Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Kissed by Darkness (Sunwalker Saga #1)

by Shéa MacLeod (Goodreads Author)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 570 ratings · 79 reviews

Three years ago, Morgan Bailey narrowly survived a vampire attack that left her with heightened senses, uncanny speed, and a new calling: supernatural bounty hunter. Since that day, sexy, street-smart Morgan hasn’t met a vampire she couldn’t dust or a demon she couldn’t kill — until she’s hired to hunt down a priceless amulet and the sunwalker who stole it. Sunwalkers — po...more

Kindle Edition, 244 pages

Published June 29th 2011 (first published 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

A number of Great Indie Reads

11th out of 308 books — 297 voters

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Best Action/Fantasy books

3rd out of 53 books — 41 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,298)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 31, 2013 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, beware-of-the-love-triangle, vampires

If I had to review KISSED BY DARKNESS in one sentence, it would be; it is just one a been-there-done-that trip. I could see all of the 'shocking twists' coming a mile off, so ended frustrated that it took the characters so long to catch up. In summary; I ended up a bit bored reading KISSED BY DARKNESS.

As it is the first book in a series there is a lot of background setting in Morgan's life to go through, so the story is slow to get going. The bogged down pace isn't helped by the cast of unmemora...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Steph rated it 4 of 5 stars

Freshman author writes an incredibly engaging book, that breaths new life into a dying and overwritten genre. Not to say I didn't have some minor issues with this book, but I was able to objectively allow minor issues to pass and maintain a moderate level of suspension of disbelief, in order to enjoy this book as a whole. No doubt, this author is very imaginative and isn't afraid to step out of the cookie cutter genre box that others have fallen victim to. As I mentioned, I did notice a few mist...more Freshman author writes an incredibly engaging book, that breaths new life into a dying and overwritten genre. Not to say I didn't have some minor issues with this book, but I was able to objectively allow minor issues to pass and maintain a moderate level of suspension of disbelief, in order to enjoy this book as a whole. No doubt, this author is very imaginative and isn't afraid to step out of the cookie cutter genre box that others have fallen victim to. As I mentioned, I did notice a few mistakes and had the feeling the author has yet to find her stride completely with this series. However, if and when she does get there, she will most definitely be the next big UF writer to look out for.
*****************************
Danger is always on the menu for Morgan Bailey, a sexy and street-smart bounty hunter, who prowls the dark underworld of Portland, Oregon hunting creatures of the night. Morgan's never met a vampire she couldn't dust or a demon she couldn't kill until she's hired to destroy a new kind of mystical threat: the Sunwalker.

A powerful immortal once believed myth, the Sunwalker carries with him an ancient secret which, if left unchecked, will destroy Morgan's world. Pursued by a passionate Templar Knight and the target of the local vampire clans, an ancient power is awakened within her, unlike anything she's ever known. Morgan must uncover the truth behind her mission and about herself, before the Darkness lurking inside swallows her whole.
*******************************
Now for the good. The author has a talent for creating sexual tension and romance, not to mention a imaginative and fresh world. And although I would not classify this as strictly a PNR, she doesn't hold back or teases her fans either. There is also a good amount of humor and a bit of sarcasm, without seeming to be trying too hard, which is not always easy to do. As the book progressed, I found myself enjoying the protagonists voice and humor more and more, and shockinly enought I definitely had some laugh out loud moments. A good use of description and grammar, makes this book an easy read. The pace is also exceptional, and is one of the reasons it kept glued throughout. And although this may be classified as just another Vamp book, it definitely delivers a fresh plot, that makes this anything but.

I had just a few minor issues, besides the ones mentioned previously. One being a lack of character & location back story. As in, random people and places are discussed with little to no back story, like they were introduced prior. Another confusion/annoyance, was the protagonist's nationality. I had no idea whether or not the protagonist was British or just a visitor at one time, even though she mentions London in passing invariably.

In summary, I give this book a big thumbs up for its creativity, humor, romance, and pure enjoyment. If you are looking for good, fast, and cheap read, that rivals some of the more well known UF writers we all know and love, then look no further.

Warning: Violence and Sexual Content.

