Bitten by Books
Long ago, the Templar Knights discovered secrets meant to be buried, and for their impertinence, they were cursed to roam the earth and protect it from the evil forces. Part of the curse means for every evil they destroy, their own immortal soul will be darkened until eventually the Knight will turn from the Almighty. An ancient prophecy tells of the seraphim, human women with the ability to heal the darkness in a Templar soul. Through the centuries, though, the Templars have lost hope, and the darkness is beginning to make a push that will destroy them all.
Merrick du Loire, one of the original Templar Knights struck down by the curse, is tired. His cousin has fallen to the darkness in his soul, and Merrick intends to honor a pact to end his life. When he runs into Anne MacPherson, a history professor with interest in the Templars, he discovers that she is in fact one of the fabled seraphs. His duty requires that Merrick bring Anne to the Templar stronghold to find her intended mate, but the longer he spends time with Anne, the more she awakens feelings he thought long dead.
Anne cannot believe that she has found the truth she has spent her entire adult life researching, but what’s more, she has found in Merrick a man who touches her in a way she did not know possible. Will Anne be able to face her fears and take her place as the first seraph to save a Templar Knight?
Immortal Hope was a tough review for me. It has so many things I love in Paranormal Romance: a cool twist on a known mythology, fantastic chemistry between the leads, interesting supporting characters, and the ammunition for many more books. So why was it so hard to rate? Mainly, I had a really hard time accepting the decisions that Anne made throughout a majority of the book. She is an educated woman who has no problem accepting the truth and wonder of what is revealed to her but cannot see what is obviously in front of her. She is far more worried about a promotion. Really—a promotion. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever that she would hide any of the information she did or for the reasons she did, especially since she was developing feelings for Merrick. Despite the fact that I wanted to like Anne and I normally like the type of heroine she is, her deception made it very hard to empathize with her.
Anne’s motivations aside, I enjoyed Immortal Hope very much. The pacing was tight, and I loved the twist on the Templars. Merrick is a swoon-worthy hero, honorable and dedicated to his men and his purpose. The overall conflict is interesting and there is a palpable sense of danger. Ashgrove has an excellent handle on her narrative and knows how to build tension. There is a ton of potential in this series, and I have high hopes for the next book.
Book Stats:
- Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Tor Books (January 3, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0765367580
- ISBN-13: 978-0765367587
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Books in the Curse of the Templars series in the order they should be read:
Immortal Hope
Immortal Surrender
Immortal Trust
Immortal Sacrifice
Review Overview
Overall Rating
Total
Summary : I enjoyed Immortal Hope very much. The pacing was tight, and I loved the twist on the Templars. Merrick is a swoon-worthy hero, honorable and dedicated to his men and his purpose. The overall conflict is interesting and there is a palpable sense of danger. Ashgrove has an excellent handle on her narrative and knows how to build tension. There is a ton of potential in this series, and I have high hopes for the next book.
