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The Darkest Corner of the Heart (The Brightest Light Book 2) Kindle Edition

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,748 ratings

Forbidden.
That's what they are to each other.


Maddie Stevens has never felt good enough.

Not good enough to keep her parents’ love. Not good enough to be independent and stop being her brother’s problem. Not good enough to build the future she wants.

When she injures her ankle before a ballet audition that could change her career forever, she’s convinced her life is over at twenty-one. What’s the point of having dreams when they can go down the drain at any moment?

And because the universe has a cruel sense of humor, her physical therapist turns out to be a tank-shaped grouch who doesn’t even seem to like her that much. It’s totally unfair that, for six weeks, she’s forced to look at that handsome beard and listen to that deep voice that makes her head all dizzy. Top that with the fact that he’s ten years her senior, and falling for James Simmons is a recipe for disaster.

But when their forced proximity makes the lines start blurring, the forbidden temptation becomes impossible to resist.

Content notes: This book contains themes of alcoholism, drugs, profanity, death, and explicit sexual scenes. Recommended for mature readers only.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt, Maddie. In any way, present or past. It makes me want to hurt whoever hurt you. Badly. Repeatedly.”

"Life has a funny way of giving you exactly what your soul needs, even if it’s not what
your heart initially wanted."

"I can see the shift in his eyes, feel it in my bones, and I know this is where the
doubting ends and everything else begins."

"I let her have this moment of control, if only because she has no idea what’s awaiting
her tonight."

About the Author

Lisina Coney is an international bestselling romance author in her twenties.

She’s a lover of slow-burn stories with happy endings and main characters who help readers feel less alone in their journeys.

When she’s not reading or writing, Lisina can be found fighting people over the last French fry, spending too much time on social media (Gen Z habits die hard), and pestering her two very patient cats.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CDXSL8HJ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (February 20, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 20, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 413 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,748 ratings

About the author

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Lisina Coney
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Lisina Coney is a Spanish international bestselling romance author in her twenties.

She’s a lover of slow-burn stories with happy endings and main characters who help readers feel less alone in their journeys.

When she’s not reading or writing, Lisina can be found fighting people over the last French fry, spending too much time on social media (Gen Z habits die hard), and pestering her two very patient cats.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
3,748 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoyed the book's storyline and found it sweet, multifaceted, and emotional. They described it as an entertaining read with a cute beginning. Readers liked the characters and their personalities. The book had some tense moments and spicy scenes. Overall, customers found the book to be a great second book from Coney.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

16 customers mention "Storyline"13 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline. They find it sweet, with good stuff buried in the story. The epilogue makes them happy, and the emotional journey is beautiful. Readers appreciate the family elements and romance in the book.

"...pasts and had to learn to trust each other and that emotional journey was beautiful...." Read more

"...The beginning of the book was cute, with the initial meet and infatuation. I really liked Maddie and James' personalities...." Read more

"...Technically speaking, I suppose it is. The storyline is multifaceted and tackles a variety of heavier topics, with another age gap (21/31) and a..." Read more

"...I wish we had seen the scene when Maddie met James’ parents, I loved the epilogue and seeing their happy ending ten years after 🥹. Also, I CANNOT..." Read more

12 customers mention "Readability"12 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it an entertaining read with a well-done age gap romance. The story hooks them from the beginning.

"...I really enjoyed this book. I love the age gap trope. The beginning of the book was cute, with the initial meet and infatuation...." Read more

"...I love the forbidden trope and it was done so well here...." Read more

"...deep family elements but also lots of romance this was such an entertaining read...." Read more

"Good story that had me hooked from the beginning...." Read more

8 customers mention "Cuteness"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's cuteness and age gap theme. They find the beginning sweet and spicy.

"...I really enjoyed this book. I love the age gap trope. The beginning of the book was cute, with the initial meet and infatuation...." Read more

"...Like it was so cute how he put his hand on her Uber so she didn’t hit her head on the way in 🤭...." Read more

"...Healing with your person is such a beautiful thing and the growth you find with each other is everything...." Read more

"I did not like this one as much as I did the first one, but it was very cute!" Read more

7 customers mention "Character development"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the character development. They particularly like Maddie and James' personalities.

