Darkness Awakened, Volume 1

By: Katie Reus

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Katie Reus, the first story in her Darkness series.

Years ago he ended things between them to protect her...

As leader of one of the fiercest werewolf packs in the south, Finn Stavros is in full battle mode 24/7. He has no choice - he's one of the few beings strong enough to fight the Akkadian demons, whose mysterious escape from hell threatens the entire world. With the battle turning bloodier by the second, Finn is ready for anything...until his vampire long lost love shows up on his doorstep in desperate need of his help, sending his heart into a tailspin. He agrees to help her, unaware that she carries a shocking secret that will turn his life upside down.

This time, he's not letting her go...

Vampire Lyra Marius curses the day she met Finn. The ruthless werewolf promised to love her forever, but he rejected her instead - before she could share her life altering news. Pregnant, kicked out of her coven, and cast aside by the love of her life, Lyra struggled to raise their rare shifter-vampire daughter Vega alone among humans. When the 16-year-old is kidnapped and used to fulfill a frightening prophecy, Lyra swallows her pride and turns to Finn for help. But how long can she fight her feelings for him and keep him from guessing the truth about who Vega really is? As they race against the clock to save their daughter, they must defeat the lethal threat imposed by demons infiltrating the human world and a hell gate that could not only reveal their existence to mankind, but destroy the world in the process.

©2013 Katie Reus (P)2014 Katie Reus

Short Story - Big Impact!

This story was just five minutes shy of five hours, but was well written, flowed naturally, and had a big impact. It contained everything I look for in a great PNR ~ sexy hero/heroin, steamy romance, action, suspense, great plot, and a happy ending.

The two main characters were great. Finn is my ideal alpha caring, protective, and slightly dominate while Lyra was a strong heroin who would turn over the city looking for her daughter.

The narration was great. Jeffrey is one of the few narrators who can pull off narrating all different types of genres.

This was an awesome five star story made even sweeter by buying the kindle version, and adding whispesync. Who doesn't love getting the best bang for their buck.

All shifters have 5 o’clock shadows

2023 update: This series is available in three book collections.
If you are thinking about getting book 1, then consider the collection with books 1-3.

Original review: These are rather shallow listens, great for a quick story, but with largely forgettable characters, plots, and dialogue. Blink and you’ll miss what he or she look like, what the bad guy’s motivation was, or how exactly a half vampire-half werewolf was the key to opening a demons gate. There are two quickies that match the overall tone, which is to say, okay (not fade to black, but also not very creative).

I do like the multiple kinds of paranormal creatures, with this series featuring werewolves, vampires, and dragons. Funny that all of them, no matter their past or how old, all sport five o’clock shadows on the cover… but that could just be the same lack of attention to detail seen in the writing.

Fan Freaking tastic

If your looking for a great Paranormal romance STOP look no further. This was a great story with excellent narration. I was a bit weary at first but after the first chaper, I was hooked. I'm currently going into the fourth listen so its Well worth the credit.

Wonderful

Minor Spoiler

This was a wonderful read with lots of action/romance and interactions with other characters which I love.

I can not tell you how wonderful it was to know these 2 were not with anyone else during their time apart. So many romances are ruined by either the Hero or Heroine with someone else while being in love with each other, even if they aren't technically together or if they are separated for some reason for awhile. The fact neither Lyra nor Finn slept with anyone else and stayed true to one another for 17 years is beautiful!

Great book and good audio performance!

Would you listen to Darkness Awakened, Volume 1 again? Why?

I would definitely listen to this audiobook again. I love the story and the narrator has a nice voice that makes it enjoyable to listen to.

What did you like best about this story?

I am a big fan of anything paranormal. I love shifters and throw in some vampires and a dragon and it makes for an awesome story. I also love strong alpha characters. Finn is very alpha and will fight for the woman he has always loved no matter what. And Lyra is a very strong character that knows when to take charge but isn't afraid to lean on Finn when she needs him.

What does Jeffrey Kafer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really enjoyed Jeffrey Kafer's voice. I have listened to a lot of audiobooks in the past and some of them you just lose interest because of the voice. That never happened once with this book. I liked the way he changed his tone of voice through out the story and just enjoyed listening to him in general.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several moments in the book that moved me. Just the idea of Lyra's daughter having never met her father and her trying to find him, then getting kidnapped is moving in its self. I loved that Finn and Lyra worked together to find Vega, and even when Finn found out who Vega really was, he still stood by Lyra in the end. But I also really liked the way Drake was introduced to the story and his part in everything. I love how protective he is.