Sunwalker Saga
1-Kissed by Darkness
2-Kissed by Fire
3-Kissed by Smoke (Dec 2011)(less)

like 1 like · see review

Mar 03, 2013 Mistress of the Dark Path rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Morgan Bailey is a bounty hunter who kills vampires and demons for a living. She has gotten good at it over the years and feels confident there isn't a job she can't handle. Now she is up for the greatest challenge in her career yet. Hunting down a mythical sunwalker and finding an ancient amulet he purportedly has in his possession. Morgan is used to dealing with regular vamps that can't go out in sunlight, but this one will be trickier for her to track, not to mention kill. She doesn't let tho...more Morgan Bailey is a bounty hunter who kills vampires and demons for a living. She has gotten good at it over the years and feels confident there isn't a job she can't handle. Now she is up for the greatest challenge in her career yet. Hunting down a mythical sunwalker and finding an ancient amulet he purportedly has in his possession. Morgan is used to dealing with regular vamps that can't go out in sunlight, but this one will be trickier for her to track, not to mention kill. She doesn't let those details get in the way of her job, though. It just means it will be more challenging than usual. What she doesn't realize is there is a lot more going on than originally anticipated and as old, dark secrets are revealed, she may learn some things about herself she didn't know.

Kissed by Darkness is the first novel in the Sunwalker Saga. While it may have been written by a new author to the Urban Fantasy genre, there is much to recommend it. It starts off with a bang, introducing key characters and giving the reader a good idea about the world they have entered. Most humans are unaware of the supernatural elements around them and there are those (human or otherwise) who work in secret to keep it that way. This novel is not light reading. It certainly has dark and bloody elements that make the story fit right into the genre it was written for. A lot of questions are brought up early on, some answered by the end, while others are left for later novels to deal with. All around, the plot and world building were in-depth and fascinating.

There is a colorful cast of characters as well. Kabita is the woman who runs the private investigation firm Morgan works out of. She is cool, calm, and collected. The perfect foil for her subordinate, who is the complete opposite. Then there is Inigo Jones, Kabita's cousin, who is a clairvoyant that helps out on jobs when needed. Though he appears to only be twenty years old, his abilities and talents, as well as good looks, make Morgan lust after him in ways she knows she probably shouldn't. There are other characters introduced as the story plays out as well who play key roles. It all makes for an intense and suspenseful story.

The one thing that held me back from truly enjoying this novel was the main character, Morgan. While I liked all the others in the book, her personality and attitude didn't work for me. Now, I have no problem with most snarky, confident, tough female heroines- Cat, from Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series, is one of my favorites. Yet Morgan rubbed me the wrong way. She is supposed to be a twenty-nine year old vampire hunter with years of experience under her belt. I expected a certain level of maturity from her. Yet she constantly bragged about how tough she was, how much she enjoyed killing things, how great her breasts looked, and how scared everyone was of her. In much of this, showing instead of telling might have alleviated some of my concerns. Instead, the reader has to listen to how great of a badass vampire hunter she is (yes, in those words, multiple times). Not only this, but she has major hormonal issues throughout, practically jumping all over several guys because she can't control herself. There is probably an explanation for this that was not given in book one, but it reaches the point of being extremely annoying. Mac, in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, had some libido problems around Fae princes, but she acted far more mature about it than Morgan does in this book. I simply couldn't get past this character's behavior to fully enjoy the story. It made for a difficult read when it shouldn't have been.

Having said all these things, I don't think this is a bad book. There is a lot to recommend it and most likely the series does continue to get better. It just isn't one I can keep up with due to my reservations about Morgan. Clearly there are others that didn't have the issues I did, based on the reviews I read prior to buying the novel. If the traits I mentioned about Morgan's personality don't bother you, this might be a book worth checking out. I just want to warn those that may have preferences closer to my own. (less)

like · see review

Jan 07, 2013 S.M. Reine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, pnr

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Morgan is the only person in the world who has survived a vampire attack. She came back from it badder and stronger than ever, but still completely normal, I assure you. Wait, what's that you say? She's actually some kind of supernatural creature, and only realizes it years after her attack? No way. I thought everyone recovered from major trauma with super-healing.

