Awaken the Darkness by Dianne Duvall

Awaken the Darkness (Immortal Guardians, #8)

by Dianne Duvall

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.

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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Reasons, Awaken the Darkness, is my favorite book of the series to date. 

  • Duvall brings her characters completely to life. She fleshes them out and gives these characters history, baggage, emotions, and family ties. She allows the reader to become emotional connected. The story begins with a prologue.  The Immortals are attacking compound . We feel our hero's pain as one of his own is torn from this world. Then the world goes dark before he awakens in pain and finds himself trapped beneath dirt. He hears a soothing voice and brings him comfort and this is where our story begins.

  • Most of our story takes place in an old farmhouse. Her we Susan Meyer an author who is also happens to be a telepath. She, along with her dog are searching for a property with lots of privacy. Susan can read the thoughts of others and is looking for some tranquility. I liked Susan almost immediately. I mean she write,  is a gifted one and a dog lover. BFFs forever. Something about this farmhouse speaks to her, and soon she is moving in.

  • Susan and her dog discover our guardian and rescue him. Susan first helps him heal and soon discover he has lost his memory. In the process the two become close and despite their sizzling chemistry they do nothing more than hold hands and exchange a few kisses.  Neither knows if he is already in a committed relationship.  I loved this time the spent alone together and the discoveries they made. Things triggered partial memories like the fact that he speaks several languages and can heal. As they talked, we learned more about Susan's past and I began to make connections. I love how Duvall weaves threads throughout the series.

  • Before finding him, Susan dreamt about him and I loved when she connected the guardian to the man in her dreams.  As the two sleep they share a dreamscape and it was pretty dang interesting.

  • When our guardian and the rest of the immortals reunite I wept. Oh lord, grab the kleenexes. The emotions and connections. So many feels.

  • We get some intense action scenes that would put most action movies to shame. Heart-pounding, near death moments but Duvall weaves in her signature humor with banter, teasing and more. Susan is quite the kick-ass heroine. She knows how to handle a gun and fearlessly defends our guardian. I loved her spunk.

  • Healing, reunions and passion made for an addictive tale. We discover a few things and weave threads together in the overall arc before getting an epilogue that made me smile. Now if Ms. Duvall could write faster, all would be well.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 12 July, 2018: Finished reading
  • 12 July, 2018: Reviewed