Sandra Hill (1) (1942–2026)

A fun addition to the series. It opens with Harek in his own time of 850 AD. One of seven Viking brothers, Harek is the merchant of the family, whose greatest pleasure is accumulating wealth in any way that he can. It doesn't matter how much he has, it is never enough. He has just dipped his toes in the business of buying and selling people when he gets a visit from Archangel Michael who lets him know that he's finally crossed the line. All is not lost when he is given the option of show more repenting and going to work for Michael as a Viking vampire angel, or vangel.

I liked Harek. He's super-smart, confident, with a bit of rebel that remains a part of him. He has adapted pretty well to modern day and is quite the wiz with computers. He still likes the better things in life, which regularly gets him into trouble with Michael, and banished to Siberia while he contemplates his mistakes. He is called out of his banishment when his talents are needed in a joint mission to stop terrorists and Lucipires (Satan's vampires) from kidnapping young girls into slavery. He is sent to work with a joint force, including a female SEAL named Camille.

Camille is a young woman from a prominent New Orleans family. She has chosen to take a different path than her parents and brother, who are highly regarded academics, instead devoting her life to her military career. She has made her place in the teams with her ability to go undercover. She's tough and scrappy on the outside but has a well-hidden center that would like to be loved.

The initial meeting between Harek and Camille doesn't go particularly well. He thinks she's unattractive and pushy, she thinks he's vain and over-moussed. But there is also an unexpected and unwanted zing of attraction that hits them both as soon as they shake hands. It's the kind of zing that tells Harek that Camille is his life-mate, something that completely freaks him out. It also messes with his mind, and he finds himself offering to go with her to her brother's wedding in New Orleans. It was great fun to see the two of them trying so hard to resist each other and failing miserably. The chemistry between them was explosive when they finally gave in to it. It's not an easy relationship, as Camille has a couple issues that could bring everything to a screeching halt. First, she has some trust issues thanks to a cheating ex-fiancé. Second, because of her heritage, she has some very strong opinions on slavery. Harek knows that if she finds out about his past it could mean trouble.

I really enjoyed the development of their relationship. Once they got past the first impressions stage, their chemistry took over. It was fun to see the push and pull as they got to know each other. I laughed out loud when Camille changed her clothes before they got to the rehearsal dinner and totally blew Harak's mind. Harek could be very charming when he wanted to be and he used that charm to get closer to Camille. When his past comes back to bite him, it takes all the charm and determination he can muster to get past her fury. Harek is still reluctant to fully commit to his feelings and it takes some forced contemplation and some unexpected interference from Michael for him to see the light.

The mission that brought the vangels and the SEALs together was taken right out of the headlines. Their job was to stop a band of terrorists from kidnapping a school full of young girls. These terrorists are aided and abetted by lucipires, which is what brings the vangels into the mission. Things get really intense when Camille goes undercover as one of the schoolgirls. The rescue scene had me on the edge of my seat as Harek went charging off to save Camille. I loved the battle scenes, both between the vangels and the lucipires and then the SEALs and the terrorists. I liked that they didn't have a fairytale ending, in that there were injuries and not a 100% success rate. In spite of the fantasy aspect of the book, it lent a note of realism.

I also enjoyed seeing characters from other books, not just the Deadly Angels series, but also the Viking series and Cajun series. Even Tante Lulu made an appearance and a prediction. I love the way that the seven brothers tease each other but are also there when one of them needs the support. I also enjoy the relationships with Michael. Though he frequently displays disappointment in them, I get the feeling that he really has quite a soft spot for them. I also suspect that he has had a hand in the finding of their mates. One of the most fascinating of the secondary characters is Zeb, the lucipire double agent. I am really looking forward to his story. show less

Another fun vangel book from Sandra Hill. Unlike the others, who find time for some fun among their duties, Mordr has been pretty grim in the centuries since becoming a vangel. His sin of wrath came from what happened to his family while he was away from home, and his reaction when he discovered it. He has never forgotten the sight of his murdered children and his grief has never gone away.

