Ascension
The
Demon Hunters # 1
By: A.S. Fenichel
Releasing October 6th, 2014
Lyrical Press / Kensington
Blurb
When demons threaten London, Lady Belinda
answers the call.
Lord Gabriel Thurston returns
home from war to find his fiancée is not the sweet young girl he left behind.
She’s grown into a mysterious woman who guards her dark secrets well. When he
sees her sneaking away from a ball, he’s convinced it’s for a lover’s
rendezvous. Following her to London’s slums, Gabriel watches in horror as his
fiancée ruthlessly slays a man.
Lady Belinda Carlisle’s only
concern was her dress for the next ball—until demons nearly killed her and
changed everything. A lady by day, and a demon hunter by night, she knows where
her duty lies. Ending her betrothal is the best way to protect Gabriel from
death by a demon’s hand.
Gabriel soon realizes, like
him, Belinda has been fighting for her country. He joins in the fight,
determined to show her that their love can endure, stronger than ever.
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Review- 3.5 Stars
This book
definitely has a unique spin on the world of demon hunters. I can’t recall
every having read one set in Victorian London. That in itself set it apart, but
also, some of the author’s concepts for what the demons are and where they come
from, had little twist to them.
However,
that’s not to say I didn’t run into some clichés. I suppose with this type of
story, they are difficult to avoid. For the most part, I was able to overlook
them.
Gabriel
(can I stop for a minute and just say, that Gabriel is one of the sexiest names
for a guy. Swoon) is everything you could want in a historical romance hero. He
is handsome, courageous, smart, wealthy, titled, and has just enough alpha to make
the passion burn. However, it his kindness, his understanding, devotion, and
complete adoration of Bella mixed with the other qualities that cast him in the
mold of a perfect hero.
Bella,
well, I had a slightly harder time with her. Gabriel had to remind her again
and again and again (and did I mention again?), that he loved her, wanted to
marry her, and accepted her as is. It got a little frustrating after a while.
It was difficult for me to swallow that he had to prove himself to her so much.
As a
couple, the passion was raging and burning up the sheets from every angle. I
loved the cute banter between them and the deep respect they developed for each
other.
The
secondary characters in this novel really make a difference in the reading.
They bring an extra color to the canvas that kept me reading when I hit moments
of frustration with Belinda. Thor is a great supporting character. He is strong
and brave, rough around the edges. Then the next minute he’s blushing. I
enjoyed the dynamic he brought to the story. Reese and Lily are mysteries, and
that alone would often keep my attention on the book, because I was always
looking for clues to unravel their enigmatic backstories.
There was
one aspect of the writing that took me quite a while to get used to. The author
does not often use contractions. It was always “I have,” I do not,” etc. It
could be that the author went with a more “proper” speech pattern because of
the time period. However, as I said, it took some getting used to. After a
while, I stopped noticing it, for the most part.
It is not a
cliffhanger and Bella and Gabriel do seem to get their HEA, but it is clearly
left open to another book.
All in all,
I’d enjoyed the read. I would be open to reading a sequel, especially if it
involved Reese and Lily’s story.
Author Info
A.S.
Fenichel gave up a successful career in New York City to follow her husband to
Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never
looked back.
A.S.
adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a
little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect
escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to
finish a good story.
Multi-published
in erotic paranormal, contemporary and historical romance, A.S. is the author of
the Mayan Destiny series, Christmas Bliss and many more. With several books
currently contracted to multiple publishers, A.S. will be bringing you her
brand of romance for many years to come.
Originally
from New York, she grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in the East Texas with
her real life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing she
enjoys cooking, travel, history, and puttering in her garden.
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