Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Darkness Deepens by Sara Davison, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The Darkness Deepens
Series: The Day Draws Near #2
Author: Sara Davison
Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink
Release Date: November 15, 2024
Genre: Dystopian Romantic Suspense
Their secrets protect them… but secrets are hard to keep.
No one in the army can find out that Captain Jesse Christensen has become a believer. He and bookstore owner Meryn O’Reilly are forced to meet in secret, facing imprisonment—or worse—if they are found together.
As their relationship deepens, so does Lieutenant Gallagher’s hatred for the Christians in their city, putting all believers, especially Jesse, in extreme danger.
Meryn wants to give her heart to Jesse fully, but her past holds her back. Although circumstances conspire to keep her silent, she needs to tell him her secret so nothing will stand between them anymore.
But when he finds out what she has been keeping from him, nothing will ever be the same.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
Once again, I’ve missed the first book in a series. But that’s okay, because The Darkness Deepens is so good, it makes me want to go grab the first one and then come back and talk about it. I was able to get enough context to really enjoy this book without having read the first one, though.
The story takes place in not-too-distant-future Canada, after several mosques were bombed on 10/10/2053 and an ostensibly Christian group, the Horsemen, has taken credit for the attack. Because of that, the government is dropping the hammer on Christians, marking their businesses, compelling them to wear bracelets identifying them as believers, banning Bibles, fencing them in with laws and restrictions.
Jesse Christensen is a soldier, and through his relationship with Meryn O’Reilly and her family, he’s become a believer, too. As a member of the military, he can’t let it be known that he’s fraternizing with Meryn. It would mean trouble for them both. His superior officer knows of the relationship and approves, as he’s also a Christian. They’ve both chosen to keep serving, doing good within the system when they can. But that isn’t always easy, especially with another officer really hating Christians and wanting to root them out. And keeping his relationship with Meryn under wraps isn’t easy, either.
Sara Davison is one of the best writers I’ve had the pleasure to read recently. Her books are consistently good, always enthralling, and this one meets that mark. The story is one you could see happening. It’s believable enough to give you pause and make you think – if I were in Meryn’s position, Jesse’s shoes, what would I do? Would I stand for my beliefs or would I cave? Chewy stuff.
The story kept me engaged and sometimes on the edge of my seat. But there were flashes of humor, too. Some of Jesse’s interactions with Meryn’s brothers were pretty hilarious! And Meryn and Jesse are both very sympathetic characters. They feel so strongly toward each other, but they each have fears and issues from the past that they have to work through.
Can Jesse and Meryn sort out their feelings? Can they keep clear of those who wish Christians harm? Those questions may be answered (read the book and find out), but the book ends on a cliffhanger that has me chomping at the bit to read the third book in the series!
Five stars, and I highly recommend it for fans of dystopia, clean romance, and nail-biting suspense.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book from JustRead Publicity Tours. I was not required to leave a review. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.
Also Available
About the Author
Sara Davison is the author of five romantic suspense series as well as the standalone, The Watcher. A finalist for more than a dozen national writing awards, including the Christy Award, Davison is a Holt Medallion, Cascade, and two-time Carol Award winner for romantic suspense. She lives in Ontario with her husband, Michael. Like every good Canadian, she loves coffee, hockey, poutine, and apologizing for no particular reason.
Connect with Sara at saradavison.org to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will win a paperback copy of The Darkness Deepens plus a $25 Amazon gift card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 18, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 25, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Sounds really good.
Sounds intriguing
This is an author I have been meaning to try, but not necessarily Dystopian. Great review, Lisa!
great review, Lisa! Thank you for being on the tour 🙂
This looks like a book I will thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read The Darkness Deepens and share your thoughts, Lisa. Blessings to you and all who drop by on the tour!
Thanks, Sara! And thanks for stopping by my blog. You keep writing, I’ll keep reading and sharing the good word!