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Saturday 20 June 2015

{Blog Tour} Marked for Death ((Inherited Damnation #8) by Claire Ashgrove

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. 

All volumes – Cursed to Kill, Tormented by Darkness, Destined to Die, Bound by Blood, Fated for Sacrifice, Doomed by Torment and Marked for Death are available now!

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

13516209Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: June 20th, 2015
Finished Date: 
Publishers: Untamed Spirit
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Adult
Source: For Review
Format: eBook
Buy: Amazon UK Amazon US 

Taran McLaine knows the agony of his incubus father's curse more intimately than his siblings. A century ago he murdered the only woman he ever loved. When he finds her alive, he's faced with the ultimate heartbreak. They have no chance at a future--he's done all he can to insure that on his day of judgment the ancestors will deny him a mortal life.

Years ago, Solene Larouche embraced Taran and the dark curse that cloaked him. She knew the risk she faced, but when Drandar pulls her back to life, she agrees to aid the demon and damn Taran to eternal suffering. One look at the man who held her heart so long ago, however, changes her mind. She must find a way to free him, even if it means condemning herself to eternity as Drandar's slave.

As Samhain approaches, Solene and Taran conspire to destroy Drandar. But will their combined effort enable them to kill the incubus or will they be cast into Drandar's own special Hell and all hope of their renewed love marked for death?

The Review: Marked for Death is the finale of the Inherited Damnation series and it was truly heart-warming.
The series is about 8 siblings who have been cursed because of their parentage – their mother Nyammah was a Celtic Priestess who became involved with Drandar an evil demon Incubus, who used her to breed with so that he could murder and steal their childrens’ power. He eventually murders their mother but not before she has spirited away 8 of the children…. but the children are cursed to live an immortal life, one where if they fall in love their dark halves will urge them to kill their beloved. However, if they find their soul mate, resist the pull to murder them and carry out a sacred ritual that will dole out damage to their evil sire… their immortal lives will be judged and if they have kept the balance between their light and dark halves – they will be rewarded with mortality and the love they gave it all up for.
In this final book we meet Taran McLaine who is perhaps the darkest of all because he did the unthinkable and murdered the love of his life a century ago, he knows there will be no redemption for him and that he will join his father. He is taken aback when he sees Solene Larouche again, how can this be that a century later, she lives? Solene has been brought back by Drandar, he wants her to help him in damning Taran and she agrees- that is until she sees him again. Knowing she can’t go through with it, she sees his torment and decides he needs to be freed so she calls in reinforcements to hopefully destroy Drandar once and for all….. but if she does, she damns herself to become the mother of Drandar’s next brood and if she doesn’t, it means Taran will die. Can they find a way to be free, to love each other again?
I have to say that this is definitely one of the stand outs of the series and just like Brigid, Taran isn’t all he appears to be. It’s a fact that parents can mess up their children and it’s never been clearer here. Taran has always been touted as the darkest of the siblings, one who embraced the darker nature and rejected his light side but we find that there is a reason for that and it’s all to do with Solene. Taran hasn’t ever really swayed one particular way, he hates both parents equally and felt abandoned by both – but of course it’s not all cut and dried and Taran has some soul searching to do. Solene was a great match for him and I really felt for their situation, at first she was all in to hurt Taran but then she realises what it has done to him so chooses to save him instead. The love they shared was very sweet and there seemed desperation to it like every minute was to be cherished because it was all going to end soon.
At the heart of this series are eight siblings, a family and that dynamic was broken because of how they chose to live their lives. Each book has been about them finding love and redemption which I love, but what I loved about this is that it gave the family a way to mend also and that is what warmed my heart. How easy is it to fall out with your brothers or sisters and be too stubborn to heal the rift? I know I’ve done it and because of Taran’s deeds, his siblings feel that way. So, it not only becomes a question of will they defeat Drandar but it also asks what the family is willing to do for one who has wronged most of them, will they come through and be there for him? Does he dare to hope when everything points to his demise?
There are a couple of little twists in this because let’s face it, everyone is desperate and Drandar isn’t as stupid as he seems. I really felt for Taran because even his evil sire wanted to see his demise, he had no hope either so he needed to be built back up again and there was only one person who could do that besides Solene, so it will come right down to the wire to see if all of them will come together to defeat evil, where you’re hoping and praying for the ultimate happy ever after for McLaine siblings so they can finally be free of their sires evil influence.
I have really enjoyed the series as a whole and it has been a solid four stars all of the way through. I have loved the characters and their history, their soul mates and how they love unconditionally, the fight between light and dark within, the Celtic magic and rites pertaining to the solstices, the battle of Nyammah and Drandar for their childrens’ lives and of course the romance and sexytime. I’d definitely recommend it!
Name:  Solène Larouche
Age:  Ageless
Hair: Waist-length ebony 
Eyes: vivid green
Alignment:  Mortal
Profession:  Owner of, Serenity, a magical shop in Paris, France
Personal Hope:  That she can save Taran’s soul
Secret Fear:  She cannot save him before Drandar enslaves her

He hesitated. His glance crept to the door, inched back to her. The curling of one hand accompanied the brief pinch of his mouth before he huffed a sigh. “There are two ways this will end, Solène. I promise both.”

A shiver wafted down her spine. Death and pleasure—he didn’t trust himself with the former. The latter neither could control. They were too much a part of each other. The years between them, too many. She tightened her grip on the smooth wood beneath her palms. “The door is open. You won’t kill me tonight, Taran.” She knew one way to pacify the darkness in his soul and insure he couldn’t.

Name: Taran McLaine, youngest McLaine sibling 
Birthdate: Samhain, 186BC
Hair: Waist-length jet black
Eyes: silver
Alignment: Allied with Drandar, her father, incubus demon
Profession: Wanderer
Unique Feature: Scrollwork tattoos on forearms
Closest Sibling: Brigid
Greatest Weakness: His love for Solene and sense of abandonment

One hundred years, and he was once again where he had only ever belonged.

Solène broke the silence first. Her fingers tightened against the back of his palm, and her voice rasped like sandpaper in the quiet. “I have missed you too.”

The gentle sentiment snapped Taran out of his stupor. He jerked his hand away. “You are a fool then.

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.comFor all the latest updates look for the Untamed Spirit blog, via any of her websites.

2 comments:

Suzi Q, The Book Dame said...

I haven't read this series. In fact, I am not sure that I have seen it before now, and this is a finale! Thank you for your review. I like to read a series after it is complete.

Melanie Hall said...

Well, she will be releasing a kindle bundle of all 8 books soon so you may want to hang on for that ;)

 
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