A Perfect Darkness

Offspring #1

by Jaime Rush

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.

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.

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.

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Suspense, Contemporary

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 21, 2009

About the author

Hi! I'm Jaime Rush, also known as Tina Wainscott, author of 24 books and 3 novellas, mostly paranormal romantic suspense. My first book was ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN (April 1995) and my new PNR series, called The Hidden, debuted with connected e-novellas, DRAGON MINE and DRAGON RISING.

Miami, a city of decadence, sunshine, and Dragons, Angels, and Sorcerers. As humans who hold the essence of ancient gods, Crescents walk the knife's edge between the mundane and the Hidden, a dangerous world of dark magick, deadly power, and hot passion.

My first Jaime Rush series, the Offspring (Avon Books/Harper Collins), is about a group of twenty-somethings with enhanced psychic abilities who discover they are the offspring of parents involved in a mysterious experiment. Together they must find the truth and fight an enemy out to destroy them.

I also have a brand new romantic suspense series as Tina Wainscott beginning Jan 6, 2014, with WILD HEARTS.
The Justiss Alliance--Hard Justice, Hot Bodies.

Look for my bargain ebook re-releases! (originally published under Tina Wainscott) Romance, suspense, and a touch of the paranormal!

More info at www.jaimerush.com or www.tinawainscott.com

Reviews

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I freely admit that I picked up "A Perfect Darkness" mostly because of the way cool cover. Once I began reading though, it didn't take long for author Jamie Rush to envelope me in her tale of modern urban fantasy with a strong bent toward romance.

Amy is a computer nerd (or is that nerdette? nerdess?) who spends her time retreiving lost files from damaged computer drives for her business "Disc Angel". She savors her nights when she dreams of a handsome lover whose face is always hidden. Amy has always had the ability to discern intent from what she calls the 'glow' that surrounds other people. Her life changes the night a man breaks into her apartment, warns her that her life is in danger, and is then shot by three other men who break down her down and cart him off. They try to tell her they're with the FBI and that they just saved her from a serial killer...but Amy can't quite believe that. So she ventures out from her apartment to hunt down the truth for herself; who was the man who broke in; why choose her; who are the Offspring; and why did the time spent with her 'serial killer' feel more right than wrong?

A strong and neatly plotted tale from new author Jamie Rush. "A Perfect Darkness" has suspense, hot sex, action, mystery, conspiracy, romance, paranormal hints, good guys, bad guys, an insane asylum, the FBI, and hints of other shadowy organizations. How could I pass that up?

Especially for a debut novel, I was impressed with the weave of the plot, the pace of the action, and the flow of the story. The heat level is NC-17 at the least and even the sex scenes were well-written and well placed. Sure there were a couple of weak spots for me, but I enjoyed this story enough to make me put her next book, "Out of the Darkness", on my to-buy list for September 2009.

[Literary Lusts · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Perfect Darkness starts out by introducing Amy Shane and her very isolated life. She works from home fixing computers and retrieving lost data. She can also see people's 'glow' or aura. Every emotion has a corresponding color that shows up in the person's aura. She's also been having dreams about a certain mysterious man who seems to care for her. That night however her dreams are invaded by a real man named Lucas. He awakens her from her dreams but claims to know Amy already and warns her of danger. Shortly after the man comes he is shot and taken away by equally mysterious men claiming Lucas was a serial killer. Shaken and unsure who to believe, she calls her uncle to help her find information on the mysterious Lucas. Later she's surprised again, this time by being kidnapped from people who claim to be friends with Lucas. They worry when Amy tells them what happened to Lucas and warn her she may be the mysterious men's next victim.

This was about as far as I got into the book before I gave up. I've realized lately that while I like PNR, I have a hard time finding books in the genre that I really get into. I think my problem with it is that to me sometimes the characters feel too flat and the story too rushed in PNR. I thought the concept of this book and it's ideas really interesting. I just didn't feel connected to the characters and the story didn't feel built up enough for me. I know these books are popular and I'm glad for the people who've enjoyed it. I just think it had too many of the PNR issues for me to really get into it myself.

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one sucked me in right from the start. I found the whole concept of the Offspring very intriguing, and as the book went on we learned more and more about them and how they were defined.

