Absolute Darkness

by Tina O'Hailey

Inescapable death and love await...
....in the timeless depths.

Sitting by the campfire, Brandy admitted a secret to her friends. She swore she saw a ghost when exiting a cave earlier that day. Was she seeing things? Did they believe her? The next day, breaking a cardinal rule, she snuck back to the cave alone. No one knew where she was. What if she fell or was trapped? There would be no rescue.

For ten thousand years Alexander had kept the time streams of this universe safe from an eternal destructive force that continually threatened to tamper and destroy all. Locked in an unremitting battle, the two foes become sidetracked by an unexpected visitor. An entangled journey begins with chilling twists and turns until becoming locked into an inescapable death in a submerged cave.
Who will come out of the watery depths alive?

A thrill ride through time that will leave you breathless.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal

372 pages, Paperback

Published June 28, 2018

About the author

Tina O’Hailey is an animation professor, a caver, and an occasional mapper of grim, wet, twisty caves (if she owes a friend a favor or loses a bet), whose passion is to be secluded on a mountain and to write whilst surrounded by small, furry dogs and hot coffee. Tina was once struck by lightning.

She has served as an artistic trainer for Walt Disney Feature Animation, Dreamworks, and Electronic Arts. Any movie credit she has is minimal and usually found in the special thanks section. The meager credits do not account for the great honor it was to teach talented artists who worked on numerous feature films and games.

She has authored animation textbooks “Rig it Right”, “Hybrid Animation” published by Focal Press, and the Darkness Universe novels “Absolute Darkness”, “When Darkness Begins” published by Black Rose Writing.

Her favorite motorcycle is her BMW R1200C—mathematically perfect for her short legs, turns on a dime, and is the ugliest bike ever.

Reviews

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well if you like reading paranormal romance novels then you are in for a real treat with this. The setting is unusual as quite a bit of it takes place underground in the caves and caverns being explored by a couple of friends. For one I can’t even imagine the adrenaline rush that anyone must get to do this, as I loved the descriptions of how they wiggled and struggled to just push that bit further through the tight spaces. I was just transfixed holding my breath with them, thinking of ways myself that could make them slide through. Then add the element of water and my own heart nearly leapt from my chest. Tina O’Hailey really knows how to make you feel like you are there.
The two friends, Susan and Brandy always go exploring together and work like one, each totally confident in their friend. Well that was until one day when Brandy saw something and decided to go back and take a look by herself. One minute everything was ok the next she was wakening up with a strange man looking down at her. From here, her life and that of Alexander would change forever.
Alexander is like no-one you have met before, well apart from he is totally gorgeous, caring and about ten thousand years too old for Brandy. There are some other pretty unusual traits that would keep them apart too but when another entity comes into the picture it gets really interesting. Bloody hell this story took off at speed and I found myself gasping, feeling frustrated and loving every minute of it.
What I loved was that is wasn’t just a boy meets girl story, this had substance, there was a story line raging way before they met that finally gives the bad guy that edge he has been waiting for. It is heart in your mouth scenes with those adrenaline rushes with heart melting moments of romance to balance it all out. This author has got it perfect for me.
The story will totally entertain you in every possible way. Very unusual setting, super love story and heart pounding pages. Super read!
Thank you to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

[Michele Benchouk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like science fiction and time stories, especially when they really get into the technical specifics. This book does not do that. In fact, having completed the book, I'm still not entirely sure I understand what happened or all of the limitations on each character. However, the story is unique and detailed and imaginative. I can forgive the confusion, as this book felt like a rollercoaster ride that rushes you through so many twists and turns; you are still trying to wrap your head around them when the ride comes to a stop. An enjoyable, compelling read. If anything, I would take out some of the gore; it just wasn't crucial to the story line.

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for a free copy of this book to read and review. All opinions above are my own.

[David Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventurous, romantic read

This was a great, exciting read. I found myself zipping through the pages as fast as possible--a sign that I'm enjoying the story. Fun, adventuorous, scary, romantic--those are some of the words I would describe the book. I felt like I was reading a second version of "The Time Traveler's Wife," only with cave climbing (lol). Which leads me to the second thing I loved about the book: how the author placed me into a world in which I knew nothing about but the story was written so well it was easy to grasp all the terminology and enjoy the exciting, sweet ride!

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a great paranormal romance and I loved the setting - very different from the normal books in this genre and it made for a really exciting read!

It is definitely a plot that keeps you engaged and I was hooked from start to finish. The characters are great and I loved that there were quite a few plot twists too. It is well written and very enjoyable.
Five stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!!

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a departure from the usual paranormal romance stories I read. And it was a good one! I read it with in a few days and was enthralled with it. It had great twists and turned that kept you guessing, wich is what I like in books, it kept you engaged. Will definitely look at the other books the author has written.

