Circle of Darkness (Genesis Circle, #1) by Nicholas Bella

Circle of Darkness (Genesis Circle, #1) Reviews

• 
  Jennifer☠Pher☠

  I should definitely start an "it was ok" shelf.
  
  2★'s = it was ok. And, like I always make sure I mention, it was ok.
  
  I kept thinking I didn't like this but that isn't true. I think I was ok with the story and the world setup, mostly, although, it was highly unbelievable.
  
  My biggest problem was that the writing was just not for me.
  
  I've never read anything that Nicholas Bella has written surprisingly because they have written a lot, but normally I adore Aimee's writing so I don't know what went wrong here.
  
  I don't know if cheesy is the right word or not but that is what pops in my head. That and stereotypical. The dialogue made me cringe and all the descriptions were just too much. There was also a ton, and I mean a ton of repetitiveness that distracted me from the story. Cliffs Notes anyone? Baby? No, ok. I didn't like D'Angelo, what a fucking dick even when he wasn't supposed to be and man, when he wanted to be a dick he TRIED SO HARD to be that sterotypical dick. I was embarrassed. I don't know if I really liked anyone. Ugh.
  
  I think I skimmed, a lot.
  
  But, you know me, I'll probably read the next one.
• 
  Cadiva

  3.5*
  
  This was a surprise of the pleasant kind. When it started, I wasn't quite sure where it was going to go as D'Angelo was a bit of an arse and Angel seemed way too meek to tame him.
  
  Also the paranormal element of the story took a while to get going but, when it did, I actually really enjoyed the authors' take on their supernatural world.
  
  I'm a big fan of both of these two writing separately and I quite enjoyed their previous collaboration so I did have high hopes for this which were mostly met.
  
  Surprisingly for this pair, while there's a lot of sexy talk and chat about what they're going to be getting up to, there is only one full on sex scene. While I appreciated the paranormal element was a driving force, I think I would have liked a tiny bit more of their relationship too.
  Not sure what I think about the soul mates thing, and I think the ending also was a bit out of left field with the sudden appearance of a new player on the scene.
  
  Still, I liked the setting, there was some good world building without too much exposition, the secondary characters helped to flesh things out and I like the subtle hints of where book two is likely to be going.
  
  Fabulous cover and a pleasant change from hot half naked men, not that I don't like those either ;) but it's a gorgeous illustration of a major element of the narrative.
  
  #ARC received from the authors in return for an honest and unbiased review.
• 
  Sanaa

  4.5 stars.
  
  Circle of Darkness turned out to be one magical- no pun intended - ride. This was absolutely amazing and totally blew my mind away. Thank you for wowing me. It hasn't happened in the longest time.
  
  I'm not going to lie, I was hesitant to get into this. While I love Aimee, I've never read books by Nicholas so I didn't know how they were going to turn out together. And the fact that there was little to none reviews for the story itself.
  
  So imagine my surprise when I started reading, I was HOOKED. I've never read a story like this before and fell in love with everyone, especially Angel. He stole a piece of my heart.
  
  

  “If your visions have been as vivid as your blushing indicates, then you know damn well that I’m hung.”

  
  
  Let's not even talk about their chemistry. *phew* *fans self* it was off the charts hot. I can see how they're made for one another.
  
  The secondary characters were just as phenomenally written, and they made such a impact to the story. I cant wait for a certain *cough* vampire's and a *cough* hunters story.
• 
  Joyfully Jay

  A
  Joyfully Jay review.
  
  2 stars
  
  Nicholas Bella is an author I have been interested in trying out for a while now and while Aimee Nicole Walker is a new author to me, I was intrigued by this book at first glance. But, this book will go on the list of one of the biggest disappointments in this year’s reading.
  
  This book was all over the place for me. The beginning sets up the attraction between D’Angelo and Angel and they started out with great chemistry. D’Angelo wants to deny it all and is abrupt and rough with Angel and then the case they are working on takes precedent over their romantic life. While the chemistry is strong, the guys push and pull, flirt with the idea of using toys before that storyline is abandoned, and when they become a foregone conclusion, the world they live in then takes over the story.
  
