He closed his eyes, dropping his forehead against hers. “You’ll be the death of me, Elena.”
She smiled. “You need a little excitement in that boring old life of yours.
She smiled. “You need a little excitement in that boring old life of yours.
────── ♔ ──────
Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
Guild Hunter #1
Release - March 3, 2009
Genre - Paranormal Romance / angels, vampires, hunters
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 3 out of 5 / one real scene
Format/Source - ebook from the library / I own the paperback
Length - 368 pages
Publisher - Berkley
Release - March 3, 2009
Genre - Paranormal Romance / angels, vampires, hunters
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 3 out of 5 / one real scene
Format/Source - ebook from the library / I own the paperback
Length - 368 pages
Publisher - Berkley
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she’s the best—but she doesn’t know if she’s good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option…even if the task is impossible.
Because this time, it’s not a wayward vamp she has to track. It’s an archangel gone bad.
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other…and pull her to the razor’s edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn’t destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break…
Find Angels' Blood here:
Goodreads * Amazon
My Two Cents
3.5 "I'm reserving judgment" stars
All of my favorite PNR readers have recommended this author to me for years! And me, being the me that I am, took one thousand years and a day to actually give her a go. Maybe I'm an angel and time has no relevance to me. LMAO wouldn't that be awesome?!
So what did I get?
😇 a sexy archangel. Seriously, Raphael had it all. Cool, calculating, sexy, lethal, powerful, sexy, gorgeous, intelligent, ancient, sexy... You get what I'm saying
😇 a hunter who appeared to be able to handle just about anything thrown at her. And while I could take her or leave her, I did admire the guts that Elena seemed to have
😇 tons of beautiful vamps and angels. Dimitri... he could get it. Venom... I could probably look past those snake eyes and give it to him. And Bluebell... Mannnnnnn... Ilium could definitely get it!!
😇 a juicy plot that had me turning the pages as fast as I could to find out what the heck was going to happen next. This whole bloodborn business... the elusive mystery that surrounds these ancient archangels... I'm intrigued!
Yeah, I could love or hate Elena. I don't feel anything for her right now but bouts of annoyance, frustration, awe, and a bit of envy. I'm not a big believer in the romance that blossomed out of virtually nowhere, but that's probably because the chemistry between Raphael and Elena (or lack of) left me confused. Everything between them, apart from their mission, was so vague (at least to me) that I couldn't tell where they stood as far as a 'relationship' goes. So the fact that they end up together was a little surprising.
But that's just me it seems. I'm not really feeling it, but I know there are a couple of books still to read so I'm holding out hope for more and reserving judgment until then.
We'll see.
Excerpt
Elena’s instincts were screaming at her to grab the knife in her boot, do some damage and get the hell out, but she forced herself to stay in place. The truth was, she wouldn’t make it more than two feet before Raphael broke every single bone in her body.
It was exactly what he’d done to a vampire who’d thought to betray him.
That vampire had been found in the centre of Times Square. He’d still been alive. And he’d still been trying to scream—“No! Raphael, no!” But his voice had been a rasp by then, his jaw hanging on by stringlike tendons, his flesh missing in places.
Elena—out of the country on a hunt—had seen the news footage after the event. She knew the vamp had lain there in agony for three hours before being picked up by a pair of angels. Everyone in New York, hell, everyone in the country, had known he was there, but no one had dared help him, not with Raphael’s mark blazing on his forehead. The archangel had wanted the punishment witnessed, wanted to remind people of who and what he was. It had worked. Now the mere mention of his name evoked visceral fear.
But Elena wouldn’t crawl, not for anyone. It was a choice she’d made the night her father had told her to get on her knees and beg, and maybe, maybe, he’d accept her back into the family. Elena hadn’t spoken to her father in a decade.
“You should have a care,” Raphael said into the unnatural silence.
She didn’t collapse in relief—the air continued to hang heavy with the promise of menace. “I don’t like to play games.”
“Learn.” He settled back in his chair. “You will live a very short life if you expect only honesty.”
Sensing the danger had passed—for now—she unclenched her fingers with an effort of will. The force of the blood rushing back into them was painful in its extremity. “I didn’t say I expected honesty. People lie. Vampires lie. Even—” She caught herself.
“Surely you’re not going to practice discretion now?” The amusement was back but it was tempered with an edge that stroked like a razor across her skin.
She looked into that perfect face and knew she’d never met a more deadly being in her life. If she displeased him, Raphael would kill her as easily as she might swat a fly. She’d be smart to remember that, no matter how the knowledge infuriated her. “You said I had to do a test?”
His wings moved slightly at that instant, drawing her attention. They truly were beautiful and she couldn’t help but covet them. To be able to fly…what an amazing gift.
Raphael’s eyes shifted to look at something over her left shoulder. “Less a test than an experiment.”
She didn’t twist around, had no need to. “There’s a vampire behind me.”
“Are you sure?” His expression remained unchanged.
She fought the urge to turn. “Yes.”
He nodded. “Look.”