"...I really liked Maddie and James' personalities. I will say I'm not a fan of when he ghosted her for 2 weeks because he was "terrified"...." Read more

"...Again, a very great storyline & likable characters !" Read more

"...I thought the characters were great and I definitely enjoyed getting to cameos of Cal, Grace and their daughter but this book standing out on its..." Read more

"The characters made you love the story but I felt that it was missing depth when it came to the drama of the story...." Read more

4 customers mention "Spice level"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the spicy content of the book. They appreciate the tense moments and scenes with Maddie, Cal, Grace, and Lila.

"...This was an adorably sweet romance with some very tense moments and spicy scenes...." Read more

"...The spice was on point too! It was so hot and I felt the chemistry between James and Maddie...." Read more

"...I really loved seeing any scenes with Maddie, Cal, Grace, and Lila...." Read more

"...The spice was great def different as to what we saw in the Brightest Light of Sunshine, and it was a good different, but I definitely prefer the..." Read more

3 customers mention "Tension"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's tension and slow-burn romance. They find it sweet with some tense moments and spicy scenes.

"...This was an adorably sweet romance with some very tense moments and spicy scenes...." Read more

"...and she was no longer his patient when things happened, but I loved the tension and the friendship they built...." Read more

"...So much tension and slow burn and there were a lot of cute moments between the FMC and MMC...." Read more

Sweet & Spicy
4 out of 5 stars
Sweet & Spicy
tropes: 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩, 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚/𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭/𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐮𝐩This is a sweet & spicy romance. Maddie is a 21 year old ballerina and injures herself while practicing her audition for a prestigious ballet school. James is her 31 year old physical therapist.Maddie is sweet and strong. Her upbringing was untraditional (featured in The Brightest Light of Sunshine/TBLOS) because her mother was an alcoholic and lost custody of her at age 4. Her father left her mom as well so her brother got full custody of her. Because of this and an awful therapist, Maddie has a lot of trust & abandonment issues.James is a big grouch (literally, he’s 6’5) and initially comes off cold & distant to Maddie. He might be grumpy but eventually, he’s really just a cinnamon roll. James is mostly struggling with their age gap and patient/physical therapist connection.I really enjoyed the characters but their chemistry wasn’t as palpable compared to TBLOS. There was just so much emphasis on the age gap which didn’t seem to be a big deal because Maddie was mature, responsible, etc. I did love James and how gone he was for Maddie. He would’ve done anything for her BUT him ghosting her for 2 weeks? Because he was terrified? Meh.The spice was super hot and well written. It’s more of a medium to slow burn. Nothing happens while they are patient and physical therapist. Overall, I’m not sure what this book lacked for me - maybe it was the conflicts that were a little underwhelming and the chemistry just wasn’t *quite* there.I love the author’s writing style and story telling though. I’ll read anything she writes!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
    “Don’t call me Maddison. It sounds too preppy.”
    “I’ll call you Maddison for as long as you keep being a brat.”

    This was an adorably sweet romance with some very tense moments and spicy scenes. Maddie was a determined woman with a core of iron and James was the perfect grumpy cat dad. They both had haunted pasts and had to learn to trust each other and that emotional journey was beautiful. Even though it was technically a forbidden doctor patient relationship the progression of their relationship worked for me.

    ⚜️ Trauma Healing
    ⚜️ Angsty Tension
    ⚜️ Praise Kink
    ⚜️ Unique Family Dynamics
    ⚜️ Mental Health Rep
    ⚜️ “My girl” & “I will take care of you”

    ✨Interconnected Standalone Series

    🌶️🌶️🌶️
    Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙
    NA Romance: Age Gap, Slow Burn, Forbidden Love, Grumpy Sunshine, Ballerina x Physical Therapist
    First Person, Present Tense, Dual POV
    ⚠️: 🍻, 💊, 🤬, ☠️, & 🍆💦
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2024
    "I can't stand the thought of you being hurt, Maddie. In any way, present of past. It makes me want to hurt whoever hurt you. Badly. Repeatedly."

