Review: A Great Twisted Plot and Fantastic Characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2013
Please note that there may be some Book 1 spoilers in this review.  Proceed with caution!When Liam Doyle's unbonded mate rejects him (we first learned this in Book 1 - it set the stage for Aidan to meet his mate), the rejection tosses him into and unhappiness like no other.  He is in Hell and no amount of therapy from psychiatrists privy to the shifter ways is going to help.  The best they can do is help him prevent the mind benders known as Bahrraj that he will continue to suffer through as long as his unbonded mate continues to turn her back on him.Ava Michaels harbors a secret - a Huge secret.  One that, if revealed, will kill her, Emma, and Liam.  In order to save everyone she does the hardest thing she has ever had to do - she chooses between Emma and Liam....guess who she picked?!  The man behind the eerie phone calls and stalker-type behavior is relentless in his control over Ava.  But when he goes to far??Liam feels almost everything that Ava does, including her heartbeat.  After eight months of walking around like a zombie, Liam tries to face Ava and get her to change her mind about them, when he sees her with another man.  Trying again to pick up the pieces, Liam is shocked to feel her slow death in his veins.  The last thing he remembers is her bloodied, dead body before waking in a room separated by glass through which he can see, and now feel, his formerly dead mate, Ava.  He also gets to watch while their kidnapper tortures Ava, in turn, torturing Liam.What ensues is the wildest ride full of twists, turns, and psychotic needs for revenge.  The emotional war that rages on within Ava is intense, fully immersing the reader in her thoughts and feelings.  Ava is very strong heroine, dealing with some serious issues.  Her love for those in her life knows no bounds and that love is what is being tested, ultimately causing the distress and agony thrust upon Liam.  Her inability to ask for help at her most crucial times, all while having to lie and be deceitful, just about breaks her.  Fortunately, she has a pretty great alpha male in her corner.Liam is a very strong hero but he's not without flaws.  He brought Ava into a world she only read about in fairytales and horror stories then freaked when he was rejected.  The uniting of a shifter and his mate is supposed to instant, mutual, and above all else....easy.  Liam doesn't get any of those traits when he marks Ava.  Her refusal sends him over the edge; an edge that he may not be able to be rescued from.  The harrowing experience of Ava's death, life, and traumatic experience at the hands of the kidnapper exposes the feral side of Liam; the side that is totally devoted to Ava and willing to risk it all in order to protect her.I fell in love with both Liam and Ava - the author did an excellent job writing their story!!I found The Awakening: Liam to be a more action filled, engaging story that isn't just about a shifter and his mate.  There is substance in the novel that brings forth mystery and suspense along with shocking turns of events.  I was completely drawn into this novel, almost unwilling to stop reading at any point.  I needed to know who the kidnapper was, what was behind his/her reasoning(s) to mess with a shifter and his unbonded mate, and if, indeed, Liam and Ava truly received their happily ever after.Review Copy Courtesy Of:  Entangled Publishing (Covet Imprint) directly and through NetGalley, at no cost in exchange for and honest review.