There are sunwalkers in this book. Sunwalkers are vampires who walk in the sun. Oh, but they don't need blood. They're also not mindl...more Morgan is the only person in the world who has survived a vampire attack. She came back from it badder and stronger than ever, but still completely normal, I assure you. Wait, what's that you say? She's actually some kind of supernatural creature, and only realizes it years after her attack? No way. I thought everyone recovered from major trauma with super-healing.

There are sunwalkers in this book. Sunwalkers are vampires who walk in the sun. Oh, but they don't need blood. They're also not mindless and crazy. Aaaand they're a lot sexier. And...basically they have nothing in common with vampires except that they live a long time. Remind me why we drew this parallel in the first place?

Kissed by Darkness has a lot of wtf moments like that. I initially wrote a long list of things that bugged me about the book for this review, but deleted them because it seemed nitpicky in retrospect. Needless to say, the quality of the writing just wasn't good enough to carry me through a lot of little quirks that took me out of the story. If you try to think about anything in this book, it just doesn't hold up--and no, ten pages of awkward expository dialogue does not fix that.

That said...even though so many things bothered me, it still succeeds at being pretty entertaining. And isn't that what really matters?

I liked Morgan's developing powers, although the cause of them was extremely vague, and I appreciate a woman who will use her cleavage as a weapon. The heroes were adequately sexy in the "quick, throw a beefcake in the book!" kind of way. The fight scenes were fun and well-paced. There wasn't enough peril for me to care about the enemies, but I'd say Morgan's internal struggles made up for it. The dream sequences were kind of a fun dip into a fantasy realm.

Side note: I think this is a personal thing, but just saying "Atlantis" makes me roll my eyes. Ahh, yes. You have Atlantean blood. That explains EVERYTHING. I don't know WHY I can't take the concept of Atlantis seriously, but the first time I came across the word, I just about put the book down. I can't imagine this will bother anyone but me. I just wanted to make note of it anyway.

In summary, my feelings on this book are mixed. I definitely enjoyed it, but so much of it made me put down my Kindle for a few seconds and think, "What the hell?" It wasn't thought provoking in the good way. I wish I could give it 3.5 stars.

Would I recommend it? Maybe, but I'm not sure to whom. Despite being a Montlake title, there wasn't much of a romance. The heroine drools over the heroes a lot and mashes lips a couple of times. (Woo! Get it, gurl.) But I don't think the mystery elements were really strong enough to appeal to most urban fantasy readers, either. If you're a fan of heroines with Lots of Spunky Agency, unsexy vampires, and Portland, you'll probably like this book.

Four stars.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, series, urban, paranormal, vampires, kindle

I've been trying to deny it, but I can't anymore.

I love paranormal romance. I especially love these cheap paranormal romances I can get on my kindle. They are just straight up fun.

Morgan is a great character. She is the only person, that she knows of, that lived through a vampire attack and didn't turn. She did gain some new, super-cool abilities, like seeing in the dark, sensing vampires, etc. All this means that she has become the ultimate vampire hunter and she loves her job.

Then she gets...more

like 1 like · see review

Oct 27, 2012 Vannessa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy-adult, vampire-mostly

I ummed and arred about buying this book for a while, but after reading the reviews on here I finally took the plunge and I am so glad I did. This was a fantastic start to this series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Morgan Bailey is a vampire and demon hunter with some slightly strange powers following a vampire attack 3 years ago that basically left her for dead. Luckily for her she was revived, but along with her survival came extra speed and strength. However, these powers are slowly beginning to...more I ummed and arred about buying this book for a while, but after reading the reviews on here I finally took the plunge and I am so glad I did. This was a fantastic start to this series and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Morgan Bailey is a vampire and demon hunter with some slightly strange powers following a vampire attack 3 years ago that basically left her for dead. Luckily for her she was revived, but along with her survival came extra speed and strength. However, these powers are slowly beginning to develop into something more, but Morgan is not quite sure what they are nor what they mean...

