Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley (January 25, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425240134
ISBN-13: 978-0425240137
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Book #3 in Guild Hunter series
Main Characters: Raphael and Elena
Buy at: Book Depository Store

Cover Summary:
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux and her lover, the lethally beautiful archangel Raphael, have returned home to New York only to face an uncompromising new evil…

A vampire has attacked a girls’ school—the assault one of sheer, vicious madness—and it is only the first act. Rampant bloodlust takes vampire after vampire, threatening to make the streets run with blood. Then Raphael himself begins to show signs of an uncontrolled rage, as inexplicable storms darken the city skyline and the earth itself shudders.

The omens are suddenly terrifyingly clear.

An ancient and malevolent immortal is rising. The violent winds whisper her name: Caliane. She has returned to reclaim her son, Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena, the consort who must be destroyed…


Archangel's Consort gives us a third chapter to devour in the romance story of Archangel Raphael and Guild Hunter Elena. With that I cannot guarantee a spoiler free review and only advice readers to start at the beginning with Angels’ Blood and work your way to this release which I can tell you will be quite the ride!

From the beginning there was an undeniable attraction simmering between Raphael and Elena and this had not diminished in any way in Archangels Consort. Next to their deepening relationship they both have to deal with family issues as well. From the get-go I fell hard for the synergy between Raphael and Elena. Their dialogues are full of wit and barbs, their personalities clashing at times in dominance and the sensual vibe is like a live wire between them. Over the course of the evolving storyline I witnessed their trials and tribulations, their strength, vulnerabilities and flaws, but at the foundation a love grew that encompassed them wholly.

In Archangels Consort, Nalini Singh demonstrates how utterly good she is at bringing characters to life and exploring their personalities. Raphael is a male character who isn’t quite the anti hero nor “just” one who can be branded an Alpha, he transcends these character type’s with his attitude that is born from his ancient age and view on life. He is without a doubt “other”. He is an Archangel who makes me shiver with all of his personality traits and each reader should experience his personality first hand to understand what makes Raphael, Raphael.

To be the love interest of such an Archangel takes quite a woman but Elena holds her ground in her own unique way. She knows how to get through to Raphael when he goes all Archangel attitude and makes him more accessible to the softer side of emotions. Even though Elena has a strong backbone, even when she goes all warrior woman, she also is a sensuous woman and has her vulnerabilities. It is the sensual and emotional interplay between them as a couple that shows this the most. This story definitely created room for the romance part, for conflicts and the fiery passion that often set the pages ablaze. When two angels choose to dance the skies it is a sight to behold!

The one thing that was subdued was the mystery. Practically up front did I know what was going on and it lessened the thrill of the suspense. It made certain events less dangerous and I missed the one-two punch Nalini Singh can deliver when romance and suspense work as one and I can’t read fast enough to know what’s happening. Of course I did get a few small surprises in the end, creating possibilities for future installments but in this story it was the interpersonal relationships that did it for me.

Next to murders, some dangers, romance and challenges there was also Raphael’s Seven. Each of these Seven is a compelling and intriguing character but like many avid readers of this series I have my favorites. My heart skips a beat with the uber powerful vampire Dmitri, I have a wicked grin on my face whenever Illium aka Bluebell, enters the stage, my curiosity is piqued with Aodhan, but it is Jason who yanks all of my chains. In this installment Nalini Singh tantalizes me with small snippets of mystery revolving his, and many other characters, from the Seven. I can’t wait for her to start writing up their stories!!

Nalini Singh’s is one of the powerhouse authors who rule in the Urban-Fantasy genre. Her imaginative writing never fails to invite me into her dynamic world. I get to go on adventures with her characters, enjoy the temperamental dialogues and feel every single shred of emotions sizzling between them! Archangel’s Consort was a wonderful return again to the Guild Hunter world!

Quote Elena:
Now, she was one of those angels, perched high atop a balcony that had no railing, nothing to prevent a fall. Except of course, she would no longer fall. Her wings were stronger now. She was stronger.

