Ascension ( The world of Ascension 1) by Caris Roane

Hello to all,

   By this freezing day- minus ten- i will share with you a paranormal romance quite steamy.  Now to be honest i hadn't planned to post this today, normally you were going to have another one before earlier this week however i had an emergency with my dog- 3 injections later his fever is completely down and he is back jumping around, thanks god!. I was really afraid and that put my blood pressure in havoc.

And before i saw it , we were already friday ...that means Vampires Friday  so change of plan and i will introduce you to the first book of a paranormal romance about vampires^^;; quite differents from those i was used too. Here comes Ascension by Caris Roane.

Happy Reading!

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks

Publication: 2011

ISBN:  0312533713

Genre: paranormal romance
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: strong
Public: 18+

Source: won
 

Short description from goodreads :

 Alison Wells is no ordinary woman. Born with supernatural powers, she can never make love to a man without putting him in grave danger. But when her special vision reveals a glorious muscled man soaring overhead on mighty wings, she feels an overwhelming attraction she cannot resist—even as he tells her: "I have come for you. Your blood belongs to me."

Kerrick is a vampire and a warrior who has fought his hunger for a woman's love for the past two hundred years. As a Guardian of Ascension, he is sworn to protect Alison from the death vamp armies who crave her blood and her power. But Kerrick has cravings of his own—a forbidden longing to open his heart and veins to Alison. To share his blood…satisfy his thirst…and seal their fates forever.

Ascension is the first in Caris Roane's paranormal romance series that Romantic Times calls "a series with epic potential."

My opinion:

          Love it! It’s original and I love the winged vampires ^^ even better they are wearing leather kilts -vampires, kind of highlanders mixed together with a touch of feather impossible to resist- I had to discover this series and I’m so happy with this first book that  I can’t wait to start the next one.

Caris Roane created a universe complex, made of different worlds, with his own history and terminology but she managed to make the reader fall in without difficulty – and in the case you doubt a term we got a list at the end of the books to revise the terminology. The different dimensions are really distinct and still really similar. Ascension is the dimension above our own.
For her Vampires are not exactly a different specie but a evolution, human with supernatural power are called to ascend in the upper dimension where they get immortality , if not decapitated, fangs and even later wings! They keep the powers they had as human but get better senses and some other improvement.  Once ascended they must obey the administrator, supreme administrator even, Endelle who gives the ascender a role, a job  on this dimension depending on his/her power, personality and such. Endelle is the big boss but even she has rules she must obey: she can interfere directly, once the ritual is accomplished the ascender is protected , etc. The administration is a hierarchy but in hope to protect those loyal to her, she accepted that the Compass- kind of committee, tribunal- judge the violation of some rules to which she and her nemesis- the commander Darian- agree upon. Now some of the Compass ‘members are corrupted and some violations are left without consequences.

For years Darian got the upper hand, creating death vampires- vampires addicted to dying blood-to sent to fight endelle force: the warriors of blood and the militia. When they receive the call to ascend the human must make a choice: he can answer the call or not, if he answer he must choose a side either loyal to Endelle or to the commander and recently more and more choose the bad side. Darian want to dominate all dimensions and for that he doesn’t hesitate to break the rules, kill innocent and those who while ascending choose the other side.

 Turning the Compass to his side was part of his tactic and Endelle after more than 9 millennia of shouldering all the responsibility is starting lose faith.

Kerrick is one of those Warriors of blood, loyal to Endelle best of their kind. However like the other members of his brotherhood, he has suffered a lot already for the cause. One thousand year of seeing atrocity and losing twice his wife to the death vampires as well as seeing his last two children killed too starts to wear him down.

2 hundred years later he is still bearing the guilt for their death and he decided not to marry ever again, he took vows because he doesn’t want to fail someone again. He knows, like all his “brothers, that their wife, lovers, children are great target for the commander despite the rules and laws so they are alone, fighting for their world.

Alison is a psychiatrist, but under this normal occupation she isn’t an ordinary woman. Since birth, she deployed special abilities like empathy, telepathy, telekinesis and instant transport. She learned to control them, to hide them but while in the throw of passion, her control slips and in the past she nearly killed her boyfriend. Since then, she decided to forget her dream to have a family like her sister and stayed alone. But it’s becoming harder and harder for her even more now that she learned her sister was pregnant again.

When she confronted to a death vampire, and seeing despite the protection put but the warrior she is surprised to learn he wants her blood and that he knows her name. But at the same time A gorgeous man arrive to protect her, winged and wearing a black leather kilt he is surprised to see her powers and she is irremediably attracted to him. Being able to enter his mind, she learns she can trust him and creates a link without knowing. His scent drives her mad but the opposite is also true.

Kerrick discovers that the scent of lavender that make him loose his mind is emitting from the woman, Alison, he is charged to protect. Troubled he recognises a mating ritual so rare that is believed to be a myth: the “breh-hedden.“ The laver scent make him doubt his vows since the attraction is so strong and reciprocal but Alison is also holding back, afraid to hurt him or kill him if she were to give in and love him.

Together they must find a way to trust themselves because Alison level of power is unknown of and since she refused to join him Darian wants her death no matter the price. Alison must learn and quickly while Kerrick must accept his fate and make peace with his path.

I love it. The group of Warriors is so diversified; Jeannie is reliable and so funny joking with the big warriors like they were little boys. I was felt they really needed Alison because after fighting so long without interruption they really need a therapy, the one who needs it the most is Endelle with her strange taste of cloths and her mood equalling a volcano.  I will be happy to reach book 2 as soon as I get my hand on it, because it will be about Havily and Marcus, that promises to be fun.

It’s a great paranormal romance with part of mystery, intrigues and lots of steamy scenes: perfect for those above 18 who love this kind of book!

Score:  5/5

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and no compensation was received in exchange for this review

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