Unchained (Dark Forgotten) [Mass Market Paperback]

I would just like to say this before I begin: I bought Sharon's first book, Ravenous, a while back. However, due to a large TBR pile--as I'm sure most bloggers can relate to--I did not have the chance to start the first book. In fact, it was months before I finally fished it up out of the book pile.

That was one of the stupidest mistakes of my "reading life".

I'm always pleasantly surprised when I find a paranormal romance that resonates with me. I adored Ravenous, as you will see with my review sometime soon. I haven't read Scorched yet (shame on me), but I plan on doing so immediately...or maybe I'll save it for when I need an amazing book fix, since I am positive Mac's story will not disappoint.

I would also like to mention my reviewing slump I had experienced. I read plenty of books within the past few weeks, and yet... I couldn't find the words to give any of these books justice. And boy, have some of the books I've read deserved it. Now, imagine my pleasant surprise upon finishing Unchained: I had things to say! I know I've found an excellent book when it has the ability to delight me out of a slump.

Okay, so all of that aside, I absolutely love the Carver witches. Ashe is the older sister in the family, and she is a badass slayer. She has a gun, a motorcycle, and a daughter. Strange combination for a mother, right?

Wrong. She pulls off the multitasking required of the modern day mother so perfectly, I was actually. Well. Surprised. While juggling the duties of two different lives, Ashe becomes a convincing heroine that the reader can connect with. On countless occasions, I desired nothing more than to offer a helping hand in order to ease the burdens this young woman was forced to experience. And then, to have Ashe desire a man whenever she sees how happy her sister and her lover are? It felt real. She felt real. I wish she was real (no I don't, because then Reynard would be real, and I would love to gobble that man up).

We see characters from the earlier books make guest appearances once again, which is an aspect in series that I adore. It's always fun to see the characters you initially fell in love with reappear, reassuring you with a huge grin that finding the love of their life hasn't made them dull. If anything, Holly and Alessandro are still buzzing with life, even with certain changes. I will readily admit that sometimes, I hate the after story of couples, simply because they settle down and come off as boring. Not the case with these two.

Then, there is the wonderful Englishman, Reynard. I feel like I didn't know as much about his character as I might have liked, probably because I have not yet read Scorched. I think I'm a sucker for a younger heroine, and then a seemingly immortal hero who could pretty much claim to be said heroine's great-great-great (tack on about five more of those) grandpa. It's always entertaining witnessing the hero's shock upon adjusting to the modern world. In fact, one of my favorite books of all time explores this. But Reynard had an air of dignity about him as he marveled at the sights. Not to mention, there was an inner bad-boy in that guard that made me pretty much want to ravish him like every other female in that book did.

Ashe's daughter added an entirely new element to the story that I enjoyed, both because she added her own sort of urgency at certain points, and she also assisted in redeeming some of the other secondary characters. Lovely characterization all around. Just like in Ravenous, I was convinced, I was holding my breath in anxiety, and then exhaling (when I wasn't suffocating) in relief. I loved it. I loved this. What more is there to say?

The plot is unpredictable. You know it's a paranormal romance, so you know there's going to be a HEA, but the journey towards that happily ever after made everything entirely worth it. I was surprised, and Sharon kept me guessing until the last page. Which, by the way, was the perfect ending for that couple. Like I said on Twitter last week: I giggled like a madwoman while feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Thank you Sharon, first for an amazing start to the series, then by granting me the opportunity to read Ashe's story, and then by inspiring me to actually write up a review. I think it's safe to say that if you have not yet read The Dark Forgotten series, that you should do so immediately. Sharon's characters are amazing, I promise you won't regret it :)

Ashe Carver lost most of her witch powers during adolescence when one of her spells went terribly wrong resulting in the death of her parents. As an adult she became a monster killer, a way to channel all the anger built up inside of her - an anger tinged with self loathing.

The one light in her life is 10 year old daughter Eden. Her former in-laws (Ashe is a widow) are fighting for custody. In response Ashe decided to cut back on the hunting job (but not entirely because it pays so well). She hopes to present a kinder, gentler face to the world. Unfortunately her monster hunting job has created a lot of enemies. She may have to set aside her new soccer mom facade for a bit.

Captain Reynard has charge of the guardsmen inside the infamous Castle, the prison to a huge variety of supernaturals. He is the handsome, dashing hero who came to the aid of many at the close of Scorched. It was Ash whose softer side came to the fore as she held the badly wounded Reynard until help arrived. Of course being an immortal he rather quickly made a complete recovery.

[Note: there are drawback to being a Guardian. They are tied to the Castle and can only leave for a short time otherwise they will suffer dire consequences like death]

As the story begins Ashe has accepted an assignment to track down what turns out to be a cute furry bunny from hell - a phouka. Coming to her aid is Captain Reynard who allowed himself a brief excursion to the outside world. It turns out the two work quite well together. Ashe and Reynard expel the phouka from this world and back to the Castle where it belongs. They also manage to track down and take out a vampire who had been stalking Ashe.

Introduced in Unchained is Miru-kai a leader of the dark fey and one of the Castle warlords. He is smart, quick witted, and always looking for ways to work an angle. It is his machinations the cause many of the harrowing events that transpire.

Sharon Ashwood once again creates a world replete with supernatural characters as well as human ones. All interact within a plot with complex twists and turns.

Unchained has a fantastic mix of fey, vampires, a dashing, fearless hero, a kick-butt heroine, and all manner of heart pounding adventure levened with Ashwood's edgy sense of humor.

This is book three in the Dark Forgotten series.

Ashe Carver has hung up her stakes and retired from her life of vampire hunting in order to raise her young daughter. But life is just not cooperating. Fallout from her sister Holly's life changing event are complicating Ashe's life. Since Holly's powers are on the fritz as a result of said event, Ashe is covering Holly's ghost hunting gigs, and said event has also gained Ashe the unwelcome notice of some persistent vamps who are making her an offer they don't intend to allow her to refuse. And to top it all off, the intriguing Captain Reynard needs Ashe's help recover his stolen soul - all in all it looks as if Ashe's life is not going to be as 'soccer mom' as she'd hoped.

Unchained, the third book of Sharon Ashwood's Dark Forgotten, was really enjoyable. There's plenty of action and intrigue, and a touch of both humor and romance. Unlike the previous book, Scorched, in which the hero Mac was good but the leading lady was forgettable (what was her name?), both of the starring pair here are good.

Ashe has mellowed from the previous book and she's no longer trying to stake her brother-in-law. Still Ashe remains a strong character and the mellowing, along with the trials of trying to be a vanilla human, have made her much more likable. And I really liked the transition for Captain Reynard from his credo of Duty, Honor, and Discipline. It ws fun to discover the passionate man with a twinkle in his eye, a sense of humor and a surprising down and dirty side beneath the chivalrous facade and the rigid self-control.

As with the previous book, I like the way that Ashwood straddles the PNR/UF line - there's a complete happily-ever-after so this is not quite urban fantasy but the romance is less central to the story than most paranormal romance. I also really enjoyed bits with a side character dark fey Prince Miru-kai and was a bit disappointed that he won't be the lead in the next book, but hopefully we'll still see more of him as hellhound Lore - whose part was exceedingly minimal here - moves to center stage in Ashwood's next book of the Dark Forgotten, Iced.