The Offspring are just that the children of people that had physic abilities that were experimented on, but had bad side effects. As the children grew up they were watched from a far to see if they would manifest any of the abilities their parents had. As they stared to show these powers the powers that be that ran the first experiments wanted to bring them back to start new ones, causing an us against them reaction. Some of the Offspring become teacher's pets in the new regime while others are the rouge outcasts. The fight between the 2 factions really heats up centering on a group of 5 kids that were friends as children. Two of them have this unexplained connection along with their abilities. As the battle wears on people are hurt and sacrifced and more of their powers are discovered.

Can't wait for the next book to see what happens next!!

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy is a recluse that sees Lucas in her dreams. He comes to warn her she about to be betrayed and someone close to her killed and then he's taken from her. She gets together with two of Lucas' friends who have abilities similar to Amy and Lucas to try and rescue him. Lots of intrigue and nail biting escapes. Enjoyable book.

[Dominique Hannah]

A Perfect Darkness is a great book! This is filled with adventure, mystery and passion. I would really recommend this book to mature teens and adults. I never wanted to put the book down. I would describe this book as a page turning book you never want to stop reading. This book will always keep you guessing and asking questions.
This book is a series of three books. A Perfect Darkness is the first of this series. It is about a bond between Amy Shane and Lucas Vanderwyck, their bond is beyond reality they have psychic gift. In the night Lucas secretely sneaks into Amy's apartment to warn her that she is in danger and she is part of something called a offspring. He mostly tells her that her parent's death wasn't a mistake. When the FBI comes to take Lucas aways she starts to question everything. Before he leaves she gets a good look at his face and starts to realize that she knows who he is but before she can say can say something they take him away. As they leave she remembers him from her dreams, but now she knows Lucas is in danger and she's willing to risk her life to save him. Along the way she goes through many things like out smarting agents, making friends, and risking her life in many cases.
So if you want to read this find this book it's great. Plus if you love, love stories read this you won't regret it believe me. I know you want to know if he dies, right?

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to finish this one, but it had nothing to do with the book and more just myself not wanting to read a PNR book.

But I've finished it and I really liked it. This is the first book in a new series called the Offspring. The Offspring are people with some special abilities and they are currently being hunted.

I like that the story started off pretty much in the middle of action, it made me want to continue reading. The story was intricate, and it the overall story was set up well. Sometimes authors tend to focus too much in the first book on setting up the world, but Rush did a great job with not bogging down the reader.

I'm interested in seeing what the rest of the characters are up to in the next book. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see the two main characters get together a little sooner then they did. But overall, great! I will definitely be looking into reading the next book in the series :)

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this book. It's a paranormal romance that smacks of X-Men. The Offspring are a group of unique individuals who possess powers that corrupt CIA creeps want to get their hands on. The story follows a few "Rogues" named Amy, Lucas, Petra, and Eric. Eric has fire power and can toast evil people to a crisp. Petra can hear stuff and heal people. And Lucas and Amy have been "involved" in their dreams (literally), but Lucas is kidnapped, so they're all trying to get him back and kick some bad-guy ass. Oh yeah, Lucas can kill people in their sleep by entering their dreams. It's pretty fabulous. I definitely want to read the other books in this series.

[Lana Seaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The fairies brought it to me in the hospital, and when i started reading again, this was one of the first books i read. It was quite intriguing in parts, and yes, quite sexy too. Really suspenceful at the end. I would definately want to read it again.

[Keta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A paranormal and well written. The opening hook draws the reader in immediately, something I always enjoy. And the pace was fast. Introspect into the lives of the characters as children was intriguing. I would read other books by Ms. Rush based on my first novel, A Perfect Darkness, by her.

[Shayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked A perfect darkness. It's like the first book in a while where it was more about the story then the romance, which I liked (changing things up you know). I think the idea of the offsprings was creative and I can't wait to read the next book.

[Lois Baron · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painfully clunky dialog. Completely nonbelievable chats between the two women who both love what's-his-face.

Has the possibility of spinning off into an endless series. The thought gives me the willies.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t care for the victim theme, too many unanswered questions and lack of a satisfying ending.

