Fictitious Musings

Today we have a couple of very special guests joining us for the Immortal Surrender Blog Tour. Award-winning Author Claire Ashgrove is here to chat with Lucan from Immortal Surrender. This is one of my favorite adult series and I highly recommend it to everyone that will stand still long enough. You can check out my reviews of Immortal Hope here  and Immortal Surrender here to get an idea of what you’re missing if you haven’t read this enthralling series yet.

Hi Claire! Welcome back to Fictitious Musings. I see you brought one of the sword wielding knights with you today. Hi there Lucan!

Good morning, bloggers!  Hope you’re doing well.  I’m so excited to be here today.  And I brought along a special guest.  We’re going to sit down and talk with Lucan of Seacourt for a little while!

Claire: So, Lucan, the second seraph has been revealed as Noelle and she is bound to Farran. Did it bother you the way he treated her?

Lucan:  Aye, at times it did.  He was harsher than necessary.  I do understand the cause of his behavior, but ‘twas unfair to expect her to understand when she knew nothing.

Claire: In the end, are you satisfied now?

Lucan:  He has not dishonored Noelle, though at times it seemed he would.  Farran is most content, and his heart is light.  I am indeed satisfied.

Claire:  You talked in our last interview about how you are battling some serious suspicion, is it getting worse?

Lucan:  As with all of us, the more darkness our souls absorb through the creatures we are bound to kill, what plagues us most becomes more troublesome.  Aye, ‘tis ever present, milady.  It shall not improve unless I am seen fit to be paired as well.

Claire:  When you heard Anne saw Noelle’s death, how did you react?

Lucan:  ‘Twas plain Farran posed the greatest threat.  That he could not see the logic therein, near put us in combat with one another.  She is a seraph.  She was unoathed.  ‘Twas foolish to take such risks.

Claire:  While we’re on the subject of seraphs, since there have been two pairings now, do you have a stronger hope that you will be next?

Lucan:  Stronger hope?  I cannot say hope is the right emotion.  Do I wish to be saved?  Indeed, most certainly I do.  I have not spent 8 centuries fighting only to lose my soul unto Azazel.  But ‘tis not hope.  I do not sit and wish for what has not been given to me, which is how I associate ‘hope’.  Longing?  Mayhap, if for no other reason than to escape this curse.

Claire:  Do you think most of the knights feel that way?

Lucan:  Aye, I would say most.  In America at least.  We are the eldest generations, those who have been battling the longest.  Our souls are in poorer condition than the men who reside with Raphael in Europe.  Most tire of the plague upon our persons.  Most wish for salvation.  But few dwell on the matter, and those who might do not make their thoughts known.

Claire: What would you do if Gabriel came to you today and said “Lucan, I have your seraph.”

Lucan laughs.  Pray that my pairing is not as difficult as Farran or Merrick’s.

Claire:  Gabriel hasn’t said this, has he?

Lucan:  Milady, not that I am aware of.

Claire:  One last question, then we’ll let you get back to duties.  We met Iain briefly in Immortal Surrender.  Do you know the man?  How is he doing?

Lucan:  Iain Donnelly has long been a respected member of the Order.  ‘Tis shameful what he must endure now.  He still recovers from the wounds he suffered.  If he can recover from his eternal condemnation, he would be a stronger man than I.

Claire:  Give him my best, if you have the chance.  And thank you so much for donating some of your time.  Godspeed, Lucan.

Lucan stands, bows over my hand, and brushes a kiss to my knuckles.  And you as well, milady.  Until we meet again.

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.

“This series (The Curse of the Templars) is explosive, sexy, riveting, and Claire Ashgrove is a master of her craft.” ~ NYTimes Bestselling Author, Maggie Shayne

Want a taste of the mesmerizing Curse of the Templars series? I thought you might. Check out one of my favorite moments of Ashgrove’s Immortal Surrender below.

Her nerves chafed at his bold intrusion. But the sight of him rendered her unable to speak. She stared, wide-eyed, at the strange man who had seemed so outwardly normal only a few hours earlier. Where he’d worn jeans and a casual long-sleeved shirt, he now dressed in a costume straight out of the Middle Ages. A long white surcoat, embellished with a bold crimson cross, draped down to his calves. Beneath it, he wore a hauberk of linked chain, complete with a coif to cover his sandy hair. Well-worn vambraces on his forearms matched the supple leather of his boots. The sword he’d brandished in Mikhail’s office hung from a belt pulled so tight, it accented the trimness of his waist.

Only, where the actors she’d seen at the Renaissance festivals looked stilted and uncomfortable in their costumes, Farran wore his with the practiced comfort that belonged in the movies.

As if he wore the stuff daily.

Noelle blinked. She found her cobweb-covered tongue and managed to squeak, “What are you doing here?”

He pulled at the fingers on his gloves. One by one, they gave, and he slapped them lightly against his thigh before setting them on the small table near her door. “We are paired. Here is where I shall stay.”

“Oh.”

The short retort was all she could find, and she sagged back against the couch cushions. She ought to be surprised, ought to be furious. But the dilemma with the torc had sapped her energy so completely she didn’t care. She’d spent the last two days with Farran. It was becoming almost natural to have him in her personal space. Besides, while she’d never admit it aloud, she’d rather not spend another minute alone and let her mind run away with possibilities.

“I shall sleep where you sit. The bed shall remain yours.” Farran’s hands dropped to his waist to give the buckle a tug. His belt fell away from his hips, and he leaned his sheathed sword against the wall. “I require a bath. Then I require rest.”

His fingers stilled over the vambrace strings. For several silent seconds he gave her a thoughtful stare. He opened his mouth, shut it. His brows tugged together. Then he let out a nearly inaudible sigh. “If you wish to watch your television, I could rest in the other room. I would remove myself when you are ready to retire.”          

The bone was small, nearly tooth size. Yet Noelle realized the thrown offering in an instant. His quiet tone, the warm light in his eyes, the sheer work it took to summon the words—Farran was trying to be friendly.

Exciting reading isn’t it? This is a fabulous series and I honestly can’t recommend it enough. It has so much to offer readers and trust me when I say you will NEVER get bored with the characters, plot, or the romance because the action keeps you on you toes. All I can say is claire deserves major props for one hell of an amazing series. Grab a copy today I promise you will love every minute of the Templar world.

Claire is giving away one digital copy of any one of her backlist books, excepting those in the Templar series, to one randomly drawn commenter at each stop on the blog tour.  In addition, commenters’ names will be added into the tour-end drawing of a 25.00 Amazon gift card. 

To enter the giveaway you MUST leave a comment with your email addy

So get your follow on and hit all of the tour stops and show some comment love. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning.  Complete tour dates can be found here.

About the Author

Award-Winning Author Claire Ashgrove has been writing since her early teens and maintained the hobby for twenty years before deciding to leap into the professional world. Her first contemporary novel, Seduction’s Stakes, sold to The Wild Rose Press in 2008, where she continues to write steamy, sexy stories for the Champagne and Black Rose lines. Adding to these critically acclaimed romances, Claire’s paranormal romance series, The Curse of the Templars debuted with Tor in January 2012. For those who prefer the more erotic side of romance, she also writes for Berkley Heat as the National Bestselling Author Tori St. Claire.

She is an active member of Romance Writers of America, and her local RWA chapters, Heartland Romance Authors, Midwest Romance Writers, and North Texas Romance Writers of America.

Claire lives in Missouri with her two sons and too-many horses, cats, and dogs. In her “free” time, she enjoys cooking, winning at Rummy, studying Ancient Civilizations, and spending quiet moments with her family, including the critters.

To learn more about Claire, visit her on the web at www.claireashgrove.com, or www.toristclaire.com.  You can also connect with her via Facebook, and Twitter.

Tags:Claire Ashgrove, Contest, Curse of the Templars, Giveaway, Immortal Hope, Immortal Surrender, Immortal Surrender Blog Tour, the Curse of the Templars series, Tori St. Claire