Review: Absolution - Susannah Sandlin

With the vampire world on the brink of civil war over the scarcity of untainted human blood, battle lines are being drawn between the once peaceful vampire and human enclave of Penton, Alabama, and the powerful Vampire Tribunal. Mirren Kincaid once served the tribunal as their most creative and ruthless executioner—a time when he was known as the Slayer. But when assigned a killing he found questionable, Mirren abandoned the tribunal’s political machinations and disappeared—only to resurface two centuries later as the protector and second-in-command of Penton. Now the tribunal wants him back on their side.

To break their rogue agent, they capture Glory Cummings, the descendant of a shaman, and send her to restore Mirren’s bloodthirsty nature. But instead of a monster, Glory sees a man burdened by the weight of his past. Could her magic touch—meant by the tribunal to bring out a violent killer—actually help Mirren break his bonds and discover the love he doesn’t believe he deserves?

Penton Legacy Series:
Redemption
Absolution
Omega (2013)

Visit Susannah Sandlin's website for more information

Review:
I enjoyed the first book in Susannah Sandlin's Penton Legacy series but I'm pleased to say that things have really stepped up a gear in this book and I loved Absolution even more! The story picks up several weeks after the ending of Redemption and this time our focus is on Mirren, Aiden's second in command at the Penton scathe but don't worry we still get to catch up with our favourites from the first book too.

Mirren was a warrior even before he became a vampire and after he turned he became an executioner for the Tribunal. He was so successful at his job that he became known as the Slayer but he has tried hard to put that life behind him now and he just wants a peaceful life in Penton. The Tribunal want him back though and one particular member will do anything to bring back his blood lust - even if it means capturing him and keeping him prisoner until he is practically starved. Mirren is weak from his hunger but he still refuses to give in to his enemies demands and he will never betray the Penton scathe.

Glory is an outcast who was turned away by her family because they refused to accept her psychic abilities. She didn't even know vampires existed until one captured her because he could sense her power. She is terrified and trapped but even when drugged she refuses to give up her secrets. Her captor becomes so frustrated that he decides she isn't worth keeping alive and decides to give her to Mirren to awaken his blood lust. Mirren is half starved but even in his weakened state he acts with honour and refuses to hurt Glory which allows her to look past the fact he is a vampire and see the honourable man underneath. When Mirren and Glory are rescued she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new world, one where their enemies will do anything to ensure she doesn't live to tell tales. Can Mirren and his scathe keep her safe when they are in the middle of their own war?

I have to start by saying how much I loved Glory, she could be considered just a weak human considering she is surrounded by so many vampires and strong, alpha, warrior vampires at that, but she isn't going to sit back and wait to be rescued by anyone. In fact what I loved most about her was the way she was so determined to rescue herself and the way she is so protective of Mirren. She is able to look past his violent past and see who he really is deep inside and she won't let him push her away to punish himself. Glory is the kind of woman who knows what she wants and when she sets her mind on something she goes all out to make sure she gets it. I have to say I loved the way she starts babbling when she gets nervous too as that is something I have a tendency to do myself!

We didn't know a great deal about Mirren in the first book but I had completely fallen for him within a couple of chapters. He is so strong and heroic, willing to do anything to protect his friends and scathe members but he struggles to forgive himself for the things he did in the past. He hates the things he has done and feels guilt over the lives he has taken. Underneath his rugged and tough exterior he really has a heart of gold but he is also sexy as hell when Glory gets under his shell. The way his relationship develops with Glory was both hilarious and sweet at the same time and I enjoyed every second of it.

I've already said that the story picks up not long after the ending of Redemption and that means that the Tribunal are still watching the Penton scathe and worrying that they are becoming too powerful. With one particular enemy stirring up trouble it doesn't take long before Penton comes under attack which leads to some great action scenes and one particular moment when I gasped out loud in horror. The Penton scathe may have been kicked down but I'm sure they're not out of the race and I have a feeling the next novel is going to be explosive. I will be first in the queue to get hold of Omega when it is published next year and I can't wait to see what happens next! Fans of the first book will love Absolution but if you're new to the series then I would suggest starting with Redemption. This series is sure to be a hit with paranormal romance fans though and I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Redemption - Susannah Sandlin

The world’s vampire population is on the brink of starvation since the vaccine to treat a global pandemic rendered human blood deadly to them. Their only hope for survival is a handful of rural areas that the vaccine never breached.