    The Darkest Corner of the heart is book 2 in The Brightest Light series by Lisina Coney. I really enjoyed this book. I love the age gap trope. The beginning of the book was cute, with the initial meet and infatuation. I really liked Maddie and James' personalities. I will say I'm not a fan of when he ghosted her for 2 weeks because he was "terrified". Also, I loved getting glimpses of Cal and Gracie's marriage. Would I read this again? Yes. Overall, 4/5 stars!
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2024
    Not quite the sequel I was hoping for, but there was definitely a lot of good stuff buried in the story. I loved Coney’s debut a whole lot, so I eagerly anticipated her sophomore romance, hoping that it would be another layered and emotional read. Technically speaking, I suppose it is. The storyline is multifaceted and tackles a variety of heavier topics, with another age gap (21/31) and a tender, supportive hero. Unfortunately, there was just something missing for me. As others have mentioned, it’s missing that special something that is difficult to define. I wasn’t emotionally invested in the characters, and the amount of time they spent angsting over their age gap and forbidden romance exhausted me before we even got to the good stuff. I started out really enjoying it, but my interest diminished significantly along the way.

    The story follows Maddie, a young ballerina whose career is sidelined by an injury. Maddie is anxious and unsure about her future when she meets her new physical therapist, James. Though James relates to Maddie in a way he didn’t anticipate (and he can acknowledge her beauty), he would never cross professional lines. But after a series of encounters outside of the office, James feels himself being pulled towards Maddie. As the two navigate their shifting relationship, James has to decide if he’s ready to make a leap.

    The Brightest Light of Sunshine was in my Top 20 of 2023, so I had high expectations for the followup. And this did start out strong, with a compelling connection between Maddie and James that becomes complicated when they match on a dating app. A slow burn was needed here, and I liked that the forbidden element was an obstacle that would keep them apart for a while. James definitely focused way too much on their age gap though. Yeah, 21 and 31 is not ideal, but it’s not extreme either. In many ways, Maddie is more mature than James, though she does show her age a lot too, which made things slightly uncomfy. Their relationship developed slowly, which I did like - though the book was a bit stale and sedate at times. The forbidden element loses its impact after it’s mentioned for the tenth or eleventh time, so there wasn’t a lot of tension. I wasn’t a huge fan of the final act or the way they went from zero to one hundred in the bedroom. Ultimately, I have very mixed feelings about this, but about half of it was a solid 4-star read for me before things unraveled. Here’s hoping that this was simply a sophomore stumble from Coney, and the next book in the series returns to the quality of the first.

    Audio note: I listened to the audio before switching to the ebook as my interest wavered, and I’ve got no major complaints. I’ve listened to a few books narrated by Lidia Dornet, and her voice is nice enough. Not a favorite of mine, but easy to listen to. It’s my first experience with Jameson Adams, and I feel kinda the same way about his performance. The runtime (13-14 hours) meant that I listened to the story over the course of a few days. It’s a slow burn that gets very spicy towards the end, with a few longer scenes once Maddie and James get together. So you could probably listen to the first half at the office, but definitely not the second half. Not a bad way to experience the story though.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
    I absolutely LOVED <i>The Brightest Light of Sunshine</i> and it was one of my top reads of 2023. I was really excited when Lisina Coney announced a sequel and I was even more excited to learn that it was Maddie's book, the cute little four year old ballet dancer from the first book. I was a bit worried about this time jump, but it was written so well and I LOVED James and Maddie. The physical therapist who falls for the ballet dancer he is responsible for healing? I love the forbidden trope and it was done so well here. They never really crossed the line, and she was no longer his patient when things happened, but I loved the tension and the friendship they built. Getting to see Cal and Grace from the first book and seeing their interactions with Maddie as an adult now was awesome. I love that these two broken people fall for each other and help each other heal and find such a beautiful love in the process. The spice was on point too! It was so hot and I felt the chemistry between James and Maddie. I loved this book and cannot wait for the third in this series. I'm REALLY hoping it's Cal and Grace's daughter's book!

