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The Dark Future #3
Dark Future
A woman caught between two futures... Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go travel in time to save the world--and his life. Of course, her future self doesn't tell her who he is, just sends her into the darkness and straight into an alien invasion. Must choose between the man who has her heart... He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting military commander of Earth's army and the world's last defense against evil. There's only one way for Smith to know for sure if this strange woman is an alien spy--slice her throat. Except, he didn't anticipate the desire he would feel as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman. Or the fate that saves the world... As Kris and ConRad struggle to trust each other in a world on the brink of destruction, they each will have to face the ultimate choice of whether to fight or die... survive or forgive.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2015
9 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
K.C. Klein
28 books170 followersKC Klein has lived most of her life with her head in the clouds and her nose buried in a book. She did stop reading long enough to make a home with a real life hero, for over sixteen years. A mother of two children, she spends her time slaying dragons, saving princesses, and championing the belief in the happily-ever-after. An award winning novelist, KC Klein is celebrating her latest release in the Texas Fever series, Hustlin' Texas. KC loves to hear from readers and can be found desperately pounding away on her laptop in yoga pants and leopard slippers or more conveniently at www.kckleinbooks.com. To keep up with exciting book news and special promotions please sign up for her newsletter. http://kckleinbooks.com/newslettersignup
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 31, 2016
This book is not so dark and gritty as i thought it to be.....
I like characters, and I think the story's entertaining. World-building and relationship development, it could have been better.
A woman caught between two futures...
Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go travel in time to save the world--and His life.
Of course, her future self doesn't tell her who he is just sends her into the darkness and straight into an alien invasion.
He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting military commander of Earth's army and the world's last defense.
There's only one way for Smith to know for sure if this strange woman is an alien spy--slice her throat. Except, he didn't anticipate the desire he would feel as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman.
As Kris and ConRad struggle to trust each other in a world on the brink of destruction, they each will have to face the ultimate choice of whether to fight or die... survive or forgive.
I like characters, and I think the story's entertaining. World-building and relationship development, it could have been better.
A woman caught between two futures...
Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go travel in time to save the world--and His life.
Of course, her future self doesn't tell her who he is just sends her into the darkness and straight into an alien invasion.
He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting military commander of Earth's army and the world's last defense.
There's only one way for Smith to know for sure if this strange woman is an alien spy--slice her throat. Except, he didn't anticipate the desire he would feel as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman.
As Kris and ConRad struggle to trust each other in a world on the brink of destruction, they each will have to face the ultimate choice of whether to fight or die... survive or forgive.
November 26, 2011
DARK FUTURE by KC Klein is just that, dark. The title doesn't deceive, the story takes the reader through Kris Davenport's eyes to a very dark future where danger exists 24/7 and not always from the aliens trying to destroy every last human being. This riveting tale about a future resembling TERMINATOR SALVATION without the giant machines is dark, bloody and action-packed. Kris is a normal gal trying to make her way in a normal life as a medical intern when suddenly, she is confronted with her future self who in comparison is more Sarah Connor than Kris Davenport. Her future self tells her that she must travel to the future and save HIM. HIM, is ConRad, the Commander of a military force located on a dark world that is the last barrier between an alien force and Earth. Kris reluctantly goes. Over time, she discovers a stronger self and a love that is stronger than time itself.
Warning: Although this is a Romance, it is not for the faint of heart. It's a futuristic tale with lots of action but if you're at all squeamish about blood and torture, this might not be for you. If you're good with lots of action, gun battles, evil men, mysterious women and don't mind some scenes of torture, then you'll not be able to put it down. I couldn't.
Warning: Although this is a Romance, it is not for the faint of heart. It's a futuristic tale with lots of action but if you're at all squeamish about blood and torture, this might not be for you. If you're good with lots of action, gun battles, evil men, mysterious women and don't mind some scenes of torture, then you'll not be able to put it down. I couldn't.
August 31, 2014
Get this book immediately and read it. You'll be glad you did. Frankly, I was scared of it b/c I'd heard it was very dark (and ok, it is) and I'm so not a fan of dark, but once I started reading this, I could not put it down. Gripping from start to finish and the ending is so great! Trust me. You want to read this book. Seriously. Read it.
October 6, 2011
This is a very dark book - one of the darkest I have read in a very long time. It made me cringe. It made me heartsick. It made me ask myself, how much can two characters take? And what would you be willing to do for love and for survival?
The bulk of the story is set in a futuristic world that was a lot like the future in the Terminator movies, except there were aliens picking off the humans instead of robots. Medical intern Kris Davenport has been transported decades into the future after being forced into a portal by a future version of herself. Future-Kris assures her that she has a mission. That she must save a man named ConRad.
The man in question turns out to be the commander of the unit of soldiers who saves Kris from the aliens when she is thrust into their world. It's anything but love at first sight. ConRad is stoic and severe, a consummate soldier. He and Kris clash constantly as she is indoctrinated into her new reality. Women are very rare. And most of the ones who do exist, live a solitary existence, working to heal and protect what's left of humanity.
Of course, things do develop between Kris and ConRad eventually. But it's when it seems like they just might have a chance at happiness that it all hits the fan. Kris and ConRad have to endure some truly horrific events: beatings, tortures, rapes... not to mention the heart-wrenching emotional wringer they both go through in the second half of the book. This is no light reading. But I couldn't give up on these two. I had to see if they could pull themselves out of the darkness and find any shreds of happiness and hope for their future.
The book was compelling. It took awhile to warm up to the characters, because at first ConRad was such a jerk and Kris was such a whiner. But they both moved toward better versions of themselves over the course of the book. The time travel and those elements wrapped up in Kris changing the past/future got a little sticky for me at the ending... and I would have loved to see a little more resolution with the fate of the villain.
