In Darkness Reborn
3 Stars

Disappointing.
Barak's character had real potential in the first two books but it never comes to fruition. He is desperately lonely and appears to settle for Lacey as she is the only one available. Consequently, their romance lacks the heat and passion that characterized the couples in books 1 and 2.

Moreover, Lacey's prejudices make it difficult to like her and other than sex there is nothing to explain her sudden love for Barak.
Once again, information on the Other world is scarce. Even though the main character is an Other, we learn very little about his people, his gifts and his reasons for crossing the barrier.

The next book is set up nicely and perhaps we will get more insight into the Others now that Cullen is crossing over into their world. ( )

Barak and Lacey's story. We start to get a peak at the way the other's live. ( )

After a great start I would say Alexis Morgan took a wrong turn with In Darkness Reborn.

What I struggled with, was both the plot and the characters. Barak was simply not hero material for me. I understand that a role of an alien everybody despises is not the same as a smart-ass confident warrior, but what Barak was, was meek. And he never proved himself anything, but the "Pet Other" of Dr. Young's.

There were moments when he tried to stand tall, be a man, etc, etc, etc. Still, I saw someone who walked with his head bend down. Someone you could push over, not respect. So, while romance heroes have an aura of strength about them, even if they are servants, Barak had an aura of a servant. Not really attractive. Besides, I really didn't get to know a lot about him. His whole previous life still a secret.

Lacey on the other hand was a strong character, but I didn't appreciate her whining or her motives for anger when she found out about Barak's secret.

The reason for her anger: it was her life's work and goal and how could he keep it from her. Not even caring about his reasons. Which were valid, even if underdeveloped. Though in the end (when she forgives him), she doesn't even see the reason. The whole reasoning why she should forgive didn't ring true in my heart. It seemed - book required her to forgive, that's why she forgave. The end.

I also found In Darkness Reborn to be a bit illogical. There was talk about Barak killing Paladins, but I wonder, how was it possible, since only the ones who try to cross the barrier attempt murder. And as far as I know, Barak's crossing in Dark Protector was his first try. And he didn't kill anyone. So where's the truth?

Oh, and one more thing before ending this grueling attempt on typing my scrambled thoughts, I would like for Penn's story to come soon. But only if the writing would improve. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time.

Some books are to be tasted; others swallowed; and some to be chewed and digested. ( )

I enjoyed the first two more in the Paladins series more. I really liked Barak since he joined the series, but I really go sick of Lacey's brother after awhile. Barak and Lacey have great chemistry and it is a good continuation of the series. Cannot wait for the next one. ( )

After crossing the barrier between his world and ours Barak has spent his time being known as the "Pet Other" of Dr. Laurel Young. To avoid any further slander against Dr. Young, Barak and her Paladin lover Devlin Bane arrive at a plan to have Barak re-assigned to work with geologist, Lacey Sebastian. Lacey hates the fact that she has been saddled with the sworn enemy of the Paladins but has no choice but to accept his assignment. However, once Lacey meets Barak she can't help but notice the humanity in him. Will Lacey and Barak be able to overcome the prejudices from within and without to discover the source of an illegal trade responsible for killing both of their peoples?

I definitely think that Alexis Morgan's stories are getting better and better as they go along. Despite the fact that I didn't really like Barak's cavalier attitude about killing for vengence, I still liked his character. I also enjoyed Lacey's character and thought the two made a good match. I'm really looking forward to reading Cullen's story (an excerpt of which was at the end of this book) and certainly intend to continue on with this series. ( )