Immortal Hope [Mass Market Paperback]

I have read many many paranormal romance series books and I have gotten hooked on them. I have to say Claire Ashgrove has me hooked already and I really can't wait for her next book to come out. Her writing is so smooth and she explains everything. I really loved this book. Her characters just flow so naturally. I couldn't put the book down till I finished. I love the Templar concept. I rarely write reviews since most of the paranormal books are good but not great. This was great!! I highly recommend reading this start of a series to anyone who loves paranormal.

Honestly, I wasn't so sure I was going to like Immortal Hope. After all, the subject of the Templar Knights is uncharted territory for me. I wasn't sure what to expect or if it would even hold my interest.

Maybe it was due to my doubts about this book. But the story was a bit slow to pull me in. But I am delighted to say that this impression did NOT last long! WOW!! This book is packed full of fast paced action, heartache, smoldering hot tension and a VERY lustful and passionate romance! I couldn't help but fall in love with Immortal Hope!

The Knights have been cursed with immortality. They have sworn an oath to protect humans from evil. They fight demons and with each battle, the evil taints their souls a bit more and eventually the darkness will take over and they will fight against their own brothers. Their only hope for redemption is for each Knight to find their one fated mate. A woman (seraph) who shares their own unique mark. Only their seraph will let the light back into their souls and chase away their darkness.

The characters were very well developed. Not only do you get a very vivid picture of who the main characters are, but you also get to know and love many of the secondary characters. I'm sure we will be able to indulge in more of their personal stories in future installments in this series. *Hint* ;)

Once that spark of interest ignited there was NO turning back! I am now HOOKED on this series and will be going into the next book with my eyes wide open!!

~Reviewer for WereVampsRomance~ werevampsromance.blogspot.com

I'm always intrigued by the combination of history and fantasy. This book was awesome because it was also a romance.

The premise is that the Templar Knights became cursed to immortality when they discovered something under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem that they were not supposed to find. They now had to battle demons and absorb the demon's evil into their own bodies every time they killed one until finally they succumbed to evil. They are also sworn to protect several holy relics that must be kept out of evil's hands at all costs or evil will win over heaven. Over the centuries, the knights grow fewer and weaker in number as they are killed or are taken over entirely by evil. Just when all hope seems to be lost, an ancient prophesy is remembered to give them hope. When everything is at its darkest, the seraphs will come. The seraphs are the appointed mates for each knight who will balance the dark and remove the evil from each knight.

This is the story of Merrick and Anne. Anne is a history professor working on her doctorate that coincidentally features the Knights Templar. She also possesses the second sight. Through a mistaken circumstance, Merrick takes her from her home and brings her to the Templar compound. There she discovers that she is the first seraph to be found. She also discovers that she is Merrick's seraph, but due to her second sight which sees him dying if he learns this and her own desire of free will, she keeps this secret. She also is determined to learn the secrets of the order and use it to finish for her doctorate and get the dept chair position.
Merrick is one of the original nine knights and is almost ready to succumb to the dark. He is appalled at first by Anne's modern ways, but at the same time he is attracted to her. He is disappointed when Anne tells him that she is not his match.
While Merrick and Anne slowly progress toward acknowledging their feelings, other knights are cracking under the strain of evil and the demons are succeeding in taking a few holy artifacts.
Will Merrick receive the light of the seraph he needs to keep from finally losing to the evil or will Anne tell him and he fulfill that vision she saw and die in battle?

I have to say that I found the fantasy world building and plot a marvelous thing. I also really liked the detail given to each character in the story and the depth of empathy the knights' plight is given. The romance was slow building and believable. I did get irritated a few times with Anne's repeated blindness to the bigger picture going on around her as she stayed insulated in that goal of her career. Hello Anne! Demons taking control of the planet and possibly heaven!
Okay so maybe it just made it all the more poignant when she gets it. And then there was the irritation that knowing she was a seraph, they withheld the whole time factor bit of each time a warrior took on evil, he just got more corrupted. Would it kill you to help the woman make an informed decision guys! Oh yah, medieval male thinkers!

Look forward to the next story in the Templar series which a few loose threads and the seraph prophecy hint at.

Recommend!