But I didn't want to put it down. It had me on the edge of my seat and never shied away from the really hard stuff. It was good, but you need to go into it, knowing what to expect. 4 stars.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
The bulk of the story is set in a futuristic world that was a lot like the future in the Terminator movies, except there were aliens picking off the humans instead of robots. Medical intern Kris Davenport has been transported decades into the future after being forced into a portal by a future version of herself. Future-Kris assures her that she has a mission. That she must save a man named ConRad.
The man in question turns out to be the commander of the unit of soldiers who saves Kris from the aliens when she is thrust into their world. It's anything but love at first sight. ConRad is stoic and severe, a consummate soldier. He and Kris clash constantly as she is indoctrinated into her new reality. Women are very rare. And most of the ones who do exist, live a solitary existence, working to heal and protect what's left of humanity.
Of course, things do develop between Kris and ConRad eventually. But it's when it seems like they just might have a chance at happiness that it all hits the fan. Kris and ConRad have to endure some truly horrific events: beatings, tortures, rapes... not to mention the heart-wrenching emotional wringer they both go through in the second half of the book. This is no light reading. But I couldn't give up on these two. I had to see if they could pull themselves out of the darkness and find any shreds of happiness and hope for their future.
The book was compelling. It took awhile to warm up to the characters, because at first ConRad was such a jerk and Kris was such a whiner. But they both moved toward better versions of themselves over the course of the book. The time travel and those elements wrapped up in Kris changing the past/future got a little sticky for me at the ending... and I would have loved to see a little more resolution with the fate of the villain.
But I didn't want to put it down. It had me on the edge of my seat and never shied away from the really hard stuff. It was good, but you need to go into it, knowing what to expect. 4 stars.
*ARC Provided by NetGalley
February 2, 2012
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/02/...
Kris Davenport is having an interesting night. First she’s awakened by a woman that claims to be her from the future, then her double takes her to the mountains, explaining on the way that she’s got to get things right this time with ConRad, then tells her to get out of the car and take a run, that there’s not much time before Armegeddon. A bit jarring, yes? Well, Kris better get used to jarring, because Dark Future is one long, dark ride for our heroine. Kris jumps forward in time to Dark Planet, after humans have nearly been wiped out by an alien race. Dark Planet is her new reality, and ConRad thinks she’s a spy, no matter that he’s inexplicably drawn to her, and her to him. As scared as she is, she feels like she’s seen him before and felt his touch, but how could that be? Strap in for an exciting ride, because after this, it’s nonstop.
Dark Future is an appropriate name, because it’s most definitely dark. By the end of this book, poor Kris has gone from relatively carefree surgical intern to possibly being the key to the salvation of the human race. Once ConRad finally accepts that Kris is not a spy, their journey takes a dramatic turn. Women are at a premium at this point, and ConRad must “claim” Kris as his own to keep her safe. Obviously this doesn’t go over well with Kris, but this is a new order, and she’ll have to give a little to survive. When she makes the choice to save a life, the Elders take Kris and her entire world shatters around her. The author really puts our poor heroine through the ringer in this one, emotionally and physically. If you find yourself making comparisons to Sarah Connor from Terminator, you wouldn’t be far off, because they’re most certainly there, with Kris going from self-professed coward to possible savior of mankind. It’s a long, hard, tortuous journey, and Ms. Klein manages to weave a heart wrenching love story among the sci fi action. Told in Kris’ voice, you won’t be able to help falling in love with her, and wincing every time she has to make a heartbreaking choice (of which she has to make a few). If you enjoy cinematic sci-fi action with your romance, Dark Future is a journey well worth taking!
Kris Davenport is having an interesting night. First she’s awakened by a woman that claims to be her from the future, then her double takes her to the mountains, explaining on the way that she’s got to get things right this time with ConRad, then tells her to get out of the car and take a run, that there’s not much time before Armegeddon. A bit jarring, yes? Well, Kris better get used to jarring, because Dark Future is one long, dark ride for our heroine. Kris jumps forward in time to Dark Planet, after humans have nearly been wiped out by an alien race. Dark Planet is her new reality, and ConRad thinks she’s a spy, no matter that he’s inexplicably drawn to her, and her to him. As scared as she is, she feels like she’s seen him before and felt his touch, but how could that be? Strap in for an exciting ride, because after this, it’s nonstop.
Dark Future is an appropriate name, because it’s most definitely dark. By the end of this book, poor Kris has gone from relatively carefree surgical intern to possibly being the key to the salvation of the human race. Once ConRad finally accepts that Kris is not a spy, their journey takes a dramatic turn. Women are at a premium at this point, and ConRad must “claim” Kris as his own to keep her safe. Obviously this doesn’t go over well with Kris, but this is a new order, and she’ll have to give a little to survive. When she makes the choice to save a life, the Elders take Kris and her entire world shatters around her. The author really puts our poor heroine through the ringer in this one, emotionally and physically. If you find yourself making comparisons to Sarah Connor from Terminator, you wouldn’t be far off, because they’re most certainly there, with Kris going from self-professed coward to possible savior of mankind. It’s a long, hard, tortuous journey, and Ms. Klein manages to weave a heart wrenching love story among the sci fi action. Told in Kris’ voice, you won’t be able to help falling in love with her, and wincing every time she has to make a heartbreaking choice (of which she has to make a few). If you enjoy cinematic sci-fi action with your romance, Dark Future is a journey well worth taking!
