Review of Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh - I want to earn me some wings!

Title: Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter #2)
Author: Nalini Singh
Pages: 323 Pages, Paperback
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Standalone/Series: Series
Release:  Already Out
Publisher: Berkeley
Purchased by me
Author info: http://www.nalinisingh.com
Spoiler Alert: Spoilers for book one if you haven't read it
GoodReads blurb: Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control—even when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority…

They’ve barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena… 

Elena wakes up after a year long coma to discover her life completely changed. She awakes laying on a pair of beautiful midnight and dawn colored wings which she "earned" through being loved by the sexy and dangerous archangel Raphael. Now the two of them cautiously get to know each other more, though both of them are still haunted by the terrible things that happened to them in their past. Elena is greatly weakened by her year long sleep and has alot to learn about her new life including how to use her new wings. Unfortunately she must learn fast since she is being pulled into the world of angel intrigue and will soon have to face one of the scariest archangels, Lijuan. As Elena starts to recuperate and work with her new wings, murders and grave attacks occur on vampires and angels in the Refuge where she is now living. Elena who despite the wings is still a guild hunter and still feels the need to hunt down murders and protect the innocent. As she begins to track down what is happening she also finds that she might be a target in someone's plot to grab more power.

Raphael finds himself battling between the need to protect and shelter Elena and the need to let her be his sexy warrior woman. One of the more heart-pounding parts of the book for me was when he holds off on taking pleasure from Elena for fear that his savage passion will break her since she is still so weak. Though that doesn't stop him from pleasuring Elena in other ways - the sexy lovin' in this book definitely gets the pulse pounding. This book is more paranormal romance than urban fantasy that was more prominent in the first book Angel's Blood as it  focuses on Elena's and Raphael's developing relationship. I thought the relationship was well developed, since these are two independent and powerful individuals they didn't instantly find their balance in the relationship but had to work at it. Elena is caught between her all too human heart and finding out how to find her balance with her archangel lover. And Raphael is sexy and sensual as well as hard and cruel in the same heartbeat.

The mystery in the book about who was destroying the peace and protection of Refuge and the need to get Elena in shape to meet Lijuan also gave an excellent backdrop to introduce us to the other members of the Seven. Illium is my favorite of the seven and he also seems like the one least likely to kill Elena to protect Raphael from having a weakness, unlike Galen and Dimitri. Though I worry over "Bluebell" as Elena calls him since I'm afraid that his feelings for Elena will put him at odds with Raphael in the near future. Though I do hope we get to read more about the sexy and lethal Seven in future books. Elena regains her strength in time to face the challenges surrounding her and Raphael and with Raphael's promise to soon teach Elena how angels dance I can't wait for the next book!

Overall this is a 4.5 out of 5 stars for me - the powerful and lethal archangel Raphael giving wings and his heart bit by bit to his warrior woman lover ... heartwarming and hot!

Review of Angels' Blood (Guild Hunters Book 1) by Nalini Singh - I love those deadly sexy angels!

Title: Angel's Blood
Author: Nalini Singh
Pages: 339 Pages, Mass Market Paperback
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance
Standalone/Series: Series
Release:  Already Out
Publisher: Berkeley
Purchased by me
Author info: http://www.nalinisingh.com or twitter @NaliniSingh
Spoiler Alert: Small plot hints

GoodReads Blurb: 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… 

Elena is a vampire bloodhound - she is a hunter-born who can sniff out the unique scent of the a vampire and track them anywhere. Born hunters are rare and Elena is the best. In Elena's world, vampires are created by angels - and the archangels are the most powerful among them. The angels have always existed in her world, occasionally worshiped and revered but also feared for their immense power. Among the angels, Archangel Raphael is one of the most powerful and a member of the Cadre of Ten - the ruling class of angels. Raphael rules over New York City and most of North America with a cold and ruthless heart. When he first meets Elena he tries to rule over her as well but she is having nothing to do with it. Elena has always been enamored with the angels and their beautiful wings but that doesn't stop her from wanting to be an independent person. When she is called before Raphael to fulfill a Guild contract, he instantly tries to gain the upper hand, even using her body against her but Elena forces him to back down, which rarely occurs in Raphael's world. The job Elena is hired for is beyond the normal vampire hunt, she is hired to hunt down a rogue archangel - something she is most likely not going to survive.

As Raphael and Elena spend time together hunting the rogue, attraction between the two of them grows. Elena fights her attraction to Raphael as hard as she can because she knows her life will never be the same if she submits to the handsome and deadly archangel. Raphael wants to posses Elena and admits he only takes warrior women for lovers, though his feelings develop beyond the simple need to posses Elena's body. Both Raphael and Elena have dark pasts that haunt their waking hours and deep emotional scars that make them well suited for each other as well. As the hunt for the rogue heats up so do their feelings for each other, the dark crimes the rogue commits causing the pair to look for comfort in each other. And let me say I loved the special magical properties of angel's dust and the sensitivity of the wings when the angels are aroused. Such fun details!

The story of this world was an interesting one, our world but with beautiful immortal angels populating it - angels that can destroy whole cities in fights for power and territory. Also angels making vampires - a new twist to the vampire story that I definitely haven't read before. The secondary characters in this book added another layer to the story - the seductive vampire Dimitri and beautiful angel Ilium. Both are part of Raphael's inner circle that are sworn to protect him with their life. Elena's friends are great too - Sara her best friend and boss who is super protective of Elena, as well as Ransom, a fellow hunter and friend with a cocky attitude and sex-appeal. All of these secondary characters added to the richness of the story and made it even more enjoyable.

Overall this was a 4 out of 5 stars for me - a kick-ass heroine, sexy archangel Raphael, and unique and interesting world building. I was so lucky that the second book was already out when I read this one because the ending had my diving right into the next book of the series - Archangel's Kiss.