Opening the door to her farmhouse after hunting for dinner, Emeline Huntley finds the one thing she never expected in their quiet countryside- her entire family murdered.
In Victorian London, plans have been put into motion to create the ultimate weapons. William Rathbone and his group of scientists have managed to isolate the strengths of three creatures that have lived under society’s nose for centuries. Armed with his new tonic, Rathbone heeds to a prophesy that a certain group of children born, will be able to transform into this new breed of humans.
Controlled by clockwork collars with hidden blades sharp enough to cut through bone, The Abiding must follow their new master and his vindictive desires, or pay with their own lives.
While one other prisoner seeks to only protect her, another will stop at nothing to prove to Emeline that she must join him, if they are ever to leave the grasp of their creator. Now Emeline must decide whether she can see through her master's plan of revenge, in the hopes he will someday free her, Nathaniel and the others or join Alexander and rid herself of the very man who killed her family and turned her into a monster.
Originally from Miami, Florida, award winning author B.C. Morin now lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband, two children, and American Bullhuahua, Max.
When she's not writing her next paranormal romance, adult contemporary, or epic fantasy, she enjoys spending time with her husband and kids, drinking wine and coffee, pinning things she may not make on pinterest, making clay creations, and not writing her bio in the third person.
Learn more about B.C. and her books on Instagram (bcmorinauthor), her facebook author page, or Twitter (@BC_Morin).
She loves to hear from readers, so write a message, leave a comment or ask a question!
I finished Beta Reading this and let me just tell you that I want more! This book is absolutely AMAZING, and very THRILLING, and SWOON WORTHY, and SENSUAL, and very SEDUCTIVE, and oh so PRIMAL, and ANIMALISTIC, ... totally LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
I've calmed my Fangirling and have reached a point of reflection and have to first and foremost, thank the wonderful and stunning B.C. Morin for entrusting me to be one of the first to read The Abiding. When I heard about this, I absolutely squealed in sheer delight. I mean, who doesn't love a paranormal story set in London, during the mid 1800's, on the verge of many brilliant and great discoveries known to human kind. What is astounding to me is that B.C. brilliantly builds a world that you can literally envision and want to be a part of. She weaves a story so rich in detail, within this backdrop, and creates the illusion that what you are reading is really happening right before your eyes. I can totally see this play out in front of me as I veraciously read through like my life depended on it.
As soon as you read the first line, "I’ve been in this dungeon for what I estimate to be two weeks," you are instantly catapulted into Emeline Huntley's world and that of her fellow captives. We are introduced to their tragedy and that of their impending future. They have been kidnapped by a madman who is hell bent on creating an army in which the likes have never been seen before, called the Abiding. All because an ancient prophecy foretold of this new breed of human, Em, Alexander (oh my word, this beast of a man is just one that will make you weak in the knees, amongst other places ;) and have you panting for more) and Nathaniel (sweet, protective and selfless) are given no choice and are forced to become what they fear, monsters that go bump in the night.
There is no time to waste and I absolutely felt instantly connected to Em and wanted to know more about her story and what lay ahead for her. She is a character that is unusually ahead of her time and you could definitely notice her strength and resolve from the very beginning. However, she continually developed into this strong, and independent, and stubborn, young woman, who displayed such courage and tenacity, taking it upon herself to naturally be this leader that the group desired, well by the majority anyway. She not only battles the evil doer and some of her fellow comrades, but that of her heart. She instantly finds comfort and tenderness in Nathaniel, the young neighbour she has known from home, but is soon drawn and connected to Alexander, the dark and mysterious man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, including Emeline. Of course, I'm immediately intrigued by Alexander and he's bad boy self, but I can't help but love Nathaniel too. This is one love triangle you will not regret reading about.
The Abiding is one read that packs a punch. Full of suspense and intrigue, passion and lust, vampires and werewolves, and wonderful characters and a story that will set your heart on fire, this story is one that will capture your senses and ensnarl your soul. It makes for a fantastic stand alone read but I am hoping and praying it becomes a series because the ending leaves you wanting more, needing more. There are many endless possibilities to continue with the story of Emeline Huntley and the Abiding, and I believe that B.C. will endeavour to create this, well I hope so.