Morgan works for a secret branch of the government, which acknowledges that vampires and demons and other things that go bump in the night exist, but do not yet want the wider public to know. Her team is hired by a man with a bit of power to find a Sunwalker and retrieve the "worthless" amulet he has stolen. This sounds like a fairly straight forward job and nothing that Morgan can't handle, except finding the Sunwalker and finding out what he actually is turns out to be a little harder than first thought. The Sunwalker, Jack, actually finds Morgan and he is nowhere near the league of vampires she is used to killing. He does strange things to her and makes her literally go weak at the knees when she's near him. How on earth can she kill him if she can barely keep a straight thought in her head when she's near him? There are a few twists and turns in this job and Morgan finds out a few more discoveries about herself along the way.

Morgan also has feelings for her boss' cousin Inigo and he starts to reveal little bits of possible supernatural qualities as well, but Morgan has no idea what to do about him either. It was clearly obvious they were both highly attracted to one another, but I think Morgan held off because of her friendship with Kabita. I do think it would be good if they could give it a go. Although Morgan is very attracted to Jack as well, I just don't think he is the one for her - maybe a little bit of fun (and she sure needs some of that as her libido keeps telling us!), but not for the long term. Although saying that I don't know enough about Inigo to see if they would last long term either.

I loved the plot idea of the Templar Knights and the link to Atlantis - not one I've read in a vampire book like this before. Loved the ending as well! (less)

like 1 like · see review

Sep 11, 2012 Albert rated it 5 of 5 stars

Overall Feedback: To start out I was traversing facebook and came across this page for a group called Indie Authors Unite. being a reviewer of Indie books I had to join as this would add to my ability to get books to review. Upon joining the group I met this author from across the pond in England named Shea MacLeod. I was immediately intrigued because I am a fan of Highlander and MacLeod is the last name of the one. Who could pass that up. Shea started posting to my posts in the group and I foun...more Overall Feedback: To start out I was traversing facebook and came across this page for a group called Indie Authors Unite. being a reviewer of Indie books I had to join as this would add to my ability to get books to review. Upon joining the group I met this author from across the pond in England named Shea MacLeod. I was immediately intrigued because I am a fan of Highlander and MacLeod is the last name of the one. Who could pass that up. Shea started posting to my posts in the group and I found she shared a joy in horror movies and I just had to read her book, although it seemed to be romance and I am not a big fan of romance, so I picked it up. Let me tell you now that I am SO happy that I decided to grab it for a read and SO will you. Shea does a great job of taking a "tired" genre, vamps and romance, and adding her claim to the story. You will fall head over heels for Inigo and Jack, the two heartthrob men in the novel and Morgan will have all men wagging their tongues. You will be just as torn between the two men as morgan and will feel every choice she makes. So go ahead an grab a copy. What are you waiting for this is a "Buffy meets Twilight meets Harry Potter meets Underworld" book and who doesn't love all of those?

Point of View: You are a everyday woman that is thrown into a world you never knew was there and have to make choices you never thought you could make. Be Morgan and find more excitement in Portland than you thought possible.

Voice: This is where Shea excels and brings her own spin to an otherwise overdone genre.

Character Development: You will sweat it out with the three main characters just as Shea wanted (I assume) and will be trying to make them do as you want. You will find yourself disagreeing with the choices of the characters although they are just on the pages of a book and can not possibly hear you.

Plot: All I can say is buy the 2nd installment of this series now! You will want to keep going to find out what happens next. Fast paced and stops on a cliffhanger.
Dialogue: Just adds to the intrigue of the characters and makes the reader fall for each.

Pacing: Non-stop intrigue to the last delicious drop.

Setting: Portland... Who knew?

Continuity: The reader will be able to tell there is more to the stroy and this is a great example of how to start a series that can and will go on for as long as the author chooses. (less)

like · see review

Nov 28, 2011 Dan marked it as first-chapter-only

Here's my summary of the Kindle preview:
(1) There's a vampire called a Sunwalker
(2) Morgan wants to have sex with her coworker
(3) Morgan's coworker is really sexy
(4) Morgan really wants to have sex with her coworker
(5) the Sunwalker vampire may or may not actually be evil
(6) Morgan's coworker is totally flirting with her
(7) Morgan's coworker is really very sexy
(8) Morgan really, really wants to have sex with her coworker

