Fallen Angel Gadriel has come to Earth to find a woman.  The woman, Mary, is drawing the interest of angels from both sides, and Gadriel wants to know why.  Hating humans, he plans to kill her—if he can find her.

Nadira, Mary’s friend, has always had strange visions of angels.  Wanting to be with her dying friend, she makes a date to meet Mary in the park.  When Mary doesn’t show up, she leaves.  On the way home, she sees a strange, injured man and stops to help him.  Will meeting Gadriel affirm Nadira’s faith, or be the end of it?

Dark Awakening is an interesting tale of angels, a heavenly war, and the humans that get caught up in it.  I liked the conflict between the two sides of angels.  Nadira’s toughness and willingness to help a stranger were admirable, and I liked watching angry Gadriel come to learn the value of love.  The problem with Dark Awakening, in my opinion, was that it all happened way too fast.  Too many things were crammed into the story, making it feel like a few chapters in an epic novel rather than a self-contained book.  I know it is the beginning of a new series, but even so I expected the story to feel more fleshed out.  Gadriel goes from hating humans to wanting Nadira in about two seconds.  The sex between Nadira and Gadriel is scorchingly hot, but I wanted it to feel more romantic as well.  I also wanted at least a few more hints about the angelic war.  While Charlotte Featherstone’s series seems to have a lot of potential, I can’t recommend it just yet.