If Romeo had wings and Juliet a barbed tail, could they find happiness in the City of Angels? After their escape from the ashes of Lost Angels, the succubus Lorelei and the angel Azaziel want nothing more than to enjoy each other’s company. Unfortunately, Asmodeus, the Demon Prince of LA, has threatened to devour Lorelei’s new-grown soul if she doesn’t bring about Azaziel’s downfall. Meanwhile, … Meanwhile, Aza is keeping secrets of his own that threaten the tenuous peace between Heaven and Hell.
Three archangels come to town to try to set things right, but friendships are fracturing. The demon in charge of fallen angels is sniffing around. And Los Angeles is about to be caught between a devil and the deep blue sea.
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The Good Guys are bad. The Bad Guys are good. Characters with complex morality make this book a rich and randy read. Angels and demons–sexy and dangerous–keep the pages turning. I loved Lorelei most of all. She’s a succubus who uses her sex partners for energy, but at the same time, she is extremely sympathetic. The story progresses on various levels, including personal and political. The authors’ version of Heaven and Hell was fascinating and made it easy for them to surprise me with plot twists. Mostly, it’s an intimate journey through the relationships of the characters with danger, suspense, and drama generously spread throughout to keep the tension levels high.
Angelus Rose is an angels-and-demons romance that’s heavy on sex but not quite erotica. Angelus Rose is also tense and violent like a dark urban fantasy. But it’s rich with thematic elements, too. It’s so original that it’s hard to classify, but don’t let that deter you.
This book picks up the day after the exorcism in the first book, but you needn’t have read the first book in order to understand what’s going on because Rhoads and Thomas include short flashbacks that explain what you need to know.
PROS:
There are several compelling characters in this book. (Including characters to love and those to despise!) I was particularly drawn in by the succubus Lorelei’s story, her development of free will, her need for vengeance after a terrifying incident of female-on-female sexual cruelty, and her desire for the angel Azaziel.
There is a strong sense of Los Angeles in this story with real life locations like Griffith Observatory, actual cemeteries, Venice beach, and the Hollywood sign.
I liked the creepy-scary descriptions like the demons’ skin and appendages and goat-pupil eyes.
This book is super well edited. If there are any typos at all, I didn’t see them.
The sex scenes teeter on the edge between implicit and erotica. They are tantalizing scenes (or horrifying, depending on the set up) without leaving you feeling dirty. I’m sure that was hard to accomplish, kudos to Rhoads and Thomas.
I loved the exploration of theological and philosophical themes during the course of the novel. The concept of karma, predestination, war (why God allows it), children in limbo, whether or not salvation can be earned, and deathbed conversions.
Rhoads and Thomas certainly did their homework. The list of characters is like Who’s Who in Hebrew and Biblical entities: Rafael, Azaziel, Shebethiel, Barbelo, Jezebel, Asmodeus, Barbas, Samael, Nibiros, Beelzebub, Zadkiel, Mastema, and Yehudiah (and maybe some more I’ve missed). It makes the story feel like you’re reading an epic mythology.
CONS:
Because Angelus Rose is like an epic mythology in certain chapters, it gets bogged down with all the character names and a little confusing. I took off half a star for this. But when I slowed down and went with the flow, I could understand who was who and what was happening, so ONLY half a star off.
The beginning dragged. I took off half a star for this. About 30 percent into the book, I was interested, and by 40 percent, I had a hard time putting it down.
OVERALL:
Angelus Rose is a tantalizing, sometimes scary story with a mythological feel and wonderfully complex, heavy themes for a satisfying read.