Guarded in Darkness (AntiHero Syndicate 2) by Victoria Lum-review
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 17, 2026
He was sent to protect her until he could eliminate her. Then she became the one person he couldn’t destroy.
Aria Connors thought losing her fiancé was the worst thing she would ever survive. Then come the gifts. The warnings. The feeling that someone is watching her while she sleeps. Until a masked stranger starts haunting the edges of her life—first as a presence in the shadows, then as a faceless voice, then as the man who seems to understand the most broken parts of her. The deeper Aria falls, the harder it becomes to tell danger from desire.
Ren is the Triads’ most feared weapon—a silent assassin known as the god of death. He was given one job: keep Aria alive until a key is recovered…then kill her. But Ren has spent his life obeying orders without hesitation. Aria was supposed to be a job. A problem. A means to an end. Instead, she gets under his skin, into his blood, and past every wall he’s ever built.
Now enemies are closing in, the secrets buried in Aria’s past are beginning to unravel, and the empire Ren serves will destroy them both before it lets them walk away. As betrayal, obsession, and desire collide, Ren will have to choose between the world that made him a monster…or the woman who makes him want to be a man.
Because in a world ruled by death, falling in love may be the most dangerous betrayal of all.
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REVIEW: Guarded in Darkness is the second installment in the Anti-hero Syndicate series by Victoria Lum. As always, I recommend reading the series in order to get the most out of it but each book can be read as a standalone in an interconnected world. In GID we get more of Ren and his leading lady, Aria.
Ren is mute, and a killer for hire for the triad. He doesn’t do this by choice, but for the love of his sister who is sick and in need of a heart transplant, he does what he has to. That is until his next hit turns out to be the one woman he has been obsessed with for the last year. Aria.
Aria is an ER nurse and is still dealing with the grief over losing her fiance during the blowout of last year’s events. (book one) As part of that grieving process, she has built a relationship with a stranger on the internet, very millennial of her. Little does she know, her stranger of a friend is closer than she knows.
Ren goes full stalker on Aria and while I shouldn’t love it, I do. Their chemistry is dripping off the page and while they may hold secrets from each other, they also know each other better than anyone else. Their story is filled with danger, secrets and emotional crash outs that are bound to happen with all that chaos happening all at once. For readers that enjoy a fast pace, dark, mafia romance, Guarded In Darkness will be a great addition to your book playground.
Copy supplied for review
Reviewed by Sarah
Meet Victoria Lum:
Victoria Lum writes angsty, emotional romances that dive deep into the complexities of love and the human heart. She’s the author of The Orchid and LA Hearts series, which follow characters through love’s twists and turns, secrets, and second chances. A true romantic at heart, Victoria loves crafting stories that resonate with readers who crave a mix of passion, tension, and genuine connection.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up with a caramel latte and a good book or spending time with her family in sunny California.
Connect with Victoria Lum:
https://linktr.ee/authorvictorialum
