The book bites, in all the right ways. I love vampire romance, not the sparkly kind but the gritty, sexy kind. This was all that and a pair of fangs. I fell in love and lust right along side the characters and then for good merit did it all over again. I can’t wait for the next book by this author.

I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review and honest opinion.

The Hush work together as a subset in a vampire agency, and unfortunately someone in the midst has betrayed them, turning over vampire information to the demons (their enemies), leaving them vulnerable to be hunted down and killed. This is thoroughly enjoyable storytelling with a delightfully and intricately woven plot. Kyr's romantic interests are brought in as well, exploring the blossoming of his and Mira relationship

So this a vampire novel, but vampires are actually aliens. We discover that they travelled to earth – through a portal – around 2 thousand years ago from their planet, which had been made uninhabitable by he war against demons.
Now, headed up by their Queen, they were well settled but hidden in the human population. Still at war with demons however, who had followed them to earth and still popped up through portals. They also still popped up on their original planet and certain trained agents were sent there to eradicate them. Which was not a nice gig.
When a human mated with a vampire, the vampire side sometimes didn’t come out and they remained human. However, when it did, they became vampires and needed to be carefully looked after until they were adjusted to heir new life.
So that’s the background to this story.
The actual story was a vampire romance with the usual issues for a romance – with a cliff hanger.
There were still a few typographical and grammatical errors in the ARC but not bad enough to spoil the writing.
It was a competent book but not exciting unless this genre is really your ‘thing’.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Just loved this book and recommend it to everyone.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Not my usual fare - I thoroughly enjoyed this
Wonderful - vampire books are not my thing but this has great characters, well written - loved the story and will certainly be looking out for more from this author

Passion Awakened is the first book in Katherine Diane’s The Hush series, and successfully blends a mesmerising paranormal romance, with suspense, mystery and danger. The storyline grabs the reader from the very beginning and maintains its grip through the roller-coaster ride of emotional and awe-inspiring events. Mira and Kyr are remarkable characters complemented by interesting world building and an explosive plot. Overall, this is a fabulous start to the series and I’ll definitely be waiting anxiously for the next exciting instalment.

Warning: There are elements of this story that may be triggers for some readers, such as kidnapping, reference to rape, suicide, and general violence.

Oh man! What a wonderful ride. To spend hours reading this books was a privilege.
I love vampires books. I love when hero is all about his woman.
This book did not disappoint and I’m looking forward to read more from this author.

Arc provided by netgalley in exchange for a honest opinion.

I love paranormal romance, especially vampire stories and Katherine Diane has managed to pleasantly surprise me with this debut novel. I loved how Mira and Kyr's relationship developed. Even though I found her a tad over analytic (but as a shrink, I guess it's a necessary trait) and that can become tiresome, the two of them were perfect together. Kyr's was this tall, dark, and extremely handsome alpha male that you wouldn't dare defy, but when he was near Mira he showed his softer side and that was heartwarming. I loved the mystery behind the kidnappings and the suspenseful plotline. The world-building was interesting and all the characters were well presented. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I’m torn over this, I really liked the story, I loved Kyr and his team, so you’d think I loved it right ? Unfortunately the man love interest Mira drove me mad, I could not stand her, she irritated me so much. If you changed her then this book would be so much better. So I will say I enjoyed it and I will give future books a go, as with a different lead I’ll probably adore them. But with Mira as the main character, just bugged me too much. 3 stars (but would be 4 without her)

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book initially interested me because I'm a fan of the vampire genre, especially Diane Duvall's Immortal Guardians and Rebecca Zanetti's Dark Protectors. The Hush is an elite team of the Vampire Defense Agency, protecting their vampire community from demons and exposure to humans. Kyr heads the team, which has reason to beIieve they have a traitor within the agency who is working with demons. Mira is the agent brought in to do psych evaluations on the team because they are acting suspiciously. The attraction between the two is almost immediate, but the intensity is a source of confusion for both. I liked the way that both took each new piece of information that was revealed about the other and really considered the way that it helped make the character who he/she was.
I think the author did a good job of introducing this new world. The story engaged me from the very beginning and held my attention throughout. At the end, I did have some unanswered questions, but . . . . I have confidence that those questions will be answered within the complete story arc, and I liked the premise I could see for future stories. I'll definitely buy the next book in the series.

This is another book that has left me conflicted. There were parts that I really, really liked. But there were also parts that annoyed me...sometimes a lot. Most of the time those parts were because of Mira. And because she's a main character, that means a good majority of the book I was aggravated.

What I liked? The fact that these vampires mated with other vampires. While not the first time I've read something with this, it does make it interesting in the way that they treat the humans. It was also neat that when a half human baby is born that whatever it is that makes them vampire is actually dormant within them. They could go their whole life thinking they're human. It's not unless they end up spending a lot of time around other vampires that they "awaken" and change.

What I loved? Kyr and his group, The Hush. I am such a sucker for over strong, violent alpha males in my books. So that makes me love the leader even more because there's a reason he can control a bunch of other guys like him. And Kyr was no exception. I really liked the guy. What stops me short of saying I loved him is his obsession with Mira. I didn't get it.

What I didn't like? Mira. As I said. I just couldn't stand her. She makes stupid decisions thinking that that makes her strong, when it most certainly does not. But what irritated me the most was that she had to be a shrink (and if you read the book you'll know I'm using this word on purpose) all the goddamn time. Hearing a story about someone? We have to dissect that experience. Watching something that happened in the past? We have to freak out about how emotional needs were not met after. Just talking with someone? We have to analyze every word and eye twitch. It really really annoyed me. She couldn't even attempt to be in a relationship with Kyr without trying to get him to open up and spill all his feelings. Gag me. How could she not realize that that is not how men like him work?

The meat of the story was actually really good. Kyr and his misfit group of vicious men are more or less part of an agency that polices vampires and hunts demons. The whole thing between the vampires and demons is a little sketchy though. It's not really explained well enough what happened between them and why the vampires fled to Earth besides the demons destroying their home. Anyway, I say more or less because they started out working alone and only joined the agency for their resources. But currently, they cannot trust anyone else there and have not been reporting as required. So the guy in charge orders them all to have psych evaluation in hopes of having the shrink basically spy on them and find out what's going on.

Kyr isn't fooled and he knows the traitor could be anyone. Before things really go anywhere with that though, Kyr has other, more pressing issues to deal with. His step mother is the vampire queen and a royal bitch who is making his sister's life a living hell. Female vampires are disappearing, and one now happens to be her best friend. Finding the traitor and finding the girl end up being linked and it turns into a bloody affair. In the middle of all this is Kyr and Mira forming their relationship. But maybe I should rephrase that. Kyr is bonding to Mira (or whatever they called it here) making him practically obsessed with her. Apparently though, the female doesn't feel it the same way and Mira acts like a petulant child a lot when she doesn't get what she wants. Their "relationship" was ridiculous.

In the end, they find the traitor and the find the girl. Unfortunately they miss another captive that was taken not too long before they got there. Which leads into the next book with the next member of The Hush. I'd be willing to check out the next book because I really want to learn more about the rest of the guys, and I don't think the female lead can be as bad as Mira. Right?

The pace of the novel and the development of the characters kept me from reading this novel and being able to give an honest review.

Passion Awakened is the first in a new series and I have to say that it's a strong start. The book tells the story of Kyr, who leads a group of vampires who defend their kind against demons. Known for his strength, both of character and physically, he hasn't thought to look for a mate. From the moment that he meets Mira, it's clear that there is something between them. Mira is a psychologist, tasked with breaking past the walls that Kyr and the other members of The Hush have put up. But she finds that she can't resist Kyr either.
I enjoyed the world-building in this story and the growth of the relationship between Kyr and Mira. They work well as a couple and although their relationship moves fairly fast, it didn't feel forced as often happens in this type of story.
The only thing that slightly annoyed me was the constant use of the word 'male' I realise that it was used rather than 'man' as these are vampires that we are talking about so not human, but at points, it was really overdone. So much so that had it been 'man' that had been written, even that would have been too much. I did worry that it was going to spoil my enjoyment, but once I got into the story, I was able to let that go, even though it was used an awful lot.
I enjoyed Passion Awakened and would be really keen to find out what next for the members of The Hush. I'll be looking out for the second book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Katherine Diane is a new author to me. I'm grateful for finding her since I've been in a book slump for months.
A interesting new twist on vampires. I definitely like that both the H and h are vampires. No human/vampire drama for this couple...they do that on their own.

