Born to Darkness

Fighting Destiny #1

by Suzanne Brockmann

Fighting Destiny series # 1 Reissue originally published 2012 Set in a dark and crumbling near-future... Navy SEAL LT Shane Laughlin was dishonorably discharged and blacklisted—for being too honorable. Desperate for work and down to his last ten bucks, he takes a job as a test subject—a human guinea pig—at Boston’s Obermeyer Institute, a fringe scientific research facility. Shane’s skeptical when he finds out that OI’s focus is to find and train certain exceptional people, usually young girls—called “Greater-Thans”—whose skill-sets include telekinesis, telepathy, rapid self-healing, and super-human strength. And he’s even more surprised when he discovers that Mac, the mysterious woman who rocked his world in an epic one-night stand, is part of an elite team of kickass OI operatives who use their G-T skills to rescue and protect innocents. Because OI’s not the only organization trying to find Greater-Thans—and the other guys are out to exploit them. An illegal drug called “Destiny” is being made from the blood of young, untrained, and powerless Greater-Than girls. Addictive and dangerous, it gives its wealthy and reckless users instant G-T powers—including eternal youth—at a lethal price. Dr. Michelle “Mac” Mackenzie and her OI team are at war with the shadowy corporations who enslave girls to meet the rising demand for Destiny, and Shane wants to join them. He may not be a G-T, but as a former Navy SEAL, he’s got talents of his own. Still, Mac’s got powerful reasons to keep her distance from Shane. But when one very special little girl goes missing, Mac’s ready to do anything—including accept Shane’s help—to find and save her. Mac’s used to risking her life, but she now faces sacrificing her heart... Originally published in 2012 (170,000 words, original hard cover edition was 513 pages)

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Fantasy, Fiction

460 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2012

About the author

After childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, Suzanne Brockmann took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling, and explored brave new worlds as a bestselling romance author.

Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.

In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.

In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.

Reviews

[Mimi Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I was disappointed with this one. It seems like forever since Suzanne Brockmann published a book-and it definitely has the feel of Troubleshooters, with several plot lines, lots of action and bad guys defeated by SEALs. Only we're in the future and in a world where such a thing as mental integration is possible. Basically, using more than 20% of your brain is possible, and people who do, have awesome, individual powers. They're called Greater-Thans.

So, the story follows three couples, throughout an investigation of kidnapping. As I said, I thought that was a bit too much. Too many things going on, making it harder for me to believe the couples fell in love so easily. So, we have...

Shane and Mac

I like Shane a lot. We've already been introduced to him in the prequel. Now, we see him a year later, he's been black-listed, kicked out of the Navy, he's lost his fiancee and his whole life. Now, he's found a job at the IO facility, because he's a Potential(for a Greater-Than). Before that he meets Mac, who's a 50%(uses that much of her brain), a powerful empath. They have a powerful connection, but because of them working together, along with Mac's fear that it's her powers that influence him to believe he loves and wants him, she runs away. Again. And again. To be honest, Mac started to annoy me at some point and never stopped. She was constantly telling Shane he didn't love her, it's just an illusion, treating him like crap. Frankly, I have no idea what he saw in her. She started out strong and cool, but sadly, didn't end up that way.

Shane, on the other hand is great. He has that core of a Navy Seal, Troubleshooter. A hero, brave, determined, loyal, stubborn...

And then their resolving of problems...Didn't really come. There was a dangerous situation, they lived through it, and all was suddenly well. Hmmm, no. I didn't like the way their romance(if you can call it that) went, and I didn't believe their HEA. Every time they were together they were:

a) having sex
b) arguing, aka Mac was bitching and Shane was chasing her
c) fighting for their lives

I needed MORE to make me believe them

Elliot and Diaz

I like both guys, but you could've blinked and missed them falling in love. Or, they were already in love, but they just now saw it? Either way, there wasn't enough. Some sexual tension, a few conversations and VOILA, they were talking about getting married. If a side story is inserted, it needs to be more convincing. Maybe if it was just started here? Basically, it just took up page time, for a story without a major conflict, arc or a reason.

As I said, I like Elliot-the medic, and Diaz-a fifty, but I felt their story was redundant here, or it should've had MORE something.

Bach and Anna

All I can say is-Thank God this wasn't finished here. Because that would've been even harder to swallow. Bach and Anna are such intriguing characters. Bach is the head alpha of Greater-Thans, and Anna is a sister to the kidnapped girl, Nika. Bach has lost the only woman he has ever loved, Annie, and Anna has lived through some very tragic things. I liked seeing Bach struggling with himself, but slowly accepting the possibility of loving again. He's such a great guy. And Anna is great, too. Protective, cool, she's a fitting heroine. And Nika-awwwww. I liked the progression of their story. How it slowly slid from attraction into affection.

And I have to say I was completely surprised at the ending! Holy crap, what a way to end things. I hope their book is next, or that their story will be continued there. And while I'm happy their story didn't end here, they have such potential, but I'm sad they're at odds here, and I'm not sure about how quickly Anna made up her mind to believe the worst of him, after he did so much for her. I get she's protective, but benefit of the doubt? I think she'll have to do some apologizing when she sees the light since I'm pretty sure he's not attracted and just raring to be with a thirteen-year-old girl. I think he loves Nika and feels affection for her-so maybe that's enough for the powers to spike? My theory, at least

A question-how come no one before registered power spiking? There are plenty Greater-Thans running around. Someone had to fall in love somewhere...

Also I was surprised we didn't hear more about the mission that ended Shane's career-what exactly happened to the witness later? How did his fiancee react? Broke up with him obviously, but... And no other SEAL?

I liked the action and the mystery and I did like the characters, mostly, so I enjoyed this book, but I expected more, and though it had a potential for that, because the beginning was great. Still, I'm looking forward to the installments.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. This book was highly anticipated for me. I really enjoy Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter series and while irrelevant, I think her public persona is pretty amazing. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review. The first 270 pages of the book was really good and I couldn't put the book down. But the last 240 pages dragged for me. I think it may be a first book in a series issue. The passion is there, the romances are believable and the world created is unique and very interesting; the excitement just didn't last through the entire book.

I am a long time fan of Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter series. The Troubleshooters series is rich in great character development and interesting struggles, but in addition to that, the Troubleshooters series offers readers a great romance or two in each book. Brockmann has this ability to slowly unravel the story while writing great characters and while the characters get to know each other, so do the readers. She has interwoven storylines and characters that come back into focus in subsequent books even though their romance has been written. Reading her Troubleshooters series is like sitting down with long time friends - in a way similar to the Virgin River series by Carr and the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by Ward. Not that the way those authors write is similar or that their storyline is similar; I am referring only to the interwoven stories and the return of characters who are a constant to the storyline. Ms. Brockmann has promised that her new series - Fighting Destiny - will be similar in this respect.

