Gwen’s review of A Perfect Darkness (The Offspring, Book 1) by Jaime Rush (CAUTION! Site has sound when first clicking in)
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Avon 27 Jan 09
This is a new-to-me author and a new series. Rush also writes romantic suspense under the name of Tina Wainscott (or Wainscott writes as Rush, not sure which). I have to admit that I never quite connected to this book. I felt like it was trying to be something it just wasn’t and I’m not sure what. Read on to find out what just didn’t work for me.
I started reading this book because the cover was intriguing. The plot started along some interesting, if predictable, lines – grown children of secret government experiments now being gathered up by mysterious and evil scientist for some nefarious purpose. These now adult children are thrown together and love blossoms.
I know, I know. We’ve all read some version of this story before, or at least seen the straight to video movie on Sci-fi Channel late at night on a Saturday, right? Unfortunately, this one doesn’t venture too far from all these formulas. For a while, it even felt a bit YA to me – except for the sex scenes. There was a lot of dithering back and forth to some abondoned testing facility and some Sekrit Squirell underground hideout/bunker that the bad guys never seem to be able to find, even though the protagonists drive a very noticeable car right into it several times and never walk out.
Nothing was outstandingly well done in this book. Nothing was truly awful. There is a wishy-washy, not-so-convincing romance. Some comical action. I never really connected to any of the characters. The heroine was particularly drab – I didn’t believe in her fear, peril, or emotions.
I can’t really recommend this book to fans of contemporary paranormal romance. If you’re a fan of Rush/Wainscott, you might like it. Me? Not so much.
Grade: C-
Summary:
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They live ordinary lives, but they are extraordinary. They are the Offspring, children of a mysterious experiment gone awry-and they are in terrible danger.
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A sexy stranger awakens Amy Shane in the dead of night. Lucas Vanderwyck barely has time to whisper a few words before three men burst into her bedroom and drag him away. But what Lucas reveals shatters Amy’s safe little world forever.
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Lucas and Amy share a psychic gift-a gift that could put them in mortal danger. And as they share night after night of savage passion, as a shadowy government conspiracy tracks their every move, they will fight to save each other. But only with their powers of second sight can they escape the terror of a perfect darkness.
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Read an excerpt.
Other books in the series:
Out of the Darkness, Book 2 – Oct 2009 (read an excerpt here)