Flaring out those wings, she took a deep breath of the air home. A fusion of scents – spice and smoke, human and vampire, earthy and sophisticated – hit her with the wild fever of a welcoming rainstorm. Her chest, tight for so long, relaxed, and she stretched her wings out to their greatest width. It was time to explore this familiar place become foreign, this home that was suddenly new again.

Diving down from the balcony, she swept across Manhattan on air currents kissed by the cool bite of spring. The right green season that thawed the snows that had kept the city in thrall this winter , and now held court, summer not even a peach-colored blush on the horizon. This was the time of rebirth, of blooming things and baby birds, bright and young and fragile even in the frenetic rush of a city that never slept.

Home, I’m home.

Quote Illium/Elena:
“I know I’m your favorite.” He brushed his wings over hers when she didn’t reply. “I swear to god,” she muttered, fighting a laugh, “If you’ve dusted me with blue , I’ll tie your balls in a knot and hang you up by them on the nearest sharpest object I see.” The last time he glittered blue angel-dust over her wings, Raphael had – eventually – seen the humor in the situation. She couldn’t guarantee Illium’s health if it happened a second time. Illium dipped low, stroking back up with movements that looked lazy but took considerable muscle strength. “Be nice to me or I won’t give you your present.”

“Idiot.” But he was her favorite of the Seven. How could he not be when he saw her human heart not as a curse, but as a gift. When he would lay down his life for the archangel’s who was Elena’s? When he laughed with the same easy joy as the children from the Refuge?

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade; Original edition (November 2, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425236838
ISBN-13: 978-0425236833
Purchase at: Book Depository

Cover Summary:
She offered him one week of pleasure. No more and no less...

Some sacrifices are more difficult than others. Left destitute after her father's death, Rose Marlowe has debts to settle and a younger brother to support. But she also possesses an unmatched beauty-one that could command quite a price...

Now, every month, Rose secretly travels from her country home to spend one week at a decadent London brothel, where she's become a sought-after prize. Elegant and accomplished in the art of pleasure, she spends her nights fulfilling the fantasies of the gentlemen of the ton while denying the wish buried deep in her heart.

Then one night a wealthy merchant gentleman walks through her door. Handsome, kind and compassionate, with a lonely soul that matches her own, James Archer is not her usual client. Falling in love with a client, never mind a married one, is unthinkable. Yet Rose can't help but lose herself in his arms as one night becomes seven-and seven nights lead to a chance at forever...

My Review: James is stuck in an arranged marriage, void of love, compassion or even amiability. His hard working attitude hides a very lonely man and the only thing that makes this marriage worthwhile is his wife’s promise to introduce his sister to the bon ton of London during the season. Still, after three long years of being honorable it turns a man starved for a bit of affection and kindness. James promises himself one night with a woman who does not loathe the sight of him and that choice brings him knocking on the door of Rose. Two lonely people meet and feel a magnetic pull neither of them expected.

With SEVEN NIGHTS TO FOREVER, Evangeline Collins delivers a heartwarming historical romance of a man trapped in a loveless marriage and unexpectedly finds a connection to another woman. Even though arranged marriages are very common in the time period of the story and even affairs for both women and men are conventional it is James who made the difference. For all intends and purposes he wanted to abide by his vow but his wife is a self absorbed nightmare of a woman. James might be emotion starved but that doesn’t mean he isn’t struggling with his actions of obtaining some kindness. I found it very easy to sympathize with James, he is a good man, works hard, cares for his family and treats people with respect. To opposite such a man to a dragon of a woman who is haughty, selfish and cold is perhaps an easy way to gain my support for James but it evoked the response nonetheless. Amelia as his wife is one of the reasons I could understand and accept James’ infidelity. A person can only take so much when deprived of even the barest hint of affection and the time period also gave leeway to such a story angle.

James is a character who was all around likable but Rose is right there with him. She’s taken care of her younger brother from the moment her father died and in those days there were very few options open to Rose. She chooses to become a high-priced courtesan for seven nights each month and so the opportunity rises for James and Rose to meet. Rose is everything Amelia is not, she loves the country, she’s kind, compassionate, is even willful at times and makes understandable choices. From the moment James is introduced to Rose there is plenty of tension between then. I would almost call it a refined eroticism, the passion is sizzling hot and frequent but the poignant way it is written curbs the act of sex play and adds the emotional depth to it. It is not only the erotic tension but also their emotional needs that resonate with each other and form a fragile bond of feelings and trust.

The challenges that lay ahead of them mainly revolved around their developing romance that could go no further due to James’ marriage. The problems give appropriate resistance delivering some inner struggles and emotion wrought scenes yet it weren’t insurmountable odds to overcome as the solution proved that. James and Rose need to make decisions and for them to come to certain conclusions was interesting to witness. The romance was moving and the sincerity of the characters made me care all the more about the outcome of it all.

Evangeline Collins manages to write a wonderful historical romance with just a handful of characters where the focus lies on the love, sensuality and interaction. If there is one secondary character, next to Amelia and Rebecca, who intrigued me to no end then it was the male prostitute, Timothy. With only a few scenes and some insightful comments coming from Timothy he becomes a colorful character who triggers my curiosity. His situation, as a male BDSM prostitute, begs for the unraveling of his back story though I wonder if this author would go there.

SEVEN NIGHTS TO FOREVER is a nice blend of a heart rendering romance, sensuality, sincere characters and easy flowing writing skills.  

Quote James struggling with Rose’s profession:
“I…” A furrow tightened his brow, his voice dropping to a grave rumble. “It’s hard sometimes knowing I won’t ever be your first anything. But I won’t let it come between us anymore. You have my word.”

Quote:
How she wished he could have been her first everything. The first man who touched her, kissed her, made love to her. Her first and only. But none of that mattered. None had even come close to leaving a mark on her heart. “You’re the first man I have ever wanted to be with,” she confessed. The tight line of his mouth softened. The gravity left his eyes, the green depths warming with an emotion she should not date give name to. “Thank you,” he whispered, almost awed, as though she presented him with the rarest of treasures.

Paperback: 187 pages

Stand-alone (it is the second story in the book)

Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Mills & Boons

ISBN: 978 0 263 88834 8

Release date: October 2010

Main characters : Wyatt Black & Elli Marchuk

Paperback copy received for review

Purchase at: The Book Depository Store

Summary:

The cowboy…

After a hard day’s ranching, Wyatt Black wants to kick back with a cold beer. But when he steps onto his porch he has unexpected company – his tiny abandoned baby niece!

His doorstep baby…

Against her better judgment, his neighbour Elli Marchuk agrees to help Wyatt for a few days.

And the girl next door!

Elli soon falls in love with baby Darcy, but it’s her grouchy, gorgeous protector who’s got her head over heels….

My review:

Wyatt Black has no clue what to do when he finds his baby niece Darcy abandoned on his porch. He is a rancher and knows nothing about babies. Fortunately his neighbor Elli Marchuk is willing to help him with baby Darcy till he has figured out what is going on here. Wyatt and Elli fall in love with baby Darcy and she is their number one priority till Darcy’s mum returns. They feel attracted to one another but both carry a lot of emotional luggage and this stands between them.

To be honest, I had low expectations when I started this story. Why? Because it is only 187 pages long or perhaps better said short. Me and short stories are usually not a good combination, I almost always miss a certain depth in the characters or plotline and it usually feels rushed. But Donna Alward pleasantly surprised me with Proud Rancher, Precious Bundle. It is a beautiful, even-paced, emotional and solid read about two people who try to heal themselves and leave their past behind.

