A review by onceupon_a_bookdream
Shades of Darkness by Nicky James

4.0

"He was a tattooed, beer drinking, smoking, badass type, and I was the bookworm nerd and always had been. He was in a whole other league. I didn’t even have a league in comparison. "

I enjoyed the second book in the trials of fear series, Shades of Darkness , just as much as I did the first. Rory and Adrian have such distinct and clear personalities. Rory is aggressive and straightforward and his light phobia keeps him on edge. Adrian is an adorable nerd who rambles when he's nervous and shies away from confrontation. Unlike the first book both main characters had significant issues they were dealing with on their own. Adrian the constant bullying from his roommates that just continue to escalate and got out of hand. Rory with his light phobia that's it itself stemmed from bullying from people he called friends. The two come together perfectly, Adrian softens Rorys hard edges and inspires him to take control of his fears.

I am loving the way the author is writing about these phobias she makes easier to understand and represents them in an informative and relatable way. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

"He sealed his mouth over mine and took my breath away. It was everything I wanted and more than I’d dreamed. There weren’t enough adequate words in the English language to describe the sheer bliss of feeling a man’s touch in that way. And not just any man, but Rory.

“You… you take away some of the darkness. You make me smile. I… something about you makes me believe the world isn’t half as awful as I’ve made it out to be. Like maybe there is hope. Maybe I can learn to trust.”