Born to Darkness is the start of Brockmann's new Fighting Destiny series. There is a pre-quel to Born to Darkness called Shane's Last Stand. It is not necessary to read the pre-quel, although it is an enjoyable quick read. Born to Darkness is set in the future several decades out from the present and clear changes have happened to American society and the American government. There has been an economic collapse and the majority of Americans are suffering economically. To magnify the problems most Americans are experiencing, the infrastructure in the US is collapsing - for example, police stations charge fees to investigate crimes. Corporations have clear control over society, culture and the government. The U.S. is taking on military missions driven by corporations and many civil rights belonging to U.S. citizens have been curtailed by new austere laws. It is a dark and scary time. That dystopian setting is where Born to Darkness begins. However, the world building does not end there.

A few scientists in this future world have uncovered some people's potential to utilize more than 10% of their brainpower at a time. Some people have the ability to utilize 40%, 50%, and some up to 70% of their brain at one point in time. Those people who can use greater than 10% of their brain power at any given moment are called "Greater Thans" (i.e. greater than 10%) and those that use 10% or less are called "Fractions" (i.e. a fraction of 10%). The Greater Thans have greater than normal human power - -typically telekinetic and self-healing capabilities. Although some can fly and breathe fire. There is an organization focused on using these powers for good and developing the powers of others and it has the feel of a "brotherhood" or hey--the SEALs (Brockmann's forte). There is also an X-Men feeling to the powers people have and how these people with powers, or the Greater Thans, join together.

The world Brockmann creates is believable and scary. The characters are likeable. The romance is sweet and passionate. Born to Darkness is a big book, similar to her later Troubleshooters books - -it is 510 pages. I sped through the first 270 pages or so and loved every minute of those pages. I was completely invested in the storyline. However, the story evened out for me after that and I did have the urge to skim (which embarrassingly I succumbed to). I felt that there were too many romances and hook ups happening - 6 characters paired up in to 3 pairs almost seemingly too easily. They all loved each other and meshed at the halfway point of the book. I think this is simply a first book in a series, a strong world is created and not everything clicked for me perfectly with it. I didn't buy into all of the couplehoods and I was disappointed at the distraction from the fabulous world that Brockmann had written. I wanted more of the dystpoia and the struggle happening in this depressing future. And while I normally really appreciate point of view shifts, particularly how Brockmann writes them, in Born to Darkness I felt like it prevented me from really getting to know any one of the 6 or 7 characters that the point of view switched to and from. As a disclosure, I am not a fan of Brockmann's Tall Dark and Dangerous series or her stand-alones. So my issues may be unique to what I was looking for - I am guessing that readers who enjoy her TDD series or her standalones may really like this book.

I absolutely plan on reading #2 in the Fighting Destiny series. Readers who are fans of any of Brockmann's books will enjoy Born to Darkness. Readers who like sci fi romance or dystopia based romance will likely enjoy this - just be ready to commit for 510 pages!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Born to Darkness was a pleasant surprise. In fact, it was fantastic! One of the best science fiction books I’ve read since Ready Player One . The world building was well developed, the plot kept me guessing and the romantic interludes were steamy! Did I mention that the story was told from seven different perspectives? SEVEN! At first it was confusing, but once I learned who everyone was I had no problem following the different storylines. The transitions from one perspective to the next were flawless and I really enjoyed delving into each character’s life, relationships and back-story.

The main focus seemed to be on the prickly heroine Mac (Michelle) and her potential love interest, blacklisted NAVY Seal, Shane. In a world where most people are considered Fractions, there are a small percentage of people called Greater-Thans who have access to parts of the brain that others don’t. They develop abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy and rapid healing. Mac has the power to affect people’s emotions and physically alter her body to make her look unrecognizable. She works with an elite team of Greater-Than’s who specialize in training those with potential and putting a stop to organizations that would exploit them. The other characters featured in this book include the powerful leader of Mac’s team Bach, her partner Diaz and his love interest, the quirky scientist Elliot. There is also Anna, a Fraction who gets drawn into this strange new world that she previously didn’t know existed and her sister, Nika who gets abducted by the very people that Mac and her team are trying to hunt down.

Confusing? Honestly this is a difficult book to describe because so much happens! I can’t begin to do it justice. It’s obvious that the author spent a great deal of time building the world and fleshing out the characters. I’m assuming that this is just the first book in what will probably turn out to be a long series. Several questions remain unanswered by the book’s end, and a couple characters don’t get their fairytale ending (quite the opposite actually!), but overall this is a solid start to what will hopefully turn out to be an amazing series. Anyone who enjoys urban fantasy/paranormal romance or science fiction would be completely remiss to pass up the chance to read Born to Darkness. Don’t be intimidated by the length. It’s worth every page!

3/1/2012

I don't say this often, but...

Holy crap this book is huge!

Born to Darkness ARC

I won this ARC on Goodread's First Reads Giveaways and I was expecting a little pocket paperback. Instead I get this big, heavy 500 page book! If my scale was working I would weigh it because the book has some heft to it!

I've been in a bit of a reading funk lately. The last three books I tried to read I had no desire to finish. Here's hoping that this one sticks because I'm rather excited to read it :o)

[Mandapanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Interesting start to a new series from Suzanne Brockmann. The setting is the near future and a small part of the human population, called Greater-Thans, have developed special abilities including telekinesis, super strength, and reversal of the aging process. At the same time a dangerously addictive drug called Destiny has been created, giving its users special powers that mimic the Greater-Thans' abilities.

Shane is an ex-SEAL who's been blacklisted from the Navy and is desperate for work. He is contacted by the Institute and offered a place as a test subject in their studies and training of Greater-Thans. But Shane's arrival changes everything for the Institute Team, especially his beautiful colleague, Mac.

This was a big thrill ride with all the action coming from the need to save a young girl who's been kidnapped by the drug cartel who produces Destiny. The two MC's are Mac and Shane but there are secondary characters that play large roles and the story is also told from the POV of these two other couples as well (Diaz and Elliot, a gay couple, and Bach and Anna).

The mythology of the Greater-Thans is not really inspiring and I find the name 'Greater-Than' a bit clunky. Much better is the street name for those who OD on Destiny, 'Jokering'. The final scenes are satisfying as the big rescue attempt is made and several people put their lives on the line to help out.

I didn't really connect with the two MC's. I found Mac to be overly bitchy. Sure I understand where she's coming from, not being able to trust that Shane's feelings are real. But she was just too harsh and I had trouble liking her. The ending with Anna and Bach was strange and felt contrived to lead the reader into the next book. But having said that I will probably be buying the next in the series.