Wondering which was worse—having her back to an enigmatic and highly unpredictable archangel, or to an unknown vampire—she hesitated. In the end, her curiosity won out. There was a distinctly satisfied expression on Raphael’s face and she wanted to know what had put it there.
Shifting, she turned sideways with her whole body, the position allowing her to keep Raphael in her peripheral vision. Then she looked at the two…creatures who stood behind her. “Jesus.”
“You may go.” Raphael’s voice was a command that awakened absolute terror in the eyes of the one who looked vaguely human. The other scuttled away like the animal it was.
She watched them leave through the glass door and swallowed. “How old was…” She couldn’t call that thing a vampire. Neither had it been human.
“Erik was Made yesterday.”
“I didn’t know they could walk at that age.” It was an attempt to sound professional though she was creeped out to her toes.
“He had a little help.” Raphael’s tone made it clear that that was all the answer she was going to get. “Bernal is…a fraction older.”
She reached for the juice she’d rejected earlier and took a drink, trying to wash away the stink that had seeped into her pores. The older vamps didn’t have that ick factor. They—except for the unusual ones like the doorvamp—simply smelled of vampire, like she smelled human. But the very young ones, they had a certain rotten-cabbage/putrid flesh smell that she always had to scrub three times over to get rid of. It was why she’d begun collecting the body washes and perfumes. After her initial contact with one of the newly Made, she’d thought she’d never get the smell out of her head.
“I didn’t think a hunter would be so disturbed at the sight of the just Made.” Raphael’s face appeared oddly shadowed, until she realized he’d raised his wings slightly.
Wondering if that implied focus or anger, she put down the glass. “I’m not, not really.” True enough now that that first, instinctive flash of disgust had passed. “It’s the smell…like a coating of fur on your tongue. No matter how hard you scrape, you can’t get it off.”
Open interest showed on his face. “The feeling is that intense?”
She shivered and looked around the table for something else to take the edge off. When he pushed a cut grapefruit in her direction, she dug into it with relish. “Uh-huh.” The citrus fruit’s acidic juices dampened the reek a little. At least enough that she could think.
“If I asked you to track Erik, could you?”
She shivered at the memory of those almost-dead/not-quite-alive eyes. No wonder people believed those stories about vampires being the walking dead. “No. I think he’s too young.”
“What about Bernal?”
“He’s on the bottom floor of the building right now.” The barely-Made vampire’s odor was so noxious, it permeated the building. “In the lobby.”
Golden tipped wings spread to shadow the table as Raphael put his hands together in a slow clap. “Well done, Elena. Well, done.”
She looked up from the grapefruit, belatedly aware she’d just proven how good she was when she should’ve flubbed it and gotten out of this, whatever “this” was. Shit. But at least he’d given her some idea of the job. “Do you want me to track a rogue?”
He rose from his chair in a sudden, liquid movement. “Wait a moment.”
She watched, transfixed, as he walked to the edge of the roof. He was a being of such incredible splendor that simply seeing him move made her heart squeeze. It didn’t matter that she knew it was a mirage, that he was as deadly as the filleting knife she carried strapped to her thigh. No one, not even she, could deny that Raphael the Archangel was a man made to be admired. To be worshipped.
That utterly wrong thought snapped her out of her dazed state. Pushing back her chair, she stared hard at his back. Had he been messing with her head? Right then, he turned and she met the agonizing blue of his eyes. For a second, she thought he was answering her question. Then he looked away…and walked off the roof.
She jumped up. Only to sit back down, blush reddening her cheeks, when he winged upward to meet an angel she hadn’t seen until that moment. Michaela. The female equivalent of Raphael, her beauty so intense that Elena could feel the force of it even from this distance. She had the startling realization that she was looking at a mid-air meeting between two archangels.
“Sara’s never going to believe this.” She forgot the stench of young vampire for the moment, her attention hijacked. She’d seen photos of Michaela, but they came nowhere close to the reality of her.
The other archangel had skin the color of the most exquisite, fine milk-chocolate and a shining fall of hair that cascaded to her waist in a wild mass. Her body was quintessentially female, slender and curvy at the same time, her wings a delicate bronze that shimmered against the richness of her skin. Her face… “Wow.” Even from this distance, Michaela’s face was perfection given form. Elena fancied she could see her eyes—a bright, impossible green—but knew she had to be imagining it. They were too far away.
It made little difference. The female archangel had a face that would not only stop traffic, it would cause a few pileups in the process.
Elena frowned. Despite her appreciation for Michaela’s looks, she was having no trouble thinking straight. Which meant the damn arrogant blue-eyed bastard had been fucking with her mind. He wanted her to worship him? They’d see about that.
No one, not even an archangel, was going to turn her into a puppet.
As if he’d heard her, Raphael said something to his fellow archangel and winged back down to the roof. His landing was a lot more showy this time. She was sure he paused to display the pattern on the inside surface of his wings. It was as if a brush dipped in gold had started at the top edge of each wing and then stroked downward, fading to white as it neared the bottom. In spite of her fury, she had to face the truth: If the devil—or an archangel—came to her and offered her wings, she might just sell him her soul.