I like to imagine this happened as a result of some bad prereader feedback....more

like 3 likes · see review

Nov 15, 2011 G.R. Yeates rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's always good to take a gambol outside of one's comfort zone. Kissed by Darkness is a work of dark urban fantasy that would not normally be my thing but I have to say how impressed I am by it. The tale is told in the first-person by protagonist, Morgan Bailey, and, after the first chapter, I could hear her voice loud and clear in my head. First-person novels succeed or fail according to how well the author has fashioned the one voice that tells the tale and how well that consciousness is comm...more

like · see review

Nov 27, 2012 Luke Lane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, series-debut

I've been burned a lot by the urban fantasy genre in recent weeks, too many books to even mention that I haven't even bothered to finish, but I have to admit this one really did surprise me. Although I still take issue with the bad fake wig on the cover.

With books of this genre, you can tell from a few chapters in whether it's going to be enjoyable or not and this one hooks you right from the start. In truth, the main character is nothing too original, in fact she's the same 'kicking ass with s...more I've been burned a lot by the urban fantasy genre in recent weeks, too many books to even mention that I haven't even bothered to finish, but I have to admit this one really did surprise me. Although I still take issue with the bad fake wig on the cover.

With books of this genre, you can tell from a few chapters in whether it's going to be enjoyable or not and this one hooks you right from the start. In truth, the main character is nothing too original, in fact she's the same 'kicking ass with sass' character that is used in countless series, but she's fun, witty and get's the job done. I actually found the real shining moments of the the book to deal with more of the supporting cast, Kabita was a really interesting character and even her slightly matrix rip off scene towards the end didn't feel as cheesy as it should have. The use of the clairvoyant and Eddie was nice too, with Bestat the cat getting a special mention, I could just picture that face.

It was nice to see the story take on a more original and historical take too. On the surface (especially when I read the description) a book involving the Knights of Templar, sacred amulets and the Lost City of Atlantis sounded incredibly over the top and cheesy to me, but it's handled well, well enough that I even wanted to hear more come the end of the story. The little comedic cliffhanger at the end was cleverly done too, and has me excited for the sequel.

If there was anything I didn't like about this novel, it was the whole insta-love/relationship/sex aspect, which is more a complaint towards the genre in general than this book specifically. While Morgan is a fun character, how many times have we read about the girl who hasn't had sex in ages, who doesn't think she's desirable but actually is, being surprised when she falls for the person she shouldn't? It's getting a bit old. This novel definitely over used the 'oh he's making me horny' trope too, like another review states, I too am surprised she can walk with all the thigh clenching she does. Also, special cringey mention has to go to the sex scene right at the end, it was so over done and layered with cheesy, overused lines that I cringed the entire way through.

Ultimately, for £1.49 on Kindle, you really can't go wrong with this book. It definitely has potential to turn into a rewarding series, if they can get passed the minor faults...and deal with the slight hiccup that i'm told is book number three. I'll definitely be picking up 'Kissed By Fire' though.

(less)

like · see review

Nov 20, 2011 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have not been really writing full reviews lately. But, this book deserves for me to spend a few minutes giving it a more detailed review than I have been writing lately. I am not positive but I think that Sunwalker Press the author's own organization and she is self-published. I was wondering how this book would turn out. The editing on the self-published books (I think this is self-published) I have read previously are usually not very well done at all. This book had about 1 missing word and...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 17, 2013 Alexandra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books, vampires, urban-fantasy, romance, read-in-2013

While I liked this book overall, I had some issues with her writing style and the development of the story. I particular the main character is constantly lusting after two other characters, whihc is fine this a romance, except that it doesn't seem natural. Like their in a life and eath situation and all she pauses to mentions how much she wants to sleep with the guy, now this would be fine with an explanation such as some supernatural connection of compulsion, however by the end of the book no s...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2012 Naomi Clark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kissed by Darkness is a different twist on the usual vampire-huntress urban fantasy, offering a mash-up of mythology as seen through the eyes of Morgan Bailey. Morgan's life changed after she survived a vampire attack three years ago, and it's changing again as Kissed by Darkness begins. She and best friend Kabita take care of supernatural problems for the government - vampires, demons, so on - and their new mission is find and kill a Sunwalker, a legendary being nobody's convinced really exists...more

like · see review

Mar 08, 2013 Haley ~ YA-Aholic rated it 2 of 5 stars

So this book I felt was just 'okay' I didn't NOT like it, but I didn't really enjoy it all the much either. I felt it was really slow, I also didn't care for Morgan that much, or Jack for that matter...or Kabitha. BUT I am curious about Inigo, VERY curious. Also even though I am just rating this book 2 stars, I did already purchase the next book in the series, and am starting it later today. Kissed by Darkness although it was slow and wasn't that entertaining, it did leave me curious about what...more

like · see review

Jan 12, 2013 Cory Hammerstone rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-books

