Liviania’s review of Frostbound (The Dark Forgotten, Book 4) by Sharon Ashwood
Paranormal Romance published by Signet 7 Jun 11
Sharon Ashwood knows how to write a fun paranormal romance. Much of Frostbound would be cause for an angst fest in other hands. But Ashwood’s characters aren’t the kind to revel in their own misery.
Talia Rostova just returned home to find her nearly identical, human cousin decapitated. She’s the prime suspect because she’s a vampire and she has no one to turn to. She’s been hiding from her human and vampire families as a fashion-obsessed English teacher. In reality, she’s a clever and resourceful predator. I enjoyed Talia’s ability to change her worldview. She’s willing to accept that she doesn’t know everything and things might not be how they seem.
Lore is the alpha of the local hellhounds and currently being pressured to find his mate so that the rest of the pack will be fertile again. He’s also responsible for keeping the city safe, which is why he takes Talia into custody. Despite the fact he’s supposed to enforce the rules, Lore is pretty big on following his instincts rather than the law. He’s willing to risk being wrong in order to be with Talia.
Pretty much, Talia and Lore are likeable because they’re very adult. They keep their responsibilities and other people in mind, but they don’t trick themselves into believing there’s only one course of action. They think things through before they do them. It’s not that they’re never spontaneous or stupidly heroic, just that they manage to use their passion constructively.
The death of Talia’s cousin Michelle isn’t the only thing gone awry. A vampire is running in the local election and certain factions want to make sure he doesn’t win. For one thing, he’s loyal to the vampire’s Queen Omara and some other monarchs hold a grudge against her. Plus, the Hunters aren’t too fond of the idea of a vampire mayor.
The first three books in the Dark Forgotten are pretty closely related, but only two of the previous heroes are given any mention in Frostbound (that I noticed). Thus, it’s a pretty good jumping in point. Ashwood has been expanding her world book by book, but there’s not much mythology that new readers need to pick up.
I’m pretty fond of the Dark Forgotten series. They’re light, breezy, and the romances are believable. Too many paranormal romance authors forget that people can have dark pasts and still enjoy life. Frostbound is simply pure entertainment.
Grade: B+
Summary:
As a snowstorm locks down the city, someone beheads the wrong girl. Vampire-on-the-lam Talia Rostova thinks it was meant to be her. And now she’s the prime suspect in her own botched murder and the prisoner of her smoking-hot-neighbor: a hellhound. And the hot-blooded Lore was bred to serve and protect, so he’s not freeing Talia until he’s sure she’s the prey and not the hunter…
Read an excerpt here.
Other books in the series:
