Review: Awaken the Darkness by Dianne Duvall (@DianneDuvall, @AuthorsTaproom)

Awaken the Darkness

Author: Dianne Duvall

Release Date: July 10, 2018

Publisher: Self-Published

Immortal Guardians Book #8

ASIN:   B07CVCVFNR

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: Author

He awakens encapsulated in dirt with no knowledge of how he came to be there. Riddled with injuries, he can remember neither his past nor who he is. Nor can he remember what he is. But surely no mortal man could survive being buried deep beneath the earth. All he knows with certainty is that the soothing voice and presence of the woman moving around above enables him to endure the agony of his wounds. And he will do whatever it takes to be with her.

When Susan first sees the old two-story house for sale, such warmth and longing fill her that—against all reason—she makes an offer. It will take years of hard work and money she frankly doesn’t have to fix up the place. So she can’t explain why she bought it. She also can’t explain what compels her to spend hours one night, digging in the basement until she unearths a man. A man who still lives and breathes despite having been buried alive. A man whose intense brown eyes glow amber with pain, declaring him far more than ordinary. Susan knows she should keep her distance. He has no memory and possesses gifts that would make most fear him. But as the two work together to unravel the mystery of his past, she finds herself drawn in by his teasing nature and tender touch. So much so that she loses her heart to him even as they find themselves hunted by unknown enemies who are ruthless in their quest to capture them.

AWAKEN THE DARKNESS wasn't my favorite book of the series, but it was still an enjoyable addition to the overall storyline.

AWAKEN THE DARKNESS felt more like a filler book than a book that continues the overall storyline. Most of the book takes place with Stanislav and Susan in isolation and getting to know eachother and in Stanislav's case, getting to know himself.

The romance didn't totally draw me in like the previous couples.  Don't get me wrong, Susan and Stanislav fit together nicely and have a strong physical connection, but It didn't feel totally believable with the amount of trust and dependency they put on each other so quickly. Now having said that, Stanislav doesn't know who he is for a good portion of the book, so some of the trust and dependency can be contributed to that. I still would have liked a deeper build up to everything.

I loved the action scenes, they fit with the rest of the series nicely. The storyline was nice and entertaining. There was danger and mystery involved. I loved how easily the rest of the Immortal Guardians reacted to both Stanislav's return and Susan's addition to his life. I would have loved to have the team more involved in the book, but Stanislav needed that time to tell his story.

I look forward to seeing what comes next for the Immortal Guardians we already know and to seeing who else joins their family next.

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.