  D’Angelo is a demon hunter. He was trained for it from an early age, but when The Institute learned that he was gay and would not procreate, he was disavowed. Now, he and his friend Christian are out on their own battling the forces of evil. The world building and the rules of the society were one long info dump throughout the entire book. D’Angelo needs to get Angel caught up and goes into these long narratives about what is going on. Even D’Angelo recognizes what he is doing at one point when he says to Angel, “I’m dumping a lot on you, because we’re in this together and these are things you need to know.”
  
  Read Michelle's review in its entirety
  here.
  
  
  
• 
  Ed Davis

  I was so disappointed in this book. I love Nicholas Bella. When I found this book I was so excited. It just didn’t do it for me. I thought the main characters were silly and fighting among themselves when a demon is about to take over the world.
• 
  Gerbera_Reads

  I really liked this book. I have read both authors' separate works and while reading this book it was clear which part was written by which author. It was an interesting juxtaposition - from tough to soft, from angry to gentle - it all somehow worked well together. I enjoyed the concept of demon hunters and their mates. The whole demonology and relics aspect was well written and put a new spin on paranormal community.
  
  The entire motley crew of Genesis Circle antique shop is quite funny and is comprised of singular characters that bring unique skills to the table. I loved Vixen and Jinx, Christian was not featured too often but I think the second book in the series will rectify that. Maggie who later joins the shop staff is just human but she provides a human perspective on things as well as much needed relief for the whole group - she fits really well. The book was well-paced, there was humor and sarcasm, plenty of secondary characters that encompassed everything from vampires and werewolves to demons and Nephilim.
  
  D'Angelo and Angel aka Ansel were well-built characters with good background. I liked their interactions and how Ansel changed and grew into a confident young man and how D'Angelo softened and smoothed his rough edges. The ending was very sweet and romantic and gave premise to the plot of the second book which I think should be pretty good too. I recommend it!
• 
  Teri

  So, unfortunately, I did not like this. I think the idea was good, and there were some interesting characters, but the writing and execution did not work for me. Maybe I should try these authors individually? I really hated D'Angelo, he was a douchebag. There just seemed like a lot of cliches and stereotypes with the vamps, werewolves, and everything about D'Angelo. he is supposed to be some badass but he almost died a lot, and mostly because he thought he was more badass than he was.
  I liked Lorcan and Christian, though maybe I just like christian because he wan't in much of the story, so I am looking for his story.
• 
  JoAnn

  I thought this started off really well, and then it just kinda went down hill.
  
  The writing was pretty flat for me, and well a little ridiculous at points...
  
  ”I cocked an eyebrow. “Well, if you’re feeling froggy… jump, bitch.”
  
  Then I thought, why dream about it when I could live it?
  
  
  
  And I swear to god if I hear the damn phrase “heightened senses” again in the next week I am going to cut a bitch.
  
  
  
  Mine was the whole heighten senses ability
  
  
  but I could tell when someone was lying to me because of my heightened senses.
  
  
  Having heightened senses
  
  
  because even with my heightened senses
  
  
  until I could learn how to handle my new heightened senses
  
  
  There was also an invisible aura hovering in the air, like a reddish hue that only I could see because of my heightened senses.
  
  
  especially for someone with heightened senses.
  
  
  I tuned my super hearing so I could listen
  
  
  
  
  Seriously... we get it. We know the reason he’s seeing the damn red aura is because he’s a super freak. You don’t need to remind us of the words I will not speak...
  
  I hate it when authors don’t trust their readers enough to understand or remember things.
• 
  Mimi

  4.5 stars
  
  Excellent collaboration between Nicholas Bella and Aimee Nicole Walker. I felt this was more of Walker's baby then Bella's. The paranormal violence, gore and erotic sex was waaaayyy to tame for Bella. Also the writing wasn't up to the caliber of Bella's, not to say anything bad about Ms. Walker in any way but when Nicholas Bella's name is on a book their are certain aspects that scream Bella.
  
  Looking forward to Christian and Lorcan's book next.
• 
  KaylaMarie

  ✰3.5 stars✰ rounded up
  
  I listened to this one via audiobook, and I think that made this a little more enjoyable for me. The audio book was over nine hours long, so I definitely think that the parts that dragged even while it was being narrated to me would have been dragging even worse had a read a physical copy.
  
