Series: Redemption #2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: 5 Prince Publishing
Publication Date: February 28th 2013
Format: Ebook submitted for review by author
Rating: 5 Stars
Synopsis:
Free will comes at a cost…
Three years after losing the love of her life, Olivia Norton refuses to continue living in the shadows of what will never be. But how can she marry another when her guardian angel still holds her heart?
Bound by Universal Law, Liam is forced to choose between his honor and his heart. Returning for Olivia nearly cost him his salvation once, but twice may prove to be his final undoing. Some sacrifices are worth the risk, while others could bring consequences that would last an immortal lifetime.
The game has changed—new players bring new threats and challenges. The evil that nearly took Olivia’s life three years ago has returned with a vengeance. A legion has been sent, and the Dark Court will not rest until the last sighted female has been killed.
An old enemy returns… Evil has a new face, a new name, and Haden will stop at nothing to possess the key Olivia holds, unlocking the power he needs to claim his revenge against Heaven and Hell.
I have been waiting on this book for almost a year! After reading book 1 Until Darkness Comes I was practically salivating for it. (You Can find my review HERE) There is so much packed into this book that I hope I can keep everything straight!
The beginning of the story goes back to the days of the great Flood and Noah's ark explaining about the Nephilim race (products of Fallen angles mating with humans) being eradicated but one loan infant survives. Enter Haden, the mystery man we met briefly in book 1 who is searching for Immanuel's stone in order to take vengeance out on the dark court for wronging him years ago.
Picking up where book 1 leaves off we find Olivia set to marry her longtime boyfriend Mitch when Liam shows up out of the blue for the first time in 3 years. With no time to explain his absence for fear of her safety he runs away with her, leaving her husband to be and her guests waiting with no goodbye. On the way to take her to grab some things for the road he explains she isn't safe and that there were uninvited guests waiting at her wedding and it was necessary for him to take her. Liam fills her in on the plan to hide her in Vegas because it'll be crowded and harder to find her there. What they don't know is that Haden is a very powerful tracker who is sent out by the dark court to kill humans with "The Sight" and Olivia is next on his list because has the stone he wants. While in Vegas Olivia and Liam get closer than they ever have and almost cross a boundary Liam won't be able to come back across. Unable to touch her physically because his power would hurt her, he has to get creative in order to be near her. Being one of God's fierce Ronnin Warriors, Liam was never meant to be a guardian and we find out exactly how he came to be Olivia's protector. We get a brief look back into her childhood to see small glimpses of their relationship over the years. Olivia and Liam have shared an intense bonding connection that has never died throughout her life even when Liam erased her childhood memories of him to protect her.
Her friend Ashley ends up on a road trip with Mitch, her scorned fiance who is trying to get to Olivia in order to get her back. Against Ashley's better judgement she goes along to keep Mitch safe from the two demons who are helping Haden track Olivia. Knowing her guardian Balen won't let anything happen to her while on this trip she makes some bold choices that get her into hot water that Balen has to help with. With Balen also being a Ronnin Warrior sent to be Guardian he too shares an intense connection with Ashley and tries harder than Liam did at resisting her pull. He is in love with her just as much as she is with him but his duty as a Ronnin is more important to him which breaks Ashley's heart even though she understands his calling.
When Haden finally catches up to Liam and Olivia a fight breaks out between the two guys almost to Haden's detriment. Liam realizes that because Haden is part human he is covered under the sacrifice of Christ and can't be killed by a Warrior's hand, but a change in Haden takes place from that moment that affects him throughout the rest of the book. All he wants is the stone which sits around Olivia's neck until Liam hides it some place it can't easily be found. When Olivia makes a hot headed decision to hang out in a demon bar Haden follows and they end up in a fight for their lives which sends Olivia to the hospital and brings the story to it's Cliffhanger conclusion!
Whew! That's not even HALF the juicy details that are a part of the story! There is so much going on with every page turned that I was on the hook from start to finish. This series is one of the best kept secrets being that it's not widely known about but should be! I fell in love with Liam and Olivia in Until Darkness Comes and thoroughly enjoyed seeing a lot more of them in this book and how close they became. With Liam being a Warrior for God he can't give himself physically to a woman without becoming one of the fallen. It's heart crushing to watch him want Olivia so badly but not being able to have her. This is one of those couples you root for non stop and when things between them heat up you can't help but want Liam to fall for it to happen. They go farther than I am sure Liam is allowed without getting in trouble and the repercussions haven't even begun yet because there will be a third book! *Happy Dance*
Haden is the only surviving member of the Nephilim race and nobody has a clue he exists. All the angels believe the race was wiped out so when they come face to face with him they don't immediately know what he is. Haden's character wasn't hard to fall in love with. Even though he was supposed to be the "Villain" we find out in this book that the dark court that took over raising him from an infant has wronged him greatly which fuels his rage in trying to recover the stone of Immanuel. When you find out why Haden is so dead set on destroying the dark court it will break your heart. He is sent to hunt and kill any human with "The Sight" to see angels and demons but when he falls for one his purpose changes and pisses off the dark court, which is why he is on his mission to take them down. I loved Haden's character. He was supposed to be the bad guy but he showed a different side of himself a few times especially when he got his hands on Olivia.
Liam. Dear God where to even begin! Liam is of course an angel. One of God's most fearsome warriors who has seen countless battles against the fallen. One particular battle sent him on a course headed straight for Olivia. See Ronnin Warriors were never meant to have contact with humans. Only Guardians were specifically made to protect humans because they have been desensitized to the draw of a humans life force, that might cause them to become attached! So when Liam meets Olivia, with her having the sight and being special already he can't help but be attracted to her life force and ultimately falls in love with her. Why is Liam so damn hot? He has wings, he has long-ish dark hair and a beautiful face but that's not why I am so enamored with him. It' his eyes! They change colors when his emotions shift. Blue when he is aroused, Violet when He is angry, Yellow when he is sad and green when he is jealous which by the way happens a time or two! Can you imagine a beautiful warrior who wears his heart in his eyes? There is so much more to him besides his body and hot sex hair, he is struggling to remain in his world and do the right thing while facing the temptation of love and lust for Olivia. Having fallen once to save her life in book one and barely coming back from that he vows to himself he won't do it again and does whatever it takes to keep his promise.
Olivia had a lot going on this book with all these men chasing after her. Wish I knew her secret. Not only is Liam into her but she has Haden tracking her, two demons who would love to have a little fun with her before they kill her and then her crazy jilted Fiance is chasing her across country also! With the story being three years after the first encounter with Liam I thought she would have matured a little bit more in the choices she makes but I guess with all matters of the heart sometimes it's a "Wing It" situation. Once she let's herself open up to Liam again and the passion they share she can't get enough. She struggles with herself for wanting Liam to take things further and fall (literally) for her but at the same time she understands his devotion to his calling and doesn't want to mess that up for him. It's painful to watch from all sides but especially from hers because she is so intensely and deeply in love with Liam. More so than just the Guardian connection they share. During a fight between them she finds out Liam was with her as a child and had erased her memory of him because she wasn't fitting in with kids her age due to their bond. It upsets her and breaks her heart to hear the things she can't remember from Liam's perspective.
I was not expecting things to heat up so heavily between Liam and Olivia but I was pleasantly surprised and turned on at just how close they become without actually doing anything. The author walks the line with these two and gives us just enough to excite and makes you wonder how much trouble Liam will get in for his actions. Epic plot twists, forbidden romance and betrayal are just a few things to look forward to with this book. I could seriously talk about it all day because there is just so much goodness! You guys can't miss out on this series, you just can't!
Perhaps after all these years, she'd managed to carve out a small part of herself to give to another. But Liam still and always would possess the untouchable part of her heart, the part where her spirit and soul fused. Loc. 509
As he repositioned himself, she quickly realized that his mouth was the only place his energy didn't travel, and that revelation would have brought her to tears, if his mouth wasn't bringing her somewhere else entirely different. Loc. 2989
"Your safety means everything to me, and I can't protect you like this. How can I stay focused when all I think about is what you taste like, what you feel like in my arms? When all I want is to have you beneath me? I never understood it before now, but there was a reason you were forbidden to me." Loc. 5161
Shades of Darkness Excerpt:
Olivia stood in front of the floor-length mirror. A beautiful woman she no longer recognized stared back at her with haunted, vacant eyes. Dressed in white, her floor-length gown, adorned with sequins and pearl beading, ran down the length of the six-foot train in an intricate design worthy of a queen. The back of her dress was cut in a deep V, stopping just above her waistline. A jeweled tiara sat nestled securely in the upsweep of her jet black hair, just like the one she’d often worn as a little girl. The veil of purity lay draped beside her jewelry box on the desk in the corner of the dressing room.
Piano music wafted through the vents of the old church, carrying a beautiful melody through the stale air of the chapel. Olivia sighed in resignation and reached up, unfastening the clasp of her necklace. The heart-shaped stone fell away from her neck, and she placed it in the palm of her hand. Closing her fist tightly over the stone, she turned away from her reflection and walked over to her jewelry box.
Olivia opened the drawer and placed the necklace inside. She pulled out a string of pearls and fastened them around the base of her throat, being careful to avoid snagging the few curls hanging down from her pearl-pinned French twist.
“You look beautiful,” a husky voice whispered behind her.
Startled, Olivia gasped and spun around, tangling the length of satin and lace around her feet. “Liam!” Her voice shook as a tidal wave of emotions crashed into her—joy, love, anger, pain…sorrow. It took every last bit of her self-control not to run to him and throw herself into his arms. Her heart raced so fast, she became lightheaded and reached out to steady herself against the old, age-roughened desk. Three years… Three long painful years… It felt like an eternity.
Liam stood in the corner of the small room, statue still, arms crossed over his broad chest. He was just as beautiful as she’d remembered—perhaps a little leaner, which only enhanced the muscular sculpting of his magnificent body. The errant waves of his dark burgundy hair hung in layers, nearly touching his shoulders, framing his strong, square jaw. A muscle ticked in his cheek as he stood there watching her. He seemed different somehow… His eyes, the change was in his eyes that now held a depth born of pain, sorrow and regret.
The prelude to the Wedding March carried up through the vents. The soft serenade filled the room, pulling Olivia from her trance. A rush of pain, masked by anger, surged anew, tearing open a wound of heartache that never completely healed. “Why are you here?” she demanded.
Liam didn’t respond. For the longest time, he just stood there—staring at her with an odd emotionless determination. Olivia started to question her sanity. Perhaps he hadn’t come back at all, and her mind was caught up in some sick, twisted quest for self-fulfilling prophecy.
“I had to see you.” His words came out in an aching rasp that stung all the way to her soul. Oh, he was real. No figment of her imagination could hurt this much.
“Why now, Liam? Why today? This is my wedding day!” Her voice escalated with every word until she reached hysteria. “It’s been three years! Do you know how many nights I’ve cried myself to sleep over you? Oh, that’s right, of course you do! And yet, you still didn’t come back to me. All those times I begged and pleaded, just to let me see you again.”
His mask of apathy shattered, revealing a haunted look in his amber-colored eyes that took her breath away—unspoken evidence of his grief, proving the depth of pain and suffering hadn’t just been her cross to bear. “Dammit! Don’t you think I wanted to, Olivia? God knows, I wanted to! But I knew if I came back, even for a moment, you’d never move on. It’s killed me to sit by and watch you mourn over what can never be. Night after night, I begged the Father to give me the strength to stay away from you.”
Liam’s eyes fell on the pearl necklace clinging to her throat that was slowly choking the life out of her. “This is the first time you’ve taken that off in three years.” His voice was so raw, she winced.
Reaching up, she touched her throat, fingering the smooth, cool beads. “I had to,” she whispered. “How can I get married to the man I’m trying to love while wearing a necklace from the angel that holds my heart?” Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she stopped even trying to contain them.
“Do you love him, Olivia?”
Liam’s questioning eyes raked over her. She ached to reach out and touch his beautiful face, just one more time, to feel whole in his embrace once again and let him wash away the years of pain and suffering she’d endured in his absence—to taste that delicious kiss she longed for…
“Look at me!” she cried, grabbing fists full of her wedding dress, holding them out in exasperation. “I’m getting married!” A fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. By now, her make-up would be completely ruined, not that she really cared. It was symbolic of the last three years of her life.
“Trust me, I am well aware, and that’s not what I asked you.”
“I love him as much as I’m capable of loving someone. I’ve been broken for so long. I just want to feel normal again.”
The Wedding March echoed through the tiny room, and she looked nervously over her shoulder. “That’s my cue,” she whispered, unwilling to walk away from him.
“I wish it was me waiting down there for you.”
Oh God, don’t say that to me! Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as a broken sob escaped her throat. “I do, too,” she breathed the barely audible confession.
A soft knock sounded at the door. “Olivia? We’re ready for you, honey.”
She tore her eyes away from him long enough to cast an anxious glance over her shoulder and called, “I’ll be right there, Mom.” But when she turned back, Liam was gone.
I'd like to welcome Melynda Price to the blog today, thank you for being here.
Thank you for having me. This is the second stop on my blog tour and I’m excited to be here.
So Melynda tell us a little bit about yourself, your writing style and what inspires your stories.
I live in Northern Minnesota, so I have plenty of snow-filled days to write. I’m a freeze baby and I hate the cold, LOL! Typically, I’ve always been a pantser, but I’m starting to become more of a plotter. I already wrote the ending to Courting Darkness, Book 3 Redemption Series, and the book is only half done! I was inspired to write my Redemption Series after reading the book of Enoch. It’s a fascinating book about fallen angels and their love affair with humans.
There is chatter I'm hearing among Bibliophiles that the Paranormal genre is dying off with the surge in New Adult novels being produced. How does that affect you as an author of the paranormal?
I’ve heard that too—just today in fact, when I was having coffee with an author friend of mine. I believe paranormal will always have a certain following and a place in the romance world. But if it falls out of vogue, sales are definitely going to suffer, and then of course that could hurt other future contracts. I will finish my Redemption Series, and I’m also writing an Atillian Warrior Series which will be 5 books. Once those are finished, I’ll reevaluate the market and perhaps expand my genre. I have an idea for an inspirational erotic trilogy I’d like to write in the future. So who knows…
Book 1 had a few steamy moments between Liam and Olivia but #2 got HOT! Did you always intend for it to be that steamy? and where do you see things going for them in the future?
LOL! I did intend to turn up the heat in this book and the third one will be hotter. Because these aren’t stand-alone books, and the characters are the same, it’s important that they are constantly evolving. I keep their chemistry hot, the stakes high, and make the story unpredictable. It also helps to add a new antagonist I think the readers will love to hate.
So far this series has been a roller coaster ride and I can't imagine how much more intense it will get. How many books do you plan to write in this series?
Right now, I plan for this series to be 4 books. But I have to admit, I’m pretty attached to these characters so it will definitely be tough to wrap up the series and let them go. We’ll see. I have another series vying for my attention so…
If you could switch places with any of your characters for the day, who would it be and why?
Oh, definitely Olivia. It would be awesome to be able to see into the spirit world. And are you kidding me?—Liam’s hot!
If you could RE-WRITE any book out there, what book would it be and what would you change/remove?
Hmm… That’s a hard question. I don’t care for novellas. As a whole, my personal opinion is that they’re stories with great potential that lack character and plot development. I’d turn my favorite novellas into books—big books!
Who would you pick as your dreamcast if The Redemption Series were made into a movie?
I’d pick hot actors no one knew because, hey, Ian Somerhalder will always be Damon.
When you are writing difficult scenes does it break your heart as much is it does the reader?
Absolutely. When I’m writing sexy scenes, my pulse races… When my characters are heartbroken, so am I. I think without that emotional attachment it’s impossible to carry emotion through into your story.
Who are some of the authors that have inspired you?
I like all the paranormal greats: Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Kresley Cole.
Sum both Until Darkness Comes and Shades of Darkness in 140 characters a la Twitter style!
A Guardian Angel… Forbidden Love… Eternal Consequences…
Thanks for having me on your blog today. It was lots of fun! To celebrate my new release, I’ll be giving away 3 copies of Shades of Darkness. Enter to win by leaving a comment with your email address.
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