Mira and Kyr are actually a perfect couple, they're both incredibly stubborn and strong and determined to do the right thing. Too bad the right thing isn't telling the entire story first.

I'll happily give Passion Awakened five stars and wait happily for book 2.

I really quite enjoyed this. I love discovering new authors and being able to read new books with generally low amounts of reviews/feedback. You never know when you might stumble across the next greatest thing. Passion Awakened did not disappoint.

The world-building was unique and generally well thought out. I liked the characters and quite frankly had to force myself to put it down so I could grab some sleep but mostly because I was nearing the time my husband wakes up and would get a ration of crap for still being up reading and would I put the damn light out, Blah,blah,blah...

This is a debut novel by the author and I must say, well done. I am constantly in awe as to how these stories and universes come out of someone's imaginings and are then actualized and translated onto the page. You could tell the author had more back story behind the scenes and characters but was able to only tease at them instead of totally spilling the beans and ruin the mystery. She definitely set things up well for further installments because I am totally hooked for more.

I would have liked to know more about the meanings and origins of the Hush and how these badasses came to work together. I would have liked more background on the matriarchal society and how the consort ended up having a side piece(?), previous lover(?) and then said consort and (?)'s child then recognized as someone significant in the matriarchial society (?!?). I also would have loved if Mira were allowed more access to the rest of the team. They all seem to be... pretty on edge? having their own coping mechanism flags flying bright and clear?

I am looking forward to more in the series and more from this author! I definitely recommend for those into paranormal/vampire romances. Absolutely a series with much potential.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

There is a successful formula for writing a good paranormal romance which the author has definitely followed. The main characters Mira and Kyr are forced to behold and a couple worth rooting for. This story is not for the faint of heart, as there are some disturbing factors that may be triggers for some folks but overall this is a great first novel in a series. The author definitely leaves you wanting more. I look forward to reading the next book In the Hush series.

Diane’s Vampire Romance is an engaging romantic thriller. Creative characters, a steamy romance and a covert agency keep the reader hooked throughout the story. If you’re craving a gripping story that has strong promise of a satisfying series of titillating romances with irresistible vampires, Passioned Awakened is a great place to start! Looking forward to the next book by Diane.

At first I wasn't sure what to think about this book, but I was greatly surprised. Once I started I couldn't put it down. Others should read this book because it's not your typically vampire romance and it doesn't feel like a re-write of a story that you have already read. I'm excited to read more from this author and to continue my introduction into this new world.

I really enjoyed this book. I was feeling in a bit of a reading slump lately and this book pulled me right out of it. It was the first book I have picked up in a while that I didn't want to put right back down, it was the opposite, I finished it in a day. I liked all of the characters. You get into the heads of several of them and it made you that much more invested in them. I enjoyed watching Kyr and Mira's relationship grow. Towards the end I was ready for Mira to change her inner dialog, that was the reason for the lost star in the rating, her dislike of being a vampire was feeling drawn out. This book was really suspenseful. It was almost too hard to read the scenes that involved the bad guys at some points, they were kind of terrifying. I love that the author was sure enough of her work not to end the book on a cliff hanger. It had a great ending. It did set up the next book, but she finished up Kyr and Mira's story line. I can say she is a good enough writer to make you want to read the next book in the series without having to resort to a cliff hanger. I will be counting down until the next book comes out. I would definitely recommend this new author to anyone who likes paranormal romance.

TRIGGER WARNING FOR THE BOOK: Kidnapping, killing, guns, mention of rape, suicide, non-con, stabbing

This is a debut novel by Katherine Diane. I thank the publisher for letting me get an ARC to review!

Passion Awakened: A Vampire Romance is about the vampire brotherhood the Hush. The main character Kyr, is the leader of the Vampire Defense Agency’s(VDA) elite ground team, he and his team has to undergo a psych evaluation, but it's not really about their mental health. Jodari Os the director of the VDA is concerned with the Hush, he knows that they are hiding something, just not what it is. Meanwhile the Hush are carrying a secret investigation, because someone has betrayed the vampires to their enemies, the demons, and the traitor is among the VDA. Female vampires are being kidnapped, and the Hush don't know who they can or cannot trust.


I will start by saying that this review seems to be very negative and pessimistic. But I tend to only focus on bad things in general. This is a fairly short book, with about 280 or less pages. The first 100 pages where pretty bland and boring to me, but it sets the groundwork a little about who the characters are, and a little about the work place, hunting demons and such. There is not much background story to be found, but I'm sure that will come up later as this series progresses.
I will just say it everything in this book is predictable, the moment we met one character I instantly knew that person was the traitor.
That instant attraction both leads have towards each other and their possible secrets that keeps them away from each other. Though that does get resolved fairly quickly, even though they still have some things to fight through to get their HEA. But I'm also a sucker for insta love and anything remotely "romantic", what can I say, I grew up reading twilight, and I loved it.
So predictable, but I still ate it all up. Really I was squealing, at the smallest interactions between Kyr and Mira. All in all I'm a hopeless romantic, and it wasn't even romantic.

Diane also has a way of writing about genitals. Diane just refers to genitals as sex, and that got really tiring to read really fast. Just I don't know maybe use some other terms instead of only sex. We did get the word c*ck a few times, so that's nice., next step is writing p*ssy or v*gina or whatever, just please stop with the sex.
And the barking, really? Why does he bark when she touches his d*ck? Are they dogs?
I mean I get the growling, not really, but many authors uses the word growling, which I applauded Diane not for doing, until I stumbled upon that word too...
We also get a few graphic sex scenes, so if you are squirmish, don't read this book, or skip the chapters, up to you.


My checklist for what pretty much all male leads in these kind of books have in common.

Insta attraction /love check

Cold and mysterious check

Tall, muscular and handsome check

Dark hair and blue eyes check

Bronze skin check

Only soft and warm with female lead check

Dominant alpha male check

Overprotective male check

Growling check

Big c*ck check

I just wish we could change that recipe up a little bit, but with them being vampires I do understand them being handsome and all that comes with it. But it's just boring. It just make them all look the same.


The names of some of the characters reminded me of Sarah J Mass characters, and some of the dynamics remind me of J.R Ward, The Black Daggerhood series, and seeing which kinds of books Diane has read on her goodreads and the ratings, I completely understand why, but I'm not a person that should judge, since I have also read and enjoyed those books, at least to some degree.

My rant on the names, and I do apologies in advance.
Can we start with the name Kyr? just why? why do they always have names that I can't pronounce.. I thought that Kyr was a bad name, but when I found out that it was short for Kyrdavian, I really lost it. Who comes up with names like that? After 60 pages I just ended up calling him Kyle whenever I had to read that name. I'm sorry, but I really couldn't wrap my head around how to pronounce it, but I did feel bad and at least tried a few more times throughout reading this book to pronounce the name Kyr.

I don't mind the name Mira but is it pronounced with me or my?

Syren is fine but, Syrenaria...

And Jodari really? Jonus?? Megaru?

I can get by the name Rhys, byt Rhysorvian Ilys?? Ilys? Very close to illyrian, or maybe I'm just overthinking. Rhysorvian kind of sounds like Rhysand when I think about it. And this Rhys is actually similar to ACOTAR Rhys, with the whole being able to hide what he is thinking, and good at acting. Like being really angry and furious, but fake it and act all happy without anybody realising.

Amarada, more like Amarantha. The evil queen. Not quite creative here are we.

Ronan sounds like Rowan, but I'm grasping at straws here.

I just really can't with these names, and I apologies if it's your name or you know someone with that name. This is supposed to be urban fantasy if I'm right, so why are all those names so weird and ugly? I mean you can make up names that sound nice but these? Really Katherine Diane?? At times it seems like Diane just took "normal" names and just changed them up for the worse.

My question is whyyyy??

I actually liked this book even though I pointed out a lot of the things that I didn't like in this review. So I'm giving this 2,5 stars, because it's not bad for a debut, and I'll be looking forward to reading more books in this series.