Beautiful Darkness

Together Ethan and Lena can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.
from http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/somelovesarecursed/book_info.html

Beth says 4.5 Stars...

Finally a sequel does what it's supposed to! This novel built upon everything established in the first book while revealing even more information. The plot moved along nicely and took some unexpected turns. I thought the new spin to the visions kept reasonably withing the established framework, but provided a good change of pace. I had no real idea as to the importance of the visions until the authors decided to reveal it. I also enjoyed how much they elaborated on the Caster lore and filled in some of the gaps. It was fun to see how even more of the characters were brought into the supposedly secret world, which appears to actually not be terribly secret. It also leaves the story at the perfect place for the next book, and, as much as I hate cliffhangers, this one was very well done. Not too much, but more than enough to make me want to come back for more.

Speaking of characters, they remained delightful. I'm still amazed at how well done Ethan's voice is written since both of the authors are women. Lena became more complex as Ethan started to look at her more realistically because of her behavior. At times what she did made no sense to me at the time, but by the end of the novel it fit together seamlessly. The additional characters enhanced the story, but didn't take away from the development of the old ones. I don't want to say that much, because quite a few little things I'd like to mention are rather spoiler-ish.

This is one of the better sequels I've read in a while. It kept the intensity of the first novel without becoming over the top and therefore laughable. The lush and dark world of a rural southern town with some interesting history. This is a great series for lovers of paranormal romance who want some brain and independent characters. If you loved the first book then grab this one!
Book from Library