I loved this book! It is my favorite by author B.C.Morin to date and that is saying a lot. I had the great pleasure of being one of the first to read this beyond amazing book and I didn't just read it once. Nope, I had to read it again and just like this authors other books, I know it will not be my last. She included all the supernatural creatures I love in one book and created the most exhilarating story. I seriously couldn't put it down. It had such a unique plot that surprised me at every turn and kept me squeeling in my seat. I honestly loved everything about this book.
For me characters are key to whether I can really submerge myself into a book. The abiding had such compelling characters that I could really sink my teeth into. The leading female character, Emeline was by far my favorite. She didn't give up and whine about how unfair her situation was and just sit back and wait to be rescued. She had spunk, yet she kept her vulnerable side allowing for a well rounded character that I could relate to. Knowing that she longed to escape the clutches of her twisted captor, I really admired her ability to "play" his game until a plan could come to fruition. I could feel her emotions and will to survive all the way to my soul.
As with any strong leading lady, you need a man that supports her and gives her courage when she has a moment of weakness. Well we get two in this book, Nathaniel and Alexander. Both are equally yummy, but I have this thing for a bad boy and Alexander filled those shoes perfectly. His cocky attitude and charm tickled me. Nathaniel also had qualities that make for a good book boyfriend, but he was more tender and nurturing. I loved every second of these sexy mens stories.
The Abiding is one gripping story that I couldn't get enough of. It is my hopes that the author continues Maddie's tale and shares more of this riveting world she has created. One book is just not enough!
4.3 stars. File given for honest review. When B.C. asked me if I'd read her new novel with vampires, werewolves and a bit of nephilim, I said, "YES PLEASE!" Yum, yum, yum... The book starts off with Emeline finding her family murdered and her dying sister telling her to run because the attackers were after her. So she takes off for the woods. B.C. draws a vivid and emotional picture of her shock, anger and confusion.
Enter Nathaniel. Swoon. I love you Nathaniel. Loooooovvvvvveeee you, my precious......
He was everything you'd want in a protagonist. Strong, caring, determined, handsome, selfless. He had been through the same terror and horror at finding his family dead and is immediately taking charge and seeing to her needs first. Then, when they are imprisioned and going through the painful mutation process, he's caring for her, encouraging her and motivating her to hang on. Fang girl moment.
The best part of the book for me was when they were in the dungeons. I liked Emeline and loved the rest of the characters. Yes, it was probably the most morbid, terrifying and angering part of the whole story, but to me.... it was the most emotionally connecting. It was the best writing in the book. The tension and emotions were running high. When they finally make it through the process, they find they have been given the modified blood of a vampire, a werewolf and a nephilim for a nefarious purpose. Rathborne wants to use them as assassins as well as take over the world. They had all the powers, with none of the hindrances. Emeline had always had some fighting and knife skills, but she turned into a ninja. She would have been an awesome Navy Seal...
The pacing slows down considerably at this point in the story. As they trained, her relationship with Nathaniel started to grow. But something happened (I can't give you any spoilers) and as she changed her relationships, all I could think was, "What is your problem?"
I felt sympathy for her, and cried with her. Then she flipped her feelings like a switch and any and all connection I had with her went up in smoke. Her actions throughout the rest of the book confused me and left me wondering if she thought of anyone other than herself, despite her words. How she treated the others, how she just went along with good old Rathborne, it just made me roll my eyes.
She was forced to use her beauty in acquiring her targets, forcing her to be sexually assaulted. Rathborne and another Doctor sexually molested her, and she would immediately turned to her current love and talk sexual innuendos? That set my hair on fire.
As someone who has been sexually molested, that did not sit well with me. You aren't going to smirk and talk sex with your boyfriend IMMEDIATELY after being molested by someone else. Unless you are an unhinged person. It was the most unrealistic part of the whole book (and yes, I know that it IS a paranormal book).
The other aspect of the book that confused me was the steampunk aspect. It wasn't clearly defined as other steampunk novels I've read. The clothing in particular was disorienting to me.
