Nightshade: A Dark Paranormal Gothic Romance (Nightshade Duology Book 1)

Keri Lake has woven a remarkable tale surpassing eons & millennia. I am a fan now! Loved reading the book!

This book is a literal masterpiece. Extremely well written, fabulous world building, and just riveting.I highly recommend this book!!!

My Favourite Quote:“𝑨 𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒏.”FIRST OFF THIS IS ONE BIG BOOK BUT TRUST ME EVERY MINUTE WAS WORTH IT. EVERY PAGE, EVERY CHAPTER TRANSPORTS YOU TO A COMPLETELY OTHER MAGICAL WORLD FULL OF HIDDEN MYSTERIES.It took me a couple of days to finish off this masterpiece, one because I wanted to savour each and every word and to take-in what was happening and two because I didn't want this fantastical journey to end.The book is written from two different couples' POVs. Lustina and The Baron from centuries back and Jericho and Farryn Ravenshaw in the present.The first chapter itself gave me the freaking chills with what was happening and I was so scared for what would happen to lustina.Lustina is a sweet girl whose only fault was that she comes to be under the captivity of a religious cult group called the Pentacrux, who destroy the non-believers and are very strict in their discipline and have their own codes to follow.While accompanying the bishop venable, head of the pentacrux, to a healing session, she meets the very rude son of the family, the baron.He is very rude to Lustina and with the way he behaved you would think that he is nothing but a spoiled rich kid and also having no regards for manners. Especially in the way he behaves with Lustina and his whipping boy, Drystan.But, boy was I wrong about the baron.Sometimes just because we behave a certain way like we have no care in the world, doesn't mean we are not going through the worst pain in life.Baron was just so good in hiding his personal woes and pain and the horrible reality that he lived everyday.But Lustina, brick by brick, without realising, opens up the baron and changes the baron in a way, none of them would have thought.Lustina and the baron didn't know the extreme trials that awaited them and the love that would blossom between them would go on to becomes so massive and intense that it would span centuries.“𝑨 𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆’𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒏.”In the present, Farryn is visited by the Detective Hines is regards with a investigation in a series of brutal murders.Farryn's father has been studying the ancient language for years and hence the detective expects that he might be able to get some clues from her father's notes, as the symbols left date back to a mysterious religious cult group called the pentacrux.Farryn's father's disappearance is still a mystery and farryn has no intention in digging up old wounds. But then Farryn starts dreaming mysterious happenings and when a message appears in her dreams to search for a Van Croix, along with the feeling that she is being hunted by things that she cannot understand, she starts to want to find answers.Beginning with a place called the Nightshade, that her father had described in his notes. But how do you reach a place which doesn't exist on this realm. But to find her father she will have to find a way to get to nighshade.“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚. 𝑫𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”Nighshade is a mysterious place where the non-believer's souls go. But none of the people are aware that they are dead in nighshade.But Van Croix is feared by all as he is seen as a reaper or death itself.Only the Fallen can come and go between the realms.Van Croix dreams of a girl with stardust eyes and long dark hairs. when he finds a intruder in his huge castle, never would he have thought that she is the girl from his dreams.𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓--𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓-𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊-𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔But Van Croix has bigger things to deal with, what with mysterious creatures been reported.“𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔.”But nor Van Croix nor Farryn would have thought how they are deeply connected to each other and how everything is so connected with prophesies being there for centuries.Also, did I mention the freaking hotness between Van Croix and Farryn...Oh my....Electrifying, literally 😉and steaming hot intensity for sure.🔥🔥🔥🔥“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚𝒏. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒍.”Ahh......THIS IS A MUST MUST READ.If you want a Paranormal Romance that will sweep you off your feet and leave you gasping and wanting more. If you want to get immersed in a magical world full of crazy mysteries, angels and demons and so much more, then definitely read read this one.Also note that this doesn't exactly end on a cliffy but you can feel there is so much more to the story and yes, Book 2 is coming soon.But I will be waiting excitingly and impatiently for the next book in this series.Loved loved freaking loved this one. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️“𝑨𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔.” “𝑵𝒐, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”

