Review: Angel’s Blood (Guild Hunter #1) by Nalini Singh

TLDR recap:

Elena Deveraux is damned good at being a vampire hunter.  So good, (and so sexay) that she’s caught the eye of the archangel of New York, the one and only terrifyingly powerful, sexier than yo’ momma ever dreamed possible Raphael.  Raphael needs her for a little job that he’s not too keen on giving her all the deets on.  But he’s a freakin’ archangel, and you just don’t say no to an archangel, mmmkay?  Angel’s Blood is a GraveTells Must Read!

• Title: Angel’s Blood
• Series: Guild Hunter
• Author: Nalini Singh
• Prominent Characters: Elena, Raphael
• Recommended reader age:18+
• Sexual content level: Moderate

*** This review is SPOILER-FREE! Read on with confidence! ***

Thoughts:

This book hit me like a freight train right outta chapter one.  I was completely enthralled and yet terrified by Raphael (and his right hand man Dmitri—oohhhh, Dmitri…).  As an archangel, Raphael has never been human.  This makes him a being that never seems to react the way that you’d expect – he doesn’t conform to human social norms.  His aura of power and sensual physical beauty make him a walking, talking venus fly trap.  Ready to pull in the unwary and eat them for whatever meal he deems fit.  And you’ll love every minute of it.

Elena is smart enough to know that she has no way to outmaneuver Raphael.  She’s caught his interest with her skills as a vampire hunter and then as a woman he wants to get to know in that whole gettin’ kicked out of the Garden of Eden way for naughty-naughty bed time antics.  Elena is scared, and yet intelligent enough to come to the conclusion that 1) She might want to have groiny private time with Raphael but it probably won’t end well for her, 2) She’ll be lucky to survive the mission at all, so she’s got to be on her toes and use every item at her disposal, and 3) Even if she does complete the mission, Raphael might kill her anyway, so maybe that groiny time is a good idea after all.  (Which is exactly the conclusion I’d come to, too, after I was done drooling all over myself.)

Angel’s Blood will take you from horrific crime scenes to soaring above the city in an archangel’s arms.  You’ll see just how an angel’s private home is made to accommodate those massive wings, and the political maneuverings of beings that are ancient, powerful, and largely view humanity with the care of a two year old a month after Christmas holding a toy.  In other words, completely disposable, too easily breakable, and quickly replaced.

One of my favorite things about this book is the author’s attention to detail, especially regarding the angels.  She has obviously thought really hard about how large the wings would have to be to lift a large man (or woman) off the ground and the ways that the world around them would have to be altered to fit those wings.  There are also real consequences for the use of magic, the ever present government agencies, and even the threat of pissing off an angel enough to get your @$$ handed to you.  (In a totally horrible way.)

The conflict that drives the plot builds and builds into a Clash of the Titans sort of showdown that left me with my tummy in knots.  I had no idea how Ms. Singh would resolve the the end.  There was ample room for totally messing up all the delicious, gut-clenching tension that had been building through out the whole book.  Thank the G.O.E that she tied it all up beautifully with a nice sparkly ribbon.  The only thing that could have made it better was if a certain blue winged angel and Slavic first named vamp had delivered the book to my house nekkid and ready to par-tay.

Memorable quotes:

Oh Elena, fight the good fight my dear.  I think the lady doth protest too much.  I know I’d eat that cake!

“Would you go to his bed sweetly?” Raphael asked against her ear, his voice an unsheathed blade.  “Would you whimper and beg?”

Elena swallowed.  “Hell, no.  He’s like double-frosted chocolate mud cake.  It looks good, you want to eat the whole thing, but in reality it’s too sickly sweet.”  Dmitri’s sensual nature was suffocating, heavy, a blanket that repelled even as it attracted.

“If he is cake, what am I?”  Cruel, sensual lips against her cheek, her jaw.

“Poison,” she whispered. “Beautiful, seductive poison.”

Shouldn’t mess with Elena, Venom.  You sexy, cocky, rotten…ooooh!  Just get into bed already and show me how bad you feel about your actions!

Venom smiled, slow, mocking.  “Big, tough hunter, scared at the sight of a little blood.”  He turned off the tap.  “My illusions are shattered.”

“Poor baby, ” she said, wiping a hand down her face.

He showed her teeth, bright white against that exotic skin.  “Feeling better?”  Insincerity dripped from every word.

“Bite me.”  Turning her back, she forced herself to take the steps that would return her to the abattoir.

“Oh I intend to.”  A drawl full of innuendo. “Everywhere.”

If you liked Angel’s Blood of the Guild Hunter series…

I think you should try out the Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole.  With men and women who are more than human, unbridled passion, terrific world building, and danger all around, these books will keep you on the edge of your seat and up at night fantas- err, thinking about all the delicious men. (In all their forms.  Demons, werewolves, vampires, hybrids, oh my!)

You might also like the Night Huntress series for the sexual tension and attraction between Cat and Bones, particularly in book one when Cat is leading Bones on a merry chase.  You know that when those two finally get it on its going to blow the roof off.  And in book two, there’s the infamous Chapter 32, where we get to see some of the mad skillz Bones picked up in his years as gigolo to spoiled wives of the London Ton.

Final thoughts:

My final thoughts on Guild Hunters number one, Angel’s Blood?  Whew.  Where to start, well, finish actually.  Since I already started up there somewhere.  I almost immediately bought book 2 on Amazon.  Looking back through all my bookmarks to choose the quotes made me all tingly and ready to re-read this.  I would, too, if my review list for January wasn’t so long.

Nalini Singh is now my girl crush of the moment.  I loved this book.  It was scary, sexy, impressively plotted, well thought out, and the perfect beginning to a new series.  The only thing that’s keeping it from being a five is that I never felt like I was going to bawl all over myself. (Which is one of the requirements, y’all.  And truth be told, I can only handle so many North of Need type books in mah life.  The Captain is a softie.)

You’ll love reading about Raphael and Elena and their journey together.  I suggest getting book 2 at the same time as book 1, so that you don’t have to stop and wait to start it.  You’ll be jonesing, I promise you.

Angel’s Blood is a GraveTells Must Read!

Rating: Angel’s Blood

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Related links:

For Nalini Singh’s website, click here.
For her blog, click here.