House of Darken (Secret Keepers Series Book 1)

I really liked the world she created. It was unique and fun to visualize. I liked most of the characters. But.....Emma annoyed me. What she went through was unbelievably horrific, but I needed her to get it together and stop crying and falling apart so much. Sometimes is expected, but this was too much. Emma and Lexen — while I bought into their attraction I just didn’t feel the love. We had secondary characters that we were starting to get to know and really like then they were just gone until the end of the book. It would have been awesome if they were more developed and integrated into the story. In any case, I hope they’ll show up in the later installments. Overall, I’m glad I read it, but it didn’t totally hit the mark.

This was a rather interesting concept, but it wasn't done well. It seemed rushed and the dialogue was sorely lacking. Additionally, there were huge inconsistencies in the behavior and personalities of the two main characters and the sole purpose of some of the extra characters introduced was to add fluff to the book instead of advancing the plot.

The female protagonist was infrequently someone I liked. I understand she lost her parents so her tears were understandable, but she was prone to near hysterics at the worst times. She also tripped over air and had to constantly be rescued. There was nothing she could accomplish by herself. Sometimes she would have moments of strength, but not enough to make me like her.

I did like the main male character, Lexen, but again, I felt the storyline was incredibly rushed, especially with the relationship between Emma and Lexen. It could have used more time. They went from intense dislike to protector/protectee to in love in no time at all. Then there was a huge plot hole in the story where Lexen left Emma alone and she was, of course, kidnapped by the bad guy. This did not fit with Lexen's character throughout the rest of the novel.

I could write more about the inconsistencies and awful dialogue, but I think I'll stop there. I really did enjoy the basic plot of the novel. It was something I hadn't read before. I just wish it had been better done. One thing the author did do well was laying a backdrop to the scene. The imagery was excellent. She was able to transport me into new worlds with her words. I just wish the rest of the novel had matched.

The storyline had a very very slow start. It wasn't until at 30% when the romance started. Otherwise the book just provided background information on the town, the mc, and the school.

Basically this is an inter alien and human romance book. The romance was due to a Stockholm syndrome which the heroine continuously repeated throughout the book. Was that supposed to add humor? Really? Cuz it just turned me off. Also, the side character of a guy from school being rich but was gay was distracting since it wasn't needed on the storyline. It was like the author just threw that in to add a gay character to the book.

Too much background overload at the start of the storyline and the female was nothing special. This book was boring for me. Just flipped through the pages. The plot was interesting but due to the overloaded info dumped and slow starts on romance, I lost interest.
The storyline was pretty much about a girl who lost her parents then moves into a mystery town then stalk rich guy then gets kidnapped then love happened. Loved the book cover though. Totally disappointing...I read some of the books from this author which I enjoyed but this book was a dud for me and not one of the good ones. If you don't mind slow build up and Stockholm syndrome cliche, you might like this book.

I absolutely love this book! A great start to the Secret Keepers series.

After losing her parents, Emma and her guardians move to Astoria, Oregon. There were two rules that she was told to follow: #1 - To stay on her side of the street. #2 - Don't mess with the Elites. Emma never planned on breaking these rules, but when her guardians goes missing, Emma was bound and determine to find them. One night she sees the Darken brothers go into the woods and Emma crosses to the Elite side of the road and follows them. She was then captured by Lexen Darken and his brothers and Emma finds out that there's a secret world hidden in her little town and it's a world that's definitely not human.

I was enthralled from the very first paragraph, a definite must read! Great chemistry between Emma, Lexen and the Darken brothers. This book made me laugh and I love the interaction between Emma and her attraction to Lexen. I can't wait to read the next book!!

This wasn’t what I was expecting from a shifter romance. In fact, I don’t even know if I would call it a shifter book at all. It was more along the lines of an alien romance, but the aliens shifted. Whatever you want to call it, I liked it. And it jumped right onto the action, while sometimes I hate how there is no back story or how we don’t get a chance to know the characters before the story jumps off, this time it didn’t feel rushed or plagued by info dumps.

I liked how Lexen and Emma fought their attraction to one another. And how cold he seemed to her to get her to back off. Yet, he contradicted himself in his actions by making sure she was safe and comfortable at the same time, which just made her more intrigued by his intense demeanor.

Emma was cool, she could be hard and soft which I enjoyed, no one wants a one dimensional character. And I liked how determined she was to find her guardians, even while recognizing that she wasn’t the easiest to get along with. Even with her tragic past, she was still trying to look out for others when she had every right to be selfish with her attention. She was just a kind person, with the same fears that effect all of us. And I reallly liked that she didn’t try to be so strong all the time. She allowed others to see her when she was vulnerable and she wasn’t too proud ot ask for help.

