House of Darken (Secret Keepers Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

Loved it

House of Darken is a paranormal, urban fantasy with mystical beings and a go-getter protagonist. We see some of our favorite Jaymin Eve tropes like a host of protective males + one female, an unraveling mystery, love, and possibly true mates.It's a fun story, and I liked the base storyline concept. Thrown into a new society where Emma is a bottom feeder, she has to navigate a new neighborhood as well as a new school, both with politics and class issues. I felt this book had elements of Twilight [surroundings, teen protag thrown into a new school with a group everyone reveres but who also repel], the Supernatural Prison series, and the Walker Saga but it stood on its own.Our mystery involves the disappearance of Emma's guardians, plus the people who live on Daelight, the gated, and strange community where Emma's family moved. Nothing is what it seems and Emma is thrown into a scenario she wasn't prepared for. Her wits and spunk help her survive. When thrown into uncomfortable situations, Emma uses sarcasm coupled with intelligence and stands up for herself. I love the back and forth between her and Jero, especially when she calls out him out for his behavior. Her relationships with Star and Marsil are sweet, and I like the dynamic with Lexen. Her non-elite friends are also fun, adding a bit of humor and comparison for the unusual world of Elites Emma finds herself in. I felt this book provided us with an ending to the current goings on while leaving it open for a sequel. Jaymin always leaves us wanting more, but doesn't leave us unfulfilled with the current storyline.To sum up, the things I love:- The protagonists take no crap attitude, especially when it comes to how guys treat her. She allows them to be men and be protective which gives them what they want and need but doesn't let it take away from her independence and ability to take care of herself.- The wit and sarcasm throughout the book.- Numerous personality types with multiple layers, something for which I feel Jaymin has a natural talent and which you don't always see in a lot of young adult books. Or adult books for that matter.- The deep bonds people develop, albeit some are a little fast for my taste.- Overarching storyline is interesting.- Intrigue, action, humor, and love.Things I'm not overly fond of:- The speed at which people bond in romantic scenarios. I can't go into this further without spoiling things.- Mates is a theme throughout the author's books, and it's fun, but I'd like to see more mystery with it or just to have two people who learn to love each other over time. The mates thing is expected now [which doesn't make it a particularly bad thing. It does make it predictable.]- This one has become a huge pet peeve for me for some reason, and I acknowledge that. Use of the word 'somehow' in places it doesn't need to be and which takes away from whatever is going on. I searched for examples to show here, and it came up 55 times. - Examples: "They took in a grieving, broken mess of human and somehow provided me with what I needed to claw my way from the darkness." "She was a few inches taller than my five foot eight, but somehow still looked small next to the boys." - I realize this is my issue and it's not a huge offense by any means. 'Somehow' has appeared in the last few books from Jaymin but in this one, it was prevalent. Some of the time it worked, but in most cases, it felt unnecessary or like a placeholder for another description.Overall, I liked this book, and I'm looking forward to the next installment. Jaymin is a talented storyteller, and I always enjoy her books, regardless of personal peeves.

This book is a paranormal, urban fantasy with mystical beings and a go-getter protagonist. The protagonists has a take no crap attitude, especially when it comes to how guys treat her. She allows them to be men and be protective which gives them what they want and need but doesn't let it take away from her independence and ability to take care of herself. I love the wit and sarcasm throughout the book. There are numerous personality types with multiple layers which you don't always see a lot of. Lots of intrigue, action, humor, and love.

❤️❤️❤️❤️ absolutely love her book this is one of my favorite series. She is by far my favorite author. It's a must read keep you wanting more... No spoiler alerts read for yourself and enjoy 😁

I love Jaymin as an author and so was surprised that this one disappointed a bit. The romance arch felt very rushed and a bit unbelievable. It was almost as though she wrote it because it had to happen not a natural part of the book. I didn't love either main character and I liked a bunch of supporting characters but none of them developed enough. Again as though she felt she needed to get them all introduced in this first book instead of taking a smaller amount and really developing them and allowing them part of the story. In part because she tried to put into time into world building and too much of the main character struggling instead of showing a deeper level to her. Again. I'm glad I read it but I really hope she steps the next one up. It's almost as though she is trying to turn out too many books this year and the writing is suffering because of it.

I absolutely love this book! Just bought book 2 and 3 because I don't want to wait!We are introduced to the heroine Emma who currently lives with her guardians as her parents have tragically passed away in a fire a few months before. In a new town just trying to fit in, it soon becomes apparent this place has some strange and supernatural happenings that can't be ignored. In comes the Darkens, extremely attractive siblings who rule the school along the rest of the elites. Emma has an unexplainable draw to this family, especially the eldest Lexen. But Emma doesn't have time to get acclimated to her new school because her eccentric guardians are now missing, so she has to break all the rules to find them, mainly the number one rule of don't cross the street. When she stumbles across a secret, all bets are off and it is the Darken's that will end up keeping her safe.The chemistry between Emma and the Darken family is fantastic. I love her interactions with each, especially Lexen. I am so excited to see more dynamics between these characters throughout the series. I believe the other books will follow different heroines, but I really hope to get more Emma and Lexen in the future too.

Makes sense why these books need to be read in order. After the first start to one very interesting and different world. Talk about being one of a kind and unique is saying something. I mean Jaymin Eve is awesome and always delivers some incredible stories. This was a surprise. Always good surprises.Once you start, there’s no stopping now. And expect the unexpected when you dive into this story. It’ll have you hooked, addicted and excited.

Love love loved this book! It was exciting and new and I loved world the author built! It was perfect from start to finish. I can’t wait to start the next one!

Give me more and more and more! This book is so f.... awesome I can't get enough of the story!

Is it weird to start a review with: ‘I can’t wait for the other books in this series.’? Nope, I don’t think so, when I was about half way through the book I felt the urge to just buy the other books, just in case they miraculously would disappear. Wait! How can they disappear if they aren’t released yet? Well that is how much I loved House of Darken, the first book in The Secret Keepers Series.House of Darken is the first book I have read of Jaymin Eve, and I can assure you now it won’t be the last. I enjoyed the style, the storyline, the characters, even the cover is a nice one.The story is about Emma, who moved to Astoria with her guardians after her parents where killed in a house fire and although everythings seems normal, it’s not as normal as it seems. At her first day at school she made some friends and because of her scholarship she has to follow some rules. Rules badass Lexen Darken and his Elite classmates don’t need to follow.After her guardians went missing Emma decides to go look for them and although she has been told a few times to not cross the line in her street (because that’s where the Elite lives) she can’t help herself just to do just that in order to find her guardians. After that nothing won’t be the same again.

When Emma’s guardians go missing on the first night in their new town, she stops caring about the rules. Who are these people to tell her where she can and can’t walk anyway? Soon after a short stroll on the wrong side of the road, she discovers the big secret her intriguing neighbours were trying to protect, a secret they kidnap her to protect. Emma and Lexen grow close as they search for her missing guardians across two worlds. Then they discover that Emma is the one holding the key to a far greater secret.I don’t normally go for sci-fi, but the premise of this one intrigued me, and I am so glad I gave it shot. The author did a marvellous job of setting the scene without too much exposition or detailed descriptions, instead focussing on the wonderful characters and the strange events unfolding around them. I loved how she explored the concept of aliens among us, teleporting us to another world that is quite different to our own, yet fundamentally the same.If you enjoy reading fantasy romance, I highly recommend this one, even if, like me, you don’t usually read science fiction.