Immortal Surrender

by Claire Ashgrove

Published by: Tor books

My Rating: 

Farran de Clare, loyal member of the cursed Knights Templar, wants nothing to do with predestined mates. Even the Almighty won’t turn him into a fool again—he’d rather sacrifice his soul. Yet in the scientist Noelle Keane, a devout atheist, Farran meets the seraph designed for him.

Ordered by the archangel Gabriel to protect Noelle, the possessor of a sacred relic that could give Azazel incredible power, Farran swears to do his duty—but in name only. Fighting an attraction that grows with each day, he’s determined that he’ll never pledge himself to her.

As they war over her future, their mutual passion ignites a conflict far more damning. But before Noelle will agree to eternity with him, she demands the ultimate sacrifice – his heart.

My Review:

Immortal Surrender swept me up in a romance involving the mysterious Templar Knights, Freemasons, demons and angels.  I have always been intrigued by the mysterious Templars and Claire Ashgrove has given the historical Knights a touch of the supernatural and a thrilling mission.  The Knights have been tasked with fighting evil, but with each victory, their souls pay a dark price.  Finally, after almost a thousand years of fighting demons, salvation is close.  When the Knights find their Seraph (a female descendant of the Nephilim), the Seraph brings light to their dark souls.  Immortal Surrender is Farran and Noelle’s story.

Farran is a skilled fighter, dedicated to the Templar order and fighting evil.  He has accepted that he is close to the end of his limits, he knows that the evil is close to overtaking him.  He is also still harboring hurt and mistrust of women from his wife’s betrayal a thousand years earlier.  The last thing Farran wants is to trust a woman, his Seraph with his life.  However, duty commands him to bind himself to Noelle, if only he can get Noelle to agree.  Noelle is an atheist, she does not believe in a higher power, she believes in what science can prove.  As he prophecy says, she is blind.  She thinks that Farran and the other warriors are either crazy or sadly misguided.  She holds to her unbelief, and Farran’s blunt, rude behavior doesn’t help matters much.

At first, it was very difficult to like Farran and Noelle.  Farran was very rude to Noelle, uncaring of her feelings while trying to keep himself distant.  At the same time, Noelle acted like a brat to Farran and to the other Templars.  As the pair got to know each other, they began to soften towards each other, and it became harder for Noelle to deny the supernatural occurrences surrounding the Templars.  Both Farran and Noelle were frustrating at times, but they grew on me.  By the end of the book, I wanted them to figure their issues out and save each other.

I am very impressed with this series.  I love the concept of the Templar Knights, how they fight demons and fight to keep the evil Azazel from gaining in power.  Claire Ashgrove has combined history, mystery, and the supernatural into a thrilling series.  Each of the Templar Warriors have their own personal demons to battle, their own hurts and mistakes to overcome.  The more I get to know the Knights, the more attached to the series I get.  I can not wait to learn more about each of them, to find out what becomes of them, and who will save them.  There is a fated-love aspect to this series, but each of the couples has to accept the love and be open to it.

Romance readers, if you like paranormal romances, brave knights, or mysterious warriors, you definitely want to give this series a try.  I have found the Curse of the Templars series to be clever, well-written, and adventurous reads.  I recommend reading this series in order.  Book one, Immortal Hope provides the foundation and background on the Knights and their mission that you don’t want to miss.

You can find both Immortal Hope and Immortal Surrender at: