REVIEW: My Dark Desire by L.J. Shen & Parker S. Huntington

My Dark Desire by L.J. Shen & Parker S. Huntington: Farrow’s plan was simple, slip into the home of billionaire Zachary Sun while he was hosting a party to choice a bride and steal back what rightfully belonged to her, a pendant belonging to her late father and carry on with her life. Farrow just never expected to get caught red handed by Zach himself or to wind up in the web of the cold billionaire prince. Feeling that she is about to out stay her welcome Farrow decides to bolt leaving behind her worn out converse sneaker. In true Cinderella style Zach uses the left behind shoe to track down Farrow, finding her tucked away by her wicked stepmother Vera and two dumb stepsisters. More determined now than ever to get more time with the only person in the world that makes him actually feel, Zach devises a plan to get more time with Farrow, a simple exchange really. He will pay for all her legal fees to contest her fathers will, in exchange she will be his personal maid and fix his phobias. The only problem with becoming more human are these new feelings that Farrow seems to be eliciting in Zach… the question now is can the dark prince convince his Cinderella that she is actually meant to be his dark queen?

“Even if Zach Sun were the devil, I’d willingly let him drag me into darkness. I was Persephone, eagerly following him into the underworld.”

LOVED!!! My Dark Desire was in-freaking-credible! I loved every single moment of this dark steamy emotional retelling of the fairytale classic Cinderella. There was so much to love about this book that I truly could not find a fault even if I tried to look for one. I have to say it was a bit longer than I had expected but personally I liked having more build up between Zach and Farrow. Huntington and Shen have done a brilliant job in incorporating a gripping love story with so much of heart, pain, growth and so much of dirty steam! Truly this was the best grown up version of a childhood favourite!

Farrow was amazing! I can easily say that she was one of my all time favourite leading ladies. She had ball of steal and the sass the match. Her character was loveable, relatable and a true princess on the inside. I loved the fact that she did not give a damn about the way she looked in her ripped jeans and simple t-shirt. Her work ethic and dedication to the family business was something else, she was truly a hard worked not afraid to get her hands dirty while her evil step family reaped the benefits of her hard work. More than anything I loved the fact that she did not allow anyone to walk all over her, she knew her value and wasn’t afraid to tell anyone where to jump off. Though my heart just broke for her and all that she had been put through, I hated having to see her struggle so much and fight to be loved and wanted. Getting to see her truly flourish and come into her own was pure magic, I loved the fact that she called Zach out on his behaviour and was not afraid to stand up to his mother. Truly Farrow was one of the best leading ladies ever, with buckets of sass, attitude and a strong personality, I just adored her!

“You slipped into my life pretending to be a problem and turned out to be my solution. My salvation.”

If ever there was a tin man with a heart of ice slowly defrosting it would be our hero Zach Sun. Gosh this guy did not hold a candle to Farrow and her greatness but he was pretty amazing in his own right. I just loved the fact that he was the ‘I hate everyone but her’ type of hero, his protective and possessive nature was in full force throughout the book when it came to Farrow and I for one loved every moment of this. But gosh did this guy just break my heart, after the trauma he faced seeing his father die right in front of him and the aftermath that followed only made my heart hurt for him, his eversion to touch truly was the worst form of punishment one could face. I just loved getting to see him come alive with Farrow in his orbit, she truly was the Sun to his dark days. I will say I do wish he would have stood up to his mother a bit sooner and ended that stupid arranged marriage with Eileen a lot sooner but his grand gesture was just perfect.

The chemistry between Farrow and Zach was insane! They were night and day, fire and ice, pure electric passion. The banter and challenging nature between them only made for a more inthralling read and I loved that they constantly challenged each other, there was no sugar coating things, they pushed each other to be better. The steam was insane, I’m talking not safe for work or public reading, but gosh was it good! For a guy that was a virgin, Zach had all the right moves and the dirty talk was on point. I truly loved the way Farrow helped him move past his touch phobia with each slow careful touch and caress. Aside from the physical connection these two built a beautiful emotional bond and helped each other realise that they both might be imperfect but they were perfect for each other. Also can we take a moment to swoon at their whole octopus thing, this was just the cutest quirky addition to their romance.

The secondary characters in this book were pretty good as well. I loved that Dallas and Farrow instantly clicked and formed a fast friendship and that Dallas was there to support Farrow when she felt alone and lost. I loved the new found family that was created with Ari, Dallas, Romeo, Oliver and Zach. Now for Constance Sun, gosh I had some strong opinions about her, I really didn’t like the way she treated Farrow for the majority of the book and that she constantly pushed for what she though was best for Zach. Granted she loved her son to bits but she pushed her own agenda more than actually listen to him and what made him happy. I think she got of easy at the end and could have done more to gain forgiveness from Farrow.

I could go on and on about this book given the time, but the long and short is My Dark Desire was freaking perfection! This forced proximity, boss-maid, alpha hero, dark fairytale retelling was pure perfection, definitely a book I would highly recommend reading!

Book Info:

Publication: March 10, 2024 | PSH Publishing | Dark Prince Road #2

She’s his sweetest desire… and his darkest secret.

The task was simple.
Sneak into Potomac’s most heavily guarded manor.
Steal back my pendant. Slip out.

Problem number one?
America’s most unattainable bachelor caught me.

Problem number two?
He decided to keep me. As the help.

Zachary Sun’s winter may be the coldest I’ve ever felt,
but he makes my skin burn.

Reserved, calculated, and savagely cruel,
he thrives on the weaknesses of others.

Little does he know, he just met his match.

He may be American royalty.
But this peasant will rise to become Queen.

Authors’ Notes: My Dark Desire is a standalone double-grump romance between a broken billionaire and a feisty maid unafraid to fight back. It is set in the decadent Dark Prince Road world.