  Overall though I thought that the story was fun and not a plot that I've read before. It kept me hooked enough to continue all the way through and I'm looking forward to listening to the second one.
  
  As for the characters, Angel and D'Angelo fell right into each others orbit and couldn't escape from the beginning and it was kind of a fun twist that the conflict we see in this story wasn't regarding their love or relationship but more of the adventure plot around them.
  
  My biggest complaint, however, was that there seemed to be a lot of plot holes. Methods to complete their task would fail and they would be like "let's try this instead, it's probably a better way" and I keep thinking "well if you knew that, why didn't you try that first?"
  
  The actual logistics of the action felt a little hot mess express in that regard, but the story was still fun and as I said, I'me excited to listen to book two where we get to experience the romance of some secondary characters from the first.
• 
  C Rice

  Named both characters Angel.
  Yeah not confusing at all.
• 
  Kaity

  DNF @53%…
  
  Wow okay well umm…
  
  D’Angelo was just a weird character.. he was rude, and crude and sometimes I can be okay with those characters but him.. He just rubbed me the wrong way since the beginning haha. First he called Angel by Ansell… and the reasoning was not romantic or sweet..
  
  Also the main thing these two could think about was having sex with each other, so their internal dialogues were very repetitive..
  
  I wanted to like this book, but not even Joel Leslie could make this book better.. it just showed off the flaws.
• 
  Tammy

  3.5 A lot of demon chasing 👹🙀
• 
  justanya

  
  
  
  *The toughest review I've written to date which sucks because the two writers are phenomenal!*
  
  These are two favorite authors of mine that are on complete opposite ends of the writing spectrum. Nicholas writes Raw, Dark Dubious Consent graphic violent paranormal stories NOT for the faint of heart, while Aimee Nicole Walker, weaves paranormal stories chock full of humor, romance and sweet seduction. I honestly couldn’t see how these two writing styles could mesh well and my concerns were somewhat warranted.
  
  I liked the overall goal of the story. The world building, the characters and plot were very intriguing. This book falls apart however in the telling of the story. Its obvious both these writers had ideas of HOW to tell the stories but I think couldn’t quite agree on the approach so, the “happy medium” resulted in being this long winded convoluted explanation instead of an action-packed story naturally unfolding. There are instances of Brilliant writing in the story which clearly reflects where these two were in complete agreement of how they planned to tell their story. the downside is that these instances were few and far between.
  
  Despite my sentiments above, I do see potential in this duo and this series. I’m more than positive once they agree on the approach, this series will knock it out the ball park. Aside from being excellent storytellers in their own right, Bella and Walker weave tales that tend to keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out the endgame. This is a rocky start to what I believe will be a good series. Looking forward to book two!
  
  *ARC provided for review at my discretion*
  
• 
  Verdelite

  ok, so you're telling me they just trudged through the sewers TWICE then faced off a baddie and had like their noses broken and their innards half spilled out, crawled all over the subway ground with w/e lying around, oh, and also burned a bunch of humans with gasoline, and THEN when they got home and kissed, it was the best embrace of his life?
  like, how about you shower first and then maybe also brush your teeth. keep your touchy-touchy sewer-free and former-human-bodies-ashes free pls, tyvm.
• 
  Ronie Reads

  This is building up to be an fantastic supernatural world. I like how they are catalogueed as sups. Like they all are superheroes. Out to keep all others more powerful than wee little humans, in line or put an end to them.
  
  Can't wait for the next book. How dare a Regent threaten my boi Christian.
• 
  JustJen "Miss Conduct"

  
  Review by
  The Blogger Girls.
  
  This is a great start to an interesting new paranormal series. Here, the paranormals (i.e., vampires, werewolves, etc.) must also deal with demons. D’Angelo is a hunter, or someone who is not quite human. He was brought up, along with his best friend, Christian, trained and bestowed with special powers that enable them to see and take out demons who cross the plane and cause trouble. D’Angelow and Christian have been on their own ever since the society they grew up in, the school where they trained, kicked them out and turned their backs on them for being gay and therefore unable to procreate to make bigger and badder hunters.
  
