Archangel's Storm

Guild Hunter #5

by Nalini Singh

Enter New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s darkly beautiful world of archangels and immortal power, as a pact is sealed between two souls bound by blood, stirred by desire, and driven by vengeance…

With wings of midnight and an affinity for shadows, Jason courts darkness. But now, with the Archangel Neha’s consort lying murdered in the jewel-studded palace that was his prison and her rage threatening cataclysmic devastation, Jason steps into the light, knowing he must unearth the murderer before it is too late.

Earning Neha’s trust comes at a price—Jason must tie himself to her bloodline through the Princess Mahiya, a woman with secrets so dangerous, she trusts no one. Least of all an enemy spymaster.

With only their relentless hunt for a violent, intelligent killer to unite them, Jason and Mahiya embark on a quest that leads to a centuries-old nightmare… and to the dark storm of an unexpected passion that threatens to drench them both in blood.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Angels, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Vampires

337 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.


I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).

So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.

Reviews

[Benita Vehnom Ruiz]

Illium book? Please Oh Please!!!!! THIS IS BS, I want Illiums book or Venom. DOn't get me wrong I love Jason but COME ON!!!!

[Seena Seena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be a VERY long wait!!!'

I need to know who this will be bout? Will we go back to Elena & Raphael's world or will we get to finally see Illium or even Venom or Jason or heck just everyone! Can Singh Please just release all the books in one hit so I don't have to wait!!!

Update 26th August 2012.....

Only 9 more sleeps and I shall devour this book like a fat kid that's been taunted with a piece of cake for what felt like YEARS!



Official Review Below;

"But he would make her no promises until he knew they would not be broken"

Jason was the true epitome of a perfect man and Miss Singh is the epitome of a perfect author.

No words in any review can do this book justice. How can one write something after reading the magic Singh produces.

So I will only mention only a few of my favorite lines of this amazing installment.....

"A man who is a storm, who belongs to no one & who will never be tamed. To expect otherwise would be to ask for agonizing disappointment."

"Eternity or a single mortal lifetime, we'll walk the road together."

"I love you, mama"

"Her wild storm had just told her he loved her, the piercing joy of his song branding her as indelibly his. "I'll be home soon princess"

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite series! I'm a huge fan of Nalini's. Jason's backstory broke my heart and the ending was perfection! Thrilled the next book is back to Elena and Raphael, though. He's still my fave. :)

[Jilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focused on the angel, Jason. He is one of Raphael's closest allies and is a spymaster because of his ability to manipulate shadows and "hear" the wind. His wings are jet black and he seems to just vanish in the night.

"you are the perfect spymaster. An intelligent, gifted phantom unaffected by anything he sees."

his job was to be unseen, unheard, a shadow among shadows....
part of the world... but apart. A shadow who never becomes too involved...


No, that's not good enough. A shadow! Become a shadow!

Jason has definitely been an intriguing side character throughout this series, so I was happy to read his book. He gets sent to solve the murder of an archangel's consort and to check on her crazy-levels. These archangels have a tendency to go crazy and destroy a city. Like Godzilla. Jason needs to assess if she is just sad and grieving, crazy enough to kill a few people, or Godzilla-crazy.


Goddammit Godzilla! Just go home! We're tired of your crap!

While in crazy-town, Jason meets the princess, Mahija, and decides he can use a little action while he's there. He tells Mahija that he doesn't feel emotions so all he can offer is some bow-chicka-bow-wow. Mahija takes about a half a second to consider his offer.


Goddammit, Ironman! Get your shit together! It's supposed to be my body IS ready! You're ruining the joke!

And, Mahija immediately falls in love with Jason. She is convinced her love will heal his wounds, and that she can love him enough for the both of them...Aww, isn't that really stupid and sweet? Of course, this is book-world where silly girls go to get impossible expectations out of life and love, so... you know....

I really liked this book because Jason was very likable and the writing is always so beautiful. Nalini Singh brings her world and characters alive and somehow makes you feel and visualize everything without going overboard on her descriptions. It is just the perfect amount. The only thing in this book was that I didn't particularly connect with the female character, Mahija. I'm not sure why, but I didn't feel her as much as I do Elena, or even Honor. She was a bit mild for my tastes. But, it was still a sweet romance.

Along with Jason and Mahija's story, we get to see glimpses of Raphael - but not much at all, and we get a few chapters of Dmitri and Honor on their honeymoon. The main thing missing is Illium. He makes an extremely brief appearance, but it's not enough. Not at all.

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4 ***

A buddy Read with the wonderful Wednesday UF group at BB&B! We get to fly with the angels once again!

Book 5 already in the world of angels and vampires by Nalini Singh, and we are still not bored:) OK, that might have sounded a bit weak as an endorsement, but it is true. Being a long, long.... looooong time reader of UF, I can say as an almost expert, that the field is over-saturated with anything vampire. This is why it would be a mistake to take this series as "just one of the thousands" vampire riddled series out there... This is Nalini Singh, people, and she does not go the played-out way of stereotypes and repetitions. When Nalini creates a world, she puts thought, imagination and a weird UF type of logic into it, making it plausible, but still Fantastic and very, very unique. Even the most outlandish ideas have some explanation behind them, which gives us a structure to this world, which makes it real and understandable to us, lowly readers of such genres:):):)

So, for a fifth book in the series, we get to learn the story of another of the Seven, the closest friends and most trusted soldiers in the service of Archangel Raphael, the member of the Cadre and Archangel of New York. For those who have been reading the series, we all know that Neha, the Archangel of India, has a grudge with Raphael, whom she holds responsible for the death of her only daughter, the bitch who tried to kill our Elena... But I digress. Neha's consort, whom she has been holding imprisoned, because he could not keep it in his pants (why leave him, when she can just torment him?), has been found dead, and Neha is on the verge of loosing it, thus potentially destroying millions of lives and destabilizing the region, if not the world. Raphael, as her colleague of the Cadre, decides to mollify her by offering his spymaster, Jason - the silent Angel with the black wings, to go and investigate the murder for her as a neutral party. Neha agrees only if Jason takes a blood vow to a member of her blood family, the only one left at this time being her niece, Princess Mahiya, the daughter of her dead sister ( said to be killed by Neha's own hand, surprise, surprise). Deal is struck and Jason finds himself in the Neha's court, full of intrigue, murder and unresolved hatreds...

"... "A man who is a storm, who belongs to no one & who will never be tamed. To expect otherwise would be to ask for agonizing disappointment."..."

Jason had had some horrifying experiences as a young angel and recognizes the same in Mahiya, but at first judges her for not having the strength to stand up for herself. Not a highlight moment of his for sure. Soon he comes to understand the depts of strength and fortitude the fragile looking Angel possesses in order to have survived for 300 years in the nest of vipers (literally), the court of her loving aunt has been. Jason is broken and when he had put himself back together, the pieces have not glued back together just right... He does not believe he is capable of love or feelings others take for granted. Mahiya has bent and been hurt, but she has never broken and the wounds, although steel healing, are not irreparable. She craves Jason's love, but understanding his brokenness, she will accept whatever closeness he would let her have... It would still be better than anything she has ever had...

"... "But he would make her no promises until he knew they would not be broken"..."

The story is sad, but uplifting at the same time. There are the usual intrigues, murders and power games, including a twist which puts Neha once again in a position to fight for her territory and even her life. I felt sorry for her, despite trying to remember that she has been cruel to many just for the fact that she could. Despite that, she is still one of the Cadre whom I would trust more, than some others, who come off as friendlier of better. I think this is one of Nalini's biggest strengths, the ability to create characters with ambiguous personalities, making us want to like them, despite the dubious choices and actions they take... She continues writing memorable characters who are put through some tough situations and surprising outcomes - what is not to like?:) I am definitely continuing with the series and will be on # 6 next Wednesday, same place and same time:):):)

"... "I won’t let you go. It was a vow. No matter what happened, what Jason believed about his inability to form lasting bonds, he was hers, and she’d fight to hold him. They needed each other, her and her angel with his wings meant for the night. He was a power, had far more knowledge of the world, but she had a heart strong enough to care for a man who might never fully open his own to her . . . because even a fragment of Jason’s heart, it would be raw, honest, a dazzling joy"...."