STORY BRIEF:
Around 25 years ago, a US government agency experimented with psychic people, trying to enhance their powers with a drug. Most or all of those psychics died, we are not sure how or why. The government agency has been watching the children of the psychics called Offspring. The agency doesn’t want the Offspring to know about each other. Lucas is an Offspring who can see into the future and enter other people’s dreams. He has been entering Amy’s dreams for years. When he visits Amy for the first time, the agency arrests him and conducts drug experiments on him. Amy learns that she is an Offspring, and she meets two of Lucas’s friends who are also Offspring. Most of the story is the threesome evading government people, trying to learn about their parents and other Offspring and trying to rescue Lucas from his imprisonment.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This is the first book in a series by author Jaime Rush. She previously wrote books under the name Tina Wainscott. This book did not interest me enough to buy the sequel. The theme of the story was “good guys being victims.” I didn’t feel any satisfying closure at the end. The bad guys were still out there and getting stronger. There were no details revealed about the bad guys or their history which bothered me. There was no revenge against the bad guys or solving the mystery. (Ok, I will admit some mysteries were solved in order to make a story, but not the significant ones.) The Offspring still didn’t know much about their parents. It ended with the victims planning to work together against the bad guys in future books. There were too many unanswered questions. I was disappointed with the last page which had two cliffhangers. I was also annoyed with the frequent use of cliffhangers at the end of several chapters. For example on page 299, Petra is running from the bad guys, she turned. “One of the guards broke into view, his gun aimed at her.” The next sentence is a scene with other characters in another place. Six pages later, the author returns to the Petra scene. I would have preferred that Petra either gets caught and locked up or is in the car driving away free, and then end the scene. I prefer suspense due to action and events, not through artificial cliffhangers. I’m willing to accept occasional use, but not as many as the author used.

There is no personality development or relationship development between Lucas and Amy. They just know they are in love with each other, even though they have never met, except in their dreams. I didn’t mind this, but I only mention it because some readers might prefer more character or romantic development than what was here.

On the positive side, it did hold my interest. I wanted to see what would happen. The characters were interesting due to their skills.

DATA:
Story length: 367 pages. Swearing language: moderate. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Total number of sex scene pages: 8. Setting: current day Annapolis, Maryland. Copyright: 2009. Genre: paranormal romantic suspense.

CAUTION SPOILER:

The characters had potential due to their skills, but it didn’t happen, for example: I had a hard time believing that Lucas didn’t use his powers to escape or do something interesting to his captors. He was able to enter someone’s dreams, see their thoughts, communicate with them, and kill them. Darkwell requested that Lucas kill other people in their sleep who were supposed enemies of the government. I ask: why didn’t Lucas enter Darkwell’s dreams and see that Darkwell was planning to kill Lucas? Lucas could have mentally killed, made unconscious, or done something else interesting to Darkwell and the guards and then escape. Lucas could have threatened one of the guards by claiming he would harm a family member unless the guard helped him get free. Instead, Lucas killed the guys Darkwell wanted him to and continued being a prisoner. There was potential for something interesting here instead of continuing the victim theme.

[Megan Luff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading A Perfect Darkness and I really enjoyed it. This is the only book i have in the series but once i get the rest of the books I plan on finishing the series. I hope the author writes more about Amy and Lucas. They were my favorite characters in the book. 5 stars!!!!!

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

Series Review - Series Rating: 4 Stars

*SPOILER FREE

I can’t remember how I found out about this series, but I did and I utterly enjoyed books one and two at the time. Then last year book three, Touching Darkness, came out and I just couldn’t get myself in the mood to read it. Closing in the turn of the New Year I finally did and I regretted waiting this long to do it.

Touching Darkness was such a great read, much more than what i thought. I was kind of reluctant to read it, since it tells the story of two characters we don’t really know yet. I had my heart set in other HEAs, so I was very pleasantly surprised but how much I enjoyed Nicholas and Olivia’s story. But enough of that, this is about the series in general *grin*.

The Offspring series is about these twenty-something men and women with superpowers, who find out that their parents were part of a government program and that their death’s was much more than they thought. Apparently their parents were given a mysterious booster that made them that much more powerful but that also drove them insane.

From book one, A Perfect Darkness, we start getting to know this group of rogues that are trying to figure out the truth behind their special abilities and their parents’ deaths. They are also trying to bring down the men that experimented on their parents years ago, that now has re-started a similar program to the old one and is using other Offspring to hunt them down. This series is all about the relationships between this group of rogues and each book is the story of each of them finding their love.

