculously make his bald spot disappear. So when Christina's first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to quit work and write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?

Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before her first novel, CANDLE IN THE WINDOW, was published. In the twenty-two years since, her novels have been translated into 25 languages, won Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards and been called the year's best by Library Journal. Christina Dodd herself has been a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle (11/18/05, # 13 Down: Romance Novelist named Christina.) Publishers Weekly praises her style that 'showcases Dodd's easy, addictive charm and steamy storytelling.'

Christina's 2011 releases include TAKEN BY THE PRINCE, #9 in the Governess Brides series, and in the tradition of Nora Roberts, a new romantic suspense series starting with SECRETS OF BELLA TERRA and REVENGE AT BELLA TERRA.

Christina Dodd is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Idea ; Not So Great Development, July 8, 2007

By 

30 Book A Month Reader (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scent of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

1,000 years ago a truly evil man made a pact with the devil. The man would get about 150 year lifespan, the ability to heal almost instantaneously, and would be able to shapeshift. The devil in return got lots and lots of evil brought into the world, the dude's soul and the souls of all of his Russian descendants. Everyone was quite happy with the whole arrangement until a modern-day descendant, Konstantine Wilder, fell in love & married a gypsy, reformed and had 4 children with her. As the children grew up, the devil decided the pact was not being upheld (just no evil being done) and commanded this branch of the family to be wiped out.

Enter our hero, Jasha Wilder, who is able to shapeshift into a wolf. Jasha is in charge of his own little piece of the world. He has a hugely successful business, wealth, good looks and an administrative assistant, Ann Smith, who is nuts about him. Ann brings a contract to be signed out to the Wilder estate and accidentally catches Jasha in the midst of his change from wolf to man. She also unknowingly brings his enemies, who know she will lead them to Jasha. The rest of the book is Jasha and Ann's attempt to break the curse, as well as the romance that develops between them.

The character of Jasha was a twit. He was smug, arrogant and worse, patronizing to Ann throughout the entire book. You know the plotline - When the hero KNOWS he is better and smarter than the poor misguided little girl? If Ann wasn't a doormat, she was at the least, expensive carpet. She was madly in love with the man from the moment she set eyes on him (read infatuated), but felt unworthy because she was an orphan with a huge secret (which really fell so completely flat that I wish the entire book could be rewritten without it.) She constantly was giving into the guy, and downplaying herself. She was often caught up in things that repulsed her and horrified her, but it was okay, because She Loved Him! Oh, yuck. You had a hard time seeing the love between Jasha and Ann, wondered when the love actually happened and at the end of the story, was still wondering if they really WERE in love.

I enjoyed some parts of this book - enough that I will definitely buy the next in the series. (I imagine as there are 4 children, 4 books). I loved the old Konstantine Wilder and his wife, Zorana. I think the romance between these two would have been a better book than Jasha and Ann. Now THAT would have been a romance! However, Jasha and Ann just didn't work for me, and here's hoping the next book will begin to flesh out the family background, fill in the plot holes and make the romance work better between the hero and heroine.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh addition to the genre..., September 23, 2007

By 

Eliza Lee "Liza" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scent of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Ok, I've read the lukewarm reviews and I'll concede the point that at times it was hard to believe the hero had really fallen in love, and at times the plot moved almost too fast. That being said, I...could...not...put...the...book...down.

In a genre that's become full of whining vampires and werewolves "I'm evil but I have so much sexual charisma you must love me & save me from myself because of course I'm redeemable and not really all that evil" this is a refreshing change.

Ms. Dodd has managed to create an original story line that weaves the usual werewolf with the "epic battle of evil vs good" mythology, throws in a curse for good measure, old Russia, and wallah! You've got a fictional story that easily allows the willing suspension of disbelief. Yes it contains elements of those other paranormals but there's realistic dialogue, the love scenes are dominant but seductive, and the characters know who they are. The hero is not wallowing in self-pity; he's capable, enjoys the positives of his abilities while acknowleding the negatives. The heroine believes herself a coward, but when the chips are down she doesn't back down, & gives as good as she gets without compromising herself.

The action is at times intense, and the plot moves quickly, perhaps too quickly. I would have liked more detail and history, plus some time for the characters to relax more into each other, but realistically...how would you react if you suddenly ended up on the run from killers? Plus these two have been coworkers for years so they do know each other's character, if not secrets.

I hope as the series evolves we'll get to know Ann & Jasha more, even as we meet the other characters. For those things missing, often these things are revealed over the course of a series, if the author is good enough to weave a continuous story rather than a collection of stand alone books. I'm willing to bet this'll be the case for "Darkness Chosen." I mean really, do you want to know everything now???

To sum up, it's good!

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good series premise... poor execution., July 7, 2007

By 

Romance, Romance, & nothing but Romance! (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scent of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was very excited that Dodd was going to try her hand at paranormal. I enjoy her books (except for her recent historicals which leave something to be desired). The premise for this series is extremely interesting but the actual telling fell way short of being good.

There is so much wrong with this book that I'll just keep it down to 4 basic points:
1. The characters were were not engaging, or even likeable, so it was very hard to care what happened to them.
2. There was no discernable emotional connection between the hero/heroine. No attraction. No spark. No love. Nothing.
3. The plot was poorly done - it felt disorganized, choppy, and the suspense was lacking.
4. It had a lot of unsanswered questions. Things that should have been expounded upon to make the world and plot more concrete were addressed only in a vague fashion that left me wondering.

Paranormal may just not be the genre for Ms. Dodd. Not all romance writers can successfully write for every sub-genre, and I'm afraid that this might be the case for her. This is her first attempt (that I know of) at paranormal, however, so perhaps she will get better.