Angels' Blood

Ok, I realize the genre of paranormal romance comes with tropes. To wit, caveman behaviour from macho men, and women who are somewhere between annoyed and repulsed, but sexually attracted to the possessive chauvinists anyway.

I've recently read a few PNRs, and although I haven't found one yet that wasn't at least annoying at times, I managed to mostly ignore the typically disrespect the hero somehow seems to have to show the heroine, and enjoyed the rest of the book.

But seriously. Angels' blood is completely off the charts. This is not some stupid possessiveness which the hero can't help because of being a werewolf/ vampire/ werepanther/ cursed/whatever-other-supernatural-excuse-you can-come-up-with. This is outright unapologetic abuse show more and cruelty. No redeeming features. No-one in their right mind would be attracted to someone who threatens to murder your friends and their child (their child!) in his first meeting with you. Not to mention 2 attempts at physical rape and several of mental rape. And not one apology. At any point in the book. And quite frankly, not even a decent supernatural excuse. He just does it because angels don't care about humans. Right, if you didn't care, you wouldn't need to abuse them.

I somehow managed to finish the book, and halfway through, all of a sudden it becomes a different book. He becomes slightly more palatable, and she conveniently forgets everything he did, and concludes he is not evil.
I beg to differ. Just because someone more evil comes along, doesn't mean Raphael is not evil. He is.

And PNR may have its tropes, but temporary supernaturally 'excused' disrespect for women has become unexcused disrespect for all life to a nauseating extent in Angels' blood, and the characters don't make sense and are not consistent. The writing consists of the heroine trying to fight of magically induced seduction, actual sex and gore.

If I could give less than 1 star, I would. show less

Really awesome idea with angel's basically owning the vamps, and creating them as well. Interesting how the angels were portrayed. They were kind of evil, with no compassion. I think that's what made it interesting for me, because when I think of an angel I usually think of compassion and love. That was not the case with these angels. Elena is a guild hunter, she's "licensed to hunt vampires & assorted others". She born with the ability to smell vampires so she can track them better. She's a woman with a truly horrific life history. I think that's another thing that I really enjoyed about this book. It was horrific, and terrifying. I couldn't put it down.

This book was like Saw, meets CSI, meets angels/vamps, meets buffy, add a bit of show more sex and ta-daaa. If that doesn't say read me I don't know what else does. show less

Summary
Elena Deveraux is a vampire hunter, and she has always had the talent for being able to detect and sense vampires around her. She is considered to be the best of the best. When she is called upon to meet with the archangel Raphael, she is shocked, but he needs her to hunt down a rogue archangel who has gone insane and is on a killing spree. She has never before been able to scent archangels, until now. This hunt will put Elena in the middle of a mad killing escapade that will put her in danger of losing herself to the dangerous and lethal archangel Raphael. Elena knows what her job is, and she also knows that she may not survive. This is the most dangerous mission she has ever gone on, and when an intense desire for Raphael gets show more thrown in the mix, Elena starts to realize that if the rogue doesn’t kill her, the danger of being with Raphael could very well destroy her…

The Hero
Raphael, holds one of the most powerful territories of the archangels. Despite the fact that he isn’t the most oldest of his kind, he is one of the most dangerous and cunning of them all. He is ruthless and not afraid to use every weapon at his disposal to get what he wants. Raphael isn’t your typical hero, in fact he is quite edgy and pretty dangerous. But whew did I love him. In fact I don’t think I have ever read a hero like him before, there was something so much more to him and you get that sense from the very beginning. That even though he is pretty damn dangerous and scary at times, there is also a soul deep part of him that needs love and affection just like everyone else. This side of him no one sees until Elena comes on the scene and we see him change slowly but surly to a being that begins to love.

The Heroine
Elena, is a vampire hunter, but she is so much more than the average hunter. There is a reason Raphael wants her so bad, because she is the best the Guild has to offer. She was born a vampire hunter, and her senses are natural to her. Which makes it easier for her to hunt vampires than anyone else. The family that Elena was born into it she has lost them all because of her father. And she despises him, but she has created a new family, her best friend and her husband, and other members of the Guild are her real family and she will do anything to protect them. What was most intriguing about Elena was the various facets to her character that we see. At first we see a bad ass fighter, that can bring in those rogue vampires pretty dang easily. We see her as a protector and a fighter and stands up to Raphael (which could easily get her maimed or killed) but she forges on. Despite how scared she is of him at times, she still goes forward and boy did i love her strength and fortitude to deal with whatever came her way. She was a heroine that I cheered for from page one.

Plot and Story Line
For the longest time I have been in love with Nalini Singh, and I fell for her Psy Changeling series, but I resisted reading this series, why? I have no idea. hehe oh the workings of my mind, I honestly don’t even know why I didn’t, probably because I just haven’t read that much in Urban Fantasy, but I was thrilled that there was a focus on the romance as well as this world that Singh has created for us. but I found myself just falling for this story immediately. From the first page I was completely hooked, and I couldn’t put this one down, and whew what a page turner this story was for me. The first aspect that I fell for was our heroine. She is completely a bad ass and love her personality, and I found myself relating to her in those strange ways that I would never normally see if I hadn’t been so involved in this story. And the hero….WOW….he is a shock to the core, because he is so much more than any hero you will ever read. And the chemistry between these two is pretty fiery hot!! I mean honestly, the whole sensual game they play with each other is hot enough to set fire to you. Now on to the main focus of the story…the hunt for the rogue Archangels. Now these archangels aren’t your average ones that you hear about. They are dangerous and scary and formidable. You don’t cross these beings or you are dead. What was so spectacular about this book was how well Singh balances out the Urban Fantasy world and the paranormal romantic elements. In fact it was quite difficult at times to distinguish the two, they were melded together in such a way that it formed a rich story that will enthrall you from the beginning. I was astonished at the way the story developed and the ending….DANG can this author give me a surprise or shock that I would never see coming. This book really tested me in a way that allowed me to see “outside the box” and in a perspective of seeing a different side to a character or actions being taken. The story itself is action packed and thrilling to the end, guaranteed to get your blood pumping with adrenalin and excitement. The romance between Elena and Raphael is intense and magnificent and is utterly captivating!!

The Cover
I am not sure what I think of the cover to be honest, the colors are very dramatic, and it makes you feel that edgy and dangerous feel that the book portrays.

Overall View
Angels’ Blood is an utterly engaging read that will have you on edge from beginning to end, a story that is packed with suspense, dangerous creatures, a fighting heroine, and a passionate love!!

2026 ReRead Impressions:

I did a reread of this one for the Buddy Read A Long of the series. And I wanted to share some updated impressions I had while doing a reread of it. It was such a refresher to come back to the beginning of Raphael and Elena. To see them as they are before they met each other, to see how they connect in the beginning stages of their relationship. The banter and the wit and the tension between them where its a mix of I either want to make love to you OR I want to kill you lol Seeing how they interact with such the best chemistry was truly a delight. I loved getting to see all my favorite character like Ilium and Dmitri and Jason. I literally laughed like a girl when seeing the Illium feather in Elena's hair and what Raphael does to it. We see a change in Raphael, which I think is a positive change in how he views human and morality. I loved the way we see Elena soften and have her own vulnerable moments with him. I especially adored their explosive chemistry. And that ending. I just can't wait to reread this whole series because rereading it in this way is definitely delivers all the heart and feels I expected and more. show less

An acquaintance praised this book so much that I, ever the trustful fool, decided to pick it up and give it a try.

Note to self: never, ever follow tips given by peopole whose tastes I don't know much about.
Sure, the fact that she slobbered over Twilight should have been a clue about how reliable her judgment on books can be (for me).

I couldn't force myself to go further than page 50, it was that painful.

Ok, out with it: Elena is a dimwit.
She sees Raphael and every braincell she has (have she ever had some?) takes a dive to her panties. And then we are treated with cheesy physical descriptions like:

[...] a sudden wind swept across the rooftop, lifting up strands of his black hair. But black was too tame a word for it. It was so pure it

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held echoes of the night, vivid and passionate.

Eyes of such pure undiluted blue it was as if some heavenly artist had crushed sapphires into his paints and then colored in the irises with the finest of brushes.

Oh please, kill me with a toothpick.

She is supposed to be this hotshot hunter but she does nothing but alternate between drooling over Raphael and being scared of him. Neither a great statement about her (supposed) competence. Her thoughts are dumb, her actions more so.
I just can't stand her and I am royally angry with the author for giving her the name and the white-blod hair of one of my favorite heroines (Elena of the Otherworld series, see [b:Bitten|11918|Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, #1)|Kelley Armstrong|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1306101770s/11918.jpg|2606334]).

Raphael. Where to begin with him?
Well, that question would be easier if there was actually something to begin with. But this character is insubstantial and just plain improbable. He's supposed to be a 500 years old, all-powerful angel, but he needs a dumbass chick to get a simple job done and he is "fascinated" be her. FASCINATED. By someone whose brain has the dimension and the functionality of a pea. Oh, Nalini, have mercy on me. show less

Elena’s world is ruled by a handful of deadly angels, who each have small armies of vampires that do their bidding. Elena is a vampire hunter, making a living off collecting the bounty for vampires who try to break the contracts with their angel overlords. And she’s good enough at her job that the archangel Raphael wants her to carry out a top-secret mission for him, but she won’t be hunting her usual prey, but something much deadlier.

Super powerful and equally hot angels who use humans as playthings, sexy and dangerous vampires, and a sassy, mouthy human protagonist equals an absolute hoot of a paranormal romance. Steamy and fun, with an interesting plot as a bonus.

This one is a fast read. It's an unusual world of angels, vampires, and humans. That bit I liked. Kat Kennedy's review amusingly sums up the bigger issues I have with this one. The relationship between the two main characters is...erm...distractingly unhealthy. But there's some witty banter, and the characters intrigued me, and I'm hopeful book 1 is long setup for what happens in book 2 (like the weak pilot in a strong series).

"Il profumo del sangue" è il primo urban fantasy sugli angeli recensito da Sognando Leggendo in questo nuovo 2011. E anche il primo libro che, onestamente, sia stato in grado di rispecchiare fedelmente la figura degli angeli, almeno "una" delle versioni.

Dimenticate gli angioletti buoni, dall'anima candida e pura. No, cancellate ogni riferimento e interpretazione che la religione cattolica dà di queste creature. L'autrice, Nalini Singh, è riuscita a creare degli esseri potenti, spietati, immortali e così superiori a tutto ciò che li circonda che li avvicina incredibilmente a delle figure divine. Gli Angeli, governano, più o meno velatamente, il mondo e sono gli unici a poter creare un Vampiro, in cambio dell'immortalità questi show more esseri vogliono 100 anni della loro nuova esistenza, 100 anni di schiavitù.

A quanto pare, non tutti i nuovi Vampiri sono intenzionati a rispettare i termini degli accordi e quindi entrano in scena i Cacciatori di Vampiri. In questa nuova visione del mondo vampiresco, Nalini Singh, attribuisce un ruolo tendenzialmente meno sanguinario del solito ai Cacciatori. Nel suo mondo, questi cacciatori, devono limitarsi ad andare a recuperare i fuggitivi, se poi a volte ci esce un Vampiro definitivamente morto...

In questo contesto si introduce Elena, la migliore cacciatrice di New York, che improvvisamente si ritrova un giorno a dover fare i conti con uno degli esseri più pontenti e terrificanti che lei abbia mai incontrato: Raphael, l'Arcangelo che governa con pugno di ferro tutta New York e l'America del nord.

Ovviamente deve ancora nascere un essere vivente che possa rifiutare un'offerta di Raphael senza finire dritto dritto all'altro mondo, quindi Elena si ritrova a dover prendere in considerazione la missione suicida (in ogni caso, anche se risolvesse il caso, sa di essere morta) che le viene affidata. Il suo essere "nata" Cacciatrice le permetterà di dare la caccia ad un'essere in grado di distruggere la vita di centinaia e centiana di persone in pochissimo tempo; Elena dovrà trovarlo, contribuire alla sua soppressione e, possibilmente, uscirne viva. Come dicevamo, una missione apparentemente impossibile, se non fosse che Raphael, il suo datore di lavoro, finirà per provare una strana curiosità nei confronti della solitaria e indipendente Elena. E cosa fare quando un angelo spietato e abituato a farsi obbedire ad ogni costo mette gli occhi su di te?

"Vieni a prendermi angioletto..."

Il romanzo si snoda tranquillamente attraverso più fasi che portano il lettore ad immergersi nella lettura senza dover apprendere in maniera forzata o improvvisa l'universo dell'autrice. La gerarchia degli angeli, arcangeli e vampiri viene spiegata con calma e la stessa introduzione dei vari personaggi è graduale e molto "verosimile". Nessun amore a prima vista o colpi di fulmine circondati da tanti cuoricini per Nalini Singh, fortunatamente.

I personaggi sono tutti assolutamente ben delineati, dai principali ai secondari com Dmitri e Veleno. Elena (che per una volta non si tramuta in una Mary Sue*1 dopo 50 pagine) è una protagonista degna di questo nome che affiancata da un personaggio della levatura di Raphael finisce per incantare e catturare immediatamente l'attenzione del lettore. Le battutine, i giochi di potere e i "colpi bassi" che si scambiano all'inizio della loro conoscienza sono qualcosa di veramente inaspettato e fantastico.

Un urban fantasy con qualche tocco di romance che non trascende mai nell'harmony puro. Uno stile, quello della Singh, piuttosto forte, deciso, spigliato e ironico. Non mancano mai i punti di alta tensione, le scene erotiche e perfino qualche scena dai toni romantici che rendono felici lettori di ogni tipo ed età. Ottimo romanzo e ottimo inizio di questa saga angelica. show less