The Offspring series is a great Paranormal Romance series that is much more than it seems. In the Third book some of the questions that have been building up in the first two books get answered and we start seeing that the world Jaime had created is anything but simple. I was intrigued and captivated by this series and I can’t wait to read more and more!

[Literary Ames · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you've read Feehan's Ghostwalkers series then you're probably familiar with this kind of storyline. The major differences being that these experimental subjects are unaware of the project that produced them, they're younger and without military training so all of the action feels very realistic, doing things that you or I would in their situations.

Events felt rushed. I'm not into sex before attraction and that's what we get. Sex, albeit in a dream is in the first 50 pages, and as far as Amy knows she's never met Lucas in real life. Her need and attraction only comes from those dreams and yet she trusts Lucas more in the 5 minutes she spent with him than the man she's known all her life. I'm sorry but I had problems believing that. And the bomb shelter -I don't know about that either. It was too convenient. As was the healing ability to give us the requisite happy ending.

One thing I found a bit odd: Lucas never considered taking out his captors in the same way he was being forced to snuff out their targets. A couple of strategic disposals and he might've been able to escape, especially when he knew Amy was safe with Eric and Petra.

I'll admit sharing my name with the protagonist was a bit strange. This has never happened before. Amys are usually secondary characters. Kind of felt like people were speaking to me rather than addressing her. We do share some qualities but we're completely different people. ;)

2.5 stars.

[Lamaya booklit · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 out of 5
I finally made it through the whole book... I have tried many a time to read this book .. now that I have a want them all I want to see where they're life's will lead them.

characters
Amy :loves Lucas, talks to dead people and sees colors.
Lucas: loves Amy, can enter peoples dreams and can see the further events
Eric: sets fires by thinking and can project himself to people
Cyrus: CIA -cares for Amy like a dad would
Petra: super hearing and can heal people
Rand: sees ten seconds head
Darkwell :evil runs blue eyes and dark matter, crazy with power want to honor.

Perfect Darkness was a good mix of different feelings and pov's you could and feel just about everyone who was talked or thought about in the book everyone had a part big or small. with that being said Jaime Rush did a damn good job with pov's getting into different characters minds is not easy ... so I hope you will show her some love a read this book or series you will not be disappointed by her writing style or how the flows together

[Amanda Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the direction this book went with people having abilities. The only thing I didn't like was some of the character hopping and conversations. At times I had to re-read a section because it became unclear who said what. The plot was good though. Several people in their twenties all have some type of psychic ability and find out all their parents did as well. All of their parents died when they were just kids though and they are now finding out about each other and the top secret military project that made them this way and now wants to use them. They are in a race to find more like them, more information about themselves, and stay out of the government facility hunting them. Oh and don't forget about juggling love along with all of this other drama, there's always time for love.

[~Megan~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of this series is so right up my alley! I don't know why I haven't started it before, but I am excited to read the others. I'm especially looking forward to both Eric and Petra's stories.

[Mae Hanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really need to read series books in order.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting: Annapolis, Maryland – her apartment, the art museum, the ‘tomb’ – bomb shelter under 3 mansions, forgotten, abandoned asylum used for general’s experiments;

Theme: power, patriotism to the extreme; abuse of power and other’s talent; insensitivity to humanity; learning of extent of ones power; love;

Characters:
Amy Shane: 20 years old; computer geek; reclusive; works from apartment, volunteers at animal shelter; mother died when she was 3, father died when she was 5 – of apparent suicide – leaving his daughter to find him; has a sense of someone there for her when feeling sad or worried – thinks it might be her father’s ghost; can see auras around people – ‘seeing’ their emotion and character; hears voices as falls asleep, but ignores the voices – but when encourage to listen, she finds they are the voices of the dead – like Cyrus; until 5, friends with 5 other children;

Orn’ry: loud, obnoxious parrot she adopted from shelter, that has bonded with her;

Lucas Vanderwyck: dreamweaver, like mother; grew up with Amy, and stayed connected to her; he would get visions of her as she was growing up… he was able to go to her if she was sad… and he learned to focus his power to be in her dreams… the last 6 months he has entered her dreams and made love to her; he would get premonitions at night, sit up and draw them furiously… he learned that if he drew the same 4 nights in a row, it would happen… and he learned how to intervene… a year earlier, he ‘saw’ her being raped at a marina… and he worked each night to figure out where it was going to happen… and he figured it out in a nick of time, stepping into the fiend’s head as he stalked her… and he rescued her – though his belly got slashed; raised with the Aruda’s when his parents died;