[Allison6876 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing - The heroine was extremely unlikable. With so many couples there was not enough character development so that you cared about any of the characters. Tired of so much focus on the gay couple when they are not the primary relationship in the book. Get off the soapbox already. I understand that the author's personal life is hugely focused on PFLAG but I'm tired of it bleeding through to her books. I'm fine with gay characters in the books (it would be nice to see the occasional lesbian - if she'd like to be truely inclusive) but not when the time spent on them does not allow the primary characters enough time to become fully developed. The world building was weak and did not feel fully realized. As a reader of all genres, and someone who reads a lot of paranormal it kind of felt like she was just leaping onto the paranormal bandwagon. Very disappointing for a book by an author who has always been an autobuy for me since her days writing for Loveswept.

[Feminista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Whoa... I am really happily surprised. The last time I gave a five was more than a month ago. And that is saying something as I usually read a book a day.

I picked this book up because it looked like something I might enjoy. Yeah, I judged the book by its cover. :) And now I am really happy.

Scientists say that humans use only 10% of their brain. What if there was a small fraction (Greater-Than) who could use more than that, and as such, would have their own unique special powers.

Mac is a strong Greater than: fifties, for using around about fifty percent of her brain. Her powers include empathy and attracting other people... She is part of a group that safeguards the society from the drug called Destiny, that gives ordinary humans the powers of a greater than, but at a very dear price: addiction and eventual jokering (extreme violent behaviour).

Mac while tough, has a tormented past. Her ability to attract wasn't something she could control at a younger age and led to unwanted attention from others, especially from people who should have been looking after her. Resigned to the downsides of her powers, she is utterly wary of men, especially since she knows that they would have been attracted to her regardless of who and what she looked like, because her powers are irresistible.

Enter Shane. A ex-Navy Seal who has been dishonourably discharged, and is now blacklisted. He is the balm to her wound. A night of passion leaves him wanting more. Of course a little of that has to do with her ability, but the bigger reason is that, he well and truly wants her for the woman she is. In the end, he takes the ultimate test to show her that he doesn't want because of her powers.

Shane is sweet and loving, with the honour and sombreness of a Navy seal. Mac, is probably not very endearing as a heroine, but I loved her. Her stubbornness came from a deep-rooted hurt that will never probably heal. Seeing people falling prey to her powers, if not controlled, she is understandably very cynical when it comes to words of love from another.

This book may not be to other people's liking, but if you like a strong, stubborn heroine and a sweet loving hero. Give this book a try.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3 1/2 Stars*

This was my very first experience with Suzanne Brockmann. I have heard her name mentioned quite a lot, both because of her Troubleshooters series popularity and because of various discussions in Romancelandia about her political views and how they relate to her series, but I have never gotten around to trying her out. I saw that she was trying her hand at PNR, so I figured this was my chance. I took the plunge. :)

The setup of this world was very interesting. There are Greater-Thans, people who have high level mental powers, and Fractions (or Less-Thans), people who don’t have strong mental powers or any at all. Not everyone knows that they’re out there, but it’s not because they’re hiding. The media regularly mocks their research and has everyone convinced that they’re just crackpots. The government is aware of it, though, and out of five labs, the Obermeyer Institute (OI) is the only privately funded one. OI’s Greater-Thans are regularly called in by the police when they need help with someone who ‘jokers’ (aka goes insane) on the new drug on the streets, Destiny. Destiny has the ability to turn someone into a Greater-Than and makes the user younger and healthier for as long as they use it. Of course, once you use it you are instantly addicted and must continue to use it forever. There’s no detoxing Destiny, there’s only death. In addition to all that, there’s also a shadow organization that is snatching Greater-Than potentials and using them to develop Destiny.

The book is pretty interesting and unique but I found it a little confusing in the beginning. We were dropped into things right in the middle of a joker takedown, and I wasn’t really sure what all the terms meant and if the general populace was in on things or if it was all a secret. Also, society as a whole is quite different, given that this is set several decades in the future. It all just didn’t flow as smoothly as I would have liked, although it wasn’t a huge complaint for me. I eventually got into the swing of things once Anna, the sister of the kidnapped girl that the OI main characters are trying to find, is brought into OI and given an explanation for everything.

I really liked getting to know multiple people at OI, but I felt that there were way too many POVs running around. When I posted an update about this on Goodreads I was told that this is a signature trait of this author, so if you’re already a fan of hers then this probably won’t bother you as much as it did me. I soon realized that it was necessary to have so many POVs (there were seven, by the way), given that the book focused equally on three relationships. That was another large complaint of mine. I liked most of the couples but splitting so much time between all of them made it hard for me to get involved in any of them. I felt like I was only given enough to keep my interest but never enough to truly sink into the characters and know them.

Although I didn’t enjoy having three romances playing out at once, I found that I liked the other two romances more than the one that was mentioned in the book blurb. I liked Shane, the blacklisted ex-SEAL, but the heroine, Mac, was very difficult to like. I’ll be honest, that girl was bitchy with a capital B. She’s cold and a user. I kept waiting for her to get over herself, but she never really did. I had no sympathy for any of her woe is me attitude regarding her sex appeal. I get that it could be a horrible, horrible power in the long run, especially when she couldn’t always control it, but the fact that she used it to keep a sex buddy boyfriend for years made it really hard to respect her. When you add that to the cold way she kept sleeping with him and then brushing him off, I ended up feeling sorry for Shane because he was stuck with her.

Two of the relationships were wrapped up by the end of the book, but one of them had a twist thrown in at the end that will need to be resolved, probably in the next book. I really liked Bach, one of the Greater-Thans, and his interaction with his love interest and the bond he developed with the kidnapped girl, Nika, but I’m not sure if that’s enough to convince me to read the next book in the series. I did like a lot of things about this book and enjoyed the author’s overall voice, but it utterly failed for me as a Romance. The fact that quite a few fans of her have told me that multiple POVs and multiple romances are common in her various series make me think that I’ll have the same complaints with the next book.

P.S. In case anyone is interested, the relationship pairings are M/F, M/F, and M/M.

Favorite Quote:

”You have any questions about the program?” He gestured toward the e-reader. “I see you’ve been given an overview.”

“Yeah, I guess my biggest question,” Shane said as he stayed standing, leaning against the wall that separated the main room from the bedroom, “is about how to handle the anticipation. I mean, I’m not sure I can wait to find out whether my big superpower is going to be flying or invisibility.”

The doctor laughed. “A nonbeliever. Better and better.”