The story works for me because it is not rushed. The whole story takes place in approximately 2 – 3 weeks; it is even-paced and only deals with the relationship of Wyatt and Elli. So no complex plotlines or lots of characters, just a classic love story between two people. Because the storyline is pretty straightforward the strength of this story lies in the character development of Elli and Wyatt. Both are strong, likeable and totally caught in the maelstrom of emotions that baby Darcy brings along.

Wyatt is a rancher, handsome, strong, and a bit blunt sometimes but also gentle, caring and responsible. He had a lousy childhood; his father drank and beat him and he took care of his mom instead of the other way around. To compensate his father’s absence and lack of responsibility he always felt the need to fix things or people and still does. He tries very hard not to be like his father, but his parents’ marriage has scarred him. Having Darcy in the house makes him realize he is nothing like his father and that he is worthy of a family.

Elli is a strong and caring woman who lost her baby; on top of that she has lost her job and got divorced. Now she tries to pick up the pieces of her life and tries to figure out what to do with it. The last thing she needs is to fall head over heels again for a rancher and take care of a baby. But taking care of Darcy is forcing her to face her grief and start living again instead of hiding from the world. And while spending time with Darcy and Wyatt she discovers what she really wants out of a relationship.

I was really rooting for Elli and Wyatt, I so wanted them to be happy and have their HEA. Thanks to Darcy they both had to scrutinize their lives, they helped each other to fathom things about themselves so that they can move on with their life. At the end of the story both have a better understanding of themselves, making them well-rounded characters. Elli and Wyatt’s conversations are vivid and some were very recognizable, making the story only more real. Do not expect steamy love scenes, there aren’t any and I did not miss them. This story does not need it for it is packed with real-life emotions.

With this story I now have Donna Alward on my radar. Proud Rancher, Precious Bundle is a powerful, emotional and classic love story. It kept me captive and rooting for Elli and Wyatt to the last page. It is feel-good romance at its best and I loved it!




 
 

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Pocket; Original edition (September 28, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1439148015
ISBN-13: 978-1439148013
Main Characters: Gin Blanco, Finnegan lane, Sophia & Jo-Jo
e-copy received from author for review
Purchase at: Book Depository Store

Cover Summary:
It’s hard to be a badass assas­sin when a giant is beat­ing the crap out of you. Luck­ily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My cur­rent mis­sion is per­sonal: anni­hi­late Mab Mon­roe, the Fire ele­men­tal who mur­dered my fam­ily. Which means pro­tect­ing my iden­tity, even if I have to con­ceal my pow­er­ful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most. To the pub­lic, I’m Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland’s best bar­be­cue joint. To my friends, I’m the Spi­der, retired assas­sin. I still do favors on the side. Like rid­ding a vam­pire friend of her over­sized stalker—Mab’s right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his mas­sive fists. At least irre­sistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I’ll take my chances. Then there’s Detec­tive Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland’s finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sis­ter was dead. She prob­a­bly thinks the same about me. Lit­tle does she know, I’m a cold-blooded killer … who is about to save her life.

Leontine's Review: With each new story revolving around Gin and company a riveting read chockfull of edge of your seat action and suspense, vivid character interaction and a sultry attraction is delivered. VENOM starts out a bit slow due to the recap info of the two previous stories; Spider’s Bite and Web Of Lies but this was only in the first fifty pages. I think my impatience to get fully absorbed again by the next chapter in the overarching plotline is what irked me a bit about the recap information. But for those discovering this series with VENOM it is essential to catch up and get their interest piqued for the previous novels!

The entire cast of characters held familiar faces and it does a formidable job of deepening the interpersonal relationships. The dialogues are rife with wit and sarcasm and the underlying tone with the banter showcased how much these characters meant to each other or how they were equally matched in spirit. In their own weird way they formed a family and the love and loyalty to one another just made the risks and rewards all the greater!

