Dark Paradise by Angie Sandro

Author: Angie Sandro
Publisher: Forever Yours (Grand Central Publishing)
Date of publication: July , 2014

DARK LEGACY

Mala LaCroix has spent her whole life trying to escape her destiny. As the last in a long line of "witch women," she rejects the notion of spirits and hoodoo and instead does her best to blend in. But when she finds a dead body floating in the bayou behind her house, Mala taps into powers she never knew she had. She's haunted by visions of the dead girl, demanding justice and vengeance.

DEADLY SECRETS

Landry Prince has always had a crush on Mala, but when Mala discovers his sister, murdered and marked in some sort of Satanic ritual, he wonders if all the rumors about the LaCroix family are true. Yet after Mala uses her connection to the spirit world to identify his sister's killer, he starts to form his own bond to her . . . a very physical one. As they move closer to each other and closer to the truth, Mala and Landry must risk everything—their families, their love, and even their lives.

For the most part, I enjoyed debut novel, Dark Paradise.  From the opening chapter, I was engaged in the mystery of what happened to Lainey Prince.  With voodoo, ghosts and possible murder, you have all the makings of a good book.  The story is told in alternating points of view between Mala and Landry.  I did like that aspect of the story. I also liked the solution to the murder.  What I didn't like was the way everyone kept getting angry at each other and then were happy go lucky the next.  It got a little tiring after a while.

Mala was a good strong character.   I felt bad for her.  She is trying to do everything she can go make something of herself and things keep happening to prevent that.  I didn't quite see the attraction between Landry and Mala, especially when he keeps accusing her of having something to do with Lainey's death. In the end, I was also a bit disappointed in seeing the makings of a love triangle.  We will have to wait and see how that plays out in the next book, Dark Sacrifice.