I wish you all Happy Reading and a wonderful weekend!!!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

November 2021 Re-read. I love Jason and Mahiya so much. The absolute perfect way they fit each other. <3

October 2016 Re-read:
Mahiya is an angel that loves so completely and hasn't allowed bitterness to overtake her - despite it being understandable if it had. She gives of herself without care to the hurt she may sustain. She's strong in a far different way than most of Nalini's other heroines. It's a quieter, inner strength and resolve. And while that's not always my favorite tact with heroines, I love it in Mahiya, and I love it for Jason. Because they're perfectly matched.

This was only my second re-read of this book, and I was as caught up in the intrigue and mystery this time as the first time. I remembered the truth of who, but was just as interested in all the things that were happening and changing in the wider world with the revelation. I'm excited to continue this re-read, because it just keeps getting more and more intense.


Original Review:
Nalini Singh is one of those few authors that nearly always makes me fall in love with her books. I have very rarely ever been disappointed, and most often end up gushing over how much I love each new installment. And Archangel’s Storm absolutely ended up being a book I love.

Jason is Raphael’s spymaster, with a very dark past. We know, from the previous books, that something terrible happened in Jason’s past and the only thing holding him to life is his loyalty to Raphael as well as Raphael’s promise to end his life when the time came. A few other small snippets of history associated with Jason had been doled out, but I had no idea how to connect them. It was a pure, heart-wrenching experience to read the whole thing, broken up in flash-backs throughout the book. There were many times I had tears in my eyes while learning more about Jason. But it was his integrity, honor and kindness that made me root for and love him. With the block of ice encasing his heart, the lack of feeling that he’s lived with for so long, I couldn’t help but hope he would be able to overcome all of that with his heroine, Mahiya.

Mahiya is a fascinating character. Not only a survivor, though she is most definitely that, she managed to retain her sense of joy, kindness, and pure grit and determination. I admit to liking her immediately, and it was easy to see that she was the perfect match for Jason. She suffered many terrible things in her life, forced to live under someone who would love nothing more than to see her dead, punished, ruined. Through all that she retained her heart, her compassion, and a willingness to do whatever she could to have the life she deserved. The thing that cemented her in my mind was that she was so willing to give the free gift of her love to Jason, with zero qualms and no regrets. That takes a kind of strength that I will always respect.

While I loved both Mahiya and Jason, it was the plot that pulled me through the story, anxious to find out what was going to happen, who was the one taunting Neha with deaths of those she loved. I loved that I didn’t figure it out immediately, that I could sit in the suspense of the storyline right along with Mahiya and Jason. There are some truly fascinating and interesting developments that happen in this book, making me anxious to see the repercussions on the wider world.

On top of all that, there were the glimpses – sometimes more – we got of other favorites from Raphael’s Seven. Dmitri and his new bride, Honor, had several sections devoted to them throughout the book, including some huge occasions, and it was fantastic to visit them again. Venom showed up at Neha’s palace and spent a couple of days visiting and helping Jason. And he’s quickly becoming one of my favorites! I would have loved to see more of Illium, but we got small glimpses of nearly all the Seven.

When I started this book I said “Reading Nalini Singh is like coming home.” There’s a honesty and vividness to her words that makes me feel like I’m right there, in the midst of the story, meeting these characters, living in this fantastical world. That’s why I love her books, why I end up reading them time and time again. Ms. Singh has a beautifully evocative way of writing that beckons me constantly. Archangel’s Storm definitely gave me everything I was looking for, and more. The only thing I could ask for is the next Guild Hunter book!

Review on my blog

[chan ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i knew what to expect, ending wise (read: UNSATISFYING) so i ended up enjoying this more than i anticipated

and i really fucking liked mahiya. she was so different than the previous female protags and her positivity was nice and refreshing.

do i still want grand proposals and mating ceremonies and all the ridiculousness i've come to expect from paranormal? ya. but that's not what this series is and i'm learning to live with it and embrace it

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

19/10/2016 Buddy read with the fantastic UF enthusiasts over at BB&B, because it’s Wednesday!! May our weekly Wednesday UF buddy reads live long and prosper :-D

A loving childhood that ended in blood and violence forced Jason to embrace the darkness he once feared. With his wings of midnight that absorbs both darkness and light, and his ability to use shadows to his advantage, there is no better spymaster. And when Archangel Neha’s consort is brutally murdered, Jason is sent by Raphael to assist with finding the murderer before Neha’s grief and rage spirals out of control.

To provide Neha with an assurance of faith and trust, Jason must swear a blood vow to Princess Mahiya, the daughter of Neha’s dead sister. But Jason soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, especially Princess Mahiya who keeps many secrets.

As Jason and Mahiya work together to find the killer, they discover a passion neither expected and a 300year old buried secret, one that has risen intent on getting revenge.

Perhaps she had spent her life waiting for someone to love, and Jason . . . he needed to be loved, as a wildflower needed sunlight.

Nalini Singh knows how to write heroines that I love. While Mahiya was not a warrior like most of the other women we have met, she was so strong and so brave, and I loved her. She never allowed the horrors she endured at the hands of Neha, or the painful barbs from her father make her into a bitter and hard person. She kept her hopes and her sweetness.

“I can’t give you what you want,” he repeated, some unknown thing tearing and ripping inside him at the thought of having to sever his connection to her, when it was the first time in his life he’d trusted even a part of himself to a lover. .

Finally we get another Seven’s story, and I was amazed by just how powerful Jason really is. His ability with shadows and the black lightening he can bring forth, just wowed me! And although I’ve liked the silent and mysterious Jason since he was first introduced, I did at times struggle with him as the love interest in this book. There seems to be theme with Raphael and his Seven, them believing at first that their heroines are weaker, not their equals, because they have lived longer, are physically stronger. Strength doesn’t always come from the physical, it’s the ability to survive, to keep fighting no matter what. Of course they usually come to realise the truth, but still…
Jason’s treatment of Mahiya, the way he judged her in the beginning, made me so mad. Even though I understood it was because of his own brokenness, of the hurt he endured when another woman he loved refused to fight back, that because of this it was hard for him to see the truth of who Mahiya was. Luckily he did change towards the end, as he got to know her, respect her.

“Do I matter?” It was a question with so many nuances, he knew he caught but the bluntest edge. “In the grand scheme of your existence, does my life matter to you on any level?”
He was a man used to keeping secrets, but he knew at that instant that he had to answer this, or he risked losing something he wasn’t even aware he searched for. “Yes. You matter.” .

Their romance was quite a slow burn, both are so broken, and Jason especially needed time to come to terms with his feelings for Mahiya. But they are perfect for each other. She with her heart full of light and hope, and him with his heart shadowed in darkness, broken so badly that expressing his feelings will probably never happen. But Mahiya has no need of pretty words from Jason, she sees his love in the way he is with her. Their romance was not vocal and visible, it’s more subtle and quiet and perfect for a spymaster angel.

Nothing strange about that. Only you know all the pieces of me. .

I loved all the little tender moments between Raphael and Elena, and Dmitri and Honor. And I’m very happy that Honor was finally made a vampire. She and Dmitri deserve an eternity together after what they went through.

It was great to spend so much time in the archangel Neha’s court, the Queen of Snakes and Poison. And Lijuan continues to worry me, with her plotting and her planning.