The tiny town of Penton, Alabama, is one such enclave, where the immortal Aidan Murphy has established a community of vampires and their willingly bonded humans. Together, they live in peace—until Aidan’s estranged brother descends upon the town and begins attacking its humans. Whether the rampage is a result of his centuries-old feud with Aidan or the civil war threatening to erupt in the vampire world matters not. All that matters is the blood.

Desperate to save his adopted family, Aidan breaks one of his cardinal rules, kidnapping an unvaccinated human doctor—and unexpectedly falling in love for the first time in nearly four hundred years.

Sensual and thrilling, Redemption is the first instalment of what is sure to be a darkly addictive new series from paranormal romance novelist Susannah Sandlin.

Penton Legacy Series:
Redemption
Absolution
Omega (2013)

Visit Susannah Sandlin's website for more information

Review:
After a devastating virus reduced the world's human population and then the vaccine to treat the global pandemic left the blood of most remaining humans poisonous, many vampires now find themselves on the verge of starvation. Competition is fierce for the few humans who didn't have the vaccine and vampires are forced to fight for their food. Master vampire Aidan has created a community for vampires and unvaccinated humans to live together in harmony. The vampires protect the humans who have bonded to them and willingly offer their blood in return for their safety. Aidan and his lieutenants have worked hard to create an environment where humans and vampires alike are all treated like family and they are very careful about who they let join them. Everything they have worked so hard to build is threatened when Aidan's brother Owen arrives. Estranged from Aidan for centuries Owen is still holding a grudge and he is determined to destroy his brother and the community he has created. After the death of the town doctor, and a spate of horrific attacks on the humans under his care Aidan is forced to take drastic action to ensure they have medical care available. Kidnapping human doctor Krys goes against everything he believes in but he has no choice. What he doesn't expect is to fall for his captive but can she ever get past the fact that he kept her there by force?

Redemption was an interesting start to a new series and I'm curious to see where the author takes the story next. I really liked the idea of a world where most humans are no longer a viable source of blood for the vampires. It made a change to see vampires starving because they can't find unvaccinated humans to feed from - vampires are normally at the top of the food chain so this was an interesting twist. Especially when vampires can't feed from bonded humans unless the bond was created by them or another vampire in their scythe. This offers an extra level of protection to anyone who is living in Aidan's community.

I liked Aidan, he is genuinely a good guy (well, good vampire lol) and he cares for both the vampires and humans under his protection. He has created an ideal society that he works hard to maintain and he wants the best for everyone. I would have liked him to have been a bit more alpha than he was - at times he was a bit too down on himself, never really feeling he was worthy of love - but he was quite sweet really. I just tend to expect my vampires to be darker and more growly, bossy alpha males so it was an unusual change.

Krys was a strong woman who had a difficult past with an abusive father that she has spent years trying to put behind her. She was very adamant that she would never allow anyone to have control over her again so I found it a little hard to believe that she fell for Aidan quite so quickly - especially considering he has her locked up as a prisoner most of the time. I expected someone as outspoken as she was to put up more of a fight. When she finally did try to make an escape it was more of an afterthought and I felt she was stupid to obviously put herself in danger when she had passed up much safer opportunities to get away. Her escape attempt felt like more of a plot device to put her in harms way than a genuine attempt to flee.

I did like the chemistry between the main characters though, the sex scenes weren't quite as graphic as they often are in paranormal romance but they were still enjoyable and the couple had a genuine connection even if their relationship felt rushed. I also liked the side characters - both human and vampire - and am interested in getting to know them all better. I'm particularly hoping to find out more about Mirren who seems like the fiercest of the vampire lieutenants and also Hannah who was changed into a vampire when she was just a child and has some interesting abilities. This is a series that definitely has potential and I'll be keeping an eye out for the next instalment.

Source: Received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle: