AWAKENED (Intimate Relations 3) by Kate Douglas-a review

Awakened

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 28, 2016

PASSION NEVER SLEEPS.

Small-town barista Mandy Monroe will never forget the first time she saw the man of her dreams. Every morning, this impossibly gorgeous hunk would ride his bike past her coffee shop, fueling her wildest romantic fantasies. But when she learns that her crush is none other than vineyard owner Marc Reed, one of America’s hottest young entrepreneurs, Mandy knows her fantasy will never become a reality. That is, until Marc’s home burns down and he moves in with her…

As a roommate, Marc is as warm, friendly, and down-to-earth as he is rich, famous, and heartstoppingly handsome. But beneath his laidback exterior beats the heart of a red-blooded man with an uncontrollable urge to take Mandy in his arms and make mad, passionate love to her. Mandy is everything he’s ever wanted; she’s sweet, smart, funny, and irresistibly sexy. But how he can tell her the truth about his past? How can he explain the nightmares that haunt him every night? And how can he tell Mandy he loves her…without putting her heart, and her life, in danger?

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REVIEW: AWAKENED is the third and final installment in Kate Douglas’s contemporary, adult INTIMATE RELATIONS erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on a tight knit group of friends. This is billionaire/IT developer/vineyard owner Marc Reed, and barista Mandy Monroe’s story line. AWAKENED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order of back story and information about the friendships and hardships the characters have had to endure.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Marc and Mandy) AWAKENED follows the building relationship between billionaire Marc Reed, and coffee shop barista Mandy Monroe. Throughout the series Marc and Mandy have been dancing around one another; the sexual attraction is palpable but neither one made any movement to attract the other’s attention. When Mandy’s roommates and their significant others leave town for the week, Marc makes his move and the couple is quick make up for lost time. The mystery and suspense weaves itself from the beginning when Marc’s nightmares reveal the truth about happened in the past as Marc and Mandy begin to unravel the clues that have remained dormant in Marc’s mind. A search for the truth brings danger and threats to our leading couple.

The story line follows several paths including a small look at each of the couples from the previous installments including photographer Jake Lowell and his fiancé/model Kaz Kasanov; US Army major and Jake’s brother Ben Lowell, and his fiancé/PA Lola Monroe (Mandy’s sister); and Nate and Cassie Dunagan from the prequel novella-TANGLED- that can be found in the HOT ALPHAS anthology (May 2015).

AWAKENED is a story of romance and intrigue; betrayal and revenge; family and friends. The premise is fateful; the characters are passionate and colorful; the romance is intimate and affectionate. AWAKENED wraps up several loose ends between all of the couples, as well as the introduction of a new couple considered a part of the extended family. Kate Douglas’s INTIMATE RELATIONS series is engaging, enjoyable and will captivate your imagination.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Tangled (Hot Alphas)
Intimate
Redemption
Awakened

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy