A Darker Crimson (Crimson City #4) is a 2005 supernatural romance novel written by Carolyn Jewel and published by Love Spell.  Serving as the fourth installment in the Crimson City series, the story follows police officer Claudia Donovan who must travel to the demon world Orcus to save her daughter, Holly, with the aid of a enigmatic vampire Tiberiu Korzha.

The story follows police officer Claudia Donovan who’s daughter, named Holly, is kidnapped by demons from Orcus.  Claudia and a high ranking vampire named Tiberiu Korzha travel to Orcus to save her daughter. The story goes at a pretty good pace, and the stakes surrounding Claudia, do make for a very compelling story.  Also, the developing arc surrounding Claudia feels appropriate.  Her understanding of Tiberiu and how their relationship and appreciation of each other do feel warranted. The subplot of Holly’s daughter being important to the demons’ plan is actually pretty good.  Especially when it is revealed that she is (spoiler alert) half demon.  This definitely is a good point that helps to make the story feel personal as well as a good connecting plot between Claudia and Tiberiu. (5 out of 5)

Claudia Donovan and Tiberiu Morpha are the main protagonists. Lath is the main antagonist. Claudia is likable but stubborn, however, I would’ve liked more story about her life. Claudia is one of those women that seems to try too hard to be “strong” and “independent” but Jewel does a great job of building an appropriate backstory showcasing a hard life (she’s a woman from the slums who found herself pregnant at the age of 15). Tiberiu is one of the best characters of the series. He’s witty, he’s funny, he has charisma. He’s a likable guy and his seemingly laid back personality holds up well to Claudia’s more serious attitude.  I would’ve liked more of his story although he does have a pretty significant arc. Lath is just a big dick and he does provide a really good rivalry against Tiberiu. His sexual influence upon Claudia does make him less flat as he constantly threatens to kill her but finds that he can’t. I like that about his character because for all his power he has a weakness he can’t overcome. The supporting characters were good enough to push the story along with their interesting quirks and sidestories.  (5 out of 5)

By far, Carolyn Jewel is one of my favorite writers in the series.  Like the other books, there is a heavy focus on sex which can get into some pretty intense details.  There is even a scene where two characters are “raped” for lack of a better word due to the fact that the two characters are both forced into it. I like how Jewel explores the relationships Claudia has with Lath and Tiberiu.  In writing, people usually fall in love in one of three ways: through seduction (love at first sight or predestined love), through adversity, or through friendship. I’ve never liked the whole predestined love or love at first sight and the whole love bond that the series explores with the demons didn’t bother me as much since Claudia and Tiberiu’s relationship seemed to blossom more authentically (although it is through adversity). I really also appreciated the dialogue and how it is presented between the three main characters.  Yes, this series has a knack for having witty dialogue but the characters do make it feel unique. All in all, the writing is solid. (4 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, A Darker Crimson (Crimson City #4) is just a great read. If you’re a fan of the series than this one is a must read. The characters are interesting and entertaining to follow, the story is evenly paced and pretty interesting, and the author does a good job with the writing and balance of action and romance.  A Darker Crimson (Crimson City #4) gets 5 out of 5.