The world building was awesome, and only gets better as you read more of the series. (I’m on the third one) I found it highly original and singularly unique in its description. And the way the worlds were symbiotic towards one another was intriguing and a lovely layer to the why’s of their connection. I love when loose ends you weren’t even looking for are tied up.

The story had a good deal of detailed background to cover but I don’t think it was too difficult to sift through. It was one of those just right ones, not too much details, but not too little either.

Had potential with a decent storyline, that was admittedly a bit Twilight Fan Fiction. But the delivery was all down hill. The story lacked depth and there was minimal character development. Author tried to be descriptive in surroundings and world building, but overall was vague on the big picture and detailed the small stuff too much.

I usually like a good enemies to lovers plot. And Lexen spends most his time disliking Emma. He's tall, dark, and brooding, and is not mean, but not nice to her. She resents him, finds him arrogant, and even though she finds him physically attractive, can't stand his personality. But she falls for him anyway, in about a span of a week, where there is utterly no chatacter development at all. All conversations are surface level banter, but lead to an everlasting love.

There is a lot of unfilled or unexplained connecting of the dots, yet the one glaringly obvious piece is overlooked by the characters until the end. And then everything fits together perfectly, except it doesn't.

Overall, it wasn't a bad read, just not a good one. I would not recommend, and I won't be continuing on with the series. I'll probably avoid this author in the future too.

Jaymin Eve has created an interesting world of supernatural people and events. Unfortunately, the delivery of the story is juvenile, the sequences of events often contradict each other, and the grammar, punctuation, and spelling leave a lot to be desired--which is strange, since an editor is credited right up front.

I'm not going to address the actual story and its delivery, since other reviewers have done so. Instead, I'm going to go through some of the truly careless errors that cropped up.

The author frequently refers to the spot where you place your butt in a car as a "chair." It is, in fact, a "seat."

The main female character likes Converse shoes, and refers to them always as "Converse," even when in the plural. If you like Nike shoes and wear them, you are wearing "Nikes," which substitutes the brand for the noun "shoes." The same should be done with the word "Converse," and so the sentence should read, "...before dragging my Converses up off the floor and pulling them on." (This issue happens in the second book as well.)

There are lots of awkward sentences, and here is a prime example: "I definitely hadn't told him it." Youch! First, the word "definitely" is redundant (if you didn't tell someone, that's it, no need to over-emphasize). Second, the construction of the sentence is mixed up. If you want to keep "definitely," then how about, "I definitely had not told him."

The main character periodically bemoans the fact that she has no cell phone and that the computer at home is poor at best, yet she frequently discusses on-line searches.

Wrong word/misspelling example: "...long enough to notice a small, older and faded scar...giving him a roughish look." "Rough" (sounds like RUFF) isn't the right word. The correct word is "roguish," as in looking like a "rogue." If the author really wanted to use "rough," that's all it should have been--not "roughish."

Wrong tense usage example: "Part three and four will look at..." The word should be "Parts" since there is more than one.

Wrong word/misspelling example: "On Earth. Heat on Earth because..." The word should be "Here," not "Heat."

Poor construction: "On top of the pristine carpet was a large bed with a dark purple, velvet and ornate material bedhead." First off, a bed would naturally be on top of a carpet. Second, velvet IS an ornate material. Third, "bed head" is what happens to your hair when you sleep. A "head board" is what is at the head of the bed. So how about: "The pristine carpet set off the large bed and its purple velvet head board."

Wrong tense usage example with my comments in parentheses: "We chose (past tense, rhymes with hose, those, and foes) those who won't (future tense) cause us much trouble." Two reconstructions are possible. First: "We chose those who wouldn't cause us much trouble." Second: "We choose (rhymes with booze, lose, and shoes) those who won't cause us much trouble."

Plot inconsistency sample: "...and I had read ahead in most of the assigned books." Not possible. The character received her text books on her first day at the school. This is a day later - and no, there wasn't any time for her to read after school that day.

Plot inconsistency sample: "I've literally been living on Fruit Loops for months." Nope. The character's guardians had specially purchased her a box of this cereal about a week prior. She even says, "I haven't had that for months."

Wrong word usage: "...dragged my pained and broken body further up the branch." "Farther" is for distance, "further" is more philosophic, such as, "We'll discuss this further."

Capitalization: "Keep fighting them, badass." When you use a word in place of a name, it should be capitalized. For instance, you would say, "My mother wins every argument" vs. "Okay, Mother, you win." In this case it would be, "Keep fighting them, Badass."

