Demon Angel (The Guardians, #1)

Sep 28, 2010 new_user rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to new_user by: Catherine

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Well, my friends probably know what's coming. I loved this book!

LOL, JK, JK. I had you for a second there, didn't I? I agree with reviewers that realistic Part I of Demon Angel exceeds Part II by far. In Part I, we enjoy tension between medieval knight Hugh and demon Lilith as enemies and lovers, equals. Lilith tries to lure him, and Hugh parries- yet admirably remains a gentleman, though she throws herself at him repeatedly. They engage each other and laugh together, despite the dangerous under...more Well, my friends probably know what's coming. I loved this book!

LOL, JK, JK. I had you for a second there, didn't I? I agree with reviewers that realistic Part I of Demon Angel exceeds Part II by far. In Part I, we enjoy tension between medieval knight Hugh and demon Lilith as enemies and lovers, equals. Lilith tries to lure him, and Hugh parries- yet admirably remains a gentleman, though she throws herself at him repeatedly. They engage each other and laugh together, despite the dangerous undertone to their game. Their banter's by turns clever innuendo and intriguing theological debates about sin, both quintessential to their period. (Props. Brook must have some medieval British literature instruction.)

By Part II (the remaining 33 chapters of the 40), events have undergone a seismic shift. Hugh wallows in guilt. Lilith plays the wounded, enduring heroine while the hero takes her actions at face value and responds accordingly. He's kept in the dark, the better to make a martyr out of Lilith. Later, he feels guilty because he did not know that under the lying cocktease (for centuries) there's really a complex woman dying to be loved. He ought to have known that when she said "no" she really meant "yes." I'm sure rapists everywhere will be vindicated.

Chapter 20 reveals almost all of Lilith's woes, and the hero forces himself on her, justified with an explanation plausible only in Romancelandia. Once again, we must pity Lilith and vilify the male. It's notable that our hero only has the advantage or control of their interactions during love scenes, animal that he is. Good to know that if the hero can't be good, at least he can still rouse an orgasm from the heroine. What else is he good for, after all? Following this, he becomes fawning. He repeatedly flagellates himself for... everything. He exposes his feelings, and when she balks to reciprocate he lets her wheedle out of it. Some readers might have found him patient. I didn't care for their one-sided relationship.

Rinse, repeat. Meanwhile, as the hero is expounding upon the heroine's greatness, apologizing to the heroine for the umpteenth time, receiving reassurance from the heroine, or borrowing guilt and thinking about the heroine in melodramatic fashion ("Spilt milk, oh no! Will she be upset? Will she think it was her fault? Oh no!"), demons kidnap people. The suspense/action takes a distinct backseat to the "romance" and frequently involves demon's bargains that hinge on a technical point in the demon mythos invented by the author -so already, we're relying too much on "telling"- and nested, convoluted lies that would only interest the author ("I was lying when I said this and this, so what I really meant was..."). There wasn't a lot of action in this PNR. It was a bit like reading about Lady Gaga without mentioning her wardrobe.

Too bad. I liked the writing style, and the emotion was deep, the characters and story complex and layered. I just cannot find their one-sided relationship and all the guilt and pity and martyrdom romantic. Even for a lover of angst like myself, this was too melodramatic. This read almost like women's fiction: Lilith and Her Progress using Hugh as a Conduit. Or misandry. For those interested, I recommend reading this in chapters since the dialogue is self-referential and imbued with subtext. Although this encourages continuity, one loses the vein of events or dialogue stopping in the midst of a chapter, just FYI.

Update: After reading some excerpts from her other novels, I think I've come to the conclusion I don't care for Brook's one-sided relationships. They seem invariably to feature a heroine who doesn't need the hero -'cause she's all that- while the hero oozes admiration and lust. Also, the heroine is invariably A Strong Female. She's had to endure so much and with spirit. The hero cannot compete. Despite the fact that her narratives sometimes speak from the male's point of view, they are always exulting the heroine. I wish she loved her heroes as much as her heroines.(less)

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Oct 14, 2009 Sayuri_x rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who loves paranormal romance/urban fantasy

Shelves: paranormal, 2008, 2009, re-read

I wasn't sure I would like this book. The blurb is really not descriptive of what it is.

After reading the third in the series 'Demon Night' I went and backtracked to this and loved it. I devoured this book in one day. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

It really is far to nuanced and complex to explain in a few words. Let's just say there is a fantstically thought out world which the characters inhabit. The characters themselves are flawed and damaged and heroic and all kinds of other things. The sex is...more

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Aug 24, 2010 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: spanning-the-ages, virgin-hero, angels-and-or-demons, angsty-read, ust-galore, 2010-read, military-or-special-ops, law-enforcement, vampires, alpha-male, alpha-female, assassin-mercenary-or-bounty-hunter, bad-first-marriage, blame-it-on-your-parents, bondage-or-kink, dubious-consent, forbidden-love, magick, major-illness-or-injury, not-for-the-squeamish, paranormal-romance, physically-imperfect-or-scarred, physically-tortured, presumed-dead, sarcasm, second-or-more-marriage, serial-killer, so-stubbon-you-wanna-shake-em, tortured-hero, unrequited-love, urban-fantasy, warrior-woman, werewolves-or-other-shape-shifters, enemies-to-lovers

This is a really, really hard book to rate.. On one hand, it was so intense and deliciously angsty and just freaking epic.. But on the other hand, it dragged so much in points that I literally found myself asking "does this book ever end??" several times throughout the story..

What worked for me:
* The love story -- for all intents and purposes, it's an angel and a demon who fall in love {okay so not really; he's a "Guardian" and she's a "Halfling" or whatever, but bloody close enough}...

* The fa...more

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May 10, 2010 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of angels and demon themes, love stories that span the ages, virgin heroes

Shelves: angels, antihero, bad-girl-heroine, paranormal-romance, owned-copy, part-of-a-series, famous-literary-historical-characte, unrequited-love, enemies-to-lovers, knight-in-shining-armor, favorites, hero-i-loved, heroine-i-loved, really-good-love-story, nerd-prof-scientist-genius-geek, demon, virgin-hero, favorite-or-autobuy-author, seducer, flawed-hero, flawed-heroine, hot-and-steamy-romance, vampire

I put off reading this book for years. Let's just say, when I thought the heroine was the Lilith (of Biblical infamy), I wasn't sure I could wrap my mind around her being a heroine in a romance novel. Well, I'm glad that I finally did read this book. It was a very good story. And, by the way, she isn't that Lilith.

I think Ms. Brook did a great job of writing this story about a love affair over eight hundred years in the making. Two people who should have been mortal enemies, who ended up fallin...more I put off reading this book for years. Let's just say, when I thought the heroine was the Lilith (of Biblical infamy), I wasn't sure I could wrap my mind around her being a heroine in a romance novel. Well, I'm glad that I finally did read this book. It was a very good story. And, by the way, she isn't that Lilith.

I think Ms. Brook did a great job of writing this story about a love affair over eight hundred years in the making. Two people who should have been mortal enemies, who ended up falling in love and finding their soulmates in each other. The die-hard romantic in me couldn't help but be enthralled with this concept. And that pull between Lilith and Hugh kept me reading, although this is a story that requires the ability to wait for delayed gratification. That, in itself is not a bad thing. Instead, it was appealing to see the back and forth between Hugh and Lilith through the years. Watching their verbal foreplay, and the fact that although they often went head to head as opponents on opposite sides of a war, but didn't treat each other as the mortal adversaries that they were.

This is a very character-driven book. The good thing about it, is the character are very interesting. Although Lilith is correctly thought of as a 'bad girl,' she has aspects that show that she really isn't all bad. In contrast, Hugh is definitely the white knight type of character. But he has some gray areas too. I loved that they were each other's weaknesses. Hugh was a very chaste, righteous man, but Lilith was the one woman who had the power to utterly seduce him, and he had to work hard not to show it. Hugh made Lilith want to defy her father, Lucifer, even though it was a great personal cost to her. Ms. Brook did such a great job at laying the groundwork for this great love story, and the execution was very good.

Now, this is one of those books that I had trouble rating. The reason why is, well it's a very good book. However, it had a tendency to be quite slow-moving. It was character-driven, which is good, but I think the action sequences needed to be more vivid. There was great potential for rip-roaring, intense battle sequences, and that didn't come to fruition. I think there needed to be more showing and not telling in that arena. Since this is the first full book in the series, I suspect that the further books have expanded in this area, because this story has all kinds of potential. Another issue I had, was sometimes I got lost with some of the aspects of the worldbuilding. I didn't always get what the objective was of everything, with the nosferatu, and the inscribing of symbols, and the drinking of blood with the murders of Hugh's students. I will probably need to reread this book to gain a better understanding of all that.

On the positive, I was really impressed with this story: the guardians versus the demons. The eternal struggle between the forces of light and dark. The worldbuilding had a uniqueness that spoke to me. The scenes describing Hell sent shivers down my spine. I loved Sir Pup, Lilith's pet hellhound. I thought it was awesome how the guardians, nosferatu, and demons could store weapons and other items (even bodies and evidence) in what's called a 'cache,' which I interpreted to be a psychic storage area. That was very cool. What made me uneasy was the parts where Lilith called Lucifer father, and talked about obeying and serving him. I'm a devout Christian, which means he's the bad guy to me, so it was just really odd to have the main character in allegiance to him. But, I liked the interesting dynamic of it all; after all, Lilith knew she was playing for the wrong team.

