There are few things I appreciate more than a well-written, alternate reality romance that doesn’t need much back-story and isn’t too complicated. Darkness Unknown is the fifth installment in Alexis Morgan’s Paladin series, but it functions as a stand-alone and avoids unnecessary data dumps.

Gwen Mosely dropped out of college to return to the family farm and rear her younger brother following the death of her mother years earlier. Settling into a life of alpaca farming and designing and selling knitwear, Gwen is content with her lot in life until her brother begins displaying some unusual traits, including an unbelievable ability to heal rapidly from serious wounds and an increasing aggressiveness that makes the teen difficult to manage. When she finds an injured stranger who shares many of her brother’s traits, Gwen wants answers.

Jarvis Donahue is an old Paladin who has died a few too many times. Born with alien DNA, he is one of a secret, elite group who fight to protect the world from the Other, an alien people who cross over into Earth to flee their dying world. His DNA gives him the capability to survive wounds that would otherwise kill the normal man. However, Jarvis slips up when he’s injured and left for dead in the backwoods of Missouri and discovered by a woman he can’t resist.

When it becomes obvious that Jarvis has the answers Gwen desperately needs in order to help her brother, an alliance forms between the two. Gwen believes her brother will benefit from a male role model and Jarvis knows he’s getting a born Paladin fighter to strengthen their strained reserves. Jarvis’s conscience begins to get in the way since he knows that Gwen may eventually loses her brother to a world of constant fighting and death. Even though he has feelings for her, he also realizes that he might cause her immense pain if their relationship grows any closer since Paladins usually don’t live as long as he already has.

Though this is the fifth book in the series, it was easy to catch up on the world of the Paladins without becoming confused by the introduction of characters from previous installments. While there are several prominent secondary characters who advance the plot, the bulk of the story focuses on the primary couple. The sexual tension is present, along with the resistance to the relationship that is understandable in their situation. Also, I appreciated the fact that Gwen is normal and her life is reflective of everyday life (with the exception of her brother), unlike so many of the incredibly rich, highly educated, or successful heroines. Though the premise is a little hard to believe, it was doable in an alternate reality setting.

While the story is centered on the primary couple, the action focused on the men, with Gwen waiting at home. At times the dialogue felt overblown, forced, and a little hokey. However, my biggest complaint was that I wanted more sexual tension between the main couple and more action that involved Gwen. It simply felt lacking to me.

Darkness Unknown is a worthwhile story just for its simplicity. With an otherworldly hero and a heroine who’s realistic, a believable balance is created.