These are just some of the examples - and the second book is the same. The credited editor should be ashamed. Even though these books are part of Kindle Unlimited, which is how I got to read them, I'm not sure I want to put myself through more of this torturous writing.

I loved this book! The events on this book happened very quickly, spanning only a few days. Some might be annoyed by that and feel that it all happened too quickly, but it didn’t bother me at all... except that if it had taken longer, maybe the book would be longer and I would have even more to enjoy! The connections and relationships happened fast, but it still felt genuine and satisfying to me.

Additionally, the world-building was incredible. I can’t say more without giving too many things away, but it was really well done!

I read a lot of mystery and romance (across many genres within those categories), and I’m always impressed when an author can surprise me. This book took some turns I didn’t see coming, which was great.

I will say that I was disappointed when I learned that the next books in the series do not have Lexen and Emma as the main characters (which just shows how much I loved this book!), but I do understand why she made the choices she did. :)

Usually I like the authors work but something here just was off. The MC never heard of Snapchat but was in regular high school a year ago?
Her guardians were missing how long before she was ready to call the cops?
Few other things that just didn’t make sense.

I just didn’t get the relationship at all. What drew Lex in? All her crying?

Gave a star for the interesting world and plot, another for editing.

This book started off great! I loved the concept and world she created, even the characters were all individual and unique. I was so immersed in the story and then suddenly our heroine became whiny and complain-y, it felt like I was reading a Leia Stone novel (outside of the original Matefinder Series) and I kept putting the book down. The story telling was uneven and there were quite a few inconsistencies. Kinda like the Sinclair story she wrote years back and never finished. It was disappointing.
This was NOT an example of an evolution of Ms. Eve as a writer. Yes, she’s had hits and misses with all her series, but maybe all the recent collabs has been taking it’s toll on her ability to develop a fully strong female character like the days of Jessa and Abby.
I’ve already ordered the next novel and hope, like all the rest of her stories, that my issues are resolved and I’m blown away. This was a solid book, it just needs more fine tuning and.

I loved this book!
So different from anything I've read from Jaymin but at the same time it's familiar. Definitely the writing style!

We start off with Emma who's lifestyle had been completely flipped on her. I don't know that anyone could relate to that and I quite frankly hope not. But her "take no bull shit" attitude is definitely something I can relate to.
She's thrown into a world she knows nothing about and is all alone in it. Until she isn't. While Lexen doesn't seem to like her he also doesn't seem to hate her. The banter between the two is pretty comedic. Even his brothers Jero and Marsil (Jero is my absolute favorite!).

With all of them together they may an awesome team. There is trust and honor in that family and it makes Emma's loss seem less extreme.

I love the world and character building in this. The pace is awesome, not too slow or fast. Perfect beginning to a series that I just want to binge. Can't wait for the next!

Wow! This book is more evidence of why Jaymin Eve has become one of my favorite authors. In this book, Emma's guardians move to a town in search of the supernatural. They remind me of those nutter conspiracy theorists that believe in big foot or ghosts. Emma doesn't believe in any of it. Her new neighborhood had some weird rules and when her guardians go missing, she breaks those rules. What follows turns her world upside down, as she discovers her guardians had been right all along. I really enjoyed every second of the story and this new world the author is creating. The interaction between Emma and the Darkens had me hooked throughout the whole book. I read it in one day because it's just that type of book that hooks you and you don't want to put down. I'm ecstatic that the next book will be out so soon as the author is releasing the whole series this summer. Really glad I won't have to wait long. I really loved this book and want to know what's next!

OMG!!! I love Jaymin Eve, she is fantastic no matter what type of supernatural creature she is writing about!! Can I just say that she can also create an awesome world with fantastic characters!! Emma is such a wonderful heroine. She is brave, loving, kind and is also a tough cookie.

Emma is starting out her senior year in a new school, but her guardians have promised they will not be moving until she graduates. Upon arriving in her new town, however, Emma finds out not everything is as it seems and her curiosity gets the best of her one night and consequently she gets kidnapped but the most frustrating, kind man she can find. Emma learns that her world is not what she thought it was and her role in the story is more than a senior trying to graduate.

Will Emma find her true love, will she unravel the mystery of her parents death, but most of all will she survive the wrath of Laos?

I really enjoyed reading this book. The Otherworld was so well-written I could picture all the places in my mind, good and bad. The story seemed a little bit rushed at the end with Lex and Emma. I must say it was refreshing for her not to have been a virgin. A lot of the paranormal fantasy stories I read always has the main character as a virgin. I love Daniel. I'm excited to read the next series which is about him. I don't have a good grasp on the other two minor overlords.
Emma grew on me in some chapters and not in others. I appreciate her strength after her parents death. Grief is messy and takes a long time to process and everybody is not the same. She was also immature in other areas which was a slightly annoying quality.
Lexen is supportive, caring and likes to be in control. My perfect guy! :-) Happy reading!

