Review: The Darkest Parts of Me By Shandy Mandarino
Blurb:
Five years ago, a tragic accident turned Maven’s life upside down, forcing her to leave the small mountain town where she spent most of her childhood. Ready to leave the past behind, Maven has decided to return to Solitude Ridge in search of the closure she didn’t get all those years ago. And while everything seems to have remained the same in the quaint little mountain town, there’s one thing that’s different: Renn. A new resident who is irresistibly charming and equally mysterious.
For the last five years, Renn has maintained a quiet existence in Solitude Ridge where the locals don’t ask questions and accept him as part of their small town. Despite the fact that he’s become a beloved member of the community, as time goes on, he finds himself looking over his shoulder, waiting for the events of his past to finally catch up with him. But when Maven comes to town, he finds himself wanting to share his most closely guarded secret: he’s not from this world.
As Renn and Maven start spending more time together, they find themselves faced with the darkness of their pasts, bringing them closer than ever as they struggle to fight for the one thing they value above all else. But when their secrets finally begin to surface and decisions must be made, will Renn and Maven lean on each other to weather the storm? Or will this tear them apart forever?
Review:
Overview
This read was way outside of my normal genre but I am so glad I decided to give it a go! The Darkest Parts of Me is a scifi romance that leans heavily toward being a small-town contemporary romance with elements of scifi sprinkled in. The Darkest Parts of Me focuses on the relationship between Maven, our FMC who has returned to her small town haven after five years away following a life-altering accident, and Renn, a starship captain who crash-landed in the mountains near Solitude Ridge four years ago and has since made the quiet little mountain town his home. This is a beautiful story of love, loss, grieving, and learning to accept the broken parts of ourselves. As someone who suddenly lost a parent a few years ago, I sympathized with Maven and the all too familiar feelings represented on the page brought me to tears more than once.
Worldbuilding
While Mandarino tackles very heavy topics she does so in a space that is cozy and familiar. Solitude Ridge is a quiet mountain town with a quaint bookshop, trendy cafe, and scene backdrop. The descriptions of hikes and camping made me long to get back out into the mountains myself.
Characters
While there are some sweet supporting chasers where this story really shines is with its leading male and female characters. Renn is an amazing male lead, kind and honorable, but he is dealing with demons from his own past. I couldn’t help but fall in love with lost starship captain and his animal companion, a German Shepard named Shy.
Maven is a well developed female lead who strikes the perfect balance between broken and strong. I loved the journey she goes on of understanding that her tenacity is her strength and that she is not weak just because she is still working to overcome wounds from her past.
Romance
This is a romance-forward story perfect for fans of small-town romances. It is a slow burn and I often wanted to yell at Renn to get out of his own way. It is open door with a spicy scene or two which earns it two peppers on my spicy meter. Overall I enjoyed the dynamic between our two protagonists and I was always rooting for them to get together.
Enjoyment
This story did lean a little heavily toward showing vs. telling for my taste, but that being said every time I put it down it drew me right back in because I wanted to know what happened next. I finished it in two days and still continue to think about it. I think this was a great debut from Mandarino and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!
Tropes
🏔Small Town
✨️Golden Retriever MMC
🔥Slow Burn
🐶Animal Companion
🌶️🌶️Spice
