{Blog Tour} Tormented by Darkness (Inherited Damnation #2) by Claire Ashgrove

INHERITED DAMNATION INHERITED DAMNATION is an 8 book paranormal romance series being released as one book every three weeks between January 27th and June 23rd, 2015. Damned at birth, eight immortal children of a high priestess are compelled to kill the one that holds their heart. They can never fall in love. Driven by the need to finally destroy their evil sire and break the curse, each struggles to balance their desire for innocence against the dark needs of their conflicted souls. The series contains mythos shared between the volumes, but each book stands on its own with a newly featured couple. The first volume, Cursed to Kill, is available now!

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: February 9th 2015
Finished Date: February 13th, 2015

Publishers: Untamed Spirit
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Adult
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Cursed by her incubus father centuries ago, the last thing Rhiannon McLaine wants is to fall in love.

The night she delivers flowers to detective Mick Farrell, however, everything changes. Deep-seated attraction flares into untamed passion. In the morning, Rhiannon awakens to find she’s lost her heart. Now, unless she can convince Mick of her secret past, she’s destined to take his life.

When Rhiannon asks Mick to go camping with her, instinct warns him to refuse. Though he hungers for her love and the goodness she represents, he’ll do anything to keep her from discovering the darkness within his soul. Yet a weekend in the woods is the perfect place to indulge in temporary desire…until he finds himself bound against his will.

Surrounded by ancient Celtic rites and magic, can Mick see beyond Rhiannon’s duplicity and recognize her love? Or will the revelation of her true demonic nature doom Rhiannon to a mortal life alone?

The Review: Tormented by Darkness is the second book in the Inherited Damnation series….
This time around it is Rhiannon who gets a chance to break the curse that affects her and her siblings. Rhiannon has always lusted after the local detective Mick Farrell but he has a different woman every week – she would know because he comes to her for their flowers a lot – but when she receives his latest call for flowers, they’re not for any lady but for the funeral of his loved one. Mick is struggling with his grief and when Rhiannon delivers the last minute flowers he needed, she also brings a calming effect to him that he needs right now and knowing what the evening will be he asks her to stay for the service in a supportive way…. But when she’s still there in the morning, she finds that not only have her feelings for him burgeoned overnight but the need to kill him has also reared its head. Mick only wants casual and Rhiannon tells herself that that’s all it will be but Rhiannon’s goodness appeals to him, she makes him want things he doesn’t deserve.
After finding her mother’s writings in Mick’s possession and the spell to break her curse she needs Mick to go camping with her so that it can be completed on the sabot but will he help her once he finds out who she really is?
I really enjoyed this instalment of the Inherited Damnation series, it had a little bit of everything I love about Pnr.
We had met Rhiannon in book one and she came across as a good person who tried to triumph over her dark side and find out that that is exactly what she is about. She wants to see her evil father destroyed and the darkness banished from her soul but has pretty much lost hope until now when the spell she needs is uncovered. Mick is a detective and he struggles with a darker side too, with all of the evil he sees in the world, he finds it hard to see goodness and has the urge to dole out his own kind of justice. It’s a daily struggle for him and the only way he gets relief is through other emotions, any emotion except to love, he feels he is unworthy of being loved and loving in return…. But he doesn’t bank on Rhiannon. Even though they have always noticed each other, they never acted on it until they come together through the saddest of events. Both struggle with their emotions and think that it is merely casual but we all know how those type of assumptions work out don’t we? They certainly steamed up a good few pages with sexytime and I was routing for them to be together because it was plain to see how much they needed each other.
The storyline follows much the same formula as book one – man & woman meet, connect, find the spell, danger comes and then the judgement but whilst it follows the same pattern…. The getting there is different. This time the story seems more sombre because of Mick dealing with his grief, they both connect over losing someone and the only happiness they have at the moment is in each others arms. Both are battling demons and must overcome them if they expect things to go anywhere. There isn’t as much action in this as the previous book but to be honest, it didn’t really need it because of the tone of the book, although a certain someone does make an appearance to add the element of danger. I was satisfied with the ending but I would like to know how this is affecting the enemy too, what is each spell doing to him when the curses are broken? Is he threatening the others before their soul mate arrives? I know I will definitely be reading more to find out! 

Character Profiles:

Name:  Mick Farrell

Age:  Thirty-two

Hair: Black

Eyes: Fathomlessly dark

Alignment:  Mortal

Profession:  Homicide Detective

Personal Hope:  To find, and know, innocence again

Greatest Regret:  Too little time spent with his recently deceased stepfather

Secret Fear:  Things he’s done and seen in the line of duty have darkened his soul beyond repair

A shudder surged down Mick’s spine. Invitation—he should step away now. Nothing good could come of this. Nothing that wouldn’t tarnish all the goodness that drew him to her with the unrelenting power of a siren’s call.

Instead, he grazed the thick vein along the side of her neck with his teeth. “You’re so alive. I need that, need you.”

Name:  Rhiannon McLaine,

Birthdate:  Mabon, 189BC

Hair: Waist-length Auburn

Eyes: Cerulean blue

Alignment:  Neutral; both positive and negative influences

Magical Strength:  Healing.

Profession:  Owner of the flower shop, Rhiannon’s Creations

Unique Feature:  Intricate tattoos across nose and cheekbones

Closest Sibling:  Near-twin to Dáire McLaine

Greatest Weakness:  The pain of others, physical and emotional

The sight of his disorganized state spoke to the chaotic nature of his emotions, and sympathy grabbed her in a chokehold. The way he gazed at his stepfather’s sealed remains clawed at her heart. Death had never really affected her. Maybe because she’d become immune after dozens of centuries of loss. Maybe because she had brought death upon others periodically throughout her lifetime. Whatever the reason, she couldn’t say, but the sight of Mick’s obvious grief lanced through her like knives. 

About the Author: Building on a background of fantasy game design, a fascination with history, and a lifetime love of books, Award-Winning Author Claire Ashgrove brings to life action-filled, passionate journeys of the heart. Her paranormal series, The Curse of the Templars, marries the history of the Knights Templar with the chilling aspirations of the most unholy--a must-read for speculative fiction fans. For romance fans, she also writes as the National Bestselling Author Tori St. Claire and historical romance as Sophia Garrett.
 In her non-writing time, she owns and operates Finish The Story, a full-scale editing house co-founded with Bryan Thomas Schmidt. She lives in Missouri and enjoys cooking, studying ancient civilizations, and spending downtime with her two sons and too-many horses, cats, and dogs. To learn more, visit her at: claireashgrove.com or toristclaire.com. For all the latest updates look for the Untamed Spirit blog, via any of her websites.

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