Kriss Morton - In the Loft of the Cabin Goddess

ABSOLUTION takes off right where REDMEPTION left off and in the form of Mr. Tall (6′ 8″), dark (Scottish) and ultimate baddassery award of the year, put a Kilt on it and give me a blue ribbon to pull so see just where else he is tattooed Master Vampire of Yummines, Mirren Kincaid. He is fierce, heck he was a Gallowglass warrior in his former life some four-hundred or so years ago. Even Aiden cannot boast that!

The Gallowglass were a band of warriors that keep being called mercenaries, correction, they were not, they were an elite band of warriors who were the direct servants to the leader of the clan. Think of Samurai gone Scott. In societies and countries who were set up to run like this every lord or clan leader or crazy ass leader of a band of monkeymen had an elite set of warriors, and they were bad ass, the biggest bad asses. And Mirrem was one of the Gallowglass (which literally in Gaelic means servant or indebted to a Chief.) The problem is that people saw them as a band of mercenaries because they were not led nor did they take orders from the head of the military under this chief. But as a working Gallowglass (spelled for us US and twenty-first century peeps) We have bastardized and written history from the viewpoint of the winners. They were beholden be it as indentured or not, to a chief and did what they were told. If their chief died, they did not kill themselves, but they went to be hired on or become indebted to another, so yes it seems like they are mercenaries, but mercenary leaves a bad taste on my tongue when I say it and everyone was indebted to a lord or chief back then, and those that were part of the Gallowglass had honor, despite how fierce they were, how deadly and how hard they swung their ax, they had honor. It shows each time Mirren burns a tattoo into his arm.

What happened between the time he became a vampire and attached himself as the Tribunal’s executioner was his time as a Ronin warrior, he had lost his master, he was lordless. So even in taking on the job as “THE SLAYER” for the Tribunal actually took the mercenary status away, for he followed their orders, and what he did until the one faithful day he refused to go that far, was dishonorable though he kept up his tattooing because he felt every death, and never wanted to forget them. Yes another broken alpha who punishes himself. (oh come closer let me yank that blue ribbon – listen to the Kilt Song if you still do not get it.. snickering)

As I mention in the beginning where I compare a member of the Tribunal to JR from Dallas, Matthias likes kidnapping those with power to serve his own obsession with obtaining any and all power he can steal, conquer or manipulate into, not work for it like an honorable man. He is one of our leading villains, and he likes kidnapping people too. He found one of those he enjoys kidnapping, one with power, Glory Cumming. Another broken but fiercely independent woman who was abused and drugged has been living as a chew toy for Matthias (said vamp) for a month. The twist? Someone caught “The Slayer” and now is holding him in a cell, slowly starving him and widdling him down. It takes these two personalities thrust together by this megalomania and his son William (who calls himself Will and is one of Aiden’s lieutenants) who has never been treat much better than JR treated John Ross Ewing, III. Just like JR, for Matthias blood and loyalty forced is more important than being a good parent. Unlike John Ross Ewing, III, Matthias’ son left and hid for a reason, his father did not fit into where he wanted to be in life. His father forced him to be a vampire at the age of 22 when he turned him. Sick and twisted doesn’t even begin to describe this man. Somehow through a lack of parental guidance or attention, Will managed to escape the cycle and become his own man.

(As you are beginning to see, this is a complex and engaging series. Just writing it out I want to keep going, but I want you to enjoy what I have written and I want to wrap this up.)

Where Aiden and Krys are soft and gentle, in as much as they can be, Mirren and Glory’s story is hot, rough and edgy. She is not afraid to do what it takes to not only keep her man but make a place to call her own in this town, which means defending it to the end. She also is not afraid of him. After all what kind of woman other than a fierce one would fiddle with a man’s dials and electronics, root through his video library and move his tools. Which means learning what her power is all about and accepting it as part of who she is. Just as Mirren learns to accept himself for who he is, and give himself Absolution from his past deeds and crimes.

Glory is going to be a favorite of mine because she cooks. I wanted to have this glorious recipe all created and photographed for you but you are going to have to take it from me, the zen chef and do what Glory did for Mirren, whip up your partners favorite food because a way to a mans heart is through his stomach, yes I know silly but true. For this story boy is it ever true because it was the nail that drove the final spike through and Glory got it right with the first pot of stew. She also discovered her nitch in the community which will not only allow her dream of being a chef come true and is going to be able to make many a vampires dreams and memories a reality, with a taste of their favorite it food, from before they were turned to after!

All and all this book and the first one in the Penton Legacy Series is brilliantly told, funny and bold and so engaging. I really cannot wait for Omega to come out. I gave Redemption a 4 and I am giving Absolution a 5 star review. Throw in the sex scenes in both books at five stars? And make food a primary focus in a book? Cabin Goddess herby places this in the…