I don't know when I became obsessed with this kind of book- it is definitely like junk-food, as a good friend of mine categorized it. Plus, it was only 99 cents, so I had low expectations to begin with. That being said, I loved it and couldn't put it down. I'm not sure if the writer invented the immortal creatures called "sunwalkers", but I love them. I am glad that there are 2 more books that follow this one, which were also 99 cents. Don't let the terrible cover pictures fool you. This book is...more

like · see review

Oct 23, 2011 Mara rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Die-hard UF fans

Shelves: urban-fantasy

3 1/2 stars

A very nice read, a new hunter in the (early) Anita Blake sense: vamps are bad, the Feds know, lust rules :)
The world building is good, the background well explained and the kick ass heroine is good without being super woman. Mild spoiler(view spoiler)
She has a new power she's not sure is good or is able to control. She isn't a know-all. Yes!

This is an indie author, the price is fair and the book h...more

like 1 like · see review

Jun 30, 2011 L.M. Pruitt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kissed by Darkness is the debut novel of Shea MacLeod and she's entered the world of urban fantasy with a bang--or better yet with a stake, Holy Water, and a slew of other weapons specially designed to take down your run of the mill pesky vampire. Combining good old fashioned sarcasm with a healthy dose of British humor, and throwing in a drop or two of hot romance, MacLeod makes pages turn fast and hearts beat faster.

If you're looking for a twist on both vampires and Atlantis, love kooky charac...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 23, 2012 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Actually gave it 3 1/2 stars. I was not crazy about this book, but I can see it getting better in the next ones (I hope) Story seems like a good one, at least it's not one I've heard of before. Morgan hunts vampires with her friend and boss Katiba who is also her boss. They work for a secret government agency. Katiba's cousin Inigo also works with them. Along comes Jack who seems to be a 600 year old Knight of the Templars. His job was to guard the amulet belonging to an extinct race of Atlanti...more

like · see review

Apr 29, 2013 Nelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, not-bad

I liked the characters and the storyline but it lacked the oomph to make me want to buy the rest of the series. I am interested in seeing what happens next, so I think I'm going to pay my local library a vist and skim the next two books.

Major spoilers behind the cut.
(view spoiler)...more

like · see review

Dec 25, 2011 Felicia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vaginal-urban-fantasy, urban-paranormal

More vampires, but for a freshman/2.99 installment into the urban-fantasy genre, not bad. There's a lot of girl swooning over every hot guy, these books sometimes get so porny. I just imagine the roles reversed, and a guy is talking about women instead of vice versa. I know I would call chauvinist quick, but somehow total objectification of men is ok when women do it to men in these kinds of books. Not singling this one out as worse than others, just an observation.

There are some crazy twists la...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jul 01, 2011 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was awesome. With a man to die for and a heroine that kicks Vamps but. I enjoy the plots twists, turns of mystery, a new breed, templar knights and atlantean myth. The sexual tension is hot. The writing style was good, and the world setting well done. I found the book to be completely original and keep me guessing. I absolutely love the mix of the different type of magical influences. It was an awesome read one I would recommend.

My rating 5 stars

Come Check out the (1st look) Giveaway...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a pretty good story. I liked the character, she had the right combination of spunk and intelligence.The bad guy was deliciously evil and there was plenty of action and adventures. There was a little romance thrown in to boot! The problem for me however was that the secondary character's were under developed. To much time was spent on boring descriptions, and to much "thinking" and not enough time spent developing the two male character's. There were almost to many characters in this sto...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2012 Claire rated it 1 of 5 stars

Now from the blurb I thought this book would be right up my street however I have to say it really wasn’t. I must admit that I didn’t finish the book I read about 30% before admitting defeat. Morgan Bailey just annoyed me way too much. Morgan is meant to be a bad ass vampire hunter and the only reason I know this is because she constantly keeps telling us that she is a bad ass vampire hunter. There was no evidence to actually prove this seeing as she keeps getting attacked by vampires, one who s...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 07, 2013 Kirsten Lenius rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons, paranormal, urban-fantasy, vampire, witches

I swear, I've read this book before. It is an urban fantasy with vampires, demons and magic users.

The main character was attacked by a vampire, and was brought back to life, but didn't turn into a vampire. She did get a little bonus for her trouble,though: speed, strength and a healing ability beyond that which is human, among other things.

When she is sent to hunt down a sunwalker and retrieve a stolen amulet, things get complicated and she finds reason to question the client's motives.

Fairly e...more

like · see review

Nov 14, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: amazon-vine, books-i-own-print, for-review-read, read-in-2012

Since surviving a vampire attack several years ago Morgan has developed some new abilities that make her a perfect vampire hunter. Now working for her friends PI firm she spends her time killing vampires and demons to keep the human population safe and unaware of the danger surrounding them. Her latest case is to track down and kill a Sunwalker but everyone knows that they are just a myth though so it's going to be a pretty impossible job. Well Morgan always thought that Sunwalkers were a myth b...more Since surviving a vampire attack several years ago Morgan has developed some new abilities that make her a perfect vampire hunter. Now working for her friends PI firm she spends her time killing vampires and demons to keep the human population safe and unaware of the danger surrounding them. Her latest case is to track down and kill a Sunwalker but everyone knows that they are just a myth though so it's going to be a pretty impossible job. Well Morgan always thought that Sunwalkers were a myth but she's about to discover how little she really knows about the supernatural and the more she uncovers the greater the danger she must face.

I love urban fantasy so I'm always excited when I come across a new series to try, particularly one where the first few books are already available because it means I won't have to wait a whole year to find out what happens next. So when I saw Kissed by Darkness on the Amazon Vine list I jumped at the chance to review it. Unfortunately if I had to describe the book in just one word the only one I can think of is disappointing. I had such high hopes but although there are signs that this could develop into an interesting series it didn't manage to impress me.

I'll start with the things that I did like and the main one was the history the author has created for the vampires. With links to the Knights Templar and the lost city of Atlantis the author has come up with something a bit different which I always appreciate. I still have questions about the world but that is something to be expected when you're reading the first book in a series. I also quite liked Jack, he doesn't particularly stand out as different to many other heroes I've read about but there is definitely potential for a crush worthy male lead there. There were a few amusing moments throughout the book and I particularly liked Morgan's friend Cordelia and her pet cat.

I think the main reason I didn't enjoy the book was because I really don't think much of Morgan. She spends half of the book talking about how kickass she is and how she has become so much stronger and faster since her vampire attack and the rest of it talking about how hot every single guy she meets is. Seriously, there was not a man in the book who didn't make her hormones go crazy (apart from the bad guy so it's pretty obvious from page one that he must be evil!). I'm all for having hot guys in the story but I don't need to hear how gorgeous they are on EVERY. SINGLE. PAGE. I get it Morgan, you have a crush on Inigo but can't go there because he's your best friends cousin - I heard you the first 10 times and saying it another 20 isn't going to make me care. While we're on the subject of Inigo all I have to say about him is ugh, he is such a creepy stalker type that I didn't find him even slightly attractive! To go back to the point about how kickass Morgan is I have to mention that if a character is constantly telling me how good she is in a fight but then never once manages to back up her claims then I find it more than a little difficult to believe her. Honestly, I didn't think she was kickass in the slightest for the majority of the book and the tiny hint at it that I did see was a case of too little too late. I don't like to call characters too stupid to live but in this case the phrase really fits, she constantly made rookie mistakes and nearly got herself killed practically every time she came across a vampire - not ideal for someone who supposedly makes a living hunting them!

Like I said Kissed by Darkness isn't all bad but I think my dislike of Morgan really coloured my enjoyment of the rest of the story. After revelations towards the end of the book I do think the series has some potential but at the moment I'm undecided about whether I'll carry on reading it. Just reading the blurb of Kissed by Fire and seeing that the story is about dragons makes me want to pick it up (I have a bit of a thing for dragons) but unless Morgan has undergone a major personality transplant I'm not sure if I can bring myself to spend more time in her company.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Apr 13, 2012 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fantabulous Dark Urban Fantasy Debut!

What a fantastic read! I am so glad I took a chance on this author. I had never heard of her prior to my download.

The plot flowed seamlessly and was continuously interesting. The pendulum swing between the present and the past people of Atlantis both reminded me of Stargate Atlantis [The Stargate franchise is my all-time favorite] and also reminded me of the Event [a really good show that NBC recently cancelled regarding humanoids from a faraway planet with a...more

like · see review

Nov 06, 2012 Niall Teasdale rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio-books, urban-fantasy

This just didn't really make me want to find out what happens next. I think, maybe, it's the utter cluelessness of the protagonists, but it could be the clichéd plot.

Our heroine is a vampire hunter after having survived a vampire attack unturned. She's fast and strong, and has apparently never thought it weird that no one ever survives vampire attacks unturned except her. Did I mention she was clueless?

She is tasked with hunting down and killing a "sunwalker," supposedly a type of vampire so pow...more

like · see review

Nov 21, 2011 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

3.5 stars

As world-building goes, this one is nice. The jargons are not too difficult to follow. Nightwalkers are Vampires, Sunwalkers are those who can walk in the sun, a different kind of vampires, so to speak. In this world, Morgan is a hunter, who discovers that she has a new power, that relates into myth of the Atlantis. So yes, there are some mispellings, and I feel tighter editing might help the flow, though the pace is quite fast (not dragging), but for the price of $2.99, I'm not complai...more

like · see review

Nov 17, 2011 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: magical, paranormal, fae, vamps

This was a really interesting story and the writing was very interesting with magical artifacts, Templar Knights, the lost city of Atlantis. It is about Morgan Bailey, a vampire hunter, and the story line is great. There was something YA although this isn't a YA book. She was constantly suppressing her libido which was enough already. She was pretty snarky and sarcastic most of the time and it was somewhat annoying. I thought with a more refined character (like Cat in Cat/Bone's series - Night H...more

like · see review

Feb 15, 2012 mrsj rated it 4 of 5 stars

I like this!
I like the story, I like Morgan Bailey.
It's kinda a fun read.
Morgan Bailey kicks ass!
She is a vampire huntress and she likes it.
I love her attitude and how real she seems to me.
At least, she is practical in her dressing when out hunting.

She is contracted by a creep who gives her the chills to find an amulet and kill the Sunwalker.
She met Jack, the Sunwalker.
Soon she realised, it is more than meets the eye.

The only problem that I have for this book is her constant mention about her l...more

like 1 like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 43 44 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (7)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

41 users

Paranormal > Vampires

24 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

19 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

10 users

Romance

9 users

Fantasy

8 users

Paranormal > Demons

7 users

Fantasy > Magic

7 users

Paranormal > Witches

5 users

Adult

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Something Secret This Way Comes
by Sierra Dean
Shades of Gray: A Jude Magdalyn Novel
by L.M. Pruitt
Blood Passage
by Connie Suttle
Sterling
by Dannika Dark
Huntress
by Nicole Hamlett

About Shéa MacLeod

Shéa MacLeod has dreamed of writing novels since before she could hold a crayon. She totally blames her mother.

Her favorite poem as a child was ‘Jabberwocky’, and Her favorite authors were Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe. Which probably explains a lot.

After a six year sojourn in London, England, a dearth of good donuts has driven her back to her hometown. She now resides in the leafy green hil...more

More about Shéa MacLeod...

Books by Shéa MacLeod

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Kissed by Darkness

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Kissed by Darkness
avg rating	preview: Kissed by Darkness Goodreads rating: 3.72 (570 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11888618-kissed-by-darkness?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327169853l/11888618.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11888618-kissed-by-darkness?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Kissed by Darkness by Shéa MacLeod[/url]

Kissed by Darkness (Sunwalker Saga #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website