NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHEDAN ALL-NEW GUILD HUNTER NOVEL Return to New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s sensual and painfully beautiful Guild Hunter world in her new novel of sacrifice, loyalty, and the choices of love that can shatter the heart.In the wake of a brutal war, the archangel Raphael and his hunter consort, Elena, are dealing with the treacherously shifting tides of archangelic … treacherously shifting tides of archangelic politics and the people of a battered but not broken city. The last thing their city needs is more death, especially a death that bears the eerie signature of an insane enemy archangel who cannot—should not—be walking the streets.
This hunt must be undertaken with stealth and without alerting their people. It must be handled by those who can become shadows themselves…
Ash is a gifted tracker and a woman cursed with the ability to sense the secrets of anyone she touches. But there’s one man she knows all too well without a single instant of skin contact: Janvier, the dangerously sexy Cajun vampire who has fascinated and infuriated her for years. Now, as they track down a merciless killer, their cat-and-mouse game of flirtation and provocation has turned into a profound one of the heart. And this time, it is Ash’s secret, dark and terrible, that threatens to destroy them both.
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When I looked ahead in the series, I was disappointed to see that I was going to have read through Ashwini and Janvier’s story, and then Naasir’s, before getting back to the primary and secondary characters. I felt that Ash and Janvier were tertiary characters to date, and we’d seen so little of Naasir even though he was on of Raphael’s Seven, and what we had, I didn’t like. I wasn’t looking forward to his story at all.
But I’ve been enjoying the series, especially since switching to the audio versions, and I wanted to continue to follow the overall arc. I wanted more of Illium and Aodhan in particular. So it was with some reluctance that I started on Archangel’s Shadows.
Firstly, as someone who lives in New Zealand and has never been to America, I’m glad I listened to the audio book. I could never have imagined Janvier’s accent correctly!
We knew already that Ash was pretty kickass, and a little crazy, and she didn’t disappoint in that regard. There was a big build up to finding out why Ash was holding Janvier at arm’s length, and why she refused to consider becoming an immortal. I was sceptical, I admit. I was afraid this was going to be one of those ‘if you’d only talked to me’ tropes, where she had misconceptions and it had kept them from being together for ages and once she ‘fessed up, Janvier would sort them and they would have wasted so much time. But I was pleasantly surprised. I should have known not to doubt Nalini Singh! I don’t want to give away any spoilers, because that would truly ruin the book for you, but it’s a good reason, and even Janvier has to agree that it’s a good reason.
The hunt that runs through the book helps keep the momentum going, and provides action, conflict and insights into both Ash and Janvier.
We see a lot more of Naasir in this book, and now I really want to read his book! I hadn’t expected that AT ALL. He is sweet, amusing and fascinating, and I really want to see how Nalini expands on that.
I was a tad disappointed at how neatly things were wrapped up at the end of the book, but unsurprised. And that was really the only part where things were too easy for the characters. Both Ash and Janvier stayed in character the whole book, which is good. I gave it four stars.
It is always a joy to read a Nalini Singh book. We are always treated to an exciting story full of strength and heart. I could dazzle you with a hundred adjectives and still not be able to explain how wonderful this author’s gift is.
The story begins with Ash and Janvier (pronounced – zhah(n)-v yay) during the battle that began in Archangel’s Legion. Then we catapult three weeks later to a grumpy Ashwini who’s been benched from all hunts after sustaining some pretty serious injuries during the battle. When Ash finally does get an assignment, it’s to go check on a deceased animal.
What Ash thinks is some bullsh*t assignment turns out to be the harbinger for something far worse than a trip to a veterinary clinic and more dangerous than anything the city of New York is prepared for. War is just beginning in the guild hunter world, so sit back and buckle your seatbelts because this ride might just get a bit deadly.
I absolutely LOVED this book! Nalini Singh threw just about everything in there. We are treated to several points of view from Ash and Janvier, Raphael and Elena, Dimitri and a little bit of Illium! We also get to see a lot more of Nassir. I LOVED Nassir! He is…he’s just…I cannot WAIT for his book! You’ll have to read to find out why I’m so speechless.
We are also treated to Dimitri sharing the scenes of the first time he met Nassir and Illium and a little about how the pair were as children. Aodhan got a little more page time also and the archangel Titus makes an appearance as well.
And then there is the super sexy bayou beau, and Ash’s adversary, Janvier. Janvier is GOR-GEOUS! With green eyes, dark brown hair and Cajun accent made for sin, Janvier held all my attention, as well as every other female and even some males. But Janvier only has eyes for one woman.
“She is my eternity, Louis.”
Totally swoon-worthy, Janvier was so romantic and tentative to Ash. You could tell how completely in love with her he is. Theirs is a beautifully fragile love story.
Ash is fighting some huge personal demons and is always keeping Janvier at arm’s length. She is afraid that if she tells him the truth, he won’t want to hang around anymore and that fact alone would shatter Ash.
In previous books, she is portrayed as a kick-ass guild hunter with fire in her veins. In this book, we get to the heart of Ash’s internal pain and how that pain has crippled her with fear. Fear that she compartmentalizes in order to function.
Janvier is tried and true and is beside Ash every step of the way. His love for her is unbreakable. Nothing, not even her mortality will keep him from his Ashwini.
The couple first met in the novella, Angels’ Pawn and I’ve been waiting for their story to come to pass. It was masterfully delivered and it’s just incredible. If you haven’t read Nalini Singh yet, I highly encourage you to do so.
Now, my question to the author is…Who will take center stage in the next book??????
***I’d like to give a HUGE thank you to the publisher for gifting me the ARC in exchange for an honest review written in 2014. All conclusions reached are my own***
Audiobook, borrowed through the Audible romance package.
While I’ve been enjoying this series, up until this book it was mostly just okay or four star reads. This has, by far, been my favorite book in the series to this point. I loved all of the characters and being able to follow along with Elena/Raphael and Ash/Janvier. It all worked very well together and the pacing was really good.
The hunt for the bad guy and learning more about Ash’s power kept me glued to my headphones. And then the somewhat comic relief of hearing about Elena and her Archangel mother-in-law and the block party she planned.
Loved Ash and Janvier.
I so totally loved Ash and Janvier’s book!
Ash is such a cool character, her gift is so interesting but i see where she thinks of it as a cruse ,if i was in her shoes i would feel the same , i loved when she finally stopped letting fear rule her and that she told Janvier the truth, it was such a heartbreaking scene between the 2 of them .
(Sigh)Janvier is so totally dreamy 🙂 i love that he is so full of life & it was great to see him and Ash together, they really bring out the best in each other ,loved learning more about both their pasts & seeing what they have been though !
I also loved Naasir in this book ,he’s so different from all the others in this series and i can not wait to see what’s in store for him 🙂
Loved Elena and Raphael in this book even though they didn’t have huge part in it .
Overall this book was awesome and i am so totally in love with this series ,Nalini Singh writes a world that is so incredibly interesting and filled with such awesome characters that you will never want it to end .
Archangel’s Shadows is book seven in the Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh. We get our kickass Guild Hunter and our darling Cajun hottie while adding in an intriguing mystery that will pull you in and keep you engrossed.
Ash has this tough exterior which makes her easy to like. We are treated to some major revelations on of her past that are shocking. It’s sad, but also adds a great deal more depth to her character.
Janvier I feel in love with. He’s an easy character to love. You see from the first page that he loves Ash unconditionally and it only becomes more obvious as the story progresses.
The entire cast of characters is present and we get more on each. One we have not seen much of is Naasir, until now. There’s still so much more to discover about him and I’m excited to read his story and see who Singh focuses on next.
Archangel’s Shadows was the perfect blend of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. This story is full of mystery, suspense, and action. Ash and Janvier’s story was deliciously gripping and satisfying.
Rated: 4 Stars