Unfortunately, I don't think this book was meant for me. The premise of *Dreams of Darkness and Desire* sounded amazing—I was ready for a dark romance filled with hot witches, warlocks, and plenty of steam. However, what I ended up with was a poorly executed plot, an extremely slow pace, and a lackluster romance.
I’ve seen that this book has many positive reviews, and I’m happy that others enjoyed the story! It just goes to show that not every book is for everyone. Dreams of Darkness and Desire was the author’s debut novel

A really good book that keeps you on edge!

Dreams of Darkness and Desire starts off slow but it picks up fast. The story in the book is really strong and there is always things in the story that makes you want to continue reading. I could hardly put the book down.

We get to follow a group of characters throught the book although the story involves specifically two characters that I got attached to right away. What started of as a mission to get immortality ended up in a completely different way.

This book is as of right now a standalone. Although I hope the auther writes more books because I really liked the writingstyle, the way she created characters and the plot and worldbuilding. But most of all the twists and turns, all the feelings this book made me feel!

I can highly recommend this book! It was fantastic!

The reality of the situation is that I was kindly offered a free ARC of this book in October of 2021, and it has been a aggravating year of me frequently picking this up and putting it down and re reading sections and starting from the beginning. I do not like to DNF ARCs, so when I do, I like to give a more detailed explanation than I normally would for DNFs.

I finally got to the 40% mark, and I still had no idea what was going on in this book, and I did not find myself caring. It is certainly possible to establish a certain level of confusion in your reader while dropping bread crumbs along the way to make them engaged in your story, but I did not get that here.

I even bought the audiobook, which is narrated by STINA NIELSEN aka the narrator of Court of Silver Flames and the From Blood and Ash series, whom I abhor with every fiber of my being, just to try to get through it.

I did not find myself caring about the female protagonist. I was not getting book boyfriend vibes from the Hero. I just wanted the reading experience to be over.

With a synopsis like that, I knew I’d love this book. Did I…? It’s a hard pass for me. Going into the book I expected to have questions answered over the progress of the storyline, but all I got were more and more answerless questions, and a whole lot of confusions.

The start of the book was great. The end of the book was great (overly drawn out by 200 pages give it take, but still great), but there was literally nothing but a really drawn out and frustrating romance and spice. Now, I’m the first person to admit that I don’t mind the anticipation of drawn out romance and smut, but 70% of the book was this build up and then I just didn’t feel like it was worth the wait.

There’s some great things in the book, but o don’t think they’re greater than what was negative about the book.

** Thanks to Netgalley and Sammie Brown for this ARC. This is my honest opinion of this book **

I didn’t manage to finish this book. It’s not a DNF for me, but I quickly stuck on the beginning of the book. I couldn’t concentrate on the book, the story, the characters. The reason is I think a mixture between the rather particular beginning I found, as well as my mood of the moment, I failed to get into history.

I keep the book aside to try to read it again later.

It took me a long time to read this book. With the synopsis I was so excited to dive into it. However i just could not get into the story. I found myself getting confused and parts were drawn out.

This book did not disappoint!
This book had everything a urban fantasy needs. Witches, warlocks, murder, mystery, and hot slow romance. Definitely spicy! It just blown my mind!

This dark romance keeps the reader hooked! The relationship between Kira and Blake is full of sexual attraction and promise. But this is not a surface fantasy with no depth, there is a complexity to both the storyline and character development.

Also, it is beautifully written!
I. Could. Not. Put. This. Down.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

"Dreams of Darkness and Desire" is a that sets the stage for at least one sequel; don't start this if you want one-and-done books. It's the story of Kira, a girl who starts having confusing dreams that involve her neighbor down the street, Blake. As fate would have it, Blake's thinking about Kira, too--but he's not confused about them. His job, alongside his brothers, is to find and hunt witches; Kira's the descendant of the greatest of them. For Blake, who is increasingly drawn to Kira, a job he once took for granted is now looking increasingly problematic.

What's good: This is a pretty standard urban fantasy/paranormal romance. If that's your jam, you will probably like this book.

What's iffier: The book didn't seem to go anywhere until the last quarter of it. I ended up switching back and forth with a nonfiction book, hoping the shift in genre would refire my interest in this story. It didn't. In addition, there's a certain bro mentality among Blake and his buddies that grated on me, but that's a personal preference.

