After searching for two months, Ryder has finally caught up with Angelique, but he doesn’t know if he wants to kill her or kiss her. Ryder’s not sure if he can ever trust Angelique again, but he does know that as long as she has the black diamond she is in danger. His assignment from the Realm of Light is simple; find Angelique and convince her to turn the diamond over to them for safekeeping. Ryder’s feelings for Angelique are not so simple though, and before he knows it, the heat he feels whenever he is near her threatens to melt the icy walls around his heart.
Ryder and Angelique soon find that they have their work cut out for them just trying to stay one step ahead of the demons who are determined to have the black diamond and the Deveraux sisters for themselves. Along with the other members of the Realm of Light, Angelique and Ryder must retrieve the diamond, find Isabelle and confront the evil surrounding them. But perhaps their toughest challenge will be in overcoming the secrets from their pasts, so that they can build a future together.
THE DARKEST TOUCH is aptly named, for it is by far the darkest and edgiest of the DEMON HUNTER series yet. Author Jaci Burton does a tremendous job of combining heart-stopping suspense with toe-curling romance and leaving the reader breathless. There is a lot going on plot wise in THE DARKEST TOUCH, but the story flows seamlessly from the beginning to the final dramatic conclusion. I loved finally getting to know the sexy and enigmatic Ryder in this book and felt Angelique was the perfect heroine for him; loving enough to give him the warmth he’s been missing all his life, but tough enough not to let him walk all over her. I also enjoyed that we were given glimpses of Isabelle’s story throughout THE DARKEST TOUCH. It really helped in understanding Angelique’s past and certainly whetted my appetite for the next demon-hunter novel, TAKEN BY SIN, due to be released in 2009. THE DARKEST TOUCH can definitely be read as a stand alone novel, but I do recommend reading the previous two books in order to fully appreciate the incredible storyline and characters that Jaci Burton has created in this series.
