Savage Redemption by Alexis Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 flames
This Harlequin Nocturne is one of Alexis Morgan’s vampire books, and I really like that series.
Quick overview:
It’s an alternate world, but it’s really similar to our world. They’re on earth, there are humans, vampires, and the hybrid known as Chancellors. Chancellors get most of the strengths of vampires but without the weaknesses (They can take blood, but don’t need it, they can walk in the sunlight, etc.). They live in New Eire, they take transports instead of cars, the vampires are “out” and in governments like the North American Coalition. So basically it’s just a slightly alternate world.
The story picks up after the last one, and it starts out strong. Conlan is head of security for Rafferty O’Day’s compound/clan. And he’s good at his job. One day he hears a commotion and finds a whole bunch of mercenaries shooting at a lady with 2 children, and since it’s really close to the O’Day compound, he takes out a couple of the mercs, and calls for backup.
He turns over the human woman who’s been shot, and instantly recognizes the woman who left him to finish out her stint in jail and rot in prison. In this world, if a cop/investigator loses his prisoner, he has to finish serving the jail sentence. So lawman Conlan goes to prison, stuck with prisoners he put there, and Kat runs free.
For the past 3 years he has thought of nothing but Kat. Seeing her brings forth all that anger. He gets her to the medic and stays with her, but once she’s healing, her first thought is of her nieces. Luckily the O’Days will protect them, but Kat’s in way over her head, and she’s afraid it will put the compound in danger. Conlan and Kat have to work together to keep safe, prove her innocence and find out what happened 3 years ago that caused her to bolt leaving Conlan picking up the pieces.
This is where I began to have problems with the story. I had a hard time liking Kat and Conlan was, well, he forgave her way too easily. It seems in a betrayal plot (one of my favorite plots, btw) that it should have been dragged out longer. And having a heroine who is such a freaking martyr at every turn (I guess to prove there was no betrayal?) was just too much. It would have been nice to have the guilt and anger last a bit longer. The plot was there, it really was, I just don’t think it worked as well as it could have. Alexis Morgan’s a great writer, but this just didn’t do it for me.
***ARC courtesy of netgalley.com and Harlequin
