Our Darkest Hour by Gabriella E. Mari

A young new psychic, Adrian is invited to gain experience with a famous supernatural investigation group. As Adrian learns the ropes, he finds himself attracted to and connecting with Yu, the group's demonologist. But there is danger stalking Adrian, possibly something that has stolen other psychic's powers, and the group has to figure out how to protect Adrian before the same thing happens to him.

From the blurb for Our Darkest Hour:

‘Our Darkest Hour’ is a gay love story centered around paranormal investigations. It features ghosts, demons, and one psychic who is slowly but surely coming to terms with his powers... and the feelings he develops for one of his colleagues.

Coming into his psychic powers by accident, Adrian Sinclair finds he has the ability to see and communicate with spirits yet zero understanding of how anything works. So when the YouTube-famous Crossroads Paranormal Research Society offers to take him under their wing, he knows he is in no position to refuse.

As Adrian learns what it means to be a paranormal investigator and how to navigate his newfound online celebrity status, he discovers that psychics are quitting en masse, and there are only vague rumors as to why...

... until something beyond his reach starts stalking him.

SNik's Review:

Standalone. Paranormal. Hurt/comfort. Slow burn. POC representation. Single POV. 

After a terrible accident, Adrian finds he has psychic powers, and is soon asked to join a paranormal investigation group to help dispel hauntings. 

Being part of the popular group gives introverted Adrian exposure to the group’s fans and endangers his life on a regular basis, which he really didn’t expect. The only good thing is his team of coworkers, especially Yu, the quiet demonologist that comforts Adrian and saves him on more than one occasion. 

For a majority of the story, the romance is secondary to the supernatural investigations. Our Darkest Hour focuses more on the interactions between the team as they build working and friendly bonds. 

It is well written, with some dangerous encounters and interesting characters. Once Adrian and Yu commit to their relationship, there are plenty of sweet and steamy scenes, they connect on an emotional level quickly. 

This was a long, but interesting read, with some action, some humor, some swoon, and a group of friends helping ghosts and fighting demons.

Rating: 4.25 Stars

Holly's Review:

I planned on taking my time to read this one. But I got drawn in and couldn't put it down. There was the odd, and I mean odd, occasion I felt it was dragging a little, but then the action kicked off again, and I was sucked right back in. The originality of adding the forum and chats was pure genius and added to the world as a whole. The details were sublime, and I was left with no questions except for what this author will write next.

Yu and Adrian.

Yu is standoffish, stoic, and strong. Adrian is hurting, afraid, and grappling with new powers. He doesn't understand.

This is a slow burn. But I feel like it needed to be, and when Yu and Adrian finally get together, it's real, raw, beautiful, oh, and spicy as hell, lol. 

The characters were vividly painted, the world-building was incredible, and I'm so thrilled I was able to escape reality and dive into such a richly filled world of magic, ghosts, friendship, and stardom.

Rating: 5 Stars

Our Darkest Hour is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.