*Review originally posted on Fiction Vixen*

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ultimately just okay. It had the usual SB strengths of realistic dialog and fast action. I really love SB's dialog. The characters sound as if they are really speaking not reciting lines. The characters for the most part were appealing.

The action was interesting for the most part but I felt that some of the powers were kind of ludicrous. Do we really believe if we start using more of our brain power simultaneously that we will be able to fly? That's not brain power related, that has much more to do with the laws of physics. I think a lot more thought should have been put into what powers a person could realistically have. More than that really, I can see that if this series continues for several books it could fall victim to the ever expanding powers trap. Each book the main character will have to have some new and novel power and since she seemed to use a lot of the really interesting ones in this book, what will be left? Pretty soon everyone will be so powerfull that it won't be believable that they would have any problems they couldn't just snap their fingers at.

Also the conflict here about the kidnapped girls while a good story driver seems a little too unbelievable. I'm sure that more realistically 50 years from now it would be more rationale to think that adrenaline would be easier synthasized that taken from scared little girls.

My biggest problem with the book is that the relationship between Shane and Mac was 100% totally unbelievable. Mac was the worst heroine that SB has written to date and I've never felt that her heroines were all that wonderful. SB does a much better job writing men than women. But Mac takes the cake. She was a whining bitch throughout and there was absolutely no reason for Shane to fall for her except her powers. They never had any time together were they were just hanging out and getting along and learning to care for each other. They were either having sex or Mac was being a bitch and Shane was begging her like a sick puppy. I really had high hopes for Shane after reading the little prologue novella. Severely disappointed. Absolutely no romance at all there.

Elliot and Stephen at least had some feelings and some basis for those feelings since they had known each other a long time. Bach and Anna or Nika was not resolved so we'll see how that developes.

[Cherise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Suzanne Brockmann has created a world where sometime in the future people have the ability to utilize a larger percentage of their brain and because of this the lucky few also have some supernatural abilities. These people are known as Greater Thans. The Obermeyer Institute (OI) helps train the people with Greater Than potential and harnesses their powers for good. Naturally there are other clinics and people who want these special people for nefarious reasons, including making and manufacturing a drug called Destiny.

Shane is a former Navy SEAL that is currently blacklisted when OI tags him as a potential and invites him in for some testing and training. Mac is a Greater Than that has been struggling with her powers since a little girl, but now she uses her special skills to help save others from going through what she did, or worse. When Mac and Shane collide, the sparks electrify the air and neither one is really sure what to make of it all. But then a little girl with Greater Than potential gets stolen by the enemy and they have to work alongside each other and an eclectic and entertaining cast of OI personnel to get her back.

I am a fan of the Troubleshooters series and this book definitely has the same flavor and feel to it. Shane being the hunky SEAL hero with a heart of gold, there is even a lovable gay couple and the ever intriguing cast of side characters destined for their own starring role. I liked the book, the plot and the characters. I easily fell in love with everyone and am eagerly looking forward to the next adventures.

So why only the 3.5 stars? It was too easy to put down. I can blast through a book in a day, even when I am bogged down in real life. If a book speaks to me, I will make time to read it even if it is standing up while cooking dinner or staying up all night to do so. Books that ensnare me completely are simply impossible for me to put down. This book took me 8 days to read. While I liked this book and am intrigued by all that was written, I honestly think it was the way it was written that made it so easy to set it down and come back to it whenever.

The way Suzanne Brockmann wrote this book was with that continuous change in points of view and situation changes from paragraph to paragraph. In one chapter it teeters in between two to three different characters and events every couple of paragraphs. She has done this in the past with some Troubleshooters stories and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. This was one of those times where it didn’t. I would just be getting into a situation loving where the words were taking me, then I would start reading the next paragraph only to find we had jumped someplace else and I’d have to wrap my brain around it. It really made it hard to stay in the moment. I like all the different things going on, I just wish she’d manage the flow a little better. Let me change scenes from chapter to chapter, not just paragraph to paragraph. Quit messing with my groove!!

Had the flow of this story been better, more fluent, it would have been a 4-5 star book. That being said the content is excellent, the delivery a little shaky. But I think this is going to be another great series by her and I really look forward to the rest of the characters getting their books.

Cherise Everhard, February 2012

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked these warriors with paranormal abilities, a lot better than those written by Lora Leigh. The main theme here seems to be the question of how one knows the feelings of another are real. The experience of one couple with complete ability to read each others' minds does not necessarily make for smooth sailing. Another character has a paranormal ability to attract and has difficulty accepting that anyone could be attracted to her without such otherworldly intervention.

It was good that in this story foreknowledge did not mean the future was set in stone. If one acts to prevent something foreseen, the consequences of that action have ripple effects through more of life.

Another issue that makes for interesting reading is that this is set in an America suffering from the breakdown of the infrastructure, both physical and social. High unemployment, organized crime, lack of access to medical care, widespread drug abuse, corruption of the justice system, and crumbling communications systems all feature in the action. The events that caused these are not a feature of the story, but past war was mentioned. It is frighteningly easy to envision a future this bleak even without the trigger of an apocalyptic event. I hope I do not have nightmares tonight.

The suspense plot has truly evil villains with more firepower and government pull than the good guys have. This makes for some interesting world-building in this futuristic novel, which appears to be set in Boston in the not too distant future. I loved that the guys fighting on the side of right were not lily-pure, resorting to extreme measures in order to rescue innocents. If you have to get down in the mud to fight, you accept getting dirtier yourself in order to win. The question of means and ends is left implied for later reflection.

The issue of collateral damage is also touched upon here ... could one accept and even support the sacrifice an innocent in order to enable the defeat of a larger evil? The reader is left to draw one's own conclusions on the morality of the issues.

I would alert the squeamish that there is more than one love story in this book, and not all of them are heterosexual. The male-male love scene is no less explicit than any other. For me, this added to the realism of the story. The level of detail is steamy but short of erotica. Not every couple has a happy ending in these pages, which leaves me to wonder whether they may feature in another book yet to come.

This is a fast-paced thriller with plenty of social and moral issues raised for later reflection. Unlike most plot-driven fiction (romance, mystery, sci-fi, etc.) it would make a good book club selection. Fan-effing-tastic.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC Review
I received this ARC from Goodreads. Overall rating 3.5

This is the first book in a new paranormal romance series by Brockmann. The story takes place in the near future, mid 21st century. Life is pretty much the same but there have been major advancements in medical technology. Along with that has seen the ability of some people to integrate their brain function to the point of superhuman abilities, i.e. telepathy, telekinesis, self-healing and more. The few people who can do this naturally are called Greater-Thans. The ones who want to use that ability for the good of the world work for the Obermeyer Institute. For Less-Thans, the only way to these superhuman powers is a drug called Destiny. But taking the drug causes the user to go insane and harm others. The group from OI, train other Greater-Thans and also track down and eliminate the users and the Organization who manufacture Destiny.

