#kept in the dark

[howifeltabouthim]

She still had the luxury of not knowing. She was still on the other side.

Katherine Lin, from You Can't Stay Here Forever

#ignorance is bliss #before and after #kept in the dark #loss of innocence #terrible knowledge #quotes #lit #words #excerpts #quote #literature #katherine lin #you can't stay here forever

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

Xentrix  -  Kept In The Dark

#Xentrix #For Whose Advantage? #Kept In The Dark #Release date: August 21st 1990 #Full-length #Genre: Thrash Metal #Themes: Society Madness Corruption Sarcasm Humour Political Incorrectness #UK

[hollymbryan]

Blog Tour: KEPT IN THE DARK by Crystal J. Johnson and Felicity Vaughn #literallyyourspr

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the Literally Yours PR blog tour for Kept in the Dark, a new novella by Crystal J. Johnson and Felicity Vaughn! I've got all the details, an excerpt, and my review below.

About the Book

title: Kept in the Dark authors: Crystal J. Johnson release date: 1 Feb 2024

IN THE DARK, SHE IS HIS

Kept in the Dark, an all-new touch her and unalive, boy obsessed, dark paranormal romance novella from Amazon bestselling authors Crystal J Johnson and Felicity Vaughn is now available!

Life has never been normal for Vai Stockton. Her father’s fame as a legendary rock star has meant growing up in the public eye. Wild parties, sex, and drugs—she has done it all with cameras flashing, and now that she’s in her last semester of college, she’s ready to ditch her old ways.

Joining her father on tour was supposed to be a new start for Vai, setting her down a path of being a ‘good girl.’ That is until a one-night stand with a mystery man in a Ghostface mask sends her life spiraling in a new and dangerous way.

Jagger Knox is obsessed with one person: Vai Stockton. He’s always kept her in his sights, watching from a distance. But that all changes the night of the masquerade party when he seizes his chance to touch her for the first time.

One night of fun has led to a series of alarming letters from a stalker, and Vai is placed under the watchful eye of her smoking hot bodyguard, Greyson. But despite all the precautions taken to keep her safe, they are not enough to keep away the masked stranger who finds his way into her room every night.

And Vai was never really that interested in being good anyway.

**KEPT IN THE DARK is a dark paranormal romance with a guaranteed HEA. This story contains triggers. Please visit the authors' website for more details.

Start reading today: FREE in Kindle Unlimited  Add to Goodreads: Kept in the Dark Check out the trigger warnings for Kept in the Dark

About the Authors

For more information about Crystal J Johnson and Felicity Vaughn and their books, visit their website!

Excerpt

“You look awfully deep in thought to be at a masquerade party,” a low voice says from beside me, and I startle before looking up at the speaker. 

And up. And up. 

He’s at least 6’3” to my 5’4”, and under the black hoodie and jeans that go with his Ghostface mask, I can tell he is built. 

“Well, it is a masquerade party at a castle in Scotland, so surely that counts for something?” I say, recovering quickly. 

“So, you’re either pondering world domination or the tragic deaths of queens who never got to rule their land.” 

I raise an eyebrow and feel the gems crinkle against my skin. “How about both? I think I’d like to avenge their deaths.” 

“Feisty.” 

His mask makes it impossible to see his eyes, but the dip of his head tells me that he is taking in my sheer, blue, skin-tight dress. The thousands of precisely placed gems cover all the parts of my body I want to keep secret; it would be considered scandalous if I were out at a club. But at a Kirt Stockton party, I’m in modest attire. 

“Why aren’t you taking all of that fiery energy out on the dance floor?” he asks. 

The low rumble of his voice has my insides melting. It makes me want to lean into him and ask him to repeat his question. It’s been a minute since a man awoke something in me so quickly. 

“I was waiting for someone I wanted to dance with. No one here has captured my attention.” I pause and let my gaze drift from his head to his toes and back again. “Until just a minute ago.” 

He is so unlike everyone else here—no designer clothes and Italian leather shoes. The simple black sweatshirt with the hood drawn over his head and combat boots speak to an “I don’t give a fuck” attitude. That is exactly what appeals to me—no expectations. 

Holding out his hand to me, the ghost says, “Then let’s not waste this opportunity.” 

I don’t hesitate to take his hand, setting down my drink on the nearest table, letting him pull me out onto the dance floor. The music is louder than ever out here, closer to the blaring speakers, but it does nothing but fill me with more adrenaline. 

He pulls me flush against him and I wrap my arms around his neck, swaying to the beat of whatever pop song is playing, something I vaguely recognize from the radio but isn’t really my taste. 

However, I can’t deny it’s ideal to dance to, its beat perfect for moving my hips against the ghost’s, the rhythm just the right tempo to tease him as I trail my hands down his chest. I let my legs spread enough to allow me to slide down his thigh, looking up into those bottomless pits where his eyes lay, wondering what color they are behind the mask. Dragging myself back up, slow enough to let him feel that I’m not wearing anything underneath my dress, I whisper against his ear, “You danced with anyone else tonight, Ghost?” 

