Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter Book 2) by Nalini Singh

I've been looking forward to Archange's Kiss, and as always, Nalina Singh did not let me down.

We watch Elena as she regains her strength, as she learns to fight as an angel, as she learns to deal with having wings. Apparently, there is a lot more to this wing thing than I'd thought about. First, there are all of these brand new muscles she has to learn to control, and she has to build those muscles up, too. Then, she has to learn to draw a knife without cutting herself. She has to learn to roll on the ground (to get away from, say, a knife thrown at her, or a bolt shot out of a crossbow) without hurting her wings. We also get to watch her learn to fly.

And we get to watch her and Raphael figure out their relationship. Raphael is used to always getting his way, Elena isn't about to roll over and let him be her master. But Raphael is used to being "Master" or "Sire" over everyone under him. Elena's response? "I'd rather die as Elena than live as a Shadow".

There are several plots running through this novel, and most of them get tied up neatly by the end of the book. Of course, there are a few loose ends, if there weren't then we wouldn't look forward to what happens next. But for the most part, I like that Ms. Singh neatly ends her books, with no major cliffhangers.

We also meet more of Raphael's trusted people, some of them like Elena but many of them think Raphael would be safer if she were dead. She is a weakness to an Archangel who previously had no weaknesses. They can't kill her because of their loyalty to Raphael, but some of them are charged with teaching her to fight immortals, and those sparring matches were pretty interesting with the added irony. It would have been simpler (and would have kept Raphael safer) to kill her, or to let her be killed. But they had to teach her to fight, and they had to act as bodyguards at times, because Raphael very much wanted her alive. So, while their loyalty to him made them want her dead, their loyalty to Raphael also made them have to teach her to fight, and to help keep her alive when danger was present. I think she won a few of them over during the course of the book... but probably not all of them.

I loved the descriptions of The Forbidden City in Beijing. I've been there, as a tourist, but the idea... no, the fantasy... of attending a ball there, of having your own quarters and staying there a few days... that was a nice fantasy. (Or it would be if there weren't so many people wanting you dead.) I had actually hoped we'd see just a bit more of Beijing, but that's okay, the story line didn't really need for them to wander around the city. I'm not thrilled that Beijing was destroyed, "just a memory". I have friends there. But, this is fiction, so we'll all survive. (Select the spoiler text to view it. It's just a minor spoiler, not a major one, but still.)

I rated Angel's Kiss a 10 of 10, and I gave the short story, Angel's Judgment (in Must Love Hellhounds) a 10 of 10. I've wavered back and forth between a 9 and a 10 for Archangel's Kiss, and in the end I think it gets a 10 of 10, in part for the lighthearted moments we are gifted with. And in part because so many of the characters are so multidimensional. We are given such glimpses into even some of the minor characters, that they become more real to us. Nalina Singh is such a gifted author and storyteller. I can't wait for the next installment of the Guild Hunter series. Unfortunately, we do not know when that will be. The author's website does say there will be a #3 and a #4, but they are apparently unnamed at this point, with no scheduled release date.

So, we'll have to make due with the next Psy/Changelings book, Bonds of Justice, due in July.

I have a feeling that at some point each of Raphael's Seven will probably each get their own book. I hope that we continue to get Elena and Raphael stories, but as intrigued as I am with the secondary characters we've met, I wouldn't mind seeing more of their stories, either. But, I'm really interested in seeing how Elena continues to grow and change as she gains Angelic powers. I want to see her hold onto her humanity as she becomes more of an Angel. I want to see how she and Raphael grow and change together.

Book Rating: Archangel's Kiss: 10 of 10
Series Rating: Guild Hunter: 10 of 1o




1. Angels' Blood
*. Must Love Hellhounds (short story: Angels' Judgment) (Sept 09)
2. Archangel's Kiss (Feb 2010)

Book Covers: Archangel's Kiss, Flirt, and First Drop of Crimson

I started looking at upcoming covers yesterday, and I'll continue that today.

