REVIEW: Dark Awakening (Dark Dynasties #1) by Kendra Leigh Castle

Author: Kendra Leigh Castle

Pages: 384

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Forever

AMAZON: Dark Awakening (Dark Dynasties, Book 1)

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Enter the world of the Dark Dynasties . . .

For centuries, shapeshifting vampire Tynan MacGillivray has prowled the night as an outcast, valued only for his ferocious hunting skills. When a feud among the immortals escalates into all-out war, he is ordered by his ruthless queen to locate a Seer-a human woman with a special gift-who can secure victory for their clan. Ty's search leads him to a quiet New England town, but once he has the Seer in his grasp, her touch awakens within him a hunger like he's never known . . .

Lily Quinn has always been different. Since childhood, she's had vivid nightmares and an eerie sixth sense. When a sexy, silver-eyed stranger demands her help, Lily plunges into a new world of danger and sensuality. With Ty, she discovers sizzling passions she cannot deny and powers she cannot control. Soon, it is clear that Lily is much more than a Seer-she holds the key to ancient secrets and unthinkable destruction. But will a vampire's vow of eternal protection stop these evil forces . . . or unleash her dark destiny?

REVIEW: 5 out of 5 Stars

Kendra Leigh Castle’s ‘Dark Awakening’ is the 1^st in her new Dark Dynasties series, and what a wonderful start it was. I absolutely loved it!

Tynan MacGillivray is part of the Cait Sith dynasty, a bloodline known for producing cold-blooded killers. He is a vampire who can shape-shift into a large black cat and is considered a lowblood or gutter-cat, working as more or less a servant for the House of Ptolemy. An invisible curse stalks the Ptolemy; his latest orders from Queen Arsinoe who he serves is to find a Seer to locate the source of the evil threatening the dynasty, if a Seer isn’t found the Ptolemy will cease to exist.

Lily Quinn has always been different. Since childhood, she's had vivid nightmares and an eerie sixth sense; she was adopted by high profile celebrities and then all but discarded when the couple fell pregnant with a biological daughter of their own. She yearns for a peaceful existence living in her quiet home and working as an English lit professor all the while hiding her wayward powers which in the past has only caused destruction. All this changes when she meets Tynan at a ghost hunter’s event.

When Ty scents Lily all he wants is quick sexual satisfaction and to feed but when he sees she is marked with a tattoo/mark he vanishes leaving her with many questions and also baffled by the attraction she felt toward him. The feeling is mutual but Ty couldn’t bite Lily because if she were a true seer, vampire venom will rob her of her ability and he had a vested interest in preserving that.

From the moment you are sired the mark a vampire has determines their path, the way they exist, the circles they would move in so trying to find the meaning of Lily’s becomes as much a quest for Ty as what saving the Ptolemy is. After a run-in with an Assassin/Shade who has been hired to put a stop to Ty's mission by targeting Lily, she is forced to accept the help and protection he has offered and accept in good faith he will also return her home – this gets questioned the closer they get to their destination.

I absolutely LOVED the world Ms Leigh has created, the caste of vampires and their history is unique and original, and it was more or less a power play for each of the dynasties, working against each other until they are eventually wiped from the face of the earth. I referred to the glossary on a number of occasions to find out who were who and what abilities they had which certainly came in handy.

Ty and Lily were wonderful H/H’s and as a couple – perfect! Both have poignant back-stories which leads them to self-sacrifice for the good of others.

He is the reluctant brooding hero and she is caring and compassionate and was able to show him a different way of looking at himself through more ‘modern’ eyes, it was a realistic relationship with witty, fun and honest banter. The building sexual tension between the two main characters was played to perfection, they had great chemistry.

I was fascinated by Jaden, his blood brother/closest friend and Vlad of the Dracul dynasty; I am looking forward to finding out more about both of these characters and also hope to see more of Anura in upcoming installments.

The storyline was fantastic. I found myself completely immersed in all of the characters and plot and found it extremely difficult to put down.

What I didn’t like: Ty’s reluctance to admit what and who he really was to Queen Arsinoe, he had blinders on and because she pretty much saved him he thought it his duty to live his very long life in servitude to her. Also, Lily’s relationship with her best friend Bay was left hanging with no real resolution; I didn’t agree with Bay’s lack of faith in what she had been told but would have liked to know if they still had a friendship. These minor things didn't affect my rating.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, ‘Midnight Reckoning’ which has Jaden as the male lead. This book has an anticipated January 2012 release date..