Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann


Well, this is certainly a departure from Brockmann's SEAL series. I don't know that regular Brockmann readers will like the story, but I think readers new to this author (not bringing in the high expectations from  her must-read Troubleshooter's series) and those with an open mind will enjoy this book.
Born to Darkness (Fighting Destiny, #1)Like all Brockmann books, this is a book with a primary romance and many secondary romances. It's set in a dystopian future where the government tracks everyone and there are bad, bad forces at work. Of course, there is also a team of good guys, the Obermeyer Institute, headed up by Joseph Bach, who is one of the "Greater Thans," humans who use many talents including telekinesis and mind control. Normal people (or "Less Thans"), like Shane Laughlin, don't know that these people exist. But he's about to find out. He's been tapped by OI as a potential Greater Than. He's not sure what this group is or why they're willing to hire him (he was dishonorably discharged, a BFD in this future), but he's willing to take a chance. The night before he joins, he is picked up by Mac Mackenzie (do NOT call her Michelle) who is (this is a romance, is it any surprise) one of the Greater Thans. She can do many things including tweaking her appearance and projecting sexual energy (I like that one. It's my new pick for "what would your superpower be?").
The secondary characters and romances are always great. As with the Troubleshooters series, there is a M/M romance that is explored just as much as the M/F relationship. I did feel that Elliot and Diaz got a little bit of a short shrift and hope that we will learn more about them in future stories because I really connected with Elliot's character
This is an interesting start to a new series. There was a LOT going on (which is a Brockmann signature, but it was even more than usual) and some of the plot lines were underdeveloped but this is one of my read-every-book authors so I will definitely be reading the second book. I think it's awesome that she's branching out into a new genre, I'm just hoping the next book is a return to the five-star Brockmann.