Human—Angel—Nephilim. How can Riley fit in anywhere when he doesn’t know who or what he is?
With his mysterious heritage shrouded in shadow, Riley Shepard struggles with his identity, his confusing sexuality, and the prohibited—but deepening—feelings for his guardian angels. Questions remain unanswered. His Guardians harbor secrets. And danger lurks just out of sight.
When disaster strikes, … of sight.
When disaster strikes, Riley must make a choice that will change everything. But will his sacrifice destroy the life he’s built? Will there be anything left when the dust settles?
To him, it makes no difference. Because for them, it is worth the risk.
***Sacrifice is the second book in the slow-burn harem/poly romance series, Fire & Brimstone, featuring hurt/comfort, temptingly sexy guardian angels, forbidden love, and an unlikely hero who discovers what it means to be free. For trigger warnings, see the author’s note.***
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My favorite angels are back (an audio review)
I enjoyed the first book in this series and so was interested to see where this second one might go. And, let me say, it went to some very dark places. And I’ll mention the violence up front. Low-level gore is the trigger warning, and it’s accurate. My heart bled and my stomach churned when I heard what was done to one of the characters. That being said, there was, on the flip side, plenty of humor. Riley has discovered his true nature – he’s Nephilim. That means pretty much everyone – all the demons and angels – want a piece of him. He’s all-powerful and hasn’t learned to control his impulses. Hence his need for guardians. Jai and Noel are adorable angelic minders while Gideon tries to control the motley crew. And as Christmas approaches, it looks like things might have settled.
But all is not as it seems. Riley has human things to deal with. His horrible foster mother for one. Just her existence makes me ill, and her appearance broke my heart. Then there’s Riley going on a date with a friend and the fallout when his angels discover this. When it all becomes too much and he takes a walk? That’s when things go truly sideways and the true violence begins. I wondered if the group could save one of their own who was badly hurt. I wondered if they could escape where they were. I wondered what the repercussions would be for Riley using his power. What was he willing to sacrifice to save one of the ones he cares most about?
I got a somewhat satisfactory ending, but it’s very clear Riley’s story is far from over. He just wants to go to college with his three angel minders. Powers far greater than his have other things in mind. Stay tuned…
I’ll also mention Kirt Graves. I adore him and his narration worked for this story. Interesting to see where the next instalment takes me.
I can’t say how excited I am to see Sacrifice, Book 2 of the Fire & Brimstone Scroll in audio format. We get reacquainted with Riley Shepard, a part human/part angel 19-year old who destroyed a pack of hellhounds quite unexpectantly in the first book. This makes his discovery by those wanting for his destruction rather imminent. In book 2, he finishes his first semester at college, questioning his sexual orientation, and is unbalanced by his attraction to his three guardian angels–prime Gideon and secondaries Noel and Jai.
The angels are also discombobulated by their feelings towards Riley, too. Both Noel and Jai are developing sensual feelings for the young man. And Gideon is still confounded by Riley’s selfless willingness to sacrifice his life to keep Gideon safe during the hellhound attack. Jai goes out on a drinking binge and returns with dominion Beauregard for some sexual games, much to Riley’s consternation. Noel returns to an abusive lover named Malachi, much to Jai’s sorrow. And Riley dates a friend from college only to encounter his insane foster mother after a relatively successful evening. It seems the ‘family’ is unraveling. Then things truly fall apart when Riley’s existence is revealed and he is expected to make an appearance in heaven with Gideon.
Ironically, the person responsible for the ‘Riley revelation’ is captured and used as a bargaining chip. The intensity definitely increased with this second novel and the writer shows a level of realism by allowing the worst of everything to occur during the Christmas holidays. The worse almost always happens during the holidays!
The world-building is impeccable as the writer shows her readers earth, heaven, and hell in addition to the denizens in the worse and best possible ways. There is excitement with some epic scenes especially a throw-down that occurs in purgatory. And the character development is astounding for Gideon, Noel, Jai, and especially Riley. Come to find out, Riley isn’t Nephilim at all but something altogether different!
Sacrifice by Nikole Knight is the second book in the Fire & Brimstone series. A slow burning poly forbidden romance. Danger, drama, suspense, surprises, heat, and emotion. This journey is exciting,… fantastic. And these characters have drawn me into their world and I never want to let go.
Riley is still trying to understand who he is and what he feels towards his guardians. There is some angst and some action but continues to be a slow burn and more of a service love not intimate which is nice for this kind of story. They are starting to feel even more deeply for each other but not crossing that line.
Definitely looking forward for more of these guys and to see their HEA. I definitely recommend this second addition!
The language and world-building in this book is wonderful, and I praise the author’s writing talents. The romance was sweet when it came, and I constantly wanted more. I loved seeing the bonds between each character form, though some were more intimate than others.
I really enjoyed this book, but it is SLOW. I completely understand slow-burn romances, but they normally start to develop in the middle of the second book, and this one is still waiting. It’s not just the explicit scenes, it’s the relationships between the non-narrator charachters. I enjoy harem books with equal partnerships, and this seemed like it would be one, but it took until the end of the second book for me to see if there would be any romance between the other characters or if it would all just revolve around Riley.
Overall, I thought the book was wonderful and I highly recommend it. My one hope for the next book is that the author will develop the bonds between the guardians as well as with Riley. Equality within harems is so beautiful, it would definitely add to my enjoyment
The second book in the Fire and Brimstone series, Sacrifice continues the story right where book one left off. Due to this continuous story structure, this series MUST be read in order.
Like the title suggests, the book’s main theme is sacrifice, both in love due to the forbidden desire Riley and his angels feel for each other, and in battle. Riley’s family heritage is still a mystery, but outside forces have all set their eyes on him. With the danger closing in, all the characters will have to make hard choices that will forever alter their future and their relationship with each other. This whole series could easily be an anime – the drama, suspense, and plot all would translate very well into a graphic novel or anime series.
The audiobook was narrated by Kirt Graves who has the perfect voice for all the characters. He does a great job keeping the narration smooth and flowing that makes for a great listening experience.
More Gripping & Fascinating Awesomeness!! Outstanding Story & Listen
Sacrifice
Fire & Brimstone Scroll, Book 2
By: Nikole Knight
Narrated by: Kirt Graves
I loved the first book of this series and this second book is just as awesome! Nikole Knight is a gifted author with a brilliantly creative mind, she created a fascinating world with equally fascinating supernatural beings. Riley story continues in this second book picking up where the first book left off. We watched Riley grow a little more confident in the first book, he still had a way to go and he is put to the test in this book and the author does not hold back at all. Riley is growing closer to his appointed guardian angels, Noel, Jai and Gideon, maybe too close, because the lines that were drawn start to fade away in this book. I am loving who Riley is becoming as he grows into his own person, he was still questioning his own wants and needs but he learns what that is in this book and who. We also learn what he is and I can’t wait to find out more about him and am looking forward to joining him on his journey as he finds out more himself. I saw what he saw in the mirror, can’t wait to see what that is all about. My heart was torn from my chest, I will not say how or why but it was gut wrenching. This amazing fantasy paranormal romance novel is brilliantly plotted with plenty of drama, a touch of angst, action, twists and turns, mystery, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions and a slow burn romance. Nikole Knight, thank you for another awesome story, I am loving every minute of this series, the characters and storylines are enjoyable, entertaining and absolutely amazing.
Kirt Graves is a wonderfully talented narrator and a versatile voice artist. He continues to deliver outstanding performances as he brings these characters and their story to life. He is exceptional at portraying the characters, giving each their own distinct voice and personality, he choses voices that suit each character perfectly and handles the back-and-forth dialogue with ease, switching roles effortlessly without missing a beat. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen
Crazy
This series is progressing and the main characters are getting hit left, right, and center. My heart breaks for Noel
I love this series! Unusual and exciting.
The second book in this series, Sacrifice, is so, so good. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t find anything negative to say about it. I thought it was perfect.
In Sacrifice, we find out more about Riley that I found interesting. Riley grew on me in this story. Whereas I found him annoying in the first book, Revelation, in this book, I really liked how much he’s grown. He was still weepy but he’s much stronger. And there’s more about him that is revealed that wasn’t there in the first book that made him quite unique and intriguing.
As in the first book, this one, this series, is pretty dark so those of you who have triggers, please read all the warnings.
Reader’s Note: This is not a standalone. If you haven’t read Revelations: Book One, please do so. The story line make more sense.
If you enjoyed Revelations as I did, then you will definitely love Sacrifice. This series only becomes more engaging. It is a slow burn, but the characters are so well written, you really won’t notice. At this point, Riley is struggling to learn about who he is; powers, emotions towards his guardians, and sexuality. Having an abusive step parent didn’t help matters.
Can the help of his guardians make Riley the strong person he is meant to be?
Thankfully, I can move on to book 3. The wait would have driven me insane!
**I received this ARC via Gay Romance Reviews for my honest feedback.**
Another emotional installment of this paranormal series. I was hooked from the beginning! With so many twists and turns this book was unpredictable and original and very hard to put down. I can’t wait for more!
This story was so slow!! I did enjoy it thou. Riley is trying to learn what he is. He is so confused about his sexual orientation and what he is, Human, Angel, Nephilim. He has gained powers. He was raised by a terrible abusive foster mother. Everything she taught him is wrong. His guardians are working to help him be a stronger person. They struggle thou. We meet more angels and demons in this second installment and the story gets much darker. Family is at the core of the story. Good story, slow burn, lots of angst.
I am voluntarily leaving a review form an ARC that I received. My reviews are solely based on my thoughts and opinions.