The plot continues to get more captivating with how the archangels are evolving, either becoming more powerful, or developing new abilities. All of it indicates that an event that has not happened in twenty-five thousand years is about to occur again. Death and destruction is coming….

Nalini Singh is such a talented writer with her ability to create fascinating worlds, lovable characters and passionate romances. Highly recommended to all PNR and UF fans.

[Mimi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Well... This did not go the way I wanted it to. As in, I didn't love it the way I expected to, the way I loved all the books in the series. I still liked it plenty, though and seeing all the characters again was amazing and NS can write. But... *sigh* It was slow. And while I like mystery books, something here just didn't get me anxious to read on. Also, I didn't connect with Jason the way I hoped. I was so intrigued by him. Still am, but... I don't know, I can't formulate my feelings clearly.

So, the beginning sees Jason at the wedding of Dmitri and Honor. Love and joy is in the air, but he feels separate, the coldness in him born of suffering. The news of the death of Neha's consort arrive and Jason is on his way to her territory to investigate and keep the balance of power. But, to freely investigate he has to bind himself to Mahiya, Neha's not-so-beloved niece. Pretty soon Jason starts feeling intrigued by Mahiya, her quiet strength and kindness that defied the poison of Neha's court. But the pain is strong, and the chains of the past not so easily broken, even the songs long extinguished...

"Once, he’d used it in song, but the songs in his heart had gone silent long ago, and he knew that one day so would his voice. A man who had nothing inside him eventually had nothing to say."

“The only songs in my heart were ones that made the Refuge drown in tears. So I stopped.”

"But Jason was almost seven hundred years old, understood what drove him—he’d looked into the abyss of his soul, seen the lonely, forgotten boy looking back at him. He knew that boy trusted no one and nothing, knew he looked upon any kind of an emotional bond with suspicion, expected nothing but pain from any such relationship. That boy, he was so afraid. It was a truth about himself Jason had come to terms with long ago."

Mahiya has nightmares of her own. Conceived in an act of betrayal she was punished and hated for it. Now, she's close to an escape. And the spymaster Jason may be just the angel to help her achieve the dream. And so, as death drenches Neha's palace and secrets and pains from long ago are revealed... What can they do but try to get to the bottom of it? And fall in love, healing each others pain.

“I have so much love inside me, Jason. So much. And I have never been allowed to shower it on anyone—no one has wanted it. Let me stretch the wings of my heart with you.”

I did like both Mahiya and Jason, but... you know. Also, in world-terms this book also set many things in motion. Great many things changing and we only have the hint of what may come. For all of them.

So, nearly all of my boys popped up here. They are still beyond amazing, mind-blowing, fascinating. Take your pick.

So, bits and pieces of them...

Raphael

"All ascensions to the Cadre initiated worldwide phenomena that could not be ignored, as if the archangels were locked into the very fabric of the planet. On the day that Raphael crossed the border, the seas had turned a violent, impossible blue, as had every river and every lake across the world. Even the rain that fell from the sky was a glorious gemstone blue, and when it shattered, it left behind a sparkling residue, faceted diamond dust in the palm."

Dmitri and Honor(who were very present here, working out their future)

“Dream of me.”
“As if,” she whispered with a sleepy smile, “I would dream of anyone else.”

Aodhan

"Before the other angel could continue, a butterfly, its wings an unabashed red dotted with saffron yellow, alighted on Aodhan’s shoulder. Another followed a second later, its markings more modest, its wingspan larger. Aodhan looked at them, and for a fleeting instant, he was a young angel again, woefully embarrassed by his most curious of abilities.
“It’s as if they can smell me,” he muttered, but didn’t brush the delicate creatures away. Instead, he lifted a finger, and a third butterfly appeared out of the sky to alight on it, this one with wings of creamy sunset. “Illium says that perhaps I can use them to flutter someone to death.”

