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Good for those who like history, military, Christianity, and/or all of the above.
The cover blurb will tell you that The Dangerous Type is "a mix of military science fiction and an adventurous space opera" but it's probably more accurate to call it "a mix of adventurous space opera and dangerous romance." That's not a dig or a knock against the book, just an acknowledgement of what's inside. I think the term 'military science fiction' carries very specific expectations, and I'd hate to see some miss out on an exciting read because it doesn't immediately live up to that promise.
Before we get into the good stuff, let's deal talk about the novel's one glaring flaw - it's pacing. We get off to a fantastic start, with a bit of extraterrestrial tomb-raiding and a surprise inhabitant who isn't nearly as dead as she should be, but then the story falters. I fully expected Loren Rhoads to take a few chapters getting Raena up to speed on what's happened during her twenty years of imprisonment, but I didn't expect an odd, darkly perverse sort of love-triangle to consume so much of the story.
It's interesting, especially in the way the love story builds Raena's character and reveals her tragic backstory, but it does put the larger story on pause for longer than some readers may be willing to tolerate. That's a shame, because when we do finally get back to the heart of the matter - revenge! - the story really takes off and races towards one of the more satisfying conclusions I've come across in years. It's in the second half that it completely lives up to its "adventurous space opera" billing, complete with aliens, clones, double-crosses, sacrifices, daring rescues, and galaxy-spanning action. I half-expected Rhoads to pull back at some point, to offer up some redeeming element of Thallian to warrant a softer, more socially acceptable ending, but she refuses to pulls her punches.
Even though most of the world-building is off-the-page and in-the-past, Rhoads does set up an interesting future here. The dead Templars are a fascinating alien race, and the idea that humanity has become universally loathed for its genocidal victory is a nice twist. We're not the bringers of peace or voice of reason here - we're barely-tolerated scum who other races view with suspicion. Similarly, while we hop around to a few different planets, they're really just abstract set-pieces (like the generic pleasure planet) without the level of detail you'd expect out of a fully-fledged space opera. I loved some of the concepts, and would definitely be interested in seeing how they're played out in future books, but it all hinges on if/how she chooses to widen the overall scope.
As for the characters, they're a bit of a mixed-bag. Oddly enough, the three protagonists - Raena, Gaven, and Ariel - are probably the thinnest of the bunch. Don't get me wrong, they're entirely fascinating, I just didn't find any of them really evoked an emotional reaction. As for the villain, Thallian is a rapist, a spousal-abuser, and a torturer of children. He should be entirely despicable, and should evoke significant feelings of horror and disgust in the reader, but he's really just filling a role. Again, I didn't feel the emotional aspect there that would have more fully invested me in Raena's vendetta against him - but that doesn't detract from his satisfying end. The secondary characters were often the most engaging, perhaps because they were more human . . . more vulnerable . . . and (ultimately) more identifiable.
Despite the challenges with the pacing, the characters, and the romance, I will say that the action is top-notch, and the breakneck adventure of the second half really does carry the novel. It's not quite enough to fully realize the initial promise of The Dangerous Type, and it is dependent upon the reader's patience to get that far, but it does suggest some definite promise for the next installment of the trilogy.
I have to confess that I though there would be less religious stuff and more historical fiction stuff. I realize that Templars are connected to church but yeah I’m stupid.
King Richard sends Fitz Alan to get Spear of Longinus, it’s believed to have pierced Christ on the cross, because he believes that it will turn the war on his side. But after Saladin hears about this quest he sends men to retrieve it too, so there’s a race against time to get hold of the spear.
Even though I have loved each and every book in this series, Immortal Sacrifice is in a class of its own, the best yet and definitely my favourite. If you are a fan of the series then you will have been waiting for this Knight to find his Seraph and be saved……..because Carodoc is about to find his jewel
Whence comes the teacher, she who is blind shall follow.
The one who digs in dust precedes the finding of the jewel.
And she who understands the sword precludes the greatest loyalty.
