Redemption by Erica Hayes – a Review

Redemption by Erica Hayes – a Review

Redemption

Links to order Redemption: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository / Kobo

Redemption by Erica Hayes is the second book in her Seven Signs series.  Below is a description of the series.

Description:
Japheth the Tainted is on the hunt for a mysterious demon vampire. But meeting her face-to-face might disarm his warrior spirit—and spark an unquenchable passion with apocalyptic consequences.

As a fallen angel, Japheth is determined to make his way back to heaven by staying pure and slaying hellspawn. With a new scourge of vampires unleashed by a blood-drinking demon, the Prince of Thirst, there’s plenty to be done. But Japheth is after one vampire in particular—the one they call the Angel Slayer.

Rose Harley never wanted to be a vampire, but the Prince of Thirst can turn even the kindest soul into a soldier of hell. Feeling abandoned by God, she stalks the West Village taking revenge on his angels—until she meets her match.

When Japheth and Rose encounter each other, the battle is fierce and charged with desire. But when they discover a common enemy—the Prince of Thirst himself—they form a dangerous alliance that could either cost them their eternal lives, or spark a love more powerful than heaven or hell

Review:

Redemption picks up not too long after Revelation ended.  This book belongs to Tainted Angel, Japheth, and our heroine in this story, Rose Harley.   Japheth is desperate to be accepted back into Heaven, as he has no idea why he was marked as tainted by Michael, the Archangel, thousands of years ago.  He fights demons with a vengeance, and has remained pure for all those years, so that he can prove himself. 

But then Japheth meets the Angel Slayer, a female vampire, who despite his hatred of vampires, begins to feel things he hasn’t felt since before he became tainted.  Rose Harley, is the Angel Slayer, sired by the demon Fluvium, who is the Prince of Thirst, and a very vicious villain.  Rose has been slaying Angels, to please Fluvium, and keep herself out of Hell.  When she and Japheth come across each other in battle, both feel the connection, which they both break away.  Japheth  later looks for Rose, and she is determined to bring Japheth to Fluvium, to save herself. 

Both are very angry and disturbed individuals, and they both fight the attraction, which is truly a bad idea, as he is a tainted Angel, and she is forbidden as a vampire. But Japheth temporarily marks her, to help him find Fluvium, who has one of the seven vials, that will be used to destroy humans.  Needless to say, over time the attraction gets stronger between them, and it is this that will make each of them privately try to save the other from sure death. 

There are so many twists at the end, and to avoid spoilers, I will say it was a very exciting and wild ending.  The story of Japheth and Rose was different then the first book, both were very violent, and despite their growing feelings, they treated each other badly for the most part.  Again, it is because of their desperation and dark lives, as they had forgotten how to have love, respect and kindness.  It was a nice but slow moving romance, but very dark.  I liked seeing them together, trying to help each other, but then came the darkness to take that away.  This was a good, and at many times a dark sad story of two lovers fighting the odds of bringing them together. 

As I said before, the ending was wild, exciting, and totally shocking.  Erica Hayes is a great storyteller, in a dark urban fantasy world. She also did a great job intermingling some of the other characters into a big secondary part of the story, that will surely continue in the next book.  I am now totally hooked as to what will happen to Jazia and Shax, as Hayes has created so many twists at the end.  I have to say though, I totally hate Michael in this series. Redemption was more of a dark story, with lots of action, violence, demons, and romance to lighten some of the dark.   I for one can’t to see how this will turn out.   

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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REDEMPTION (Hearts of Stone #1) by Veronique Launier

REDEMPTION (Hearts of Stone #1) by Veronique Launier

REDEMPTION (Hearts of Stone #1) by Veronique Launier

BLURB: Guillaume: For five hundred years I’ve existed as a gargoyle. Perched atop an old Montreal church, I’ve watched idly as humanity wanders by. With the witch Marguerite gone, there is no one left to protect, nothing to care about. I never planned to feel again. But then a girl released me from my stone restraints, allowing me to return as a seventeen-year-old human boy. I must find out all I can about this girl’s power . . .

REDEMPTION is the first storyline (September 8, 2012 release) in Veronique Launier’s new YA Hearts of Stone series-Four gargoyles whose life essences have been frozen for 500 years in stone only to be released from their prisons by a young woman with power that even she is not aware. Aude Vanier is a 16year old girl still in high school hoping to make it big with her band the Lucid Pill and while her friends Patrick and Lucy continue to brush her off, Aude soon realizes that something is different than it was the night before. Danger seems to follow Aude wherever she goes. The world is changing and Aude is at the center of it all.

Escape was her only option as Aude Vanier found herself on the run, in the streets of Montreal from a group of strangers she never knew. And the beautiful and haunting Native drums and chanting only intensified her need to escape. And the mysterious voices in her head led her to believe she had been hallucinating the entire event. But a second attack in less than two days has her senses on alert when she is told that she can force the prophecy-The Prophecy of the Seventh Generation.

Guillaume De Rouen and his ‘brothers’ (Garnier, Vincent and Antoine) were free but Guillaume’s curiosity meant he needed to find the young girl as soon as possible and Antoine’s concern meant shelter and money. Their recent release following 70 years of captivity was fraught with anxiety and stress, which lent to personal attacks and mistrust. With no one to protect-no witch to guard-their lives were without purpose and power. To survive in the present they would need to find an Essentialist to help replenish their essence but not knowing where to look would put the friends in a fight for survival.

Guillaume’s quest to learn more about Aude will figure prominently throughout the story. Her power and ability to chant and call the drums is something that concerns them both. But Aude’s visit to a Native Shaman would reveal more to Guillaume then he could ever had imagined-A connection to the past- a connection to the witch. But when a sudden gig for Lucid Pill is next on the horizon for Aude, Guillaume is sure that it is one of the many omens and warnings that are currently following Aude. An ancient Gargoyle is looking for Aude and Aude will soon discover that she is not quite human.

Following the revelation about her familiar roots, Aude continues to encounter varying ominous warnings. But when Guillaume finds Aude beaten and near death, he blames himself for not protecting the young woman with whom he has fallen in love. And Aude believes that his love has been misplaced for another. Aude needs the Gargoyle’s protection as much as they need her to survive. Only Aude will find herself the unwilling sacrifice that heralds the prophecy’s foretelling and one of their friends will die.

Throughout the novel there is told a story-a history of the DeRouen family- of Alice and Mary, of Marguerite and the love that she shared with Garnier and Guillaume 70 years before. Of the curse and the essence and the gargoyles of stone, and how they had come to be over 800 years ago. The history of the witch and the gargoyle and their symbiotic relationship is the premise of the storyline told.

REDEMPTION is an interesting novel. As the first storyline in the Hearts of Stone series the copious amount of background information is almost overwhelming. A family of gargoyles hoping to find their familiars is interwoven with native lore and fables. The relationship between Aude and Guillaume starts out of necessity for one, but by the end of the book, there is love for both. And Aude’s link to the gargoyles will be as close as blood when a familial connection is revealed.

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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