- Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
- Length: 256 Pages
- Publishing: 29th March 2023
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63908459-dark-eyes
Blackmailed into espionage, Karo must lie to one man while she fights her cravings for another. As spy partners, Karo is forced to work with Andre, the vampire she swore to never trust again. The accidental vampiric bond they have threatens to bend her into submission. But is her will actually weak, or does she want an excuse to give in?
Roman’s patience teeters on Karo’s deception. Bitter, desperate, and vengeful, Karo dutifully completes her missions while withholding data from her uncle Loukin’s operation. She swore to get out from under his thumb, even if she has to break a few hands. Each assignment brings her closer to uncovering his goal, and using it against him, but she also draws closer to new foes. And they all want the same thing—Karo’s secrets.
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Please note that this is the second book in a series, and some spoilers about the first book are inevitable. Still, I did my best to minimize any spoiling to no more than you get from the book blurb. My review of the first book can be found here.
What’s it about (in a nutshell):
Dark Eyes White Lies by M.R. Noble is the second book in the supernatural thriller series Dark Eyes. Karo is an operative for the Russian Supernatural Underground and is partnered with Andre, the vampire to which she is bonded. But Karo wants to be free from a life of espionage and live life as she chooses and with whom she chooses.
My Reading Experience:
My reading started off a bit rocky. I read book one in late 2020, so my memory of the details, almost two and a half years later, is a bit fuzzy. And this showed in my confusion for the first few chapters. Considering how genuinely confused I was, I felt like I hadn’t read the previous book. But luckily, I kept going because after those first few chapters, my reading became much smoother, and everything came together to form a killer of a story (pun intended).
I love that this story is a mashup of my two favorite genres – fantasy and thrillers. Supernatural beings lend themselves to an authentic thrill ride by their very nature. When you add espionage to the mix, you can imagine how it takes the thriller genre to a whole new level.
There is a love triangle, be forewarned, that started in book one. It takes on a few wild twists and turns in this story, making my jaw drop a few times. It’s an open-door romance, too, and if you mix that with the violence in other scenes, it makes this story not for the faint of heart.
Characters:
Karo is the narrator and main character. She is fiercely independent, strong, and doesn’t cower in the face of adversity, even when she probably should. She showed much growth from book one to book two, which I enjoyed immensely.
Narration & Pacing:
The story is told by Karo, and that, combined with plenty of action scenes, keeps the pace going at breakneck speed. This is easily a one-sitting read, just from the action standpoint alone. The aspects I enjoyed the most are the swift pace and the very focused plot, which work perfectly together to create this jaw-dropping thrill ride of a story.
World-Building:
The story is set in Canada primarily, but the world-building focuses mainly on the supernatural world rather than the human world. And, wow! The supernatural world is complex and detailed, with a good balance of commonly known lore and unique aspects that create an easily immersive setting. I loved the addition of the diamond eaters, one of those unique aspects. They are a fascinating supernatural race and bring an even deadlier set of abilities into the mix. Perfect for a thriller story!
Read if you like:
- Supernatural thrillers
- Unique world-building
- Open-Door Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
Overall Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
| Originality | 8 |
| Writing Quality | 10 |
| Pace | 6 |
| Character Development | 8 |
| ‘Couldn’t Put It Down’-ness | 6 |
| Setting | 10 |
M. R. Noble has played a tug of war between science and art her whole life, but the rope broke when she wrote the first line of The Dark Eyes Series. Immersed up to her keyboard in paranormal romance and urban fantasy, she enjoys blending the real with the surreal. The only drawback is she misplaces her mug while dreaming up her next scene and soon finds herself six cups overpoured.
Keeping to her Lake Simcoe roots, she is a member of the Writers Community of York Region (WCYR), where her muse is made, not found.
FOLLOW M. R. NOBLE ON BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/m-r-n…
23 responses to “Dark Eyes: White Lies by M.R. Noble #BookReview #BlogTour #paranormal #thriller”
Fab review (and love the title!)
I do too!
I find that too when reading a series as I can’t always remember everything, great review 😊
There’s been too many books in the in-between ❤️
Excellent review glad you enjoyed it!
I did. It’s quite a thrill-ride 💕
Yay for puns! It’s hard for me to read unfinished series because of exactly that but I’m glad you found your groove, great review!
I am too! It’s a wonderful mix of thriller and fantasy!
Sounds like you really enjoyed the book despite that rocky start, Tessa. The world-building appears excellent and I’m intrigued by the idea of “diamond eaters.”
They are intriguing and very creative.
I love vampires and when you throw in espionage, it grabs me even more. And now I want to know what diamond eaters are.
They are very interesting creatures.
This one isn’t for me, but it sounds like a thrilling read for the right audience. Thanks, Tessa.
It is 💕
Great review, Tessa! I’ll definitely be adding this series to my TBR.
It’s a great combination of the two genres!
Great review! This sounds good. I am able to jump into books and quickly recall the previous book! I find it as a superpower so I don’t NEED to re-read. haha 🙂
It usually is mine too but not this time. I guess there have just been too many books in between 🤣
It’s been ages I read a vampire story, I don’t even remember which was the last but looks like this is a good one. Great review!
It is good. A good blend of thriller and fantasy.
I’m glad I’m not the only one sitting read person, people think I’m bizarre for calling books that
That’s weird. I wonder what they would call a book you can read without stopping.
I guess they just don’t read a book without stopping 🤷♀️