If you have the patience to sit with a book for a long time, and you're not expecting more than just a standard urban fantasy type of story, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book. It just didn't work for me, however, and hence this review.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wrong Review was added.... the correct one will be added once am done reading the book.... i clicked on the wrong book.
So sorry

I was swept up in this book from page one and it turned out to be exactly what I wanted to read this week.
I loved the fact that this story took me in directions I was not expecting, and I really enjoyed the constant confusion between Kira’s dreams (or are they?) and reality, the merging of the two was really well done. Yes, it was confusing, but I think that was exactly the point. From the beginning, Cagle manages to make us feel the same as Kira does, which is a really nice touch, considering that her point of view is not the only one. I’m honestly still in awe of the writing in the dream scenes.
I only docked a star because there were a few times when I rolled my eyes when it got a little too cliché or a little too much.
There were many characters that I loved and that I can’t wait to see again.
I wish I could write a longer review, but I might need a while to process this book. All I can say right now is that I can’t wait to read the next one.

I absolutely loved this book. I never knew what was going to happen and when Kira would find her powers. I dislike Colin so much, but their relationship was not healthy even when they were happy. Colin did everything he could to go against what Kira wanted and what he promised her. I have a feeling that he was being controlled in some way, but there is nothing in the book that proves it. Her relationship with Blake is interesting and a lot more stable than I thought it would be. I can tell that even though he has bad intentions, he truly cares about her and wants to make sure that she is okay. Poor Kira went through so much in this book, I feel so bad for her. With her parents already being gone and having the stress of being a college student studying dance, she did not deserve all of the chaos that this book brought. I wish some of the description was shorter, but I loved how the book progressed and how all of her friends were there for her and did not think she was crazy.

Loved this book, the story was great!
The characters were amazing. Will be recommending to my reading friends!

This dark paranormal romance had been immediately wrapped into the story and wanting to know more from the first page. I never wanted to put this book down. The suspense, and drama, and romance were amazing

Dreams of Darkness and Desire had the potential to be an interesting read with lots of mythology and mystery. Instead I spent a large portion of the book confused on what a Supra Virtutem was and why it was important that our love interest was hunting her. While I enjoy a slow burn, to me, this book was too slow and had a lot of filler put in, but at the same time it was insta-love. While this book may have not been my favorite, I thought the concept was very interesting and brought a more adult feel to the genre of witches, which sometimes feels very young.

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️


Dreams of Darkness and Desire by B. L Cagle is a New Adult (I would say Adult) paranormal romance that keeps you at the edge of your seat.

Before I go deeper into the review, thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an independent and honest review.

This review comes a bit late as a massive reading slump hit me in October and didn't leave me till December…but I can say that you need a seatbelt while reading this book. The tension, the anxiety and the darkness is there and if you bite your nails, then you will with this book. The book has dark academia vibes so if you like that aesthetic then you will enjoy it.
This is her debut novel and the beginning is quite confusing. I think the magic system needs a bit more explanation and, as a personal preference, more magic as it feels more as a background element. However, B.L Cagle described the scenes so well that you feel the anxiety, the fear, the love and the passion that the characters are living.
I mentioned above but I think we need to highlight that this book is New Adult or even adult romance, full stop. The book talks about some dark stuff. A warning could be used as this may trigger people who has experienced toxic relationships, alcohol abuse, rape and violence.
The ending?! Excuse me, I need the next book immediately! There are cliffhangers and cliffhangers and this one is huge!
The story mixed dreams with reality so well that you will question yourself what was real and what wasn’t. If you like thrillers and mystery, this book has those vibes and you will enjoy it.
The smut…well the book has plenty. From dreaming about it to the characters doing it. If you are new to adult romance, you may find that is a lot of it.
The plot…is a bit slow but once you get into it, you can’t put the book down.