A low groan vibrates through his chest before he says, “Not a soul.” 

His answer shouldn’t affect me the way it does. Why should I care if he danced with anyone else? He is just one man in a never-ending sea of people. 

“Good. Let’s keep it that way,” I say, and with a boldness that comes out of nowhere, I reach up to try to remove his mask. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I want to see what’s underneath. 

He pulls back and his body stops moving with mine. I immediately regret my reckless overstep, hating the idea that I went too far. My gut ties in knots at the thought. God knows I’ve been on the receiving end more than once, and I would never want to impose on someone else like that. My lips part, ready to spew a heartfelt apology, but I’m stopped. 

The ghost slides his hands around my waist, pulls me against his hard body, and we move to the music again as if we are one being. “You’re a wicked little creature, aren’t you?” he asks, the chill from his mask pressing to the sensitive area below my ear. 

“So I’ve been told,” I breathe in relief, pressing my pelvis against his to see if he’s as turned on as I am. 

He is. 

His fingers dig into my hips. “Fuck, I don’t think I can resist you.” 

Bringing one hand around to his chest, I pull him down close to me by the front of his hoodie. “Who said you needed to resist me? I don’t see anyone here telling us what to do.” 

“If you knew the thoughts running through my head, you might not be so quick to tempt me.” 

I lift a brow and a daring smirk tilts my lips up. “Try me.”

My 5-Star Review

I was so eager for Kept in the Dark to release, as I'd been hearing about it from Crystal and Felicity on their Instagram for a long time - and then when the cover reveal happened with Ghostface_GulfCoast (here on Instagram) on it, I just about died! Phew! So I was thrilled to have the chance to read an early copy thanks to Literally Yours PR.

This is a novella, so I read it in one sitting, and wow did I love it! There was an element that I wasn't expecting, but in hindsight I absolutely should have (it is Crystal and Felicity after all, ha!). But the fact that it surprised me definitely didn't affect my enjoyment, or maybe even made it better! Jagger (who I simply *could not* picture in any way other than as Ghostface_GulfCoast, lol) was sooooo delicious. Vai is an amazing character, strong yet vulnerable at the same time. If you love the protector falls for protectee trope, you absolutely have to pick this one up and check it out. You'll finish this in one sitting and want to go back and read it again! Also, sign up for Crystal and Felicity's newsletter, because the two bonus chapters are so worth it.

Rating: 5 stars!

**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book from Literally Yours PR and the authors for purposes of this blog tour.

#kept in the dark #novella #crystal and felicity #crystal j johnson #felicity vaughn #literally yours pr #blog tour #blogtour #book review #bookreviews #bookreview #new releases #new release #newrelease #newreleases #romance books #paranormalromance #paranormal romance

[amaranthsynthesis]

First morning wake up after the nautiloid crash and there are still many questions to be answered. Not by Ballard, though! He doesn't know shit or remember fuck all! My man has the lowest possible intelligence stat without incurring a negative, and also there's holes in his brain.

Had the thought a ways back about the notes you find from Kressa in the Illithid Colony re: the dark urge strangling her with his own intestines. I'm not sure how he was healed from her experiments, if they scarred or how long the marks might last, but my policy is not to turn down shit about durge that's funny/deeply upsetting so here we are. This is the first time I've drawn Gale I think and I love him.

Also:

#bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 comic #the dark urge #durge #Ballard #bg3 spoilers #durge spoilers #technically? #gale dekarios #astarion #cw flashing #gif warning #possible epilepsy warning #I hope I kept that gif slow enough but better safe than sorry #artings #digital art #I don't want to talk about how long it took to figure out how to draw the shirt he was halfway in the entire time lmao

[lilybug-02]

Patience and responsibility....that's a promise....right?

Part 27 First || Previous || Next

--Full Series--

An exorcism? In my family-friendly Deltarune? It's more likely than you may think. The backgrounds here were very interesting! Much more complex than how I usually do them (especially that computer).

Player POV:

Feral energy.

#Syke! Chara has no idea how to do sh*t with Exorcisms #in a society where it's literally seen as a blessing of some kind. It is seen as unethical! Your hurting the silly little guy :( #Why is Azzy so hesitant with this festival?? #WHAT THE HECK IS THE ANGELS LANDING DAY??? Azzy get over here- #without a soul?.....I dont know any creatures like that....plants maybe? #That is totally a knock off Mario cart and not a png I found online. DO NOT LOOK INTO THIS #Salt!? owo hehehe #I was very iffy on how much light I wanted here. I kept layering the darkness lmaoo. They kept the lights low in case Toriel woke up. #can you spot the everyman? ;) #hmm your not supposed to be able to read the computer....but I may make an update so people can actually see it?? I hate to leave it grainy #but im a little tired so thats maybe for tomorrow! #thank you all again for waiting so long! #deltarune chara timeline #deltarune chara timeline comic #bread #art #my art #chara #asriel #kris #susie

[the-scarecrow-of-aus]

Dating life of an immortal teen

Jazz developed a liminal gift around the time of dannys accident due to exposure.

