It's the mid-twenty-first century and Michelle "Mac" Mackenzie has a set of specialized skills that she uses as an employee of Obermeyer Institute (OI) to help those in trouble. The OI trains humans with the right potential to integrate their brain function to unleash the brain's hidden power (including empathy, telekinesis, precognition, and healing, among others). Currently, they are trying to understand the effects of Destiny, an instantly addictive drug that ignites an individual's brain potential but can quickly drive them insane before killing them. Mac's work is dangerous and she's found that she can heal herself much more quickly with sexual intimacy (in spite of the OI's recommendation to remain celibate). When she gets home to discover her boyfriend has moved out Mac heads to a bar.

Shane Laughlin, blacklisted Navy SEAL (see , is down to the last of his cash and is in Boston for testing at the OI because he's been identified as a "potential." He's not sure what this means but it's the chance at a job and some money in his pocket. He's at the bar to scam some money playing pool when Mac walks in and he's instantly drawn to her. Soon, she's taking him home. The next morning she's shocked to discover he's headed to the OI. She's determined to keep her distance until it becomes clear that sex with Shane has boosted her brain integration. With Shane determined to help with a Destiny related missing-person case, and the scientific pressure to explore the connection between sex and brain potential, Mac can't escape him. The question becomes, does she want to?

BORN TO DARKNESS remains true to Suzanne Brockmann's roots in military romantic suspense. Mac, Shane, and the OI team fight their way out of a number of dangerous situations with the skill and courage we have come to expect from Ms. Brockmann's characters. The relationship between Shane and Mac is passionate and contentious. Additionally, there are two well-developed romantic subplots. While I enjoyed the story as a whole, I think it would have been more powerful and chilling had it been set in present day. As far as I could tell, the differences between the present and future were relatively minor, and the idea that an underworld of super-humans exists now is much more compelling. Because the book is set in a minimally defined future, the pop-culture references sprinkled throughout the book are jarring as it seems unlikely that those references would be relevant in 30-40 years. I work with college students, every year I become more aware of how quickly things drop out of the common lexicon.

Fans of Ms. Brockmann's Troubleshooter series will like reading BORN TO DARKNESS. This is the first book in the Fighting Destiny series. It's possible that subsequent books in the series will provide a more fully developed future world that will negate so of my concerns.

Book Summary

In the not-too-distant future, the Obermeyer Institute (OI) has made a revolutionary discovery: With special training, humans can tap into the brain's hidden powers (think telepathy, telekinetic powers, super strength, and more). The training is strenuous, though, and it works only for those with natural potential. Tough girl Mac has that potential, and she's a devoted member of the OI. But there's one rule she can't help but bend. Her boss thinks celibacy is key to their work. Mac's learned differently—an active sexual life enhances her powers. And when she meets Shane, a sexy former Navy SEAL, the sparks are instant. But after the two spend an amazing night together, Mac finds out that Shane's a new recruit at the institute. How can she mix business and pleasure?