IMMORTALS: THE REDEEMING

Author: Jennifer Ashley ISBN: 9780505527455 9/2008 PARANORMAL Publisher: DORCHESTER

For centuries they have walked among us—vampires, shape-shifters, the Celtic Sidhe, demons, and other magical beings. Their battle to reign supreme is constant, but one force holds them in check, a race of powerful warriors known as the IMMORTALS He is going to take her. And it won't be gentle. After all, the last 700 years of torture and captivity haven't been gentle on Tain. This woman, this half-demon who leaves him burning with desire, is pretty tough herself. She needs to be, for the world is not safe for demon-kind these days. A violent backlash has disrupted the balance of power, and now Tain finds he may have to rescue the dark ones instead of fight them. He feels compelled to protect the alluring Samantha--whether she wants him to or not--but all he can think of is seduction. Ultimately, she'll either destroy him or bring exactly what he needs most...THE REDEEMING.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The Immortals are back! You could read this book as a stand-alone, though you'd miss some of the nuances and many of the characters who were in previous books in the series. Book five in the series, THE REDEEMING features Tain, who was the victim-needing-rescue of the first four books in the series. I wasn't sure he could be turned into a hero, but Jennifer Ashley pulls it off. He turns out to be a very effective and interesting hero character. So far, this series keeps getting better with each new book!

Tain has spent considerable time trying to recover from his centuries of torture, as much as that is possible. He's also trying to forget the half-demon cop, Samantha, who was instrumental in his rescue, though he's not very successful in this.

Samantha is trying to find her place in the world, now that her demon father is back in her life. She had no idea he was a power in his clan, or that she had any place in the demon world as a half-breed, but times are changing. Still, it's deadly out there, and even a demon needs a creature of life magic to protect her.

Tain and Samantha are a wonderfully conflicted pair and are well-matched. THE REDEEMING is a fast-moving, kick-ass urban fantasy and romance.

Heather Hiestand