25 year old Lexi Salenko is an independent and focused young woman who has realized her dream of moving to the open country of Montana and starting up a quaint bookstore. Romance and adventure have always remained within the covers of her cherished novels until one day she receives a mysterious letter from her archaeologist sister. The letter was sent from Israel and was badly damaged, but Lexi understands enough of it that her sister may be in trouble.
Lexi follows the cryptic instructions sent to her and finds herself propelled on an odyssey across three continents with a very sexy former Navy SEAL turned mercenary and a mysterious ancient relic with ties to an ancient cult. She learns about a supernatural force that stretches from the ancient ruins at Gobekli Tepe Turkey through the death camps of the Holocaust and into her present life. Along the way she learns that sometimes you have to let yourself fall in love and believe in the power of hope.
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, Melanie James spent 14 years as an IT systems administrator before tiring of the hustle and bustle of the technology world. She's doing what she loves, by writing paranormal comedy, steamy paranormal, and contemporary romance books. Melanie has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Leadership and Development, with a minor in Women's Studies. She is working on her Master's Degree in Adult Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Melanie is married to a wonderful man who supports her dreams and goals. She has two children, three step-children, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and an adorable grand-baby.
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I was unsure of how this book was going to be, because well, Melanie did such a great job on her first novella, A Valentine's Surprise (AVS). I was worried that she wouldn't be able to pull off a book of this magnitude, because it's NOTHING like AVS. This is a mystery/adventure type of book, filled with courage, more twists and turns than I can count, and last, but not least, love.
Lexi is taken on an unexpected journey, when she receives a letter from her sister, asking that she follow some seemingly simple tasks. She has to seek out a man named The Kidd, in order to get to her sister, so she can save her (only she doesn't know that yet) from evil. The Kidd (Ryan) and Lexi meet and it's like the stars have aligned, because both are immediately drawn to each other.
Will they be able to reach Lexi's sister in time? Will Ryan and Lexi allow themselves to love each other? Will the evil be defeated in the end? I guess you will have to read the book in order to find out. All I can say is, you WON'T be disappointed. Melanie has delivered yet another powerful book that is sure to climb to the top of the Best Seller's list.
Dnf - Couldn't finish it - The writing style just was not for me at all. The story didn't engage me due to lots of tell and no show. The Dialog felt kinda immaturish. When the characters would talk I felt like i was in High School again. But this is just my opinion and there seems to be lots of people who enjoyed it - but unfortunately it wasn't me.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars Suspense..Mystery..Supernatural - Perfect Mix!, May 9, 2014 By Angela Ford "Author of Closure" (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Conjuring Darkness (Darkness Series) (Kindle Edition) I loved Ms. James', A Valentine Surprise. Conjuring Darkness is completely different. Which only proves...Ms. James is a talented writer! I was entranced with this read. Loved it! She can easily whisk you away and touch your heart with a steamy romance. Now she can completely thrill you with suspense, mystery, supernatural while keeping the romance hot and steamy. Bravo Ms. James!
Conjuring Darkness captivates your attention right from the start and never let's go. The adventure packed into this supernatural thriller only keeps you on the edge and turning the page. It definitely was one of those books that was hard to put down.
Ms. James has developed a character to love in Lexi. A determined young woman who is adventurous and a romantic. She sets out to open a bookstore in Montana. She receives a mysterious letter from her sister who is an archeologist and may be in trouble. Now the adventure begins as she travels to save her sister. Who better to travel with but a sexy former Navy Seal.
Loved the supernatural element added to this suspenseful thriller. I was blown away! If you love suspense, mystery, supernatural...this is the perfect mix!
For of all, I just have to say how much I love the cover. It kind of let me know that there was gona be some supernatural elements to this journey. I was totally captivated by the whole story line of magic, witches, an amulet and a love that transcends time and space. The characters are all well developed and the journey flowed smoothly so it's like I could actually see it play out in my minds eye. The relationship that grows between Lexi and Ryan is a mutually erotic romance, no games, just an amazing love that plays well within the story line as an ancient evil spirit and seven witches battle to open a portal buried centuries ago and recently uncovered that will release hell on earth! It comes down to an amulet. And just guess who has this amulet!!!! I can't wait for the next installment, "Hour Of Darkness" it sounds like Kate (Lexis sister) is in the think of it again!!!
