Recently reconciled, Megan and Finn Douglas are muscians from New Orleans, slated to play a week at a new hotel in historic Salem, Massachusettes during its busiest time: Halloween.

Things are not right from the moment they get into town. Megan has terrible nightmares inspired by folk tales told by an old storyteller and everyone in town believes Finn abuses her. Megan has family in Salem, but they only add to the tension between the pair. Megan's cousin Morwenna, a Wiccan priestess, is a particular thorn.

But Megan isn't the only one plagued by strange nightmares. Finn has them too, and unfortunately winds up acting them out on his wife. Desperate to put some distance between them, she leaves while they attempt to sort out the reason for their disturbing dreams.

As Halloween closes in, everything gets worse. The old storyteller winds up in a coma, and Finn falls under suspicion for a death in Boston. Neither he nor Megan know exactly who to trust, but they do know they don't want to give up on each other.

Unlikely allies warn Finn to protect Megan from the dark, and from the mysterious blue fog that rolls in and out at will.

People who enjoy romantic suspense with a hint of the paranormal will enjoy this book.

I liked how the author kept me guessing about the citizens of Salem. I wasn't sure to the end who was friend to Megan and Finn, and who was enemy.

My pet peeve with this novel was the dialogue. More often than not, it did not seem to fit the character's personalities. This was a contemporary novel, but the characters spoke as though it was a historical.

When I selected this book, I was unaware that Shannon Drake was one and the same with author Heather Graham. I have a book by Ms. Graham that I enjoyed, so it was a pleasant surprise.

It is, for the most part, well-written and engaging.

I found the plot interesting, and admire Ms. Drake's descriptive prowess. Some might call it 'purple prose', but I enjoy reading those embellishments from the characters' POV from time to time as it really helps draw me into their emotions.

It is clear that Ms. Drake knew her setting well, and I enjoyed the historical references to the Salem Witch Trials. I also commend her for making the clear distinction between Wicca and Satanism, which far too many people overlook.

I did enjoy the fact that her main characters were musicians, but their dialogue simply did not fit that mold. It was never clear exactly what type of music they preferred, though it seemed they were a mish-mash of genres in their performances during the course of the story. It was difficult to get a feel for what they were like, as a result. They just seemed like anyone else, and I never got that 'crazy artist vibe' from them.

My second biggest peeve with the story was the lack of detail in the intimate scenes. Even though the novel was peppered with "adult language", there was very little true adult content. This may not bother some, but as someone who likes to know all the naughty little details, it was bothersome. Her emotional descriptions (the purple prosish aspects I mentioned)were wonderful, but I wish there'd been a little more detail given with it. Where did he touch her, exactly? How did he touch her? I'm a big girl, and I can infer from suggestion with the best of them, but when it comes to sex scenes, I don't want to.

All in all, it was a good read and I would recommend it to any who enjoy romantic suspense, a touch of the paranormal and light erotica.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of The Awakening   from Amazon.Com!

Created Aug 08, 2006 at 1:18pm • Submit your own review...