Scarlet Night (Behind the Vail Book 1) by Megan J. Parker - A Review

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​Blurb From Amazon
His “beast” is no match for her “beauty”…
Or her crazy!
Zane Murdoch’s horrific past is forever etched on his skin, marking him as a monster; making him into a monster. It’s his punishment, one that anchors him to his pain and anger. But he’s fought on, hopeful that someday he’ll find a way to conquer the beast within him.
Serena Vailean can’t let go of the past, and her past can’t let go of her. In the spectral embrace of her murdered lover, it’s easy to not let go. But all that changes when Zane arrives on her doorstep, blows her off her feet, and then pulls her back into her old life…
And her new future.
All at once, Serena finds herself fighting. Fighting her growing feelings for Zane, fighting the urge to let go of the past, and fighting to keep her and her new friends-- her clan! —from being destroyed by an old, familiar foe.
Can the untamed beauty and the battered beast overcome their pasts, accept their entwined destinies, and, together, overcome this new threat…
Or will they find themselves marked and haunted by even more failure?

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Review

Standalone or series?
Series - This is book 1 in the Behind the Vail trilogy.

How did I get this book?
I met Megan at FC3 and she kindly sent me a copy to review.

Why did I choose to read this book:  
This has been floating around on my Kindle since last year and I FINALLY got around to reading it.

Genre:
Dark Urban Fantasy

Who would enjoy this book:  
Fans of paranormal that don't mind when things skew a little darker. Language and some sexy scenes (not as many as I expected based on the cover though lol)

And Now To The Comments!

First Impressions:
You get thrown RIGHT into the story. You meet the sassy protagonist and there action and drama right off the bat. 

General Review
This is the first book that I have read by Megan J. Parker. I am always impressed when authors are able to twist well known ideas and make them unique and this story definitely has that. There are differences even with regular supernaturals where the laws are generally a finite selection. That was actually also part of a problem for me. I like to know all the rules, all the parameters, at least in general. This had parts where I felt like I was missing something - as if there was another series or prequel that I should have read first. (I did reach out to the author and that was not the case).  That being said, this could well be a "Melanie issue". I do tend to get hung up on things that don't bother other readers. I'm not apologizing for it, I just recognize that it's a thing. 

Final Thoughts
This skewed darker than I was expecting, with less super sexy romance (again that's on me based on the cover), but the story was enough that I kept turning the pages and plan on reading the next one. I love that the protagonist has a total lack of a filter, even in situations where she probably SHOULD have one, it makes for far more entertaining reading that she doesn't. It does end on a cliffhanger - and the tease from the next book was no help at all!

Rating:
4 Stars - and I will be continuing the series! (This book is free on Amazon at the time of posting)

As always let me know what you think in the comments!


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