Awakened, Kate Douglas

Awakened,  Kate Douglas

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Genre:  Romance, suspence

Third book in Kate’s intimate relations series, I enjoyed the first two and this looked to be a great continuation.

We’ve seen Kaz and Jake fall in love, then Jake’s brother Ben falls for Kaz friend Lola, and now Jake’s friend Marc is falling for Mandy, Lola’s sister.
Confused yet?? A close group of friends and it could be quite sickly, incestuous almost they way the group is finding romance within its bounds, but its not, its a strong, well written suspense series, with the friends and siblings all falling in love, but with stories that make it all feel real, fell very genuine. After all its only natural when you love someone to introduce them to your close friends and family, and then  they have friends and families too and suddenly a small group of people all know each other, some of whom have much in common, and attractions  begin.

I loved Marc right from book one, its always been clear he’s got a kind of front, that behind the facade there’s a very different man. Mandy  had a crush on him years before she even met him, seeing him cycling past the coffee shop where she works. Then he enters the small group by way of Jake, and she’s stunned to find him there, at her home, drinking and eating with her friends. Each is really attracted to the other but hide it for their own reasons. Mandy is just lovely, always out to help others, to do good, she gives so much, loves her job where she meets people. She’s one of those who are great at that, everyone becomes a friend very quickly.
Then Lola and Ben are away at the same time as Kaz and Jake, and Mandy and Marc are thrown closer – that’s it for Marc, if he doesn’t kiss her Now he’ll go out of his mind. He’s stunned when he finds Mandy is really attracted to him too. But this is one of Kate’s suspense stories so no straightforward HEA for them 😉
Marc’s nightmares are getting worse, he’s been hiding them, fearful of what they mean, of what he sees about himself in them. then one night it comes to a head, Mandy finds out and from there the dangers race up on them, bringing together the whole gang, including Ted the FBI guy they met when Ben was in trouble. He’s now left the fibbies and is working for Marc and boy, does he hit the ground running. He’s staying with Theo, Marc’s right hand man, as his usual hotel is full and …well, sparks fly there too!

Its a great read, well paced with a great balance between the hot and carnal romance and the quickly stacking up dangers. There’s a couple of incidences that niggled, one where Marc acts to me really out of character, but it is reasonably plausible, and is needed to move that plot forward. His dad’s timing seems very co-incidental, but then again no book if it hadn’t all come together right now 🙂 There one element where I was rolling my eyes “please, Kate, no. Not that again…” and waiting for something to happen from it, and then when it does – or doesn’t I found myself muttering apologies to Kate, she didn’t use that well worn plot, didn’t let it go the way far too many others do, I should have had more faith in her!! Its kind of hard to say without giving things away but when you read it I’m sure you’ll know exactly what I mean – its something that happens far, far to often in romance reads.
This isn’t just a romance read though, but romantic suspense,  it it deserved – and got- better than an overused plot.

Stars: Four, there’s a couple of elements that are a bit too predictable, but overall its another cracking read from Kate.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher