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Concrete Savior (Dark Redemption #2)

by Yvonne Navarro (Goodreads Author)

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 127 ratings · 23 reviews

They say no good deed goes unpunished. Brynna Malak is living proof.

A fallen angel in human form, Brynna is trying to earn another chance at heaven. So far, her road to redemption is littered with casualties, especially since Lucifer's minions are intent on dragging her back to hell. And being mortal only got more complicated since Brynna became involved with Detective Era...more

Kindle Edition, 356 pages

Published (first published May 31st 2011)

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Apr 13, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Chaos Theory

I strongly suggest you read the previous book (Highborn) prior to reading this book.

This was not the stellar follow-up that I was expecting, especially after reading Highborn which was spectacular. However, this installment was still great and definitely read worthy.

The author weaved a dark tale of death and mayhem, while successfully juggling several storylines. The plot definitely thickens with this installment. Demons are running amuck behind the scenes while, nephilims are wr...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Scooper Speaks rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Favorite Lines: “They had it all wrong. The real Concrete Savior is you.” (p. 343)

Book two in Yvonne Navarro’s Dark Redemption series, Concrete Savior, picks up a few months after the events in Highborn. Brynna is still determined to earn forgiveness for the crimes she committed after she fell from heaven. In book one she learned the best intentions don’t always equal a happy ending, but it hasn’t stopped her from trying to be good.

This go around there is even more action and plot lines to follo...more

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May 31, 2011 Bookaholics rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Concrete Savior by Yvonne Navarro
Urban Fantasy – May 31st, 2011
4 stars

Concrete Savior is a compelling book that brings up moral questions of right and wrong. This is the second book in the Dark Redemption series concerning the fallen angel, Brynna, but can easily be read by itself.

Brynna is a fallen angel who has escaped Hell. Lucifer wants her back and has sent demons to hunt her down. Ever vigilant of these Hunters, Brynna is disturbed by a rash of murders and suspects demon intervention. A st...more Concrete Savior by Yvonne Navarro
Urban Fantasy – May 31st, 2011
4 stars

Concrete Savior is a compelling book that brings up moral questions of right and wrong. This is the second book in the Dark Redemption series concerning the fallen angel, Brynna, but can easily be read by itself.

Brynna is a fallen angel who has escaped Hell. Lucifer wants her back and has sent demons to hunt her down. Ever vigilant of these Hunters, Brynna is disturbed by a rash of murders and suspects demon intervention. A string of people have been recently rescued by a mysterious savior, but these victims of near death experiences do not take a new lease on live. They instead kill other humans in fits of rage or insanity. Determined to find this ‘savior’ and prevent him from rescuing more people. Brynna enlists the aid of her boyfriend and cop, Eran. They soon discover that this savior is not working alone. Can they protect future innocents from dying before it is too late or will Brynna be a target herself?

This was a fast and involving read. All the characters are very sympathetic except the villain. The author definitely brings an edgy, daring plot into this original story. Everyone in this book has human frailties that make their actions never purely black or white. Although I did not agree with all their actions, it was easy for me to empathize and sympathize with their pain and motivations. This novel made me think of what I would do if someone I loved was in trouble. How do you out-weigh one life over another? I also liked how Brynna is becoming more human-like, feeling emotions and starting to really care for her boyfriend, Eran. She has come a long way from seeing humans as 'others' to empathizing and really wanting to help them, and not just for personal redemption. Since Brynna’s ultimate mission is to do ‘good works’ and return to heaven. I just wonder as she grows to care for humanity and gets closer to getting her wings back, how she will have the strength to leave earth and her growing ties here?

Highly charged and darkly emotional, this is a book that will make you think even as it sucks you into its pulsing intensity.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club(less)

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Jul 31, 2011 Melliane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ce tome était vraiment très bien, on retrouve une Brynna qui s'est adaptée au monde qui l'entoure et aux moeurs humaines.
Elle se retrouve à habiter avec Eran qui ne souhaite que d'être avec elle. On en apprendra d'ailleurs un peu plus dans ce tome sur Eran dont un frère dont il ne connaissait pas l'existence vient sonner à sa porte.

Brynna va se retrouver une nouvelle fois embarquée dans une histoire de démons et néphilims. Un curieux nouveau héros se voit sauver la vie de plusieurs personnes san...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Deva rated it 3 of 5 stars

Full review http://urbanparanormal.blogspot.com

This book jumps around A LOT from POV to POV so the meat of the book isn't even focused on Brynna and Eran anymore. Most of it is set up to where Brynna and Eran would really come in. I still like Brynna as my heroine even though she nearly lost a fight ... But come on ... She was outnumbered. I didn't like the way the big fight ended AT ALL. I thought it was just too easy and a cop out and it has me wondering how a big fight will end in the next bo...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

3.5 stars
First of all, this doesn't feel like urban fantasy with mystery flair. Instead, it's the other way around. This story takes 3rd person point of view from multiple characters, that Brynna and Eran don't feel like the main characters anymore. The main plot is complex; it involves another demon, a woman who can sees into other people's destiny, and a Nephilim who thinks that he is saving people's life.

Due to this multiple characters perception, I feel the book is mainly a mystery/thriller...more

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Dec 10, 2012 April rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: angels-heaven, antagonist-2-or-1-stars, definite-read, demons-hell, female-pov, female-author, fighting-2-or-1-stars, magic, male-pov, plot-2-or-1-stars, protagonist-5-stars, romance-2-or-1-stars, series, shapeshifters, side-characters-4-or-3-stars, witches-wizards-casters, world-4-or-3-stars

Like I had anticipated from the other reviews, there were a lot of POVs in this one, it seems even more so than the first.

The only way to explain would be to compare it to a movie. In a movie, they're always looking for the right angle to make it more dramatic, etc. They're never just stick the camera behind one person's back. And, this is what it appears Navarro was aiming for...just in a book, which doesn't work, at least not here, not now.

Another issue I had is that if you're going to be show...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. After reading "Highborn," and absolutely loving it, I couldn't wait to read "Concrete Savior." Unfortunately, I didn't think Concrete Savior was in the same league as Highborn.

The story itself is really intriguing and well-written and revolves around new characters. However, considering that the series is about a heroine, Bryanna, I found her presence in the book to be lacking. Too much time was spent on other characters.

I don't understand why the author introduced Charles Hogue, who turns out...more After reading "Highborn," and absolutely loving it, I couldn't wait to read "Concrete Savior." Unfortunately, I didn't think Concrete Savior was in the same league as Highborn.

The story itself is really intriguing and well-written and revolves around new characters. However, considering that the series is about a heroine, Bryanna, I found her presence in the book to be lacking. Too much time was spent on other characters.

I don't understand why the author introduced Charles Hogue, who turns out to be Eran's brother. You would think because his introduction a new storyline would develop, or make it so that he becomes a relevant character. However, that is not the case. He shows up a few times in the book, then is gone. Unless Charles is going to pop up in the series (which I highly doubt), I don't understand why the author created him. It's as though she just wanted to make the book a little thicker and perhaps give insight into Eran's background which we already knew about.

Considering that Bryanna has many, many talents which we are privy to in the first book, except for her creating fire and turning back into her true self when she fights Jashira and the Hunter, we don't get to read more about her talents, especially fighting others. There are only the two fights and no more. I would have thought there would be more action. Besides the main story, we know that there are Hunters looking for Bryanna to return her to Hell. However, it's only near the end of the book that a Hunter shows up. I'm surprised Hunters were not strewn throughout a few more times. It felt like the author realized towards the end that she better bring a Hunter into the mix. I wish that Bryanna had more of a presence in the book.

After reading this review, you may think I didn't enjoy the book, but that is not the case. I did enjoy the story. However, because of what I've mentioned above, I didn't think this book was worthy of five stars, only three. I do hope the next book in the series is as good as the first book. (less)

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Jul 04, 2011 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Concrete Savior is the second book in Navarro's Dark Redemption series. This book picks up with Brynna and Eran living together but still not sure where they want to take their relationship. They get pulled back into Brynna's world when a savior ends up saving people from death with horrific consequences. The question then becomes can you leave a person to die if their death may save others? And who is the person pulling the strings to save these doomed people? Navarro delivers a page turning ta...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-releases, angels

Rating: 3.0 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Concrete Savior is the second novel in the Dark Redemption series written by Yvonne Navarro. The series features Bryanna Malak, aka Astarte, a fallen angel/demon who escaped from Lucifer’s grasp and started living life as a human in the city of Chicago. She now works as in interpreter because she has the ability to speak any language in the world. Bryanna’s reason for escaping from hell and living as a human is simple; she wants to find a way towards redempti...more Rating: 3.0 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Concrete Savior is the second novel in the Dark Redemption series written by Yvonne Navarro. The series features Bryanna Malak, aka Astarte, a fallen angel/demon who escaped from Lucifer’s grasp and started living life as a human in the city of Chicago. She now works as in interpreter because she has the ability to speak any language in the world. Bryanna’s reason for escaping from hell and living as a human is simple; she wants to find a way towards redemption for turning her back on the kingdom of heaven and becoming a demon.

This story picks up three weeks after the events of Highborn and finds Bryanna and Detective Eran Redmond living together. Eran has come to realize that there are more things to this world than humans, and he and his dog helped save Bryanna life from a Hell’s Hunter. Eran even claims to be in love with Bryanna and says so.

There are several characters that the story follows more closely than Bryanna’s. There’s Georgina (Gina) Whitfield who is a newly married wife to Vance but nobody knows about the wedding because they eloped to Las Vegas. Lance is now missing, and all Gina has to show for his existence is a cold dead finger she keeps in her refrigerator that was sent to her by his kidnapper. Gina can also see the future and knows what is going to happen to a certain subject. Because of this, a Demon targeted Gina to be part of her plan to go after the Nephilim living in Chicago, and thus causing as much damage as possible in fulfilling her goals.

That brings us to Casey Anlon. Not only does he not realize that he is a Nephilim, but he also unwittingly gets involved in the Demons scheme because he feels that saving someone’s life is the right thing to do. He believes that Gina has feelings for him, and that she actually works for the government. Unfortunately, those he saves aren’t the nicest people in the world, and they end up doing more harm than good in the end. You have to have some compassion towards Casey. He truly believes what he is doing is a good thing, and his heart is in the right place. Yes, he actually pushes away Bryanna and Eran who try to help and warn him that he is a pawn in a game, but still, he really isn’t totally to blame for what ultimately happens.

The villain of the story is a nasty piece of work called Jashire. She and Bryanna once had a relationship. Of course, that was six or seven hundred years ago when Bryanna was also Lucifer’s lover and so called Queen of Hell. Jashire has determined that she is going to get her bones (Nephilim deaths) any way possible to please Lucifer and move up the ladder and not fail like Lahash did in Highborn. Jashire is known as a searcher. A searcher is assigned to trick a Nephilim out of his or her unaccomplished goal in life. We definitely have not seen the last of Jashire, or Lahash.

This story is a bit disappointment for me. I was hoping for something better than the first book which I found lacking in some regards. I guess you can say I am really, really picky when it comes to expectations and what I like and dislike in a series. I would have preferred to see more of Bryanna, but Navarro, instead, choose to make this a choice between good and evil and how a person’s choices can have a profound impact on others.

When Bryanna actually DOES have a storyline, it is either to stop a massive bomb from going off in the middle of Chicago, or fighting Jashire and stopping Casey from doing something really stupid like jumping off a building. Then, there’s the whole Charlie being Eran’s brother. I mean, really was that truly necessary to have him in this story? What was the point other than Bryanna has an effect on men that they can’t stay away from her and pine for her at the expense of their own families? Can’t say I can give any positive feedback on that part.

I understand that there plans for more books in the series, but as of today, they haven't been picked up. Here’s hoping that they do, and they're better than the first two.

3. Jericho Girls (TBA) **Books 3 and 4 not picked up yet**
4. Outcast (TBA)
(less)

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Jun 02, 2011 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Concrete Savior is the second in Yvonne Navarro’s Dark Redemption series starring Brynna Malak, a fallen angel living as a human in Chicago and trying to earn her way back to Heaven. I enjoyed the first book, Highborn, and Concrete Savior is just as good. Like its predecessor, it mixes angel/demon mythology with superhero tropes for a unique urban fantasy blend.

An anonymous Good Samaritan is afoot in Chicago. Somehow, he seems to know exactly where to find people in danger, and rescues them at g...more Concrete Savior is the second in Yvonne Navarro’s Dark Redemption series starring Brynna Malak, a fallen angel living as a human in Chicago and trying to earn her way back to Heaven. I enjoyed the first book, Highborn, and Concrete Savior is just as good. Like its predecessor, it mixes angel/demon mythology with superhero tropes for a unique urban fantasy blend.

An anonymous Good Samaritan is afoot in Chicago. Somehow, he seems to know exactly where to find people in danger, and rescues them at great risk to his own life. But his acts of bravery, it turns out, have some unintended consequences. There’s a demon on the prowl in the city, playing a terrible game with several human pawns, using their weaknesses — and sometimes their strengths — against them. As the body count rises, only Brynna can uncover the plan and stop it before things get even worse.