September 16, 2015
Someone is in Dr. Kristina Davenport’s home. It’s a woman, and it turns out she’s Kris from the future! The woman, whom Kris calls “BBD for better-body-double”, is a more ripped version of Kris. BBD failed her mission, and Kris has to start all over again, or so BBD says. Armageddon has happened, and Kris is perplexed, not to say highly doubtful of her visitor’s mental health. But BBD is not to be deterred; she sends Kris for a run, and when Kris wakes up, she’s face to face with a huge beast. She is rescued and taken to a compound where she meets the Commander, ConRad. They’re on the Dark Planet, the last defence against the annihilation of the human race…
In case it seems convoluted, it’s not; Ms. Klein has meticulously crafted the world of DARK FUTURE, a totally believable bleak dystopian world set in the near future. I really like Kris, it’s easy to relate to her; she’s just a normal person caught in an impossible situation, and she discovers strengths she never knew she had. It takes a bit more time to warm up to ConRad, because he is extremely reserved. I found the interactions between Kris and ConRad fascinating: both retain this feeling of déjà vu, their subconscious remembers, their bodies as well. DARK FUTURE is as much about adventures as is it about the love story between ConRad and Kris. I cannot say “romance” because their love is extremely powerful, strong to withstand anything thrown at them; it is a union of two passionate souls.
I’m not overly fond of time travel scenarios, but DARK FUTURE is a definite exception: the way Ms. Klein presents it, it seems entirely possible. KC Klein is a terrific writer, and here she demonstrates her exceptional storytelling talents. As the story moves along, it gets to a point where it is impossible to put the book down, and I was kept awake long past my bedtime.
DARK FUTURE is fascinating, very fast-paced, with unpredictable plot twists that kept me enthralled until the very last pages, because I had no idea how everything would turn out. DARK FUTURE is an outstanding book, whether you’re a sci-fi fan or not, and KC Klein proves once again what a supremely gifted writer she is. An exceptional read from KC Klein!
In case it seems convoluted, it’s not; Ms. Klein has meticulously crafted the world of DARK FUTURE, a totally believable bleak dystopian world set in the near future. I really like Kris, it’s easy to relate to her; she’s just a normal person caught in an impossible situation, and she discovers strengths she never knew she had. It takes a bit more time to warm up to ConRad, because he is extremely reserved. I found the interactions between Kris and ConRad fascinating: both retain this feeling of déjà vu, their subconscious remembers, their bodies as well. DARK FUTURE is as much about adventures as is it about the love story between ConRad and Kris. I cannot say “romance” because their love is extremely powerful, strong to withstand anything thrown at them; it is a union of two passionate souls.
I’m not overly fond of time travel scenarios, but DARK FUTURE is a definite exception: the way Ms. Klein presents it, it seems entirely possible. KC Klein is a terrific writer, and here she demonstrates her exceptional storytelling talents. As the story moves along, it gets to a point where it is impossible to put the book down, and I was kept awake long past my bedtime.
DARK FUTURE is fascinating, very fast-paced, with unpredictable plot twists that kept me enthralled until the very last pages, because I had no idea how everything would turn out. DARK FUTURE is an outstanding book, whether you’re a sci-fi fan or not, and KC Klein proves once again what a supremely gifted writer she is. An exceptional read from KC Klein!
January 13, 2015
Kris Davenport, a surgical intern, is woken up in the middle of the night and is scared shitless by a future version of herself. An older, weary, harder, tougher, kick ass version, but definitely her. Her future self tells her she has come back to send Kris forward, again, to get The Prophecy right. She can’t fail because Armageddon has happened and the dark future rests on her shoulders. She needs to fulfill The Prophecy and turn the dark future to the light. And to do that she needs to run up the side of a mountain before dawn comes. After that, well…it gets very interesting.
This story reminded me a lot of Terminator because there were many parallels. You take an ordinary run-of-the-mill person who doesn’t appear to have anything really special about them and throw them into an unbelievable mind-boggling situation and see if they have the gonads to do what is needed. Time travel, a prophecy, end of the world as we know it, survival of mankind depending on basically one person, a person we don’t think has what it takes to get the job done. Ready, set, watch it unfold.
I loved this story. It was smooth and fast-paced, the characters were interesting, well-fleshed and believable, the plot exciting. I certainly hope our future isn’t dark like the one in this story. That would suck and not in a good way. At least we’re left with hope and that’s never a bad thing.
*The author provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page on my blog.
This story reminded me a lot of Terminator because there were many parallels. You take an ordinary run-of-the-mill person who doesn’t appear to have anything really special about them and throw them into an unbelievable mind-boggling situation and see if they have the gonads to do what is needed. Time travel, a prophecy, end of the world as we know it, survival of mankind depending on basically one person, a person we don’t think has what it takes to get the job done. Ready, set, watch it unfold.
I loved this story. It was smooth and fast-paced, the characters were interesting, well-fleshed and believable, the plot exciting. I certainly hope our future isn’t dark like the one in this story. That would suck and not in a good way. At least we’re left with hope and that’s never a bad thing.
*The author provided a copy of this book to me for review. Please see disclaimer page on my blog.
November 4, 2011
Kris is awakened by noises in her house at 4:30am. She's sure an intruder broke in and decides to try to find out who it is. Creeping through the house, she's astounded when she finds the intruder is herself. From the Future. The future her is even better than the original! Then she learns why the future her is there and how it affects her. What follows is a love story and a fight to end all fights. Kris is pushed beyond her limits and more. She sees things and experiences things she never thought possible. She also learns the future isn't exactly what she thought it would be. Now she must do her part.
I don't want to say to much more about this book because it will spoil it if I do. I'm not usually a futuristic/ time travel fan BUT... this is one I couldn't put down. I had to keep reading to see where the story went next. I couldn't guess where this story was going to take me, but I did enjoy the ride. It knocked my socks off! Do yourself a huge favor and GET THIS BOOK!! You won't be sorry you did. It will make you ask questions and think of the world in a whole new way. Can you even imagine being told YOU must go into the future and complete some tasks? Can you imagine what it would be like? I thought I could, this book changed all that for me. Terrific read and highly recommended!!
I don't want to say to much more about this book because it will spoil it if I do. I'm not usually a futuristic/ time travel fan BUT... this is one I couldn't put down. I had to keep reading to see where the story went next. I couldn't guess where this story was going to take me, but I did enjoy the ride. It knocked my socks off! Do yourself a huge favor and GET THIS BOOK!! You won't be sorry you did. It will make you ask questions and think of the world in a whole new way. Can you even imagine being told YOU must go into the future and complete some tasks? Can you imagine what it would be like? I thought I could, this book changed all that for me. Terrific read and highly recommended!!
August 6, 2016
This was a very dark and intense romance, without all the fluff. There was definitely the Terminator vibe in here, but instead of the past, Sarah Connor was brought to the future to save mankind. Kris, was brought to the future unwillingly to save ConRad, which is suppose to be her mission. And of course she doesn't have first had knowledge of what is happening. First quarter of the book showed Kris discovering what lies in the future with aliens invading the Earth, and ConRad is a Commander of an Army trying to protect mankind. There was so much brutality, tortured and abused in the story, but the author did not went too graphic with it.
The dialogue between H/H was always full of angst, nerve wrecking, tension and passion. Not much humor for us to laugh out. But we readers just hope they get their HEA and get away from all this crap that happened around them.
The ending was kind of open ended though. I was wondering whether the author plan to do a sequel. When the book ended, I was left feeling, 'What's next?'.
The dialogue between H/H was always full of angst, nerve wrecking, tension and passion. Not much humor for us to laugh out. But we readers just hope they get their HEA and get away from all this crap that happened around them.
The ending was kind of open ended though. I was wondering whether the author plan to do a sequel. When the book ended, I was left feeling, 'What's next?'.
October 6, 2015
Dark Future was an exciting read, focused on the adventure, with a female lead Kris Davenport whose development was exciting to follow. I followed Kris who I was not even sure I was going to like. As she meets the guy she is supposed to save, breaks rules and learns what it means to be a woman, from the future living in a world where woman are basically treated like they cannot make choices.
This is a dark and pretty good read. The beginning was a little hard to follow but once you get past that you are hooked and you will want to follow Kris and her surly love interest Conrad through their multiple near misses. Dark Future had plenty of surprises and I must admit, I read this one not sure who would make it to the end. I almost expected Klein to do the unthinkable and cliff hang me or kill off main characters, she had me so twisted up. If you like your heroines to show growth and your heroes surly give this one a try.
This is a dark and pretty good read. The beginning was a little hard to follow but once you get past that you are hooked and you will want to follow Kris and her surly love interest Conrad through their multiple near misses. Dark Future had plenty of surprises and I must admit, I read this one not sure who would make it to the end. I almost expected Klein to do the unthinkable and cliff hang me or kill off main characters, she had me so twisted up. If you like your heroines to show growth and your heroes surly give this one a try.
February 5, 2018
Time travel with a dark and painful twist. How would you like to be awakened by someone who looks just like you and then told it's up to you to save the future. This story is filled with fear, horror's, physical and mental pain, secrets, love and betrayal. She finds the future unbelievable and wants only to return home. But it's not as easy to get back as it was to there. She will have to endure many trials and much pain. I don't do spoilers, so I'm afraid this will have to do. Believe me, when you pick this book up, you won't want to put it down till your finished. Author K.C.Klein has written a magnificent time travel story and I recommend it to Sci-Fi fans and others who like reading of time travel, of possible futures, of the strength of mankind to fight against impossible odds. Remember what I said, you won't want to put it down.
September 13, 2015
As I started this book it grabbed my attention and would not let go. I love that for me personally that you have to pay attention to everything you read or you might get lost.
The book is about a woman that was awoken from her sleep by a woman that looked just like her but different at the same time. She learns she has to travel through time to save a man and hopefully change the time loop she is stuck in. Caught between wanting to go back to her time or still there with the man she falls in love with and finish what she was sent to do.
There is a love that is put to the test by every means possible even by the brink of death. She fights to save the man she loves even if it means she has to give him up.
I would recommend it anyone that loves a good love story, time travel, futuristic settings, and all in all grabs your attentions and keeps you hanging on.
The book is about a woman that was awoken from her sleep by a woman that looked just like her but different at the same time. She learns she has to travel through time to save a man and hopefully change the time loop she is stuck in. Caught between wanting to go back to her time or still there with the man she falls in love with and finish what she was sent to do.
There is a love that is put to the test by every means possible even by the brink of death. She fights to save the man she loves even if it means she has to give him up.
I would recommend it anyone that loves a good love story, time travel, futuristic settings, and all in all grabs your attentions and keeps you hanging on.
June 18, 2015
I like paranormal books, but not usually books set in the future. This was more of a sci-fi futuristic with time travel. It was amazing! The idea was not that far-fetched either. Out of the last few books I have read, this one is my favorite! the plot was well-written enough that it played out in my head like a movie. I would totally see this on the big screen! Kris and ConRad have a spark between them that can be felt through the pages as the prophecy plays out. This is definitely worth the read!
June 9, 2012
OMG - this was an incredible book. It was action packed from the start. Kris was a relatable heroine (and has some great I-know-that-exact-feeling!! moments) and ConRad was uber alpha hero in full survival mode (AKA rugged sexy). I got so sucked into this book, my entire life went on hold so I could finish reading it (and for a Type A like me, that's saying a lot).
If you want a book so good you can't put it down (or even think of eating/sleeping) GET THIS BOOK!!
If you want a book so good you can't put it down (or even think of eating/sleeping) GET THIS BOOK!!
August 19, 2015
As I was reading this futuristic book I couldn't believe that it is just that a book. The plots and twists were well written so you thought you were right there with Kris Davenport and ConRad Smith and everyone else in the book.
Hard to put down, a very good read for people looking for a something different to read. Looking forward to more books written by KC Klein.
Hard to put down, a very good read for people looking for a something different to read. Looking forward to more books written by KC Klein.
January 21, 2012
I gobbled this book up, and look forward to reading more about this apocolyptic world. The hero was HOT!!
May 7, 2013
Fantastic book! Couldn't put it down once I started. Will be sure to read anything KC Klein writes!!
September 13, 2015
I love the characters in this book. Kris goes into the future and is saved by Conrad. All she wants is to get back to her normal life.
January 29, 2018
Dark Future is the third book in the Dark Future series. It can be read as a standalone as it doesn’t have a cliffhanger, and it took a while to see all the connections to the series. Kris is from our times and it visited buy a future version of herself so she can full fill a prophecy. Before she knows what happens she is falling into a portal to another time and dimension. (I assume this is the similar timeframe as book one, or close to. ) There is so much that happens but to say any more would be to spewing spoilers. So I will refrain from anymore but to say I am looking forward to book four to come, and it can’t happen fast enough!
January 12, 2012
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: October 1, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon Impulse
Author’s Website: http://kckleinbooks.com/
My Source for This Book: Gift from the author
Part of a Series: Possibly*
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy
Dark, gritty, and utterly entrancing, this book absolutely blew my socks off.
Let me backtrack for just a moment. To be perfectly honest, things got off to a bit of a slow start for me. The first three chapters had me a bit wary — Kris, with her perfect manicure, carefully tamed and colored curly hair, cartoon-character panties, and rather cowardly attitude seemed far too weak to be a heroine of any sort of post-apocalyptic, futuristic story, and to be honest, my assessment was correct. That Kris absolutely was too weak to be a heroine.
However, Chapter Four is where the book really starts to shine, when Kris is catapulted into a world of pain, fear, tough decisions, and horrible sacrifices. Completely out of her element, she does what any modern day woman would do — she flounders, badly. Stubborn, angry, frightened, indignant, mouthy, and impulsive, she is quite literally her own worst enemy in a world that she neither belongs in nor understands.
Her relationship with ConRad gets off to what is quite possibly the rockiest of starts imaginable — thinking she’s an alien spy, he’s fully prepared to torture her for information, and makes no qualms about threatening her, physically hurting hurt, and doing whatever else may be necessary to coerce her into telling him the truth. He can’t believe she could possibly be from the past, and even if she is, she’s a danger to everyone in the compound. ConRad is a hardened warrior who has lived his entire life making tough decisions and sacrifices for the greater good of both their compound and of mankind in its entirety. He’s tough. He’s brutal in his decision-making. He’s unapologetically in charge and not afraid to use his authority as he sees fit, even when it tramples on the rights of others.
And I adored him.
This book is dark. It’s bloody. It’s violent. All of the characters, not just the main protagonists, are put through literal hell more times than I can count. And yet out of that darkness bloomed an absolutely gorgeous love story against seemingly impossible odds. Both ConRad and Kris have had quite a bit of trauma in their pasts, and throwing in her tendency to lie to him, and his utterly devastating betrayal of her, and it truly seemed as if these two characters never had a chance. Yet, I believed in their romance. Two lost souls, surrounded by unspeakable horror, finding solace in each other? Utterly and absolutely delicious.
Yes, this book had a few minor issues. There were some unanswered questions in the world-building, only a fly-by mention of why there weren’t a ton of paradoxes created by the time travel, and at one point I found it very hard to believe that Kris had emotionally recovered so quickly from what was a truly horrible betrayal and some of the most brutal torture I’ve ever read about in a romance. But you know what? I don’t care. Even with all of those things, I loved this book so much I want to marry it and have its babies (if, you know, I weren’t married already, and it weren’t both illegal and creepy to marry a book), and I am desperately hoping I am able to get my hands on more of this author’s writings in the future.
A very raw 5/5 Stars
*There is a sci-fi novella planned for February release based in the same world but with different characters. Details have not yet been worked out as to whether or not there will be an actual sequel to Dark Future (but oh how I hope so!).
Expected Release Date: October 1, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon Impulse
Author’s Website: http://kckleinbooks.com/
My Source for This Book: Gift from the author
Part of a Series: Possibly*
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy
Dark, gritty, and utterly entrancing, this book absolutely blew my socks off.
Let me backtrack for just a moment. To be perfectly honest, things got off to a bit of a slow start for me. The first three chapters had me a bit wary — Kris, with her perfect manicure, carefully tamed and colored curly hair, cartoon-character panties, and rather cowardly attitude seemed far too weak to be a heroine of any sort of post-apocalyptic, futuristic story, and to be honest, my assessment was correct. That Kris absolutely was too weak to be a heroine.
However, Chapter Four is where the book really starts to shine, when Kris is catapulted into a world of pain, fear, tough decisions, and horrible sacrifices. Completely out of her element, she does what any modern day woman would do — she flounders, badly. Stubborn, angry, frightened, indignant, mouthy, and impulsive, she is quite literally her own worst enemy in a world that she neither belongs in nor understands.
Her relationship with ConRad gets off to what is quite possibly the rockiest of starts imaginable — thinking she’s an alien spy, he’s fully prepared to torture her for information, and makes no qualms about threatening her, physically hurting hurt, and doing whatever else may be necessary to coerce her into telling him the truth. He can’t believe she could possibly be from the past, and even if she is, she’s a danger to everyone in the compound. ConRad is a hardened warrior who has lived his entire life making tough decisions and sacrifices for the greater good of both their compound and of mankind in its entirety. He’s tough. He’s brutal in his decision-making. He’s unapologetically in charge and not afraid to use his authority as he sees fit, even when it tramples on the rights of others.
