Dusk: Dangerous Web 1

4.25 stars—DUSK is the first instalment in Aleatha Romig’s contemporary, adult DANGEROUS WEB romantic suspense trilogy set in the author’s Sparrow Webs world. This is Reid Murray and Lorna Pierce-Murray’s continuing story. DUSK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous series is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the other series as the story line premise references things that have happened in the author trilogies. NOTE: Due to the nature of the storyline premise, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers. SOME BACKGROUND: Close to twenty years earlier, Sterling Sparrow, Mason Pierce, Reid Murray, and Patrick Kelly served together in the US military, and have been one another’s best friend ever since. Upon university graduation, Sterling Sparrow took control of Chicago’s underground from his father Allister, and in the ensuing years, Sterling would gather his friends, in an effort to rid the world of human traffickers- in doing so he would become the sole ruler of Chicago’s underworld. These are their stories. Told from dual first person perspectives (Lorna and Reid) using two timelines (present day and nine years in the past) DUSK follows in the aftermath of the abduction of Reid’s wife Lorna, and Sparrow’s wife Araneae. As Reid Murray and Lorna’s brother Mason Pierce struggle to make sense of the security breach at Sparrow’s Montana ranch, the possibilities and probabilities are endless as to the who, how and why of the women’s abduction. Meanwhile, Lorna and Araneae find themselves locked in a cell, facing a stranger who demands information that reveals the women are not the intended victims. Separated from one another, battered and bruised, Lorna and Araneae struggle with what happened, and the loss of memories during the time of their imprisonment. DUSK is an emotional and intriguing story of secrets, lies, power and control. Aleatha Romig pulls the reader into a heart pounding and captivating tale of betrayal and vengeance wherein haunting dreams are the reality of life. DUSK ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Lorna Pierce, now Reid's wife, is kidnapped with Sterling's wife, Araneae. She is the one that keeps both of them sane and positive with regards to waiting for help. She is brave and logical in the face of danger. Reid Murray is part of the Sparrow clan with a specialty in computers and surveillance. He worked for Sterling Sparrow to secure his "seat" at Sparrow Enterprises after Sterling's father's reign. The book mentions Reid and Lorna's first meeting a few times in the book. Readers can read their first meeting at Danger's First Kiss - which I highly encouraged, and it is a great read! Firstly, I have been a big fan of Romig since I read her Web of Sin Trilogy, which hooked me to the Sparrow Web Series. In Dusk, Sterling took charge of the Sparrows clan but in the process exposes his life and anyone around him to more danger. Unfortunately, I should have also finished the other characters' stories BEFORE diving into Dusk since I was a bit lost with learning about the rest of "his team" and their respective partners. There were a lot of new names and events to be matched. Good thing Romig did a few "flashbacks" in between the present, which enables me to focus on Reid and Lorna and the critical parts in the book. Thus, I recommend reading the Sparrow Webs series to fully appreciate and ensure that the characters and their backstories do not slow you down. I stopped a bit to reflect and connect what happened to whom. The story is told from Reid's and Lorna's POV with necessary flashbacks to hone in critical objectives to the plot. The story flow is the right balance of uncertainty from Lorna's side and race to find a rescue plan from Reid's side. As I read along, I got into it...really got into it. I remember how much I love Romig's style of catching readers without them knowing it. Before long, I was half-way through, coiled up in suspense and worry for everyone - Reid planning the rescue and Lorna trying her best to survive with the situation. It was a nerve-wracking experience, but one that ended with a curious ending. I loved how this book showed the side of Lorna as a brave woman. She is a Sparrow now. She protects and defends them through all the trials and tortures was thrown her way in captivity. She looked fear in the eye and defended her friends and family to the evil that wanted nothing more than to harm them. There is a more significant, unforeseen threat to the Sparrows from the past. It is from another team member's history but with the rest of the team's loved ones at their mercy. There were many twists and heart-shattering moments that I had such an emotional spiral with what happened further with Araneae and Lorna as they try to survive. I am always on-edge with cliffhangers. Coming into this trilogy, I know this book will get me worked up. I understand that this makes the book a worthy read because Romig gave each character and situation their unique importance. I love and appreciate this even more since I could not connect to Books 4-6 of the series. I recall what Lorna shared with Araneae when she was on the verge of giving up. Lorna's story gave relief to an all-intense moment for readers. The length provided a fantastic backdrop for the series, and I was more settled to continue with the trilogy. In summary, I like the book - a lot! I could not put the book down and kept telling myself to finish one more chapter and then another. Romig's visuals and characters are as colorful and adventurous as how I remembered them to be. She is a skillful storyteller of suspense and mystery with a hint of danger that kept me on-the-edge-of-my-seat on each page. Before I knew it - it was all over! The story was left me having to wait for the next installment.

5 Star Review of Dusk (Dangerous Webb) by Aleatha Romig Dusk is the first book in the latest series Dangerous Web from Aleatha Romig. This is Reid Murray and Lorna Pierce's story and although I haven’t read any of the previous books in the Web series, I had no trouble reading and enjoying this book. Reid is a computer genius, a former soldier and a man who can be depended on, along with his best friends Mason Pierce, Patrick Kelly, and Sterling Sparrow. Falling for Lorna, Mason’s sister should have been easy but it wasn’t. I really liked both Reid and Lorna, both separately and especially together. There were many twists and turns, mystery and suspense and I was often on the edge of my seat as I read this story and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next two books Dark and Dawn.