Most people only believe in what they can see. Born without the most basic gift of sight, I rely on my other senses to guide me. Yet, what I believe in most is a phantom that resides in my dreams.

Under the blanket of twilight, I smell him. I feel him. I hear him. I taste him. But above all else, I see him.

And I want him.

I have no evidence that he’s real. But if he isn’t, why do I wake with the taste of him on my lips? I long for someone who doesn’t exist and even if he does, he’s forbidden, dangerous.

He’s from a different world, a frightening place beyond the walls that protect me. The Dark Lands, a broken world beyond the reach of the corporate control is what’s outside the gate. A lawless hellhole full of death and chaos, where savagery thrives under the cloak of darkness.

The irony is that my phantom, the one I want so badly, seems driven to destroy everything I’ve ever known.

Who’s ready to take a #SicDay??!! Happy Release Day to J.L Mac and L.G Pace III and their first collaboration together – Oculus!

This may have been their first collaboration together but reading it, you would never know. The words and pacing just flowed together seamlessly, the characters so unique and interesting, and a story so different than what’s out there now that I was immediately hooked from page one.

There was a lot of world building in this one as this is the start of a new series for these authors. This book was so unique as it could be placed into so many genres – definitely NA romance but there was a mix of dystopian, steam, and sci-fi. I truly think that this book will appeal to anyone looking for something new and special.

So what’s it about without revealing too much of the story so you can experience it on your own….

Iris was born blind, living in a society where her people must work to get time within The Corps society. Though her handicap will get her nowhere within the working class, she wants to help and be useful. The reader will find that The Corps is very manipulative, they hide the past and want to keep the people in the dark.

Sicarius lives within the Dark Lands, a part of The Resistance; a society where there is no rule; people living on their own to make their own decisions while hiding out from The Corps. Sic was created as a weapon to fight and is basically a loner, both smart and very dangerous.

Iris and Sic meet in their dreams, they are drawn to each other for some inexplicable reason though both don’t realize that they are in fact real and not just figments of their imaginations and dreams.

What happens when these two meet and realize that they are each other’s perfect match, that they were created for each other and both real? And with the dangers looming and Sic wanting to destroy everything that Iris has even known, will they be able to survive and be together as was intended?

Well you will have to read this book to find out! While some answers will be given, by the end you will have more questions and be dying for book 2! That’s how I feel – I WANT MORE!!!

I am so happy that Mac and Pace decided to collaborate on this story – I love reading something different when there are many books that are similar nowadays. Readers looking to experience something fresh and new and be immersed in a world that you want to know more about should look no further than Oculus.