The best thing about this story was the love story. Hugh and Lilith were made for each other. They had sizzling chemistry that made the slow-moving story worthwhile for staying tuned into. I really wanted things to work out for them. I loved all the love scenes, because they were sizzling hot, and the passion between them really burned. You definitely got the feeling that this was a fire that had been stoking for almost a millenium. Hugh is a sigh-worthy hero. I loved that he was such a good guy, a virgin, with strong principles. Yet, he was not a supercilious, self-righteous plaster saint. He was very much a man, with a man's flaws. He was determined to save Lilith, even when she didn't seem to want saving. He was even willing to sacrifice himself to do so. And Lilith was a great character. I love a complex heroine. She's dark, but has a strong sense of doing what is right to her. She put herself in jeopardy several times, out of love for Hugh, and didn't take the many opportunities she had to destroy him, and make a mockery of his principles. I liked her, and I wanted her to get her man, and for things to work out for her. Because of their strong bond, that made them both stronger and complete as people, and a powerful unit together, I was seriously rooting for their happy ending. And I liked how Ms. Brook pulled it off.

Demon Angel is a book that I was pleasantly surprised with. It has a fresh spin on the ancient battle between heaven and hell. It gave me something to ponder, but I didn't feel like I was compromising my personal beliefs in reading this book. The love story was rich and involving. I definitely want to continue this series, and see how this war between the Guardians, the nosferatu, and the demons unfolds.(less)

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Mar 26, 2009 Theresa rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: readers who like self-pitying martyrs.

Shelves: 2009, fantasy-pnr, tgif

I considered putting this book down and not finishing it with 30 pages to go to completion. What does that tell you about this book?

I have heard many good things about Meljean Brook's books so to say I was very disappointed is an understatement. This book was slow and boring... just when it would start to pick up speed with an action scene, the scene would end and back to dialogue.

The main characters, Hugh and Lilith... Hugh starts the book as a knight who then is turned in to a Guardian (thin...more I considered putting this book down and not finishing it with 30 pages to go to completion. What does that tell you about this book?

I have heard many good things about Meljean Brook's books so to say I was very disappointed is an understatement. This book was slow and boring... just when it would start to pick up speed with an action scene, the scene would end and back to dialogue.

The main characters, Hugh and Lilith... Hugh starts the book as a knight who then is turned in to a Guardian (think angel) and Lilith starts the book as a Halfling demon (1/2 human, 1/2 demon) who tempts humans in to sin and killing themselves to build Lucifer's (her father) army. Lilith doesn't really like her job very much, but does it anyway because her dear daddy is a creepy, sadistic, evil dude and displeasing him is worse than death. Interesting premise, yes? Well, the characters themselves ruined the book... to be more specific, HUGH ruined the book for me.

HUGH: I could not stand Hugh's character. He grated on my nerves to the point where I wanted him to die a quick, painful death and get it over with. 'Course, he's such a damn drama queen that he would've dragged his death scene out for days had he obliged me. He takes being a martyr to the nth degree and boy, did that ever get old.

LILITH: Well, she's okay, but nothing spectacular or memorable. I didn't ever really understand her obsession with Hugh which is probably because I couldn't stand him. I liked her most when she was interacting with anyone but Hugh.

The secondary characters were interesting... Colin was my favorite as the vanity-prone vampire friend of Lilith and Hugh's. Savi was pretty cool when her relationship with Hugh wasn't giving me the heebie-jeebies.

The three biggest things that annoyed me about this book: HUGH, too much dialogue, and the world building overshadowed the characters.

I'm interested in reading the book staring Colin as the main character, Demon Moon (The Guardians, Book 4) (Berkley Sensation), but it is going to be awhile before I store up my patience enough to attempt another book by this author. And when I do forget how much I didn't like this book, I'll go and borrow the book from the library.(less)

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Oct 10, 2009 Barbara M. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favorites

"Strange, that a man could do nothing but be, and it was a pleasure"...From the first page you're d o n e...hook-line-sinker. This has been a wonderfully seemingly never ending book... and I have loved and adored it! Lillith and Hugh have a two thousand year old itch to scratch and let me tell you that your book with literally ignite before it's over with! This one is hot stuff ladies...Wow!

I read "Demon Night" from this series out of order and that's the one that got me hooked. Goodreads has th...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Brie C. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I struggled with this book a lot. The pacing is slow, the world building is complex and slightly confusing, and overall there’s an awkward feel to it. However, it’s quite an engaging read and once you get into the world you realize that there’s so much potential there that you can’t help but get the second book in the series, even if you are somewhat weary about doing so.

