Unchained- Sharon Ashwood

Unchained
Sharon Ashwood
Signet, Jul 6 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780451230737

Captain Reynard works as a guard at the supernatural prison known as the Castle. However, though he has a few more liberties than the inmates, he is as locked away as those he watches over. Centuries ago, his choices were taken away from him when he was forced to place his soul in an urn.

When the urn is stolen, Reynard will die. He actually considers giving up on immortality as an escape from the Castle. Widow Ashe Carver was a monster slayer. She understood her profession would cost her custody of her ten year old daughter Eden so she retires and becomes a librarian. Her retirement ends when her brother-on-law the vampire asks her to clean out the monster stalking the bathroom at Fairview Botanical Gardens. Reynard was expecting her to clean the bathroom of the monster so when she arrives he asks for her assistance; reluctantly Ashe, surprised he could leave the Castle, agrees to help him find his soul. At the same time the Castle is undergoing a radical adjustment that has the supernatural world wondering how it will all turn out.

The third Dark Forgotten urban fantasy (see Ravenous and Scorched) is a terrific action-adventure thriller that steps away from the mysterious Castle and into the world at large. The lead couple makes for a strong entry as the stressed beyond the max Castle guard is running out of immortality time and the heroine who, though it could cost her the one person that matters, takes on the “client” and his quest to catch a thief. As their attraction grows she knows he would make a perfect centerfold as the “Hot historical hero” of the century and he believes her as lovely as ever. However, beyond the search and rescue, and their entwined hearts, in the background lurks a major supernatural shift. This is an enthralling magical great work by Sharon Ashwood.

Harriet Klausner