I liked the book! I found a very attractive story, a good plot, but in my opinion it sinned in some things. But in general a good experience!

This was a fascinating story but not really for me. I think it was a bit too techie for my tastes. Having said that I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Cameron and Nathen are an unlikely couple. Nathen is an autistic vampire working for a shadowy corporation and Cameron is a mage in hiding. His best friend and flat mate is Syn who has powers of her own. Syn met Nathen on line and pulls him in to help when a children's hospital finds that their computer system has been hacked and held to ransome by cyber terrorists.

Nathan is directed by his shadowy corporation to find out who has hijacked the hospital's computer systems. Nathan is a newly turned vampire and doesn't really know much about the corporation he works for. When he teams up with Syn and Cameron his attraction to Cameron is instant and mutual. The two of them work together solving the mystery but also finding out more about the corporation that employs Nathan.

It is an interesting story because the characters are complex. The authors manage to portray the twists and turns of the mystery, the complexity of the characters and their feelings for each other and all these different elements are held together really well. There is enough romance for those who like romance and enough of a mystery for readers who like mysteries. There are also mages, mind reading special powers and abilities which will attract fans of urban fantasy. Everything combines into an engaging story.

I did enjoy reading this but it felt like the first book in a series. Nothing wrong with that but it didnt completely gel for me. I think this was just a matter of taste.

I enjoyed the vibrancy of the characters and it was this that kept me going. I do think another book is needed in order to explore the characters in more depth and to find out more about the corporation and some of the side characters and how they all fit together. There is a tantalising glimpse of the main characters from other books by these authors, although this is a stand alone book.

Obviously this has left me feeling curious about the other characters and the battle at the heart of these stories. Definitely worth exploring and getting into. These are the kind of books that grow on the reader as the different stories develop. They have promise and an ability to reel the reader in even when some questions or aspects are left open

Copy provided by NineStar Press via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I wish there had been a bit more of the mystery in the book, honestly. It was an interesting one but it was sort of pushed to the side. I'll also admit it was really weird for me to see Cameron constantly using the term Asberger's as if that was a better term for Autism even though it's an older term and was pushed out of use for a reason. It seemed strange to me that someone with a psychiatry background would push the term so much.

Awakening is an ambitious multi-genre tale of love and intrigue.
Nathan is an autistic newbie vampire. Cameron is a psychologist who is also a mind reading mage. Syn is Cameron’s GBF who is a hacker with a handgun.
Part of this story purports to be a techno thriller but the tech is so dated Windows ME and Windows 7. Oy. Part of this story purports to be gay romance but as a psychologist Cameron should know better than insta love.
There are so many unanswered questions and hanging plot lines that this book just left me confused and disappointed.

When computer wiz and hacker Nathen Hale opens his eyes… he’s being presented with a work contract from Impetus. It surprises him because he’s just recently been diagnosed with Autism and doesn’t exactly remember being interested in the job. Oh yes, and he’s also a brand new vampire.

What’s interesting about Nathen is that what some people might consider to be an “illness” or a “disability” is just part of Nathen’s makeup. I really liked that! He’s neurodiverse, certainly, but he has a great understanding of the way his mind works differently from that of those around him. His challenges with social immunization and emotion do seem to allow him to accept some of the craziness that has been introduced into his life. When he awakens as a vampire, he doesn’t panic or lose his grasp on reality… he is curious and intrigued by what has happened to him.

When Nathen aggress to meet up with an online hacking friend, Syn, he meets her roommate and chosen-family member Cameron.

Cameron is a mage… he can read minds, communicate psychically, and can even influence peoples’ actions. He works as a psychologist, trying to make the most of his gift and help people. When he meets Nathen, he’s shocked because he is unable to sense Nathen at all. Interestingly, the fact that he can’t sense Nathen… blinds him in a way… and puts him on a level playing field with Nathen.

The two men have an instant connection and are drawn to each other physically very quickly. There is a lot of sex int his book! More sex than plot for the most part! The sexual intimacy is made even more intense by some of the changes in Nathen’s physiology. As a vampire, he has saliva that is an aphrodisiac. Biting and drinking from a person gives them an intensely erotic experience and once he has tasted someone’s blood, he can read their emotions and thoughts for a time.

The main reason that these three people come together is to try and get to the bottom of a mystery. The Sons of Discord have infected a children’s hospital with ransom software. The three main characters in the book are determined to understand what is going on and why this hacking group would attack a hospital.

The main focus of this book is on the characters. There is a lot of discussion and descriptions of memories. If you are just interested in getting to know the two main characters then you will enjoy this book. The plot, while intriguing, really is confined to the first part of the book and the end. I was very interested in the mystery that is in the book, but I would have liked to have seen it expanded across the entire novel.