A USA Today BestsellerChosen by Audible as one of the Top 5 Best Paranormal Romances of 2018Return to the “utterly addictive” (RT Book Reviews), “fast-paced and humorous” (Publishers Weekly) world of New York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall’s Immortal Guardians.He awakens encapsulated in dirt with no knowledge of how he came to be there. Riddled with injuries, he can remember neither his … 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.
“Fans of terrific paranormal romance have hit the jackpot with Duvall and her electrifying series.”
–RT Book Reviews
“Full of fascinating characters, a unique and wonderfully imaginative premise, and scorching hot relationships.”
–The Romance Reviews
“Fans of paranormal romance who haven’t discovered this series yet are really missing out on something extraordinary.”
–Long and Short Reviews
“Paranormal romance fans who enjoy series like J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood will definitely want to invest time in the Immortal Guardians series.”
–All Things Urban Fantasymore
A must read.
This was absolutely fabulous and OMG! I was so thrilled that Stanislav made it!! Well, I thought he would, given the clues from the earlier books but still, I wasn’t sure. This was a really great story, very well done as it builds up to him regaining his memory. Susan is totally gutsy, willing to go out on a limb for him, and the care she takes of him. She’s hit with shock after shock but handles it all with aplomb… not too much but just enough that it’s totally reasonable. I was rooting for them all the way. I totally loved the reactions of everyone, from Alexei to Seth and David and the rest, one at a time as they realize he’s alive. Totally satisfying!
Diane Duvall does not disappoint, it was romantic and suspenseful a real page turner.
*Book source ~ Purchased
This story starts out recapping a huge, action-packed, suspenseful event from over two years ago, but from a POV we didn’t see at the time. If you haven’t been spoiled yet by who the main character is I won’t mention his name. But if you’ve read all the books up to this point, trust me when I tell you, it won’t take you long to figure it out. While most of this series will tug at your heartstrings at some point or other, this one will nearly yank your heart out. So be prepared. It’s that awesome.
This is my 10th Immortal Guardians story (shorts included) and I love them just as much today as the day I picked up book 1, Darkness Dawns. I cannot even imagine what it will be like when this series ends. It will join those few that I will read over and over again because I won’t be able to let it go. I read many genres because they all give me something that the others lack. But this one…I’ve said in all my reviews previously how much I love this series, that it has everything I love about books all wrapped up in one great package – humor, paranormal, action, steaminess, romance, mystery, snappy dialogue, kickass characters, and great writing. Like I said, everything. If you haven’t read this series yet, I’m disappointed.
Immortal guardians, vampires and human bad guys, oh my! This series is one of my favorite in the paranormal romance realm and this book not only fit right in, it also has taken over as my favorite book of the series.
Number 8 in Duvall’s Immortal Guardian series quickly became one of those books that I couldn’t put down. Silly me decided that 4 a.m. was a wonderful time to start this book and two and a half hours later I finally had to stop to sleep-only to finish it later on that same afternoon. I only rarely do that anymore so that’s saying a lot. At this point I am going to say that if you read this series there will be spoilers in this review after this point so just a heads up.
Stanislav is an immortal guardian and has been buried in the basement of an abandoned house since the last immortal guardian/mercenary battle. You find this out very quickly so not really a spoiler. He’s been missing and presumed dead for over two years. Susan is an author of romances that is out house hunting when she starts hearing voices in her head telling her to stay in the house. The house is probably a money pit, but she decides to buy it anyway. When she and her beagle move in, things get interesting pretty quickly. It’s not long before the dog is trying to dig in the basement, and then Susan finishes the dig. When she finds an emaciated, horribly wounded man in the hole, life for Susan changes irrevocably.
Stanislav was never one of the guardians that I was that interested in. I admit it. Now, he is one of my favorite. When he was lost and presumed dead along with his best friend, Yuri, in the previous book, I was still sad at the loss of this duo that were always together in all their scenes. He’s been alive for centuries, is very handsome, but also is very lonely. He’s an empath and can cause people’s emotions to change at will. Now he has lost all of his memory and doesn’t even know he’s an immortal. Susan is feisty and can read minds which is why she was looking for a house in the country. She wants away from people and their thoughts. It’s been pretty impossible for her to sustain any relationship due to being able to read any of her boyfriend’s minds.
Immortal guardians are not vampires, but are infected by the same virus that infects vampires. The difference is huge since vampires will ultimately succumb to madness while the immortal won’t. It’s all in the DNA because immortals have that something extra in their’s that give them a special gift like empathy or mind reading. Only those with the something extra can be transformed into an immortal. It’s a lonely world for them, unless they can find someone else with a gift or another immortal guardian to love. Their mission in life is to hunt down the vampires that feed off of humans and kill them. With all the human’s that are trying to capture them for nefarious purposes, life has been pretty deadly lately. That being said, most humans know nothing about them.
I have enjoyed all of the books and novellas in this world the author has created. Duvall is a good writer that is adept at writing all out war for her characters to fight in, as well as writing a very sensual love scene. I’ve heard people say this was a really different book and I have to agree. I think that is due to the couple being away from all of the other immortals for a lot of the book. As much as I love the other guardians, it worked for me because of how wonderful the romance and story was in this book. Imagine not knowing what you are, but also knowing you need blood to live…it really added to the story. Throw in some really bad humans and you have a story that kept me on the edge of my chair throughout. I highly recommend this book to adult paranormal romance readers.
Love this book, part of the Immortal Guardian Series. You won’t be dissapointed.
Excited to finally find out the fate of one of the characters in this series. Missing the depth and humor that some of the previous books in this series offered.
waited what seemed like an eternity to get this next book in the series. she made me laugh, she made me cry. I couldn’t put it down even though I tried. (just because I didn’t want it to end) I can’t wait for the next one in the series!!! Please don’t make us wait so long the next time.
Awaken the Darkness is the latest in the Immortal Guardian books by Diane Duvall. When Susan rescues Stanislav, he has lost all memory of his past. As they begin to realize Stan has preternatural gifts they are desperate to find his memories and someone they can trust. Reading Awaken the Darkness as a stand-alone is entirely possible. The reader has the opportunity to discover his background as Stanislav remembers. But as a series reader, I always recommend starting from the beginning.
Stan and Susan are fantastic together. Their relationship evolves quickly, but I feel it is a reasonable occurrence. You perceive their emotional connection right away. Susan was cautious but compassionate. Stanislav was respectful and protective of Susan, but he was not obnoxious about it. They found instant chemistry with one another and are a likable couple.
The plot unfolds in a tight pocket of time, and the pacing is quite fast. I felt an immense amount of tension when the situation called for it. Once Stan was on the correct path to finding his Immortal family, I got especially anxious. The poor man had all the answers in front of him. But if you can’t remember your past, it is incredibly hard to trust. Then the ending snuck up on me. Not a lot happens in regards to the overall series arc, but I did not mind this at all.
When I first experienced The Immortal Guardians series by Dianne Duvall, I fell instantly in love with the series. She brings an appropriate balance between drama, comedy, suspense, and romance. This is a captivating urban fantasy/paranormal romance series, one that I wait not so patiently for the next installment. I always suggest that all readers come to their own conclusions.
If you’re new to this series, don’t worry, you can start with any book. However, as the series progresses, there’s an underlying story going on. The author is good about including details that help you understand and stay up to date. That being said, in my personal opinion, if I was starting, this wouldn’t be the one I would start with. Maybe it’s because I’m already so invested in the whole dynamics of all the characters. Dianne has spoiled us so much by always including previous characters and how they interact with one another. And I am obsessed with Seth, the leader. There are always surprises with him and David. In this book, we barely saw them and not until the very end. It was all well worth it though. And the prologue was such a surprise. I almost cried with joy. I love the main character, Stanislav and Susan. And the narrator is so amazing. I feel like I know them.
While looking at a house for sell, Susan here’s a weak voice asking her not to leave and drawing her back. This voice leads her to buy the house. Susan is telepathic, by the way. One night, the voice compels her to dig in the basement. Low and behold, she finds a man. This is Stanislav, an immortal. Find out how she rescues him and about the men who hunt him.
For those who are unfamiliar with the series, Immortal Guardians are like vampires except the virus that causes it doesn’t cause them to go mad like it does vampires. The reason for this is because before being infected, the human was gifted, meaning they possess abilities like precognition, telepathy and so on. This is due to having more DNA or chromosomes. The guardians protect humans by hunting vampires that prey on them. Of course, the author explains all this a lot better than I do lol. I just can’t get enough of this series! And FYI, how’s the time to catch up because you don’t want to miss out on being ready for Seth’s book, which is next!