Gin is still very much the skill-honed assassin with her own outlook on life, her own morals, humor, sass and sense of what love is all about. Through the first person narrative Gin practically leaps of the pages with her train of thoughts, feelings and opinions. She comes so very much alive with her down-to-earth persona and the compassion she feels for those who are wronged. While she doesn’t blink twice about plotting and scheming a plan for those she needs to take out it is her sense of right and wrong that make her redeemable. The people she wants to save are worth saving. Gin is an intriguing heroine who does the unexpected and I can’t get enough of her. 

Gin has very few people in her life she feels a connection or love for. Finnegan Lane, her stepbrother, is one of them basking in her favor. Their brother-sister like banter delivers relief in the sometimes tense circumstances and creates a familiarity that will make me feel welcome again in their inner circle. Finn is a ladies’ man to the very core of his being. He has many sweethearts but never turns in to a womanizing kind of man, he is a charmer and his twinkling eyes even get me weak in the knees. He might have his charm and humor but he is also very cunning, on the top of his game and has a knack to find all sorts of info that helps Gin various times. I get to know Finn a bit better with each book and each time he claims me a bit more.

There are also the dwarf sisters Jo-Jo and Sophia. Jo-Jo is an air elemental and beautician/healer, she is always there to guide and nurture but in VENOM it is Sophia who drew my attention. She has this mysterious vibe and I can’t shake the feeling there are more secrets clinging to Sophia that anyone can guess. This is just another character development that keeps me so invested in each story and enriches the reading experience.

In each novel Jennifer Estep delivers a plot where I just get sucked in and keeps me in its web of intrigue. In VENOM a giant stalker of the worst kind has shifted his focus to vampire Rosalyn Phillips and Bria Coolidge draws the attention of Mab Monroe. These two elements are the basis of a grabbing plotline where Gin knows both women and plunges in the middle of it all. At times the action delivered high-skilled fighting scenes and at other times it was silent and observing giving a creepy, eerie vibe and both build the tension to an exquisite high.

I love being a part of the characters lives, their trials and tribulations, and Jennifer Estep really ups the ante in VENOM. Next to the action there is also a romance developing albeit it is a small thread within the whole it has an incredible impact on Gin herself. The sultry attraction humming between her and the man in question, whom I don’t want to reveal for spoiling too much, is causing hot flashes at times. They challenge each other, test each other, tease each other and I really think they make a spectacular couple. The man surprised me in many ways and Gin’s reaction to him is something me romantic nature savors and can only cheer for!

Jennifer Estep has developed a series that has become a must-read for many an urban-fantasy reader! Save the first fifty pages everything stands out again. From the dynamic backdrop of Ashland, the well-rounded and unique cast of characters, to an action filled plot, it all turns VENOM in to an addictive urban-fantasy story. 2010 is definitely the year of Gin Blanco!

Quote Gin:
And then the three of them stared at me. Finn, Jo-Jo, Sophia. Hell, even Rosco turned his head back in my direction. All of them looking steadily at me, expectation shining in their eyes. Oh, fuck. They actually expected me to talk about what had happened tonight. To share my feelings. I sighed again. I’d much rather have hacked and slashed my way through a platoon of Mab Monroe’s giants than explain how I was dealing with my emotions. But they were my family, for better or worse.

Quote Gin:
“Now that we’re both clean,” I said in a sly tone. “Why don’t we do something dirty?” Another smile tugged at ***** lips, softening the slashing scar on his chin. “I thought you’d never ask.” We moved toward each other and met in the middle of the shower. I threaded my hands in his slick hair and pulled his mouth down to mine. Our lips met in a kiss that was as gentle as the water cascading over our bodies—and that quickly turned into one of white-hot passion, desire, and need.

Paperback: 416 pages
Bantam
ISBN-13: 978-0-4402-4577-3
ISBN-10: 0-4402-4577-X
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Book 1 in the Shadow Keepers series
Main Characters: Sara Constantine & Lucius Dragos
For Sale At: Book Depository Store

Summary:
Attorney Sara Constantine is thrilled with her promotion - until she finds out that she must now prosecute vampires and werewolves. The first defendant she'll be trying to put away? Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy.

