TOR Romance
(September 25, 2012)

Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-10:  0765367599
ISBN-13:   978-0765367594

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*4/4 STARS - ROMANTIC TIMES REVIEWS

Reviews

"Readers who are new to the Curse of the Templars series will find this book easy to follow and hard to put down. The plot flows smoothly, with plenty of historical detail grounding the supernatural element and adding to its believability. The tug-of-war involving the hero’s heart will keep you on pins and needles, and the intense action will leave you reeling."

Romantic Times Reviews

∞

“This series (The Curse of the Templars) is explosive, sexy, riveting, and Claire Ashgrove is a master of her craft.”

MAGGIE SHAYNE, New York Times Bestselling Author

∞

“Ashgrove's Templars will steal your heart and her world building will leave you wanting more.”

KARIN TABKE, National Bestselling Author

∞

“Claire Ashgrove weaves complex layers of history, paranormal worlds and romantic fiction seamlessly.”

CATHERINE BYBEE, New York Times Bestselling Author

∞

“Compelling characters, crackling sexual tension and a fascinating paranormal mythology--Immortal Surrender has it all!”

LAURA KAYE, USA Today Bestselling Author

The Sudarium of Oviedo

In Immortal Surrender I used the Sudarium of Oviedo as part of the historical backdrop and as the relic that Azazel is after. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, this is a legitimate Christian sacred relic.

During the Immortal Surrender blog tour, I talked about this relic in detail, and the following is excerpted from the BookLovers Inc. Blog!

* * *

Well, some of you already know that the Sudarium of Ovideo is a bloodstained cloth, similar to the Shroud of Turin, that was recorded in The Gospel of John to be wrapped around the head of Christ after he died.

Unlike the Shroud of Turin, there is no ‘face’ born out of the bloodstains. It isn’t mentioned as present at his actual burial, but is mentioned as being in the empty tomb after. This is claimed by both tradition and scientific studies. And in fact, the history of the cloth is better documented than the Shroud of Turn. Origin can be traced as well as its different stops on its journey.

So scientifically, what are the stains? They are one part blood and six parts fluid from a pleural oedema, which is liquid that collects in the lungs, when a crucified person dies of asphyxiation. If the body is jostled, it can come out through the nostrils.

And since my purpose here isn’t to gross you all out…

Anthropology confirms that face that had been in contact with the sudarium had typically Jewish features, a prominent nose and pronounced cheekbones. The fact that the cloth was kept at all, lends to the belief this may have covered Jesus of Nazareth’s head at the time he was crucified. It is housed in a chapel in Oviedo, the Camara Santa, which was built specifically to house it and other relics, including some martyrs’ tombs. And if you want to see the Sudarium, visit Spain, on Good Friday, The Feast of the Triumph of the Cross (Sept 14) and 8 days later on September 21st. It is displayed to the public then.

So where’s the fiction?

Well… I’ll leave a lot of that for you to answer. But in short, there haven’t been recent attempts to date it (unlike the Shroud), and as far as the Camara Santa is concerned, I’m reasonably certain you won’t find much Templar construction within. And while research says the stains belong to a human body, I’m also equally certain that when combined with …something else that’s coming… it doesn’t reveal the language of angels.

But then, again, maybe it does.

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