Narrator: Susannah Jones, Jay Ben Markson
Series: The Bargainer #3
on January 18, 2019
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Length: 12 hours, 55 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm
There are worse things than death. Things that lurk in the shadows and slip into your dreams. Things that have no business existing. Things that once slept … but have now awoken.
For Callypso Lillis, the fae magic that now runs through her veins is equal parts curse and good fortune. For the very thing that bonds her to Desmond Flynn, the King of the Night, also makes her vulnerable to the Thief of Souls, a man who wants to break the world … and Callie along with it.
But it’s not just the Thief whose shadow looms over the Otherworld. Des’s father is back from the dead, and he wants revenge on the son who sent him to the grave in the first place.
Des and Callie must figure out how to stop both men, and time is running out. Because there are forces at play working to tear the lovers apart once and for all … and unfortunately for them, death is no longer the worst thing to fear.
What a ride. The Bargainer series is one of my new favorite PNR series to date. I devoured all three books in the series in four days, I was so invested.
Dark Harmony is, like its title indicates, a bit on the darker side of things. Desmond Flynn a.k.a. the Bargainer is King of the Night Court in Faery. He is not particularly kind; he is mischievous, deceitful and a tad bit wicked and completely makes the series. Callie is his mate, part human and part Siren; her magic is fascinating. Together they make a dangerous duo, which is good since the Thief of Souls is looking to destroy Desmond and take Callie for himself, which seems a fate worse than death. Let’s hope the King of the Night will find a way to level the playing field.
The Bargainer series is definitely PNR. The romance is the center of the story and it is captivating with plenty of sexy times to be had. The side story, with women disappearing, only to show up asleep in caskets with a baby, the casket children who drink blood and prophesize, and male soldiers going missing never to be seen again was creepy and fascinating. It is like a dark fairytale come to life and I couldn’t wait to find out how it would end.
Rhapsodic was a bit sweeter (except when it wasn’t); A Strange Hymn a little more cruel but Dark Harmony is seductive and brings the love story of Des and Callie to a fantastic conclusion. My one and only complaint is maybe we spent just a smidge too much time in their love story and I wanted to get to the main showdown and find out how/if they would defeat the Thief of Souls.
Still getting to the end was bittersweet because I wanted to spend more time with Des and Callie. I loved hanging out with Temperance, the totally badass witch who will march into hell for her best friend and Desmond’s right hand man Malaki the bringer of Nightmares. They were two very strong side characters in their own right. I was so enamored with the world this was set in, I would have loved to tour more of the Night Fae realm with the gang. While I was very satisfied with the wrap up, I definitely could have still lingered in this world and for me that is a huge win for the author.
Is this series for you? Well, did you enjoy ACOTAR but really wanted a grown-up version with better characters that were darker and less YA/NA-edness. Then this is probably for you. I myself am looking forward to reading some of Laura Thalassa’s other stories with Dark Heroes after she did so well in both this series and Pestilence.
“You’re not bait, love. The fire is the bait. You’re an iron-manacled trap set to crush willful fairies.”
“So, that’s how it feels to be glamoured by a siren,” he says, the corner of his mouth curving up just the slightest, “like I’ve been caught by my balls.” He comes in close, his smirk growing. “The whole thing was horribly invasive. I rather enjoyed it.”
Narration:
I first listened to Susannah Jones with the Rock Chicks series. She is a good narrator who seems to have a lot of fun with the characters she is performing. She was a perfect pick for Callie who makes pop culture references and calls it like she sees it. She did a great job with all the main characters of this series. Jay Ben only makes a brief appearance in the few chapters from Desmond’s PoV, but he was a solid voice choice for the King of Night.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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- Run by Blake Crouch @blakecrouch1 #BallantineBooks@BerkleyPub @SnyderBridge4 - November 4, 2024
- 🎧The Grimm Society by Chanda Hahn @chandahahn @amymcnarrator @TantorAudio #LoveAudiobooks @SnyderBridge4 - October 28, 2024
- The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne @JohnGwynne_@orbitbooks @SnyderBridge4 - October 26, 2024
New to me, but I can totally get behind it. I love when the fey are given darker natures like this.
Yes. Me too. I don’t mind a good antihero, especially when they are comfortable with who they are and don’t try to sugar coat it.
I have seen Pestilence around with many great reviews and has been recommended to me. Did not know she had this other series. Love the cover. Will have to look into it. Love the second quote.
Me either until the other day. It hasn’t been out on audio for long but I’m waiting for War, the sequel to Pestilence to come out when I came across this and the premise grabbed a hold of me.
I’ve been meaning to get to this author. We will see when I can fit it into my schedule. Wonderful review.
So many books I want to read. It is so hard to find the time for all of them. Good luck getting to it though.
i love the dark side.
Yes!!! It is a fun place to visit.
I love that series Anne!
Yay…I’m glad you loved it too. 🙂
It is bittersweet to finally reach the end of a series. I’ll check this out. It’s a new author for me.
On occasion I’m just happy a series is done. But this is one that if she had decided to follow another couple in this world I would be all in.
Sounds like a really fun series and something I might enjoy. I’m going to have to add this to my ever growing TBR pile. 🙂
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
TBR piles never get smaller, but this is good when you want a darker hero and a cute love story.