Sharon Ashwood

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I don’t read a ton of paranormal romance preferring urban fantasy because of the greater emphasis it gives to complex worldbuilding. But if more paranormal romances were like FROSTBOUND, I’d read them by the box load.

Both Lore and Talia are fully defined characters with their own backstories and distinct story arcs in FROSTBOUND. Talia is a newly turned vampire in hiding from an abusive life and scarred upbringing that taught her to hate what show more she has unwillingly become. But rather than a broken scared women, she is brave and cautiously optimistic about her future.

Lore is a hellhound Alpha and acting sheriff dealing with pack pressure to choose a hellhound mate and defend against a faceless magical threat. His hellhound thoughts are simplistic and primitive, but it’s how he controls those impulses (most of the time) as a man that made me fall for him.

Overall, FROSTBOUND is the perfect blend of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Rich and complex magical worldbuilding, characters with equal strength and depth, and a romance that creates as much heat as it does emotional intensity. No word yet on the next book in The Dark Forgotten series, but it’s already on my wishlist.

Sexual Content:
A couple semi graphic sex scenes show less

At the beginning of this series, I would pick up these books if I happened across them. At this point, they're on my auto-buy list. I think Ashwood has really hit her stride with Frostbound.

The characters:
I've liked and admired the hellhound Lore since his introduction and I'm happy he was matched with someone as strong and compassionate as Talia.

Raised in a clan of genocidal monster Hunters, Talia was changed into a vampire against her will as an act of vengeance against her father. I've show more seen similar storylines play out in other series with mixed results. It's to Ashwood's credit that the character she created in Talia isn't just likable, she's someone I can respect.

The worldbuilding: consistently fantastic. Not just the social rules, but the physical layout of Fairview. The elements of the city (including the Castle) are so well developed, they're like characters themselves. In my nerdiness, I wish we could get a map of the town; I'm sure the author has one she refers to. The descriptions are so precise and consistent between books.

The plot: both in urban fantasy and in romance terms, the plot was engrossing, well paced and intelligent. These books are all stand-alones but connected. There's no cliffhanger ending but I still happily anticipate reading the next one as soon as it comes out show less

���I liked this book right from the beginning. The writing style is exactly what I enjoy the most: lyrical and poetic, with a distinctive voice. The story hooked me with a strong heroine and a unique paranormal situation, and then once the hero was introduced -- sexy, strong and tormented, just the way I like 'em -- I was hooked for good. This is a quick, fun, sexy read. The ending dragged on a little in places, and it was rather anti-climactic since I figured out the one key twist, show more but other than that, I really enjoyed reading RAVENOUS. I'm off to see if there are other books in the series and grab 'em. show less

Yay!! Another winner in the unknown author (to me, anyway) lottery. I picked up "Ravenous: The Dark Forgotten" on a whim and I'm sure glad I did. Sharon Ashwood managed to pique my interest with her tale of a modern day witch with dating 'issues'.

Holly's the last of the Carver family, a registered witch, and sole proprietor of the 'Three Sisters Agency'-Specializing in the removal of hauntings, poltergeists, and unwanted imps. Her occasional 'partner' while working is a very sexy vampire, show more Alessandro. She has a 'normal' boyfriend-an economics prof at the local college, and things between them are heating up. Life's looking pretty good. At least it was...until she got a call to cleanse one of the oldest and spookiest uninhabited witch homes in the city...and runs into what looks like the beginning of a paranormal war! Now her life is filled with demons, vamps, weres, hell hounds, and other creatures who all seem to want something from her...either her powers or just a quick snack!

What did I like about this book? I liked the 'world' the author began to build. She took lore, myth, and 'old wives tales' and created something new and different. I won't say exactly how it's different, but I will say that I don't see myself having trouble differentiating this book from the masses. The imagination and skill in bringing those thoughts to life...just grand! I also enjoyed the plot. Yes, there were times when I could guess the outcome...but there was always a twist--so I was right...but maybe not exactly in the way I thought I would be. Make sense?

This tale also has a future. I can see several more books in the offering and I'm planning to pick up her next, "Scorched: The Dark Forgotten", in December 2009. From the teaser in the back of this one, it will continue the story of one of the very intriguing cast of secondary characters...and Ashwood has quite a few to choose from!

So if you're looking for something 'newish' from the paranormal world; and you like romance with a heavy dose of urban fantasy; and you're interested in a new version of Hell...try out "Ravenous" by Sharon Ashwood. You just might have another book for your wishlist. show less