Archangel's Viper (Guild Hunter #10) by Nalini Singh

For Preface

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33852961-archangel-s-viper?from_search=true

This review has minor spoilers – none that should hinder your reading

I had been looking forward to this book since forever! It’s finally here!

Sorrow and Venom have appeared briefly at different points throughout the series but we hardly know anything about them. (Not like Illium and Aodhan…who we get small glimpses of as the series progresses)

Archangel’s Viper gives a deeper look into who Venom and Holly/Sorrow really are. (As always Singh doesn’t disappoint)

The book starts off with Venom coming back to New York around the same Raphael and Elena leave for Lumia to attend a Cardre meeting (Archangle’s Heart). Honestly it wasn’t a surprise seeing Venom paired up with Holly/Sorrow…I did notice some chemistry between all the banter they both indulged in.

For me, Venom has been the most mysterious character after Naasir. With his snake-like ways and prime suits…you literally have Tall, Dark and Handsome! Oh and let’s not forget what a smartass he is.

“Do you have infrared vision?" Interest glittered on his face.

Venom smiled, the curious reaction a far preferable one to quivering fear or horror. "You'll have to court me with roses and diamonds before asking such intimate questions."

Vivek snorted. "It's just like working for the Guild--place is full of smartasses.”

Holly has also grown up into a woman, having settled in with her family and is not having any more suicidal thoughts. However, as always with Singh, deeper and more complex emotions are involved and all is not well…Holly is hiding some surprising secrets. Okay so the part about Uram’ attack and what she has become is a little repetitive…but who can blame her, no one likes to be caged. Well at least she gives as good as she gets!

“They let you drive now?" he said in a wondering tone of voice calibrated to get under her skin. "I leave for a couple of years and miss kitty's first steps. Did anyone take photos for the baby album I sent you?"

"It's full of pretty pictures." Holly bared her teeth at him in a caricature of a smile. "Honor is a little concerned about how I keep drawing you with your head cut off," she said in a deliberately thoughtful tone, "but an artist must follow her instincts.”

“Oh, Hollyberry, I’m deeply touched that you couldn’t get me out of your head”

The banter between Venom and his “Kitty” certainly keeps one on their toes and the whole mysterious setting adds spice to the proceedings. My favorite part is when they compare who’s poison is stronger…I mean seriously!

“It’s all true.” Venom’s hair lifted up in the wind coming through his open window, his profile so astonishingly perfect that her breath caught for a second. “I’m deadlier than the deadliest snake in the world, with the ability to impact strong immortals. But you’re not too far behind.”

 “Try being used as a chew toy by an insane archangel,” Holly said with a grim smile. “It does wonders for your poison, I hear.”

I felt that Holly tried hard to deny her attraction to Venom but in the end they just give into the connection. It’s the same with Venom…seeing how ”annoying Holly was high on his favorite things to do.”

Venom’s life before becoming a vampire is also explored and his more human emotion come to light and that is what I like about all Nalini Singh’s characters...all of them have been shaped by their past experiences and that is what makes them real .

Honestly, after finishing this book, I’m now even more curious about how Illium’s and Aodhan’s relationship will evolve. Honestly I am not too keen on shipping them together because I think female intervention is needed but I guess we will just have to wait for the next book and discover what Singh has in store for us next!  

Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews

Warning 18+ Only

For the Preface

Goodeads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20705702-burn-for-me

I had heard of Ilona Andrews before but I hadn’t read any of her books before. This one seemed interesting so I gave it a try. Burn for Me was positively delightful! The world created by Ilona Andrews was very original and the characters were absolutely hilarious.

The premise – a serum that was used to reveal the different types of magic inherent to humans and when the serum was destroyed, families used genetics to pass magic onto their descendants. Some families with superior magic go to great lengths to protect their bloodline and increase their magical power. Add in military, current technology and you have a very dynamic world.

Nevada is a bit different from all the other MCs I have come across. She is straightforward and principled but not in a stuck up way. Her responsible nature was born from the duty of having to keep her family afloat. Her snarky ways, however, keep the reader entertained.

Add in Mad Rogan, the lethally-hot mass murdering hero, who happens to be the head of one the most powerful magical families in Houston. The sizzling hot chemistry between the two kept popping up in the book…and of course so did their ‘loving’ banter!