The story centers on a kidnapped 13 year old girl, who was recently identified as a powerful Greater-Than. The Organization has taken her and others, and the OI is going to rescue them.

The first part of the book is a lot of world building and meeting the characters. Explaining the integration process, what they are capable of and what they learn they can do when things get shaken up by new events.

The reason for the 3.5 is I’d rate the first two thirds of the book as a 3 since it felt drawn out. The characters are wonderful and I liked that part, but there is little action. The last part picked up quite a bit and all the action takes place, so that I’d rate that a 4.

The character interactions drive this book more that action. The romance between the characters felt genuine. Overall it was a good beginning to a series that I will continue to follow.

[Xenos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn, I tell you...TORN!!! I SO wanted to fall in love with Suz Brockmann's new "Fighting Destiny" series. She's one of my favorite authors who writes consistently great stories. (Even her fluffy, strictly romance books are good.) But I had a really hard time with this one...especially because of the depressing and paranormal future world SB has created. If BTD had been written by anyone else, I would've set it aside after the first chapter. I stuck with it, however, cuz it IS Suzanne Brockmann after all.

Did I like it? Kinda. It had interesting characters I suppose. But I just couldn't get into all the paranormal stuff. Plus, she seemed to pair off all the main characters so quickly (except for two, who will obviously get together in the next book) that I have a hard time seeing this series as having a long run...which is good because I want Ms. Brockmann to write more books in the here-and-now with no weird voodoo crap.

I'll probably pick up the next book just to see if Dr. Bach convinces Anna that he's not a sleezoid who's in love with her 13-year-old sister. Or maybe not. I dunno. I'm torn, I tell you...TORN!!!

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think Lee Child action, with the tones of James Rollins with a bit of romance. Fast paced. Can't wait to continue with this series but trigger warnings for kidnapping, child abuse and medical experiments.

[Lynsey is Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only my second book by Suzanne Brockmann (I've also read book one in her long established Troubleshooters series about a Navy Seal team) but I'm going to go ahead and assume that she follows the same pattern in all of her books of running three simultaneous romances in each novel. There's a main one, the one mentioned in the blurb, but there are also two others that get almost the same amount of page time. I have to confess, I don't love this approach. The laws of probability state that you're likely going to love one of the romances much more than the others, and so the inordinate amount of time it takes to get back to that thread of the plot will probably get on your nerves, as it did for me. It also means there are a lot of sex scenes, although the main couple do steal the show on that front. The other problem with having so many romances is the fact that it made the book very long. Over 500 pages.

I predicted I would enjoy this more than the Troubleshooters book I'd read because of the fantasy sci-fi woo woo elements in it which is more my thing, but I actually ended up rating it one star less. And the reason for that wasn't the the genre or world-building (I did really like those as predicted) but because none of the three romances did much for me, unfortunately. There were some sweet moments here and there, especially from Shane, but Mac (Michelle Mackenzie), his love interest, was largely unlikeable and very against starting a relationship with him which sometimes made her seem quite rude considering she'd already slept with him on the first night they met. The second romance was a gay relationship, a story of heretofore unrequited love, which was surprisingly sweet since I don't usually read any m/m stuff, and the third was the least explored, and yet showed the most potential for me, and that was between the leader of the Obermeyer institute and the victim in the crime the story revolves around.

The Obermeyer Institute is a place where Greater Thans (this is Brockmann's name for those who, in this future society, have been found able to access higher percentages of their brain functionality and have developed extra abilities such as telepathy, telekinesis, accelerated healing, not ageing, etc) work and often live, and also the command centre for their operations which mostly consist of taking down Jokers. Jokers are the members of society who have overdosed on a new killer drug out on the streets called Destiny, which as well as providing eternal youth- its main lure for the rich and vain- also appears to be giving them symptoms that could rival a Greater Than's abilities, only without any of the common sense and restraint to go with it.

Like I said, I enjoyed this aspect and the whole idea of us not using our minds to their full potential, and I think this will keep me interested enough to try the next book in the series. And hopefully, with less world-building to take care of, Brockmann can concentrate more on providing us with at least one (or even better, three) really nice romances to sink our little teeth into.


3 Stars! ★★★
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I needed a SB fix and I got one. We addicts (and addictions a big deal in this book) can never really think straight but once we have a good shot of our drug, then we do better.

A lot of this book felt too close to eventually possible, a la Handmaid's Tale. When Anna went into the police station and had to pull out her credit card to get real attention..... Ugh. jesus. Yup. And when someone mentioned that obvious fourth branch of the gov't (executive, judicial, legislative and corporate) GGAAAAHHHHHH. So the nightmare world was far more chilling than the other scary things in the book because, man. Too possible.

And because I roll with whining, here's what I didn't like:
Too many couples, too many HEAs. And I'm not sure why that's a problem because I didn't really feel the couples got short-shrifted. I mean they were real people. (The gay guys were a little too perfect but I still liked them. Particularly the doctor who felt like a cheery version of Dave.) So the strange mix of HEA happy and a more frightening (because it felt too real) dystopia than I've read before...felt Strange.

Mac was real and her issues absolutely true--usually when a heroine says she doesn't believe the hero loves her, I roll my eyes. In her case, it's true. The hero lost a little of himself, but that's how it works with Mac. I thought it was good that when he got away from her briefly, he considered heading down to NYC.

my main complaint: Little girls being drained of blood. I mean, holy moly--the puppies weren't available? And the people doing it were physically ugly. It would be far, far scarier if the victims weren't cute and the perps had the sheen of beauty. So that girls vs scarred mangling bad guys was sort of comic book. Which, actually was okay because I was spooked enough.

The magic power paranormally whatsit and the corporation running it, eh, okay. (I bet she'll includ it in the next couple of books and within a book or three, I'll be as addicted to that place as I was to troubleshooters.)

What with the dystopia and the romance and the comic book aspects it did feel like a melange of different sorts of books. I thought I was done with the sort of secret society with superpowers thing, Laurel Hamilton etc, but apparently I'm not. If Brockmann writes more, I'll read them. What happened to Rayonna or whatever that damaged preggers girl's name is? She'd make a hell of a mother.

So if SB goes back into this world, I'll read it and I'll pay the freaking way too-high kindle price too.

4.5 stars...and I'm making it 4 because I'm in a bad mood. Chances are I'll come back and make it 5

[Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was posted at Under the Covers

It seems like I've been hearing about this author since forever, but I've been intimidated to start her Troubleshooters series because it's already so many books in. So when I saw this brand new series by her I was very excited to give this a try. Now I just have mixed feelings and I don't think they are about the author herself but they have more to do with the structure of this book. Let me explain.