When I recommend this series I always say, be patient, the first two books are not easy to get into, but you have to keep goi...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Dangermousie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aaangst, characters-with-superpowers, fantasy, hurt-comfort, paranormal, perfect, reunited-lovers, romance, tough-heroines, vampires

Brook is good at world-building (as her steampunk series showed) and she creates a complicated world of demons, guardians (sort-of angels protecting humans), vampires etc. There is a lot of adventure and a complex plot (it's more more of an urban fantasy with prominent romance than a romance novel per se), but what anchors this are characters that get under my skin.

The first book's protagonists are Lilith, a half-demon who spends her time on earth tempting humans into sin or driving them to sui...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007, 8, romance, paranormal

In a very ambitious first novel, Brook pulls off most of the things I suspect she set out to achieve. She has created a fascinating, complicated world and peopled it with equally fascinating characters.

Readers briefly met Lilith and Hugh in Brook's entry in the "Hot Spell" anthology. Here, their history is fleshed out in a series of short pieces that bring us up to the current day, where the main story begins.

Lilith is a demon bound to tempt humans to their own destruction; Hugh is a Guardian, b...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Ning rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance, translation

เป็นเล่มที่ต้องลงหน้าประวัติศาสตร์ของตัวเองอีก 1 เล่ม
ใช้เวลาอ่านเกือบ 3 อาทิตย์ .. OMG!!!
(ใช้เวลาอ่านเท่ากับการอ่านเพชรพระอุมา ทั้ง 2 ภาค!!!)

ไม่รู้ว่าเพราะมันยาก หรืออะไร ..
บทสนทนา อ่านแล้วไม่รู้เรื่อง
ไม่เข้าหัวเท่าไหร่ ไม่แน่ใจว่าเป็นที่สำนวนแปล
หรือ ที่สไตล์การแต่งเรื่อง
(หรือสมองคนอ่าน)
บางทีพูดเรื่องนี้ ก็หักมุมไปคุยเรื่องโน้น
แล้วมันก็ดูห้วน ๆ งง ๆ .. ล้วนแต่แฝงความหมาย (แต่เค้าแปลไม่ออกง่า ..)

ช่วงแรก ปูพื้นแน่นมาก .. หลับลึกที่สุด
ช่วงกลาง ช่วงเล่นแง่กันไปมา .. หลับไม่ลืกมาก สัปหงกเป็นพัก ๆ
ช...more

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Sep 25, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-and-paranormal-romance

Too hard to follow and characters didn’t draw me. It was not a pleasant read. I wanted it to be over.

HARD TO FOLLOW:
Part 1 of the book is 97 pages. Hugh a human and Lilith a demon meet. Hugh becomes a guardian. Then he and she meet each other 172 years later, have a conversation and separate. They next meet 72 years later, have a conversation and separate. This continues for about seven meetings. In each conversation the reader learns a little about their worlds, but the scenes are confusing. Fo...more

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Oct 07, 2009 Jocelyn Zombie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, romance

First in a series that get more and more awesome. This book was fun, but the narritive lost me a few times. The author shows rather than tells a little too often sometimes - it's easy to miss things because she assumes your reaction. I'm not sure if this gets better in later books, or if I've learned to adjust my reading style to accomodate, but it really struck me in this novel (which was her debut) that I occationally had no idea what someone was feeling or what just happened, because she trus...more First in a series that get more and more awesome. This book was fun, but the narritive lost me a few times. The author shows rather than tells a little too often sometimes - it's easy to miss things because she assumes your reaction. I'm not sure if this gets better in later books, or if I've learned to adjust my reading style to accomodate, but it really struck me in this novel (which was her debut) that I occationally had no idea what someone was feeling or what just happened, because she trusted my reading skills a little too much. Hey, I'd rather have authors err on the side of respecting my interpretation of their text too much rather than too little (much as I love Jane Krentz, her "repeat every plot point three times" gets a little old).

I'd held off buying this series because as much as I've heard "Angels and Demons are the new Vampires of the paranormal genre" I just don't trust many people to make the judeo-christian pantheon sexy, you know? So a debut novel with an angel hero and demon heroine and big fluffy wings on the cover was a default no-buy for me. But I kept on running across this author on blogs and online communities and she's hilarious. And I love funny people, so I bought this one, thinking even if it wasn't great, it'd be funny (and on purpose!).

It's actually very angsty and wonderful - the judeo-christian pantheon serves as an underpinning to the story rather than overwhelming it, and basically just gives this series a familiar base to start world-building on. The guardians aren't really angels, and all the main characters are human in all the ways that matter. The build-up to the present day is very nicely done. For a first-time novel, the writing is awefully good, and gets better with her later releases.

