REVIEW: Avenger’s Angel by Heather Killough-Walden
Avenger’s Angel by Heather Killough-Walden
(The Lost Angels #1)
Headline Publishing (Nov 2011)
Paperback, 328 pages
Paranormal Romance
I have been so excited about Avenger’s Angel ever since I saw it at the Headline Publishing event back in May. The cover is just gorgeous, and as I have a huge thing for angels right now, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Luckily I received an early review copy, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed!
The writing is fabulous and there are three plots that weave together to create a thrilling action-packed story as well as a beautiful romance, and there are moments that are just gorgeous and made my heart melt.
The characterisation is great too. The protagonists in this book (there will be four books in the series altogether) are Ellie and Uriel. They are such great personalities and I love that their relationship wasn’t insta-love, although it was definitely insta-lust. There’s lots of sexual tension between them, but it took Ellie quite a while to begin to trust and love Uriel and it was nice to see their relationship grow at a realistic pace.
I also fell in love with Uriel’s brothers: Gabriel, Michael and Azreal, especially Azreal, who’s an Archangel with a difference – he’s also a vampire. He lives mostly in the basement on his own. I find him sad and can’t wait until he finds his own Archess who will love him.
Also, unsurprisingly *I always seem to go for the bad boys* my favourite character was, Samael. He wants the archess for himself and pretends to be someone he’s not too gain her trust. Although he’s the villain, there’s something about him that makes me believe there is so much more that meets the eye and I hope soooo much he gets his own book. I would love to meet the woman who’s able to thaw his icy, black heart.
I really like the fact that Ellie is a strong character and can stand up for herself, but she’s soft and vulnerable too, a great combination. Her realisation that these four brothers are Archangels and that she is an Archess is very well done. She doesn’t instantly believe, but the situation is helped by the fact that she’s had a niggling feeling for most of her life that something wasn’t quite right, especially as she has abilities other humans don’t such as the ability to heal and the ability to control the weather.
The only real negative point I have with this novel was the sex scene between Uriel and Eleanore. As Uriel was a vampire at the time (due to an unknown spell cast by the naughty Samael to prevent Uriel from revealing Samael’s true identity to Ellie) it seemed as though he used his hypnotic abilities to keep her subdued and then had his wicked way with her. He even put his hand over her mouth as he took her virginity violently to keep her from crying out from the pain. This took the edge off from what should have been a satisfying union. It’s what I had wanted since they first laid eyes on each other as the sexual chemistry between them is just so toe-curlingly good. But the tender hotness of this scene was diluted by not knowing if Ellie was willing or if she was under a vampires influence.
However, a few pages after the scene, Ellie did state that she liked being the submissive party and that she had thoroughly enjoyed what Uriel had done to her. I wish this was shared before the sex scene as I would have felt more comfortable reading it, although, I’m not a big fan of the submissive female as it goes against my nature.
I also wish there was a little bit more ‘wing’ action too. The cover is absolutely stunning and I love angels with wings, but most of the novel the archangels are just like humans but with supernatural powers. However, I do get my wish at the end of the novel, but not as much as I would have liked and there wasn’t enough emphasis on the beauty of the wings. However, the ending is great and leaves me very impatient for the next book in the series.
VERDICT:
Avenger’s Angel is a fantastic addition to the paranormal romance genre, with sexy Archangels and a strong, beautiful heroine. The world is intriguing and the action is fast-paced. I for one can’t wait to read future instalments. Fans of paranormal romance will lap this up – a great start to a new paranormal series.
RATING: 
HEATHER KILLOUGH-WALDEN ONLINE
Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
BOOKS IN SERIES ORDER
- 0.5. Always Angel
- 1. Avenger’s Angel
- 2. Messenger’s Angel
- 3. Death’s Angel
BUY YOUR COPY
8 Comments
Hi! Do you know if this book comes to Brazil?
It's amazing!
See you!
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Sounds like a read I'd definitely enjoy. Have to agree with you though – your issue w/ the sex will most likely be the very thing I'll have a problem w/, too.
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WOW! I hadn't heard of this one… it sounds fantastic… and I love that it's the first book in a series. Thanks for the review!
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I'm not a fan of these angel themed novels, but I think you've just convinced me to try this one out
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What a lovely review. I think the cover is outstanding!
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Cessi – I'm afraid I don't – but when it's released maybe you can buy it from Amazon or Book Depo?
_Yay_ – The sex bit was a real small part of the overall novel which was brilliant. I wish it was written a little differently, but others may not have a problem with it.
Twimom227 – It really is a fab read – I love all the characters but I can't wait to read Azreal's book!
Amy – I became an angel fan after reading Nalini Singh's 'Guild Hunter' series which is absolutely fantastic! This isn't quite as good as that series but it's still a fabulous read
Debra – Thanks! The cover is stunning, one of my favs for this year
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I will definitely check this out!
Thanks for the great review!
APril @Books4Juliet
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I definitely need to add this to my wishlist. It hasn't even hit the books store where I live. Lol.
http://www.TheYoungBookCollector.Blogspot.com
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