Amanda Usen is a new-to-me author (which I 💙) with a new series (which I really 💙). This first installment in the Talent series will psychically burrow into each of your neural pathways – Warning: your grey and white matter are now owned… (Usen™). If enhanced humans (like swirly-eyed mind-controllers, seed growers, power nullers, illusion masters, healing hands, super strength, and telepathy) fighting against their despotic, filthy-minded creators interests you… stay tuned.
Dark Awakening does not a single genre touch – attempted Talent pigeonholing is ill-advised. Try this on: Dark Awakening is Usen’s heavily nuanced in layers yet scantily clad Erotica, Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Brace Your Private Sector, Special-Ops, Compendium of Rope Knots, Drug of Choice. I mean, it’s wordy, I get it, but this author is giving her fans a buffet of everything glorious.
There is nothing straightforward about Jake, Zoe, and the Talent cast of characters. Your adrenaline will start pumping immediately and stay at a high through the book’s duration. Amanda Usen is now on my Who’s Who to Stalk list. Seriously dynamite!
*Note – All hail Usen – the newest leader of the Borg Collective – Whiskey & Wit is at your command.
*Note – I believe Dark Awakening may induce a contact Nectar high with its reader. Maybe. If there was an actual drug called Nectar and if it could leak through my Kindle’s pores… then yeah, not a stretch.
*Note – Three-quarters of the way through I start to panic. I realize that I’m almost finished but I don’t want to be. I want to bubble wrap myself in a world where people with Talent roam amongst us Normals. I never, ever, ever want this series to stop. So, I do what any thinking #UsenFan does – I set the book aside, grab my tablet, open up tabs for FB, Twitter, and the author’s website to troll updates for the series (aka… book 2). Oh. My. God. Nothing. I signed up for the newsletter – H_ _ _ S_ _ _ – I only receive a confirmation, no newsletter in my inbox yet. Now I’m sweating. Am I being punked? Is Amanda Usen one of those author doms who enjoys seeing her readers beg (hey… she did put the Talent’s Lair underneath a BDSM club… how far off can I be)? I decided to set aside my growing anxiety, I can always stalk the author when I finish the review. And then… I finish the book… Angels sing… there is a sneak peek of the second book… Dark Apocalypse (no release date – a minor quibble easily remedied with renewed trolling).
*Note – Dark Awakening whets all appetites – for me – peach pie jonesing – for others… uhm… The author must be one hell of a chef – her vegetable dish descriptions… I literally went vegetarian (until I remembered I really, really love Vienna sausages… but still… so close).
Thank you so much for stopping by! If you would like to order your copy of Dark Awakening the Amazon link is below. If you would like to receive an email when I post new reviews, Subscribe Now! A special thank you to Amanda Usen for the early review copy!