Eric Aruda: lead Rogue – an Ultra – both parents psychic; pyrotechnic & can remotely see; first aware of being monitored/followed and turned the tables on the follower; very sexual – though knows / respects boundaries; can cause a person to burn (accidently killed stepmother many years earlier), and has a level of enjoyment of it; loyal to his friends; an interesting mix;

Petra Aruda: Eric’s half sister (mom fooled around with another psychic and brother their child); a balance for Eric; has excellent hearing; her touch is soothing/healing (until the end, only used in massage on family, in end she finds she can heal even a bullet wound); sense of drama and makeup;

Randall Brandenburg: one of the five children; can see 10 seconds ahead; uses talent in casinos, and uses money for grandmother who raised him… and for neighbor woman whose daughter has cancer, and she tried to raise money for aid by yard sales;

Uncle Cyrus Diamond: friend of her father’s; stay connected to her, like an uncle; worked the Dark Matter experiment in the beginning – and knows of its failures; works for the CIA as an anti-terrorist agent; made the error of telling Darkwell that Amy had some psychic ability – seeing auras – which led Darkwell into checking out the other children of the people experimented on; tries to protect Amy, though he lies to her… and when he sees that Darkwell is going over the edge, he tries to save her by meeting up with her and providing her the means to run, and remake herself; but he was followed, and takes the bullet meant for her, dying;

Bill Hammond: one of the 3 children assigned to Cyrus to watch over; Cyrus befriends him… but an overzealous Darkwell guard overreacts and kills him, making it look like suicide… the 5th child?

Ozzie Stavros:, neighbor, friend, fellow computer geek; he is a green extremist; Amy’s friend – who wants to be more; sees conspiracy in all – and eager to figure out what is happening to Amy, and to help her… I wonder how his character will play out in future books.

Gerard Darkwell: aka ‘The Devil’ (so named by Lucas); Department of Tactics and Defense; Blue Eyes / Dark Matter; sees the rogues as useful test subjects without limits; has recruited two to his side… and manipulates them, but does not give them drugs; Obsessed with proving worth to 5 star general father, and does not hesitate to use the enhancement drugs on the rogues, to try and perfect it, knowing that the Rogues will be crazed by the drug, increased sexual desire, and then die; uses Lucas (by promising to keep Amy safe – a lie) – drugged, and in sensory deprivation he gets Lucas to kill two terrorists, and then Gerard’s military brother, who threatened Gerard’s experiments… hmmmm

Robbin: the doctor under Darkwell’s thumb; he is ambivalent about what they are doing… though one of the terrorist Lucas killed, was responsible for the death of his family; hmmm

Olivia: works at the asylum; a nurse; believes the prisoners in the asylum are convicts and did horrendous things; medically helps Lucas when opportunity presents self;

The Pope: called in by Darkwell in the end to help clean up; Darkwell reluctant to do so, and Pope shows interest in what Darkwell is doing… taking copies of the files, and wanting updates;

Trevor Gladstone: one of Darkwell’s agents, a bit off; following Eric, Petra, and Lucas; they identified him as following them, so they turned the tables to kidnap him… got a small amount of info from his computer; Eric goes back after other two leave him in warehouse… determines that he will kill them… so first time Eric uses his pyro powers to kill;

Calvin Hobson, president of the Society for Psychic Phenomena: wrote a letter to Petra’s father in regard to his wife’s death, saying he knows something was off and offering support…. I’m guessing the group will be helping out the Rogues;

Summary:
Lucas, Eric, and Petra are trying to dig up the truth of their powers, and their background and what happened to their parents… they identify Amy in the database, and Lucas has visions of her… and he goes to her to warn her… but is captured by Darkwell’s men… he was able to give a little information and a warning of betrayal before taken…

Amy goes to the art museum (after Petra gives her a flyer for the museum, but gives others flyers for a car wash)… and she sees pictures Lucas has drawn/painted of their dreams… she now knows the man of her dreams is the man who came to her apartment. Petra and Eric chlorophorm her, take her to the Tomb, try to find out what she knows… return her to the museum… Lucas joins her in her dreams again, telling her to not endanger herself and delve any deeper or to try to find him…

