psychological-torture | areadersreviewblog

The Dark Evoke Series

Genre: Dark Romantic Suspense/Psychological/Thriller

Step into the Abyss…..

I am overwhelmed after reading the first two instalments of this series, which I would describe as a dark romantic suspense/thriller. After devouring the first instalment, Seeking Nirvana I truly did not know if I was coming or going as I was as confused as the heroine Kady. And what an ending! I could not wait to get my paws on the next book, Eluding Nirvana! Although much is revealed in this second instalment I am itching t0 read the final book in the trilogy, Transcending Nirvana!

Scroll down for my reviews. My review of Eluding Nirvana, the second book in the series, naturally contains some spoilers for the first book (although I have tried my best to keep them at a minimum). If you think this series is one you’d like to read I’d therefore advise you not to read this particular review. Tina 🙂

Please note, both books were given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

Seeking Nirvana (Dark Evoke #1)

Blurb

They say that old habits die hard, and twenty-seven year old, Kady Jenson, is about to discover how true that statement actually is.

Waking up in a hospital room with a complete stranger at her bedside, should have caused panic and confusion, but for a reason unknown to her, Kady finds herself drawn, and calmed by the presence of the rugged, devastatingly handsome man with the pleasant Irish brogue. It’s when she discovers that she has just woken from a four day coma, with a three year void in her memory, which spawns confusion and panic.

Kady soon comes to realize that things change with time, and not only appearances.

Not only is the sexual chemistry she once shared with her long-term boyfriend, now a long-ago memory, but Kady also begins to unconsciously fall back into unremembered habits, and with each day, the increasing sense of foreboding, becomes increasingly harder to ignore.

Left on her own when her boyfriend goes on a business trip, Kady seeks help from the Irish stranger as they go on a quest together, in a race against time, to piece the puzzle together.

My Review

Suspenseful and Addictive *****

Seeking Nirvana, the first instalment in the Dark Evoke series is a dark romantic thriller par excellence. After waking up from a coma following a car accident Kady, the heroine, suffering from amnesia desperately seeks to remember what happened during the last three years of her life and struggles to come to terms with the present. Told in the first person, from Kady’s POV, I thought that the novel was expertly crafted (after reading book 2 (reviewed below), I realized this even more so).

On returning home with Liam, her long term partner, Kady is stunned to see that the reality of her life bears little resemblance to the one she led three years ago. What happened to her? Where is the woman she used to be? Why are her family estranged from her? Who is Mrs Steinbeck, the menacing and nosey neighbour who watches her every move? And more to the point, why does she increasingly feel more at ease with the handsome Walker than her longstanding and beloved Liam? Why do the two men appear to be so much at odds when it comes to Kady?

As the novel unfolds I felt as if I was walking hand in hand with Kady as she tries to remember and uncover the truth of what her life has become. It is Walker who makes Kady feel like a woman and who offers her solace, whereas Liam’s becomes ever more distant. Doubt and confusion become commonplace and Kady feels ever more desperate and conflicted over her feelings towards the two men in her life, as the novel becomes ever more menacing. I began asking myself who was Kady’s friend and who was her foe as the book progressed and we are given glimpses of the reality of Kady’s situation.

The characterisations of both Walker and Liam are excellent. The two men could not be more different. As I read I was itching to solve the puzzle of Kady’s life and began rooting for her HEA. The novel does end on a major cliffhanger, which sets up book #2 perfectly.

It is a must read for fans of dark romantic suspense and for readers who like psychological thrillers.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Eluding Nirvana, (Dark Evoke, #2)

***Due to the dark nature and content in this story, Eluding Nirvana is recommended to readers over the age of 18.***

Blurb

Three years lost; a body marred and a mission complete. Waking after a four day coma, Kady Jenson felt her life was crashing down around her. Three years of her memories were missing, and the compelling man at her side was not her years-long partner, but a stranger – a stranger who promised to help her recover what she had lost.

But how did Kady come to such a place?

What dark, mysterious events stole her past and threatened her future?

How did her lover become a stranger, and a stranger become so terribly important?

What happened to turn Kady’s orderly life into a terrifying nightmare which would leave her permanently marked, body and soul?

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Eluding Nirvana is the second instalment of The Dark Evoke Series, and is therefore not intended as a standalone novel.

My Review

Dark and Psychological Page Turner *****

This is a dark, dark read! Kady’s memory has returned and we find out about events in the last three years and the run up to her car accident. Both friends and foes are confirmed and we bear witness to the extent of control that a sociopath can have over their victim and the physical and emotional abuse that this can entail. It is truly terrifying and the author portrays it brilliantly.

Many of the passages and situations are dark and sometimes the emotions that they invoked made me want to put the book down, only to want to pick it back up immediately. I was just so emotionally invested in the characters.

The light in the darkness for Kady and myself, as reader, was undoubtedly Walker, a man who has his own dark past to come to terms with. Walker seems to understand Kady’s demons and helps her find release from her situation. It is clear that he would never hurt her. The motivations for Walker’s actions in the first book and those of Liam are explained more fully in this novel. We also learn more about the part their characters play in the story: Liv, Laurie and Mrs Steinbeck (a character who I wanted to slap).

The read brings us back full circle and I am eagerly awaiting the next book to find out where Kady goes next in her quest to find herself and secure her HEA.

I recommend this read to readers who like psychological suspense alongside their romantic reads and who are able to handle dark themes.

Reviewed by Tina Williams