Surrender the Dark

***3.5 Stars*** I’ve waffled a bit over this one and it’s not because I didn’t enjoy the book, because I did. It had more to do with what I was expecting and what I actually got while reading the book. The world building and setup of the series story arc as well as the secondary ones were done very well and I’m quite interested in seeing how it all plays out. I could easily picture what was going on my head and though there were parts that dragged a bit for me, it didn’t last long and I enjoyed the flow of the writing. But as much as I liked all of that, the romance side of the story just didn’t grab me like I thought it would based on Tzad and Ben’s shared history. The tension between them didn’t set me on edge with want. There was some heat between them and I enjoyed their bantering and I did like both of them, but that spark was missing for me and I didn't fall in love with them and their journey. In all honesty this felt more like an urban fantasy novel with a touch of romance than a true blue PNR and had it been touted as UF my rating would be higher because I wouldn’t have been anticipating the romance to be the main focus and just gone with it. But it is what it is and as I said in the beginning, I really enjoyed the world that the author has created and am looking forward to seeing where she takes us with this series. ~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley ~

Benjamin Fuller was always meant to be a vampire hunter, it’s literally in his DNA. He had never approved how the “vile creatures” were treated, but his outlook changed to some extent when he saw his family killed and lost his eyesight to a vampire, and his mission from that day on has been to kill that vampire. Tzadkiel Dragoumanos was that vampire, and after having recovered from his injuries, the ancient vampire vowed to find Benjamin. I love vampire stories, and SURRENDER THE DARK promised an unusual set-up, not to mention that Benjamin is gay, and I hadn’t read this type of paranormal romance before. Moreover, this is the ultimate enemies-to-lover trope, as their hatred is a very serious matter. What I was not expecting was to fall head over heels with the author’s prose. The first sentence of the prologue defined my impression of Ms. Armstrong. Benjamin has a gift, and Ms. Armstrong’s exquisite prose makes it very visual with her striking descriptions, and total mastery of the English language. Tibby Armstrong’s prose in breathtakingly gorgeous, her vocabulary is refined and precise, yet the dialogues are easy and natural. The mood is somewhat gothic, quite dark and mysterious, but this blackness is tinted with an infinite number of nuances. I had no idea how the author was going to make this romance come about, as Benjamin and Tzadekiel are mortal enemies, and even when they can’t deny their mutual physical attraction, they still want to kill each other. Benjamin is described as having a “dancer’s build”; for once, he wasn’t your stereotypical hero physically, that is with tree-trunk thighs and so on, and I am ever so grateful, and this is one of the innumerable details that make SURRENDER THE DARK so special. Unless you intensely dislike male/male romance and/or paranormal romance, I strongly recommend SURRENDER THE DARK for the exceptional quality of the writing. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I give 4 1/2 stars.

I really enjoyed this book & I can't wait to read the next one in the series. If you like mythology mixed with paranormals in an urban setting, (with an original storyline), then I'm sure you'll love this, too.