But the angels didn’t Make other angels. They only made blood-drinking vampires. Where angels came from, no one knew. Elena guessed they were born to angelic parents…though, come to think of it, she’d never actually seen a baby angel.
Her thoughts derailed again as she watched the fluid grace of Raphael’s walk, so seductive…so perfect.
Standing up, she sent her chair crashing to the tiles. “Get. Out. Of. My. Head!”
Raphael came to a standstill. “Do you intend to use that knife?” His words were ice. She felt blood scent the air and realized it was her own.
Looking down, she found her hand clenching on the blade of the knife she’d drawn instinctively from the sheath at her ankle. She’d never have made such a mistake. He was forcing her to hurt herself, showing her she was nothing but a toy for him to play with. Instead of fighting, she squeezed harder. “If you want me to do a job for you, fine. But I won’t be manipulated.”
His eyes flicked over the blood seeping from her fist. He didn’t have to say anything.
“You might be able to control me,” she said, in response to the silent mockery on his face, “but if that would’ve gotten the job done, you’d have never gone through the farce of hiring me. You need me, Elena Deveraux, not one of your little vampire flunkies.”
Her hand unclenched in a violent spasm as he made her release the blade. It fell to the ground with a thud cushioned to softness by the blood that had pooled below. She didn’t move, didn’t attempt to stem the flow.
And when Raphael walked to stand less than a foot from her, she stood her ground.
“So, you think you have me over a barrel?” The sky was a seamless blue but Elena felt storm winds whip her hair completely out of its coil.
“No.” She let his scent—clean, bright, of the sea—settle over the lingering coat of vampire on her tongue. “I’m ready to walk away without a backward look, return the deposit you paid the Guild.”
“That,” he said, picking up a napkin and wrapping it around her hand, “is not an option.”
Startled by the unexpected act, she closed her hand to help slow the bleeding. “Why not?”
“I want you to do this,” he responded, as if that was reason enough. And for an archangel, it was.
“What’s the job? Retrieval?”
“Yes.”
Relief began to wash through her like the rain she could feel so close. But no, it was his scent, that fresh bite of water. “All I need to start with, is something the vampire wore recently. If you have a general location, even better. If not, I’ll get the Guild’s computer geniuses on tracking public transport and bank records etcetera, while I hunt on the ground.” Her mind was already at work, considering and discarding options.
“You mistake me, Elena. It’s not a vampire I want you to find.”
That halted her in her tracks. “You’re looking for a human? Well, I can do it but I really don’t have any advantage over a good private investigator.”
“Try again.”
Not vampire. Not human. That left…“An angel?” she whispered. “No.”
“No,” he agreed and, once again, she felt the cool brush of relief. It lasted until he said, “An archangel.”
Elena stared at him. “You’re joking.”
His cheekbones stood out starkly against the sun-kissed smoothness of his skin. “No. The Cadre of Ten does not joke.”
Her stomach curdled at the reference to the Cadre—if Raphael was any example of their lethal power, she never wanted to meet that august body. “Why are you tracking an archangel?”
“That, you do not need to know.” His tone was final. “What you do need to know is that if you succeed in finding him, you’ll be rewarded with more money than you can hope to spend in your lifetime.”
Elena glanced at the bloodstained napkin. “And if I fail?”
“Don’t fail, Elena.” His eyes were mild but his smile, it spoke of things better not said aloud. “You intrigue me—I’d hate to have to punish you.”
Her mind flashed to that image of the vampire in Times Square, that broken mess that had once been a person…Raphael’s definition of punishment.
It was exactly what he’d done to a vampire who’d thought to betray him.
That vampire had been found in the centre of Times Square. He’d still been alive. And he’d still been trying to scream—“No! Raphael, no!” But his voice had been a rasp by then, his jaw hanging on by stringlike tendons, his flesh missing in places.
Elena—out of the country on a hunt—had seen the news footage after the event. She knew the vamp had lain there in agony for three hours before being picked up by a pair of angels. Everyone in New York, hell, everyone in the country, had known he was there, but no one had dared help him, not with Raphael’s mark blazing on his forehead. The archangel had wanted the punishment witnessed, wanted to remind people of who and what he was. It had worked. Now the mere mention of his name evoked visceral fear.
But Elena wouldn’t crawl, not for anyone. It was a choice she’d made the night her father had told her to get on her knees and beg, and maybe, maybe, he’d accept her back into the family. Elena hadn’t spoken to her father in a decade.
“You should have a care,” Raphael said into the unnatural silence.
She didn’t collapse in relief—the air continued to hang heavy with the promise of menace. “I don’t like to play games.”
“Learn.” He settled back in his chair. “You will live a very short life if you expect only honesty.”
Sensing the danger had passed—for now—she unclenched her fingers with an effort of will. The force of the blood rushing back into them was painful in its extremity. “I didn’t say I expected honesty. People lie. Vampires lie. Even—” She caught herself.
“Surely you’re not going to practice discretion now?” The amusement was back but it was tempered with an edge that stroked like a razor across her skin.