[Joseph Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional book by a talented new author. Many layers to this book and I enjoyed each one. The story had me from the first page and before I knew it, I was halfway through it. Loved the characters and the action. Wonderful writing!

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will post a review as part of the blog tour.

[Bianca ღ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review to come!

[Karen Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of Absolute Darkness is almost two stories in one; after an intriguing prologue we are introduced to Alexander - a Time Watcher. He is able to slip through time but is locked in an eternal battle with Yindi, a malevolent manipulator who is constantly endeavouring to push time off its course. They pity mortals- or linears as they call them - believing them to be enslaved by time during their short lives. The other narrative features Brandy and Susan, two young women who are keen caving enthusiasts. I was surprised to find I engaged more readily with this part of the story rather than the preternatural aspects at first. I really liked both women and the scenes involving the caving community will be familiar to anybody who has camped with a fellow group of enthusiasts. In contrast I found Alexander a little mopey and at this point it isn't clear what Yindi has planned or what he is capable of. This isn't to say I disliked these scenes - I definitely wanted to learn more about both Alexander and Yindi and I thought their synaesthesic ability to see changes to the time stream as colours was a particularly interesting idea.
When the two narrative strands combine I warmed more to Alexander and really enjoyed the various changes in tone of the book as the plot switches effortlessly between genres - action adventure, romance, stalker thriller, supernatural fantasy and not so much time travel as wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey...stuff... There's a certain amount of foreshadowing in the book which means the reader experiences an increasing sense of tension even before the characters realise anything is wrong. And things do go very wrong for Alexander and Brandy which leads to a complex yet compelling storyline as they must play Yindi at his own game and negotiate the twists and turns of time to save themselves and the universe itself. Without giving anything away, though the Watcher and energy manipulator are new creations, there are echoes of more well-known preternatural entities, though the link isn't explored here. While there is a scene in which Alexander explains who he is and how he came to be where he is, I can't help wondering if the author is planning to reveal more later. The fantasy side of the book is cleverly plotted with lovely touches of detail which make for an immersive read but Tina O'Hailey's caving knowledge is also used to excellent - albeit disturbing - effect. I suffer from claustrophobia, particularly if water is involved and couldn't help but hold my breath during some of the incredibly tense cave diving scenes.
I thoroughly enjoyed Absolute Darkness, it's a fresh and intense read with a fine mix of the supernatural and real world elements. The idea of other beings able to manipulate the time stream of our lives is one with so much potential for further books and I'd love to see this world expanded upon in the future with the age old battle between good and evil being contested once more.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting concept of a book, the whole idea of someone (a being) able to experience time in a different way and can manipulate it to their own ends, changing the linears (people who travel through time in a straight line) past to influence the future and keep the universe on track.
Brandy and Susan are best friends who like to spend their free time caving. I know nothing about caving, however I found these scenes really well written and I felt immersed in the experience of the hobby – almost claustrophobic in some instants – especially the cave diving scenes, having had a diving accident, I do know first hand how dangerous that can be. I really warmed to the characters of Brandy and Susan, they have flaws like any person but their friendship endures and helps them through the events to come.
It took me a lot longer to warm to the character of Alexander, I initially felt he was very selfish but his character evolves as the book goes on and you realise his motivation for doing what he does. I did enjoy the descriptions of Alexanders home, it reminded me very much of the plane that DEATH lives on in the Disc World books.
Tina has borrowed bits of myth and made characters and a world that is truly her own – this book is really fast paced for the most part which kept me engaged and reading. The pace slows a little in the middle of the book where everything is explained and plans are formed but it soon picked up again. I got a little confused in places when the timeline gets altered but you soon get back on track. Throughout the book you feel like something is coming, something big – it just keeps building and building to its ultimate crescendo. For fans of the genre I would recommend picking up this book and giving it a whirl you won’t be disappointed.

[Rachel (Rae) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess in a way it would be difficult to describe Absolute Darkness other than to say it is a romance but with a paranormal twist. However there are also lots of other layers to it too which make for a very interesting read. The setting added a mysterious touch to the story as the main character Brandy sets out to explore a cave and finds herself caught in the middle of a very dangerous situation. This story moves quickly and balances out the romance and storyline pretty well as we get to know both Brandy and Alexander but also the danger that they face. I also enjoyed the fun friendship that Brandy and Susan share which provided some lighter moments too.

The premise was something that I had never come across in a book before so I really enjoyed seeing the time aspect explored and what Alexander was capable of. There is a little bit of everything within the plot such as paranormal, part thriller and of course a romance at it's heart. As with any book involving time travel it can be easy to get confused but in the case of this story it didn't happen too much and within a minute or two I had it straight in my head again. I loved all the descriptions of caving even if I felt a little light headed when the tight spaces were described.

With thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for my copy.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brandy and her friends are cavers and one night after a day of exploring, she admits to her friends that she thinks she saw a ghost. Of course no one believes her so Brandy goes back in the caves alone. After getting trapped she wakes to find a gorgeous man standing over her. Alexander is a Time Watcher that can manipulate time. He is trying to keep everything going well. Yindi on the other hand is trying to cause total destruction.

This was an interesting read. I really liked the Brandy and Susan story. Tina O’Hailey clearly knows her stuff when it comes to caving and made me feel right there with the women as they explore.

I love the idea of the Time Watchers and although they pity the linears, people that are believed to be stuck in their times. I admit that I was a little lost in the beginning and I don’t completely know which side Alexander and Yindi are going to end up on let along what they are planning. But it was a great change from the regular paranormal characters.

This is a wonderful story with a hint at a prequel that I think will help clear up some of my questions. But I liked the book and think it’s a fresh look at a fantasy story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

[Hannah Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think Twilight meets The True Confessions of Max Tivoli meets A Wrinkle in Time but grittier and, at times, creepier! Absolute Darkness is a haunting and heart-stopping, paranormal, time-travel novel filled with love, fear, adventure, and mystery. First of all, set aside an entire day to read it because you will not be able to put it down. Second of all, I’ve never read anything like it—never even knew cave diving was a thing! Third of all, the main characters—Yindi, Alexander, and Brandy—are so distinct in tone and behavior that the reader is never confused about who is driving the point-of-view. I could continue on and on about the delicious detail of the caves and the intricate descriptions of the process of cave exploration, complete with a whole new set of vocabulary words…but I will stop here and just say: READ THIS BOOK! It’s a gripping page-turner that will leave you emotionally spent yet very satisfied.

[Wayne Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tina O’Hailey’s novel, Absolute Darkness is a great mix of adventure, science-fiction, time travel and romance. Having explored underwater cave systems myself, I found the chapters on caving and cave diving so very, and sometimes frighteningly, familiar. Tina obviously has a great passion for caves but is also a great storyteller. The plot takes in some interesting twists and turns while the different look at how we think of time kept the story grounded in its own rules. A thoroughly enjoyable read and I will be looking forward to future stories.

[Kristen Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book, and it's probably one of the most unique storylines I've seen in a long time. The idea of a time traveler bent on keeping balance in the universe captures your interest almost from the start. The love story seemed fast at first...but when you get to the end it all comes together and makes perfect sense. I don't want to give anything away, but the ending chapters were my favorites! I also love the 'twist' on the traditional vampire story. The author clearly knows a lot about caving, and in some scenes, my palms were sweating. This was a quick read for me, and I'm looking forward to other books by Tina O'Hailey.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative and well- written, Absolute Darkness gave me the science fiction feel I was looking for. It’s always nice to see a new author’s work and I would gladly recommend this book to fellow sci-if/fantasy aficionados.

[Chriselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired, Imaginative, Innovative

Lyrical passages. Descriptions I could truly visualize. New twists for old ideas that truly made sense. A few bits that the editor in me wanted to tweak, but none of those slowed me down. I can't wait to hold her next novel in my hands!

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Personal Review: I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. The thing that really drew me in, in this story was the setting. There is inside of the cave and the emotions that in evoked in me was something I was not ready for when I started to read this story. Though from reading the blurb for this book there was more hidden within the pages then what the description let on and I was complete pleased with that. There are times I see what is coming and I could not predict what was coming and that made it so much more enjoyable for me. I like the character Brandy and Alexander. They were interesting and moved the action along to keep me engaged and invested in their story. I need to read more by this author.

[Ben Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy, where to start.

First things first, there will be minor spoilers below. Nothing really plot specific, I'm just going to comment on a character revelation that was made, but kinda wasn't?

The book is, ok. The writing of some parts was very detailed and vivid, other parts were written very poorly. I think one of the things the book suffered from most was poor editing.

One of the major issues of this book for me is that it was trying to be a paranormal romance, without really being a paranormal romance.

Through the entire book you get the feeling that the author is trying very hard (and in some ways poorly) to keep Alexander from becoming Edward Cullen.

Although it's never explicitly stated, Alexander is a vampire. That's right, he's not just some immortal time traveler that happens to drink blood on occasion. It's kind of maddening to me that they never come right out and say it. The word vampire is actually mentioned once, but only as a joke.

I realize that aside from the blood sucking and not being able to come out in the day there may not be much to point to Alexander being a vampire, but if you've read Dracula, you'll know that there really is.

1. Sucks blood
2. Can't come out during the day
3. Immortal
4. Brings dirt with him so he can stay in areas other than his home
5. Aversion to silver
6. Has difficulty in/crossing water
7. Superhuman strength & speed
8. Targets women

Alexander also has a good helping of Edward Cullen with hundreds of years of modesty, internal struggle over whether to suck his girlfriends blood, is benevolent to some but will occasionally lose his mind (Alexander rips some poor stranger's throat out), rich because all immortals must be, etc.

