New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into a dangerous and exhilarating world where a deadly, beautiful archangel and his once-mortal consort are caught in a fury of twisted darkness… the world has disappeared. No one knows if Lijuan is dead or has chosen to Sleep the long sleep of an immortal. But with her lands falling into chaos under a rising tide of vampiric bloodlust, a mysterious and ancient order of angels known as the Luminata calls the entire Cadre together to discuss the fate of her territory.
Accompanying her archangelic lover Raphael to the Luminata compound, guild hunter-turned-angel Elena senses that all is not as it seems. Secrets echo from within the stone walls of the compound, and the deeper Elena goes, the uglier the darkness. But neither Raphael nor Elena is ready for the brutal truths hidden within—truths that will change everything Elena thinks she knows about who she is…
Nothing will ever be the same again.
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As with all of Nalinis’ Archangel books number nine just blew me away. Not just with the main charactors but with the subtle characters she builds to support the undercurrent of the book.
If you have never read Nalinis’ books this is not for you – you need to start with Angels Blood to really understand the series
3 stars – I liked it
The Cadre has been called by the Luminata to discuss the disappearance of Lijuan, Archangel of China. Things at the Luminata compound are not what they seem though and Elena is determined to uncover its secrets.
This book takes place two years after the previous book. The cascade effects have been quiet for those two years but it will not last. This book is interesting because it takes place in the Luminata compound in Morocco, which has never been discussed before. Elena is searching for her family while Raphael deals with the Cadre. While this book definitely felt like a filler book, I still liked it. It was interesting seeing a different aspect of life for angels and seeing Adohan open up more to Elena.
While a lot doesn’t happen in this book, I still think it’s important because it discusses the future of Lijuan’s territory and we get more of Elena’s history. I actually am really interested in learning more about her grandparents. The other main focus of this book is on the romance between Rapahel and Elena. It felt like it was a constant reinforcement of how strong their love was, which I don’t usually mind but this has played out in all of their books and it’s getting a little old. I want to see more progression on them handling the politics of what is going on at this point.
Overall, this was a good book and I look forward to the next book which is about Viper. I am finding that while I am enjoying the progression of Elena and Raphael’s relationship, I prefer the books about all their friends finding love more.
I finished listening to Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh earlier in the summertime. I never got a chance to review it, though. This will be a quick review of the book.
This book has Raphael and Elena with the Cadre on neutral ground with the Luminata. The Luminata are impartial and don’t get involved with the drama. Although they are keeping secrets and Raphael and Elena are determined to find out those secrets.
There was quite a bit of Elena and her past in this book. It is mainly about her mother. Elena is determined to find out more about her mom’s ancestry/history in this book and may have some leads to find out if there is Vampirism in her past, making it possible for her to be an angel.
Let’s not forget about Raphael and Elena’s relationship and how it continues to grow. I think for myself, it’s repetitive since I know these two are strong together. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, but they are perfect together.
I enjoyed this installment in this series, but I was ready for more drama with Lijuan and what she is up to since she could be dead or just sleeping. I want to find out what happens next with her and Cascade.
Overall, this book gets four stars from me. I liked it but didn’t love it.
I’m ready for the next book to have another character take the lead.
If you are a fan of PNR and UF, then this book/series is for you.
Another great read from Nalini Singh!
OMG! I was estactic about the Guild Hunter series returning to Raphael and Elena. Those two are my favorite, obviously. So reading a book about Elena’s past was awesome. Seriously awesome because Raphael is scary yet adorable too. I want more!
For a series that follow the same characters, the author is doing a good job of making each book different so the series isn’t stagnate. While there was less action in this book, I did enjoy several things.
First and foremost, was more time with Raphael and Elena. I love getting to see how they interact with each other, and how they watch out for each other as a couple. So many books only show a couple getting to the relationship, not after the relationship is established. That’s the part I enjoy the most. How a couple works after they are a couple.
