Ascension: Sabrina Strong Series

Sabrina Strong #1

by Lorelei Bell

In a dangerous and seductive world of vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters, a strong-willed clairvoyant seeks to solve a murder. Running out of money after her father's death, Sabrina Strong is attacked on her way to a job interview at Tremayne Towers. Narrowly saved by a strangely familiar vampire, she soon finds herself tangled in the murder of Vampire Master Bjorn Tremayne's mate, Letitia. Immersed in a sea of twists, turns and secrets, Sabrina doesn't know who to trust. Who killed Letitia Tremayne, and who is the mysterious savior who keeps coming to Sabrina's aid?

Genres: Vampires, Paranormal, Fantasy, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal Romance

Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2010

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/5/2019)! 🎁

[Runningrabbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[James Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an old-school vampire fan. Pushing the envelope a bit is okay, but go too far, and I'm out of here. Having said all of that, when Bell began revealing her werewolves, elves and shape-shifters in her tale, I began to get worried. However, let me tell you, it worked. Bell makes no apologies for her characters or plot; she simply told her story, and did so very well. In a less-skilled writer's hands it could have been silly. With Bell at the helm of this tale, it was more a case of: Seriously, guys, this is how it happened. By the end, I had bought in and was ready for the next installment.
If you like your skies overcast, the sound of chainsaws at work, your music well past heavy metal and your films filled with gore, then this may not be your book. On the other hand, if you like your paranormal in the PG-13 vein and to be trailblazingly different; a strong yet flawed female lead character; a complicated supporting cast of villains, heroes and antiheroes; a good helping of romance; and a twisting suspenseful plot that will keep you turning pages, then I may have just the book for you.

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved 'Vampire Ascending.' I am not into Vampire fiction -- I didn't even read 'Interview with a Vampire' but the cover intrigued me enough that I clicked on it and read the first chapter. I was hooked. What's not to like? The character of Sabrina Strong and the situations she found herself in captivated me right from the get-go.

Per Lorelei Bell's Sabrina "is a "Touch Clairvoyant who needs a job after her father dies. Bjorn Tremayne of Tremayne Towers in Chicago has hired her to find out who murdered his life-time mate, Letitia." Thing is - he's a Master Vampire! From the very first page until the end, there are twists and turns as Sabrina is faced with friends and foes of Bjorn, some of whom want to control her and some who want do destroy her. Through it all, Sabrina remains standing, even managing to fall in love.

Please do yourself a favor and pick up this book. Once you start, you will not be able to put it down. This book has mystery, intrigue and romance. I highly recommend it.

[Sumiko]

Just started reading Lorelei's book. Disclaimer: she is a friend and my bus driver. I bought it on kindle (my new toy!) - reading on kindle is a new experience. Enjoying both so far.

[Valerie Twombly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the story line and the characters. I was kind of rooting for Nicholas but I liked Dante as to become Sabrina's lover. Would have liked a bit more steamy sex but that's just me.

[Eirlys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic story.

A fantasy novel with characters that are vampires, shape shifters and werewolves, amongst other beings. It was an unusual book with Sabrina Strong being able to read people or objects, just by touching them. There were many twists which were unexpected.

[Shelly Arkon · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the writer introduces you to Sabrina Strong, a touch clairvoyant, she's on her way for a job interview, and is attacked by a werewolf, and bitten. Along comes handsome vampire, Nicolas, and his sidekick, Steve. They both rescue her, but not without tasting her blood. And the best part to this, Nicolas is the guy she's to have the interview with. What a way to suck a reader in. Literally.

From there you'll learn he's interviewing her for a job for hot vampire dude, Tremayne, a master vampire. His mates been murdered and he needs Sabrina's clairvoyant skills to find her killer so he can seek revenge.

Warning before I go further, there's lot more hot dudes in this book. Vampires, of course. Werewolves and shapeshifters, too. Hot, hot, hot!(Fanning myself right now.)They've all got that thrall thing going on with SPECIAL skills (brow waggle here-if you know what I mean).

Here's a list of those hot guys:

Tremayne: Hot master vampire. Very wealthy. Finds Sabrina, irresistible. So much so he could kill her but not deliberately, of course.

Nicolas: Well, guess you could say he's Tremayne's trustworthy right-hand man. But, he's got the hots for Sabrina, too. Plus, he nipped her in the beginning of the story. So maybe he's not so trustworthy. The way he was written in and the bits of information had me wondering the entire time.

Dante: He's the hot American Indian dude who's been assigned to protect Sabrina. But, guess what? He's got the hots for her, too. Oh, my...

Vasyl: He's the mystery vampire that bit her when she was ten. He's also a master vampire but is considered a rogue. Nothing and no one governs him. I'm not sure if he wants to be a father to her or has the hots for her, too.

Well,to sum it all up, Sabrina is in a fine mess. She's got three bites to contend with. One by a werewolf, and two by vampires. If she doesn't have vampire thrall to worry about, she's got her own lust issues happening for all these men. Not to mention, she's got other big issues on her mind like: Will I turn into a werewolf? Will I eventually become a vampire? Maybe I'll become a hybrid werewolf-vampire mix? Which guy will be my mate? My soulmate? And, am I some special clairvoyant? Am I the sybil?

Lorelei did a nice job of weaving a web of complexities for Sabrina. It all left me hanging.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has created another culture upon this earth that most humans never glimpse. The ordinary, and not so ordinary, vampires and some shifters (humans that can change form) are ruled by a master vampire. In the U. S. there are two Master Vampires. Our heroine applies for a job as a clairvoyant as one of the Masters wants to know who dared to kill his wife. Oh, she was also a vampire, but someone managed to go through all the security and shoot a wooden bolt (that mean wooden stake) through her heart. Sabrina is bit by werewolf, vampire works to cure her. She had been biten by a different Master Vampire when ten and in danger of being called by him. She was bit while being cured, nipped by the Master Vampire, and stalked by the one who shoots bolts into vampires, plus will she recover from the werewolf bite or will she turn into one with the full moon? Great read, but you will need the rest of the series to have all of the answers.

[Connie Fogg-Bouchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

loving things that go bump in the night

Sabrina's jobs are a bit unusual and take her to the oddest places. she is cautious but fun loving, needing to work to pay the bills on the home her father left her.

and tonight, she is to meet for a job interview. with a vampire. about a murder. and while approaching her appointment, she is attacked by a werewolf and saved by the very same vampire she was to meet.

all because she is a touch clairvoyant and tell what happened in the past just with a simple touch. now she's on everyone's radar.

I just LOVED this book. there wasn't any part that wasn't fantastic. make sure you read it!

[Dee Krull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story

Good story for the most part but the editing was poor which has been the norm with most new books. However this was unusual with the misused words and phrases. I have come to the conclusion that this book was a translation written in another
Language and not the authors fault. I would recommend it to those who love vampire stories but if want enjoy it set aside the poor translation.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of two halves!

I was going to give up on this book early on, as it was disjointed and needed lots of editing. All of a sudden, these things - for the most part - improved for the rest of the book, so I persevered.
I think the inspiration for this story is more ' true blood' than 'twilight', and I ended up quite enjoying it. Not what I would call a romance though, as there are too many potential love interests.

[Gene Komaromi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. The plot with the "who done it" theme was good with plenty of twists was suspensful. I wanted more detail on everything. I wanted to visually see those elves, deamons and others. I wanted to smell what the vampires smelled. I wanted to see the look on the faces of her friends when they saw her with Dante. I'll read the next book in the series hop8ng for more.I'll

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

I was really blown away by the premise and plot of this novel. I had a hard time putting it down. It kept me reading, though a deep seated connection to the characters was a bit missing. I loved it anyways and really want to read the rest in the series to find out how this all ends

[Ronda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story bones, but suffering from some growing pains as it tries to figure out which way it wants to go. Thinking this story has potential to grow into the large shoes it has stepped into--with less focus on the sex and more copy editing.

[Tairy Tairy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sooooo freakin good

I loved it. She's getting hit on from all the dudes and she's having to battle her internal desires while trying to solve the murders. Awesome.

[Mariana Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sabrina's life is a roller-coaster! This series is one of a kind!!! You won't regret reading these books, so go ahead buy them all and red them as many times you want!!!

[Dawn Ireland · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tantalizing read

Lorelei Bell is a master at telling a story. I enjoyed going along for the ride with Sabrina, Nicholas, Dante and the whole vampire gang.

[Crystal Overmyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read

This book was hard to put down I read in 1 day. I wish it had never ended.... I can't wait to read the next book!!

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

Catches you up and doesn’t let go until the end. Can’t wait to read the next in this series. Loved the characters.

[Cynthia R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ascension

I loved this story. A lot of questions answered and more to explore. I would highly recommend this book. Now on to book 2. :)

[Donald Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting story but MC needs to be stronger.

[Infinity Sisters Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ascension by Lorelei Bell is the first book in the Sabrina Strong Series. Sabrina's money has dwindled since her father's death, but her luck seems to change when she answers a job ad seeking a skilled clairvoyant. Sabrina is a super sensitive that has visions brought on through touching an object. Before her interview can even start, she's attacked by a werewolf, and she's saved by a vampire that seems way too familiar. If she takes the job, she'll be working for the exclusive Tremayne Towers, under the leadership of Vampire Master Bjorn Tremayne, and for the North American Vampire Association. Tremayne seeks her services to solve the murder of his lover, Letitia, which leads her to a startling discovery. As she's drawn further into this world, she finds a connection to the vampire she's dreamed about since she was a child, and uncovers secrets behind her mother's disappearance that could change everything. When someone close to her goes missing, she has to trust her new friends and the powerful vampire vying for her attention.

Sabrina is a gifted clairvoyant, something which has always made her feel different. Her only true confidant is her best friend, Jeanie, who has never doubted her abilities and has always believed her. When she's brought in to work for Tremayne, Sabrina starts to discover a new side of herself in this dangerous new world that's away from the town that she's always known. Lorelei Bell pays homage to the dangerous and seductive vampire trope, with plenty of blood and lust, glamour and riches, but adds a modern twist with vampire laws that forbid them from hunting humans, and a chain of government. They have their own ranking, status, and politics, with powerful vampires following the same rules as any other vampire. Sabrina is quickly engulfed inside this supernatural world that is more than just werewolves and vampires. Throughout she meets a variety of beings from shapeshifters to demons, from elves to shamans. Sabrina's relationships with her new found companions are intriguingly complicated. The vampires are technically good by their standards, but they're highly dangerous and predatory.

However, Bell doesn't just show the surface of the characters, she digs deeper and shows different sides to the characters. Sabrina's relationship with Tremayne is probably the most complicated. He takes an automatic interest in her, so he begins to sway her with glitzy presents and seduction, while also maintaining the fact that he's a super powerful and dangerous vampire. Nicolas is the first vampire she meets and, though he has a definite connection and flirtation with her, he assumes a protective role toward her. Dante is a shapeshifter shaman that acts her partner and bodyguard, who forms a strong connection and friendship with her. Her relationship with Heath is probably the sweetest, because he's laid back and always seems so genuine, an easily likable personality, and he never seems to have an agenda. A thrilling start to a series, Ascension is equal parts vampire romance and equal parts murder mystery; a story that's charming and endearing with a strong-willed heroine that will captivate you.

[Donna Hole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sabrina Strong is a 22 year old touch clairvoyant who answers an ad for an employer looking for a clairvoyant. She can tell over the phone the employer is a vampire, but this does not scare her off. Being essentially jobless and penniless, she is desperate enough to suspend disbelief that her skills could actually earn her a living. She is bitten by a werewolf as she arrives at the interview, and her potential vampire employer arrives at her rescue and sucks out most of the werewolf venom. The experience leaves her fainting into the arms of the most handsome male she could ever dream of meeting, and of course he and his minions are smitten by her sweetly tasty blood and alluring aura. She wakes in her vampire rescuer's bedroom, although he has not acted upon his desires as he needs permission from his vampire master to make her his. As the story progresses, Sabrina is consistently the target of lust from each alpha she meets (vampires, shifters, were's, but not the Fae) and each is more gorgeous and powerful than the last.

This is a simple urban fantasy, populated by all manner of paranormal creatures. Sabrina is a poor, young, innocent girl, thrust into the clutches of the billionaire vampire leader Bjorn Tremayne to solve the mystery of who murdered his life-mate by using her previously untested clairvoyant powers. She is offered a sign on bonus too large to refuse, a yearly salary bigger than she could make working part time for her sister in law's thrift store, and perks such as a car and cell phone of her very own. Plus, every hot guy in the Tremayne Towers lusting after her blood, both for eating and sex.

For me, this story was a combination of Fifty Shades and Charlain Harris' Dead And . . series. Lorelei is skilled at crafting a mystery and leaving subtle clues to point the reader to the obvious conclusion, and the development of the world and its rules was well paced and at times unique. Her characters were engaging with interesting back stories and continuing character plots. The novel stands alone, but leaves a number of unanswered questions for sequels to fill in.

While the story concept itself was interesting, and the writing style easy to read; the story was over written, sometimes repeating information (and mystery clues) as much as four times as the main character Sabrina, frequently forgot details and had to be reminded by other characters; and the step-by-step mannerisms and descriptions used a lot of unnecessary word count. There were also an extreme amount of misspelled and misused words, and prolific and inappropriate use of commas that consistently pulled me out of the story; even during the most action and sexual scenes. The ending rushed through a summation of events after the climax, leaving an unfinished vibe to the characters.

This genre is not my normal reading - I won the book in a giveaway - but I would recommend this book, and the series, to anyone who adores HOT, alpha vampires and shifters, a sexy female protagonist, and billionaire love stories.

[Sahara Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sabrina Strong was anything but normal. Being born a touch clairvoyant, she was considered a freak by her peers, and basically shunned most of her life. So when she answered an ad for a company searching for a clairvoyant, the last thing she expected was to become the center of attention, males swooning all over her. But wait . . they’re vampires, werewolves, and shape- shifters. What the hell did she get into?

I really enjoyed this novel. It has a solid mystery story wrapped around the paranormal. As Sabrina tracks down the person killing vampires with a crossbow, she finds her past catching up with her. Who is Vasyl, and what does he want with her? What does he have to do with her mother who disappeared years ago? For being mostly dead vampires, the characters are alive and vibrant. Suddenly, Sabrina finds herself surrounded by hunky men,and they all want a piece of her. Bell does a great job with the sexual tension between the different characters. My favorite is Dante. Yum!. As some questions were answered, other questions remain. That’s why I bought book two. Is Sabrina really the sibyl? And what of Nicolas? Is he really on Tremayne’s side?

If this book had some additional proofreading and editing, it would be a 5 star novel. I had issues with some of the sentence structures as they seemed backwards and awkward.

If you’re in the mood for a good thriller with larger than life paranormal characters, you should read this series. I give it 4 feathers.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this under the title "Ascension" -- book 1 of multiple books, this does have a nice ending, although there are still unanswered questions, which aren't so hard to answer if you think about it.


Sabrina is a strong super-sensitive clairvoyant who lives in the middle of nowhere Illinois in the quiet town of Moonlight (ha ha). She answers an ad for a clairvoyant and in the parking lot where she's supposed to meet her boss for the interview, she's attacked by a werewolf. The boss is a vampire who can shift, she's then thrown into a world where vampires, werewolves and shifters exist. She learns the truth about her mother, who went missing when she was 11; and learns that with this gift of clairvoyance comes great danger.

This book is less angsty than twilight and less kitschy than true blood, but there are similarities. Every male seems to be interested in Sabrina, so I wonder where she'll end up and who with. Not everyone is what they seem.
There's a lot of violence in this book -- not surprising. And, there's some sex -- kinda light, not very sensual or erotic, mainly because there's no romance. I expected the connection between Dante and Sabrina to be stronger since he can read her mind, but perhaps that will change.

The writing in this could be stronger -- there are lots of misspelled words (heals for heels, etc) and the dialogue could be stronger. Descriptions of scenes and the Tremayne Towers as fangs are fun.

[Shirley Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story unfolds with a woman who is a 'touch' clairvoyant & who's past had opened her eyes to 'supernaturals' in the world. Starting with Vampires - and the world they inhabit - and control, down to the revelation of her role within the supernatural. From a woman struggling with her own relationship issues - to being wanted suddenly by many! I thought this would be just another vamp love story - but I was SO WRONG! This is an amazing series - as I finished this book, I went on line and bought the other 3... immediately! The writing is so strong I can almost 'be' her - and it moves so quickly - yet I have no problem in keeping all the characters in order! This may just well be my fav series for the year!!!

[D.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must start by admitting, I'm out of my comfort zone with this book. I was trying to get out of my sci-fi genre box. And failed miserably. Vampires and all those demons just aren't my thing. There. I said it. Now, on with the review.

Vampires Ascending is well written, with great care taken to maintain the characters persona throughout. I loved the Sabrina character--the kinda girl I'd like to get to know and have as a friend...if it wasn't for the people she chummed around with. Shudder.

The descriptions are meticulous and draw you into the story...a bit too much for me, since I have an overactive imagination. But, for those that live for this kind of book, you will love it.

[Lena Winfrey Hayat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Lorelei Bell has created an interesting world with a new type of vampire not to mention a mixture of magical and supernatural creatures. She has colorful characters, sharp dialogue and an adventurous plot that makes it hard to put down the novel. Her protagonist, Sabrina Strong, grabs our hearts as we empathize with this young woman who has faced a lot of struggles in her life. We follow her through these adventures and care for her.

I highly recommend Vampire Ascending. It will capture your mind and leave you craving the next book in the series.

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Interesting storyline and characters that keep the reader hooked. There's a lot going on that is layered with intrigue and mystery that makes it an enjoyable read. Each of the characters touch you in some way and has realistic qualities that pull the story together. Great Read.