Hugh and Lilith are hilarious main characters, and balance each other out nicely. Their sparring is in turns hilarious and angst-ridden. It's rare to find this much high-drama in a novel without a plot cheat driving it, but there are no shortcuts here. Though this is my least favorite of Meljean's novels, I did really enjoy, and will re-read for the series if not for it's own sake.

In terms of the series - though this is the first novel, there was a short story in an anthology released before this one was published. A number of the other books in the series are actually novellas in anthologies. Since it's hard to find anthologies after a year or two, this can be frusterating. The author's website has background so you can start with any book or skip any book without missing out, but I'd recommend reading them in order to the extent possible.(less)

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Oct 06, 2009 Melindeeloo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

No instant gratification, but still satisfying.

At over four hundred pages, with very small type I might add, and covering a story spanning over eight hundred years, Demon Angel is not your typical quick fix erotic read. It is really two books in one.

The first part, one of the other readers refers to it as a "hundred page prolog", sets the stage and shows the evolution in the relationship between the main characters: Hugh, initially a teenage knight, and Lilith, a demonic temptress and daughter...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, guardian-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 16, 2010 Starfire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, supernatural-chick-pr0n

OK, where do I start with how much I enjoyed this book?

A male lead (Hugh) who reminds me of Methos from Highlander. A female lead (Lilith) who would HAVE to be played by Angelina Jolie if they ever decided to make a movie of the series. Constant, edgy banter that makes me laugh and wince in sympathy for the pain that underpins it at the same time. A totally un-standard romance dynamic between the two leads that's probably best illustrated by Hugh's (mostly) laughing question to Lilith in the lat...more

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Feb 05, 2010 Martina the Book Fairy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just finished Demon Angel by Meljean Brook (The Guardians, Book 1) which I give 4 stars. Because I'm feeling lazy today, here's the blurb from the back of the book:

"For two thousand years, Lilith wrought vengeance upon the evil and the damned, gathering souls for her father's armies Below and proving her fealty to her Underworld liege. Half-demon, half-human, bound by a bargain with the devil, and forbidden to feel pleasure, she draws upon her dark powers and serpentine grace to lead men into t...more Just finished Demon Angel by Meljean Brook (The Guardians, Book 1) which I give 4 stars. Because I'm feeling lazy today, here's the blurb from the back of the book:

"For two thousand years, Lilith wrought vengeance upon the evil and the damned, gathering souls for her father's armies Below and proving her fealty to her Underworld liege. Half-demon, half-human, bound by a bargain with the devil, and forbidden to feel pleasure, she draws upon her dark powers and serpentine grace to lead men into temptation. That is, until she faces her greatest temptation - Heaven's own Sir Hugh Castleford.

Once a knight and now a Guardian Hugh spent centuries battling demons - and the cursed, blood-drinking nosferatu. His purpose has always been to thwart the demon Lilith, even as he battles his treacherous hunger for her. But when a deadly alliance unleashes a threat to both humans and Guardians in modern-day San Francisco, angel and demon must fight together against unholy evil - and against a desire that has been too long denied. . . "

Overall I liked this book. It was a good story, but it took a long time getting there. The first 97 pages of this 412 page book takes place in the past in snippet scenes that introduce you to Lilith & Hugh and explain how Hugh becomes a Guardian and how they then dance around each other for 800+ years. On page 98 you finally get into the meat of the story. I'm not saying these first 97 pages are a waste - I actually enjoyed them a lot, but feel that they should have been either their own short story prequel, or included into the main storyline as flashbacks to condense things a bit. The rest of the story is a bit . . . breathy . . . as well, with long descriptive passages and not enough action through the first half. I learned to skim over the (ahem) boring parts at the end.

I do think I'll pick up the second book, though, as I liked those particular characters in this book and have hopes that the author will tighten up her prose a bit.

(less)

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Aug 01, 2010 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, romance-paranormal

3.5 stars.

The first part of the book is much, much stronger than the later part.

The first part begins in the middle ages where Hugh is a young squire newly knighted. Lilith is already a century old demon who is sent to the castle where Hugh lives to send corrupt souls to Lucifer.

Lilith is a Demon who serves but even though she is sarcastic, manipulative and lies alot, you can't really dislike her. Hugh is good, smart and so pure in spirit it practically shines out of him. And even though Lilit...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Lindsay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural-crack

I really liked this book. The author has created a world where "Guardians" (not quite angels but along the same lines) and demons fight for human souls. This book is about a Guardian and a demon who are part of that fight. It explores their dynamic and their history and how the strict guidelines they set up for themselves define their lives, and the interesting ways they found to break from from that rigidity. It also deals a lot with free will.

The book is long and is full of great characters a...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Eight hundred years ago a seventeen year old man - and seventeen was a man back then - met a woman...considerably older than he. He was captivated by her. She was intrigued by him. Damned by a combination of his integrity and raging fever for her, events are set into motion that led to his death. Her frantic unwillingness to let him go led to his ascension from human to Guardian. He is Hugh, formerly human, now a warrior for Above, walking the earth and ridding it of the darkness that are the cr...more Eight hundred years ago a seventeen year old man - and seventeen was a man back then - met a woman...considerably older than he. He was captivated by her. She was intrigued by him. Damned by a combination of his integrity and raging fever for her, events are set into motion that led to his death. Her frantic unwillingness to let him go led to his ascension from human to Guardian. He is Hugh, formerly human, now a warrior for Above, walking the earth and ridding it of the darkness that are the creatures of Below. Like demons. Like the woman who damned him, then saved him. Lilith.

For eight hundred years they dance to a wicked tune, he intent on saving her, she certain she can't be saved. Both craving each other, dedicated to each other in a way that they aren't to their respective callings. Hugh's side, Above, has been tolerant of his inability and unwillingness to kill Lilith for all of his years of service, but Lilith is Lucifer's daughter...

...and Daddy's pissed.

Two people in impossible positions, unable to be together, incapable of being apart...and a whole lot of baggage on both sides. Not to mention the relatives. Then there is the war Below between Belial and Lucifer, the nosferatu killing vampires and performing heinous rituals, and the Guardians Ascending Above en mass. For Hugh and Lilith, finding any sort of happiness is going to be hell...literally.

With extremely intelligent writing that creates and supports a complex and layered plot, with complicated and conflicted characters and a wealth of breathtaking world building, with unparalleled originality and imagination, Meljean Brook has taken a swipe at the paranormal romance genre, gripped it by its throat, and choked it until it begged for mercy. There are so many twists and turns, Machiavellian schemes and insidious conflicts, power struggles, bargains and lies, such a desperate struggle for survival and redemption, for peace, for love, that I was often in awe of the power of it all.

Demon Angel is a strong, moving, sweeping masterpiece with nearly unlimited scope and import. It's told with a delicate attention to detail and grace that forces the reader to connect with the characters and experience with them the full spectrum of emotion - despair and hope, resignation, fear, love, lust, fury, failure and triumph. It's not always comfortable, it's never easy, but it is at turns breathtaking and tragic, fulfilling and broken.

My only complaint...not that I would call it that, exactly...is that at times there was so much going on and so very many conflicting machinations and motivations and deals with the devil that I felt the plot got a little muddy, and the pacing of the narrative slowed when that happened. This is a book that has everything but the kitchen sink in it as far as plots go, and perhaps it could have been a bit more tightly paced if it had been a bit less encompassing, with a few less twists and turns. I hesitate to suggest that, because perhaps that would have robbed the book of the very traits that make it stand out so dramatically. I can't deny, however, that there were a few times that I struggled with the narrative, most notably during quick scene changes and abrupt plot developments, where I had to either reread a section or wait to have something explained further along. It disturbed the flow for me a bit.

That being said, I truly enjoyed Demon Angel and loved both Hugh and Lilith. I've not often read characters as layered, flawed, and endearing for all their faults. I was captivated by their long, torturous, and occasionally heartbreaking journey and thrilled to be along for the ride. As a start of a series, Brook has hit with gangbusters, and I look forward with rabid enthusiasm to continuing The Guardians series with Demon Moon.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.(less)

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May 14, 2012 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Review will also be up on my blog: ashleysgotbookcitement.blogspot.com
My Thoughts: This was a very strange book. It wasn't my favorite thing on Earth to read. It was almost like filler, it was there and so I read it.
One problem I had with the book was that the world of Guardians and demons wasn't fully explained. There were just surface details given and I as a reader, didn't really understand the world I was in.
I also disliked Part 1 of the book. It jumped around in years to different events an...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Musing Bookworm rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Musing by: Writer Cass

This review was originally published on Musing of a Bookworm

The first in The Guardian series (not including the novella Falling for Anthony), Demon Angel introduces a reader to the War between Heaven and Hell over earth and the souls of the humans living on it.