  Angel is a sweet young man who happens to have psychic abilities. When he has a vision about D’Angelo losing his soul to a relic, he makes it is purpose to make sure D’Angelo survives. Unfortunately, D’Angelo takes some convincing before he accepts Angel into his life. He has one purpose and one thing he has time for in his life – chasing and killing demons, which doesn’t allow him any time for a relationship. Angel is persistent, and it quickly becomes clear to them both that they are mates. But, before they can really act on their attraction, things ramp up with the relic and possible dangerous demon.
  
  I really enjoyed the rest of the team – Christian is a bit of a mystery, but the two girls are funny and seem pretty badass. Angel’s bff, Meggie joins the crew, though she doesn’t have anything special to add to the group as of yet, though she makes a mean hot chocolate. 😀
  
  The mystery is solved and the demon issue handled with the help of the local Vampire Regent. He seems quite the character as well, and I’m really hoping the next book brings him and Christian together, as they seem to have a lot of potential explosive chemistry.
  
  There is a lot of information given in this first installment, with quite a bit of worldbuilding and set up. Much of it pertains to the laws and rules the hunters and other paranormals must follow in the society, the history of the Institution, and quite a bit about the various demons, but as Angel was learning much of it as well, it felt necessary to the story. I am definitely interested in seeing where this series is headed and am excited to see more if it play out.
• 
  Rachel Emily

  I have never read anything from Nicholas Bella before, but I adore Aimee's writing, and I love paranormal, so I wanted to give this series a try!
  
  I really enjoyed the story. I found the world building and premise very interesting. I love all the different types of supernatural beings in this series, and the possibilities for different pairings and relationships sounds like it will be fun!
  
  I do think that there were some moments of serious info dump, lots of exposition that could have been woven into the story a bit better, because it stuck out a bit for me. I know it's the first book in a series, but there was just a lot of explanations for everything between D'Angelo and Angel/Ansell.
  
  Overall, enjoyed the story and thought that it was fun! It was a great blend of the paranormal and conflict/story with the romance being a bit secondary as far as storytelling goes. Not that that's a bad thing, but it was more focused on the plot rather than the romance.
  
  Getting ready to start book 2!
• 
  Beth doesn't write enough reviews

  I guess I can give it 2.5 stars, I enjoyed the story the authors were trying to tell, I just don't enjoy how they told it,
  
  Each chapter was either Angel or D'Angelo info dumping. Especially D'Angelo. During the actual conversations between the characters I did enjoy what was happening.
  
  I believe it's called first person narrative and just isn't my cup of tea.
  
  Lots of action, interesting characters and interesting world created but I won't be continuing the series,
• 
  Lulu

  50% is enough...DNF
• 
  Jodi Ciorciari-marinich

  I have to say that I am really enjoying that all my favorite MM authors are starting to collaborate on stories. This is Nicholas and Aimee's, who I love separately, first book in a new paranormal series.
  The story is fast paced, full of action and you will love all the characters in the story.
  Since I have read both Aimee's and Nicholas's writing prior, I think I can tell when each one is writing their part of the story and I think their styles fit well together.
  D'Angelo is a demon hunter and along with his group of friends fight all kinds of demons to make the world safe.
  He meets Angel, who is a waiter, at a restaurant and the attraction is immediate but because of the life he leads he knows he cant get to know Angel.
  The connection between Angel and D'Angelo is instant but they don't do anything about it until Angel sees a vision of D'Angelo being killed. Angel knows he has to save him so he seeks him out and tells him about it. D'Angelo believes Angel and tells him about what he does and who he is. This is all new to Angel but since he sees visions himself he knows that what he is told is believable. This is where their adventure begins. They have to find a relic and save the day and in between all this they try their hand at starting a relationship.
  Both men have powers and they only grow stronger around each other until they realize that they are soul mates and were made for each other. Angel starts out as a timid virgin and in the end he is a fierce warrior working together with D'Angelo to save to world. Their chemistry leaps off the page when these authors write a sex scene.
  There is trouble along the way as they fight to save the world but both men know that they are stronger together so they continue the fight until it is won.
  The supporting characters is the story are a great support system for D'Angelo and Angel and I am hoping Christian gets to feel the bond that they do ( I know who I would pick for him and I am hoping I am right).
  If you want a good paranormal read with plenty of action, I would recommend starting this new series from 2 amazing authors who know how to write a good story and hot love scenes........
  *ARC provided by Chasing Rainbows Press LLC in exchange for an honest review.
  Reviewed by Jodi from
  Alpha Book Club
  
