A review by nadenetotallyaddictedtoreading
The Darkest Corner by Liliana Hart

3.0

Why I chose to read The Darkest Corner.·Intriguing PremiseI found the idea of a secret group made of the most elite of the world’s fighting forces fascinating. What increased my interest was the fact this group of men were considered dead to everyone and as a result was unable to return to their original lives without risking those they love.The leader of this elite unit, Deacon Tucker, is a former CIA operative. He is the first recruit of this shadowy organisation. His mission is to save the world or die trying, and as long as he does not fall in love all will be well. Falling in love would lead to one thing, certain death. However, Tess Sherman will have him breaking this rule.Tess is a mortician, who is responsible for the operation of the funeral home in Last Stop, Texas. The funeral home also happens to be the headquarters for the Gravediggers. She has no idea that such an organisation existed. The only thing she was aware of was that she had five hot and sexy men working for her, one of whom she was attracted to. What I enjoyed.The Prologue: The story started out on an adrenaline high. It was intense, and I was eager to discover how it would tie into the rest of the story.The Characters: I found the characters interesting. Some were on the quirky side and some unlikeable. The main characters Tess and Deacon brought out the best in each other. I enjoyed their banter which was at times hilarious, sexy and sweet. I liked how the author went into detail about the characters allowing to me to understand what made them tick.· The Romance: I thought the romance was well done. I liked that the connection between Tessa and Deacon was not one of insta-lust. Deacon feelings for Tess grew over a span of two years. He never made a move as he was not sure that his feelings were reciprocated. However, the moment he realised that there was a possibility that Tess felt the same way he was determined to be with her regardless of the dangers involved.·The author provided detailed information into the operations of The Gravediggers and their purpose which I appreciated, seeing that this was the first book in the series. I got insight into Tess’s role in the set-up and how she would eventually become a part of the operations.The issues I had.Pacing: The pacing was painfully slow to the point where I found myself losing interest in the story. I pushed myself to complete it, hoping that it would eventually pick up. It was not until around 50% into the story that it was revealed how the prologue tied into the story it was at this point that things began to take shape. However, it was not until about 70% into the story that pace picked up. By then I had lost interest in the operations. In regards to the prologue, it would have been good to know what happened to the characters that had been mentioned..Suspense: The story was classified as a romantic suspense, but it never delivered in that area. At no time in the story did I feel like I was on the edge of my seat. .Based on the rule which prohibits members of the unit from falling in love which I expected there to be conflict regarding the romance between Tess and Deacon. However, things were tied up too neatly for my liking..VerdictI went into this story with high expectations and ended up being disappointed. It was not a bad read, but personally, I thought it could have been better. View all my reviews