The beginning is essentially Twilight. New girl at school, gossipy new friends, mysterious dark family that everyone idealizes. Its nothing new and painfully hard to get though. And sadly once you manage to get though it the setting changes and you’re flooded with a jumble of backstory and lore that is even more frustrating than the beginning. It’s just too much info and the beginning didn’t do enough to get me to care about any of the characters. I had to force myself to finish.
Definitely not her best work. Would recommend skipping this series and just sticking to the first few compass books and co authored God series.

Amazing start of this series!!!... I'm already a fan of Jaymin, so it's not a surprise I loved this new book... It's so well written, good pace and fluent... I like the story line a lot, the mystery around "the elites" is so good, you don't expect what they really are once you find out... Emma is a strong, intelligent, really good person, who values every single person despite their origin... The elites are so arrogant and offensive to them, but she is so drawn into their world, that ends in her breaking the simple rule of no crossing to their side... And so it begins this amazing story, where mystery, new friendships, adventure, danger, struggle and, of course, love, will keep you reading and wanting for more... Jaymin did it again!!!

Whenever I think that Jaymin Eve could not possibly surpass her previous worlds, she creates a new one - and another sassy heroine. While the central romantic interest is a bit predictable, the circumstances that the team of heroes find themselves in continued to twist and turn. Jaymin is a master at creating new worlds and new depths of understanding for our own world. She plays, in this book, with the dichotomy of rich versus poor, of earth versus supernatural, male versus female, good versus evil - and I could go on. Such a great push and pull. I got to the final chapter with a bit of sadness that the next book isn't out yet so I'll have to wait to hear about their next adventures.

The House of Darken is Jaymin's new supernatural series. When I started reading this book I was a little nervous as I wasn't pulled in instantly like I have been for all her other series. However, due to the fact that it is Jaymin and I love everything she produces I knew I was going to make myself read it to the end no matter what. Oh foolish, foolish me. It may have taken me a few chapters to fully delve into this book but I should never have doubted the power of Jaymin's writing. Sure enough, I hit a spot and the game was on, I was fully and completely engrossed once again into another of her worlds. There was action, adventure, mystery, hilarity, and of course some new steamy book boyfriends. I truly loved this book and the new set of characters. I can't wait for the next chapter to come out in this series.

I loved the world building and the overall story. It just wasn't quite enough for me though. I prefer my heroines to be a bit more tough and definitely less crying. Also I felt like we were introduced to a lot of unnecessary side characters. It almost felt like the author wasnt quite sure where she wanted to go with the story the first half. I thought the segregation and class system in the school would have been addressed once the "elite" fell in love with our scholarship girl but it was mostly ignored. Overall, I liked the relationship between them but their story felt unfinished. From the exert for the next book, I think I'll like this heroine much better!

Jaymin does it again! What an amazing read. The whole basis of the story is to follow the ONE rule...don't cross to their side of the street. Well, if course when someone says not to, you're gonna do it. Or maybe it's just me...? And Emma. The whole first half of the book is leaving the mystery if what the other side of the street holds and why Emma isn't allowed to cross that line. It kept me so in the story and wanting to know what was going on. I've always lived Jaymins male roles and her villains. She does a great job at them both. I can't get enough of this series. I'm extremely happy that I won't have to wait too long!!

Jaymin does it again....dont know why I'm surprised, but she has written ANOTHER 5star read. Emma is absolutely real. shes tough and stubborn but not Stupid. I mean, she knows when shes out of her league and yet doesn't back down when pushed. I will say I didn't like Lexen for most of the book. He was downright rotten to her for a good portion of the story. he redeemed himself at the end when we were finally able to see him open up. I also fell in love with yet another world from Jaymins clearly epic imagination....though I think I'm all set with the cascading justices.

Thrilling and unique new series by the talented Jaymin Eve! In the beginning, I thought it was about the rich kids lording over the general student body kind of story but the reality is that it is so far from that. Even though she was told the rules when she moved into the neighborhood, one night Emma decides to investigate the mysterious neighbors and learns that humans aren't the only ones living in Astoria. What she finds out changes the way Emma views her parents, upbringing and herself. Wonderfully written story!

