REVIEW: Awakening – Darklight Series Book 1 – Sean Ian O’Meidhir & Connal Braginsky

Nathen was recently diagnosed with autism, and he’s a newly created vampire. His maker, a multinational corporation with its finger on the pulse of the technology industry, has recruited him to stop a terrorist plot. In the process, he meets Cameron, a telepath and psychologist, who has a troubled past he keeps locked up in the shadows of his psyche.

Nathen is confused by social cues and Cameron can barely block out the thoughts of others.

Together, they find common ground, and with the help of their friend Syn, they work out the secrets of the terrorist group and learn that the plot is far greater than they could have imagined.

Reviewed by Linda Tonis

Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team

Nathen Hale had a psychological evaluation and when he woke up, he was sitting in a room with a man revealing what happened to him. Nathen has been diagnosed as autistic and he is now a vampire. His blood was drained, and vampiric blood substituted. He was instructed to sign a bunch of papers and he would be given a huge salary, medical which is important since his mom has MS and all the blood he needs.

Nathen is an innocent; he is incapable to sensing deception and lies so he believes everything he is told. Nathen is a hacker and that is the reason for him receiving all these perks and he is told that being a vampire would enhance his abilities. The Children’s Hospital has been hijacked by a terrorist group calling themselves Sons of Discord. Since the cyber-attack is affecting children, Nathen is anxious to find and destroy them.

Nathen is contacted by one of his on-line contacts, Syn asking him to meet at her house to try to search for any information regarding the cyber-attack at the hospital and he readily agrees. Although he has known Syn for years over the computer they have never met in person and meeting people in a social situation is not something Nathen is good at.

It is at Syn’s house that Nathen meets Cameron Corazon, a doctor at a non-profit and a mage able to read people’s minds. When Cameron first sees Nathen, he is taken aback because he can’t read him and that never happens. He doesn’t trust Nathen until Nathen reveals what he is. Although Nathen signed an NDA, he likes Cameron and doesn’t want him to mistrust him. Nathen’s innocence is apparent, he doesn’t see danger even when it is thrown in his face.

Cameron is attracted to Nathen and one kiss is all it takes for him to become ready for them to be boyfriends. Nathen promises not to bite Cameron but is still learning what it means to be a vampire. Syn is Cam’s roommate but is more of a sister to him, since they are both gay there is never any sexual feelings involved with their living together.

Syn is very knowledgeable about computers and she and Nathen do everything in their power to find the Sons of Discord and put an end to their threat. With Cam’s ability to read minds he can get into the minds of the people at the Company Nathen works for, the people that killed him and then made him into a vampire without his knowledge.

The search is a step-by-step process and very interesting and what Cam learns from entering the minds of the employees is enlightening and scary. Cam and Nathen begin to become very close and each of them is determined to protect the other from harm. In time Cam begins to find a way for him to be able to read Nathen but it is something I won’t reveal in this review.

This story is filled with explicit sex, violence, betrayal, lies, deceit and secrets. I loved watching Nathen trying to come to terms with what he is and finally accepting how wrong it was. As a psychologist Cam is very familiar with dealing with those with Autism so he knows how to handle situations which can be overpowering.

I loved this story, the characters are amazing, but their story isn’t over yet because there is more coming, and I can’t wait. The Company is far from finished with them and one wrong move would mean their deaths.