Out of the Darkness by J. Rush

While Out of the Darkness by Jaime Rush didn’t blow me out of the water, it certainly was able to hold my attention with its sexy characters and action packed story.

They live ordinary lives, but they are extraordinary. They are the Offspring, children of a mysterious experiment gone awry—and they are in terrible danger.

Rand Brandenburg can see the future, yet thus far all he has done with his unique ability is become a skillful gambler. But according to the Offspring, his power has made him a target and could get him killed. So the loner used to living on the edge is now hiding out with others just like him, including Zoe Stoker, a mysterious redhead who has his heart soaring.

But that’s not the only thing Zoe’s got flying. All her life, whenever she felt anything too intensely, objects would start moving. She’s never been able to control her power, so instead she’s shut down her emotions. Now, as a powerful enemy approaches, she’s losing control of her heart. But letting love lead her out of the darkness might save her life . . .

Zoe was one of those girls that just ooze coolness. The kind of girl that I’ve always secretly wanted to be, but could probably never pull off.  She’s a tattoo artist that owns her own shop and has been trying to hide what she has named her ‘crazy energy’ (telekinesis) from everybody. Her telekinesis is something that she’s always been made to feel ashamed of. Her mother thought she was possessed by demons and so went to various preachers looking for a exorcism. This in turn creates a lot of issues, and needless to say she always has a wall up. She has to keep a lock on her emotions because every time she lets go objects start flying around her.  In comes Rand, and he is basically your typical loner-bad boy type. He’s gorgeous, artistic, has piercings, rides a motorcycle, and does everything on his own.  He shows Zoe how to let go, and she in turn lets him know that it’s okay to show you care. The thing about Rand was that he was just too stereotypical.  While Zoe had some originality to her character, Rand just came out a bit flat. There was nothing to suggest that he had anything that made him unique, and for me that took some of his appeal away.

As for the other characters, I had a hard time sorting out who was related to who. The Offspring, as this group is known, had parents that were part of a secret military program that focused on psychic phenomenon. They were given a cocktail of drugs that were supposed to enhance their psychic abilities. It did that but it also revved up their sex drive and eventually made them loony. They were at it like bunnies with others in the program, had their kids, and then died a few years later in some crazy way.  Because of that, more than one of the Offspring are related to one another, and I’m thinking that I would need a chart to sort everything out.  Plus, getting some DNA tests done before any more of them start hooking up might be a good idea.

The plot was a bit stronger than the characters.  There was a lot of action that kept me moving forward.  The best part was at the beginning when Zoe was trying to evade the assassin that main villain sent after her. I really got the sense of the kind of panic and confusion that she was feeling.  When she met up with other Offspring, I got the feeling that they had absolutely no clue what they were doing, that they were just taking ideas and running with it. However, I think that lends itself to the idea that these guys are just normal people with extraordinary talents, so it works.

Confusing and stereotypical at times,  Out of the Darkness still delivers a quality story. And maybe it wouldn’t have been so confusing if I had read the first book. Honestly, I’m not sure,  and while I wouldn’t say this is a must read, it certainly is something that I’m sure that paranormal romance readers will enjoy.

Read Order:
A Perfect Darkness (excerpt)
Out of the Darkness (excerpt)
Touching Darkness

1 Comment

  1. Good review. You definitely do have to read these books in order. This was my least favorite of the three, and I see your point about the hero. I’m curious about what she’s going to do with Eric.

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