She starts to suspect since she hasn't grown as much since she was 17, it was so subtle barely anybody noticed: jazz has the gift of longevity and is not ageing as fast.

Unfortunately her parents were among the small number that started to notice and she had to leave 'for college' before they tried any 'experiments' on her (they were always far too quick in suspecting jazz of being a ghost).

So started the continually cycling aliases of Jazz [no last name given] as she tried to live her life travelling around the country.

Occasionally she would meet someone and be happily in their life for a while, before having to move again (either forced or scheduled)

Her secret finally comes out when one of her early ex's recognises her in a photo with their younger co-worker... who then realises another co-worker is also an ex... until most of the group realise they've dated her at one point in their lives... then it gets noticed by their sister organisation who also recognise her.

Now anywhere else this could be humorous except these are no ordinary coworkers...

They're hero's.

Jazz has accidentally been 'Dating' her way through a large chunk of the the justice leagues civilian identities all across america and the world! (Not to mention JL: Dark) she has no idea they were hero's only that they were charming and she was lonely.

now the paranoid members (eg. Batman, the Question, Constantine, wonder woman) are worried she was preying on them and need to investigate.

#dcxdp #dpxdc #jazz fenton #the justice league #justice league dark #danny phantom #jazz got her degree so she can work as a psychiatrist but kept her work name private from any relationships #wrote a thesis about the effects of immortality on a persons psyche #zatanna and jason blood remember her fondly... constantine not so much #likewise diana and arthur remember her fondly but not barry and bruce who jazz knew something was off about them #jason todd is her current date who realised dick dated her earlier in her travel cycle #zatanna zatara #jason blood #john constantine #diana prince #arthur curry #barry allen #bruce wayne #jason todd #dick grayson #clark and bruce are further shocked when both lois and selina know her fondly #jazz stopped visibly aging when she finally hit 25 #my writing

[boxalienist]

Obi-Wan Kenobi & Padmé Amidala mourning Anakin Skywalker

Art reference:  Bela Čikoš Sesija - Mourning of Christ

Buy the Print

#obi wan kenobi #padme amida #anakin skywalker #tag this as whatever you want #i dont care #anidala #obikin #obianidala #star wars #boxalienist #rots #i havent posted in a hot minute #i apologize #but i am back #the mandalorian #grogu #star wars art #classical art #i kept padmes face dark because their love was secret #and obi wan is in the light... just because #Ewan McGregor #hayden christensen #natalie portman

[tutterypuff]

I'VE BEEN SLEEPING A THOUSAND YEARS, GOT TO OPEN MY EYES TO EVERYTHING

#fionna and cake #Simon Petrikov #adventure time #the lyrics are hilariously relevant #without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold #all this time I can't believe I couldn't see kept in the dark but you were there in front of me #frozen inside without your touch without your life darling only you are life among the dead #get it together Simon #and he would #he is cringe

[petitesmafia]

just thinking about the whole "what if Chuuya joined the detective agency along with Dazai?" and imagine him getting roped into Dazai's game of making everyone guess what their former jobs were (especially Kunikida)

Kunikida, watching skk bicker: btw did you guys know each other before this? Chuuya: unfortunately yes Dazai (at the same time): thankfully no Kunikida: ??? skk: Chuuya: ...sorry i meant no? Dazai (at the same time): just kidding! yes we did skk: Kunikida: ?????

Kunikida: were you guys students? Dazai: no Kunikida: factory workers? Dazai: no Kunikida: you guys weren't like. criminals of some sort right? Dazai: nope Chuuya, whipping his head to look at Dazai: ???????

Kunikida, praising them after a mission: good work today! btw how did you know PM's routes so well? Chuuya: tbh that's bc we used to w— Dazai: —ander around that area :) Chuuya: ??? Dazai: well Chuuya did. bc he was a bad bad boy who liked to hang out after dark in shady places and wouldn't listen to me when i told him the mafia is a very scaryyy place with very scaryyy people~ Chuuya: ?????

Kunikida: so you guys used to work together? what'd you guys do? any notable projects? Chuuya, thinking about him and Dazai destroying an entire enemy organization overnight at age 16: Chuuya, thinking about various other crimes they've committed: Chuuya, nervously sweating: um. well,,

#ena.hc #enarchive: au #ada!chuuya #bungou stray dogs #skk #ranpo was the first to find out obv and kept quiet #yosano and chuuya are drinking buddies so she found out second #and joined in on it #eventually it was just kunikida in the dark #it's just Chuuya kinda confused but trying his best to play along with Dazai

[tubbybunnysblog]

Stuffed bunny as a treat✨🩵

#feedee belly #feedee feeder #feedee encouragement #feeding kink #feedist #feed me #fat piggy #fatty #dark feederism #fat rolls #I kept hearing my love in my head telling me to eat more #36 oz plus a sprite and a huge burger and fries

[linabirb]

milgram season 1 and season 2 mv art style comparison!

#not posting this on my edits blog bc i haven't edited anything #i wanted to adjust the brightness and the colors a little but then i thought #that it'd make more sense if i kept the original colors #also i don't want to edit akaa mv ever again. i hate it i hate it it's so dark #YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH NINE CIRCLES OF HELL TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD #DON'T GET ME WRONG THIS MV IS ONE OF MY FAV ONES BUT N O T WHEN IT COMES TO EDITING #also this isn't about which art style is better or anything #i just wanted to compare them and see how the art style has developed and thought it'd be fun to see #milgram #milgram spoilers #deep cover spoilers

[howifeltabouthim]

You lie by omission, since you know everything and I know nothing.

Katherine Arden, from Empty Smiles

#power imbalance #lies of omission #knowledge #lack of knowledge #kept in the dark #quotes #lit #words #excerpts #quote #literature #katherine arden #empty smiles #small spaces

[pearlsdiamondsandvodka]

the sandra lynn / fig conversation is driving me Insane. fig saying that sometimes she doesn’t wanna exist as herself at all…not wanting to ask her friends how they see her (because she’s afraid to hear their response) saying that to someone she is a monster and she Cannot stop thinking about it. sandra lynn starting the conversation saying she needs to step up but is also simultaneously taken aback about what fig expresses and doesn’t know how to responds to it and suggests getting ice cream. sandra lynn saying “convincing people they deserve good things is really tough” talking about herself but how it also reflects fig. insane!!

#if that conversation had kept going I would have started bawling!! #fully believe brennan was like ‘well oh shit this is getting dark and heavy quick let’s uh get some snow cones’ #I will say I think Emily does a beautiful job here of showing teenage life #not a universal experience perhaps but definitely a common one #feeling so lost and insecure in who you are and under so much pressure to be a certain way #and her saying she doesn’t wanna exist #vs me resonating with ‘I don’t wanna die sometimes I wish I’d never been born at all’ lyrics #it was hard to watch ngl but it’s also bc Emily does Such a good job w emotional scenes!! #that woman is so emotionally invested you get emotional invested as well #if Emily axford cries I cry with her #and loved to see more of Sandra Lynn again <3 #damn good scene #dimension 20 #fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #fantasy high junior year #fig faeth #sandra lynn faeth #emily axford #brennan lee mulligan

[flymmsy]

Honestly Larian adding durgetash content bit by bit really says, to me, that everyone at Larian is undergoing the Durgetash Brain Worm transformation just like we all did, slowly but surely.

#at first they were like #WHAT who would want to fuck Enver Gortash #and then they kept seeing Durgetash edits #and they were like #okay...okay....I see the vision #enver gortash #durgetash #durge #the dark urge

[puppyeared]

au where asriel comes home early

#this came to me in a dream but i dont remember the rest #i just think it would be pretty interesting if asriel comes home since im assuming the game #takes place over a series of days until he comes back from college #i havent kept up with deltarune since chapter 2 came out so i dont remember much abt the theories around asriel #esp what ralsei is supposed to be- im kinda suspicious of ralsei actually since he didnt mention the roaring until #the end of chapter 2. plus we dont know why hes able to go between dark worlds without freezing so im a little sus #plus noelle points out that he looks like asriel so it makes me wonder if ralsei knows abt that or ow he would react to that information #and when noelle points it out she gets cut off because she says ralsei turned to face them as she was thinking that. hmmmm #im also curious if we actually get to see asriel and what he looks like so im looking forward to that #my art #myart #doodles #utdr #deltarune #ralsei #asriel dreemurr #deltarune asriel #kris dreemurr #deltarune kris #deltarune fanart #au #i dont think id actually call it an au its more of a one off but if anyone wants to take this and run go for it ^_^ #its probably already been done at some point anyway lol

[bumfuzzled-bee]

Lil birdie and his eldritch demon (build in friend) !!!

#bumfuzzled art #bumfuzzled animations #mha #tokoyami fumikage #my absolute beloved lil guy #dark shadow #they deserve a separate tag #I’m just rotating through old interests #I always kept up with the manga #the story lost me halfway through #but I just had to know what happened to my two favorite students #I’ll probably rewatch the whole series before the new season #which likely means more art! #also I seriously could not log into this account anymore. but we’re so back