Kristal Lee

Raine Spenser is on a mission to find and kill the Kraven who murdered her sister. Raine, herself, had recently been their captive, until the Watchman--Seth McConnell, set her free. 

Sneaking away from the Watchmen compound where Seth had taken her to recover, Raine sets her plan of vengeance in motion. After saving her once, Seth is determined not to let Raine enter harm’s way again. Not without him. He tracks her to Paris where he finds her fighting two Kraven—and losing. 

Seth kills Raine’s attackers, thereby rescuing her, again. Adamant about Raine not putting herself in danger, Seth offers to hunt and kill the remaining Kraven for her. He knows from experience how revenge contorts the soul and he doesn’t want it twisting hers.

 However, Raine refuses his bargain. She needs to follow her plan to completion so that she will regain control of her life. When it becomes clear that Seth will follow her all over the world if he has to, Raine allows him accompany her on the hunt.

While they track down the Kraven, one by one, and destroy them, Seton—the mastermind behind Raine’s initial capture, enacts a plan to trick Sean and Raine into freeing the Casus from the Merridian. If he succeeds, an unimaginable reign of evil will begin.

Raine and Seth have a volatile relationship from the get -go: fighting over Raine’s reckless behavior, fighting over Seth’s over-protectiveness, and fighting to deny their irrepressible attraction.  

Seth fights his attraction because he doesn’t want to hurt Raine. She’s been used and abused by men for her powers and he doesn’t want her to think of him that way. Raine fights her attraction because the hatred growing inside her makes her strong. If she opens her heart to Seth and love, she will lose the dark edge she’s gained and her sister’s death will go unpunished.   

Although the couple can’t deny their mutual attraction, neither is willing to trust the other. As a child, Seth survived a brutal vampire attack that left his entire family dead and prompted him to become a slayer. Raine is a vampire and can’t forgive Seth for hunting and killing her kind. Their inability to be honest with one another leads to mistakes that Seton exploits to his greatest advantage.

But love builds bridges; and, Seth and Raine do find the courage to reach across the great divide and unite to save the world, all the while, falling in love.

Rush of Darkness is the 7^th book in the Primal Instinct series. The plot is character driven, tightly written, and a fast read. I found it more focused that the last Primal Instinct installment.

Raine and Seth’s characters are mirror images. Both are traumatized, scarred, and utterly empty without each other. Following along while they learn to trust is a gut-clenching thrill. There are a number of secondary characters that aren’t fully fleshed out, if you’re new to the series. However, fans will recognize the recurrent cast members and understand the connection without being overwhelmed with backstory. 

Rush of Darkness definitely held my attention. Each time I thought Raine and Seth had finally reached an understanding, something came along to push them back; but, their back-pedaling wasn’t simply a diversionary tool. The misunderstandings, the actions/reactions, were very much in character with Raine and Seth’s personality. Especially in light of their emotional hang-ups. 

Rush of Darkness has increased my appetite and I’m looking forward to more servings from the Primal Instinct series . Fans of Angela Knight’s Mageverse series and Jessa Slade’s Marked Souls series might enjoy Rush of Darkness. For those new to the Primal Instinct series, the glossary of terms provided at the end of the book is a good introduction to the world of the Watchmen.

Gold Coin Rating:     4

Heat Level:  Between Campfire and Bonfire

Reviewed for The Season