Rising darkness by Thea Harrison

Penguin, 2013. ISBN 9780143566885
(Age 18+) Recommended. In this richly intricate novel about reincarnation, destined lovers, and an ageless enemy, Thea Harrison tells a masterful story. Mary is a doctor who feels like something's off, as voices appear in her head and vivid, disturbing dreams overtake her life. As she slowly recovers her memories and realises this plain of life is not what it seems, she meets Michael, a hardened warrior who appears to be her salvation.
Reading Thea Harrison's novel is like a reader's feast for the Gods. It's beautifully written, vivid and flows easily, and could easily translate to a movie script. While the concepts covered within the first half of the book are highly detailed, it is never too difficult to grasp due to the easy prose.
Primarily an urban fantasy, the novel never really lets up as Mary is subjected to drama after drama, physical, spiritual, and psychological. Concepts such as reincarnation, psychic dreams, and psychological trauma are covered with due brilliance, despite their spiritual and subjective nature.
There's definitely a focus on romance too as she meets Michael, her spiritual twin who has been searching for her for many lifetimes. As their first meeting translates from a threat of danger, to protection, to tenderness, I found myself rooting for the pair despite complications from the past. The two are broken and need each other like fire and water, and you can see the two slowly regaining their strength when they're with each other. The sexual tension and romance here is through the roof, so I would definitely not recommend it for younger readers.
While I haven't read Thea Harrison's Elder races series, I've picked up on the more dark, serious tone of this series compared to the latter. Rising Darkness was a quick read for me and I can't wait to devour the sequel when it comes out.
Jeann Wong