The mystery behind why things felt wrong with the Luminata compound and all the little discoveries was very interesting to me. Having all the archangels in one place also brought reminders to how much I’m not loving them. They are so flippant about abuse towards humans. I’m glad Raphael treats everyone very well or this series would not work for me.
Lastly, the things revealed about Elena’s past made this book worth the read. I love how this book ended and that’s all I can say about that. I’m looking forward to the next book!
Wow…just WOW!
This is by far one of my top two favorite book series’ of all time. Elena, Raphael, Illium, and all the rest of the characters in the Guild Hunter universe have swept me off of my feet and romanced me into a mindless, senseless, passionate love that only we share. Well, I’m sure the millions of other Nalini Singh fans feel the same…and if not, they totally should!
ARCHANGEL’S HEART is an amazing new book in this exquisitely and lovingly crafted Guild Hunter world. Raphael and Elena are at the center of the story, but it’s not entirely about them. So many secrets are revealed! So many questions are formed! Some are answered while others have us salivating for the next Guild Hunter book! And unfortunately, yet again I have to restrain myself from spilling those secrets! A self-imposed muzzle is necessary I’m afraid.
What I can reveal is that this is a story full of danger, excitement, intrigue and the sexiest angels ever written! What I can also say without it being too spoiler-y is that while Raphael and Elena are the center, we get to spend a good amount of time with a certain Sparkle-y angel as well as being introduced to several new characters. We are also treated to some updates on previous characters in the series that haven’t been mentioned much in the last few books. Vague much? Yes, I know, but I just can’t bear to spoil this book for you and the rest of the readers. I do hope you’ll understand and forgive me 🙂
ARCHANGEL’S HEART is…magic. No other way to explain it. So many adjectives would be adequate in description but the bottom line is, it’s magic. I usually spend most of my Nalini Singh reviews babbling on, waxing poetic about this or that, but it’s the magic of the story that keeps me coming back.
This book could possibly be read as a standalone but I would highly recommend you start from the beginning. The story building is what also makes this series magical.
Now if you’re still reading the review and don’t think I’m a total weirdo, I whole-heartedly recommend you pick up this or any Nalini Singh book and read till your heart’s content…then schedule a reread!
***I want to thank the publisher for generously offering me an early copy of the book in 2016 in exchange for an honest review. All conclusions reached are my own***
*Started on Audibook, borrowed through Audible’s romance package. Ended up buying a physical copy so I could devour the rest.*
Oh my goodness. I seriously can’t recommend this series enough. It did take me a few books to get into the series and for some seriously awesome things to happen while Singh was still building the world and characters, but I am so hooked. The writing is superb, and there was never a moment while reading/listening to Archangel’s Heart where I thought “okay, this is a good stopping point”. NOPE, I had to finish this book. The need to know what was going to happen was too strong.
The narrator for this series is extremely talented. If audiobooks are your thing, give this series a listen. If a series that continues to get more complex with it’s characters and plot are your thing, read this! The series starts off with smaller(ish) problems, but by no means does it stay that way.
Archangel’s Heart starts us off two years after Archangel’s Enigma ended. It’s full of secrets and mysteries. The storyline focusing on Elena and Raphael, but their is no shortage of previous and new characters. Be prepared for surprises by certain Archangels and watch our favorite hunter do what she does best!
WOW. The storyline takes a turn that I was not expecting. We get to meet a new sect, the Luminata. See all the Cadre and go deeper with them. Discover about Elena’s heritage and also get to see and dig a little deeper into Aodhan aka Sparkle one of Raphael’s Seven. Aodhan doesn’t like to be touched, but in this installment we see changes and growth, which made my heart sing.
This was Urban Fantasy at it’s finest. So much AWESOMENESS happens. I was sucked in and couldn’t put the book down. I went through a menagerie of emotions and had tears at the end. That ending, just WOW. I’m not sure what is next, but I’m excited to see what will happen.
Rated: 4.5 Stars