Claire Ashgrove

Just beyond the human realm is a magical world and mystical peoples that could finally answer all Halle Rhoads’ questions. She knows she’s a murderer, not that her abusive father didn't deserve to die, but it did exile her from the only life and family she ever knew into the cold harsh world to exist by her wits and the seat of her pants.
Seven years later while checking on her baby sister and planning yet another murder
she’s literally run over by a guy who can finally answer some of those questions, Kale Norwood who tells her of her ancient inherent, frightening, exhilarating gifted power from a long ago race of beings. He’s a guy who may be all she’s looking for, or who could betray her. She will come to realize that even if she lets him into her heart her
loner’s existence may not be a choice at all but a path that's been set for her by ancestors and powers she’s yet but destined to discover, that is of course if she survives the trials to come.
Claire Ashgrove’s debut page-turner in her new urban fantasy series is fantastic. She creates a world that’s familiar enough to not need a codex to understand yet foreign enough to awe. Her narrative is absorbing and provocative and will captivate her audience while telling her poignant and wondrous tale and it’s evident by the last page that this is not the end of the story. Her heroine Halle is a conundrum that readers will love and be frustrated with. Her good, bad and ugly co-stars are equally imaginative. There’s a blossoming love story but this is by no means a romance and will in fact draw fans from multiple genres from adult fantasy as well as YA and new adult and of course Claire’s fans from her Templar series will be drawn in too.
So if you’re looking for something entertaining that's a little on the wild side this is your next must read!… (más)

BEFORE THE STORM is the first book I have read from author Claire Ashgrove and it was a great introduction to her writing. BEFORE THE STORM starts out with Halle peeking in on the family that thinks shes dead. Just as she is about to jump in and defend the sister that is being physically and emotionally abused by her uncle a strange boy stops her. From that moment on Halle learns that she is not alone in the power she wields and she has to learn how to control it or she will never be able to protect those she cares about.

Halle comes across very hard headed, argumentative and somewhat of a loose cannon. I hate to admit it, but I didn't care for her at first. As I got to know Halle, her past was revealed and her attitude becomes understandable. Dealing with what she had and not knowing the people that she now finds herself in the company of is not easy for her. Especially since no one seems to be able to tell her the truth about anything.

The world is nicely built. I enjoy elemental type powers so I had fun learning about the powers used in BEFORE THE STORM. There was a lot of action, especially from mid book through the end. The characters seems to make their fair share of bad decisions but they all come together to help each other when needed.

The end left me feeling sad and a tad bit annoyed with Halle. Her decision process was sound, and I understand why she came to her decision, but I just felt like Halle was giving up and I don't see her as a quitter. I will have to read book 2 to find out how her decision turns out and to learn more about her story.

* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.… (más)

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Chelle:
--Actual Rating 4.5 Skulls

Claire Ashgrove's THE CURSE OF THE TEMPLARS series quickly became one of my favorites after I discovered it some time back. What's not to love... real history molded to fit a paranormal shell (yet with fabulous attention to detail where the history IS accurate), all melded with romance and set off by some mystery and intrigue. Fabulous!

When this book (which is actually the 5th story of the series) came out, I was upset that I couldn't start it immediately. I made time for it though, and boy am I glad that I did!

You don't get as much backstory with Immortal Sacrifice, so I highly suggest reading the books in order before jumping into this one to get its full awesome effect. For the sake of my review, I will give you some nonspoilery history to set things up...

Back when Caradoc was still mortal, he was a lord in Asterleigh. After taking his vows to become a knight - chastity, poverty, etc - he found that he was missing it too much, and that it wasn't helping his battle against the darkness that was destined to overtake him. In an effort to get closure on that part of his life and concentrate on his mission, he traveled to Europe to say goodbye to what was left of his beloved homeland and met Isabelle, a mob boss's daughter and antiquities dealer. They had a whirlwind affair in a quaint English cottage and both fell in love. Unfortunately, Caradoc knew that he could only be with the woman who was destined to be his, his Seraph, so to avoid any further heartache, he left. Without so much as a goodbye.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years into the future where Immortal Sacrifice begins... As the Templars continue their quest to obtain all of the holy relics that the dark lord Azazel could use to overthrow the Almighty, Caradoc and Isabelle run into each other once again at an antiquities auction in Sicily where The Tears of Christ, which are hidden in an exquisite flawless diamond necklace, are up for grabs, along with an urn and some other things that are made from the Cross. Both Caradoc and Isabelle are there to bid on the necklace and fireworks ensue. There's unresolved history, unfulfilled love and desire, need, determination, stubborness and more, and to make matters more interesting...secrets galore (I would love to tell you more, but I don't do spoilers. Sorry!).

Suffice it to say that the book was very well-written with a fast moving plot, side stories that will eventually segue into other Templars' tales (yes!!), and enough romance and action to keep all the different sides of us book addicts and paranormal junkies happy!

If you're looking for a fun, fresh and unique paranormal romance, this is an amazing book for it! However, again, I do suggest reading the series in order: Immortal Hope, Immortal Surrender, Immortal Protector ( a novella), Immortal Trust and Immortal Sacrifice.… (más)

Really 4.5 Stars
Reviewed at http://scorchingbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/a-nix-review-immortal-surrend...

Noelle has been carbon dating archaeological finds for nearly 6 years. Over that period of time, her aged friend Gabriel has given her many religious artifacts to examine. Some have been real and some fake, but the latest one has come up trumps. He has brought her the Sudarium of Oviedo, a piece of cloth supposedly used to clean up Christ after his crucifixion, and the dating seems to match the story. Being the possessor of such a relic could leave her in danger from fanatics, so Gabriel hired her a team of body guards. Unfortunately, none of them seem to love the assignment....

Farran is part of the Knights Templar and the main bodyguard of Noelle. She thinks that she is just returning the relic to its rightful owner but the truth is actually far more sinister. The Relic can give Azazel incredible power and so he is quite willing to send his Demons to kill her to get it. The Archangel Gabriel (i.e. Gabriel her friend) has ordered him to protect the relic, well that’s what he thinks until he discovers that she is a Seraph. In fact, she’s not just any Seraph; she’s the Sepraph that is destined to be his mate.

Farran wants nothing to do with a predetermined mate. He knows that they have to be mates in public, but he will not give her either his body or his heart. Noelle is a complete atheist who rejects the very idea of all things Catholic. When Farran tells her what she is, she literally laughs in his face. He doesn’t want a mate, she doesn’t believe in mates (but thinks he may be a little bit crazy) but there is definitely an attraction simmering underneath their chatter. Will they give into their lust (of course they will :D ) And once they do, will their differences make it any more than an act of release of sexual energy?

Well, this book was unexpected. I hadn’t read the first in the series but the attention to detail in this one made me feel like I’d missed nothing. The order of the Templar’s are charged with the protection of the Earth and Church from Demons. They walk the world alone until they find their Seraph, the one that is mean’t to be their mate. The mated pair will have an identical mark somewhere on their body and this shall be their identifier once they are discovered. If the Templar becomes tempted or broken, he shall become a Dark Knight and this is the one thing that we are trying to avoid.

Our particular Templar is a complete prat. He carries around a lot of baggage to do with his ex-wife and has vowed never to allow himself to be manipulated by a woman again. Once he realizes that she is his mate, he starts to become almost paranoid about her supposed “manipulations” towards him. She wears perfume, she’s trying to seduce him. She wears a jumper to bed, she is flaunting her womanly wiles. It really is quite amusing. He is so desperate to push her away, he is quite willing to turn her into a complete whore in his mind to achieve his goal. Unfortunately for him, you can only fight an attraction like his for so long and then they are scorching up the sheets together. But their individual reasons remain and then there is the pesky mission to keep her alive still looming.... it could all go very wrong. He was an arrogant man who wore his heartbreak like a shield against the world.

Noelle is a complete atheist who thinks everyone around her is completely bonkers. I liked her but she wasn’t one for seeing what was in front of her face very easily. I enjoyed her feistiness and completely agreed with her initial Farran stance. Who the hell would be flattered to be repeatedly treated like a whore, told they were unwanted and treated with something akin to disdain simply because she has a particular mark that she didn’t volunteer to carry. She was refreshing and intriguing....I hope we see more of her in subsequent books!

Overall, this was a hot and steamy read set in this imaginative world where Knights are immortal and Angels walk amongst us. With two incredibly hard-headed leads, this was never going to be an easy ride. A recommended read and series.... bring on book 3 J… (más)