And I adored him.
This book is dark. It’s bloody. It’s violent. All of the characters, not just the main protagonists, are put through literal hell more times than I can count. And yet out of that darkness bloomed an absolutely gorgeous love story against seemingly impossible odds. Both ConRad and Kris have had quite a bit of trauma in their pasts, and throwing in her tendency to lie to him, and his utterly devastating betrayal of her, and it truly seemed as if these two characters never had a chance. Yet, I believed in their romance. Two lost souls, surrounded by unspeakable horror, finding solace in each other? Utterly and absolutely delicious.
Yes, this book had a few minor issues. There were some unanswered questions in the world-building, only a fly-by mention of why there weren’t a ton of paradoxes created by the time travel, and at one point I found it very hard to believe that Kris had emotionally recovered so quickly from what was a truly horrible betrayal and some of the most brutal torture I’ve ever read about in a romance. But you know what? I don’t care. Even with all of those things, I loved this book so much I want to marry it and have its babies (if, you know, I weren’t married already, and it weren’t both illegal and creepy to marry a book), and I am desperately hoping I am able to get my hands on more of this author’s writings in the future.
A very raw 5/5 Stars
*There is a sci-fi novella planned for February release based in the same world but with different characters. Details have not yet been worked out as to whether or not there will be an actual sequel to Dark Future (but oh how I hope so!).
June 23, 2020
I feel like I really could have enjoyed this book if it weren't a romance novel. Which, you know, is a funny and probably telling thing to say about a romance novel, but there it is. Dark Future has an interesting concept, some nice snark, and an amusingly awkward heroine who flails rather realistically in her new setting. Unfortunately it's also got her relationship with ConRad Smith, and that just sort of ruins everything.
I actually kind of liked our heroine, Kris Davenport - quite a bit for about the first half of the book, and then on and off for the rest. I think the her character was intended, at least partially, to be a subversion of the action girl trope, and Klein does this very well. At the start of the story, after she's been thrown out of her house and into a post-apocalyptic future by her future self, Kris is a mess and a bit of failure. No spontaneous action hero here: when the going gets rough, Kris gets paralyzed with fear, nearly pisses herself in terror, and generally acts like any other normal person would if put into this kind of awful situation.
It probably sounds a bit strange coming from me, but I really liked this. I didn't expect Kris to be Sarah Conner right off the bat, and she wasn't billed as such. She doesn't have to be a fearless action chick to be bad-ass - I liked that she made mistakes, that she had to overcome her terror and self-doubt to function in this new reality. Grace under pressure didn't come naturally, and being a surgery intern didn't magically make her a competent field medic, but she did her best, she got through it, and she was allowed to save some lives a couple of times.
I also thought it was kind of funny that she was genre-savvy enough to recognize that she was living through a cliche-ridden sci-fi story, but utterly failed to navigate it very well because she "hates sci-fi".
On the other hand, I found most of her behavior regarding obligatory love interest ConRad troubling and contrived. The romance follows the usual Alpha male relationship dynamic: the guy is totally overbearing, possessive, territorial, condescending, bossy, and just generally dickish, while the woman gets in some spunky one-liners and puts up some lip-service resistance here and there while being inordinately sexually attracted to him the entire time, so that she can come into the relationship with the illusion of agency and integrity and COMMON SENSE, without it getting in the way of the SEX. Sex which is totally NOT AT ALL rape-y, because no matter how much she protests, she's actually totally into him and wants it bad.
I'm not kidding, either, that's how nearly EVERY SINGLE sexual encounter between Kris and ConRad goes during the "courting" period, and it put me off the romantic aspect almost immediately. The first time they get physical, they've known each other for all of two minutes, during which ConRad has has thrown Kris in lock-up, verbally abused her, and accused her of being an alien replicant spy or some shit. His terrorizing interrogation is used to build the sexual tension between them - he physically menaces her, pins her against the wall, sniffs and licks her to test for "human", and when that doesn't satisfy him, slits her throat.
No really, he slits her throat. And it's TOTALLY SEXY, YO.
Of course, it's not fatal. He cuts just deep enough to draw blood, which apparently proves she's human, and then lets her go. But seriously. Guy slits her throat, and then before the blood is even dry, they're going at it, and she's writing up against him, letting him finger-bang her, and this is how our romance kicks off...
Read full review at You're Killing.Us.
I actually kind of liked our heroine, Kris Davenport - quite a bit for about the first half of the book, and then on and off for the rest. I think the her character was intended, at least partially, to be a subversion of the action girl trope, and Klein does this very well. At the start of the story, after she's been thrown out of her house and into a post-apocalyptic future by her future self, Kris is a mess and a bit of failure. No spontaneous action hero here: when the going gets rough, Kris gets paralyzed with fear, nearly pisses herself in terror, and generally acts like any other normal person would if put into this kind of awful situation.
It probably sounds a bit strange coming from me, but I really liked this. I didn't expect Kris to be Sarah Conner right off the bat, and she wasn't billed as such. She doesn't have to be a fearless action chick to be bad-ass - I liked that she made mistakes, that she had to overcome her terror and self-doubt to function in this new reality. Grace under pressure didn't come naturally, and being a surgery intern didn't magically make her a competent field medic, but she did her best, she got through it, and she was allowed to save some lives a couple of times.
I also thought it was kind of funny that she was genre-savvy enough to recognize that she was living through a cliche-ridden sci-fi story, but utterly failed to navigate it very well because she "hates sci-fi".
