Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers #1) by Michelle Rowen

Dark Kiss
by Michelle Rowan
Series:Night Watchers #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: May 22, 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal

Buy:Barnes and Noble /Amazon /Book Depoistory

I don't do dangerous.  Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back. Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me.... NIGHTWATCHERS When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...(synopsis from Goodreads)

Dark Kiss is the first novel in a new YA series called Nightwatchers by author Michelle Rowan. Filled with demons, angels and a new supernatural creature this novel is sure to delight.  Rowan offers romance, suspense and a battle against good and evil. I found this novel to be an easy, highly entertaining read and the start to an exciting new paranormal series.

The tale begins in heaven with Bishop being hurled to Earth on a life or death mission. The scene then jumps to introduce us to seventeen year old protagonist Samantha. She is headed home when she passes a very handsome dark hard boy who appears to be in trouble. Remembering  her past runaway stint, she offers to help.  Bishop is confused, very confused. He has been sent to Earth to find another angel and two demons. Together they must stop an evil that is consuming Trinity, New York. If they fail all of humanity could be lost and he is unable to locate them.  When Samantha touches Bishop, there is an electrical current. He begins to have clarity and she has a horrible vision of the city destroyed. She sees herself falling into a giant swirling vortex and Bishop is unable to save her.  As Bishop head clears, he mumbles about finding the spotlights and not being able to see them. Samantha points and says you mean like that? They quickly realize that Samantha can see the beacons and she leads him to the first one. The tale that unfolds is suspenseful as Samantha finds herself in the middle of an epic battle that’s results could change the world.


The characters in Dark Kiss are all unique.  Samantha is both brave and impossibly stubborn. She is quickly learning everything she thought about herself and her world is wrong. She has an insatiable hunger that cannot be fed and must face impossible decisions. The biggest problem is who to trust. I like Samantha, but I didn’t love her. I would have liked her to be a little more mature and more snarky. Bishop is an angel and has the weight of the world on his shoulders.  He is dark and brooding and needs Samantha more then she even realizes. Other key characters were Kraven, Carly, Zach, Roth and Conner. I really liked the handsome demon Kraven and look forward to reading more about him. Carly is Samantha’s BFF and at first I didn’t like her, but she surprised me. There is also an old homeless man who appears to see things and I loved the way he spoke in riddles. It will be interesting to see how Rowan develops these characters and their individual story lines.


Rowan’s world-building was fascinating. I really liked learning her take on souls and what occurs when we die. The history of angels and demons had me captivated. One of tales had me rooting for Samantha and Bishop. The threat she has created for humanity is interesting and the reaction of Heaven and Hell felt both believable and unique. Fans of Supernatural will see similarities with the angels and demons. I am anxious to see how this plot develops. I am hoping to see more of this fleshed out in book two and I’d really like to see character growth in Samantha.  She has the potential to be an awesome protagonist. Rowan delivered a fast paced novel that flowed well and kept me entertained. 


I recommend Dark Kiss and the Nightwatchers series to fans of paranormal romance. Those who love angels and demons are sure to delight in this quest.  I have added Rowan to my author to watch list and look forward to reading Wicked Kiss book two in this series. Rowen has other YA and adult fiction series and novels. I encourage you to check out her website. I have added a few to my reading list. 

I want to thank netGalley and Harlequin for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I gave this novel 3.5 coffee cups out of 5. 

Michelle Rowen

Website