First today is Archangel's Kiss, the next Guild Hunter book by Nalini Singh - due to be released February second. Here's the blurb:

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find that she has become an angel-and that her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, likes having her under his control. But almost immediately, Raphael must ready Elena for a flight to Beijing, to attend a ball thrown by the archangel Lijuan. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan's power lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena...

I love this cover. You can see her wings, and you can see her on a rooftop in China, probably in The Forbidden City or The Summer Palace - but there are numerous other places in Beijing with rooftops that look like that as well. But then we look at the rooftops in the distance and it looks more like The Forbidden City, except with the mountains in the distance instead of a cityscape, it's most likely outside of town somewhere. I am really excited that this will be taking place in and around Beijing.

You can read the first chapter of Archange's Kiss here.

I do not like the new covers for the Anita Blake series. Some think they are artistic, but I think they are boring and not very creative at all. I also think that they do not tell us anything about what is in the book. It's a good thing we aren't supposed to judge a book by the cover, because these covers just don't fit the books, in my opinion. I like the books, don't like the covers.

What do we know about Flirt? We know that Flirt is a novella, and that LKH has compared it to Micah, saying it's not really a part of the series. Since Micah is the only book in the Anita Blake series that I disliked, I'm finding it hard to get excited about Flirt.

And now to First Drop of Crimson, an offshoot of my favorite series: the Night Huntress Series, and I have high hopes for this offshoot series. I love Jeaniene Frost's writing, and I'm really excited about reading Spade's story (though I'm actually even more excited about Mencheres' story). Here is the blurb for this one:

The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows—her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield—and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness—and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human—even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together . . .

Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.

What does the cover tell us? It tells us that Spade's face is a bit scary, and it's easy to understand why Cat thought he was a bad guy when she first met him. It also tells us the rest of him is, ummm, hot. We also see him about to have dinner on the lady in red, and that she's moving her hair out of the way, so she's obviously okay with that. But, according to the blurb, he apparently isn't supposed to do that? So, is the lady in red Denise?

Questions questions questions. And since this book doesn't come out until February 9th, it looks like we've got two months until we find out the answers. Until then, there is a teaser, and (even better) the first chapter up at Jeanine Frost's site.

Oh, and another picture that is on the author's site:

Cover: Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Nalini Singh has posted the cover for her next Guild Hunter novel, Archangel's Kiss.

You can read my review of Angel's Blood here. I gave it a 10 of 10. I have high hopes for the rest of the series, too.


Guild Hunter series:
*. Angels' Pawn (ebook only, at Fictionwise or Amazon)
1. Angels' Blood
*. Must Love Hellhounds (short story: Angels' Judgment) (09/01/09)
2. Archangel's Kiss (02/10/10)

Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter, Bk 1) by Nalini Singh

Angels' Blood blew me away.

The world building, the characters, the depth of emotion. What incredible skill Nalina Singh has as an author. Not to mention the ability to write a romance without anyone quaking or quivering or any of the other cheesy romance novel words that usually have me rolling my eyes. I didn't roll my eyes a single time, and for a book that focuses as much as this one does on a romance, that's saying something with me.

That's not to say it's mostly romance. No, it's as much action as it is romance. Possibly more. I've listed this one as both Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, because it qualifies as both but neither description really works by itself, either. It's not a cheesy romance, and it's more than just urban fantasy.

Here is the blurb from the author's site:

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…

But what that blurb doesn't tell you is what an incredible character Elena is. And it doesn't tell you how great the world building is. Or how three dimensional the rest of the cast of characters are written. It doesn't tell you that you may well stay up until two in the morning finishing the book, because you reach a point where it is impossible to put the book down until you know how it ends. Angels' Blood easily gets a 10 of 10 from me.

Book Rating: 10 of 10

I look forward to the next books in this series. There is a short due out this fall in the Anthology Must Love Hellhounds, and then book two in the series, Angel's Kiss, is due out sometime in 2010.





Guild Hunter series:
1. Angels' Blood
*. Must Love Hellhounds (short story: Angels' Judgment) (09/01/09)
2. Angel's Kiss (2010)