UpperYA level story due to physical consummation in the epilogue. Don’t worry- it’s not explicit in any way. Your call if you consider this an Alien or Supernatural genre.
Emma and her guardians move to Astoria in time for her to start her senior year of high school. Life gets complicated when she comes to the attention of one of the Elite families. There’s enough of a description of the storyline in Audible and the store to decide if you’re interested. I thought it was interesting and creative, but it didn’t move me as much as JE’s series co-written with Jane Washington.

The beginning is essentially Twilight. New girl at school, gossipy new friends, mysterious dark family that everyone idealizes. Its nothing new and painfully hard to get though. And sadly once you manage to get though it the setting changes and you’re flooded with a jumble of backstory and lore that is even more frustrating than the beginning. It’s just too much info and the beginning didn’t do enough to get me to care about any of the characters. I had to force myself to finish.
Definitely not her best work. Would recommend skipping this series and just sticking to the first few compass books and co authored God series.

Amazing start of this series!!!... I'm already a fan of Jaymin, so it's not a surprise I loved this new book... It's so well written, good pace and fluent... I like the story line a lot, the mystery around "the elites" is so good, you don't expect what they really are once you find out... Emma is a strong, intelligent, really good person, who values every single person despite their origin... The elites are so arrogant and offensive to them, but she is so drawn into their world, that ends in her breaking the simple rule of no crossing to their side... And so it begins this amazing story, where mystery, new friendships, adventure, danger, struggle and, of course, love, will keep you reading and wanting for more... Jaymin did it again!!!

Loved this book! Emma is a witty, headstrong protagonist but not at the usual annoying level--she's actually a super relatable main character, thrown into an insane situation and handling it well, and her inner monologue sprinkles some great humor throughout the action and the romance subplot. One of my favorite parts of this book is that Emma doesn't suddenly discover crazy powers, but she manages to be strong and confident and problem-solving in a sea of supernaturals. It felt very real! Engrossing plot, lots of mystery, not super predictable, and very unique world-building. I fully expected an RH as it started, and it did not go there, but that wasn't a bad thing just a little warning. Very excited for the next book!

Whenever I think that Jaymin Eve could not possibly surpass her previous worlds, she creates a new one - and another sassy heroine. While the central romantic interest is a bit predictable, the circumstances that the team of heroes find themselves in continued to twist and turn. Jaymin is a master at creating new worlds and new depths of understanding for our own world. She plays, in this book, with the dichotomy of rich versus poor, of earth versus supernatural, male versus female, good versus evil - and I could go on. Such a great push and pull. I got to the final chapter with a bit of sadness that the next book isn't out yet so I'll have to wait to hear about their next adventures.

The House of Darken is Jaymin's new supernatural series. When I started reading this book I was a little nervous as I wasn't pulled in instantly like I have been for all her other series. However, due to the fact that it is Jaymin and I love everything she produces I knew I was going to make myself read it to the end no matter what. Oh foolish, foolish me. It may have taken me a few chapters to fully delve into this book but I should never have doubted the power of Jaymin's writing. Sure enough, I hit a spot and the game was on, I was fully and completely engrossed once again into another of her worlds. There was action, adventure, mystery, hilarity, and of course some new steamy book boyfriends. I truly loved this book and the new set of characters. I can't wait for the next chapter to come out in this series.

I loved the world building and the overall story. It just wasn't quite enough for me though. I prefer my heroines to be a bit more tough and definitely less crying. Also I felt like we were introduced to a lot of unnecessary side characters. It almost felt like the author wasnt quite sure where she wanted to go with the story the first half. I thought the segregation and class system in the school would have been addressed once the "elite" fell in love with our scholarship girl but it was mostly ignored. Overall, I liked the relationship between them but their story felt unfinished. From the exert for the next book, I think I'll like this heroine much better!

Jaymin does it again! What an amazing read. The whole basis of the story is to follow the ONE rule...don't cross to their side of the street. Well, if course when someone says not to, you're gonna do it. Or maybe it's just me...? And Emma. The whole first half of the book is leaving the mystery if what the other side of the street holds and why Emma isn't allowed to cross that line. It kept me so in the story and wanting to know what was going on. I've always lived Jaymins male roles and her villains. She does a great job at them both. I can't get enough of this series. I'm extremely happy that I won't have to wait too long!!

Jaymin does it again....dont know why I'm surprised, but she has written ANOTHER 5star read. Emma is absolutely real. shes tough and stubborn but not Stupid. I mean, she knows when shes out of her league and yet doesn't back down when pushed. I will say I didn't like Lexen for most of the book. He was downright rotten to her for a good portion of the story. he redeemed himself at the end when we were finally able to see him open up. I also fell in love with yet another world from Jaymins clearly epic imagination....though I think I'm all set with the cascading justices.