On the other hand, I found most of her behavior regarding obligatory love interest ConRad troubling and contrived. The romance follows the usual Alpha male relationship dynamic: the guy is totally overbearing, possessive, territorial, condescending, bossy, and just generally dickish, while the woman gets in some spunky one-liners and puts up some lip-service resistance here and there while being inordinately sexually attracted to him the entire time, so that she can come into the relationship with the illusion of agency and integrity and COMMON SENSE, without it getting in the way of the SEX. Sex which is totally NOT AT ALL rape-y, because no matter how much she protests, she's actually totally into him and wants it bad.
I'm not kidding, either, that's how nearly EVERY SINGLE sexual encounter between Kris and ConRad goes during the "courting" period, and it put me off the romantic aspect almost immediately. The first time they get physical, they've known each other for all of two minutes, during which ConRad has has thrown Kris in lock-up, verbally abused her, and accused her of being an alien replicant spy or some shit. His terrorizing interrogation is used to build the sexual tension between them - he physically menaces her, pins her against the wall, sniffs and licks her to test for "human", and when that doesn't satisfy him, slits her throat.
No really, he slits her throat. And it's TOTALLY SEXY, YO.
Of course, it's not fatal. He cuts just deep enough to draw blood, which apparently proves she's human, and then lets her go. But seriously. Guy slits her throat, and then before the blood is even dry, they're going at it, and she's writing up against him, letting him finger-bang her, and this is how our romance kicks off...
Read full review at You're Killing.Us.
January 1, 2016
Let me make something very clear from the outset--I have conflicted feelings in regards to this book. For a good deal of the book it was playing out beautifully. Kris gets sent to the future by a future version of herself (a crazy, deranged, gun-wielding future version no less)to save HIM, gets stuck in a world where women are a scarcity, giant alien bugs roam around eating them and the religious zealots are in control.
If ConRad seemed to be more bi-polar then sane, I forgave that since the entire world was nuts (not an understatement). I appreciated the fact that Klein was willing to basically say 'Yeah? So?' to a lot of cliches and had a few surprises lurking about. I was even kind of down with the love-hate relationship ConRad and Kris developed. It seemed heck of a lot more plausible then one or both of them suddenly developing these immense feelings of love when all they did was fight pretty much.
Somewhere around the middle of the book I began wavering. Klein doesn't really hold much back. Her characters are put through hell, given a band-aide and told to crawl through it all over again. More importantly they got hurt, a lot, and for brief stints of time had to handle the consequences of their actions (like deliberately disobeying orders...a dozen times...). Problem was I kind of lost interest in Kris and ConRad as a couple.
Intellectually what he did made sense. Its even spelled out by a character to Kris as to why it made sense in the long term. And her reaction, given her view of how things went down, was completely justifiable. When matters resume between them I was really gearing up for a long fight. The two have so many issues they'd give Freud a heart attack, yet in what is a relatively short amount of time they get over them. Or rather they get over the original problem and push everything else to the side.
And honestly it felt like ConRad was kind of just moving Kris from Point A to Point B with little care for her thoughts. Even after the big problem they face, when she's more or less Tough Chick (in line with Sarah Connor in Terminator 2) it never felt like they were on equal footing in the relationship. The notion just grew over time for me until by the end of the book (things get real convoluted) I would have preferred her to be alone.
The ending was just...I don't have words. Klein took a deus ex machina and then hammered it into the ending. At least twice. Why did that one phone call/conversation have to take the road it did? I honestly believe this is a book that should not have had a HEA for the main couple. Or if Klein was stuck on the idea, make it a duology so that the ending didn't get all clumped together with Kris making decisions that left me confused and a huge amount of time skip.
Kris as a character got to be a bit tiresome after a while, at least in the first half. Instead of thinking, she often reacted quickly and without remembering 'oh wait didn't rules!', leading to some hilarious scenes ("It said it was a COMMUNITY SHOWER!", "ITS A COMMUNITY OF MEN!") and some baffling scenes.
ConRad ran hot and cold for me. He did some really...horrific things. And Kris doesn't always paint him well or give the reader much reason to feel safe with him. His mercurial mood shifts were a bit disturbing too.
Overall I really enjoyed the potential this book brought to the table. It tried to be too many things at once though and ended up short-changing everything in the process.
If ConRad seemed to be more bi-polar then sane, I forgave that since the entire world was nuts (not an understatement). I appreciated the fact that Klein was willing to basically say 'Yeah? So?' to a lot of cliches and had a few surprises lurking about. I was even kind of down with the love-hate relationship ConRad and Kris developed. It seemed heck of a lot more plausible then one or both of them suddenly developing these immense feelings of love when all they did was fight pretty much.
Somewhere around the middle of the book I began wavering. Klein doesn't really hold much back. Her characters are put through hell, given a band-aide and told to crawl through it all over again. More importantly they got hurt, a lot, and for brief stints of time had to handle the consequences of their actions (like deliberately disobeying orders...a dozen times...). Problem was I kind of lost interest in Kris and ConRad as a couple.
Intellectually what he did made sense. Its even spelled out by a character to Kris as to why it made sense in the long term. And her reaction, given her view of how things went down, was completely justifiable. When matters resume between them I was really gearing up for a long fight. The two have so many issues they'd give Freud a heart attack, yet in what is a relatively short amount of time they get over them. Or rather they get over the original problem and push everything else to the side.
And honestly it felt like ConRad was kind of just moving Kris from Point A to Point B with little care for her thoughts. Even after the big problem they face, when she's more or less Tough Chick (in line with Sarah Connor in Terminator 2) it never felt like they were on equal footing in the relationship. The notion just grew over time for me until by the end of the book (things get real convoluted) I would have preferred her to be alone.