There are a lot of other connections to Twilight too:
1. Both Bella and Brandy are injured because of their boyfriend's feud and have to be extensively bandaged and guarded
2. Both are pretty chill when they find out the vampire has been stalking them
3. Both are pretty chill when they realize that their crush is a vampire
4. Both are fairly devoid of emotion (Brandy cares a bit that her BFF was possessed by a demon and killed, but only when it first happens. I mean she never even asks her time traveling boyfriend if Mark can be saved.)

There are so many more examples of poor writing and editing. The time travel descriptions were confusing and even contradicted the lore of the story at times. It was hard to care about the characters.

I originally picked it up because it was a free, highly rated, Kindle ebook in the sci-fi section. I love seeing how different authors handle time travel, and honestly I was a bit disappointed in this books handling of the subject.

[Doon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the world-building, the close female friendship and all the cave diving references and I genuinely couldn’t see how the story ended. However, Brandy never really seemed like a real character to me, and she was incredibly passive in her story. Alexander was interesting but I didn’t really find their love story that engaging as I struggled to get a sense of who Brandy was.

[Caitlin Audet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on behalf of 3 Degrees of Fiction Book Blog

Absolute Darkness by Tina O'Hailey is new to me in more ways than one. The author, for one, is someone I have not read before which is my favorite part of reviewing books. But also the theme of this book is something I haven't read yet either. The concept of time and the path we are all on is such a fascinating subject. Call it fate or destiny or whatever you like, this was what called me to the book in the first place.

Tina O'Hailey has written a story that walks an interesting line between real life and paranormal. Written in third person, Absolute Darkness goes between Brandy Bayents, a nurse on the weekdays and caving fanatic on the weekends, and Alexander, a watcher who's job is to keep time and the universe on the right path and away from chaos and destruction. In between are secondary characters that all play a significant role to the storyline although this all takes quite a while to unfold. Absolute Darkness was unique but to me was drawn out too much.

I don't mind reading a book that is clean written but the lack of any real details took away from whatever romance or love was happening. On the bright side I was very interested in all the caving and diving scenes. I for one am not an adventurer so it was fun to live vicariously through Brandy and her group of friends. All together I did find Absolute Darkness to be a good book except nothing stood out that wowed me to the point of loving it but to anyone looking for their next paranormal read I say give this one a try.

[S.M. Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute Darkness is a rip-roaring rollercoaster of a read, if a rollercoaster can function in a cave, possibly a water-filled one….I truly enjoyed this fantasy/scifi tale of star-crossed lovers from different planes of existence, and the spiteful manipulative spirit trying to cause chaos that will lead to the universe's destruction, just because he can. The plot moved fast and the characters are unique and memorable. (I still think about Yindi more than a week after finishing the book.) I loved being drawn into the caving and cave-diving worlds, of which I know nothing, although I actually experienced some claustrophobia during a few scenes (so you know they were well-written!). I've always loved stories about parallel timelines; it's a fascinating concept to me even if it sometimes makes my head spin trying to keep all the various timeline possibilities clear. Most of all, this was a very fun read. I recommend it.

[Mcf1nder_sk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a difficult read for me to get into, but I stuck it out; I don't not finish a book once I started. The uniqueness of the premise, a Watcher who travels through time versus a fiend who intentionally tried to wreck the established timelines, was a big cause of my interest in this book. The unlikely love affair between the Watcher and a "linear", that was kind of a stretch, but let's see what the author can do. The entangled story, with its attacks by the antagonist and the modified timeline after Alexander fixes it was a little confusing at times, and the characterizations of some of the cast were stereotypical, but overall, the book redeemed itself during the second half, work the pacing flowing much more smoothly. I'm rather glad I stuck it out.

[Leslie Lytle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute Darkness is a genre bending other-worldly magical romance and horrifying, suspenseful thriller. Gutsy Brandy risks death exploring caves where she meets an other-world being, Alexander, a vampire, who falls in love with Brandy and saves her from destruction by the dark forces above ground. The love story and survival story knock heads. In the hands of a less gifted writer, the plot could devolve into parody. But O’Hailey pulls it off and pulls the reader into the fantastical world. The sequel, When Darkness Begins, promises to tell secrets about Alexander’s past and how he became a beacon in the realm of darkness committed to saving the world of light. I’m eager to follow O’Hailey into this netherworld’s future.

[Debra Johnson]

Purch Amazon July 9, 2018

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Draws you in

Well developed characters. Exciting plot line. A love story. A caver story. A new twist on a popular paranormal element. Really enjoyed reading this story.