• 
  Carra

  I’d read a few of Aimee Nicole Walker’s books, but until now hadn’t read anything by Nicholas Bella. I’m a little on the fence with this story; when reading the prologue (from Angel’s point of view) it had my interest well and truly piqued…but once it came to getting D’Angelo’s point of view, I became a bit disillusioned because I thought he came across as an arrogant, dismissive jerk. While his attitude may have shifted as he and Angel became closer, D’Angelo still retained his rough, annoying edge for much of the story.
  
  My opinion of Angel also changed slightly once he started to be exposed to the paranormal world and as he and D’Angelo’s relationship started to develop, because Angel became kind of…starry-eyed and almost, well, girly for lack of a better word. Between the two of them, I didn’t really feel that spark I was expecting, especially once their true relationship to each other comes out. That’s not to say they didn’t have chemistry because they did; but to me, it felt mostly physical—I didn’t really feel the emotional component.
  
  As for the mystery and action of the story, there definitely was plenty to go around. This world the authors created is filled with most of the usual suspects found in paranormal books—vampires, werewolves, demons, witches and the like—but also brings into play supernatural relics and rituals, and offers good background for the lore behind them as it fits into this world. The conflict and suspense are more of the center point of the story, with Angel and D’Angelo’s relationship a constant presence as their sexual tension runs throughout the story (with a few well-placed full-on intimate scenes).
  
  There are quite a few secondary characters introduced that can support further stories in the series, and I’m personally quite intrigued by the possible interaction between Lorcan and Christian that seems like it might be coming in the next book. These two also struck me as more solid and mature characters than Angel and D’Angelo turned out to be.
  
  Circle of Darkness was a 3.5-star read for me, and I think fans of M/M paranormal romance will find this to be an interesting read. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
• 
  Claudia

  So, looks like I'm out of luck. *sigh*
  
  First, I found D'Angelo unsufferable. And both main characters acted as teen-agers, constantly distracted by lust. And D'Angelo kept finding Angel (Ansel) cute and adorable, and they called each other baby, and... I'm sorry, but it's silly.
  
  The main idea was interesting, but soon enough I was bored out of my skull with the way that was developed.
  
  Add to that that the narrator is Joel Leslie, about whom I'll keep insisting has only two voices, and... well... another series I won't be reading/listening.
  
  
  
• 
  Justin Alcala

  Horror novels have big challenges. They have to set up a believable scenario, set a creepy mood, build a good plot, and still keep your attention. A lot of books try, few can keep it going. CIRCLE OF DARKNESS is one of those that does it well. The characters are interesting, but not over the top, everything going on in the story keeps your mind busy, and yet it’s creepy. A great novel for me to read during the Halloween season.
• 
  xxoabbey

  Good start to an addictive series.
  
  Good start to a new paranormal series, abit slow in places but that’s just down to the in depth world building which the reader needs. Loved every character, especially meeting and finding out more about Vamps, Wolves and Demons.
  
  Can’t wait for the next one... I’m imaging a doozy of a book!
• 
  Claudia

  this one was a suprise and I am really glad that I found this book.
  
  first of all, I loved the characters and the story .. both were really great (although D'Angelo was a real ass at the beginning but after he got over himself, he was great)
  
  the story was interesting and well done.
  
  my problem was with the writing. I had especially troubles with D'Angelos POV. there were often instances where he more described than real experience. so that was a bit of a let-down.
  
  nevertheless, I really look forward to the next one
• 
  Lou~❧Powerless Over 1-Click❧

  3.25 Stars
• 
  Daniel Mitton

  (Originally reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews.)
  
  Review to follow.
• 
  Amanda

  *3.5*