Review: Immortal Hope

Reviewed by Jen
 

Long ago, nine men --Knights of the Templar-- unearthed sacred relics best left hidden to humanity... one of which was the scroll that reveals the locations to the portals to hell on earth. As a punishment, they were rendered immortal... cursed for their souls to darken as they fight demonkind. Their only hope for the redemption of their souls is to find their seraph --the fated woman to bring light to each knight's darkness.

Anne has spent her life studying the Templar Knights, but never dreams she'll actually meet one face to face. Of course, she doesn't know her boss is the angel Gabriel either. Gabe knows that she is not only a seraph, but the very first one that has been found for the knights. And she will lead the way for the other women yet to come.

A string of events lands her in the midst of the knights, with her destiny revealed. To find her mate, she must match the tattoo on her body to the knight who bears the same mark. She is assigned one man in particular to help her through the process. That man is Merrick.

Of course, Merrick is the man she is supposed to be with, but she is afraid to tell him. You see, Anne has visions and she's had one of Merrick that shows him dead. She fears that their official joining will set off the chain of events that lead to his death, so she keeps her mouth shut. At the same time, Merrick stays mum on the fact that evil will take over her mate's soul if she doesn't join with him soon. Communication barriers abound, leading me to great frustration.

The book was slow to reel me in. But once it did, I was hooked. When Anne and Merrick realized and accepted their attraction to each other, the sexual tension and eventual payoff was really, really good. Merrick is such an honorable man. And he thinks that Anne isn't his, so he fights his need of her... making it all the more satisfying when he finally gives in. Deeee-licious.

Hoarse and thick, his voice held torment. "Wrong it may be, but I can no longer fight this. I will choose shame and disgrace if it eases the ache that consumes me." His onyx eyes flashed with something she couldn't recognize. It reached in deep, wound its claws around her heart, and held on tight.

Quietly, he murmured, "Touch me, Anne."

(*fans self*) Where was I?

There's a great cast of secondary characters found in Merrick's fellow knights. Each, a great tortured hero in the making. (I'm holding out for Tane's story, myself.)

The book's not perfect. Like I said, it took me a little while to really warm up to it. The secrets our main characters kept were frustrating. And I got lost once or twice in the Templar background and world building. My biggest question was why there ended up so many knights immortal and in-need of a seraph if only nine were originally cursed. But it was still a really engaging read. Sexy, with a lot of heart. And I will definitely be reading the next installment. 4 stars.

*Book provided by author for review

Click to purchase: Amazon

Immortal Hope

by Claire Ashgrove

Release Date: January 3, 2012

Publisher: Tor Books