Halloween Horror Month: "The Awakening" by TL Travis

In The Awakening, book 1 of The Elders Trilogy, Jessica Cartright has come of age. On top of being new to adulthood and all it encompasses; her nightly dreams are haunted by a faceless man guiding her deeper into the darkness. Fight or flight mode ensues, but she’s trapped.
When she’s finally reunited with her first love, her dreams start becoming a reality. Is this a coincidence or are they somehow linked? When these two worlds collide, she fears for her life but finds there’s nowhere left to run.

I received an ARC of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is TL Travis' first attempt at erotic horror (not to be confused with her paranormal erotica offering The Sebastian Chronicles, which the KSR blog highly recommends), and while it borders between erotic and extra-steamy, it hits on the horror points 100%. Don't expect this to be a smutfest with some gore, the book has an amazing, twist-filled plot that will make you love, hate, and wonder about all the characters. The lead, Jessica, is so realistic, I feel as if I knew her by the time we got ten pages into the book. Dealing with an apathetic but kind father and a narcissistic mother, she just wants freedom...which she gets when her childhood best friend returns. But he's not the same boy she once knew, and her desire for him and for freedom lands her in the middle of a vampiric war that's brewing, and may prove to be much more than she can chew.

The sex, as I mentioned, isn't as hot and in-your-face as her previous books, and that's a good thing here, because the sex fuels the plot, but it doesn't take it over. It leaves room for the intricate story Travis is weaving here.

There is a cliffhanger, so be warned. This is a book hangover inducing story, make no mistake, and you're going to love every minute of it!

5/5--excellent on all levels!

Purchase The Awakening on Amazon.