MJ and Caden sitting in a lift, k-i-s-s-i-n-g….
I don’t often read novellas, but at 93 pages I figured I could give this one a shot – it didn’t seem too short.
I can definitely see why Laura Kaye has been garnering attention recently. Hearts in Darkness didn’t just portray a romance, but also presented us with two people who are easy to relate to. MJ’s narration in particular drew me in (this book was written in the third person, but with a dual p.o.v.).
“All her friends seemed to either be getting married or engaged. It was like a line of dominos falling, only she didn’t seem to be in line.” – MJ
“Despite the novelty of being with a woman like this [spooning], it all felt completely natural to Caden. And that made him cherish it all the more. Cherish her all the more.” – Caden
I have to say that Caden was a refreshing change of pace when it came to intimate scenes – at every stage he asked her “are you certain you want this?” in one way or another. MJ wasn’t rushed into anything by Caden, they chose what came next together, which was nice.
What disappointed me about this book was the slightly rushed emotional connection between MJ and Caden, which I blame on the ‘novella’ format.
I’m definitely planning to purchase a copy of Laura Kaye’s full length novel Hard As It Gets on November 26th, when Avon publishes it.
Book Blather 
This is not my type of read but I’m glad you still liked it to some point! Such a shame that there was insta-love due to the length of the novel.
Fab review, hun! <33
I’m starting to think novellas and the romance genre don’t work well together, which probably explains why I prefer novels! 🙂
For some reason, the book cover reminds me of that Divergent movie poster with Four and his tattoos on it. Sexy! But like Melanie, this isn’t really my kind of book, even if it does sound different compared to other erotica books out there. Firstly, it’s not about romance! Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever come across that, but based on your review, I think it worked out well, overall? And I’m also all for consent throughout all stages of the relationship! Jerks are people who don’t give a shit about what other people want, and Caden is sweet for being so good to MJ.
And yeah, I guess the downsides of novellas is that the author has to be able to cram in lots of emotions and characters in a limited amount of pages. That’s bound to speed things up a little.
I’m not sure I’d call it erotica – I don’t really read erotica, lol – but yeah the ‘romance’ felt a little crammed although I think Laura Kaye managed fairly well overall. I know she’d do better with a full length novel though which is why I’m planning on trying out her new series when it debuts in November. 🙂
Even though I don’t often read novellas, this one sounds great! Caden and MJ’s relationship sounds wonderful, and I love to hear that it seems to be one of respect and mutual choices and escalation. Even if they did come together rather quickly, I guess that’s to be expected in the format. Lovely review, thanks for putting this one on my radar! I’ve never read anything by Kaye, and this sounds like a good place to start. 🙂
Novellas are great for trying out new authors aren’t they? – small time commitment, big payoff. 🙂 They’re really useful for deciding whether or not you like an author’s style.
Wow…. Hearts in Darkness sounds like a great read… but I am definitely drawn to that cover. Novellas tend to rush things, but as long as the story was well written you can still enjoy it. Great review!!
Too true. Thanks honey! 🙂
My first thought when I look at this cover is that someone is getting it onnnn…or good…or both. Haha!
Lol! 🙂
Although this isn’t my kind of book, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Too bad about the instant love, though 😦 I get that it’s novella format, but I still think that needn’t be necessary. Great review 🙂
I wouldn’t call it instant love… There was definitely some ‘build up’ to it, just not as much as I’d like, which is why I’d be interested in reading a full length novel from Laura. 🙂