The description of this book promised fascinating and exiting tale, however, while I found the history and mythology interesting and absorbing, the rest of it left me baffled why it have been rated so high. Personally, I found it to be a bag of marshmallow in an edgy wrapping, and her is why: To start with, the pace of the story was excruciatingly slow - I mean, 50% in to the book Ryan and Lexi ,our main characters, who are suppose to be on the mission to rescue Lexi's sister Kate, are still sitting on the beach, psychoanalyzing themselves and exploring why they feel estranged from the rest of humanity. This trend continued so much through the book that I badly wanted to tell them to get off the couch, stop talking and start doing something. The characters did not converse - they expressed themselves in long-winded monologues. Ryan and Ben came across as barely competent motor-mouth frat boys with not enough skills to plan and organize a booze-up party, let along the rescue and retrieval mission in to hostile territory. Frankly, I found it insulting to my intelligence for them to be made in to members of esteemed SEAL's or organization with such fierce reputation as MOSSAD. And finally, for me the icing on this cupcake came from after Kate's rescue scene when the first thing she did was hit on Ryan and then got in to a snit and a cat fight with her sister, who risked life and limb to free her, all because the hotty is not in to her and prefers the sister???!!! Really?? Being appreciative for surviving and getting out of the area ASAP was obviously of minor importance. The epilogue hinted on more adventures and possible follow-up book.I am sure that there are a lot of readers who will enjoy it, but not this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A romantic adventure that combines the best of paranormal elements with exotic locations and detailed story building. The main characters have chemistry and even though their instant attraction felt a little rushed to me at times, due to my own personal preference for a slow building romance, their all encompassing connection gave me a sense of emotional warmth in addition to sensuality.
I found the paranormal elements of witchcraft and sorcery, along with the author's inventive incorporation of the god's interaction with humanity over time, to be particularly engaging and was captured by her unique concepts.
I would love to read further development of the paranormal world she introduced and I'm so excited that Melanie James is planning on continuing with this series.
A well written and engaging story with a developing storyline that is well paced and a treat to read!
A copy of Conjuring Darkness was gifted by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Conjuring Darkness by Melanie James caught my eye. I saw a lot of hype for it and I just had to get it. First of all I just love the cover! This book had me from page one, There is action/ adventure and mystery. Also, there is one hot ex seal named Ryan Kidd and he is there to protect Lexi. The two main characters Ryan and Lexi have a lot of passion which I love. The dog is a great ice breaker between them. I love Lexi's expression" Holy Cats! "I really loved this book and I can't wait for the next one! I highly recommend it You won't regret it!
I am very impressed with this book. Melanie has really taken this to a whole new level. Once again she has done a fantastic job of drawing you in with a great story line, lovable characters and lots of steamy romance. This book is so different from A Valentine's Surprise (AVS). Conjuring Darkness is a thrilling adventures, that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Packed with mystery and surprising twists that will keep you from putting your copy down.
25 year old Lexi Salenko is an independent and focused young woman who has realized her dream of moving to the open country of Montana and starting up a quaint bookstore. Romance and adventure have always remained within the covers of her cherished novels until one day she receives a mysterious letter from her archaeologist sister. The letter was sent from Israel and was badly damaged, but Lexi understands enough of it that her sister may be in trouble.
Lexi follows the cryptic instructions sent to her and finds herself propelled on an odyssey across three continents with a very sexy former Navy SEAL turned mercenary and a mysterious ancient relic with ties to an ancient cult. She learns about a supernatural force that stretches from the ancient ruins at Gobekli Tepe Turkey through the death camps of the Holocaust and into her present life. Along the way she learns that sometimes you have to let yourself fall in love and believe in the power of hope This is the first time I have read Melanie's work! And it was amazing! She did not let me down with the plots, awesome characters ,Adventures and the HOT HOT romance! In this story Lex get a letter from her sister who may be trouble. She has to enlist the help of Kates husbands friend ex seal Ryan Kidd to help her. Little does she know that some supernatural are involved! Lex and swoon worthy Ryan have embarked on a journey to find Lex's sister Kate! Lex and Ryan have some hot sparks that fly between them I loved it!Will she find her sister in time? Will her and Ryan give themselfs a chance with each other! This is a awesome journey with the history, witches,and demons! You wont be disappointed! This is a must read book! I cant wait for book two in this series!
I was hooked right from the beginning. I contacted Melanie that I wanted to be part of her Street Team before I was even halfway done with the book. I love this book so much, i wanted to be part of the team that supports her.
Melanie is an awesome writer, she kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. Both Lexi and Ryan are strong characters and very sweet lovers. The connection that those two had was amazing, I felt it right away. I just knew from the beginning of the book that Lexi and Ryan would end up together. When the lovers finally got together, the sex was hot..without getting too detailed about everything. I love books that leaves some to your imagination. The fact that Lexi was a virgin before she got together with Ryan, says so much more about the character. She's not someone who just gives her virtue away, but when she did, she knew it was Ryan she wanted. I love that Ryan was sure of how much he wanted Lexi right away, he didn't question his emotions at all. When he figured out that he wanted Lexi, he made plans to make it happen.
