Redemption by Ivy Whitaker is a paranormal romance that follows Kayleigh, a young woman chased by demons who were sent to kill her, and Ezra, her reluctant Guardian Angel. It’s a tale of mystery centered around the concept of good and evil, and the shades of gray in between.
Overall, I thought the book was an enjoyable read. Ezra’s character in particular truly stood out to me and was what kept me reading till the very end. His backstory is tragic and heartbreaking, and he’s honestly the heart and soul of the book. His grumpy demeanor when he first meets Kayleigh is somewhat endearing as you can tell early on that there’s something that haunts his thoughts. To have someone who is such a rock and such a reliable character makes everything else about the book work.
As much I loved Ezra, it took a while for Kayleigh to grow on me. She’s impulsive, stubborn, selfish, and rarely thinks before she acts. Her character development also happens so quickly it had my head spinning a bit. I felt as if in the course of just a few pages she went from being rather unlikable in her attitude to constantly going against the nature we saw in the first half of the book. There are certainly traumatic events leading up to this change, but it happened so quickly that I wished there had been a bit more time spent on development.
My only other complaint with the book is that it could have used a bit more editing, especially towards the end. There are several places with minor typos (for example he instead of she) and I think some extra proofreading would have been beneficial. There were only a few spots where it took me out of the story while I tried to figure out what the author meant to say, so overall it’s not a terrible distraction but still one I felt compelled to mention.
The pacing of the book, the spicy bits, and the chemistry between the main characters in the second half of the book make it worth a read if you like a paranormal romance. It sets up the series nicely and, while it doesn’t wrap up the main plot, it doesn’t end on too much of a cliffhanger where the main characters are concerned.
Ratings:
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I would recommend this one to anyone who loves a fantasy with good world building and a steamy slow burn. I am curious to see how the story continues in book two, and how the mystery unfolds.