The tale starts in Medieval England with a young knight, Sir Hugh. On his way home from two years protecting his Lords child bride in France, he meets Lilith at some roman ruins close to his destination after investigating a mysterious fla...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wow, difficult book to review. I liked how dense it was compared to your usual PNR and the extended prologue was very good and something completely different. But for all the angst that happened on the page very little of it actually got to me emotionally. I never really connected with Hugh's and Lilith's situation. I know, being a PNR kinda means that you KNOW that there will be HEA, but other books still manage to make you doubt that things will EVER work themselves out. And I totally agree wi...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Kelli rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved the story line but it took a minute to understand the "ye olde...." in the beginning but once it got going, wow what a ride. Thankfully, the "ye olde.." didn't continue throughout the book. If I wanted that I'd re-read through my english lit 301 reading list. I still have to pay close attention to understand who is speaking while reading the dialogue which is a little uncomfortable but managable given how extraordinary the plot and characters are. Both well developed and intricate. I don...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Breann ♡♥Believes In Love♥♡ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-in-series, angels, demons, favorite-couples, kickass-heroine, paranormal-romance

This is the first book in Meljean Brook’s Guardian series. Whew. So much happened in this book that I don’t know how I would begin to summarize it. All I can say is that I am now a complete fangirl of Meljean Brook.

Lilith and Hugh. Hugh and Lilith. Now one of my favorite couples. Hugh was a swoon worthy hero, but Lilith really stole my heart. Lilith was a complete badass. She lied, killed and manipulated pretty much everyone and made no apologies for it. She was insulting, rude and crude. I rea...more

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Sep 19, 2010 Katyana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Katyana by: Catherine, Lethallovely

Shelves: fantasy, girly-books, pnr, demons, uninformed-crusaders

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hugh and Lilith... wow! They really are a great couple! Looking at it objectively, I am almost shocked that I liked them as much as I do, because generally characters like Hugh - overly-earnest, naive, more than a bit self-righteous, very prone to deciding that he knows what is best and then charging forward into that course of action with no discussion, and a freaking martyr - annoy the crap out of me.

But for whatever reason, he really didn't. In this book, all those qualities came together to...more Hugh and Lilith... wow! They really are a great couple! Looking at it objectively, I am almost shocked that I liked them as much as I do, because generally characters like Hugh - overly-earnest, naive, more than a bit self-righteous, very prone to deciding that he knows what is best and then charging forward into that course of action with no discussion, and a freaking martyr - annoy the crap out of me.

But for whatever reason, he really didn't. In this book, all those qualities came together to make a very charming character. He definitely made mistakes, but ... everything was driven by a bone-deep love for Lilith (one that Hugh himself found boggling, I think, but couldn't deny).

And how can you not love Lilith? I loved the topsy-turvy gender-bending relationship they had - she was the seductress, the rake. Charmed by Hugh in spite of her very best efforts. And she was whip-smart, strong, resilient, defiant, and able to hold on to her humanity despite everything she went through.

I still don't like Michael. Sorry, but he seems like an asshat. I wish we had gotten some of the actual story around Lilith's transformation - Michael clearly feels guilty about something there, though Lilith doesn't seem to feel that's the case (though, of course, being a demon she uses his guilt against him... but when she was being frank with Hugh about it, she didn't direct any blame at Michael). Regardless, I don't like him. He's heavy-handed, secretive, he seems to have done something that REALLY pissed Hugh off (though again, we're given no details - we only see the evidence... Hugh can barely be civil to him when they encounter each other in Part 2); he also seems to be happy to manipulate the situation as if he was a demon himself. Anyway. He's a douchecanoe. And I am sure we are going to see more of him later, and he also strikes me as a character the author plans to dig into ... perhaps in a redeeming way.

Anyway, the book was tons of fun! I am glad I snagged the first 3 in this series, so I can continue on with it!(less)

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Sep 26, 2009 Laurie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

I had really high hopes for this book, having heard such great things about this writer. Alas, I find that it took me forever to get through; I just did not like the story. Here I'll run down the positive and negative things about it.

On the positive side, I think Brook has a terrific imagination and she obviously put a ton of it into the building of a complex world. She takes great care in creating a story over time -- eight centuries to be exact -- that is designed to make the reader feel fully...more I had really high hopes for this book, having heard such great things about this writer. Alas, I find that it took me forever to get through; I just did not like the story. Here I'll run down the positive and negative things about it.

On the positive side, I think Brook has a terrific imagination and she obviously put a ton of it into the building of a complex world. She takes great care in creating a story over time -- eight centuries to be exact -- that is designed to make the reader feel fully invested in the characters and their journey. And as a scholar of sixteenth and seventeenth century English literature, I have to love the references to Christopher Marlowe, John Donne, and most especially John Milton.

Unfortunately, I found myself completely lost for much of the story. I got the overall arc of it, but the author has a habit of throwing out tons of extraneous details, cryptic conversations, and hints that distracted from the main plotline. I understand the need for a slow reveal to create suspense, but I felt I did not have enough context for these details to be meaningful -- simply annoying and distracting. Now, to be fair, I had not read the story that precedes this novel in the series; perhaps that would help. But the author claims on her website that the books can be read out of order. I might beg to differ.

