Great read, waiting on next one! When a young woman is kidnapped, she awakens to being tied and in a world other than her own. When trying to escape a winged assassin captures her. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review

This book follows a few characters perspectives. Mainly Maddie and Dominion. Maddie is kidnapped from her job as a librarian and brought to an alternate world where she is rescued and has to learn about the new structure and powers of Angor. This book follows a similar tale to Christian history mixed with Greek mythology.

I believe this book has a lot of potential in the story, though it does end on a cliffhanger. There is clearly a complicated series of events playing out that was interesting for anyone who enjoys mythology, or books with immortals. Maddie's character has a lot of past trauma that has shaped who she is, and how she thinks and acts. I enjoyed seeing how consistently she was written. The other immortal beings also all have intriguing personalities as you get to see bits of them in small chapters written from their perspectives. Also, just have to say, love the wolf WOO! But, I wish I felt like I knew him more, he just magically became Maddies best friend overnight, which leads to my next paragraph.

The main issues I faced were largely based on the writing, I think this books story could be a favorite of mine but is often cheesy and rushed. It just felt underdeveloped, like there should be twice as many chapters. I also didn't feel like basically ANYTHING was resolved by the end. This is not exact but there is a line similar to "Please pick up the pieces of my heart and put it back together, I love you". AND JUST GAG. A lot of lines are similar to this, and thought processes. As with most romances, there is a lovers falling out, this one was pretty small, but I felt like an outsider watching, and it was very quickly resolved with some cheesy lines. The writing is plot line, until a quick emotion dump, and then plot. It's not blended smoothly and is all "told" to the reader. I also didn't see any love happening and felt like they had just met each other and BAM they were soul mates. Uh... Everything moved so quickly and I kept thinking it felt like someone told a story of a story that they had once read. Lacking a lot of details and build up. There was also the whole idea that Dom was cured of *centuries* of guilt over learning one quick AA trick! So yeah, unrealistic. One thing readers may like that I don't, the names of characters and places. A lot of typical mythological words (or regular words) written with new spellings (Feard). If it had been 3 or so words, this would've been a welcome spelling, but it was a lot of words/names/places. This made my brain work double time to track new information - and there's a lot of info dumping to track that isn't laid out naturally over time or at critical moments.

I have to say, if you want a quick read you could give this a try. Expect a condensed story, and the large over looming plot line is not resolved before the ending.

This review is in exchange for a free book by Netgalley and the author. Thank you for letting me read your stories!

Thank you to T.M. Smith and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide feedback.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the world building and the interactions between the characters.

If you enjoy the following, you’ll like this book:
-Dark Romantasy
-FMC human librarian x MMC winged assassin
-Multiple POVs
-Humor & Banter

I liked the story and the worldbuilding, but the main couple was a little off for me. I didn't feel their connection being that strong, and I think the romance lacked something.
I liked everything else.

Dark Shadow of Guilt, unfortunately, fell flat for me. The idea and world building have potential, but it was lacking depth, especially with the characters. I wanted to enjoy the characters more, but with the multi-pov's, it became cluttered and unnecessary. I did enjoy that Madeline was from St. Louis (love the hometown rep!). The romance between Madeline and Dom also felt very forced and awkward. I wanted to like this based on the description, but it just wasn't what I expected.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Now what is this? I have never read a book that felt as this one does, but I didn't hate it? I read the whole thing in an afternoon and was unable to really stop myself.

If The Bargainer Series by Laura Thalassa and the Hades x Persephone series by Scarlett St Clair had a baby, it would be this book.

If you love grumpy winged assassins and a world of flying creatures, youll love this book.

The way Dom turns to mush is a feet kicking read and finding out how the mystery of Maddy and how she ended up in OneWorld etc kept you wanting to read the book as quick as possible.

Really enjoyed this one and would definitely reccomend. I have some questions so I really hope there is a book 2 so we can figure out what is going on with OC and the world 😍

Thank you NetGalley

I recently finished this book and overall, I really enjoyed it. This was my first time reading anything by this author, and I’m glad I gave it a try. Although the beginning was a bit slow and took me a few chapters to get into, the pace picked up pretty quickly, and from there, I found myself drawn into the story.

The storyline itself was intriguing and kept me turning the pages, especially because I loved following the journey of Maddy and Dom. They’re both engaging characters with great chemistry, and I found myself rooting for them throughout.

If you enjoy a bit of spice in your romances, you’ll be happy to know there are some open-door scenes scattered through the book. It’s not overwhelmingly steamy from start to finish, but the intimate moments are well-written and felt perfectly placed within the story, adding to the connection between the characters rather than overshadowing the plot.

One thing to note is that this book does end on a cliffhanger, which definitely has me eager to see what happens next in the series. I’m looking forward to picking up the next installment to find out where Maddy and Dom’s story goes.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Romantasy and is looking for an engaging read with a mix of romance, intriguing plot twists, and a touch of spice.

I really enjoyed the story, its fast paced. You get details about each character and what theyre going through. The action scenes have great potential but they are quickly passed over. The world building is strong, and its an easy read.

Dark Shadow of Guilt dives straight into the action, which I really enjoyed. The concept was strong, and the plot itself had all the makings of something gripping. I loved the idea behind it.

That said, it just didn’t land emotionally for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters or feel the tension. I wanted to, but it just didn’t hit. Even the spice felt kind of flat. I wish I had the words to explain exactly what was missing, but I just know I didn’t feel pulled in the way I wanted to be.

Still, I think others might vibe with it a lot more than I did. It has a solid framework, and I can see it really working for the right reader.

Thank you so much for the earc.

This was somewhere between 4 stars and 4.5 stars for me. The storyline held my interest and always had me wanting more. The world T.M. Smith created is unique and so creative! It really felt like something different than a lot of the books I've read. I also really loved the characters! My favorites were, of course, Dom and Madeline, but the side characters were great too. I enjoyed watching Dom and Madeline fall in love. I always love when the MMC is only soft for the FMC. Madeline definitely brought out the best in Dom.

The main reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because of the writing style. It just wasn't quite for me. There were 10 POV in the book and that was too much for me. Some readers might love that and feel like it gives a more well rounded story though. Unfortunately for me, it made it feel a little disjointed instead.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing for the ARC!

I received and ARC copy of this book from NetGalley!

I’m uncertain about my feelings regarding this book. The overall story feels somewhat rushed, with too many events unfolding in a short timeframe. The romantic aspect seems hurried, as Maddy transitions from being a sycophant—something Dom refrains from exploiting—to suddenly being deeply in love with him, almost resembling a couple. Although they discuss how they have changed, I, as a reader, don’t feel like I’m able to follow their emotional development.

Perhaps this is partly due to my preference for first-person narratives. Because of this, it feels like I don’t truly understand how they feel or why; I’m simply informed of their emotions instead of experiencing them firsthand. Additionally, the multiple points of view hinder my ability to form a genuine connection with the characters.

Nonetheless, I believe the story's concept has significant potential. Unfortunately, the way it’s written just doesn’t resonate with me.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were interesting, the romance was great and believable, but I wanted more! Not necessarily a bad thing, but I wish we saw more development in the FMC, MMC, and their relationship. The rest of the book is fantastic, though, especially the worldbuilding. I can't wait to read more from this author, 4.5 stars!

3.5 ⭐️ There were elements of this I really enjoyed and others that I didn't like so much but overall this was a good story and I will continue the series as it goes on.

Firstly, I really liked the characters! Dom is grumpy, winged and a warrior. He has a dark humour but has been through a lot in his life. Betrayal and hurt clings to him. I thought Maddy was great and I really enjoyed the insights to her past. It showed so much of why she was like she was.

The other warriors were a great addition. I loved that Remi was a film buff and he chucked in movie quotes here and there. I'm so intrigued by the OneCreator especially with the little revelation at the end.

The world building was good. I liked how the different dimensions had distinct differences.

The plot has a lot of intrigue and I liked how it didn't give it all away in the first book. I am so keen to know who is leading the rebellion and what has happened to Maddy's sisters?!

The reason why this got 3.5 stars is because I feel like the romance wasn't really developed enough. It was just a bit too quick for me and they fell so quick and I guess I prefer a bit more angst thrown in. I did even joy the spice though! I'd have also liked more battle / action scenes. The ones we got felt over too quickly for me.

I liked the humour and banter between characters and LOVE Freki. There should be more talking wolves in books if you ask me!

Thank you to Victory Editing, the author and NetGalley for the arc. This is my own honest review of the book!