Absolution (The Penton Legacy, #2)

by Susannah Sandlin

HOLT Medallion Award Winner.

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?

Absolution is the second installment of the Penton Legacy, a sensual and thrilling new series from paranormal romance novelist Susannah Sandlin.

• ISBN10: 1612183581
• ISBN13: 9781612183589
• Publish Date: 9 October 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Montlake Romance
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 327
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

I absolutely love this action packed, swoon worthy paranormal romance series. Sandlin captured my attention from page one and held it to the last page. As I closed the book and caught my breath I immediately wanted the next book. Absolution features vampire Mirren Kincaid and Glory Cumming’s story. While this could easily work as a standalone, I recommend reading them in order to meet all the characters in the town of Penton, Alabama.

The tale picks up almost immediately where Redemption ended. Mirren Kincaid is a master vampire, known as “the Slayer” due to his previous carnage for the Vampire Tribunal. After a killing he felt wrong about he left that life and is now second in command in Penton. The tribunal has decided they want him back and are determined to have him. They capture Glory Cumming planning to use her to break him. They lock her in his cage after starving him. Glory prepares to die, but instead finds there is more to this man then his thirst. The tale that unfolds is action packed, filled with sexual tension and a romance I found myself rooting for.

I really liked Mirren from the onset of the Penton Legacy series and was delighted to get to know the man behind the tough guy exterior. He is a killer, but with it comes a price and no one is harder on him then the man himself. Dressed in black and rippling with muscle he is completely swoon worthy and it was delightful to watch him fall for Glory. Glory has had a rough life. Descended from a shaman she has abilities she is unable to control. She is fiercely independent, and not at all afraid of Mirren. I loved the interactions between the two of them and how headstrong she was. The romance was cute, edgy, and downright hot. These two quickly get in over their heads and it was so much fun to watch it unfold. We get to see other townsfolk, and learned more about Will and his partner. I am seriously hoping his romance is the next to develop. *hint* There were plenty of evil villains to hate and the tension they created had me turning the pages.

Sandlin’s world is unique and I love the small setting of Penton, Alabama. A vaccine used to stop a virus has made anyone whose had it poison to vampires. This had caused a blood shortage for the vampire world as unvaccinated humans are scarce. Aiden Murphy has built the town of Penton, offering hope to lost, downtrodden humans and vampires. Here they live side by side. They are all bonded to Murphy and in exchange for blood they work together to build a haven. Vampires around the world are looking to the success/failure of Penton. Some members of the tribunal feel threatened by them and will stop at nothing to see Murphy and his town destroyed. Sandlin delivers a plot that is fast paced, with tons of action packed, kick-ass scenes that had my heart racing. She does this while weaving the stories of the townsfolk into the tale bringing it to life. She blurs the lines of reality for me and I get completely lost in the story. The characters are fully developed and we even see growth in them. I cannot wait to go back to Penton.
I want to thank Susannah Sandlin for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer