Dahlia

Dark Desire #1

by Viola Calvary

You can see the monster behind his eyes, the dragon that shares his soul.

Dahlia makes people nervous. Gifted with dangerous psychic abilities, she’s no pushover. The only person who makes them even more nervous? Captain Kenneth Ravin. Savage, deadly, and concealing his own secrets, Ravin is exactly the last man she should be interested in. So why can’t Dahlia seem to shake her insane attraction to him?

Everything begins to unravel when an enemy in the shadows targets Dahlia in a plot that pulls everyone around her into a battle for their lives. With no choice but to accept Ravin’s offer of an ally, Dahlia finds he's pushing her closer to the darkness that lies buried within her, her own deadly secret. Caught in the chaos, can she stay in control or will dipping her toe into those dark desires send her tumbling over the edge into madness? Does she even have a choice?

Dragon shifter romance. No cliffhangers. Strong heroine. Shifters. Suspense. Fantasy. Adventure. Alpha males. Adult content.

“She turned to see the dark, primal god she’d witnessed before. His black eyes were on fire with the heat of the fight. Her body, already high from the exertion of combat, responded to his hunger. The lust she’d pushed down before flooded into her veins. She felt her sanity engulfed by a feral, vicious desire that found resonance with him.
He caught her up and slammed her back against a tree as she hooked her legs over his hips. Her inner demon whispered in the back of her mind and she drowned in her primitive lusts for conflict, dominance, and sex. She let her demon out to play and let her dark, blood-soaked god take her.”

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Dark, Supernatural, Romance

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2018

About the author

Catch the first book in my new series: Hell's Mistress on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

Viola is a proper lady on the outside, with a dark mind and wild fantasies hidden beneath. Her outlet is in creating dark, romantic, and erotic fantasy novels filled with suspense, danger, and colored red with passion. You'll find the books actually sizzle when you open them.
Her badass heroines are more than a match for her sexy, alpha heroes. Each one has a deliciously dark twist that captivates your mind.
You can normally find her with gin in one hand and either a book or a pen in the other.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/3/2019)! 🎁

[Chinchila · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I don't normally write reviews but I am making an exception for this book, seeing that the author is new and she deserves more attention.

This book got me really excited! I really loved the way it was written, from the description to the characters, from the story-line to the battles, the training scenes, the romance, etc. The heroine is my favourite because she is strong and doesn't need a man to save her. She can actually take care of herself! Even when she is afraid, she knows how to handle the situation and how to appear strong. If you like strong independent heroines, this book is perfect.

Everyone is afraid of Dahlia because of her skills as a psychic and because of an old legend. She is also afraid of herself and she worries a lot about the darkness in her soul and how she is attracted to the dark side. She is attracted to Kenny, a savage captain that is also labeled a monster more than often, but unlike Dahlia that tries to fight it, he fully embraces it. They have a lot of chemistry and the hot scenes are the best.

The ending though! I can't say anything without spoiling it, but it is related to the old legend that earned her the name of "Puppet Master". I was literally freaking out and screaming while I was reading it. (Pay attention to Mayuera's description of Dahlia's psyche because it says a lot about her.)

I can barely wait for the sequel now. I have so many theories :D

Summary:
- very good writing
- hot scenes are well written. not sloppy, not cheesy, not cheap, not weird
- strong female
- alpha male
- good descriptions
- strong start
- fight scenes and battles
- lovely characters (Genji and Fidelity were my favorite)
- primal lust (yes please)
- secretssss!!!!
- HEA
- great ending

[Kayla Krantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seemed to have everything, romance, action, a strong female lead, and a touch of the paranormal. I loved the main character, Dahlia. It was fun to read a book where the female lead has every male she encounters squirming uncomfortably. She was strong and in control, no matter what situation she found herself in. When she meets Captain Kenneth, she finds the only situation she isn’t sure of is the darkness inside of her, the darkness that he brings out of her. Loved the romantic tension there.

Even though this isn’t my typical genre to read, I hope to read more books by this wonderful author in the future.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dahlia is a mix of fantasy worlds, which encompasses shape shifters, mind walkers and magic wielders to name a few. Dahlia is a strong woman that causes most men to step up their game around her. Her dark side is attracted to Ravin while her more practical side is trying to not let her attraction both to him and the thrill she feels when she gives into the darkness in check.

The fight scenes are very intense and you feel every loss and minor win. The intense attraction between Dahlia and Ravin has sparks flying everywhere. I loved how both men and women were fighting together and the mutual respect for each other was very much evident in a lot of the storytelling. Some of it at least for me gave me echoes of the Mage Wars by Mercedes Lackey. It’s hard to do Fantasy Adventure Fiction without having some of it have a little flavoring by others.

There were a few predictable bits but not enough to take you out of the moment. I loved most of this book for me however when there is only one POV by one of the main characters I feel like there is a wall and I just have to take the author’s word that the other main lead is on board. The story is always lacking for me when that happens. The ending could be considered a minor cliffhanger, but it just sets up for the continuation of Dahlia’s story and the on going war and in no way leaves you hanging.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Cranky Stars


I just couldn’t get into this book. I wanted to like it. It had a lot of promise with a lead heroine that has a bold personality. I love her sexual independence and heir of authority. The story just drags. It takes waaaaay too long to get to the action.


I normally enjoy a lot of detail. I love big books, but this one is over written in the wrong places. The training passages and fight scenes take up a lot of reading time. I hate to use the word boring….. but it’s boring. I give this 2 out of 5 stars. Disappointed.

[Sarah Boni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was actually impressed with this book. I was kinda anticipating, based on the name and cover, that this book would be really romance/sex centered but it was so much more than that. I loved the military aspect, Dahlia’s unique psychic abilities and distinct side characters. This book has a ton of personality!

There are three main points that were huge wins for me.
First was the magic system. I loved seeing those with psychic abilities intermixed with the regular soldiers. I felt that it was really realistic and not done as often as I would like. I feel like I see a lot of separation between magic/non-magic users in a lot of books. Which is usually important to the plot but I was happy to avoid the “Magic users are separate because they are better than others” trope or “Magic users are separate because they can’t be trusted” trope. I also loved the variety of abilities and I would have liked to see more.
Second, the side characters. I really felt connected to Dahlia’s barrack members and the other captains. They really made the book feel well rounded. I adored Fidelity with her pink hair. Honestly she actually feels almost too similar to Nora from RWBY. They both have pink hair, war hammers and have big personalities. But I seriously love both of those characters so I’m not mad at it.
Thirdly, I felt that Dahlia’s psychic abilities were freaking awesome and very original. The puppets were absolutely brilliant and the fact that they represented aspects of her personality was genius. It’s so good because it makes sense. It isn’t magic for the sake of magic. And her responsibility to heal her puppets and her mind after battles was a great example of good mental health. I like that the author made her activity aware and invested in her mental balance and Dahlia working to accept parts of herself that were dark. I liked the active conversation she had with that aspect.

The romance wasn’t anything to spectacular. It was good and it made sense for the most part. I would have liked to see more information about the world around them, their God-King and the world layout. I think this was one instance where a map would have been nice. The whole unit kinda felt like it was in a bubble and world building was just lacking for me.

I would recommend this book. It’s 3 stars because I would re-read but it probably wouldn’t be the first book I would recommend if someone asked.

[Viola Calvary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed both writing and reading this novel (and I read it many, many times in editing). I adore the characters. Dahlia is unapologetically the equal of the strongest characters in her world but struggles with the dark and light duality of her nature, a struggle I think doesn't gets enough attention in the modern mindset which makes out embracing equanimity and being a good person is as easy as holding a few yoga poses and chanting "ohm".
Ravin, a good balance for her in term of strengths and weaknesses, foils that struggle that Dahlia experiences. It's not that he's an unrepentant sinner, it's that he rejects the idea of a black and white moral code. In a world that conditioned him to kill or be killed, he's chosen to survive. No remorse necessary.
This is definitely a sexually explicit work and I love that about it. It wasn't written just to throw in a hot scene. The intimacy between characters not only reveals the dynamics of their relationships and personality but also moves it forward. Dahlia's relationship with Traedon is VERY different from her relationship with Ravin both in terms of sex and interactions and the differences say a lot about her as a character. Ok, yeah, and it's hot as hell.
Paranormal, fantasy, suspense, action...I love the plot. You have Dahlia's internal conflict that runs in parallel to the external conflict which all comes to a boiling point with everything on the line plus a shocking twist! If you wanted to boil it down to a tag line maybe: blood, sex, magic, and the darker side of human nature.

[Shari Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

WARNING 18+
Paranormal Action Romance
This is book 1 of the series "Dark Desire"
The heroine dangerous psychic abilities and is a captain in the same military force as the hero.
The hero is a dragon shifter that turns into a black dragon and a captain in the same military force as the heroine.
The heroine and hero both make the others in the military force nervous as they are deadly, savage to those that deserve them to be.
There is an enemy targeting Dahlia and pulls everyone around her in a battle for their lives and hers.
With no choice but to accept the hero’s offer of being her partner/ ally.
The heroine discovers that the hero is pushing her closer to the darkness that lies buried within her, her own deadly secret.
Caught in the chaos, can she stay in control or will dipping her toe into those dark desires send her tumbling over the edge into madness? Does she even have a choice?
Can they capture the one targeting the heroine? Is their a HEA at the end for the hero and heroine? Where do they go from here?
If you love action, paranormal, and romance you will love this series.
Read the series and "Dark Lust" to discover more about the heroine, the hero and their friends that stand by them.
"Dark Desire" books: book 1 "Dahlia", book 2 " Sage and The Savage, the", book 2.5 "Demon's Muse, the", book 3 "Drawn to Darkness", book 4 "Death and Dreams" and novella "Dark Lust"

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jennifer Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book free from the author.*

Dahlia is unique even amongst the other distinctly talented commanders. She's known as the puppet master to those above her, although no one believes there's any relation to the to the true Puppet Master.

She has intense psychic abilities which causes discomfort to those around her, all except her squad of oddball individuals. And Kenny. He has abilities only he knows about...and Dahlia. They have a unique animalistic bond that seems to remove all barriers and secrets they usually keep from others.

"No, he recognized she was strong enough to protect herself. It was a mark of possession, he had begun to think of her as his and wouldn't accept anyone interfering. Dahlia couldn't hide from the part of her that was fascinated by the idea."

Dahlia takes you on a journey of self discovery through battle worn and traitorous times. This is one of those books that's difficult to find a stopping point. Whether its fight scenes or crazy hot sex, there's always action, and any simple distraction can be completely annoying and cause you to lose the energy of what you were reading.

It does end on a minor cliffhanger, but mostly because it seems like Dahlia's story is just getting started and I cannot wait to read the next book in the Dark Desire series. And can I just say...I love Kenny!

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE INTENSE EXPERIENCE!!!
HOLY CRAP! Man, talk about kicking ass and taking names. This is one tough cookie. I think I found my idol. No joke. I'm not sure how much is speculation, research or just imagination but Viola has created a vividly detailed world where wicked seem to be good for more than just going to hell. The characters chemistry sizzles from the pages and seem to suck you in the vortex until you feel the wind, the heat and lightening. The way she has the scenes playing out are so realistic you get so caught up in it, that you feel your along for the ride. You're totally awestruck with the badass heroine as she tries to come to terms with herself and the darkness she possesses. The characters are intriguing, complex and realistic with such depth and individualities its feels like you can just reach out and touch them. The scenes are written with such realism it paints an amazing backdrop that really makes the storyline pop. Viola did an incredible job bringing this read to life flawlessly. Thanks Viola for sharing this little gem with us.

[J.B. Trepagnier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hot, sexy read, but what I liked about it was the strong female MC. She pretty much makes everyone around her uncomfortable and she's unapologetic for it too. She's strong both mentally and physically. She's got some inner demons, as evident by her puppets, but she's got control over them for the most part. When I first started reading, I thought this was a modern day paranormal thriller. I don't think it's quite modern day. I'm not sure of the exact setting, but it didn't really matter. They have a lot of advancements in healing and weapons with psychic ability, but there didn't seem to be computers, cell phones, or advanced weaponry and there was a man on horseback at once point.

Overall, this was really an enjoyable read. I loved the way Dahlia and Kenny played off each other and I hope to reach further books in this series

[Cherie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the not the type of book I normally read as I’m not fond of battles and sword fights. However, I approached the book with an open mind and from the very beginning, I was impressed by the writing style, pacing, and character descriptions.

If you enjoy books with a strong female lead, a range of male characters with whom she can do battle both verbal and physical, a dash of psychic phenomenon, alpha males, descriptive sex, and tales spun in the fantasy realm, this is the book for you.

I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. I have based my rating on the technical aspects of the writing and the author’s attention to detail, as the story itself is not a genre I would usually choose for myself.

