Destiny’s Dark Light by Sara Dobie Bauer

What do you do when you finally meet the man destined to be your one true love, but he’s already in love with somebody else? Check out this witchy paranormal romance just in time for Halloween!

What’s it About? 

In modern day Charleston, two fated lovers meet at the beginning of a world-ending witch war…

Cyan Burroughs is a lonely light witch prophesied to battle the dreaded Dorcha—a dark sorcerer with the power to rule the world. There’s one problem: Cyan doesn’t have any powers of her own. An unknown witch flips a trolley and causes mass carnage, and Cyan’s dormant magic awakens. When she drags handsome Irishman Liam Cody from the wreckage, she recognizes his face from her aunt’s psychic portraits. He is the man Cyan is destined to love.

As she and her magical family seek to unveil the murderous witch who caused the accident, Cyan and Liam grow closer, but Liam’s mysterious past is not the only thing keeping them apart. Dark witches and light will soon fight to the death, and Cyan must face her calling. How can she protect Liam and win the war when her immense powers are barely under control?

First Impressions

I always say it takes a lot to surprise me, but this witchy read had me guessing pretty much from start to finish. We know that Cyan is the Loach of prophecy, a light witch destined to defeat evil so that good can prevail. Her enemy is referred to as Dorcha, a dark witch of immense power. Cyan’s destiny is not only to fight and defeat this Dorcha in a violent war of light against dark, but her one true love has also been foreseen by her seer of an aunt who’s been painting his portrait for as long as Cyan can remember. One day Cyan finally meets her one true love, but it’s in the midst of a terrible accident where they both struggle to pull his girlfriend from a burning car.

Cyan has to watch on as the man who is her destiny pines after a woman he’s loved for years who is now in a coma. There are so many twists and turns in this novel that you never know what direction it might go. It’s clear the Dorcha has arrived, and caused the accident that finally brought Cyan and Liam together. But who is he? You’ll find yourself questioning everyone!! Sure, Liam might be Cyan’s true love, but does that mean they’ll necessarily get a happily ever after together? You want them to find love, but at the same time you find yourself heartbroken with his sense of hopelessness over his girlfriend’s injuries. As the war between good and evil approaches you never really know who is friend, who is foe, and who is one’s true love.

Building a Love Story

Ever since Cyan was a little girl, she’s known that she was destined to love one man, and she’s known what that man would look like. She comes from a family of light witches, and her aunt is a seer who has painted the image of this man many times whenever he’s appeared to her in a vision. When Cyan finally sees him in the flesh she’s absolutely floored. He might be in love with another woman, a woman he was planning to propose to, but Cyan can’t deny her love for this man.

Throughout the novel you’re constantly wondering how this romance might develop between Cyan and Liam seeing as his heart already belongs to someone else. Will Cyan really pursue a man who is grieving over his girlfriend in a coma? If something does happen between them, would it simply be a coping mechanism for Liam in an attempt to numb his pain as he watches his girlfriend slowly dying in front of him? And above it all, you can’t help but wonder if the draw that Cyan feels for Liam is truly love, or if it’s simply the fact she’s always been told this man would be the love of her life. Is she falling in love with the man, or the prophecy? Is it love, or her destiny? Is there even a difference between the two?

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: Stand-alone. I want this to be a series!!

Final Impressions: This is an engaging, quick read that will keep you on your toes from start to finish. I wasn’t too far into the book before I found it harder and harder to put down. The characters draw you in just as much as the story itself. The whole book is sort of a slow build towards the ultimate battle between Loach and Dorcha, and while I definitely enjoyed the journey, the climax was almost over too quickly. We’re introduced to some new minor side characters towards the end, and the war is really just one battle. Maybe I’m greedy, but I would have loved an additional 50 pages to elaborate more on some of the dark witches who enter our tale late in the game, as well as the details and fallout of the war itself.

Smut Level: Our characters have new powers to deal with, not to mention a war to prepare for. Not exactly a lot of spare time for sexy fun times. I mean…there’s definitely some time. Just not a lot 😉

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $2.99 Kindle Price. Pen and Kink Publishing. 196 Pages.