Odessa’s a nerdy angel who just wants to keep to herself. Her unpopular father works in the government of their realm. She doesn’t get along with her sister, and no one talks about what happened to her mother. So Odessa has no one to turn to for help with the staggering fear she lives under each day, a terror born from childhood trauma. Until she spots the announcement of a gala for a warrior in … in need of a mate.
Bryant would rather chew his wings off than get mated, but orders are orders. He’s been erratic in the field, taking unnecessary risks, and is cranky with his team. His boss hopes a mate will stabilize him. But Bryant understands what the rest of the realm won’t admit. His face full of scars makes him nightmare material, not mate material, for a realm full of vain angels.
When an ethereally gorgeous female accepts his request, Bryant is leery. Then he learns who Odessa really is—the daughter of the man responsible for his injuries. But when Odessa’s attacked, Bryant has to get over his resentment. Because he’s the only thing between her and death, and together they might be able to save their realm.
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Angel Fire is book 1 in the Angel Fire series that tells the story of a very different breed of angel. Though the story wrapped up, there is an overarching story line for the series that remains unfinished in the end: safe to read alone, but not all questions are answered. The book is written in third person omniscient from both leads (alternating) perspective.
The setting for this series is essentially ours, but ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’ are very different. The angels in these stories live in a place called Numen which is something of a lower tier of heaven that seems a lot like earth, but inhabited by angels. These angels all have jobs that involve life, but they also have an entire society including social and political structures. Our main leads are a horribly scarred warrior angel and a upper echelon’s daughter who has scars that don’t show on the outside. Odessa is outwardly calm and brave, but terrified constantly on the inside. Bryant lost team members when he got his unhealable scars and has since become reckless, so his boss pretty much orders him to take a wife/mate. He doesn’t honestly think anyone will take the offer, but Odessa sees a chance to have someone in her life that will keep her from being afraid. Their story is a long uphill battle since they start off with secrets and distrust from multiple angles, and the constant danger and trouble certainly doesn’t help. Despite that, they do eventually figure themselves out while solving a murder and a mystery and saving a few lives.
I enjoyed the book, overall, and even both Odessa and Bryant as characters. Sometimes their bullheadedness frustrated me, but I think that was the point. I would deduct half a star, because it did feel like there was some fluff (excess writing) that was unnecessary, i.e., the book could have been shorter. I liked that the end result was a relationship that seemed stable and apt to be a healthy thing for both parties. I will likely pick up the next book when I free up space. All in all, a good first read from this author.
Chrestien de Lontaine, devastated by the death of her father, vows to see her twin sister wed and take refuge in a nunnery. King Henry sends his blue-eyed champion, Wolf, to quell the nation’s rebellion. The twins are both beautiful, but Wolf finds Chestiente’s smoky eyes captivating. She holds his heart in peril, but the real danger lurks in unexpected quarters. We will see if true love can bind two hearts. – I have read so many good books lately that this one did not compare. Medieval romances are not my favorite, so perhaps my judgment is not fair. In any event, I enjoyed the story but was anxious for it to end
Angel Fire is book one in the Angel Fire series. The storyline is intriguing with warrior angels, fallen angels and demons. The world building is amazing and the characters well developed and relatable. The angels are both good and evil pretty much like humans. Our main characters are Bryant and Odessa. These two have a lot of personal baggage to get thru if they are to mate as well as solve a mystery. This is an exceptionally well written tale with action, mystery, drama, intrigue, and romance. It was a page turner and kept your interest to the end as well as the desire to read the next in series. It is an easy book to recommend. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.
The Angels had me from the beginning! This is one of the best new paranormal romances I’ve read in awhile. Just terrific with the spectacular world building, fierce characters, thrilling storyline, villains galore. Demons and the Fallen along with fantastic heroes and heroines that fight to keep the realms separate and humans safe. Odessa is a wonderful heroine. Strong and noble but she needs a Warrior to keep her safe from her enemies. And there’s none better than Bryant. When she chooses him to bond with in hopes of saving herself from her enemies she is glorious. Ignoring his battle scars that make him self conscious she is ready to take him on with all his growls and groans. He can’t believe she did it! He thinks no woman will want him and he doesn’t want to be bonded. No way, but she slowly wins him over and it’s hot. When they finally work out their differences and come together they are a magnificent couple. Such steamy chemistry! There’s a lot going on in the story that keeps things interesting and kept me turning the pages. Also, lots of fantastic characters for future stories. I can’t wait. This is a terrific start to a new series by an author that gives us passionate characters, new worlds and intriguing stories. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC. 4.5 STARS
Uhhh yesssssssss. I’m always up for taking chances on paranormal reads, they’re my first love and I’ll rarely turn one down. Angel Fire by Marie Johnston is my first read by this author and I believe this is the beginning of a new paranormal series that I can’t way to divulge in.
I’ve definitely read books where there’s mates involved, but this was a bit different for me since they choose who they can sync/be with instead of being fated mates. I’m not entirely sure if I liked it or not, but I think it was just the fact that it was a premise that I haven’t read about in these worlds.
I loved that even though Bryant is someone you NEVER want to be on the opposite side of and for good reason. He can definitely handle himself in any situation. But it was his vulnerabilities that drew me in. My heart broke for this man because of the constant rejection he has been through because of his scars. At first I wasn’t exactly sure about Odessa’s motives for choosing him, but the more these two spent together, you’ll see that he was more than a protector for her. And she’s fierce, so there was no way that Bryant would have been able to avoid her for long.