[Thomas Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puppets and Dragons and pillars of flame

Reading Dahlia, you can feel that the author lives in this world and knows every inch of it. To the hierarchy, to how the powers function, everything is given detail. The main character has an intriguing backstory that reaches back into the ancient lore of series.
I loved how a character’s ability reflected who they were and vise versa. Changing into a beast gives you the characteristics of one, for good or ill. An aggressive ability most likely leads to you being an aggressive person. Dahlia is a complicated person and this is reflected in her powers and how they function.
The descriptions of the psychic realm were also intriguing.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a very dramatic beginning, with swordfights and killings, and sex. The training battles were fun to read, and then the real battles later on. It was interesting to read about how Dahlia could "explore" the minds of other people, and amazing to read about the variety of psychic abilities that others had. The book was a little long, but very fun to read. The ending gives a hint of what might come in the next book in the series, which would be worth buying if it is as good as this one was.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading a romantic suspense book and I love the fact there is some action, thrill and suspense as I feel this makes the story so much better. This one starts out so Awsome with sword fights, killing and sex what more can a girl ask for. I love the fact you get to read the battles they have during training and then how they actually fight in combat. I love the fact that there is also an added extra of the physic ability adding to the whole thrill for me. I can’t wait to read more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this novel to be a really fun read, it has dragon shifters and alpha males, action, intrigue, romance, suspense and a strong female character. It was fun to read a story where the female character, Dahlia in this case, makes the majority of male characters uneasy as it’s usually the other way around. The only one she doesn’t seem to do this to is Kenny, they seem to be attracted to each other’s darkness. If you are looking for a fun, enjoyable read then you can’t go wrong choosing this book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review

[Debbie Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wonderful paranormal romance about Dahlia a woman who has the ability to enter anybody's mind She is attracted to Captain Kenneth Ravin a man she should stay away from When her life is in danger he may be the only one that can keep her safe The fight scenes in this book are so well written that you can almost smell the blood and we where perfectly set up for the next book in this series

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good paranormal romance read. The characters are good. The story has an ending that gives the reader a hint of what might come next in the series. The story has fantasy, action, adventure, paranormal, romance, and fun to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone steers clear of her as she is powerful and scares people from d her. There is I oh one person who scares she more and that is him. Soon danger is coming and he may be the only one who can help before others die. She needs to go to her darker side to do so. See how see will get on

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dahlia has psychic abilities and is very strong willed! When she meets Captain Kenneth Ravin she is intimidated by him, but is also attracted to him! When Dahlia’s enemies come after her can he help her stay alive?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have Dahlia that has psychic abilities. She ends up meeting Captain Kenneth Ravin. Dahlia finds he's pushing her closer to the darkness that lies buried within her. Dahlia is also attracted to the captain. I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the storyline and plot. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mommaleena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting (3 1/2*)

This story seems to start off a little slow, but grew on you as it went. Paranormal psychic abilities abound throughout the characters in this story made it interesting. I am looking forward top reading more from Viola.
ARC received from BookSprout for an honest voluntary review.
Due to sexual situations, this book is recommended for readers 18 and older!

[SBee Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ Eclectic blend of paranormal elements ★

—>>> Captain Dahlia DeMorra is a wickedly confident and sexy warrior, with strong and unique psychic gifts. When two guards are killed, Dahlia and the other barrack captains work together to investigate, but soon the events begin to snowball.

A very detailed and engrossing read!

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!! The dark theme has been really well captured. The characters were great with a strong female lead. The book was really well written and I cannot wait to read the next book in the sequel!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chemistry...hot steamy chemistry fills the pages of this book. I liked the intrigue, drama and the psychic aspect. It made for a very entertaining story. I was taken aback how much he seemed to push her towards the darkness though. However, it did make the book intriguing. Good story.

[Melissa B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy chemistry and hotness. It's an intriguing book with drama, intrigue and the whole darkness issue that surrounds them. The end will live you wanting the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Am Goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A drama, intrigue, and sexy read. Loved the primary characters. An interesting storyline I enjoyed with a turn of the page.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good storyline that is intriguing. The characters are engaging and nicely developed. I did like reading this book.

[Sunni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting character with a strong female mc and good story with good action. Was not disappointed.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous read was was intriguing throughout. Well written and captivating. It kept me going throughout this book. Not to be missed