New Review! Vow of Retribution by Emma Renshaw 4 Cranky Stars

Vow of Retribution by Emma Renshaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Cranky Stars


I found myself pulled into this story with the synopsis. The catchy way that the author wrote it left me wondering what mysteries were waiting within the pages. It felt suspenseful with a dash of romance that would come unexpectedly. I’m a sucker for unexpected romances, so I dove right on it.


The main character of this story, Savannah, is an independent, strong, and determined female lead. I like a female lead that can take charge and take care of herself, but still be strong enough to admit she needs a man to love her for who she is. Savannah has a tragic past. It has literally left scars on her to remind her of where she came from and who she belongs to. However, Savannah has fought hard and trained to be stronger and better than who she used to be. She overcomes her abusive past to say I can fight back. I deserve to feel safe and strong and loved. She spends her days training in the gym with her best friend James, who helps her find the inner strength she needs to defend herself.


Insert Liam, the barbarian. (As Savannah likes to call him.) He is the Alpha lead male with a tender heart and a soft spot for Savannah. Liam has his own secrets, but he is determined to make things right and leave his past behind him. He instantly falls in love with Savannah the moment he walks into James’ gym to find her determined to be stronger. He admires her for his independence and strength, her motivation and determination, her sassy pants attitude, and hard to get tactics. It all calls him to her like a beacon. A moth to the flame so to say.


With big brown eyes and a sexy southern drawl, Savannah was doomed from the start. They find themselves in a whirlwind romance that has them passionately in love. But Liam soon realizes Savannah is hiding something from him. He picks up on her lies and her obsessive safeguards to realize things are not quite right. I can’t go on any further with the story or too much will be reveal, but the story pick up pace and you find yourself unable to put the book down. You need to know what happens. Before you know it you are slammed with passionate love making, threats, and plot twists that will keep you sucked into this world.


This tale of a story about a young woman overcoming her past is wonderful. However, I have to say there is something that I just don’t get with this story. The cover is all wrong for what lies beneath the pages. I’m not a fan of the chosen cover that goes along with this. Don’t get me wrong, the designer did a great job piecing it together, but it has nothing to do with what lies beneath the book. Honestly, it looks to me like the decision was made for the simple idea that sex sells and there had to be a half-naked man on it to catch someone’s attention. The book has nothing to do with the naked man that appears on the cover. Even the main male lead Liam isn’t what this book revolves around. The sex appeal of the cover is all wrong for the message being relayed in the plot. It is about a girl rising from the ashes like a phoenix (a tad cliché and it’s literally her tattoo). It is about a woman overcoming abusive to come back from it, to love again, to fight for her live, to defend herself, and to say she is stronger and better than what he did to her. So I don’t get how that all leads to a naked muscled up man on the cover. Throws me way off.


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