Originally posted at Riffs and Reviews

A very promising start to a new paranormal series involving angels, Heather Killough-Walden’s Avenger’s Angel introduces us to the four Archangels who have come to Earth to find the four women that were created by “The Old Man” as companions for them. The series is called, naturally, “Lost Angels” in honor of the four archesses that have been hidden for a couple of thousand years for their own protection from the one whose jealousy endangered them – angel Samael. Each book focuses on a particular Archangel and his newly discovered archess, and in Avenger’s Angel the angel of the moment is the Archangel of Vengeance – Uriel.

I was a little surprised when I started the book, because the first chapter actually takes place in 2000 BC a couple of weeks after the four Archangels have left Heaven and highlights Michael (the Warrior Archangel) and Azrael (Archangel of Death). However, it sets everything up nicely as Michael recalls what has brought them to Earth and how he and Azrael have changed after the fall – especially Azrael who has become the first vampire. I thought it was an interesting move to throw a vampire into the mix and, though the book is about Uriel, I found myself really liking Azrael’s character (his book will be the third book in the series and will be released November 1st of this year). But I digress.

Since the Archangels have been searching for so long, they’ve had to keep occupied along the way. Uriel is a famous actor going by the name of Christopher Daniels who has come to a little bookstore in the middle of Texas for a signing. There he discovers Eleanor Granger, whom he instantly recognizes as his archess. The only problem? She has no clue what she is and is completely unimpressed by his Hollywood star status. This sets up a battle of wills as Uriel tries to convince Eleanor that her destiny is with him, while keeping her from the grasp of Samael. Helping him along the way are Michael (a New York City cop), Gabriel (a firefighter), Azrael (lead singer of rock band Valley of Shadows), and their guardian – Max Gillihan – who was sent by The Old Man to assist the Archangels in whatever manner is necessary. Currently, Max is acting as Uriel’s manager.

All five men live together in a mansion that sits between dimensions and can be moved at will by Max. As I was reading about these men living in a huge house and, eventually, moving the archesses in with them (Eleanor ends up in the house for her own protection at a certain point) I began to get a feeling of déjà vu. It then dawned on me that I was recalling a similar set-up, only with demons, from Gena Showalter’s “Lords of the Underworld” series – which I love. While the Archangels and Max are very different characters from the Lords, the coincidence lingered in the back of my head throughout the story and I kept picturing a much more gothic place than I think this particular house is. Other than the house, however, everything else about the story seemed fresh and original.

Uriel and Eleanor are a good romantic couple. Uriel is pretty straight-forward in his thinking, a bit dominant, but also pretty desperate in his attempts to win Eleanor over. Eleanor was great, with the way she kept putting Uriel in his place. She had plenty of energy and wit, and was never a dull character. She also has some cool powers to affect the weather and heal. But the power to heal attracted dangerous people in the past, and she is determined never to fall under their control. Unfortunately, she ends up back on their radar when she performs a pretty public healing after a major traffic accident. Her powers have also attracted Samael’s notice, and he is determined to get to Eleanor before Uriel or anyone else can.

Samael turned out to be a rather complex character. He can be manipulative and dangerous, but also charming and caring. Contracts are his specialty, and at various points he makes deals with both Uriel and Eleanor that end up taking some unexpected turns. While he has some kind of major agenda in relation to the archesses, I’m not completely sure what it is. I do think there is more to it than just wanting an archess of his own. And he is VERY powerful. He is assisted in his endeavors by Lilith, the first woman created by The Old Man who was cast to the mortal realm when she refused to serve man. Lilith is very much her own person, independent, and holds some special knowledge of Samael that keeps her with him. I think of Lilith as the equivalent of Max, who happens to love Lilith deeply.

This side attraction between Max and Lilith is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. Multi-faceted characters like Samael and relationships that seem to have several levels add an unexpected depth to the story. There is also an element of danger, as a mysterious group of soldiers join the story determined to track down Eleanor for purposes of their own. When they spring a trap for Eleanor they end up getting Uriel instead, which leads to a major showdown in the final chapters – and even Samael steps in for a major assist.

A few additional notes for those who like to know these things: while Uriel and Eleanor are definitely attracted to each other, there is only one major sex scene which occurs over halfway through the book, and Uriel is definitely the Alpha male in it. There is also a little bit of coarse language, with the “F” word thrown around a few times. With a lot of story threads weaving between the main and secondary characters, everything moves briskly and doesn’t really bog down anywhere. Lots of questions are raised and some are answered, while the rest are left for future books. Overall, it felt balanced and engaging.

With romance, action, characters with unexpected depths and an intriguing concept, Heather Killough-Walden’s Avenger’s Angel turned out to be a very entertaining read. Uriel and Eleanor were a great couple, but secondary characters were even better – especially Samael. I was also very intrigued by Archangel/vampire Azrael and am looking forward to his story.