She looked into that perfect face and knew she’d never met a more deadly being in her life. If she displeased him, Raphael would kill her as easily as she might swat a fly. She’d be smart to remember that, no matter how the knowledge infuriated her. “You said I had to do a test?”
His wings moved slightly at that instant, drawing her attention. They truly were beautiful and she couldn’t help but covet them. To be able to fly…what an amazing gift.
Raphael’s eyes shifted to look at something over her left shoulder. “Less a test than an experiment.”
She didn’t twist around, had no need to. “There’s a vampire behind me.”
“Are you sure?” His expression remained unchanged.
She fought the urge to turn. “Yes.”
He nodded. “Look.”
Wondering which was worse—having her back to an enigmatic and highly unpredictable archangel, or to an unknown vampire—she hesitated. In the end, her curiosity won out. There was a distinctly satisfied expression on Raphael’s face and she wanted to know what had put it there.
Shifting, she turned sideways with her whole body, the position allowing her to keep Raphael in her peripheral vision. Then she looked at the two…creatures who stood behind her. “Jesus.”
“You may go.” Raphael’s voice was a command that awakened absolute terror in the eyes of the one who looked vaguely human. The other scuttled away like the animal it was.
She watched them leave through the glass door and swallowed. “How old was…” She couldn’t call that thing a vampire. Neither had it been human.
“Erik was Made yesterday.”
“I didn’t know they could walk at that age.” It was an attempt to sound professional though she was creeped out to her toes.
“He had a little help.” Raphael’s tone made it clear that that was all the answer she was going to get. “Bernal is…a fraction older.”
She reached for the juice she’d rejected earlier and took a drink, trying to wash away the stink that had seeped into her pores. The older vamps didn’t have that ick factor. They—except for the unusual ones like the doorvamp—simply smelled of vampire, like she smelled human. But the very young ones, they had a certain rotten-cabbage/putrid flesh smell that she always had to scrub three times over to get rid of. It was why she’d begun collecting the body washes and perfumes. After her initial contact with one of the newly Made, she’d thought she’d never get the smell out of her head.
“I didn’t think a hunter would be so disturbed at the sight of the just Made.” Raphael’s face appeared oddly shadowed, until she realized he’d raised his wings slightly.
Wondering if that implied focus or anger, she put down the glass. “I’m not, not really.” True enough now that that first, instinctive flash of disgust had passed. “It’s the smell…like a coating of fur on your tongue. No matter how hard you scrape, you can’t get it off.”
Open interest showed on his face. “The feeling is that intense?”
She shivered and looked around the table for something else to take the edge off. When he pushed a cut grapefruit in her direction, she dug into it with relish. “Uh-huh.” The citrus fruit’s acidic juices dampened the reek a little. At least enough that she could think.
“If I asked you to track Erik, could you?”
She shivered at the memory of those almost-dead/not-quite-alive eyes. No wonder people believed those stories about vampires being the walking dead. “No. I think he’s too young.”
“What about Bernal?”
“He’s on the bottom floor of the building right now.” The barely-Made vampire’s odor was so noxious, it permeated the building. “In the lobby.”
Golden tipped wings spread to shadow the table as Raphael put his hands together in a slow clap. “Well done, Elena. Well, done.”
She looked up from the grapefruit, belatedly aware she’d just proven how good she was when she should’ve flubbed it and gotten out of this, whatever “this” was. Shit. But at least he’d given her some idea of the job. “Do you want me to track a rogue?”
He rose from his chair in a sudden, liquid movement. “Wait a moment.”
She watched, transfixed, as he walked to the edge of the roof. He was a being of such incredible splendor that simply seeing him move made her heart squeeze. It didn’t matter that she knew it was a mirage, that he was as deadly as the filleting knife she carried strapped to her thigh. No one, not even she, could deny that Raphael the Archangel was a man made to be admired. To be worshipped.
That utterly wrong thought snapped her out of her dazed state. Pushing back her chair, she stared hard at his back. Had he been messing with her head? Right then, he turned and she met the agonizing blue of his eyes. For a second, she thought he was answering her question. Then he looked away…and walked off the roof.
She jumped up. Only to sit back down, blush reddening her cheeks, when he winged upward to meet an angel she hadn’t seen until that moment. Michaela. The female equivalent of Raphael, her beauty so intense that Elena could feel the force of it even from this distance. She had the startling realization that she was looking at a mid-air meeting between two archangels.
“Sara’s never going to believe this.” She forgot the stench of young vampire for the moment, her attention hijacked. She’d seen photos of Michaela, but they came nowhere close to the reality of her.
The other archangel had skin the color of the most exquisite, fine milk-chocolate and a shining fall of hair that cascaded to her waist in a wild mass. Her body was quintessentially female, slender and curvy at the same time, her wings a delicate bronze that shimmered against the richness of her skin. Her face… “Wow.” Even from this distance, Michaela’s face was perfection given form. Elena fancied she could see her eyes—a bright, impossible green—but knew she had to be imagining it. They were too far away.
It made little difference. The female archangel had a face that would not only stop traffic, it would cause a few pileups in the process.
Elena frowned. Despite her appreciation for Michaela’s looks, she was having no trouble thinking straight. Which meant the damn arrogant blue-eyed bastard had been fucking with her mind. He wanted her to worship him? They’d see about that.
No one, not even an archangel, was going to turn her into a puppet.
As if he’d heard her, Raphael said something to his fellow archangel and winged back down to the roof. His landing was a lot more showy this time. She was sure he paused to display the pattern on the inside surface of his wings. It was as if a brush dipped in gold had started at the top edge of each wing and then stroked downward, fading to white as it neared the bottom. In spite of her fury, she had to face the truth: If the devil—or an archangel—came to her and offered her wings, she might just sell him her soul.
But the angels didn’t Make other angels. They only made blood-drinking vampires. Where angels came from, no one knew. Elena guessed they were born to angelic parents…though, come to think of it, she’d never actually seen a baby angel.
Her thoughts derailed again as she watched the fluid grace of Raphael’s walk, so seductive…so perfect.
Standing up, she sent her chair crashing to the tiles. “Get. Out. Of. My. Head!”
Raphael came to a standstill. “Do you intend to use that knife?” His words were ice. She felt blood scent the air and realized it was her own.
Looking down, she found her hand clenching on the blade of the knife she’d drawn instinctively from the sheath at her ankle. She’d never have made such a mistake. He was forcing her to hurt herself, showing her she was nothing but a toy for him to play with. Instead of fighting, she squeezed harder. “If you want me to do a job for you, fine. But I won’t be manipulated.”
His eyes flicked over the blood seeping from her fist. He didn’t have to say anything.
“You might be able to control me,” she said, in response to the silent mockery on his face, “but if that would’ve gotten the job done, you’d have never gone through the farce of hiring me. You need me, Elena Deveraux, not one of your little vampire flunkies.”
Her hand unclenched in a violent spasm as he made her release the blade. It fell to the ground with a thud cushioned to softness by the blood that had pooled below. She didn’t move, didn’t attempt to stem the flow.
And when Raphael walked to stand less than a foot from her, she stood her ground.
“So, you think you have me over a barrel?” The sky was a seamless blue but Elena felt storm winds whip her hair completely out of its coil.
“No.” She let his scent—clean, bright, of the sea—settle over the lingering coat of vampire on her tongue. “I’m ready to walk away without a backward look, return the deposit you paid the Guild.”
“That,” he said, picking up a napkin and wrapping it around her hand, “is not an option.”
Startled by the unexpected act, she closed her hand to help slow the bleeding. “Why not?”
“I want you to do this,” he responded, as if that was reason enough. And for an archangel, it was.
“What’s the job? Retrieval?”
“Yes.”
Relief began to wash through her like the rain she could feel so close. But no, it was his scent, that fresh bite of water. “All I need to start with, is something the vampire wore recently. If you have a general location, even better. If not, I’ll get the Guild’s computer geniuses on tracking public transport and bank records etcetera, while I hunt on the ground.” Her mind was already at work, considering and discarding options.
“You mistake me, Elena. It’s not a vampire I want you to find.”
That halted her in her tracks. “You’re looking for a human? Well, I can do it but I really don’t have any advantage over a good private investigator.”
“Try again.”
Not vampire. Not human. That left…“An angel?” she whispered. “No.”
“No,” he agreed and, once again, she felt the cool brush of relief. It lasted until he said, “An archangel.”
Elena stared at him. “You’re joking.”
His cheekbones stood out starkly against the sun-kissed smoothness of his skin. “No. The Cadre of Ten does not joke.”
Her stomach curdled at the reference to the Cadre—if Raphael was any example of their lethal power, she never wanted to meet that august body. “Why are you tracking an archangel?”
“That, you do not need to know.” His tone was final. “What you do need to know is that if you succeed in finding him, you’ll be rewarded with more money than you can hope to spend in your lifetime.”
Elena glanced at the bloodstained napkin. “And if I fail?”
“Don’t fail, Elena.” His eyes were mild but his smile, it spoke of things better not said aloud. “You intrigue me—I’d hate to have to punish you.”
Her mind flashed to that image of the vampire in Times Square, that broken mess that had once been a person…Raphael’s definition of punishment.
About the Author
On Me
I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I spent three years living and working in Japan, where I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page.
I’ve worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher, but not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency, but I call it grist for the writer’s mill.
On writing
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. All of my stories held a thread of romance, even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes. Creating unique characters and giving them happy endings is my favorite thing. I even love the voices in my head, so there’s no other job I’d rather be doing. When I got the call in September 2002 that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.Visit http://www.nalinisingh.com/ for more information
He wanted that one.
Kai had never entertained such a thought across all his substantial existence.
It was extremely specific, startling, stubborn, and incontrovertible.
Undeniable.
Mine.
Kai had never entertained such a thought across all his substantial existence.
It was extremely specific, startling, stubborn, and incontrovertible.
Undeniable.
Mine.
────── ♔ ──────
Wish of Dragons by Aja James
Dragon Tails #3
Release - TBA
Genre - Paranormal Romance / fated mates / Valkyries and dragons
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / plenty of action
Format/Source - eARC provided by the author
Length - 240?
Publisher - Indie
Release - TBA
Genre - Paranormal Romance / fated mates / Valkyries and dragons
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / plenty of action
Format/Source - eARC provided by the author
Length - 240?
Publisher - Indie
Every lore of every clan, across time and space, dreamed of dragons. Did you ever wonder why?
Erebu and Sorin fought through countless lifetimes of trials and tribulations to find one another again. They even conquered death.
But Ere’s rebirth requires a price: he must answer the Celestial Summons when it comes and faithfully complete each task the Jade Emperor sets before him.
On the bright side, he doesn’t have to perform miracles alone. Sorin will be right there with him. One the not so bright side, his Fate, the Fate of all dragon Kind, and by extension, the Universal Balance, depend on the successful execution of each quest.
No pressure.
His third task is find and retrieve the Wish of Wonders.
Find Wish of Dragons here:
Goodreads
My Two Cents
5 "I am forever changed" stars!!
After meeting and experiencing Kai, I'll never be the same.
This book's mission took our heroes to the edge of worlds. There were vikings, trolls, giants and sprinklings of the mighty Odin and the whimsical Freya. It was fantastical, mythical, and almost ethereal magic.
And for all the wonder that was mixed into this story, I can't help but be completely in awe of all the greatness that was put into Kai.
There's just something too sweet to resist about a taciturn, brooding, broken, monster of a man (see Sorin). And Kai... He had the enchanting one-word and grunt seduction of Natalie down to a science. Yup, here I am, enamored by a man who barely spoke a word!
While I would never dream of sharing a man (and would definitely cut a b!tch if she thought we could), I'm fine with sharing Kai with Eir. She was not a sweet heroine looking for a daring rescue. She was a Valkyrie, a caller of death, and if rescuing was going to be done, she'd be a part of it. She went from cold to scorching over Kai and I absolutely loved how she finally found her heart through him.
...her warrior was different. First, because he was not average in any sense of the word. He was a hero among heroes, a god among men. Second, he was hers.
Okay, so back to Kai. My heart kept breaking for this man. Born to fight gods, he was a brother to Ere, but after the war was won, when Ere was reborn as a Pure One, Kai was kept prisoner. He was a weapon and nothing more. He had no real freedom and couldn't form real relationships. I loved how he and Ere and Sorin reconnected here. It was not only hilarious (thanks again, Ere), it was sweet and well deserved.
I'm saying it again... This author is a marvel at creating eerily beautiful worlds and stunningly beautiful characters.
They came together in a fury of mouths, tongues, teeth and limbs. Grabbing, clawing, sucking, biting. They hungered for each other, so they feasted. They thirsted for each other, so they drank their fill. They ached and longed and craved, so they inhaled, consumed and tore into each other with the wildness and abandon of animals in heat. But also with the intensity and passion of long-lost soulmates, coming back together as one.
And while I could expound on my great love for Kai, I don't want to encourage any of you to try to steal him from me. So just know that he is the epitome of the best you can find in a hero, love him from afar, and love this story whenever you read it. Because you really need to read it!
About the Author
Aja James just completed the Pure/ Dark Ones paranormal-fantasy romance series in 2020. If you want your heart battered, bruised, shattered and skewered, then put back together in the most glorious ways, check out the series below. Every couple gets an HEA, but they fight like hell for it on the way.
Aja is now working on her new series, Dragon Tails, because dragons are her favorite shifters of all!
Visit https://aja-james.blog/ for more information!
She'd never seen anything as majestic, magnetic, and erotic as Andros the centaur.
────── ♔ ──────
Song of Dragons by Aja James
Dragon Tails #2
Release - December 24, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance / fated mates/ mythology / lgbt rep
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / so many exquisite scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by NetGalley
Length - at least 200 pages
Publisher - Indie
Release - December 24, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance / fated mates/ mythology / lgbt rep
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / so many exquisite scenes
Format/Source - eARC provided by NetGalley
Length - at least 200 pages
Publisher - Indie
Every lore of every clan, across time and space, dreamed of dragons. Did you ever wonder why?
Erebu and Sorin fought through countless lifetimes of trials and tribulations to find one another again. They even conquered death.
But Ere’s rebirth requires a price: he must answer the Celestial Summons when it comes and faithfully complete each task the Jade Emperor sets before him.
On the bright side, he doesn’t have to perform miracles alone. Sorin will be right there with him. One the not so bright side, his Fate, the Fate of all dragon Kind, and by extension, the Universal Balance, depend on the successful execution of each quest.
No pressure.
His second task is find and retrieve the Song of Destiny.
Location: Unknown. Time travel will be required.
Clues: Too few. But there may be a few harpies, a centaur, a giant Chinese Tibetan Mastiff and other mythical monsters along the way.
