Search - Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter, Bk 2)

Ever since I read the previous novel, Angels' Blood, I have been waiting impatiently for this book to come out. I was nervous about reading it though. Sometimes I'll love the first book in a series and then feel disappointed in the following books. That is definitely not the case here. It was definitely worth the wait.

In this book we get to see the vulnerability of Elena in relation to all the other angels in her new world. She's used to being the strongest person and now has to deal with being the weakest. I liked that though she tried to stand on her own she didn't fall into stupidity and refuse to listen to Raphael about her limitations as a new angel.

I loved watching Elena's interactions with the Seven and all the new angels she encounters in the refuge. I'm very interested in seeing more developments with the members of the Seven. I also liked how the author avoided making Michaela into a cardboard cutout villain. She's not wholly bad although she's not wholly good. She has vulnerabilities and weaknesses that throw her into an area of gray that Elena wishes she didn't have to see. It's much easier to hate someone when you don't feel bad for them.

The author did a good job of showing Elena emotionally vulnerable but still strong. It was her choice to allow herself to lean on Raphael and he recognizes and treasures it. I loved how he's learning that though he is powerful he can't force Elena to open to him. Trust is a fragile thing and he realizes that he has to toe the line or he'll break her. I liked watching him try to reconcile his own personality with the care the new relationship needs.

Speaking of breaking Elena, this book did a really good job with sexual tension. Because Elena is still so weak from the transition Raphael won't make love to her because he's afraid he'll break her. The tension was great and the payoff worth it. I also really loved the vulnerability we saw when Raphael couldn't leave Elena in silence. After her year in a coma and his inability to reach her mind he has some definite anxiety there. It was sweet to see.

I can't wait to see what will come with the next book. I'm so glad I found this series!

This is the second book in the series, and it's another hit. Elena is waking up to her new existence as a Made angel, and all the threats that come with it. Elena and Raphael start to learn each other, how to trust each other, how to love each other. But there are other angels who wish for more power and are willing to hurt Raphael to get it by killing his heart.... Elena. She has to learn quickly how to defend herself with her new body and her new wings. While Lijuan has evolved beyond what anyone can imagine, she has power over death. And her new army of the "reborn" is a threat, the Cadre, do not take lightly. At Lijuans ball, the surprises keep coming. Lijuan has a present for Elena ... one that has haunted Elena since her sisters were killed.

Can't wait for the next one!

www.texasreader-stacy.blogspot.com

Angels create vampires, and rarely, other angels. An unusual paranormal urban fantasy, about a supreme archangel who converts a mortal he loves into an angel.

Good but...
I enjoyed this book as much as I did Angels' Blood and with the same complaints. I think Singh does a great job of building the romance and sexual tension between the main characters. However I feel like the payoff is weak.

Possible spoilers follow**

The main tension between the already established couple, Raphael the Archangel and Elena the Hunter made Angel, is that he doesn't want to have sex with her because he's afraid it will be too much for her. Since they have already had sex in a previous book, and since he's got her out practicing hand-to-hand combat every day, you think this sex is going to be something out of the ordinary if she suddenly can't handle it. Powerful sex. So when they finally have sex, it is pretty ordinary. I think with that much build up, Singh should have described something extraordinary. I felt like it was build up for nothing and then you feel kind of tricked by the author, a distraction from the story.

As to the good, I loved the way the unresolved things from the previous book were carried forward and explored (e.g. "drip, drip, drip"), the continuity with tensions between Elena and other secondary characters. I really liked learning about the Angel world, their backstory, and exposition about the Seven. I keep wishing those Seven would get their own books, Singh has made them very compelling and interesting.

Overall a very good book.

3.5 stars

I really loved this book. It's in my 'yes, I would read it again' pile. The characters and the world are wonderful.

I liked this book better than Angel's Blood, though I had trouble recalling the details from the first book. I thought it was well-written and I enjoyed reading about the angel politics. My problem still lies with Elena and Raphael. I am not invested in them, so it's really hard to care about what happens with them. I felt the ending was a bit anti-climatic too. The book was interesting enough for me to want to read the next one.