Dark Betrayals

Ever since her arrival back home in St. James Parish, Louisiana, things haven’t been quite right for Lexie Marshall. She’s been receiving threatening phone calls where the caller just breathes on the other end of the line. Lately, she can tell someone is following her. She’s scared out of her wits, but to go to the police means she will have to confront her girlhood crush, Jon Winston, the man who laughed at her when she offered herself to him. He’s now the police chief, and ever since Lexie’s moved back, they have been circling warily around each other. However, a cruel and intimidating note finally convinces her that she has to take action.

When Jon Winston hears Lexie’s call for help on the police scanner, he's at her store in a matter of moments. Nobody is going to bully the woman he loves. Jon is shocked at Lexie’s appearance however; she’s emaciated and sleep-deprived. He offers to let her stay at his home, Magnolia Plantation, so she can get some rest and so that he and the rest of the police department can investigate who has been harassing her.

Jon has a feeling that Lexie’s tormentors are somehow related to a man currently on trial, Antoine Richeleau, the biggest crime boss in Louisiana. Lexie’s uncle is presiding as judge over the case. As Jon tries to piece the clues together however, Lexie is grabbed and taken hostage. A devious game of deceit, betrayal, secrets, and incredible shocks is about to play out in the small Louisiana town. Jon and Lexie, while falling in love all over again, are also scared for their lives. Someone wants them both out of the way, and it may not just be Antoine. Will they manage to figure things out before it’s too late?

Dark Betrayals is a complex and suspenseful piece of storytelling. Author Madyson Hunter balances a growing relationship with an ever-increasing danger to the lives of the protagonists. Though a bit confusing at times, with all the various connections that are revealed in the story, it is nonetheless very intriguing to see how the author manages to bring it all together for the reader. Though the prose is sometimes stilted and slow moving, as the story continues, the pace picks up, revealing a blood-chilling mystery. All in all, Dark Betrayals is a strong effort by the author and though the characters of Jon and Lexie didn’t feel as connected as I had hoped, they were nonetheless strong protagonists whose belief in love and the healing powers it provided truly touched this reader.

Reviewed by: Sarah W