Redemption by Susannah Sandlin

Redemption
by Susannah Sandlin
Series: The Penton Legacy
Publisher: Montlake
Publication date: June 12, 2012
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Purchase: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository

For vampire Aidan Murphy, life has never been so desperate. The vaccine used to treat a global pandemic has rendered human blood deadly to his kind, leaving them on the brink of starvation and civil war. In tiny Penton, Alabama, Aidan establishes a peaceful community of vampires and unvaccinated human donors. He dares to hope they can survive until his estranged brother descends upon Penton and begins killing the humans. Determined to save his town, Aidan kidnaps an unsuspecting human doctor and finds himself falling in love for the first time in nearly four centuries. Dr. Krystal Harris thought she was coming to Penton for a job interview, but Aidan Murphy has other plans. Infuriated by his high-handed scheme to imprison her in the small town, Krys can't ignore the attraction between them. But is it love? Or does her dangerous, charismatic captor want only to bend her to his will?

I love sexy, tough, complex and noble vampires and Redemption satisfied my craving. I was immediately drawn into the world Sandlin created. I consumed this in a few hours and cannot wait for the next installment.  Intense characters, fantastic world building and a unique plot make this the perfect start to a promising new series.

In the tiny town of Penton all is not as it seems. After a vaccine renders human blood fatal to vampires, Aidan Murphy has built a small tight knit community in rural Alabama. Here vampires and unvaccinated humans live side by side. If successful his community may be the answer for his race. After the loss of their doctor he searches and finds Dr. Krystal Harris. When things go wrong the night of her interview, Aidan is forced to hold Krystal hostage. The tale that unfolds is riveting and perfectly paced as Aidan works to save his town from a threat and deal with the beautiful and captivating doctor.

The characters were well developed and I connected with each of them. I found Aiden to be complex and a totally smexy vampire. He is a born leader, and protector. He carries the burden of this town and its people on his shoulders. He cares about his community and makes it a point to know both the humans and vampires. To him they are his family and bonded to him by blood. Aiden has a painful history and has closed himself off. When he enters a room his presence consumes the room and others look to him for guidence. Beneath this exterior is a passionate, sensitive man and I loved discovering the many sides of him.  Dr. Krystal is smart, compassionate and flawed. She is also curious and her need to know, geeky side, lands her in trouble. Watching the two of them interact was funny, sweet and smoking hot. The relationship grew slowly and I liked that. Members of the community added to the tale and had substance. Hannah was one of my favorites. She is a vampire with physic abilities and her back story was interesting. Of course there are evil characters and unknown players who add to the suspense.

The world building is solid and I liked Sandlin’s twist. While she has not changed much about vampires, the back story and vaccination twist were believable and refreshingly original. The utopia Aidan is trying to create was interesting and the perfect setting for endless plot lines. I love small town series, where you get to know everyone and Penton appealed to me. The plot, character development and flow was wonderful. I quickly became invested in the characters and the tales outcome. Sandlin has a gift for weaving a suspenseful plot with fleshed out characters. This appears to be a series where each can be read as a standalone and focuses on one couple.

Redemption is a must read for fans of suspenseful paranormal romances, and vampires. Fans of the Sweetblood and Night Huntress series will eat this up. The next two books in the series are due out later this year and this reader cannot wait. The titles are Absolution which releases October 9 and Omega due out December 18. 

I want to thank the author for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. 

I gave this 4.5 coffee cups out of 5.

*Sandlin is a pen name for Suzanne Johnson author of the urban fantasy Royal Street, which rocked my face off.  See my review here.