Angels’ Blood
Guild Hunter, Book #1
By Nalini Singh
ISBN# 9780425226926
Author’s Website: http://www.nalinisingh.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
*Beware of possible Spoilers*
Elena is a Guild Hunter, that is a person who hunts vampires and returns them to their masters, the angels. But nothing has prepared her for her new assignment. The archangel, Raphael, has sought out Elena to track down an archangel gone bad and he won’t take no for an answer. Archangels are the most powerful beings on Earth and Elena doesn’t expect to get out of this situation alive.
Raphael and Elena must work closely together on this case; Elena being the only one who can track the archangel and Raphael being the one who has taken on the task to kill him and stop his bloody murdering spree before the humans get wind of it. But when the final showdown is upon them, both Elena and Raphael’s lives are at stake. And, with their growing bond to lose one may be enough to crush them both.
Did I ever tell you just how much I LOVE Nalini Singh? I really wasn’t sure about this series. This book started out pretty slow and I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to Singh’s Psy-Changeling series that I love. But once this story grabs you, it holds you in a death grip and doesn’t let go!
I thought this world of vampires and angels was pretty interesting and not like anything I’ve read before. I mean who would think about making the angels the ones to sire vampires? A neat twist in a genre that I felt I had ‘read it all’ in. So it was nice to actually prove myself wrong and see something totally new.
I’m amazed at the characters Singh creates as they are always interesting and draw me in, I have yet to find one that I absolutely abhor. The secondary characters in this story were phenomenal and all well developed! I enjoyed Dmitri with his loyalty to Raphael and his dislike for Elena which makes things interesting as I imagine will only continue in future books. Illium aka Bluebell was another one of my favorites and he was described so well (as were all the angels and archangels) that I can picture him as good as if he were standing in front of me, striking blue feathers and all! And, of course I have to like Sara. She’s sweet and one of Elena’s few true friends. And, it doesn’t hurt that she has the good taste to name her daughter the same name as my youngest! I even had fun with Ransom. He wasn’t in this book a lot, but what parts he was in it, were memorable and I can’t wait to see more of him.
“He was trying to make me his bed buddy. I declined. He gave chase.”
… “How, exactly, did you ‘decline’ his offer?”
“By slitting his throat.”
The silence in the garage was broken only by the sound of water drip-dripping somewhere in the distance. Sara just stared. So did Ransom. Then the idiot male started laughing hysterically. He laughed so hard he fell off the bike and onto the scarred concrete of the garage floor. Even that didn’t stop him.
Elena would’ve kicked him, except he’d probably use the chance to pull her down with him. “Shut up before I do the same to you.”
He tried to stop laughing. Failed. “Jesus, Ellie. You are awesome!”
And, you know if an author can write the secondary characters so well that the main characters will blow you away…
Elena is a strong female lead. She’s tough. She was born a hunter, always being able to scent vampires, which makes her current profession a no-brainer. She’s also has a past she’d rather forget including her first encounter with a blood thirsty vampire and a life with a father that has never shown her love. With no true family to speak of, the Guild has become her home complete with love and people that always have her back.
Ummmm Raphael. What more can I say? He is quite the yummy morsel! I liked him from the moment he was introduced into the story. He is strong, confident, and in control. But he protects what is his with all that he has and he loves with a fierce intensity that knows no bounds. And, what about that bath scene … sudsy and hot, but with gentleness I never expected from an archangel of his caliber! What more can you ask for? It definitely has me hankering for a soak in the tub myself …. oh wait I don’t have a sexy man with wings to join me …. nevermind.
“When you’ve lived as long as I have,” he said, eyes heavy-lidded but definitely on her, “you learn to appreciate new sensations. They are rare in an immortal’s life.”
She found she’d moved toward him. He hooked her arm around her waist, pulling her closer until she straddled him as he sat on a ledge below the waterline, her legs wrapped around his waist.
He settled her firmly against him.
Sucking in a breath, she said, “Sex isn’t new to you,” and rocked her heat over the exquisite hardness of him. Good didn’t begin to describe how it felt. How he felt.
“No. But you are.”
“Never had a hunter before?” She grinned, nibbling on his lower lip.
But he didn’t smile. “I’ve never had Elena before.” The words were husky, his eyes so intent she felt owned.”
I really like Elena and Raphael as a couple. Once the big showdown with Uram was upon us and the injuries where doled out, I predicted what would happen with our favorite Guild Hunter duo, but I still enjoyed every moment of it and I can’t wait to read more about them in the future installments of the series! This series is definitely a must read for all Paranormal and Urban Fantasy fans. This was a fantastic start to the series. I was amazed and you will be too!
“Cupping his face in her hands, she looked into eyes that had seen thousands of sunrises before she was even a glimmer in the scheme of the universe. “But you have an advantage,” she whispered. “You’re a little bit human now.”