An absolutely breathtaking and mindblowing combination of jaw dropping suspense, soul deep emotions and epic passion. Nightshade by Keri Lake was truly an otherworldly experience. The words burrowed in my heart, sank their teeth deep in my mind and I am utterly completely blissfully destroyed. This gothic romance with a dark paranormal side was everything twisted, exhilarating, heartbreaking and insanely beautiful I could ever want or need..Farryn is a teacher of ancient symbols and religious studies and she has to take a leave when her only living relative and aunt passes away. And strange things start to happen. Brutal gory murders. Her father's notes about this place between life and death called Nightshade where faithless souls go after death. She has to find a way to travel to this plane and find Jericho Van Croix because she feels he has all the answers...Where do I start? It was just absolutely brilliant. The author's imagination creates alternate worlds with such details that you won't think that it's not real. The fallen angels. The extremist Christian group Pentacroux. The rebirth, the sins, the hells, the atonements..it was such a mindblowing mix that I have a difficulty explaining it without giving away crucial details. Farryn and Jericho are connected beyond this life and the author creates the puzzle pieces expertly and it's a life changing experience to see them coming together. Farryn is such a stubborn old soul with fire in heart and determination in her mind. And she was not ready for the storm called Jericho Van Croix. This brooding dark enigma living in a repurposed cathedral is haunting me like he did Farryn. He doesn't want any outside presence but Farryn touched and reawakened his heart with devilish hunger to consume her body and mind. Their connection is forbidden, written in tragic stars and beyond soul deep. This was epic angst and romance mixed with sizzling hot passion set in an otherworldly place with constant actions, suspense and mystery. Forces far greater than Farryn and Jericho's powers are hunting them. And they are happy for now but their journey is far from over..Some stories just leaves you spellbound and utterly mesmerised and no review can capture the beauty enough. Nightshade by Keri Lake was such a story.I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

This book earned the award for the month of Spooky Halloween by me. Wow!! I am still in awe, the world building of this book is beyond praises.Farryn and Jericho's love story is not your typical one. It has gone on for centuries and still possess that intense flame. No matter how much obstacles they face, fate wants them to be together, inspire of the forbiddeness of their love.In search of her father, Farryn stumbled upon a world parallel to the earthly realm. She felt unusual connection to that place, not knowing that the most important part of her being, her soul mate is waiting for her on the other side.The secrets, the plot connection, twists in the end had to stuck on the edge of my seat. And the last 20% was action-packed, nail biting suspense coming alive in front of my eyes and so many secrets revealing.I am thrilled that there is going to be another book in this series as Jericho and Farryn's story is far from the end...I can't get enough of them.

Farryn has had a strange and somewhat difficult life. Her mother died in a freak accident which always felt a bit…off. Suspicious even. And then her father apparently commit suicide, though no body was ever found. Add to that her odd yet realistic dreams, the man she always saw in her periphery, watching her from afar for almost her entire life that no one else claimed to see, and her birthmark that bears a striking resemblance to a symbol from her father’s obsessive research, it’s no wonder she’s conflicted, skeptical, and yet curious about it all.When a detective starts questioning her quite aggressively for her help on reading symbols from gruesome crime scenes, it leads her to her father’s research. Could it be that he wasn’t crazy after all? Is Nightshade really a place? Is that where her father disappeared to?A tale of fate, soulmates, and reincarnation, Nightshade is a beautifully haunting story of the fierce and undying love between two souls.This book isn’t for the faint of heart - it’s fairly violent, is filled with potential triggers, and of course explicit sexual content. But if these things don’t deter you then it is so worth the read.There were a fair few frustrating moments for me, so many things that could’ve been avoided if both Farryn and Jericho had been more rational about their decisions. But the drama adds to the story so I totally understand why the author wrote them this way.Some horrid characters in this too - Evie, Drystan, Bishop Venable, pretty much all the villagers. I mean the list goes on.Jericho is definitely an anti-hero. He loves Farryn so much that it borders on obsession. He’s possessive and jealous, and alarm bells should be screaming POTENTIAL ABUSER, but he would never ever hurt her. He may do some very questionable things in the name of keeping her safe, but it all comes from a genuine fear of losing her again.I still have a lot of questions as there are plenty of loose ends and unanswered situations, but there is a book 2 coming so perhaps everything will be answered there.

I was pulled in right from the very start. The story is dark and sexy, spanning hundreds of years. It brings its own mythology to angels, demons, man and the afterlife.Farryn and Jericho have a love that defies death and even the beyond. It's hot, it's forbidden and it's unbreakable.I loved the timeline back and forth, something I don't normally enjoy but it worked really well here in setting the scene.I'm really looking forward to book 2 I'm interested to see where the author takes the story next. This book can be read as a stand alone, but if you fall in love with the characters the way I have you will definitely want more. I would like to have seen more banter with some secondary characters, but overall I loved the focus on the love story.I am living for all the Baron and Lustina scenes. They had most of my favourite moments.

At first I had no idea what was going to happen and felt confused by the dual timelines and perspectives. Fortunately I caught on quickly and was not disappointed at all, I enjoyed where the book took me and I liked the mix of characters. I usually read alot, this book stayed with me for a while after I devoured it in just over a day. It's intense, romantic and unnerving. Luckily I still have other books by Keri Lake to read and I await the sequel impatiently.

This is the best book I've read this year. Epic journey of passion loss love and freaking Angels Demons and more. Could not put it down and will be waiting eagerly for the next book. Just amazing.

What sets this book apart is the history the love story hangs upon and the layered 3 dimensional characters that exist in the grey that lies between the light and the dark. I can't wait for the next instalment and am hoping for more of the same