Accompaniments: His beloved Sorin (who is all he needs!) A spoiled, vain, high maintenance she-dragon (who he doesn't need). But whose enchantment spells have their uses from time to time.
Timing: ASAP. Determined by an arbitrary Sandglass in the Jade Emperor’s possession.
The end of the world may be just around the corner. Along the way, enemies may become lovers, reluctant friendships may form, and lots of hot, desperate, this-may-be-the-last-time-we-have-sex sex will definitely be had.
And who knows, you too may fall under the enchantment of…
SONG OF DRAGONS.
You can find Song of Dragons here:
Goodreads * Amazon
My Two Cents
5 "I'm gonna suffer some major withdrawal" stars
I honestly don't know where to begin.
I've been telling everyone since the beginning that this writer is a genius. From the characters, the plot, the intermingling of worlds, the mythology, the history, the intricate details that make the big picture... I CANNOT GET ENOUGH!!
It all happens in ancient Greece, during a time when myth and legend were real and fundamental. I had so much fun with the rich world the author created and found myself desperate not to finish this story.
First of all, there's more Ere and Sorin. Anyone who is anyone has gotta love these guys. Ere is always a guaranteed hoot, no exception. And Sorin, with his stoicism and silent support, is always perfection. Together, these men make my day each and every time!
Then we get the task, which is hilarious when I know I should be taking things seriously. From the vagueness of the mission to the elusive hourglass, I'm over here giggling my tail off.
At first, I didn't think I'd like Divina, which would suck because she'd be the first heroine I couldn't stand. She came off very superficial and flighty and it was an ordeal to try to take her seriously. However, I quickly learned there was so much more brewing beneath her surface. As a celestial dragon, she never really had to feel or suffer or long for anything. Then she meets Andros and her whole world, shoot everything she believed in, came crashing down. And who could really blame her? Andros was everything!!!!!
“I do want you. You must know that I do. I can’t stop touching you when you’re near. I can’t look away. I can barely think. I’ve never wanted anything or anyone as much as I want you. And that just…” She trailed off and gulped a breath before continuing in a whisper, “It scares me. I don’t know how to handle it.”
Speaking of Andros... this male had so much going for him. Gorgeous looks, long beautiful hair, luminous purple eyes... and HE WAS A FREAKING CENTAUR!! I wasn't sure how these two were gonna get busy, but the author solved that dilemma right quick and it was so effing hot. I mean 'oh lawd my virgin eyes' kinda hot. Yes, these two had me feeling like a born-again blushing virgin for all that they had going on and I loved it!! What won me over from the start though was his heart. He was such a kind, thoughtful, sweet soul who only wanted someone to call his own. For someone to know him. To love him as he would love them. He only wanted Divina.
“I am not afraid to hurt for you,”he repeated low, his manhood throbbing against her swollen, needy core in time with her own heartbeat and pulse. “I know you do not accept me fully. I know you are not mine the way I am yours. I will never ask you to give something you cannot. I only want you to be brave enough to hurt for me too.”
Her breath froze on a wet hitch as she stared into his clear, violet eyes. Suddenly, he smiled. An aching, sensual smile that made her heart skip a couple of beats, then ratchet back up in a thundering gallop. “Be brave when you claim me, my woman. I promise you I am worth it.”
Her breath froze on a wet hitch as she stared into his clear, violet eyes. Suddenly, he smiled. An aching, sensual smile that made her heart skip a couple of beats, then ratchet back up in a thundering gallop. “Be brave when you claim me, my woman. I promise you I am worth it.”
Seriously, if you can't tell by all of my exclamation points, take my silly advice and start reading these books. If you love paranormal romance, mythology, the best heroes in the game, their equally to-die-for heroines, and stories that will keep you guessing, shrieking, sighing, fanning yourself, and definitely paying attention... GET TO READING!!
She’d never have enough. They moved together in a primal dance older than time. Bodies slicked with sweat. Scents fused; breaths combined. When she came at last, pulling him into the vortex with her, it was a soft, trembling, full-bodied surrender. Filled with quiet sighs and deep exhales. Worshipful. Reverent. And finally, a dragon who had been loved by many, but who never fell herself, understood what it was to give all of her being to another. Mind, body, heart and soul.
Excerpt
“I don’t think he’s the kind of male who can just have sex and walk away,”she said softly in that small, guilty voice.
“I think he wants more. I don’t think I can give him what he wants.”
“Why not?”
“You don’t even know me or you wouldn’t ask!”
“That’s why I’m asking.”“I’m just…I’m just not the type of woman who commits to one man!”
“No need to shout at me.”
“I’m not!”
“My bleeding, tender eardrums beg to differ. You’re speaking with exclamation marks.”
Divina took a steadying, fortifying breath, her mouth flattening into a thin line.
She looked pissed. Ere approved of this look more than the blotchy, red-faced blubbering.
“You’re not very nice,”she noticed.
“Neither are you.”
At this, she stumbled and gaped at him.
“I’m the nicest person in the world! Everyone loves me! I make people happy! I love my babies—
”Ere snorted.
“You didn’t make the centaur stud happy.”
That made her retreat into stuttering.
“I-I-”
“And maybe you bestow all that gushy goodness and effusive affection on all your creatures and everyone around you because you’re addicted to the affection and attention you get in return.”
“W-What—”
“There’s a word for it. It’s called narcissism. Or, wait, maybe it’s HPD. Histrionic Personality Disorder.”
About the Author
Aja James just completed the Pure/ Dark Ones paranormal-fantasy romance series in 2020. If you want your heart battered, bruised, shattered and skewered, then put back together in the most glorious ways, check out the series below. Every couple gets an HEA, but they fight like hell for it on the way.
Aja is now working on her new series, Dragon Tails, because dragons are her favorite shifters of all!
Visit https://aja-james.blog/ for more information!
He was her treasure.
She'd lay claim to him every chance she got.
If she could tattoo the words "property of Rui" on his forehead, she would.
She'd lay claim to him every chance she got.
If she could tattoo the words "property of Rui" on his forehead, she would.
────── ♔ ──────
Dream of Dragons by Aja James
Dragon Tails #1
Release - September 3, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance / mythology / MM romance
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5 / several scenes
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 322 pages
Publisher - Indie
Release - September 3, 2021
Genre - Paranormal Romance / mythology / MM romance
Multiple POV - 3rd person
Heat Level - 4 out of 5 / several scenes
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 322 pages
Publisher - Indie
Every lore of every clan, across time and space, dreamed of dragons. Did you ever wonder why?
Erebu and Sorin fought through countless lifetimes of trials and tribulations to find one another again. They even conquered death.
But Ere’s rebirth requires a price: he must answer the Celestial Summons when it comes and faithfully complete each task the Jade Emperor sets before him.
On the bright side, he doesn’t have to perform miracles alone. Sorin will be right there with him. One the not so bright side, his Fate, the Fate of all dragon Kind, and by extension, the Universal Balance, depend on the successful execution of each quest.
No pressure.
His first task is find and retrieve the Jewel of Dreams.
Location: Unknown. Time travel will be required.
Clues: Too few. But there may be a dragon-slayer, a king, a wizard, and a few mythical monsters along the way.
Accompaniments: His beloved Sorin (who is all he needs!) A humorless, anti-social female dragon (who he doesn’t need). Though her kickass fighting skills do come in handy in a pinch.
Timing: ASAP. Determined by an arbitrary Sandglass in the Jade Emperor’s possession.
The end of the world may be just around the corner. Along the way, enemies may become lovers, reluctant friendships may form, and lots of hot, desperate, this-may-be-the-last-time-we-have-sex sex will definitely be had.
And who knows, you may never want to wake up from this…
Find your copy of Dream of Dragons here:
Goodreads * Amazon
My Two Cents
5 "Are you even surprised?" stars
I don't know how it's done, but I am completely in awe of everything Aja James created here.
I thought I was prepared. After the wondrous and life-changing experience of reading the Pure/Dark Ones series, I thought I knew what I was getting into.
I was wrong!
Getting to be with my beloved Erebu, my sweetest taboo, was just icing on the deliciousness that was this story. He and Sorin will always have my attention!
If you love retellings as much as I do, you're going to love this story. Actually, even if you don't care for them, you'll love this story. We're taken on a journey to Camelot to meet those who were believed to be mythical creations. There's King Arthur, Lancelot, Modred, Gawain, Morgan, and even Queen Guinevere. But nothing is as it seems and the way the author wove this tale... seeing is believing.
I am truly in love with the way this author blends mythology with legend and present truths and pop culture. She takes readers on a path that is both cerebral and emotional. And seriously, how can my emotions not be all over the place with everything she gifts us?
Meeting the celestial dragon, Rui, and watching her come to life and find her greatest treasure, Wolfe, was another uniquely beautiful experience like all the others I've been given by James. Each love story feels like the best wrapped present and seeing Rui find her humanity, witnessing her embrace everything that comes out of love, was extremely satisfying.
... as if her eyes had a mind of their own, they practically stretched out of their sockets to turn her head so she could sneak another glance at the warrior male.
Bright, citrine eyes met hers directly.
Shit.
Bright, citrine eyes met hers directly.
Shit.
Once again, I highlighted probably more than half the book, but sharing those would reveal way too many spoilers. I will say that I always wanted to know more about Tristan and I finally got to!! His back story was such a surprise and I was so happy to get those original glimpses of him. I still want to know how Ayelet came into the picture for him, how they realized they were fated mates, etc... But I'm just so happy with what I got that I'm willing to let those unanswered questions go... for now.
About the Author
Aja James just completed the Pure/ Dark Ones paranormal-fantasy romance series in 2020. If you want your heart battered, bruised, shattered and skewered, then put back together in the most glorious ways, check out the series below. Every couple gets an HEA, but they fight like hell for it on the way.
Aja is now working on her new series, Dragon Tails, because dragons are her favorite shifters of all!
Visit https://aja-james.blog/ for more information!
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