Miranda was a successful psychologist with a simple life when she suddenly became the guardian of her show more cousin's five children. Since then her life has been chaotic, but she wouldn't change it now for any reason. When she hears that her cousin's abusive husband is due to get out of prison, she is worried for their safety. She doesn't expect a miracle in the form of a handsome, sexy man who claims to be there to protect them, but doesn't seem very happy about it,

Mordr has spent the centuries avoiding anything to do with children. Just the sight of a child reminds him of all he has lost. Now he's stuck caring for five of them and their prickly red-haired aunt. His attempts to maintain a distance from them don't last even a day as the kids begin to worm their way past his defenses.

I loved Mordr. I felt for him with the tragedy of his past and completely understood his attempts to avoid anything that would remind him of his pain. He didn't stand a chance against these kids. Each of them has their own unique personality, and each of them goes to work on an aspect of Mordr's misery. I loved seeing him interact with the kids, first simply trying to control the chaos and then being unable to keep from caring for them. I especially loved seeing him with little Linda and how sweet he could be with her. Mordr also had to deal with his reaction to Miranda. His emotions had been pretty well encased in ice since the deaths of his family, but he found himself reacting to Miranda in a way he had never done before, I loved seeing him try to convince himself he didn't even like her, but that didn't last long. His attraction to her was strong and resistance was futile, even though it is forbidden for a vangel to get involved with a human. The heat between Mordr and Miranda was intense. The scenes between went from steamy to funny to heartbreaking as they dealt with the reality that a future between them was impossible.

Miranda was great too. She had started out happy with her single life, never wanting a husband or children. But she couldn't say no to caring for her cousin's kids and now can't imagine her life without them. She needs serious help when her housekeeper/sitter quits and she discovers the kids'father is due to be released from prison. Her first encounter with Mordr is pretty funny as she first feels she has to protect them from this dangerous looking stranger, and then has to fight the sudden attraction she feels for him. Once she accepts his presence it was fun to see her reactions to his strange speech and attitudes. She finds herself falling for him, even after he tells her who and what he is. The feelings just get stronger even though she knows there's no future for them. When he is removed from the mission at the end, her heartbreak and that of the children is intense. I loved what she and the kids did, and archangel Michael's reaction is priceless. The ending was great.

The concurrent story of the vangels' battle against Satan and his Lucipires in Las Vegas was very good. It didn't seem to be as big a part of the story as in previous books, but there was enough there to keep it going. I liked seeing Zeb, the double agent from the previous book, and am keeping my fingers crossed that he stays safe. I'd like to see him get his own story.

I loved seeing Mordr's brothers as they come to help him both with the kids and with the Vegas mission. The teasing among them was fun, and I enjoyed the way they gave Miranda more insight into Mordr and why he is the way he is. I'm looking forward to seeing the other brothers and how they meet their fates. show less

It's been so long since I've read a Sandra Hill book, I'd almost forgotten just how much fun they can be. Wet & Wild was certainly no exception. In fact, it is now my favorite book in the Viking II series. While I consider myself to have a pretty good sense of humor, I often don't care for romantic comedies, because most of the ones I've read felt like the author was trying too hard to be funny. Much like Kerrelyn Sparks, Sandra Hill's style never fails to tickle my funny bone. She is very show more talented at portraying the fish out of water aspect of a medieval Viking suddenly being transported to the present day and how strange our modern world seems to him. As one might expect, many amusing misunderstandings arise from the situation. Ms. Hill is also great with the witty word play, creating some truly clever turns of phrase. All these things combined make her books LOL funny to me.

Wet & Wild picks up the story of this Viking clan ten years after the end of The Very Virile Viking. The hero of that book, Magnus, has thirteen children, of whom the oldest son is Ragnor. He was one of only two of Magnus' children to stay behind in tenth century Norway, and since they've not heard anything from them since, they believe their father and siblings to have drowned. Of course, his two uncles (The Last Viking and Truly, Madly Viking) had previously disappeared and were also presumed dead. As the story opens, Ragnor is a very sympathetic character who is feeling depressed over his life due to the loss of so many family members in a relatively short amount of time. I thought it was cute that after years of playing the man-slut, he'd become utterly bored with women and had totally lost his enthusiasm for sex. He's a man who is very much ready for one good woman, a soul-mate, even though he doesn't know it yet and fights the notion tooth and nail. I liked that despite having numerous sexual conquests throughout the years since he was a teenager, Ragnor had learned a valuable lesson from his father's mistakes and been very careful not to “spread his seed” around. In fact, he's intelligent in more ways than one, and I certainly love a man with a brain.:-) He has a photographic memory, instantly memorizing anything he sees or hears, and he's fast with ciphering too. I think to some extent it was his intellectual side that helped him to accept the strange new land he'd been transported to and eventually led him to figuring out that he had somehow time-traveled. He's also very tough and determined to succeed when he finds himself in the middle of SEALs training. When it comes to his relationship with Alison, Ragnor is definitely an arrogant alpha Viking. He has a tendency to tell her what's going to happen rather than asking, which doesn't usually go over too well with her and could easily have annoyed me too, except that he also has a sweet, gentle, caring side that would be impossible not to love. The man knows how to sweet-talk like nobody's business. I think I'd have been putty in his hands too.:-)

Like many women in the military, Alison is fighting for her place in a male-dominated world. She's a tough, independent woman who dreams of becoming the first female SEAL. Since her brother is the commander of a SEALs training class, she often runs with them to keep herself in top shape in hopes of the rules changing. At the very least, she wants to be part of the support teams that go with the SEALs on missions. As a Navy doctor, she outranks both her brother and the men under his command, which makes for a rather dicey situation when she starts falling for Ragnor who is a subordinate. Alison hasn't been with a man at all in the five years since her fiancé, who was also a SEAL, died in a terrorist attack abroad. She's very lonely, and in some ways, still grieving the loss. She doesn't really consider herself much of a catch, because of her height, her physique, and her Little Orphan Annie hair. Lucky for her Ragnor favors redheads and her body reminds him of the Valkyries of Norse legend. That pretty much makes her irresistible to him, in much the same way he is to her. She may not look kindly on him trying to order her about, but she doesn't mind playing along in the bedroom, especially when she discovers what a talented lover he is.

The heroes and heroines of the first three books, along with their growing families pop in for a visit near the end. It was nice to see all of Magnus' children, many of whom are all grown up now. One of those is Torolf, who is the one who was really in the SEALs class. However, he got injured and left the base, only to lose his memory and spend most of the story in a biker commune, which is how Ragnor, who is a near twin to Torolf, was able to take his place without too many questions being asked. Torolf becomes the hero of the sixth book of the series, Rough and Ready. The hero of the next book is Alison's brother, Ian, the tough, no-nonsense commanding officer of the SEALs class Ragnor is in. Ian isn't unlike the Vikings in that he can be a pretty arrogant alpha himself at times, but he's very protective of his sister who seems to be his soft spot. Being the only one to survive the terrorist attack that killed Alison's fiancé, it appears he may have a few demons of his own. Ragnor humorously spends most of the story trying to convince Ian that he'd make a good mate for his sister, Madrene, the only one of Magnus' children still in medieval Norway, and they do get matched up in Hot & Heavy. Madrene showed up briefly in the first chapter, and despite Ragnor's complaints about her nagging, I found myself very sympathetic toward her. After being set aside by her Viking husband for presumably being barren, I think she needs her own HEA with a man who can truly appreciate her. The other members of SEAL Team 500 are a colorful bunch, and I think many of them would make great heroes. So far, the only two I can identify as getting their own books are Zachary Floyd aka “Pretty Boy” who becomes the hero of Down and Dirty, and Justin LeBlanc aka “Cage” who is from Louisiana and will be crossing over to appear in Snow on the Bayou, a brand new Cajun book, due for release in Aug. (2014). In her letter at the end, Ms. Hill also mentions wanting to write a story for JAM, but as far as I can tell, that hasn't happened yet.

I freely admit that Wet & Wild would not stand up well to logical and critical scrutiny, which is something that Ms. Hill addresses in her letter at the end, but like she said, it is a fantasy. I think anyone who can set aside that magnifying lens and just go with the flow should enjoy this one, as would anyone who wants a lighthearted read that offers a good laugh. Even with my own issues regarding romantic comedies, I was grinning and laughing much of the time I was reading this book, and closed the last page with a smile on my face and the relaxed feeling that can only come from a good chuckle. Now that I'm back into the world of Sandra Hill, I'm very much looking forward to finding out what happens for Ian and Madrene and the rest of the characters who get their own books in the future. show less

Fun book. Ivak is paying for his sins of lust. He has been assigned as a spiritual adviser at Angola Prison, surrounded by men with almost no women around. His job is to try to save as many sinners as he can to prevent the Lucipires from getting them. He has been working with one specific inmate for awhile when he meets the man's sister. Gabrielle has been trying to get her brother out of prison. On a visit to see him she meets the prison chaplain. There is an immediate spark between the show more two, but they both are fighting it. Gabrielle doesn't want anything to do with a man who is an obvious player. She doesn't understand her body's fascination with him and the intensity scares her. Meanwhile Ivak is equally attracted to her, but it is more than that. He knows he has seen his soul mate, but that means an end to his days as a player.

I really liked both characters. Gabrielle is working for a firm that helps people who have been wrongly convicted or whose sentences are excessive. It also gives her the chance to work on her brother's case. Meeting Ivak has really confused her. He says he is helping her brother also, but his story of being a Viking vampire angel makes him seem pretty weird in her book. She can't deny the effect he has on her body and soon he has her pretty convinced he's telling the truth. His Viking attitude toward women drives her nuts but she also feels safe when she's with him. She keeps trying to convince herself that it's all about the sex, but she's fighting a losing battle there.

Ivak is the typical vangel - good looking, strong, and with the Viking attitude toward women. He loves all women which is what got him into trouble in the first place. He immediately recognizes Gabrielle as his soulmate, but fights it hard since he knows that means he'll be "stuck" with one woman. I really loved seeing his Viking attitude run up against Gabrielle's modern woman ways. He is also working to help her brother and as they join forces their feelings for each other grow stronger. He finally gives in to the feelings but worries because he knows that nothing can come of it. They both have quite a surprise at the end.

Gabrielle is sent to talk to Tante Lulu for her help in Gabrielle's attempts to help her brother. Tante Lulu is a great believer in St Jude, patron saint of lost causes. She is also one crazy old lady, but also one that seems to know everyone who is anyone in the entire state. I loved seeing her work her wiles on everyone she came in contact with. One of the things that Ivak is involved in is having to run a prison talent show. Tante Lulu also gets her family involved in helping Ivak with this. Lulu also fancies herself as a matchmaker and is determined to get Gabrielle and Ivak together. Her actions and attitudes are hysterical in places. I've loved her in other books, and her antics are just as much fun here.

The vangels are continuing their battle against Jasper and his Lucipires. There is just enough exposure to him and his activities to keep up the tension without grossing me out with the details that were present in earlier books. It's always fun to see the vangels at work doing what they do best. I also enjoyed the appearances of Ivak's other brothers and seeing what they are up to. There are a couple of appearances by "Mike" aka Michael the archangel. His frustration with the vangels is always fun to see, along with the way that they do their best to make his life interesting. I really enjoyed his confusion over the surprise twist at the end of the book - not something that usually happens to him.

I'm really looking forward to the next book, and hope it doesn't take too long to come out! show less