“So instead of talking to me, asking for my credentials, or doing any of those things a normal person would do, you decided to assault me and chain me in your basement?”

He shrugged a, slow, deliberate movement. “It seemed like the most expedient way to obtain the information. And let’s be honest, you weren’t exactly harmed. I even took you home.”

“You dumped me on my doorstep. According to my mother, I looked half dead.” “

Your mother exaggerates. A third dead at most.”

 I stared at him. Wow. Just wow.

Another one! I couldn’t help myself…I loved their banter!

“I wanted you to stop.”

“I was encouraged by you breathlessly moaning my name.”

 I spun on my foot. “I wasn’t moaning your name. I was shrieking in alarm.”

“That was the sexiest throaty shrieking I’ve ever heard.”

“You need to get out more.” 

The scenes with the family gave me the warm fuzzies and I adored their protective nature for each other. Another character I was fascinated by – was Grandma – who was a total hoot. With her connections and badass past, she captured my attention in a moment.

I jumped. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough. That man means business.”

All my words tried to come out at once. “I don’t . . . what . . . asshole! . . . screw himself for all I care!”

“Aww, young love, so passionate,” Grandma said. “I’m going to buy you a subscription to Brides magazine.”

(Yup, Grandma knows best!)

This book is action-packed with a villain to catch and a mystery to unravel. What more does one need! I can honestly say that Ilona Andrews stole my heart and now I have to check out her other books plus complete this series. The completely shocking epilogue has questions that need to be answered!

Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter #1) by Nalini Singh

Warning 18+ Only

For Preface

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3819326-angels-blood

So this book was recommended to me by Goodreads and at first I was a bit unsure – whether to read it or not, considering that my view on vampires was shaped by Twilight Saga (Not that it was bad but too much drama at some points)

But as they say…don’t judge a book by its cover! I absolutely adored this book. Nalini Singh took the concept of angels & vampires and made it her own – painting an entirely new world where angels made vampires. And where vampire hunters like Elena don’t go about killing the vampires, instead they return them to the angels who monitor these vampires for the 1^st hundred years of their immortality.

Elena is one of the rare hunters who can detect vampires by smell. She is smart and feisty with a never ending curious nature. And I absolutely loved her sense of humour.  

"Explain why you flashed not only a knife but a gun? I hope to God you didn't actually use either of them without authorization because if the VPA gets ahold of it, we're screwed."

Elena rubbed the back of her neck. "Exigent circumstances. He was trying to make me his bed buddy. I declined. He gave chase."

…

Sara held up a hand. "How, exactly, did you 'decline' his offer?"

"By slitting his throat.”

And then there is the Archangel of New York, Raphael – one of the 10 in existence. Being so powerful and having lived for centuries, he has little regard for humans. He’s an arrogant being, sometimes turning cruel to perform his duty. Elena somehow manages to get under his skin and as the book progresses, we seen him open up emotionally. The chemistry between them is not only hot but also (intellectually) very fascinating – in terms of how different their courtship is!

“The bastard kissed her. She was so mad, she bit him hard enough to draw blood. Raphael pulled back, lip already beginning to swell.

 “We are no longer even, Elena. You’re now in debt.”

“You can deduct it from my slow and painful death.

The other characters in the book also made their presence known, having distinct personalities. It was interesting to see characters whose loyalty to their friends was so absolute. The members of the seven – Dmitri and Venom, for example, made it constantly known that Elena’s weakness as human was too big a chink in Raphael’s armour.

“How long have you been with Raphael?”

“You ask a lot of questions for a dead woman.”

“What can I say? I prefer to die well-informed.” -Venom and Elena

What I like the most was that the plot and the courtship between Elena and Raphael went hand in hand. They didn’t forget their values and reasons in the mist of the steamy romance. Another thing I admired about Nalini Singh was how she gave each character a background – their past playing a big influence on who they were in the present.

The twist in the end is very surprising and I am also curious to know what kind of demons are these characters hiding. It’s like getting to know a person, each piece adding to the whole puzzle until you finally discover who they truly are and you fall in love with them all over again. I, for one, will definitely be following this series wholeheartedly!