First, let me say that this is one of my most favorite covers ever! This couple is exactly right for Kel and Farran and it's beautiful! Love, love, love this cover!
I also love this book. It's one of my personal favorites that I've ever written. Sometimes authors talk about gift books, ones that write themselves. I've never had one of those, but Darkest Night came close. The last half of the book flowed out of me and made me excited to be a writer. :-) If only every story was like that!
I knew that Kel would be the hero in the fourth book from the time I was writing Edge of Dawn, but I had no clue who his heroine was. That's why I found it amusing when someone online thought it was obvious from EOD that Farran would be his heroine and hoping that she was wrong. She had better powers of observation than I did because it wasn't until well after I turned in EOD that I discovered who the heroine was in Darkest Night.
Kel Andrews is Logan's twin. We learned previously that something had happened to change him. In this book we discover what that was. Kel has PTSD and is struggling mightily. Mightily enough that the council has removed him from his duties as a troubleshooter. They're concerned he'll get himself killed. Kel's family is concerned about him, too. He's shut them all out as much as it's possible for him to do that.
Farran was injured at the end of EOD and disappeared. We catch up with her here and it's the return of Seth, the god-demon from Twilight's Shadow. Another magic user also makes an appearance and the battle between the two--both of whom seem interested in her--scare Farran enough to come out of hiding and go to Logan and Shona for help.
Only Logan and Shona aren't home. Kel's there instead and his choosing to help Farran will be the first step in his journey out of the darkness.
Farran is wounded, too. She was emotionally and physically abused by her father and her brothers are less than admirable. Because of her past, she's able to recognize that Kel is in his own hell.
There are so many scenes in this book that I love, that I can't pick a favorite. Maybe the scene where Kel finally reveals his deepest, darkest secret to Farran. Or the scene where Kel and Logan finally talk and reach a good place with each other. Or how about when Kel's sister, Tris, arrives at an inopportune moment? :-) heh!
I liked that Farran did not heal Kel and Kel did not heal Farran. Their falling in love only encouraged them to work on healing themselves. Kel needed therapy and refused to go, but when he realized he couldn't have the woman he loved if he didn't make changes, he does start therapy. There is no magic solution. He's still dealing with his PTSD in the epilogue, but he feels as if he's improved enough where he can commit to Farran. With the severity of their wounds, both Kel and Farran will probably spend the rest of their lives healing to some degree or another.
Darkest Night also deals with repairing relationships. Kel with his family, especially his twin, and Farran with her best friend.
The cabin where Kel and Farran hide out in Wisconsin is a cabin I'd go to with my parents when I was younger. I found pictures from the days where they were actually developed from film and printed out and had those on my coffee table while I wrote the book.
Before I wrap up here, let me talk a little about the Light Warriors series. I'd planned on writing more books, and if I ever get the rights back to the first four titles, maybe I actually will write them. Book 5 would have been Kel and Logan's sister's story. Tris is sick of her hugely overprotective big brothers and how they scare off men, so she goes looking for someone to have a fling with, someone not cowed by Kel and Logan. It's after she breaks things off with him that they're forced to work together.
All the heroines in the series are part of the Twilight Time prophecy. Ryne is the strongest troubleshooter ever born, Maia carries the seed of the demon (not that kind of seed!), Shona is the dragon mage, and Farran is the halfling. I can't remember what Tris's special power is without going back to my notes and this blog post is long enough anyway. :-)