I enjoyed the interactions with the original werewolf and vampire. It would have been nice to have that aspect of the book enriched and expanded. I felt that would have lent more meat and depth to the overall story. The Nephilim aspect could have been further developed.
There was a scene during the last pages of the book that left me wailing like Gollum after loosing his "Precious"....
I can't say what it was, because... spoilers... What I can say was it slayed me. As for Emeline, she continued to display this odd, disturbing emotional imbalance. I would have been racked with guilt, loss, and self recriminations. She was like, "Oh, too bad... you ready to go, babe?" It's like she regrets nothing. I was completely disconnected from her at that point.
Really. I was thinking, "What?!?" Then, the final scenes left me further detached. I can't explain further without leaving major spoilers. It just left me confused.
Though I had major problems with the main character, with the steampunk aspect and the pacing, I found the overall story fascinating. I was left with a lot of questions that has me asking for a sequel. There are so many loose ends, other characters to learn more about and to follow what happens to them. The concept of the story is solid and organic. I just could not like Emeline. But, given the strong feelings I had, that means it was good writing if it could invoke that strong of feelings one way or another.
B.C. Morin developed a fascinating take on the popular genres of vampires and werewolves. If you love those topics, you will really enjoy this book.
This was a thought provoking paranormal tale unlike anything I’ve read before. The characters were dynamic and engaging and I felt myself being pulled into Rathbone’s toxic world filled with torture and depravity. This is a 5 star must read that will leave you anticipating what will happen next.
I just finished it and all I can say is...when is the next book?? This author is simply amazing.You feel the horror, pain and sufferings that the six Abiding children went through.The story sucks you in from start to finish. It is Twilight and Resident Evil all rolled into one juicy book. You yourself can not choose between the sweetness of Nathaniel and the cockiness of Alexander for Emmeline. I wanted her to end up with both, lol. This book just has it all, thriller, horror,romance what more can you ask for ? You have a kick ass heroine and two love interests. I just want more!!
Once again, B.C. Morin has created a world and characters so completely unique and compelling, and this time around we get the added bonus of an intense love affair that leaves readers begging for more! I was drawn in by Emeline and the heartwrenching reality that she was thrust into, and I cheered her on every moment as she struggled to fight for what she believed in even when all of the odds were stacked against her. Her new life was a result of something so sinister and twisted, but at the same time she is revealing herself to be one hell of a bad-ass heroine because of it. It was truly such a unique storyline, taking everything I love about supernatural stories and interweaving it with this really neat Victorian London timeline. It was part supernatural and part YA romance, with a cool steampunk vibe...so completely unlike anything I've ever read before, and it was awesome!
Watching Emeline grow stronger and more defiant against her captor Rathbone, all the while wrestling with her loyalty to Nathaniel and the desire for Alexander that she couldn't fight, it had me completely hooked. She was brave, clever, smart, and when she wanted to be she was quite the little vixen. I loved how she went from being timid and scared to being the one everyone needed to fear, her power was incredible! Nathaniel and Alexander both loved her, but it was a case of loving different sides of her and in the end it came down to which side she wanted to be. I'm so glad that this isn't the last we will be seeing of these characters, I very much look forward to their next adventure!!
A wide, easy and compelling read. I am inlove with The Abiding.
Murder, Science, Vampire and Werewolves - If it looks like a predictable plot twist, be prepared to be surprised, because you will not see the twists coming. I enjoyed this book so much. I couldn't put it down even at work.
Emeline Huntly is a great character. She is brave, smart and very real. I loved being in her head no matter how hard the situations get. Disaster happened right in the first pages. I loved the thrill. I loved meeting B.C Morin's vampires and werewolves. I wish I could see more of them, as well as the other secret kind.
The story has tense romantic sides. There is darkness. There is light. Overall, it's a fantastic experience.
I am in awe of Barbie Morin's story telling talent again. It would appear that she gets even more bold with each new book she writes.
I’m usually weary when it comes to reading a book that has steamy scenes because I crave for connection. I can't believe this is the author's first attempt in New Adult. The scenes aren't too cheesy but they don't lack sweet sensuality either. The scenes are just perfect.
B. C. Morin did a brilliant job of bringing Emeline, the boys, the doctors and the amazing creatures to life.