Thursday, October 25, 2012

Absolution Blog Tour, Giveaway and Book Review!



ABSOLUTION
The Penton Legacy, Book 2
By Susannah Sandlin

Release date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Book Description:

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.

A Scottish gallowglass warrior turned vampire in the early 17th century, Mirren Kincaid once served the Tribunal as its 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—or dead.

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?

It’s a town under siege, a powerful warrior in a battle with his past, and one woman who can make the earth move—literally—as the Penton Legacy continues.

Book Excerpt:
What was Matthias thinking, throwing a human woman in the cell with a vampire who’d been locked up and starved for over a month?
Mirren waited on the bench, his back against the wall, his head down. Waited until Matthias climbed the steps, slammed the door, clicked the dead bolt home. Waited until he could get control of the hunger that had begun raging the second the woman stumbled down the stairway. She was unvaccinated, and he wanted nothing more than to take her, blood and body, until there was nothing left.
If he did that, he’d be no better than the version of Mirren Kincaid he’d tried so hard to leave behind. He’d be the Slayer again. His hands could too easily remember the mindless sweep of the sword, the heavy fall of the battle-ax, the controlled back-thrust of a heavy firearm. If the cold darkness ever fell over him again, he feared he’d embrace it.
“Mister, you awake?”
Shit. She would have to be a talker. Mirren hated a talky woman. They always expected you to talk back.
He raised his head slowly and caught his breath. She was young, maybe mid-twenties, and pretty in a rode-hard kind of way.
“Your eyes are silver—I’ve seen enough vampires since I was kidnapped to know when your eyes get lighter, it means you’re hungry. But I’ve never seen any like yours. How long has it been since you ate? Umm…Make that how long since you drank?”
If the stupid woman kept walking toward him, he wouldn’t be held responsible. “Stay where you are.” He narrowed his eyes at her, thinking. How could she help him without sending his need so far over the edge he lost control of it?
She eeked when he shifted on the bench and turned his back toward her. “Untie me.”
She stumbled a little when she reached the bench and sat hard. The woman was stoned out of her gourd. He could smell the drugs on her.
Your wrists are all torn up. That has to hurt.” She sat on the bench behind him, and Mirren breathed in her scent with his eyes closed. Damn, but he wanted to feed so badly his muscles ached.
She muttered as she worked, her drug-addled fingers slipping off the rope. “You’re so big that I’m surprised this rope could hold you. I should be able to…Let’s see here, it’s too dark. Man, this is funky rope.”
“Stop yapping, start untying.” She had that broad, soft Southern accent he found sexy, but she used it way too much.
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” She tugged harder on the ropes, burning his sensitive wrists with each pull. “Sorry, sorry. Why is it burning your skin like that?”
Mirren growled and spoke through gritted teeth. “It’s laced with silver, and I’m a freaking vampire. Just untie me.” Damn, he had to get himself under control, or he’d scare the woman to death and she wouldn’t finish freeing his arms or feed him either one.
“Well, you’ve got the funny eyes, but I don’t see any fangs.”
God help him, he’d show her some fangs. “I said I was a vampire. Now finish untying me.”
Mirren twisted his wrists and felt the rope give way—the woman had gotten it loose enough that he didn’t need her help.
“But wait, how do I know you—”
She gasped as Mirren pulled his wrists apart, popped the rope onto the cell floor, and shifted around to face her.
Can you…?” She paused and swallowed hard, edging away from him on the bench. Mirren’s gaze dropped to her mouth. “Can you feed without killing me?”
Mirren nodded slowly. Maybe. Maybe not.

REDEMPTION
Book One Penton Legacy series
By Susannah Sandlin
Following a worldwide pandemic whose vaccine left human blood deadly to vampires, the vampire community is on the verge of starvation and panic. Some have fanned into rural areas, where the vaccine was less prevalent, and are taking unsuspecting humans as blood slaves. Others are simply starving, which for a vampire is worse than death—a raging hunger in a creature too weak to feed.

Immune to these struggles—at first—is Penton, a tiny community in rural Chambers County, Alabama, an abandoned cotton mill town that has been repopulated by charismatic vampire Aidan Murphy, his scathe of 50 vampires, and their willingly bonded humans. Aidan has recruited his people carefully, believing in a peaceful community where the humans are respected and the vampires retain a bit of their humanity.

But an unresolved family feud and the paranoia of the Vampire Tribunal descend on Penton in the form of Aidan’s brother, Owen Murphy. Owen has been issued a death warrant that can only be commuted if he destroys Penton—and Aidan, against whom he’s held a grudge since both were turned vampire in 17th-century Ireland.  Owen begins a systematic attack on the town, first killing its doctor, then attacking one of Aidan’s own human familiars

To protect his people, Aidan is forced to go against his principles and kidnap an unvaccinated human doctor—and finds himself falling in love for the first time since the death of his wife in Ireland centuries ago. 

Dr. Krystal Harris, forced into a world she never knew existed, must face up to her own abusive past to learn if the feelings she’s developing for her kidnapper are real—or just a warped, supernatural kind of Stockholm Syndrome in which she’s allowing herself to become a victim yet again.

Susannah Sandlin’s REDEMPTION is the first in the Penton Legacy series. Book two, ABSOLUTION, will be out September 18, and book three, OMEGA, on December 18.




About the Author:

Susannah Sandlin is the author of paranormal romance set in the Deep South, where there are always things that go bump in the night.

A journalist by day, Susannah grew up in Alabama reading the gothic novels of Susan Howatch and the horror fantasy of Stephen King. (Um…it is fantasy, right?)

The combination of Howatch and King probably explains a lot. Currently a resident of Auburn, Alabama, Susannah has also lived in Illinois, Texas, California, and Louisiana.





My Thoughts and Review:
 
I really loved Mirren in the first book of the Penton Legacy, Redemption, so I was excited to see that the second book was going to be all about the tall, dark and mysterious vamp.

A book all about The Slayer? His past, his secrets, everything? Bring it on. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to uncover all those deep dark secrets and see what made this bad boy turned good tick.

I knew this book was going to be good but I had no idea it was going to be this good. I seriously loved it!

Glory was so perfect for Mirren. I adored her in all her stubborn feisty and sometimes foolish ways. She was exactly what he needed and I had to love her for that alone, let alone all her other traits that I loved too.

And I was so right about Mirren, the big teddy bear. I knew his story was going to be a good one. I knew he was damaged but of course, I didn't know how damaged he was.

I think after reading this one, I love him even more. He is definitely the ultimate bad boy with a heart of gold I love reading about.

I so love that we got all of my favorites from the first book too. Mark and Melissa, Aidan and Kyrs and Will and Hannah and even a couple of new faces as well.

I loved watching Mirren's relationship with his friends and the people of Penton. I had to giggle every time he called Aidan a pigheaded Irish farmer. It was so much fun seeing him open him self up a little more as each chapter went and really becoming the man that he wanted to be. I felt sort of proud for him and his growth.

There were so sad moments in this one, much like the first, where a loved character didn't make it. I won't give anything away but I will say that their death about broke my heart. I truly want to see Matthias get what is due him.

And can I talk about Will? I know there is a great story there as well and I really hope the next book is about him and a certain firey vamp that I will not name. I would love to see that happen.

This one deserves no less than 5 Stars!



Tour Wide Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway



23 comments:

  1. I love this series, too. Love it! Mirren is my kind of guy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. it's sure Mirren could not have suffered a weak woman ^^ and he was so surpried by Glory ^^


    great review

    ReplyDelete
  3. This really is a fun series. I just found out that Will's story is next so I am so excited about that too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Will's story is next? Yay! I'm loving this series SO much! I can hardly wait!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glory has become my second favorite character, right after D.J. from Suzanne's Sentinels of New Orleans series.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rissatoo, yep, I can't wait!!

    Roger, I haven't read her other series, I really should though. I bet it is as great as this one is.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bad boy turned good? Oh that sounds like a win!
    This sounds like a series I might really like! Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Susannah, I have seen where you have this series either in print or Kindle. I was wondering if it will be offered for Nook Tablets? If not, then I will order them in print.
    Happy reading and writing*
    Teresa
    tess102063@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love these blog stops! And I soo can't wait to read these books! Thank you for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow five stars...and a vampire slayer...worth checking out. I have not heard of this series so now I am curious. Off to do some googling!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Can't wait to read this! Thank you for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Really looking forward to this one!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great giveaway, gimme, gimme, more. Thank you for the review, excellent as always.

    ReplyDelete
  14. thanks for a great post and giveaway! I'm dyiing to read this series :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. First, thanks to Kindlemom for the awesome review--I am truly grateful! (You made Mirren a very happy vampire!)

    Thanks, everyone, for the great comments.

    Teresa: Re: the Nook. Unfortunately, my publisher, Montlake, is owned by Amazon so B&N will not make the books available for Nook. They sell the print books online at bn.com but will not carry them in their stores. So I don't foresee the series being available for Nook, unfortunately.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a wonderful giveaway! I think I'd really like this series! Gonna put it on my TBR~<3

    ReplyDelete
  17. wow...ur giveaway is awesome...
    i hope i win one of them :)
    thx u so much...

    ReplyDelete
  18. This series is new to me but sounds great! Vampire Tribunal! Mirren sounds like a great characters abandoning the tribunal when he is assigned a questionable killing. Sounds exciting! Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This series is new to me, but I really want to read Redemption, what an interesting concept! Where would vampires go if they couldn't have human blood, it's all nice and well to say that they can get along with their food source, but what about when it is scarce . . .

    Okay, I need to go find this book now :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for the great review. Can't wait to start this series.
    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for the giveaway. This series sounds very interesting

    ReplyDelete