When darkness rapes the land, the seraphs shall purify the Templar
and lead the sacred swords to victory.
- Ancient Prophecy of the Knights Templar
Three years ago, before the seraphs arrived, Carodoc of Asterleigh spent a blissful three weeks with a woman that he thought would always hold his heart. With the arrival of the seraphs came the knowledge that one day, his would come and he would have to give up this lady – Isabelle Speranza – and rather than drag out the inevitable, with a heavy heart, he chose to leave her. Little did he know, that she wasn’t all he left behind….
Fast forward three years and along with Gareth & Tane, Caradoc is in Sicily to attend an auction event that holds many holy relics that the church wants back in its possession and none more so important that a diamond necklace that holds the tears of Christ. He isn’t the only one interested however; Isabelle Speranza is in Sicily on business too, acquiring antiques for buyers is her livelihood and knowing she has unlimited funds for one specific purchase is going to make this a piece of cake…..until the phone call that changes everything, until the dreams that have been plaguing her for months, until she casts eyes on him again…..Caradoc, the man who broke her heart.
Carodoc is stunned to see Isabelle again, not a day goes by that he doesn’t think of her and he’s about to find out why…. Because Isabelle is his Seraph….but will this revelation change things when Isabelle can’t let go of the past or reveal the secrets closest to her heart?
As I mentioned above, I seriously loved this instalment, it’s like Claire Ashgrove actually went in my head and plucked some of my favourite plot details and stuck them in this book. At the prologue - I was interested…chapter one - I was amused….chapter two – I was hooked! In a big way because what happens is one of my favourite plot lines EVER and guaranteed to be a page turner, I can’t even mention it because it would spoil the surprise but let’s just say, something very special has been kept from someone & is put at risk as Azazel ups the stakes again and proves why he holds his crown as evil incarnate. It was great to finally get to Carodoc’s book, he has made an impression from book one and was on my list of favourites so when I saw his name, I read it with a smile and that just got bigger as the story went on especially when we meet Isabelle and find out that he knew her and they had already had a relationship. It brought something new to the book that hadn’t been done in previous books and there was no awkwardness about getting the lady to love the Knight because the history was already there so it was just a matter of discovering each other again and reconnecting, not that that came without complications because Carodoc did a lot of damage when he left. I always love the clash of old fashioned views & modern ways but I didn’t even feel it this time, Carodoc came across as well adjusted to women of the modern world with only minor problems. They made a lovely couple though, it was so easy to connect to their characters, particularly Isabelle because of the turmoil she was going through and as always, I was routing for them at every turn.
The storyline was awesome! Yes, it was about protecting the relic from reaching Azazel’s hands and yes, it was about the pairing of a Knight & his Seraph to save his soul but the getting there was fraught with a rollercoaster of danger, risk & emotion that made one hell of a ride. It’s so hard not to spoil it for anyone because this plot is very much based upon one huge secret, so to give that away would really spoil it. I will tell you that I loved that the danger became more sinister, that the stakes were more personal, I loved that our couple had history, I loved Isabelle’s gift and how that played into the story and even though she had some huge skeletons in her closet, I loved that too because they were the best kind of secrets and she wasn’t the only one keeping them. We are even kept up to date with all of our favourite Knights & Seraphs, revealing some happy insights and some startling insights which will definitely be felt throughout the whole order and we even get to see the Knights & Seraphs working together in the field, which I had been hoping for since the Seraphs arrived. It definitely had a different feel to it, like things are changing, it feels like the Knights are ‘finding their feet’ and gaining ground against evil – tentatively - but at the same time, evil is upping the stakes and you can feel it all heading towards a critical point where the prophecy becomes real and Azazel’s power play is thwarted and I personally cannot wait! 5*s
Ps - It always amuses me how all of the Knights retain their original accents and even though it’s centuries later I can personally attest to the fact that people still do talk similarly, particularly when Caradoc says ‘aye’ for yes because that’s what I say where I’m from and also Declan, a lot of his broad Scottish words are still used today so for all it may seem old, it has stood the test of time.