I LOVED Odessa, she does not take no for an answer or avoidance. Bryant could have tried to hide all he wants, but Odessa constantly made her presence known around him, and I was loving every moment of that. Their bickering in the beginning adds a light touch of humor to soften the seriousness that they both find themselves in.
But as you see their relationship development, it’s evident that they couldn’t be more perfect for one another.
I thoroughly enjoyed Angel Fire and am definitely looking towards more from this (hopeful) series and author! The writing kept me engage most of the time, there were some parts where it felt like it was too long, but that didn’t stop me from devouring every single word.
**I RECEIVED A COMPLIMENTARY READER’S COPY FROM THE INKSLINGER PR IN CONSIDERATION FOR A REVIEW. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR CONTENT OF MY REVIEW**
Marie Johnston
This is the story of Angels and their world. Most are like humans, only with wings. Secrets, lies and murder will bring two angels together with more in common than they thought. Bryant is pressured to take a mate after he gets into trouble. He has scars and doesn’t think any angel would want him. Odessa is brainy and in search of a warrior mate. These two start out rocky but end up coming together to solve a murder and conspiracy in the angel world. Interesting paranormal read.
This author is new to me and I will definitely be continuing the series! Bryant is a Warrior Angel with many scars and he feels that by woman would want to mate with him therefore he is more reckless with his life. His superiors are forcing him to mate in hopes that he won’t be so reckless with his life if he has a mate. In comes the gorgeous Odessa who has a not a pretty past. She and her sister were attacked and she needs a Warrior’s protection. They both see their flaws as a measure of their self worth. Will they be able to heal each other? Will mating with Bryant keep her safe? I can’t wait for this series to continue!!
3.5 Stars
So not having read anything by this particular author before I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
Thankfully this was by far a positive experience and “Angel Fire” itself really was an imaginative endeavour with some pretty hefty word building.
I did originally find that the staging here as it introduced this new series left me somewhat confused initially and as a consequence, it took me a while to get my head around the whole complicated infrastructure that we are introduced to here.
But when I did manage to find my groove all was good with the world.
So this was told from multiple POV’s and really did an excellent job of laying the groundwork for future story development.
I liked how the Angel’s here were like everyday people with their own internal inadequacies and personality traits just like the humans they were tasked with serving.
Found it super interesting how they were all being held to a higher standard when they were just as imperfect as their human charges were.
Although I wasn’t quite sure what to think about the black and white rule system these supposed higher beings abide by, the no grey or middle ground really seemed justly unfair to me.
So Odessa I liked a lot she had some issues in her background that caused a lot of internal insecurities but she really tried to not let this dictate her future choices negatively.
She knew what she wanted from the start and there was no artifice or malice where she was concerned.
Bryant well I liked him but there were definitely times he needed a kick where the sun don’t shine if you get my actual drift.
His constant blowing hot and cold where Odessa is concerned really got a tad irritating I wanted to shout “Make up your mind man”.
The way he was always thinking of ways he could sever ties with Odessa for her sake, of course, was an insult to her inert character.
Though I did like the fact that Bryant wasn’t a player and was also scarred, growly and imperfect.
I like my males to be somewhat flawed adds to there overall charm.
So this was an intriguing start and I am interested in seeing where this story eventually goes.
Especially in regards to the sister, I am hoping she gets her book alongside the pompous rigid Julien: to see him taken down a peg or two and eat some humble pie would be so fantastic.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of “Angel Fire”.
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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Once in a while I need to jump into a paranormal romance as a breath of fresh air. This definitely delivered!
This is a very engaging beginning to the series, following Odessa and Bryant through their very tangled and convoluted web of connection as they deal with their own internal mess on their way to one another. They feel quite real in their flaws, and the author manages to make the tension around them building a relationship relatable rather than overly dramatic and frustrating.
Good vs Evil, Angels and Romance – who could ask for more? Can’t wait to continue this series!
There are worse punishments than being mated against your will to the gorgeous Odessa even if her father is the reason your face isn’t what it used to be even if said Odessa’s reason for the mating aren’t exactly honest either it seems not all angels are perfect & there’s plenty of imperfect one’s in this first book that’s great start to the series , reluctant mating , Angels , Demons , secret plots make this a book you can’t easily put down & that’s without the growing flames between Bryant & Odessa , looking forward to book two .
Bit long but interesting
Bryant is a warrior angel and he likes it that way. He’s been horribly disfigured in battle and believes that’s why no female wants to mate with him. What he doesn’t realize it’s not his looks but his attitude. An attitude that has made him reckless. His superior wants him to mate in the hopes that it will calm him down and give him a reason to live. But will it work?
Odessa’s life changed after one night of tragedy. It pulled her family apart and none of them ever recovered from it. She lives in constant fear and thinks if she mates with Bryant she’ll feel safe again. But will it work?
What neither of them realizes is that what began on the night of Odessa’s tragedy began a series of events that bound them together before either knew the other existed. Can they unravel the mystery before they or anyone else gets killed?
Oh my smoking hot Angels!!! I could not put this book down! Angel’s, Demons, Fallen Angel’s and so much more.
Enticing, thrilling, sexy, sweet, with some action and a bit of drama makes this story so fantastic!