Top reviews from other countries

  • anna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Binge reading
    Reviewed in Brazil on February 22, 2024
    I’ve been waiting for Maddie books since I finished the first one (at October 2023). The was Lisina developed the characters, about their traumas, their victories, is extraordinary.
    Most of the series I read you can feel the similarities about the couples or the way they get intimate. But here everything is new.
    I can’t thank Lisina enough for writing this book ( that I only finished in two days because I was working, otherwise one day on top) I cried and laughed and when I finished I just wanted to forget everything and read again
    Now I’ll have to wait for the third book (and I hope is Lila’s)
  • Stacie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love, love, loved
    Reviewed in Canada on February 21, 2024
    * ballerina + physical therapist
    * age gap
    * forbidden
    * slow burn
    * grumpy cat dad

    Easily my most anticipated release of February, and Lisina Coney’s sophomore novel certainly didn’t disappoint.
    If my heart didn’t hurt for Maddie durning The Brightest Light Of Sunshine, it full on broke for her in The Darkest Corner Of The Heart, for everything she went through as a child, and the residual feelings from having absent parents, and then to have her dream ripped away - she turned into a strong, admirable woman. While I’m sure HIPAA would have a field day with James, I loved that overprotective cat daddy, as much as he tried to fight his feelings, I loved the slow burn between them and it was clear they balanced each other out.
    The Darkest Corner Of The Heart was heartbreaking, empowering, sweet and spicy - it was also nice to see where Grace & Cal were seventeen years after TBLOS - and it put Lisina Coney firmly in my auto buy author category!
    Customer image
    Stacie
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Love, love, loved

    Reviewed in Canada on February 21, 2024
    * ballerina + physical therapist
    * age gap
    * forbidden
    * slow burn
    * grumpy cat dad

    Easily my most anticipated release of February, and Lisina Coney’s sophomore novel certainly didn’t disappoint.
    If my heart didn’t hurt for Maddie durning The Brightest Light Of Sunshine, it full on broke for her in The Darkest Corner Of The Heart, for everything she went through as a child, and the residual feelings from having absent parents, and then to have her dream ripped away - she turned into a strong, admirable woman. While I’m sure HIPAA would have a field day with James, I loved that overprotective cat daddy, as much as he tried to fight his feelings, I loved the slow burn between them and it was clear they balanced each other out.
    The Darkest Corner Of The Heart was heartbreaking, empowering, sweet and spicy - it was also nice to see where Grace & Cal were seventeen years after TBLOS - and it put Lisina Coney firmly in my auto buy author category!
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    Customer image
  • Paola
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loooooved it!
    Reviewed in Italy on February 17, 2025
    Did I like The Darkest Corner Of The Heart even more than The Brightest Light Of Sunshine? Listen, this is a tough question and I really don’t know how to answer. So, ask me again in a few weeks, and we'll see if I've made up my mind by then. All I know is that I'm a sucker for a physiotherapist x patient romance, that I love broken characters, and that I live for exceptionally well done slow burns. And, well, this book is the blueprint for all of it.
  • Sebby
    5.0 out of 5 stars I Loved it
    Reviewed in Germany on September 16, 2024
    A adorable Story with realistic views on grief and how it feels when life wont play out like you need too. The Story was sweet and got me on my toes inbetween where i just hoped it ended the way i wanted. The Spice is not as extrem but it fit perfectly in the Story. Good read i would recomend the book defintly for all who want a sweet and a bit more realistic story. THe discussion questions at the end where a nice ad on because i actively had to think about what i had read.
  • bibi
    3.0 out of 5 stars cute but not my favorite
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on April 10, 2024
    I was very excited to read this book after absolutely loving The Brightest Light of Sunshine, but i didn’t really love it. I liked it, don’t get me wrong, but I just didn’t connect with the story and the MC’s. It felt like there were a lot of things going on, just to have James and Maddie open up to each other and form a relationship. Also the constant reminder every single chapter about their age-gap got annoying after a while.
    Other than that, I absolutely loved the Cal and Grace cameos and how supportive they were of Maddie.
    Overall thoughts: it was enjoyable except for a few things, but it wasn’t a favorite.

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