Lada is strong and ruthless...she needs to be in her world. She and her sensitive brother, Radu, were used as political pawns by her father and the Ottoman empire courts. Lada has to use her cunning and harsh nature to survive. She has been waiting for an opportunity to leave the Ottoman courts and return to her homeland of Wallachia and claim her birthright. Mehmed may be the only person to change her mind. Son of the Sultan, he treats her as an equal but he is part of an empire she despises. Which will Lada choose Mehmed and the Ottomans or returning home and fight? And I Darken is a dark tale of love, political intrigue and war. It is well-written and hard to put down.