Book Review: Dark Secrets (Dark Secrets Book 1) by A.M. Hudson

Title: Dark Secrets
Author: A.M. Hudson
Series: Dark Secrets #1
Pages: 614
My Rating:❤❤

Lost in the struggle to find happiness again after losing her family and moving to a new country, Ara befriends the oddly alluring David Knight. Torn between the love of a childhood friend and the deep connection that’s forming with David, she will be asked to make a decision about their relationship before she’s even ready to admit her feelings. But a cruel stranger enters her life on the night of the town masquerade and forces her hand, taking away what little innocence Ara had left.

Found on my recommendations list, Dark Secrets seemed to actually be something that would interest me. When I looked up this book, I found a sentence surrounded by asterisks that stated "This is not a vampire book, but instead a romance that involves a vampire." Upon seeing that I did not really know what to think. After reading, I came to realize that that statement was even more true than I thought.

The story centers around a girl who has been uprooted not only from her town, but her whole continent. After the death of her mother and baby brother, Ara Rose moves in with her dad. She trades in Australia for the United States. Ara feels responsible for what happened to her mom and brother, and this leads to her going into a sort of depressive state. It does not help matters that her step-mom has training in psychology and is constantly trying to get Ara to talk about her feelings.

Only one thing or dare I say person can get Ara remotely out of the darkness she has enveloped herself in, and that is David Knight. He is able to connect with Ara and make her see that maybe she is not the piece of scum that she thinks she is. He becomes her rescuer and she falls hard for him, but he is not all that he seems. Turns out that, you guessed it, David is a vampire. This development definitely changes their relationship. Ultimately, Ara must choose to live life with David as a vampire, or live without him as a human. What will she decide?

While reading the book, I had a love/hate relationship with Ara.....and David. There were times I would throw my book down and just walk away, but only to pick it back up again about five minutes later. It was nice to see how Ara was coming out of her depression, but it really saddened me that she was always and will always be battling with it. I can usually make up my mind pretty easily about who I like in a book, but this one was much more difficult. I just wanted Ara to be happy, but it seemed as if the odds were just stacked against her.

Personally, this book wasn't for me. I like strong main characters that are not afraid to stand up for themselves. I don't like characters who's life revolves around some guy, and when that same guy leaves, they feel like they have nothing left to live for.

The book seemed to go on for ever and I found myself wanting to get it over with. It actually took me a long time to get through it. Ara Rose's depressed state throughout the book, actually started to make me feel depressed, it was that much of a downer.