The plot and world building are very interesting! I was immediately intrigued by the fact that there are humans with advanced abilities that they have trained and developed but the basis of being able to do that is the fact that they were "Greater Than". They are born with a capability to fully use their potential and by training they can have a higher integration and access more of their powers. I loved this whole concept.

Of course we have the military type organization of greater than humans that try to get rid of the undesirable elements. Now they have the task of rescuing a group of girls (one in particular) who have been kidnapped and are being drained of their powers. Everything from mind-reading, shared pleasure, dream-walking, mind control, emotion projection, and more!

Here's where my complain comes in. I can't tell you if there was a hero and heroine in this story. The point of view jumped around between so many people I might've gotten whiplash from the changes and I wasn't really truly able to connect with any of them. Did I like them? Yes! All the characters are likeable and as I was starting to care about their story I felt the fact that we actually dealt with THREE couples and we got into all 6 people's heads really messed up my enjoyment. If I had to pick a favorite I would go with Stephen Diaz and Elliot! Yes, there is an m/m couple and yes they were my favorite!

I am still excited to see what's next in this world and looking forward to the next installment.

[E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Great read! Ms. Brockmann has the best characters...strong in some ways and vulnerable in others which allows the reader to establish a rapport with individuals that one would normally be uncomfortable with due to their uncanny abilities. This book is an introduction to a new series ("Fighting Destiny") that focuses on the ability to utilize the brain to do all kinds of amazing things, such as telekinesis that can involve using one's brain for a task as fine tuned as locking a lock or as large as collapsing an entire building or telepathy that allows two people to share their innermost thoughts or the ability to repair injury just by manipulating one's mind. The members of something called the Obermeyer Institute are using their powers to protect and train those they call the "Greater Thans" (because they are integrated more than the average person) while there is an unscrupulous organization out to destroy society by using a drug called Destiny that not only enhances one's brain but also creates an instant addiction with the risk of completely destroying one's integrity and becoming a totally destructive entity. Each member of the Institute has his or her own past trauma and insecurity to overcome even as they struggle to serve and protect their fellow humans and there are skillfully described relationship bumps that unfold during this tale. There is an intensely riveting contrast between the evils that are graphically depicted and the beautifully unfolding relationships which flower between some of the major players in the story. Great fights as well as tender and passionate love scenes make this imaginative story a great start to an intriguing series.

Thank you for the giveaway Goodreads!

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seriously almost loved this. Brockman can write. I liked the characters and the plot is an interesting one. But the fact that kept me from loving it and, in fact, coming to really resent large chunks of it is unfortunately so common in modern fiction it's hardly worth commenting on...except that we should all be commenting on it all the time.

The whole book hinges on cliched female terror. Almost every single female in this book, adult and child, is either raped or threatened with rape at some point in this book. This is used as character development shorthand. Want a villain to seem especially vile? Make him a serial rapist, better yet a serial child rapist or a knife wielding sadistic rapist. Want a woman to be especially pitiable? Make her relive the memory of her rape over and over. What her to be notably strong? Make her over come her rape. Want a girl to be especially terrorized? Make her witness another girl get raped or threaten her with rape. Want your heroes to be especially good guys? Have them overlook the besmirchment of the women they love and, unlike everyone else, not judge them for getting raped. Better yet, have them also save them from the after-effects of their rapes. Either teaching them how to not remain stuck on the memory or convince them it wasn't their fault. All of these are in this book. Every single one of them and more. It's common, trope-based characterization shorthand and it's LAZY writing! I expected so much more from this book.

[Jennifer]

I've admitted to myself that I'm not going to finish this book -- at lest not right now. I LOVE the Troubleshooters and the Tall, Dark and Etc books she did for Harlequin but I found I didn't connect to this book. I was skipping large swatches of text and my mind kept wandering away. Since I have a pile of other books to read, I put this aside.

I have a couple theories on why I couldn't keep my attention:
1) There was a lot happening in this first book in a series. I approach it as a romance so I expect an immediate connection to the two main characters, which I didn't get with all the other stuff happening. Had this been the middle of a series (like the Troubleshooter books) and I already knew at least one of the characters, I don't think this would've bothered me. In this case, the world (and lots of action) got in between me and the characters.

2) I'm not a super paranormal fan. I read this because it was Suzanne Brockmann, more than because of the plot. I find I'm not that interested in people who aren't ordinary in someway. Even in her SEAL books, they all had tremendous flaws, but the superpowers of the OI people overwhelmed any flaws the characters might have had. I'm not crazy about perfect and they seemed pretty close to perfect.

Bummer. I had hoped to love this book.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 to 4. Hard to choose. My first Suzanne Brockmann. I liked the pacing of the story. It was action packed and fast without being so quick that it was unbelievable. I liked that there were several relationships and dynamics happening and multiple points of views going at the same time. It lent a sense of depth to the story that is often lacking to writings that focus on only one couple and story line. It was handled well and never got confusing at all.

The world is a lot of semis. Semi-dystopian, semi-futuristic, semi-paranormal, semi-scifi, semi-gritty. Still, it was detailed enough and rich enough that it had an appeal that I could find compelling enough to revisit.

I am torn with the characters. They were, by and large, interesting and varied but I was disappointed that with one exception all the females were rescue cases and the one case of a "strong" heroine was more a bitchy basket case who was emotionally unavailable and had abuse issues to work through. In fairness, however, all of the folks in this book had their own issues. I'm sure I was just disappointed to stumble over the tropes in what began as a surprisingly well done book.

[Li · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a long-time Suzanne Brockmann fan, so I hate the fact I almost DNF'd this.

Neither of the main romances worked for me - one pairing was too saccharine-sweet and sappy to the point of making me cringe at times, while the second was just OTT on the physical front. Not that that's a bad thing in itself, but as I had trouble believing in Mac/Shane's connection in the first place, the sex-sex-sex all the time just didn't work, and I missed the humour and banter that have been a prominent characteristic of relationships in previous Brockmann books.

On the world-building front, there was way too much info-dumping and exposition which slowed the book down. I didn't care for the dark and grim view of the future painted by this book either - and there is violence galore.

I ended up skimming the last quarter of the book because I had no interest in the characters and their relationships - not a series I'll continue reading.

