Immortal Surrender by Claire Ashgrove
(The Curse of the Templars #2)
Tor Books (Sept 2012)
Ebook, 448 pages
Paranormal Romance

Noelle Keane has been a leading scientist in D.C for 6 years. Within her lab ancient artifacts are tested for age and authenticity. Her latest challenge, the Sudarium of Oviedo (a piece of cloth supposedly used to clean the face of Christ after His crucifixion). Given to her by aging archeologist Gabriel she tests the material and discovers that it did indeed cover the body of a human in the approximate year 33. Noelle is a total non-believer where all things holy are concerned but understands the imporance of such an artifact to those people out there that do believe. Even so she is not particularly impressed when Gabriel insists that she has a security detail accompany her to return the cloth to its original home in Spain.

Farran De Clare is a Templar Knight, and part of that security detail (much to his annoyance). He has no wish to be escorting this woman and her cloth, instead much preferring to be fighting against the demons continually plaguing the earth in an attempt to weaken his brethren, turning them into Dark Knights. When he realises that Noelle is his seraph (a woman descended from angels, destined to return the light to a Templar Knight, undoing damage caused by killing Azazels demons) he refuses to pledge his loyalty to her, and will give his oath in name only, doing his duty for the Knights the only way he believes he can. In refusing to pledge his loyalty he makes life really difficult and causes Noelle to remain blind to the truth that surrounds her.

Once again Claire Ashgrove’s Knights Templar have had me ignoring everything around me, pulling me into a world where demons and knights collide, and where honor and duty are above all else. I am truly enjoying the story-lines and feel as though I am actually learning a little something along the way (never a bad thing in my opinion) about an intriguing part of history.

Noelle is a stubborn mare! I like her and I understand her reticence but she doesn’t half make life difficult. The fact that she is an atheist is at the heart of her .. and whereas initially its her glasses that link you to the blindness part of the …. it turns out its her total lack of enthusiasm for all things holy that makes her blind. Spurned by males throughout her life it comes really hard when the man that claims to be hers wants her to pledge her life to him, and yet will not do the same in return, adding to her stubborn streak.

Farran…ahh Farran… I have never wanted to run someone through quite as much as I do you. Yes, you have issues from the past, but my goodness you surely know how to hold a grudge. Once bitten, twice shy and all that, but if the man upstairs wants you to be with a particular woman, surely you are going to have a little faith? What do you mean NO?????? No, I am no nuts, this is exactly what I would say to Farran. If I thought Noelle was stubborn, then Farran is the definition of stubborn and his picture would be in the dictionary if I looked the word up. He expects so much of Noelle, and yet will not bend despite it being his duty, opting to anger the archangel in charge rather than pledge his loyalty to the once person that can save his life.

VERDICT:

Immortal Surrender engaged me from the outset. Once again the Knights Templar have wooed me with their honorable ways, their beautiful language, and of course their fit bodies (I am but a mere wench after all). I am really not sure why but Immortal Surrender didn’t enthrall me quite as much as Immortal Hope despite the fact that I enjoyed it immensely. I don’t know if its because Farran was such a stubborn ass, or perhaps because I couldn’t picture the uber important Sudarium of Oviedo (totally my own fault as it is a genuine relic which I didn’t realise, and I could have googled it), although using the Shroud of Turin instead would probably of been a bit much. I am really looking forward to reading the next installment, Immortal Trust, and am hoping that its going to be Lucan’s turn as the poor fellow is getting very close to turning into a Dark Knight.

RATING: 

CLAIRE ASHGROVE ONLINE
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BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER

1. Immortal Hope
2. Immortal Surrender
3. Immortal Trust

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