Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Publication Date: September 4, 2012
Format: ARC
Status: Fourth in the Guild Hunter series, following:
Source: Received from the publisher for review.
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Angels, Vampires
Other Info: I’m a dedicated Nalini Singh fan, though my first love is the Psy-Changeling series. I can’t resist those alpha heroes of hers, and I’m looking forward all the books about Raphael’s Seven. Especially Venom’s story.
Description and link from Goodreads):
As much as I like Raphael and Elena, I didn’t really start to love the Guild Hunter series until Nalini Singh turned her focus onto the Seven. If you’re not familiar with the books, here’s a basic run-down: In the Guild Hunter universe, there are angels, the most powerful of whom–named archangels–are part of a powerful group called the Cadre. Raphael, the hero of the first three books, is the youngest archangel in the Cadre. He’s uber powerful, ultra alpha-y and totally swoon-worthy. Of course, an archangel is only as good as the men (and women) that are loyal to him. In Raphael’s case, this is his Seven. The first member of the Seven to get his own book was Dmitri. Archangel’s Storm features the second: Jason, the Spymaster.
Archangel’s Storm takes us winging away from Raphael’s court, all the way across the world to India, where the archangel Neha presides. Neha is a character we’ve met before and one that we know to be an enemy of Raphael. (If you don’t hate and fear Neha, something is wrong with you.) However, when Neha’s consort is murdered, Jason is sent to help with the investigation. And once there, he meets Neha’s niece, Mahiya, an angel born of an affair between Neha’s consort and her sister.
Jason and Mahiya are Nalini Singh’s least demonstrative couple yet. They vie for the title of the most reserved, broken characters she’s ever created. In a way, it’s a miracle that they find their way to each other at all. And it’s a testament to Nalini Singh’s ability to create tangible attraction between her two leads that their attraction is more than credible–it’s visceral.
Yet, despite the fact that Archangel’s Storm is ostensibly Jason and Mahiya’s story, I didn’t feel that it was the book’s primary focus. There are cameo appearances by a few of the Seven–Venom (lovelovelove) and ____–and we get to see glimpses of Dmitri and Honor’s wedding and early married life. But–the romance takes second place to the angel politics that are coming into play. Not that I’m complaining. Nalini Singh’s world-building is a part of what makes her such a favorite author of mine. She always adds that necessary smokin’ hot romance, but never at the expense of plot, characterization or setting.
Finally, If you follow Nalini Singh’s blog at all, you know that she is an avid traveler. Though I think all of her books are excellent at creating a sense of place, Archangel’s Storm takes this to the next level. Many of the palaces and places that appear in the book are based on real Indian wonders. (There are photos of her inspiration for Archangel Fort on her website.) However, I didn’t know this until I read the author’s note at the end of the book. Singh’s descriptions were enough to spark my imagination, and to trigger my wanderlust. I can but hope that I’ll have the chance to do some more armchair traveling in future Guild Hunter books. Archangel’s Storm was not my favorite in the series, but it was certainly a valuable addition to the whole.
4 1/2 Matryoshkas: I’d go on a second date with this book.
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I have read the first two in this series and enjoyed them very much. When I get back into a romance mood catching up on these will be high on my list.
I’m guessing the Venom and the blank is his HEA? He’s kinda freaky and reminds me a bit of Z from BDB. What I really want though is a book on Bluebell. He’s my favorite hands down.
[...] Review: Archangel’s Storm by Nalini Singh: A series that gets better with each [...]