Darkness Falls by KC LuckDarkness Falls by KC Luck is an apocalyptic romance novel about embracing the moment, grasping happiness and finding hope in a turbulent and uncertain landscape.  The story focuses on the lives and relationships of four women before, during and after a global disaster that leaves the entire planet without power. 

Lexi Scott and Anna Patten had a passionate love affair in high school. Happiness was not to be however, as succumbing to her fears and anxieties, Anna fled town one night without even saying goodbye. Recent circumstances cause Anna to return to town and sparks fly when the two women reconnect after what seems a lifetime apart. Both Anna and Lexi must now decide what to do when their past passion is reignited rocking their present and altering the trajectory of their future. 

Can they forget the heartaches and betrayals of the past and grasp hold of the promise of a better tomorrow? 

They decide to take things one step at a time and spend the next weekend together celebrating Lexi’s sister Jackie’s 40th birthday.

A chivalrous act one day at the office sparks an attraction between security guard, Taylor Barnes and CEO Jackie Scott. Jackie, who is straight, is unsure of how to deal with her developing feelings towards another woman. She is hesitant to proceed, wrestling with her attraction but she cannot deny the pull she feels towards Taylor. 

Unable to turn her back on these budding feelings, she invites Taylor to be her date for her 40th birthday party. 

Will Jackie be able to reconcile her feelings of attraction for a woman and seize the potential happiness Taylor could provide? And can Taylor be patient while Jackie tries to come to terms with these feelings?

Everyone is enjoying Jackie’s spectacular birthday party at the top of Seattle’s Space Needle when the forecasted light show of the century begins. A solar storm, epic in its beauty, illuminates the night sky and the guests are awestruck at the brilliant spectacle. However, everyone’s lives are about to drastically change as a cacophony of cell phone alerts erupts, warning of impending danger. The solar storm sends a powerful magnetic surge towards the Earth collapsing the planet’s power grids.  It is catastrophic on a global scale. The power grids are down, and there is no way of knowing if or when they will be repaired. 

Navigating matters of the heart is challenging enough for the four women but now they must find a way out of the city to the safer, more isolated haven of Lexi’s farmhouse and a way to survive when darkness falls across the globe.

The Characters

It’s the end of the world as we know it but feeling fine is a stretch! 

Each of the main characters in the story are already trying to come to terms with their own struggles of the heart when the unthinkable happens and the world is cut off from power. They are now also facing a very real struggle for survival, navigating unruly people, supply shortages and the search for safety. But amid all the chaos, the character arcs really hammer home the importance of fighting for and holding on to love despite what is happening in the rest of the world. 

Luck does a wonderful job of creating individual and charming personalities and I was really rooting not only for their survival after the catastrophe, but also for the success of their relationships

The Writing Style

The story alternates between the perspectives of all four main characters providing insight into each of their feelings and motivations. While the multiple perspectives have the potential to be a tad bewildering, Luck manages to accomplish this without it becoming confusing or affecting the pacing which moves forward at the perfect speed. 

Despite the fact that this is predominantly a romance novel, the action keeps you on the edge of your seat as the women meet and overcome different obstacles in their paths. 

The romance is just a little angsty but entirely believable and is so well interspersed with the action that it keeps you engaged on multiple fronts throughout the book.

The Narration

I also listened to the audiobook version of the story and Violet Dixon did a fantastic job narrating.  As there are four main characters, and the story alternates between each of their perspectives, it could easily become confusing trying to differentiate between the women. However, Dixon employs a sufficient variation in tone and demeanor that provides clear and distinct differences between the characters making the story easy to follow. She also captures their individual personalities well, adding depth to each woman. 

The pace and tone of the narration kept me totally engaged in the story and Dixon reflects the emotions of the characters wonderfully.  I am very happy I listened to the audiobook as well as reading this story.

The Pros

What I liked most about this story is that while it is essentially a romance, it is also a tale of adventure and survival. The characters must overcome adversity and achieve heroic feats on several occasions. Banding together is about more than survival for the four women. It is also about seizing happiness while you can and appreciating what you have which is a philosophy I wholeheartedly believe in. While touching on the seedier side of humanity and possibilities that arise in times of crises, the story still leaves you with a feeling of hope for humanity.

This book also brought back memories of the Northeast blackout of 2003 when Ontario and many of the Northeastern and Midwestern States lost power. It lasted for over a week in some areas and I remember the struggles many faced vividly. 

I also remember how glad I was to be a backpacker as I set up a kitchen in the garage with our hiking gear and became the neighborhood coffee shop!  It was a little frightening to realize how much we rely on power and how unprepared we are to live without it.

The Cons

There is one instance where there is the potential of a sexual assault occurring.  It does not actually happen, but the scene could be upsetting. 

The Conclusion

If you are looking for the perfect blend of heartwarming romance with heart pounding action you should pick this book up.   The story touches, but does not dwell on, the negative aspects of humanity many apocalyptic novels tend to lean toward.  Instead the focus is on four heroines that love, persevere and triumph in an unstable world.

Excerpt from Darkness Falls by KC Luck

Lexi held Anna, and it was bliss. She was with the woman of her dreams, and as Lexi moved to whisper as much into her ear, a yell of excitement went up near the windows. “It’s starting,” the voice called out. People all rushed to the window and Lexi led Anna with them. Jackie and Taylor were right beside her, and the four looked out. What Lexi saw took her breath away it was so majestic. Radiant purples and blues, edged with an array of greens, all shot through with yellow streamers. No matter what people had predicted about the light show, it could not compare to it in reality. “It’s so…,” Anna started. “I don’t even know the word to use. I’ve never seen anything like it, not even in photographs.” Lexi nodded, unable to voice how spectacular it was either, and pulled Anna in front of her to hug her from behind while looking over her shoulder. Anna gathered Lexi’s arms as if they both knew this was a special moment not to be forgotten.

“Happy birthday, Jackie,” Lexi heard Taylor say and looked over to see the woman holding Jackie in her arms. “Everything you seem to do has a touch of magic to it.” Taylor leaned down and kissed her. Lexi saw Jackie hesitate for the briefest of moments and then return the kiss with abject passion. The chemistry between them was electric. It was a sight Lexi never would have imagined she’d see and yet, it was okay. Somehow Lexi knew Taylor would take care of her sister. Suddenly, Lexi felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She ignored it until she saw a few people around her pull out cell phones too. Curious, Lexi decided to check the message and noticed Taylor was looking at her Apple watch with a frown. With a sense of unease, Lexi looked. An SMS emergency warning symbol filled the small screen.

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Bits and Bobs

ISBN number: 9781722014957 

Publisher: Indie author

Audiobook Publisher: KC Luck

Narrator: Violet Dixon

KC Luck Online

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Note: I received a free review copy of Darkness Falls by KC Luck. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site