Navarro tells the story through the eyes of several point-of-view characters. Brynna is one, obviously, as is her maybe-boyfriend, police detective Eran Redmond. Brynna is adjusting to life as a human while continuing her quest for redemption. Eran is dealing with some lingering disbelief about the supernatural, and then a long-lost relative appears and brings some family baggage to the surface. Both are also trying to determine the nature of their relationship.

The other point-of-view characters are men and women connected with the demon’s evil scheme. These chapters can be extremely painful to read. Navarro takes us into the minds of several characters who commit horrible crimes — and while at least one is an utter creep and easy to hate, others are pitiable in spite of their actions. Other characters are more directly manipulated by the demon and are presented with impossible, hideous choices.

Concrete Savior is filled with suspense and action (and gore), but also addresses some tough questions about morality, guilt, and the mutability or immutability of fate. This is not one of those books where angels and demons are just another sexy creature to dazzle the reader. Navarro takes her angels and demons seriously, including the metaphorical ones that sit on our shoulders.(less)

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Apr 30, 2013 Michelle Wilson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Concrete Savior was a good read. Unfortunately it wasn't a great read...maybe I was spoiled from her previous book Highborn. Highborn was a fast paced read Concrete Savior wasn't. It seemed like it took me forever and didn't hold my interest. The book kept jumping around which made it Confusing. I only wish it would have focused on only Brynna. Overall the book wasn't horrible at all. I would still recommend her books even if I was disappointed when it wandered from the plot focusing on Brynna....more

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May 22, 2012 Dan Beaver rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: authors-i-ve-met, urban-fantasy

Bought this because Yvonne is a friend of a friend. When I saw one of the blurbs on the back was from Romantic Times, I realized I was not the intended audience, but Yvonne wove a very compelling story. It might be a guilty pleasure, but I will read the other books in the series.

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Sep 24, 2011 Elspeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am not one to like jumping characters and it happens a lot in this story. It wasn't a bad book, just not as well written as the first installment.

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Jun 16, 2011 Emoore0916 rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.....this storyline is just different for me. I don't rate it high but commit myself to reading the next one.....I ask myself why and can only say because I'm looking for an answer. Like what is she really doing to redeem herself......whose watching.....when will they appear in the book......when will Satan send her message besides the hunters......that's what keeps bringing me back. I wasn't satisfied with the ending of book 1 nor am I with book 2 .....but when book 3 comes out.....yes...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the 2nd of the Highborn series about Brynna Malak, fallen angel trying to earn redemption from God. The series is set in Chicago, IL and Brynna works with a police detective, who is reluctantly starting to believe she is not human. This story deals with a Good Samaritan who rescues people but they later do something terrible. Lots of deep thoughts on good vs. evil, humanity and whether she can actually be redeemed. I really love this series and the characters.

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Jun 13, 2011 Sense361 rated it 4 of 5 stars

The second book of the series, it continues the story of a fallen angel seeking redemption. The first book held my interest due to the complete inhumanness of the main heroine. This book held a lot of POVs and I am sorry to say that the main heroine's POV doesn't have a lot of space in it. But the plot was interesting anyway, so I still highly recommend this series. It is as close to Kate Daniels quality as it can get:)

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Aug 06, 2012 Jackie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I loved this book and the preceding one (Highborn) as well. Brynna is a fascinating character and her path to redemption promises a long series ahead. I am anticipating the next book as much as I am anticipating the next Cal Leandros story.

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Mar 06, 2012 N.L. Riviezzo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angels-immortals-gods-demigods, demons-djinns-spirits, read-in-2012, for-sale, books-i-own

The perspective jumped around a lot making the storyline occasionally difficult to follow. Not a bad story overall but I prefer the first book when the main characters were the main characters.

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Feb 14, 2012 Wogc rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, 2012-list

Still an interesting concept/universe, but I prefered the first one in the series :)

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Jan 29, 2012 Hmr28 rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love this series. Gritty, kick a** heroine and a yummy hero. What's not to love?

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Jun 08, 2011 Gianne Kris rated it 4 of 5 stars

hmmm.... more characters to look for :)

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Jun 17, 2013 Fenrir rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jun 07, 2013 Tien rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jun 04, 2013 Jeremy Kackley marked it as to-read

Jun 01, 2013 Buterflypuss rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: not-finished-series

May 31, 2013 Carissa marked it as to-read · review of another edition

May 26, 2013 Misty Gee marked it as to-read

May 25, 2013 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantasy, paranormal, paranormal-romance

May 17, 2013 Pam marked it as to-read

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