But Amy is determined to rescue him… she joins up with Petra and Eric… and after some chases, some computer hacking, rescue from the men who killed Cyrus, and finally sharing more of what both know… she pushes them into rescuing Lucas… she listens to the voices finally, and Cyrus tells her Lucas is kept in an old asylum… and they go in, just before they are going to give him the 4th, deadly injection, and rescue him… and he is almost dead, but Amy nurses him back to health (cooling cloths, water, and after fever breaks, naked body warmth)… and he insists they go back to rescue Rand… which they do…

So we have an introduction to the players… hmmmm
Memorable scenes:
Killer Grape – her purple couch that sucks down sitter like quicksand;

[Oleander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story involves people with psychic powers and is unusual in that the hero and heroine are separated physically for a large portion of the book. Amy is a mousy computer repair geek who has a strange man break into her apartment. Soon she is on the run and involved with some dangerous characters.
I liked the overall story and I think the series has some potential. Some more character development is needed. Amy is likeable but the supporting cast is pretty dicey. Hopefully that will flesh out more in the next book of the series.

[Frances Sadler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very difficult deciding between 4 or 5 stars. The start of the book is poorly written imo. Not the storyline, that is at no point boring or poor but the start seemed like it was written by an inexperienced writer. That doesn’t last though and I recommend you just go with it.
The book is thrilling and action packed. Intriguing with a lot of drama. An emotional roller coaster that will get your heart pumping.

[Cogito_ergo_sum · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @chapter 3
The writing was horrible. It rushes through everything with no sense of pacing, giving us choppy narration and no voice. There was an action scene and I felt no adrenaline. This reads like a first draft where the author is just trying to capture her ideas before they disappear from memory.

[Jeannie Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ordinary folks find out they are not so ordinary.. Experiments on parents make child just WOW !

[abbra_kadabra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring story line. I kept asking myself why I was reading it.

Fated to be mated, non virgin heroine

[Zula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the entire series. A fantastic mix of genres in my opinion but don't want to give anything away.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start to this series. I really liked Amy. This was very easy to get into. I'm looking forward to reading more.

[Maria Gendusa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is fantastic and would make incredible movies.

[Leontine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I barely read the first chapter of A Perfect Darkness when the author, Jaime Rush, launched the fireworks plot wise and hooked me for the rest of the story with a hundred questions I wanted answered. The Offspring series hit it off with an exciting introduction and five people who were all interesting in some form or another.

The theme of a government project going awry with the result that people were suddenly showing signs of paranormal abilities resonated with a bit of a déjà-vu feeling and I couldn’t put my finger on where it was coming from. I didn’t mind it one bit though, since I love a good conspiracy within an agency and the power scheming minds at work within the agencies hierarchy. I can genuinely cheer for the underdogs who become the rebellions in their need for answers and quenching me thirst for information at the same time. They are called the Offspring and with Lucas Vanderwyck and Amy Shane I got my first taste in what this series had to offer.

Amy Shane is a computer expert on retrieving lost information and has a cockatoo named Orn’ry to keep her company. When she goes to bed all she desires is to see her dream man again but when drifting off in to her REM sleep one night she is rudely awakened by her dream man. Lucas is alive and talking gibberish to her about their parents and not to trust anyone.

Lucas is a painter, an artist, hereditary sensual and he shares this amazing psychic gift with a woman he felt all of his life and this gets him in serious trouble. Someone is rounding up the Offspring and the slogan: Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country is taken to another level.

Throughout the story they mostly meet in their shared reams giving their passion a bit of an illusory quality while their connection is more than apparent and felt through the pages. It was the separation of Lucas and Amy and the complicated situation surrounding them that created an image and feel of an impossible love. Sacrifice, courage and longing imbedded with a hint of stubbornness is what fueled this romance story. I thought the romance was appealing and definitely an addition to the story. It combined well with perilous moments, edge-of-your-seat situations and it raised the stakes for each character in this novel which ultimately led to an exciting conclusion.

