Immortal Surrender by Claire Ashgrove Book Tour

About The Book:

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

Excerpt:

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.

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.

 About the Knight Templar's:

Good morning, readers!  I’ve been spending a bit of time over here the last couple of months, and I’ve been loving every minute of it.  Thanks for having me back!

I get asked a lot Why did you choose to write about the Templar Knights? Or How did you come up with the idea?  I thought I’d answer those here today, in a little more depth than I have in simple interview questions.

I chose the Templar because there are so many nuances about their society, the times they lived in, and the legends surrounding them that for an author, weren’t just a playground, but a whole amusement park.  I’ve always been fascinated with them, long before Dan Brown. 

Take, for instance, the conflicting reports that the Templar were a noble order, and that they abused power.  Add in that they were charged with heresy, yet quietly pardoned by the Church even as they burned leaders at the stake.  And what they found?  I don’t believe it was the Holy Grail, but I think it was important enough to make kings cow to their designs.

By using a page of out history, I could make my paranormal world more believable by incorporating things we all know happened.  Bend a little here, tug a little there, tweak this tiny fact, insert fictional occurrence… and the question becomes, maybe it did happen that way.

And because it’s fiction, I can marry the conflict.  They are immortal, they hold secret knowledge, they are cloistered—which means some might be noble, some might be abusive.  The “bad ones” are still going to exist, because the archangels simply aren’t going to cut them free.  Particularly when their numbers diminish over time, and there’s a war occurring that demands every strong arm.

I had fun with it, and working with the Templar satisfied the history buff in me.  I got to do research, dig for little known facts, and unveil them with a little…poetic license.  What’s more?  Every time I put down a new idea in the series, I get to fall in love with a knight who really might live just around the corner.

So what do you think happened to the Templar?  Did time erase them, or are they lurking somewhere underground, holding secrets close, protecting what they found beneath the Temple Mount?

Good morning, readers!  I’ve been spending a bit of time over here the last couple of months, and I’ve been loving every minute of it.  Thanks for having me back!

I get asked a lot Why did you choose to write about the Templar Knights? Or How did you come up with the idea?  I thought I’d answer those here today, in a little more depth than I have in simple interview questions.

I chose the Templar because there are so many nuances about their society, the times they lived in, and the legends surrounding them that for an author, weren’t just a playground, but a whole amusement park.  I’ve always been fascinated with them, long before Dan Brown. 

Take, for instance, the conflicting reports that the Templar were a noble order, and that they abused power.  Add in that they were charged with heresy, yet quietly pardoned by the Church even as they burned leaders at the stake.  And what they found?  I don’t believe it was the Holy Grail, but I think it was important enough to make kings cow to their designs.

By using a page of out history, I could make my paranormal world more believable by incorporating things we all know happened.  Bend a little here, tug a little there, tweak this tiny fact, insert fictional occurrence… and the question becomes, maybe it did happen that way.

And because it’s fiction, I can marry the conflict.  They are immortal, they hold secret knowledge, they are cloistered—which means some might be noble, some might be abusive.  The “bad ones” are still going to exist, because the archangels simply aren’t going to cut them free.  Particularly when their numbers diminish over time, and there’s a war occurring that demands every strong arm.

I had fun with it, and working with the Templar satisfied the history buff in me.  I got to do research, dig for little known facts, and unveil them with a little…poetic license.  What’s more?  Every time I put down a new idea in the series, I get to fall in love with a knight who really might live just around the corner.

So what do you think happened to the Templar?  Did time erase them, or are they lurking somewhere underground, holding secrets close, protecting what they found beneath the Temple Mount?

Review:

Noelle Keane has firm beliefs as an atheist, when she meets Farran de Clare she is forced to question every belief she has.  Farran is a member of the cursed Knights Templar, who never wanted a mate especially after his own history with a woman and now he finds his Seraph in Noelle.  Friction between Noelle and Farran is immediate, caveman behavior is predominate, but oh what a delicious read Immortal Surrender becomes as the two enter a reluctant journey with one another.

Unfortunately for me, I had not read the first book but definitely have plans to go and do it soon. There is a lot of history mixed into the story as well as intense action as Noelle is forced to believe in things she is certain do not exist.  I thought the whole concept to this story was fascinating and loved the chemistry between Noelle and Farran, I could easily see this becoming a favorite series of mine.

 Giveaway Details:

** If you are a host who has arranged a giveaway with my publicist at Tor, I am assuming you are handling all the arrangements thereof.  Please let me know if there’s something you’re anticipating I’m doing in regard to that.  The giveaway below, applies even if there’s a giveaway via Tor, and the same person can win both prizes.**

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.  Follow the tour – the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.  Complete tour dates can be found here.