{Blog Tour} Bound by Blood (Inherited Damnation #4) 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 four volumes – Cursed to Kill, Tormented by Darkness, Destined to Die and Bound by Blood are available now!

Keep up with all things Inherited Damnation over on the Inherited Damnation Facebook page!

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: March 11th, 2015
Finished Date: March 6th, 2015

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

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

Beth Whitley has finally put her life back together after her husband’s betrayal and is determined to piece together the clues to her past. But she never imagines an ancient scroll bearing the name of a Celtic ancestor will plunge her into a world of demonic ritual. Nor does she suspect that a kiss shared with genealogist Fintan McClaine will unveil the secrets of her dreams and a burning desire.

Fintan McClaine wants freedom from the dark curse he’s suffered for centuries. When Beth arrives with evidence that she shares ancestral ties with his Selgovae Celt tribe, he must confront the truth of his inherited damnation. As he struggles to convince Beth the truth within her dreams, she awakens a dangerous and forbidden yearning in his heart.

To save them both, Fintan must convince Beth to believe in herself and her ability to overpower his unholy sire. If he fails, he will remain an eternal slave to his tainted blood and lose Beth forever.

Book #5, Fated for Sacrifice, will be coming on 4/21/15. Keep your eye out…

The Review:  This time around we have Fintan McLaine and his chance to break the curse through Beth Whitley. As we find out, Beth has just found the script that shows she could break the curse but assumes it is part of her ancestry and who better to turn to than Fintan for some help in uncovering hers. The script isn’t the only thing that Beth needs though, she also has dreams… dreams in which she sees a ritual being performed, a horrific sacrifice and it all seems so real.
Fintan is glad to have Beth in his home once more, he has held a candle for her for a while and although he is happy to see her taking control of her life again – he isn’t impressed that some of talents are being wasted. Imagine his surprise when Beth turns up carrying part of his mother’s script and the key to unlocking his curse. He is even more taken aback by Beth’s dreams and the information she should have never known, it becomes clear that she has ancestors from his tribe but convincing her it was real and that he was part of that will be trickier than her thought. With the countdown to his birthday and a sister who is determined her sire will come to no more harm, Fintan has his work cut out for him.

I enjoyed the fourth instalment of the series and I liked how we delved more into the fateful night when all of the McLaines were cursed. Fintan and Beth are both interesting characters and it was easy to feel their connection. I liked that Fintan and Beth both knew each other beforehand because it gives them a history and they had already been bonded by friendship.  Fintan knew who Beth really was deep inside no matter what she tried to put across and really wanted her to follow her passion but Beth had a problem with letting go after living her life for others for so long. Beth is a pleaser and tried to please those around her but could be herself around Fintan and think of possibilities for the future….. with him maybe. Both are shocked at Beth finding the script although it takes a while for Fintan to confess what it is.
 I really enjoyed how Beth tied into this story, so far in the series we have the matches being made with random people but this match felt more destined than the others and that is because of Beth’s ties to the Selgovae tribe. The dreams she was having were really graphic and horrid but they gave a great insight into what happened the night that the 8 children were cursed and what his father was capable of. It also gave us a glimpse into his mother’s final moments and how the children escaped seeing it through another tribe members eyes. Beth’s ancestor turned out to be someone very important and I like to think that Beth will be powerful in some way.
Throughout the book there is always a feeling that something is going to happen because Fintan’s sister Brigid is determined that her Sire will not receive more damage and decides to hang around to ensure that doesn’t happen. She was a constant threat throughout the book and we do get to see some of her deviousness – I’m looking forward to seeing how she will fare when her turn comes. Through all of the discoveries, confessions and romance we head towards an awesome climax and I loved that, another fight ensued with Drandar and someone is going to pay a price…. But who?
I’m looking forward to the next book in this very enjoyable series. 

Character Profiles:

Name:  Fintan McLaine, 
Birthdate:  Imbolc, 194BC
Hair: Long, brown
Eyes: Grey-as-steel
Alignment: Allied with Nyamah, his mother, High Priestess of the Selgovae Celt tribe 
Magical Strength:  Offensive elemental powers
Profession:  Revered historian; expert on ancient Celt tribes
Unique Feature:  Tattoo of intricate Celt scrollwork at the base of his spine
Closest Sibling:  Isolde McLaine
Greatest Weakness:  A never-ending thirst for knowledge

The chair creaked as she rose to her feet. A heartbeat later, her fingertip traced over the leftmost side of his tattoo. “And this…dagger…protects you.”

He bowed his head and let out an unsteady breath. Time passed at a crawl with Beth trailing her finger over the intricate loops and swirls, each feather-light touch churning the desire that simmered in his veins. He couldn’t move, could scarcely think, her accuracy so affected him. All he knew was she understood. She recognized the ancient markings his mother had placed on his back, and had placed on all his other siblings, to protect them from their sire until they were old enough to do so themselves.

Name:  Beth Whitley

Age:  Thirty

Hair: waist-length brown with red and blond highlights

Eyes: amber

Alignment:  Mortal

Profession:  Attorney

Personal Hope:  To find herself

Greatest Regret:  She’s always been what everyone else wants her to be

Secret Fear:  She will never achieve her dreams and hopes

  

It was far easier to comprehend the way Fintan’s wind-blown hair called to her fingers, beckoning them to push it aside so it couldn’t hide the sensual upturn of his incredibly warm mouth. Far easier to understand the simplicity of desire and the fact she very much wanted to experience that delicious mouth once more.

Changing the subject, she flattened her palm against his muscular thigh. “If you aren’t going to look at the scroll with me, instead of speculating about my past why don’t you go with the tangible?”

Head cocked, he peered at her quizzically.

“There was a lot of tangible earlier.” She ran her hand down the length of his thigh, savoring the feel of firm hard muscles beneath denim. “Kiss me, Fintan.”

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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