What I really love about this book is that it's paranormal romance, so there was so much bigger things than just the love that Lexi and Ryan have for each other. Even though the love story that Lexi and Ryan have is great, there was another focus on the story, which is the amulet and Lilith. Ryan and Lexi are not only great lovers, but partners in crime. They did everything together and trusted each other to save not only Kate, but the world.
I cannot wait to read more of what Author Melanie James have up her sleeve. <3
I just finished reading Conjuring Darkness. It is the first in the Darkness series written by Melanie James. The book is about a lady named Lexi who is forced to take a trip to another country to save her sister from danger. She meets a man along the way and falls in love with him. Together they fight fear and danger while learning each other and uncover a mystery that is centuries old.
I really loved this story. I knew I would even before it was released. I was anxious and excited for its release. It has everything you can possibly want in a story. It has some mystery and suspense. It has romance and desire. It even has some action and a little violence. I had problems putting the book down.
I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. I really look forward to it. Melanie James has the ability to really capture the reader’s attention. I like that about her. She is very easily one of my favorite authors. If you haven’t read her two books that are out, I fully recommend them. Especially if you like books with some spice and romance in them.
I fully recommend Conjuring Darkness. I promise that you will not regret it. As I said, I have been looking forward to this book since before it was even released. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed at all. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns of the book. I loved it.
Oh where do I start... I didn't want the story to end....
This is my first reading of any of Melanie James' books. A Photo of the Cover and it's words caught my at another Authors Party. This was before it's release and I knew right then and there, I was hooked!
Must I say, I was not disappointed!
From the Prologue Melanie sucks you in! I fell in love with the carefree, spunky spirit of Lexi immediately. At first I thought the relationship between the 2 main characters was moving fast then reminded myself.. I did that in real life! Normally in a book I like my passionate scenes less steamy.. But in Conjuring Darkness it just seemed to fit and didn't bother me at all!
I especially love the fact that Melanie took the time to use Real Ancient Locations! Gobekl Tepe. In an of itself an interesting place to learn about. Without giving away parts of the story.. The Author almost killed my heart at the end.. But I jumped to hastily. Way to keep me on my toes Melanie James!
If you Love Supernatural, Ancient Places and a lil Bit of Hot and Steamy Love.. This book is definitely for you! Just disappointed.. Because I want more!!
Book: Conjuring Darkness Author: Melanie James Publication Date: 5/1/2014 Reviewed by: Tammy Payne- Book Nook Nuts My Rating:5 Stars
REVIEW Author Melanie James has ROCKED IT with her Paranormal Writing !!!
Lexi gets sent on a mission to find her older sister Kate Ryan is a very good friend of Kates husband Kurt and he is pulled into this mission along with Lexi.
Sparks fly between Lexi and Ryan but not too fast and I really enjoyed that about the book. Oh yea and the Owl on the cover OH YEA it plays a huge roll in this book.
This book had it all. Mystery , Suspense , Action, and Oh yea the Passion ROCK!!! And Friends well lets just say with friends like these I would rather have none
Pickup your copy now and find out what I am talking about !!!
Lexi Solenka and Ryan Kidd are thrown together because they are on a quest to find Lexi's sister Kate, who is in Turkey and needs Lexi's help and asks Lexi to bring an ancient amulet with them. Ryan is an adventurer who is going along to help protect Lexi. There's an attraction between Lexi and Ryan right from the start. The amulet is special and it started with a romance from ancient times to the present day. Will their feelings mature into something more and will they finally find Kate and find out why the amulet is so important? So starts an engrossing story and be prepared for a fascinating read!!
You'll have to read this book for yourself to find out the outcome. It has so many twists and turns, fascinating facts of an ancient civilization, hot sexy romance, gods, demons, action and even humor (loved the monkey story)! The story grabs you from the beginning to the end. I loved this book and so highly recommend it and so looking forward to the second book in the series.
This is book 1 of a new Darkness series by author Melanie James and I have to say this is a very good suspense/romance book that I have read in a long time.
Lexi moved to Montana bought a home and a building for a business when she wanted a fresh start in her life. Little did she know that she would find the love of her life half way around the world while trying to help her sister with the help of a friend of her sisters husband. Together Lexi and Ryan find adventure, suspense, witches, death and romance along the way to find her sister.
This book keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish with the way the story unfolds. The 2 main characters Lexi and Ryan throw off some erotic suggestions between the 2 of them through out the whole story.
This book is a great read and once you start it it is very hard to put it down. Any romance book lover that likes some mystery and adventure mixed into their books will want to read this book.
Holy cats! Rarely have I been so entranced by the prologue of a story. Usually a writer will use the prologue to describe a first meeting between the hero and heroine, or provide background on or both so as not to interrupt the flow later on. Here, the author created an entire story based on a historical deity. The history geek, I mean, buff, in me wanted to know more. So many questions came to mind, I wanted a full-length novel with what I got before Chapter One!
Lexi was so awkward, it was hilarious! I saw so much of myself in her. I loved her innocence and at at the same time her bravery to try new things. Speaking of which, the best love scene I have read in a long time, if ever. All. Hail. Ryan. Kidd.
I KNEW IT! That is all.
It was all very Indiana Jones. I loved it.
Holy plot twist. Well played, Ms. James.
I received a free copy from Amanda Lanclos in exchange for an honest review.
First I want to state that this book has many different elements it has adventure, magic, history, steamy love scenes and a happy ever after. I really enjoyed this book as it had a lot of ancient history elements which where not only very interesting but also a great part of the story line.
Lexi is reserve and withdrawn however her attraction to Ryan is red hot and they have great chemistry. I love how she opens up and is very much her own person. The Adventure that Lexi and Ryan to save her sister is crazy and at times this book will have you going what just happened. I loved the ancient history and paranormal twist involving witches and long forgotten cults and demons.
Overall it is a good read which I enjoyed, this is the second book I have read by Melanie James and I find her easy to read with enjoyable characters.
Wow if you are a lover of romance/ mystery / adventure & a little supernatural then this is the book for you. the writer starts the book with a little bit of historical information which is the basis to the story. we then jump straight to the present where lexi receives a strange letter from her sister Kate asking her to collect an old artifact from her house & deliver it to her in Turkey, little did lexi know that this would turn into the adventure of a lifetime where she may just possibly meet the love of her life. this book is extremely well written & full of descriptions that allow you to feel you are right there in the thick of it. all I am left to say is do yourself a favour & go buy because you won't be disappointed.
While Melanie has been teasing her street team with bits and pieces of this book, I have not so patiently been waiting for the release of this book. I was so not disappointed it was even better than I was hoping for. A great relationship building between Lexi and Ryan, while they are trying to save Lexi's sister Kate and then you have this great supernatural aspect also occurring. So many things going on at once, yet Melanie did an amazing job of keeping it all together and not making it over whelming. Can not wait for the next book in this series "Hour of Darkness".
The cover of this wonderful book, had me at first. The story inside,kept me going. Amazing, intriguing and author Melanie James totally surprised me. I really wasn't sure where this story of Lexi was taking me. Receiving a cryptic letter from her sister, Lexi sets out on a journey and adventure with the ever so sexy Ryan Kidd. Battling real live dangers as well as supernatural, this book has you mesmerized with what is going to come next. Even the ending surprised me! A wonderful read you will thoroughly enjoy! I highly recommend Melanie James.
This author has once again amazed me. I fell in love with Lexi as soon as i started this book, then fell in love with Ryan after he was introduced. This book is jammed packed with action and adventure as well as a beautiful love story. I love how the author twisted her tale with witches and sorcery as well as with archeology and it how she made it all flow together. i recomend this book to anyone who is looking for an adventurous love story!
Conjuring Darkness by Melanie James is a truly wonderful read. Engaging, stimulating (be prepared to stay up all night), and very romantic. The hero and heroine are delightful. Ms. James researched her characters really well, which made them come to life right before my eyes. The writing is top notch. What more can you ask for in a book than adventure, romance (not wham bam thank you ma’am type either), suspense, and originality. I look forward to reading more of Ms. James’s work.
Melanie James has done it again! This book was absolutely amazing. Between the suspense and the steamy romance, I just couldn't put this book down. I love the character and the storyline. I don't generally read this type of book, but I made an exception and I'm so glad I did. I recommend this book simply because it was such an amazing read. You will not be disappointed. Thank you Melanie for being such a fantastic writer.
Conjuring Darkness is a great mix of action, romance, paranormal and suspense! Author Melanie James has the flair to dabble in different genres and create a great read! I gotta say- LOVED Ryan! Yummy! There are some twists and turns, plus some hot lovin'. I couldn't put the book down once i started. Great read!
This book was amazing! Such a hot, sexy navy seal, Ryan Kidd is every woman's dream man. He is strong yet sensitive to all of Lexi's needs. If you haven't read this book yet, I suggest you do. Melanie James grabs your attention and keeps it there. You have to know what happens next! Grab yours today, you won't be sorry!
This book was do captivating , it Kelly my attention . I love hoe mrs. James told the story In such a very unique way!!! Slide love how she put in cultures and some things containing to the bible that coincided with cultures . She must have studied all about the things she wrote . I'm ready for book 2 !!!!
Melanie James knocks it out of the ballpark with her newest book. A great blend of mystery, action and the supernatural. A feisty heroine and a sexy ex-seal combine forces to find Lexi's older sister missing in Turkey. Will they find her? A must read!!!
I love the characters. This book was very well written and has kept me glued to it at times that I really needed to focus on other things, like sleep. Amazing work Mel.