When Lucius kisses a beautiful woman sitting next to him at the bar, he's hoping only to avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he's planning to kill. But what starts as a simple kiss ignites into an all-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows that Sara is determined to see him locked away - unless he can convince her that he's not a monster. And that might mean making the ultimate sacrifice.

REVIEW
The Paranormal Romance genre is going into a new direction and JK Beck is one of the leading ladies in doing so. Combine the booming Paranormal Romance Novels with the popularity of police law enforcement series on TV and you find a mixture that thrills the reader with suspense and love.

This was what first came to mind when I closed this book after reading it. I was a bit ‘warrior-band-of-brother-exhausted’ and JK Beck has blown new life into my love for reading about vampire’s, werewolves, demons and everything not so common to the human world.

At first it took me some getting used to the pace, world build up, and where this story was taking me, but once I went way down under and got settled into division 6 – PEC (Preternatural Enforcement Coalition), a whole new world of Paranormal Investigation’s, DA’s and their own Judicial System opened up to me, making my heartbeat rise and my longing to read on grow with each page I turned.

Straight away we’re thrown into a murder scene, which on the surface seems a slam-dunk arrest, but turns out to be a lot more complicated that it was at face-value.

Sara is a prosecutor and after her promotion is thrown into the paranormal world, she’s an honest woman, seeking out justice and not feeling ruled with the fact she had to prosecute someone for a crime they might have done according to the evidence on the surface. I found it a bit difficult to connect with her as a character at the start, but as the story progresses I felt she opened up more and more.

Lucius is a centuries old vampire, and within this series, vampire’s struggle with their inner daemon who is seeking blood/souls to feed of and have a craving need for violence. When I came across him the first time he didn’t come across as a straight forward villain to me, more like a rogue out loose in the paranormal world, with a big sense of responsibility, but not feeling sorry for the things he has to do (as an assassin for the Alliance), which aren’t quite so legal or by the book. What I found so great about him was that he didn’t apologize for it. It was either accept him for who he is, flaws and all, or don’t accept him and have it that way, but either way was fine with him. I absolutely loved that!

The love for each other was a built up from a one night stand and like an instant thing, and I would have loved to have seen more pages used for their actual love-relationship but there are only so much pages in a novel to write up. Throughout their encounters it is clear that there is more than just passion for each other so it was a believable development within this story.

Both Sara and Luke are brought into this story with baggage from the past to solve or lay to rest, making them characters that grow along in this story and in their encounters. Their past however, do make cause for obstacles and these could have gone awry leading their own life within the story, but JK Beck knows how to handle it and guide it into a great plotline.

Throughout this first installment in the Shadow Keepers series, quite a few secondary characters come to pass, all complex with a variety of paranormal powers, and I sincerely hope that in the next installments these characters will get a part as well or even their own story. The world build up was really well done, as well. It took some time getting into it, as it is very different from what I was used to reading, but once a bit more settled into the terminology and way of life, it all falls into place. It is definitely a world I want to continue reading about!

Some of the plotlines were predictable, but I didn’t see the major plotline coming, making this read a thrilling one until the end. Towards the end all small and big plotlines were completed leaving me satisfied as a reader. Though there was a point where I got a bit uncomfortable with reading on, which might be a break-point for some readers, I thought it great of JK Beck to not avoid this and use it in her story as it did have a purpose to things IMHO.

Quote of one of my favorite characters in this novel-Tucker-I just love his humor:
She peered at his shield and ID, then met his eyes, her own filled with confusion. "Homeland Security?"
She stared him down. "Are you shitting me?"
"No, ma’am," Tucker said. "We at Homeland Security do not have a sense of humor of which we’re aware."

This is definitely a strong, compelling and intriguing start of a new series, and I for one am looking forward to being taken back to the PEC and their paranormal investigations!