Lexi Dare has been engaged to Matt Pindon for two years,
and things have gone from bad to worse. Lexi has
abandonment issues, due to her years in foster homes, and
because of that she has let Matt get more and more
abusive. When she met Matt, she had also met his friend
Parker Black, whom she never forgot. If things had been
different, if Parker had had time for her...
Lexi is also
known in the cyberworld as SilverChaos, a top corporate
hacker, which is legal. She has a big project coming up
for auction: she has written a code to patch a security
hole in a sensitive website and it will mean big money.
Parker Black works for a security firm, and he when sees
Lexi again, he senses that something is wrong with her,
even though he doesn't know her that well, she is not the
same girl who had caught his eye a couple of years ago.
Finally, Lexi decides it's time she left Matt, she can't
stand it anymore, but her abusive boyfriend's refusal to
let her leave quietly far is not Lexi's only worry.
BLACK DAWN is a romantic suspense heavy on the techno
side, and that is what I liked most. Ms. Harber possesses
a solid grasp of the cyberworld, and everything connected
with hackers is absolutely riveting. BLACK DAWN also
deals with abusive relationships, and here as well, the
author demonstrates her profound understanding of that
sort of situation, from both sides: how the abuser and
the victim think and act. It is an important component of
the story as we witness Lexi's growth as well as
Parker's kind heart and protective side, but I felt the
author dwelled far too long on the subject as it
comprises almost one fifth of the book, to the point
where I thought it was rather unpleasant and I grew quite
uncomfortable.
Then again it could be only me, and
it's pretty obvious Ms. Harber makes the domestic
violence angle very convincing. Parker is a perfect hero:
dependable, strong but not afraid to show his tender
side, and Lexi's a very interesting woman. She works in a
man's world, she's tough and logical, and it makes for a
great contrast because of her personal woes. BLACK DAWN
is a fast-paced, complex story, with excellent character
development: fans of the Titan series will not
be disappointed!
What happens when nothing is as it seems? After inventing a sought-after intelligence program that foreign governments are salivating over, Lexi Dare is on a one-woman mission to stay alive. Both at home and at work. Because how did she end up with a ring on her finger and an abuser in bed as she readies to hit the high point in her career? Everything should be perfect. Amazing job. Handsome fiancé. It's all a disaster. Parker Black is the brains behind Titan Group, an elite security firm. In his world, everything is ordered and controlled, except what he feels for his buddy's girl. Something in her eye screams for help, but he has no idea what. When Lexi disappears, Parker realizes what he should have known. The lines blur between friendships and work, and they must find each other to survive as a terrorist plot that only Lexi can unravel draws closer. Black Dawn can be read as a standalone and does not have a cliffhanger.