I found both the romance and the suspense in this gritty futuristic to be engaging and enthralling. Lovers of urban fantasy and lovers of romance will both find something very entertaining here. In a future US in the midst of a Depression and being controlled by corporations, Shane Laughlin finds himself looking for work about losing his career as a Navy SEAL because he didn't blindly follow orders that would have cost the death of an innocent woman. But a new job isn't easy to find. He is contacted by the Obermeyer Institute to enter their testing program. Given that he is down to his last ten dollars, Shane agrees. But on the night before his interview he is hustling pool in a bar to earn enough money to find a bedmate when Mac walks in. Mac has just been dumped by her boyfriend and she is looking for someone to hook up with. They are each attracted to the other and end up going to her apartment. Mac hasn't mentioned that she is Dr. Michelle Mackenzie and works for that same Obermeyer Institute. The goal of the institute is to find people who have the potential to integrate more of their brain than the usual 10 percent. They have found that those with potential can develop some pretty amazing gifts like telepathy and telekinesis. Mac herself is a 50. She is very empathic, is able to heal her own injuries, adjust her appearance, and send out a charisma that draws men to her and makes them think they love her. Therefore, she doesn't trust any man's declaration of love. Shane has his work cut out for him to convince her that they do belong together.Besides the relationship issue is the broader issue of an Organization that is kidnapping young potentials and using their blood to create a new drug called Destiny. Destiny is great; it gives youth and health to anyone who takes it. Unfortunately, it is also instantly addictive, expensive and the users are prone to go violently insane. Insanity combined with very strong and often unusual psychic powers is not a good thing!After a young potential named Nika Taylor is abducted just before being contacted by the Obermeyer Institute, her older sister Anna is contacted by the OI in the person of Dr. Joseph Bach who ends up taking her home with him to protect her from the people who kidnapped her sister. The story centers around the hunt for and rescue of Nika. But along the way we get to see relationships develop between Mac and Shane, Dr. Bach and Anna, and between another 50 Stephan Diaz and the doctor who is head of the Research and Support department Elliott Zerkwoski. All the characters are well-developed and are interesting people. All the romances comes with their share of conflict and the conflicts are different for each of them. This is a nicely complex story filled with people I came to care about. I strongly recommend that you add it to your wishlist. I know that I have already ordered my own finished copy of this one.