As for the characters, I did not feel particularly attached to them. The heroine, Lilith, seems lacking in any redeeming qualities and thus I could not understand Hugh's desire to "save" her. The sex was reasonably good, with a couple of perhaps unintentional laughs: an encounter on a motorcycle that made no physical sense whatsoever, as well as the fact that we're asked to believe that the 800-year-old Hugh is a virgin ... who nonetheless expertly knows what to do with a woman's body.

Overall, I respect Brook as a writer -- her skill and her inspiration are very evident here. This, and the fact that I may have had a better experience had I read the first story, make me give the book three stars. I did like the characters of Savi and Colin; they are much more interesting personalities than Lilith and Hugh. For that reason, I'll probably read Demon Moon in the future -- but it will take the summoning of much patience, if the execution of their story is as long and baffling as this one was.

(less)

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May 12, 2011 Mandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is not the quick, light, fluffy romance novel that the cover and the goodreads blurb suggests. Demon Angel is way darker than that. Throughout most of the book, it’s all about the betrayals, manipulation, and some pretty great power struggles. Lovely lovely power struggles. This one might straddle the lines between fantasy and romance.

Only two things really didn’t work for me. First, as everyone else has mentioned, the book drags in places. It becomes SO slow paced that I begin to lose inte...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Jade rated it 3 of 5 stars

To make what felt like an overly long story short... I only finished reading this book bc I was curious to see what would happen in the end. I mean the book takes through over 800 years of flirting and: "I want you, I want you too, but....

This book made me feel left out. There were a lot of things that seemed to have been conversations already started, to which I was never included. It felt loooong. It took me over two weeks to finish. I had to strugle and for myself to keep reading. I read Iron...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Francesca the Fierce ~Eyelet Ecstasy~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Francesca the Fierce ~Eyelet Ecstasy~ by: Catherine

Shelves: series-the-guardians, books-read-2010, genre-paranormal-romance, angels-demons

This book was full of emotion and centuries of wanting from afar!!! It took me a little bit to get into it as the beginning was confusing (specially because I had to keep stopping). But once I understood where the story was going I really enjoyed it.

Hugh and Lilith are just destined to be together. They meet while she's a demon *on the job* and he's a mortal about 800 years back. Even then there's something between them and it all comes down to a night where Hugh sacrifices himself for the girl...more This book was full of emotion and centuries of wanting from afar!!! It took me a little bit to get into it as the beginning was confusing (specially because I had to keep stopping). But once I understood where the story was going I really enjoyed it.

Hugh and Lilith are just destined to be together. They meet while she's a demon *on the job* and he's a mortal about 800 years back. Even then there's something between them and it all comes down to a night where Hugh sacrifices himself for the girl he had a crush on and Lilith wanting to keep him "alive" and not able to make him a demon, bargains with an angel to make him a guardian.

They meet constantly in battles, and Hugh's intention has always been to save Lilith, until he figures to do that he has to kill her, which he does and then "falls" becoming human again. Except she doesn't die, and 15 years later she's back, to help him fight the nosferatu's killing his students, protect his life and friends, and.... she has to kill him for Lucifer.

The characters in this book are all likeable! Lilith is a tormented soul, but she's still able to make light of situations, she's got a really fun and easy going personality and at the same time can be bitchy. Sir Pup is just adorable, a hellhound with charisma, I can't wait to read more about him. Savitri, I didn't quite connect with much, but she's young and she was out of the loop, so I'll wait to form an opinion in her book. I was kind of disappointed when I read the next book is Colin and Savitri. I loved Colin in this book, and even though you could tell they were setting them up as a couple, I had hopes for him and Selah. Oh well...

I'm curious to see where Michael ends up. I want to read his story, there has to be so much there.

And then there's Hugh... Hugh is an honest, kind-hearted, male of worth (yes, it's a BDB reference, but it's the best description that comes to mind for him!). And refreshingly, he's the virgin sacrifice! LOL He has so much love for Lilith, he loves even her demon form! OUCH

I'm really looking forward to see what happens next in this series!(less)

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Aug 22, 2012 Jill Bradley rated it 3 of 5 stars

The beginning of this book was a clusterfuck of organizational disasters. I seriously had no idea what the hell was going on, the explanation of the world is horribly done. I wonder if there's a series that you're supposed to read before starting this series. The jumping through time was interesting, but really effing confusing because they would talk about characters and events that you aren't introduced to....horrible. For some reason, I was really intrigued by the characters themselves. Hugh...more

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Demon Angel (The Guardians #1)

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