[Bmquiram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann as an advanced read through Good Reads. Thank You. : )
If you like paranormal, romance, and action you will love this book. The paranormal isn’t vampires, witches, and werewolves like the popular paranormals books, but characters have x-men or superman like qualities.
When I first started reading this book it was a little difficult to sort which characters were interacting with a particular other character. It was also difficult to remember which character had what abilities. This could be in part because I have four children who continually make noise and interrupt me as well as me having to stop for other reasons, work, cooking, and cleaning. After I was a few chapters into the book I was hooked, and I had the majority of the characters sorted out. I literally sat up for hours reading to finish the book. This is a great read, and Suzanne Brockmann is definitely going to be added to my list of authors to watch and read more from.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The test of a great book is how drawn I am to the book when I am not reading it and how immersed I become into the book when I am.

This book passed both tests with flying colors. The whole idea of the story was new and intriguing- people with special powers, superhero like powers, some gained from drugs and some naturally that require training to improve.

It also gained a five star review because I couldn't predict what would happen next. There were twists and turns that I didn't anticipate, and enjoyed when they arrived.

All of those elements alone would have made it an excellent read, but it also had romance thrown in as well. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys books with characters that have special powers, or just enjoys a good read.

I did want to note though that I would not recommend this book to a teenager/ young adult because of the amount of "mature audience" material in it.

*I received this book as a ARC copy.

[Andaleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Suzanne Brockmann is one of my favorite authors and so when I heard she had a new book coming out I was excited. When I heard she was jumping on the paranormal bandwagon with both feet, I was a little less excited. Still, I decided that if anyone could attack this overworked genre from a new direction, it would be her and so I bought the book. What a disappointment. To me, this book was formulaic and predictable. I found the writing to be sub-par and couldn't relate at all to her characters. I understand that writers must follow their muses and that they need to stretch themselves creatively, but in my opinion, this is a poor example of this author's work. I thought it could have been done in a much more believeable and gripping way. I wasn't at all interested in finishing it, but forced myself to do so. I won't be buying another book in this series.

[Shawna · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star – Sci-Fi/Paranormal Suspense

I love this author, but this was such a disappointment.

[Sabrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a fuck mess of a bullshit book! Why did I read this? How did it get such a good rating? This is described as an action with a little romance but it's a lie! The plot takes a back seat in a limo of this farce of a romance where everyone falls instantly into lust them immediate love with a stranger who they think about all the time and want to hold hands with and live forever with and just plain fuck at all times....and at some point during all this they are supposed to be saving a bunch or girls, one in particular from the bad guys, named The Organization (really! that's the name you use for the new scourge of the criminal element?) who use said girls to make a drug that is the new scourge of the human population that only the insanely rich know about?

Also I got tired of hearing about all the characters internal and halting outward talks with the people they love but shouldn't but they do and they can't but they can and their not supposed to but have/do and don't want to but just can't seem to help it. (There are chapter after chapter of 2 characters arguing that "I love you", "no you don't" "I know what I feel", "I forced you to feel that", "no", "yes"....and on and on! If you cut out all the repeated conversations, almost word for word from the last one, from after the first time they argued you could probably have taken out 50 pages!!!!!!) Half the very adult middle aged men with former relationships can't even say the word sex or the pill without stuttering and working around it and saying everything but.....if you can't say it you shouldn't be doing it! But they do, a lot. A point that pissed me off about this is how the people with power agonize and argue over how they would be raping their partner since their power makes it so that they seem extra appealing or that their fantasies are shared or know to said partner when this is not an issue at all. Along with that the author has no problem with describing and pointing out multiple rapes of other characters all during this story and not making a big deal out of that since they aren't main characters.

Michelle “Mac” Mackenzie is the most annoying character of the book and she's the main heroine of the story. I wanted to kill her just to get some other character to step up as the main female lead. At two points she is injured enough to die and I was rooting for her to kick the bucket. She's a grown ass woman in an almost military organization that assists the police and has been since a teen but she acts like a toddler or little brat throwing tantrums and talking back at everyone and does everything she can to piss everyone off and disobey her superiors. At a few times she goes against direct orders jeopardizing her health, the case they are working and make things worse for everyone and she doesn't give a shit....neither to her superiors! She comes back to base after one such stint and asks what her punishment is (she should rightly deserve to be locked up) but is told that a night of her self agonizing over what she's done wrong is enough!!!! First of all she doesn't regret it or even think about it once she has done wrong and second she spent all night having sex. Also if I have to read one more time about her looking into Shane Laughlin's so pretty eyes one more time....or him about looking into her so pretty eyes, I'd scratch mine out.

The book switches POV way too many times and is very repetitive having each POV go over slightly the same dialogue or description of an event as the previous one, seriously this book could have been half it's length and you would have gotten the same story. Also the dialogue sucked, very...person...talked...in...halting...conversations. Also two of the main MC's most used words were "Holy crap!" and "Holy shit!" or just "shit". The plot was full of holes big enough to drive a semi through and it wasn't helped by the dialogue. There were a ton of inconsistencies and it seemed that the structure of how these characters were designed and acted and could do was never really solid, it kept shifting. Like character A is this way and so does this and can do that...but wait now they act like that and can do this....but wait now they...it was annoying.

This book needed better editing and a sit down with a story board before it was published.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

Great book, great idea, awful audio-book narration! Dropped a star because the narrator annoyed me so much, i took 3 months to finish this!
It was the moooost annoying male narrator... awful , annoying, cocky , smartass attitude and intonation. Honestly, all male characters sound either cocky or annoying or stereotypically gay . He really needs to work on his tone and voices, because if i heard someone talk like that in real life, i'd lose my sh*t and smack him...

Ok, breathe... ommmmmm...

So, that having said - i liked the dynamic between Mack and Shane , but especially between Anna and Joseph... Not quite sure what happened between Anna and Joseph at the end - why did she become a bitch and insinuate that he is a pedophile and wants her 14-year-old sister (just because his powers spike when he is near her! They are both "greater-thans" so i assumed this was normal!! ) I will probably read book 2, hopefully it's their story and i get to see how they work it out.

[H.M. Gooden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good romantic suspense fantasy- in a world with greater thans, some things are more important than power. Now I need to read the next book and find out what happens to the secondary characters!

[Yankeecountess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Suzanne Brockmann is a name I've seen on shelves at bookstores; she's one of the few romance novelists whose work can be found in both the genre-specific section, as well as in the good ol' "general fic" section of stores. I knew her work was synonymous with romantic suspense/thriller, and that often her heroes had a connection to either the FBI or Navy SEALS (or both). Born to Darkness has those elements, but it also throws in a dash of science fiction.

**Minor Spoilers**

In this universe, there are people who have tapped into their mind's potential, able to use a "great amount" of their brain's abilities than the average person. This gift allows these individuals to unlock certain abilities that the average person is unable to perform, such as telepathy, telekinesis, emotional manipulation, and other mysterious "talents". These individuals are referred to as "Greater-Thans". Michelle "Mac" Mackenzie is such a person. She works for a special government organization with other Greater-Thans, whose main task is trying to help, save, and protect potential victims who are being kidnapped by drug lords. Why? Because these criminals want to test "Destiny", an illegal substance that can make the average person "become" a Greater-Than, on these unwilling subjects.

It should be noted that each Greater Than's abilities are unique, at least in the sense of what he or she can do based on the amount of potential they have unlocked in their brains. The larger the percentage, the more power one has. Mac has several abilities, but her strongest is emotional manipulation, which more or less is a fancy way of saying "she can make people lust after her with the drop of a hat". After a rather grueling day at the office, Mac goes to familiar watering hole where she meets Shane Laughlin. The attraction is immediate and two quickly fall into bed together. However, according to Mac this was all planned, i.e. she "used her powers" to get him to sleep with her and that the only reason he is interested in her AT ALL is because of her abilities--no free-thinking for Mr. Laughlin according to Mac! And...as you might guess, this becomes an ongoing issue throughout the book.

Because guess what! Turns out Shane is the "newbie" on the team, a former Navy SEAL in need of work, and who happens to have "potential" to be a Greater-Than. So yes, there is indeed *tension* between both himself and Mac for a great deal of the story. Which, I'm not going lie...became very tiresome early on. Because Mac cannot fathom the possibility that Shane, or anyone it seems, would want to have anything to do with her without the use of her power. Now to be fair, Mac reveals that she had a traumatic childhood and experienced both physical and sexual abuse. Readers are thankfully spared the gritty details, but the allusion is enough to put up a TRIGGER WARNING. These experiences understandably explain why Mac struggles with the belief that someone could desire her, in any manner, of their own free will, and I will say this: Brockmann found a creative way to explain that feeling that many survivors have that the trauma and abuse they experienced is somehow "their fault". So while it did grate on my nerves the amount of time Mac argued with Shane about his feelings for her, I was able to understand to a point where she was coming from. However, the part that really grated me in terms of Mac's character was how reckless she often was, rushing into situations without considering the consequences for herself or others. While I get that she's meant to be a "rebel", this behavior didn't quite match the idea of someone who has been a part of this elite team for as long as she has. I would expect it more in a "rookie" like Shane than in a seasoned pro like Mac.

Shane has his foibles too; there are moments when I swear the guy thinks with his dick rather than his brain. That said, he does avoid being an "alpha-hole" to which I was grateful. And while Shane and Mac are the main couple, two other couples also take prominent places in the book: Dr. Joseph Boch and Anna, and Elliot and Stephen. Joseph is their leader (and the Greater-Than who has unlocked the most potential with his brain) and Anna is a young woman whose sister Nika has been kidnapped to be "experimented upon" with Destiny; Anna seeks Joseph and his team out to help her find Nika. Stephen is Mac's partner, and Elliot is one of the head lab doctors. And unlike most romance novels that feature secondary couples who *might* share a kiss on the page, these couples not only get their fair share of "page time" but also some full-on love scenes to boot!

In the end, while I found the world-building and idea behind Born to Darkness intriguing, the book just fell a little flat to me. I also found it to be a bit too long, and feel it could have benefited with some editing. Still, 2-2.5 stars for its efforts.

[Christi Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review:
When I first started this blog, it was because I was completely immersed with Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter world and NEEDED to share that passion with someone...and so a book review blog was born. This is her first book she's released since she finished the Troubleshooter series and I wasn't sure how it would go. Why did I ever doubt this author's brilliance? I'm a little scared to say it, but I could maybe just love this world even more than I loved the Troubleshooters. OMG, this book was so good!!!

What surprised me most is that there is a paranormal aspect to this series and I absolutely LOVED it. This world is set in the near future...and the future isn't so great for most people. Jobs are scarce, basic services like healthcare and police protection are non-existent unless you are part of the very exclusive rich. In this new world, it's been discovered that people can use more of their brain power. Some have the capability to do it naturally, called Greater-Than's, and other's use incredibly expensive, addictive, and dangerous drugs, called Destiny, to do so. Not only is the drug dangerous, but it has to be made from the blood of those who can naturally use those extra parts of their brain so there is a very lucrative slave market for those people.

There is a whole team in this book who are from the Obermeyer Institute. The OI is a privately funded organization which is made up of Greater-Thans who work to find the Destiny distributors and do their own research into these new skills.

The bulk of this book is about Mac and Shane. Mac is one of the top 3 Other-Than's at the OI. Her power is empathy and she can switch everything about her aura and appearance to appeal to others. She uses this skill to draw in men...both on missions and when she needs an extra boost. She's discovered when she's hurt, she can boost her healing powers by having sex.

Shane is a former SEAL who's been dishonorably discharged for doing the right thing within a corrupt government. As a result, he's been blacklisted and has no opportunities for other employment. He came on OI's radar as a potential Greater-Than and is slated to go in for testing which requires a lock-down and loss of freedom. As a result, he decides he needs one last fling and meets Mac just when she is in need of some healing mojo. When they get together, literally sparks fly and it turns out Shane does more than just boost Mac's healing power. At the time, she has no idea he's slated to become a new OI potential. And that's the way it starts...

Whoa! OMG, this book was so good. Not only do you have these two incredible characters with Shane and Mac. Mac is scarred and wounded from the chaos her powers have wrought. Shane is just...YUM, incredible. Mac keeps pushing him away and he just keeps pushing her right back. He refuses to give up on her and their relationship no matter how many times she pushes him away. Gah, he was awesome!!!

Then there are the other amazing characters in this book:

*Bach- who is the most powerful Greater-Than at OI. He is such an amazing being, but so freaking vulnerable. I think his scenes in this book are absolutely the most emotional. My heart just ached for him...over and over again.

*Diaz- he shares second in command with Mac. He's been with OI for 15 years and unlike Mac has taken all their edicts to heart...including their push towards abstinence...15 years, people!!! This was an absolutely fantastic story line because he does have his own romantic story in this book and it was so romantic and beautiful. So perfectly well-done!

*Elliot- OI's head doctor. He's knows all the in's and out's of this team in every regard, until Diaz's secret knocks him upside the head. Such an amazing story!

*Anna- her little sister Nika has been kidnapped to help make the drug Destiny and she's looking to OI for help. There's a great story here between her and Bach and an interesting twist at the end with Nika. I can't wait to see how this all plays out.

*Nika- 13 yo kidnap victim. The drug is made off their fear so her capture is horrible, but she is so incredibly strong. She has had no training on her skills but she's incredibly powerful already.

EVERYTHING about this book was simply perfection. I LOVED IT and cannot wait for the next installment in the series!