The characters; We have Kira, our heroine. She is sweet and has some unresolved trauma that makes her the perfect victim. She annoyed me at times, especially when she refused to talk to her best friend. I get it, but girl a lot could have been avoided if you talked to Kat, especially as Kat is sweetie and supports her a lot. She has all the sunshine vibes, she is light while Blake is darkness.
Kira starts having weird dreams after she gets an old mirror and, holly moly, some of those dreams are scary! She writes them in her diary as she is unable to record things at times. She has “black out” episodes and when she is back she discovers little details that tell her what she experienced was real.
Blake, our villain turning to hero, has all the Damon Salvatore vibes. He is a warlock with a mission. However, the mission becomes blurry when feelings get involved and you can see he has the potential to be Kira’s hero. He is 400 years old, rich, hot and mysterious. As the story advances, you can see he is caring, with a story that was deep in his memory and now is coming back and questioning if the “dark side” is what he wants.
Mr. Dark…well he is creepy and scary, the anxiety of some of the scenes.
The friends or support characters bring a bit of comic relief. I wonder what is going on between Katia and Drake…

Overall, I’ve enjoyed this book and I’m really looking forward to the next book. I have lots of questions that need answers after that ending.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dreams of Darkness and Desire was really freaking good but confusing. Seriously, I had so many questions the entire time. In it, you will meet Kira. She seems like your normal girl who loves to dance. The only bad thing she has going for her right now are the constant nightmares. Then there's the not knowing what's real or not on top of that.

Honestly, this girl needs a good night of sleep with zero dreams or nightmares. Which she really doesn't get the entire book. Other than her, you meet Blake. The mysterious guy who seems slightly obsessed with her. Him and his roommates are observing her due to her magic. Which she knows nothing about.

With each twist, turn, and betrayal the pages just flew by. I wasn't quite sure who I should or shouldn't trust. Heck, I'm still unsure after reading that ending. It's definitely interesting that we kept thinking someone was the bad guy when something much worst was lurking in the shadows.

I'm very intrigued to figure out who it is and I'm excited to jump into the sequel.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for proving and ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please keep in mind we are all entitled to our own opinions and I request that the author nor any associates reach out to me regarding this review.

The premise of this book most certainly had potential however I cannot look past the authors undeveloped writing. So many lines and descriptions just felt very immature and distracting. Writing aside the plot was all over the place and i would be lying if I said I enjoyed any aspect of this book

This book was a roller coaster! And like our MC Kira I was often confused between her reality and her dreams. The dark romance was steamy and the magic superb. More Blake and Kira soon please!!!

This will be an unpopular opinion, seeing there's a lot of 4/5 star rating for this book. However, I don't feel the same way.

Kira Lockwood has a good life, a good friend and a good boyfriend. But, everything change when she get s nightmare each night.
Not to mention, the man whose been haunting her dreams live down her streets and for some reasons she was attracted to this man.
Blake Michaelson, the man whose been invading Kira's dreams is a powerful warlock hunting witches to have immortality.
To ensure his immortality, Blake must complete the Order of Three: claim her body, take her blood, and end her life.
Will Kira's power help her or will Blake complete the ritual before she steals his heart ?

This one has an interesting premise. I also like the vibes from the creepy dreams and the setting of New Orleans for this witchy book is a great combination.

I have to say the first few chapters and the last 20% of the book are fascinating and makes me feel curious. The little twist near the ending actually manage to surprise me and that big cliffhanger at the end makes me want to read the next book.

Despite all of that, there are some things that prevents me from fully enjoying this book.
First of all, the pacing was very slow. It was starting to feel dragging and slightly repetitive in the middle of the story.

Second, the writing style. It feels slightly messy and I'm having difficulties trying to figure out when the character is having the dream or in reality. There's no explanation about how the magic works in the beginning of the story so it feels very confusing for me trying to understand how all these works.
Not to mention, the multiple POV without knowing whose POV I'm reading until I read further into that chapter added my confusion.

Lastly, some of the secondary characters also didn't really contribute to anything in the story even though they were mentioned quite a lot in the book, like Armand, Vincent and Nadia. Although, I really love Kat and Larz because they're a good friend for the main character.

Overall, this book has a lot of potentials to be a really good one. I would have like it more if some things are more explained, especially how the magic works.
I've read so many good reviews about this one, so I'm thinking this book wasn't just my cup of tea based on the writing style, the pacing and I didn't really connect with the main characters as well.

Actual rating: 2.5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, B.L. Cagle and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Notes: Will be posted on my instagram at December 11th.