The ending was just...I don't have words. Klein took a deus ex machina and then hammered it into the ending. At least twice. Why did that one phone call/conversation have to take the road it did? I honestly believe this is a book that should not have had a HEA for the main couple. Or if Klein was stuck on the idea, make it a duology so that the ending didn't get all clumped together with Kris making decisions that left me confused and a huge amount of time skip.
Kris as a character got to be a bit tiresome after a while, at least in the first half. Instead of thinking, she often reacted quickly and without remembering 'oh wait didn't rules!', leading to some hilarious scenes ("It said it was a COMMUNITY SHOWER!", "ITS A COMMUNITY OF MEN!") and some baffling scenes.
ConRad ran hot and cold for me. He did some really...horrific things. And Kris doesn't always paint him well or give the reader much reason to feel safe with him. His mercurial mood shifts were a bit disturbing too.
Overall I really enjoyed the potential this book brought to the table. It tried to be too many things at once though and ended up short-changing everything in the process.
July 4, 2014
Dark Future's book blurb had me super excited for the story of aliens and Kris' Terminator-style time jump to save the human race.
Again, I find myself in the minority with my lower rating. Much of the story's concept was a big hit for me. However, big parts, such as world-building and relationship development were greatly lacking. It was weird - in parts of the story the environment had a movie clarity to it while others left me completely confused. The relationship between Kris and ConRad, the "him" in future Kris' mission, felt odd and a bit forced. But, on the flip-side, secondary characters Quinn and Zimmion's attraction felt real and touching at times.
Huge potential, big disappointment (Rating: 2.5★). Part of me is glad this is a stand alone novel because, being a series addict, I know I'd feel compelled to read the second book. However, I'm kinda bummed because I would've liked to have seen if the second book was an improvement.
"Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission; go forward in time to save the world and his life. Of course, her future self doesn't tell her who he is, just sends her into the abyss and straight into an alien invasion."Sadly, as I read, I spanned the rainbow of feelings. What began as excitement, quickly switched to confusion, then frustration, onto freakish fascination, and finally ended with the dull thud of meh.
Again, I find myself in the minority with my lower rating. Much of the story's concept was a big hit for me. However, big parts, such as world-building and relationship development were greatly lacking. It was weird - in parts of the story the environment had a movie clarity to it while others left me completely confused. The relationship between Kris and ConRad, the "him" in future Kris' mission, felt odd and a bit forced. But, on the flip-side, secondary characters Quinn and Zimmion's attraction felt real and touching at times.
Huge potential, big disappointment (Rating: 2.5★). Part of me is glad this is a stand alone novel because, being a series addict, I know I'd feel compelled to read the second book. However, I'm kinda bummed because I would've liked to have seen if the second book was an improvement.
October 31, 2012
This book had a really intriguing set up.
The 'travel to the future to save someone' made me think of Terminator and the future world Klein created was dark and grim. So far so good.
I wish I could say this was a great read. I really do, because it has so much potential. Sadly enough that potential isn't used and the plot of this story made no sense at all to me.
The romance was a miss as well. There's absolutely no believable build-up. I really couldn't find a reason why Kris and ConRad suddenly loved each other (besides the fact another version of Kris had lived this same timeloop before and that other version also fell in love with ConRad for whatever reason).
And then there was the constant misspelling of the word soldier! I know it's not the authors fault, I myself find myself typing too fast at times and switching letters as well, but after the umpteenth solider I was ready to find the copy editor who missed these errors and slap him/her.
All in all I kept reading in hope in the end everything would make sense, but that was not to be. A shame as it could have been a great story.
The 'travel to the future to save someone' made me think of Terminator and the future world Klein created was dark and grim. So far so good.
I wish I could say this was a great read. I really do, because it has so much potential. Sadly enough that potential isn't used and the plot of this story made no sense at all to me.
The romance was a miss as well. There's absolutely no believable build-up. I really couldn't find a reason why Kris and ConRad suddenly loved each other (besides the fact another version of Kris had lived this same timeloop before and that other version also fell in love with ConRad for whatever reason).
And then there was the constant misspelling of the word soldier! I know it's not the authors fault, I myself find myself typing too fast at times and switching letters as well, but after the umpteenth solider I was ready to find the copy editor who missed these errors and slap him/her.
All in all I kept reading in hope in the end everything would make sense, but that was not to be. A shame as it could have been a great story.
June 20, 2015
This is a very dark book and the future is not only Dark but Scary. It is am unforgiving world of violence taken place many years after Judgement day. Kris Davenport is a nurse that is sent I the middle of the night by her future self on a mission to save Conrad because she failed. Kris has no idea what is going one minute she is in bed and the next crazy twin of herself is pushing her through the night. She blacks out and awakes in a horrible smelling place with blood, bullets and an alien around her. She is rescued by non other than Conrad. He is an alpha male with emotionless eyes who has seen nothing but horror. Kris doesn't have much information to go on but she must try to stay alive as well as save him. It is am emotional ride. It has it moments where I was shuttering because I couldn't believe how much pain Kris and Conrad had to be subjected. The story was hard to read at time but it was a great book and gave me a few chills. I scared me to think of what the world could be like if the future was dark.
October 31, 2011
Full review to be posted soon. I really liked the premise of this book, but it really needed a lot of polishing up. Also the world-building was a huge let down and in a lot of ways pretty confusing at times and it felt that too much was going on but not a lot time and focus was exploring this.
October 26, 2011
Definitely dark and tortured, but a romance after all. If you like it dark and rough, and hopeless until the very end, you'll love this book.
May 24, 2017
Dark and gritty in an apocalyptic, noir kind if way. Really interesting world building and characters. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
January 28, 2016
Great read. Almost surreal.. Actually, it is surreal. I wish I could time travel!
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