Today is the release of the long awaited new instalment in the Penton Legacy series which i love as you know it ( reviews for precedent books can be found here: Redemption, Absolution, Omega): Allegiance.
It focus is on Cage who was still a mystery at the end of Omega but had a lot of fans already^^, even better we get to see some characters from "Storm Force" which is fabulous and add a lot of humour.
Thus i couldn't forget to share the news and my opinion on the story ( thanks Susannah/ Suzanne for the early ARC) but that's not all....i'm sharing this with you ( between the numerous storms) because since it's the release day you could win!! If you are on facebook a big party is taking place this evening with a lot of authors so gifts cards and books will be given as prizes and you don't want to miss that. All info can be found here ( if you are not on facebook don't worry the Suzanne has a blog tour with international prize and will have something on her blog too)
Now let go back to the essential: Allegiance!
Happy Reading
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publication: 2014
ISBN: 147782331X
Genre: paranormal romance
Violence: strong
Language: normal
sex: strong
Public: 18+
Source: ARC from the authorLanguage: normal
sex: strong
Public: 18+
From award-winning author Susannah Sandlin comes the fourth book in the smart and steamy Penton Legacy series.
British vampire psychiatrist and former mercenary Cage Reynolds returns to Penton, Alabama, looking for a permanent home. The town has been ravaged by the ongoing vampire war and the shortage of untainted human blood, and now the vampires and humans that make up the Omega Force are trying to rebuild. Cage hopes to help the cause, put down roots in Penton, and resolve his relationship with Melissa Calvert. The last thing he expects is an attraction to Robin Ashton, a trash-talking eagle shape-shifter and new Omega recruit.
Meanwhile, as a dangerous saboteur wreaks havoc in Penton, the ruthless Vampire Tribunal leader Matthias Ludlam has been freed on the eve of his scheduled execution. But by whom? And to what end? As war and chaos rage on, love is the last thing Cage is looking for, but will his attraction to Robin distract him from the danger living among them?
My opinion:
You know you are
really hooked into a series when the style change (even subtly) and still you
can’t stop reading. Susannah Sandlin (
aka Suzanne Johnson) did surprise me a lot with this fourth instalment and that’s really a good point. She is still a
master at descriptions and her knack to create realistic, tortured heroes
hasn’t changed but this book is a lot darker than the precedent. Don’t worry
though the romance part is still there and thankfully we have a lot of humour
to balance the darkest part. Oh and shifters are included too now ^^.
First, I must say that I was really
happy to see Robin and Nik again, after “ Storm Force” I just wanted more of those
characters and honestly these two are the ones that fit the most in
Penton. I loved to see the banters
between Robin, petit woman but fiery temper, with Mirren, the big bad brooding
vampire so massive. The humour there was exceptional and since she can’t keep
her mouth shut Robin did made a lot of funny remark and created some
interesting relationship.
We learn also a lot more about her past
and Nik’s, I was quite surprised to learn so much about both of them. We still
don’t know everything but we can understand them better now. It’s so well done
that even without having read “Storm Force” you wouldn’t feel lost at all. I wouldn’t recommend you to start the Penton
Legacy series with “Allegiance” , not it wouldn’t be possible, Susannah made is
so that you get a lot more if you read it in order. It’s even more important in
my opinion if you look at the psychological part of the characters; however you
get enough reminders about the story as a whole that you shouldn’t feel too
lost if you were to get this one first.
Now I must also admit that from the
Penton books, this one isn’t my favourite and I even felt a little disappointed
or more exactly I felt disturbed by the changes. The author didn’t do anything
wrong, not at all, but I wasn’t expecting so many dark twists. At the end of
“Omega”, book 3, we were left with a complete ending oh everything wasn’t happy
per say but the couple had his happy ending, the villain was caught and we
could have been happy if the series had come to a end then. I’m not saying it
should have ended no but it was the feeling I got you know, main questions are
answered, lovers are together and we can imagine things will improve and
everyone will be happy at the end. You see?
Of course I wanted the big villains to suffer and yes I wanted to learn
more about Cage but at the same time it was a want, a wish not a necessity. It
felt complete enough.
In “Allegiance” we can feel the
desperation, the tension and it not only the state of the city but more the
psychological evolution of its inhabitants that got to me. It was heavy and so
sad (a character dies within the first 5 chapters!). Yes Cage was a
psychiatrist and for that reason he is better equipped to fight that but still
I guess I had hoped like those living in Penton for a reprieve, to see the city
come back to its glory while it’s a more insidious war that is brewing.
I didn’t like how Cage reacted in the
precedent book but he redeemed himself in Allegiance in more than one way. I loved how we discovered him, while he did the
same and to see him speechless in front of a bold semi naked Robin was really
to fun! Even Melissa went back to my good grace per say as she finally comes
back to her sense.. however I was distressed to see how the war had impacted
everyone in Penton…. It’s logical and a realistic answer to all the events it
makes perfect senses but I wished for their happiness and it was a shock to see
it was still so far away^^;; we discover a new side of Aidan that I’m not
comfortable with.
The new twist on shifters is an
interesting one and I can’t wait to see what Susannah has under her sleeve
about them, I do want to learn more. What disappointed me the most was the
ending because it’s too much of a
cliffhanger ( not real one but the feeling is there) it wouldn’t be possible to
stop the series now…. Too much has to be done, answered and I do hope we will
have a real HEA later too… until now the books felt complete , we wanted more
yes ( I still do) but it wasn’t such a need like it is this time so I can only
hope we will learn about a 5th book soon^^
I
can only recommend you to start this series if you haven’t already since it’s a
lot better read in order and before Allegiance “ Storm Force” would be a good
read too to see more of Robin and Nik. I really can’t wait for more
Score: 4/5
Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and
no compensation was received in exchange for this review
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Remember you can attend the party on facebook between 8 and10pm (eastern) at this link it will be fun for sure! you can also enter to win some swag on her blog here
Don't hesitate to check those if you can^^