When Amy meets the siblings, Petra and Eric Aruda, my antihero signal flashed itself as Eric makes a few choices that flirts with the limit of good and evil. He enjoys his power and has no moral problems in using it against those who threaten him with lethal force. Every character in this book bears a prominence because everything is intertwined together and gives the reader – eventually – a more complete picture. From Gerard Darkwell, the one leading the project and who has patriotism in his blood. The righteousness burning in his soul allows him to justify the means and makes him one hell of a dangerous opponent for the Rogue Offspring to deal with. To Cyrus who is ex-CIA and the five children, bound together by the memory of sharing an innocent sunny afternoon with an inflatable pool and in the end have so much more in common.

What really took the lead in A Perfect Darkness for me was the introduction of other Offspring, which went hand in hand with the plot, and the background of project BLUE EYES and DARK MATTER. The story is a revealing of information concerning the past and present of various Offspring, some questions get answered as new one’s arise, what should warn the reader that the overall plot is a long way from told. The high speed chases, the rescues, the frantic search for information and discovery of powers, it all ups the thrilling suspense and had me living in the moment with various characters.

Jaime Rush is a new author for me and the voice I found in The Offspring series definitely invites me to read the next story in this series: Out Of The Darkness coming in October 2009.

Quote Ozzie to Amy:
“So you don’t like, ah, sex?”
“It’s fine. I just don’t like dealing with guys in general. You know, the morning after, relationship stuff.”
“Are you a…lesbian?”
“No, a vibratorian.”

Quote Amy to Petra:
“I’m not trying to impress anyone,” Amy said in her defense, slipping into the dress. She looked at her reflection. “Wow,” Amy Shane, sex goddess, in three easy steps.

[Lisa Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recluse Amy Shane was sleeping peacefully in her bedroom when a stranger suddenly awakens her. His name is Lucas Vanderwyck and he’s there to let Amy know she’s not safe. She is an Offspring, a small group of individuals with psychic abilities, created by the government and dangerous to the world. Lucas warns her that the Government is after her, watching her every move, and she needs to be careful. Most importantly, he doesn’t believe her father committed suicide, like she was led to believe. Before he can reveal any more information, a team of government agents swarm in to drug and kidnaps Lucas.

Amy in her stunned condition feels like she has met Lucas before. Even more shocking is his admission that her father did not commit suicide. Was he murdered? By whom? Determined and curious to find out what really happened, Amy seeks out Lucas’ other Offspring friends Eric and Petra. Along the way, she finds out that Lucas is the mystery man who has been invading her dreams for months. She thought her mind was working overtime creating hot, sensual dreams, but really it was Lucas, who has the ability to communicate and interact with others through their dreams. He has known Amy was quiet a while now, but always kept his identity hidden from Amy, determined to keep her safe from him but unable to stay away.

Now that she knows who Lucas really is, she’s determine to save him from the government facility that is holding him hostage and torturing him. On her mission, with the help of Eric and Petra, she learns more about her abilities and others out there like her. She also learns more about her father’s involvement and the truth behind her father’s death. Finally finding Lucas has changed her life drastically, but can she save him in time or will she lose him forever?

Rush can write an amazing tale of suspense. I kept turning page after page desperate to know what was going to happen next. Amy is basically a woman on the run and the action has hardly any lulls. You make the discoveries with her. This is her tale and you are along for the ride. She has close calls, she gets into dangerous situations, and she meets some interesting people along the way. On the other hand, Lucas is being held captive and his storyline takes place in mostly the same location, but he still has an interesting story to tell. Rush knows how to keep the readers going from one page to the next, never knowing what is coming next.

The problems? Well, the big one for me was the romance. I started this book with the impression that it was a paranormal romance. While I feel it attempts to achieve that, it didn’t hit the mark for me. I could not believe the ultimate connection between these two people. They meet for five minutes in the beginning and Lucas has been meeting Amy in her dreams, but he didn’t reveal his identity. They attempted to meet in dreams while he was being held captive, but he was drugged and the connection wasn’t strong. Before Amy even attempts to rescue him, she knows she loves him. Already? Really? The romance just wasn’t tangible for me. I guess if you invest a little more faith into their relationship as the reader, it might be believable, but for me, it wasn’t.

In some aspects, the book was amazing. In other aspects, the book left me frustrated. I certainly do not regret reading it, but I didn’t find myself excited to pick up the next book in the series. I probably will continue reading the series somewhere down the road just to see what happens to the wonderful supporting characters. Hopefully the romantic storyline between those characters will be developed a little more.

Overall Rating: 3/5
Heat Level: 4/5

Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter