Nalini Singh: Angels' Blood

Angels' Blood: D
Elena Deveraux & Raphael
Paranormal: angels, vampires


Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she's the best—but she doesn't know if she's good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option...even if the task is impossible.

Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other…and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn't destroy her, succumbing to Raphael's seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break… (author's website)


When I think of Ms. Nalini Singh, I think of Slave to Sensation, the first of the Psy-Changeling series and the book that shot her into authordom. I loved that book. Loved it. I thought it was innovative and that it featured such a wonderful love story.

Unfortunately... Angels' Blood was nothing like that. I mean, I want to like this book because I like Ms. Singh, but truth be told, I couldn't take the story seriously.

I think the first disconnect I felt with the story was because our hero, Raphael, is an archangel. Yes, the strongest and mightiest being, who has control over vampires, but still, he is an angel. He is goodly and drop-dead-gorgeous with blazing blue eyes and perfect, perfect features, but .... I didn't know angels had sex. I just couldn't get over this fact. When there was heavy "sexual tension" in the air, all I could think was, but... but! He has huge wings sprouting out of his back! I don't care if they're beautiful and covered with angel pixie dust... he has wings!

Then again, what makes it normal to read about vampires (dead, immortal beings with animal-like fangs protruding from one's mouth) and not about angels? That, I can't really tell you. Regardless, I was still weirded out.

The hunt for the rogue archangel was good enough. The new fantasy world that Ms. Singh created was readable enough.

It was the characterization that I found to be lacking, especially between Elena and Raphael. Minus the sexual attraction and lust they had between them, I couldn't really say much about either without sounding like a cliched mess: Elena is fierce. Raphael is deadly and cold.

Perhaps there are only so many ways for character traits to be written, but really, the art of writing is in how these traits are shown, and Ms. Singh has failed to justly portray each character.

Bottom line: Skip.

Linda Howard: Death Angel

Death Angel: B
Drea Rosseau


A striking beauty with a taste for diamonds and dangerous men, Drea Rousseau is more than content to be arm candy for Rafael Salinas, a notorious crime lord who deals with betrayal through quick and treacherous means: a bullet to the back of the head, a blade across the neck, an incendiary device beneath a car. Eager to break with Rafael, Drea makes a fateful decision and a desperate move, stealing a mountain of cash from the malicious killer. After all, an escape needs to be financed.

Though Drea runs, Salinas knows she can’t hide–and he dispatches a cold-blooded assassin in hot pursuit, resulting in a tragic turn of events. Or does it?

Left for dead, Drea miraculously returns to the realm of the living a changed woman. She’s no longer shallow and selfish, no longer steals or cheats or sells herself short. Both humbled and thrilled with this unexpected second chance, Drea embraces her new life. But in order to feel safe and sound–and stop nervously looking over her shoulder–she will need to take down those who marked her for death.

Joining forces with the FBI, supplying vital inside information that only she can provide, Drea finds herself working with the most dangerous man she’s ever known. Yet the closer they get to danger, the more intense their feelings for each other become, and the more Drea realizes that the cost of her new life may be her life itself–as well as her heart.


This was a most interesting read.
Very interesting.

When I read it a month ago, I gave it an A-. Now I'm obliged to give it a substantially lower grade.

Drea is the girlfriend of really-bad-guy Rafael Salinas. Coming from an impoverished background, she's done whatever she could to provide for herself... and she's done pretty well for herself in terms of material wealth. However, Salinas doesn't give her the love and acceptance that she so yearns for in her heart.

When she meets Salinas' go-to man (aka assassin), they share an incredible experience and crazily, (seriously, crazily) she wants to turn to this man for comfort, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able, or willing to, care for her.

In realizing this and in realizing the shittiness of her situation with Salinas, she makes a run for it, taking $2mil of Salinas cash with her.

He, of course, finds out and is furious.
He dispatches the hit man to go after her and effectively take her off the radar.

She runs from everyone and through a car accident, dies. (it says left for dead - she actually dies) Miraculously (and ever-so-slightly touching the paranormal realm), shed is given another chance at life... and she is a changed woman.

When she and the hit man meet again, they try to put an end to the bad Salinas.



I don't mind paranormals, dying, and etc etc. However, I do mind relating to the hero and heroine. I understood and sympathized (somewhat) with Drea. But I could not relate to the hero.

Similar to Diaz from Cry No More, the hero is hard to read, closed, distant, cold-blooded, and... well... what you would expect hit-men and assassins to be.

However, unlike Diaz, our hero remains distant to the end of the novel. While he changes - albeit slightly- for Drea, I still couldn't understand how Drea could have possibly loved him. He was stoic. He didn't talk. He just.... he just... I don't know... just... was there. It was apparent that he cared for her, yet I felt something was missing.

As for Drea caring for hero - she kind-of fell into love with him the moment she met him, so she just... loved him. BUT, I can't relate to how she came to feel safe and wanted and cared-for in his arms, as Howard wrote.

It's this strange mesh of incomprehension that I'm left with, even at the end of the story.

I think that Ms. Howard might have taken her uber alpha hero a bit too far.
If you're going to have someone fall in love with a sniper/ assassin/ killer-dude, make him somewhat ...human?

Other than this, the story was interesting to read.

..so I'm not sure if I truly recommend this or not. I say GO FOR IT - but borrow from your local library before purchasing this baby.

Kresley Cole: Dark Needs at Night's Edge

Dark Needs at Night's Edge
B-
Neomi Laress & Conrad Wroth
the Immortals After Dark series 4


A New Orleans ballerina in the 1920s, Neomi Laress had her life cut short by a murderous fiancé. She has haunted her estate, Elancourt, for the past 80 years, desperately seeking contact. Conrad Wroth is a self-loathing vampire mercenary with serious bloodlust. His brothers bring him to Elancourt to try to make him sane again, but he soon gets drawn into Neomi's difficult world, and the two fall for each other. But since Neomi isn't embodied, they can't touch. And that's just one of their problems. The banter of secondary characters, particularly Mariketa the Witch, distinguishes this standard story of an unattainable woman who needs saving and a rageful man who needs taming. (amazon)

Dark Needs at Night's Edge was my very first Kresley Cole novel, which, now that I think about it, wasn’t a very wise decision.

I’m known to be somewhat of an anal book picker. I no longer randomly “pick” books out at the library; I deliberate on the title to ensure that the book isn’t in the middle of some impossibly long series. (I’m specifically thinking of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, Stephanie Lauren’s Cynster series, and of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series.). It is the most impossible thing when you come home with a book that you’re (somewhat) looking forward to read when, after reading a couple of pages, you realize you have no absolute clue as to what’s going on because of all the back-stories you’ve missed out on.

Such is the unfortunate case for DNANE.

I imagine this to be at least the third/ fourth book in the Immortals After Dark series since Conrad has three brothers.

Only the third book, you say?

While some authors do a great job integrating readers into the middle of a series, Ms. Cole does not. That and that her paranormal world is vastly complex; this isn’t the middle of a bunch of brothers finding their true love – it’s about werewolves, witches, demons (with horns!), trolls, gnomes, and [fill in random non-human thing here].

So, in comes Conrad who apparently is a vampire, but hates being one. In fact, he despises his eldest brother who turned him some-hundred years ago. Reason is revealed as one reads further, however, Conrad has a wicked reputation of being a very badass and very bloodthirsty soldier. His eyes are bloodshot, symbolic of him having drained others of their blood. He also has a wicked temper, to boot.

Troubled, his brothers lock him in an abandoned house – that unbeknownst to them, is haunted by a ghost. The very attractive ghost is Néomi Laress, former prima ballerina in the 1920/1930s. She was brutally murdered by her ex-fiance and stuck around for eighty-some years.

To Conrad’s dismay, he is the only one who can see her.

I know what you’re thinking. Ghost?!?! Who reads J.R. Ward here? (spoiler: I immediately thought of Vishous’s Jane, too.)

I’m not ruining anything when I say there is a happily ever after, though the process of Néomi and Conrad’s is painful requiring a lot of voodoo witchy-spell stuff. A little over my head (did that witch get her own book? I want to say yes, which means this is the fourth book – at least!)

The love story itself was decently powerful and poignant…enough. It was interesting.

I say, give it a try – but read from the beginning of the series!

Nalini Singh: Slave to Sensation

Slave to Sensation: A+

Sascha Duncan & Lucas Hunter

Ooh, what an exciting read! I wish I was living in the amazing world of the Psy and the Changelings.

It is approximately 2060 and the world is full of shape-shifters (humans with the ability to shift into animals) and the Psy. The Psy consider themselves to be of the superior race because of their mental abilities, with each Psy being gifted in either telekinetic powers, telepathic powers, and etc. Back in 1969, the Psy implemented the “Silence” program because of the high numbers of serial killers among them. This program trained the Psy to throw away all their emotions, feelings, and any thoughts that would lead them astray from being the most logical and efficient.

The Psy also have a hierarchical system with the Cardinals ruling over the Psy. The Cardinals are the most powerful of the Psy and also regulate the PsyNet, an internet-like system where all Psy plug into for mental nourishment and interaction with other Psy.

It is in this world that Sascha Duncan is raised in. She, however, believes herself to be a defect because of her abnormal “changeling” tendencies. She finds herself wanting to feel emotion and occasionally, exhibiting traits that are forbidden in the Psy world. Sascha works hard to prevent others from seeing this part of her, for if the Psy discover her flaws, she would be placed into a rehabilitation system, a program to wipe out all but the most basic of brain functions (similar to a vegetable).

Sascha, because of business, meets Lucas, her flaws come out stronger than ever and it gets harder to hide her abnormality. When Lucas informs Sascha of a serial killer among the Psy targeting changelings, she chooses to put in a plan to make herself the bait… and places her life in danger.

There were some elements in this story that I absolutely loved. The creative PsyWorld, the fierceness of the changelings, Lucas and Sascha together… it was all great. But more than anything, I love that Sascha and Lucas showed each other (and to me) the true meaning of love: unconditional, sacrificial love. It’s beyond lust, it’s beyond liking, it’s beyond whirlwind romances… it’s the real thing.

The time had come for Sascha to put her plan into action: to go into PsyNet and find the killer hiding among the Psys by emanating changeling thought patterns.

The downfall: after she discovers the killer, she must block him, then cut herself off from the PsyNet, hence cutting herself off from her lifeline. All Psys must be connected to the PsyNet for its continuous source of mental sustenance.

Lucas, being the animalistic (hey, he’s half panther), domineering, alpha-male that he is, made Sashca promise to him that she after she cut her link from the PsyNet, that she would mentally link to him so that she would survive. He did this knowing that in several months’ time, she would drain him (because he doesn’t have the mental capacity that Psys do) and she’d end up killing him. Still, he wanted her to link him so that they could live for a little longer – and die together. (A little morbid, but romantic, nevertheless.)

Sascha goes in, does her deed, then cuts herself off, and refuses to link to Lucas… to save him.

The fact that Sascha was willing to sacrifice her life for a cause she believed to be worthy is admirable. The undeniable fact that she refused to draw strength from Lucas when she cut her life-giving link from the PsyNet was damn kickass. She was not only willing to give up her life for something she believed to be right, she refused to live so that Lucas would be able to live. She even went back on her promise to him – to save his life. What could be more heroic than that?

And Lucas, seeing that Sascha wasn’t going to connect to him, forces her to link to him through love. (dreamy sigh) His fury over Sascha’s deception and his determination for her to live is a scene I’ll never forget.

It’s romantic. It’s dreamy. It’s love, yo!

(I’m reminded of the scene from The Bronze Horseman where Tatiana sees Alexander dying and literally injects an IV into her vein to feed him the blood that he needs. The amount of blood that Alexander needs is an overwhelming amount and Tatiana eventually passes out from feeding him so much blood. When others try to pull the IV out of her, she refuses, knowing that it’s her blood that would keep Alexander living.)

Plus, all the males sound delicious and yummy. A little bossy, but forgivable because of their love for their mates (and the fact that the females all have minds and wit and aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves.). I loved that Sascha didn’t let Lucas bully her. (Who wants a feeble, weak heroine?)

If you’re into paranormals and want something different from the blood-sucking “Kiss of the Dracula/ Vampire” stories, run out and snag yourself a copy of this book. It’s most definitely worth your time!