Any additional comments?

I have loved every book I have read by Katie Reus. This looks like it could be the start of a great new series and I will be following it.

Didn't want to put it down.

Darkness Awakened is a new paranormal series by Katie Reus. Lyra, a vampire (royalty – because she is blood born – not made) and Finn, a werewolf (potential Alpha) have a relationship, something that is dangerous and could be deadly if discovered by his Pack and her Coven. At their last meeting, to protect Lyra, Finn breaks things off (unbeknownst to him, Lyra was going to tell him that she was pregnant). So, seventeen years later – Lyra and her daughter Vega have a fight. Vega wants to meet her dad and runs away, to do this. (Being a hybrid she can be outside during the daytime). She is kidnapped. Having nowhere else to turn Lyra asks Finn for his help. (Still not telling him that Vega is also his daughter). There are some great plot twists and turns. An ancient prophecy comes into play (using Vega – one born of two houses) to open a Hell Gate. Demons are released – mayhem ensues. Who can you trust and who can’t you? Can Lyra and Finn overcome prejudices and misunderstandings to finally have their HEA? I’m not going to go into more details but I can’t wait for more of this series. Oh and did I mention the dragon shifter? This book was a great read and also a great listen. Jeffrey Kafer does a great job with the narration and also the character nuances. I could almost feel what the characters were feeling as he was narrating. There were no obvious mistakes or breaks in the recording. The pace and flow went well. I didn’t really want to stop listening until the book was finished.

GREAT listen! Great story & Awesome narration!!

***



Werewolf Finn Stavros and Vampire Lyra Marius defied the confines of their races and fell in love – 17 years ago. Only Finn, scared for Lyra’s safety, cut the relationship off while he fought and won the Alpha position in his pack. He began searching for her as soon as he became Alpha, and has been searching ever since, with no luck…until she shows up on his pack’s doorstep, desperate for help.





Lyra has a secret she’s afraid to share with Finn, a secret that cost her her position in her Coven, and resulted in her building a life with her daughter in the human world. Now her daughter has been kidnapped, and Finn is the only person she can turn to for help.





Someone is releasing Akkadian demons, and Lyra is fearful they’re trying to use her daughter to fulfill an old prophecy…a prophecy she’s not told the full truth about. But it only takes their eyes meeting for them both to realize feelings are still there, the WANT is still there.





I really liked Lyra – she’s built a life as a single mother for herself and her daughter, and she’s done it with no help from family OR friends. She comes across as a strong, likeable woman whose goal to this point has been raising her daughter. Now the very center of her world is being threatened and she’s willing to ask for help from a man she believes didn’t want her. I liked the way Lyra and Finn interact – while this isn’t a long story, I felt like the past relationship worked perfectly for them to fall for one another so quickly. Not once did Katie Reus lose the perspective of Lyra’s daughter being the focal point of the story.





Finn’s focus has been his pack – and finding Lyra. He’s never been able to find another woman who even tempted him…Vampire or not, she’s the woman for him. And he’s all in to help her find her daughter, no matter the cost. He’s strong, sexy and more than willing to show his pack that Lyra is the woman for him. There’s lots of sexy, smokin’ moments!





This was a great sexy shifter story!


LOVED the narration – I’m not always a fan of a male narrator, but he does a great job with the female voices AND the male voices. And WOW, Katie Reus teases us with a brief glimpse of a sexy Dragon shifter…Grrrr…can’t wait for that one!

Interesting story

The storyline is very interesting and I can’t wait to read more about this group. Jeffrey Kafer did a fantastic job as usual with his performance.

Boring -

i am surprised with all the reviews - the narration was ok and the story line had promise but the writing is very amateur. i could not finish it.

Great Story

I enjoyed this story overall. The writing, performance and story were all pretty superb. The only drawback was that story was so short, it didn't flesh out the two main characters reunion enough. Other than that, I was completely satisfied.

good

enjoyed listening, always good when a dragon appears. Noone seems to be ablle to best one.

brilliant

love this book couldn't put it down very well written loved the characters looking forward. to reading the next book

Short and engaging with relatable Alpha male lead

A nice start to a series, if a little short. Loved the fact the male lead was an Alpha who was still able to use the head on his shoulders when confronting truths about his past with the female lead and able to see things from her perspective and ultimately not blame her. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.