And my Illium <3

“Dmitri.” Golden eyes fringed with black lashes tipped in blue met his. “Take care of Honor. I promise I won’t burn down the Tower in your absence—I don’t know why everyone got so excited about a little smoke.”

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t realize quite how much I missed Singh’s Guild Hunter world until I jumped back into it. The first book in this series, Angels’ Blood, gave me my first taste of this author and I loved it so much that I indulged in a serious glom session and inhaled the rest of her backlist. Said glom session led to me falling in love with the Psy/Changeling series as well, but even that doesn’t come close to how happy the Guild Hunter world makes me. There was just something about Elena and Raphael (and that incredibly romantic scene at the end of the first book) that sucked me in. I was iffy on Dmitri (from the last book, Archangel’s Blade), but I have always enjoyed Jason. It was great to read his story.
Jason is sent into the archangel Neha’s territory to investigate the murder of her consort. After the recent upheaval in the Cadre no one is willing to see another Cadre member lose it, so Jason is sent in as a sort of damage control measure. Even though he’s Raphael’s spymaster, and thus not to be trusted, his skills in uncovering secrets make him perfect for figuring out what happened to Eris, so Neha agrees to allow him access to her territory as long as he agrees to a blood bond with someone of her line, and of her choosing. This bond would make Jason family, in a sense, and would obligate him to protect the family’s best interests, splitting his loyalty between Raphael and Neha’s line for the duration of the agreement. Jason goes, of course, and finds himself tied to an angel who is not at all what she seems.
Mahiya, the angel that Jason bonds with, it a puzzle that he just can’t figure out. Jason’s job is to understand people and to know all the things they want to hide, so Mahiya, a woman who appears bland at first glance and who allows herself to be treated as nothing, draws his attention. He sees flashes of personality that just don’t add up and his interest, first as a spymaster and later as a man, is caught. I really like Mahiya. She’s not an out and out badass like some of the previous heroines, but she has a core of pure steel. She’s willing to forego anything in the name of survival; pride, dignity, comfort, trust. Whatever it takes, she’ll bend. That may not sound like much to some, but I find it impressive. She’s survived for hundreds of years by playing a deep end game and being cunning and smart, and she’s somehow managed to keep from turning bitter or cold. How can you resist a girl like that?
Jason is a deep one. He’s had a rough life and he has an extremely hard time connecting with people. What I loved about him was how self aware he was. He knew exactly what his issues were and why. His biggest problem is that he just doesn’t care the way most people do. His past kept him too isolated and broke something inside him. He’s bonded with Raphael and the other Seven, yes, but he knows that it’s not as deep as it should be. I think the author did a great job developing his character, especially given how quiet and withdrawn he was. She had to make a mountain out of a molehill and she succeeded with me. I loved Jason and how consistent he stayed throughout. The ending especially emphasized this. Jason and Mahiya’s HEA is unique to them and is an echo of their personalities.
Jason and Mahiya’s romance is very different from the previous romances in the series. It makes sense, of course, given that they’re different people, with vastly different personalities, but I think that it might throw some readers off. I, personally, loved that the romance was so subdued. Jason has always come across as somber and quiet, so a loud, dramatic romance wouldn’t have fit at all. Instead, we are treated to two master strategists who slowly fall for each other. Neither of them trusts easily, and both of them have a role to play that keeps them from broadcasting their burgeoning feelings, but the emotion is definitely there. I loved that their needs matched each other so well. Mahiya finally found someone that she could love and trust and Jason finally found a home. *sigh*
Because Jason had to travel into Neha’s territory we don’t see as much of the cast as we’re used to. I think this helped Jason and Mahiya step out of the shadows and prevented their quiet personalities from being dominated by some of the other flashier characters. We get a visit from Venom and a small visit from Aodhan, but other than that we don’t see much of the other characters. However, the author does have scenes from Dmitri and Honor’s POVs scattered throughout the book, continuing their story. Those scenes didn’t do much for me but I know they’ll probably thrill a lot of you Dmitri lovers. ;)
Favorite Quote:

In many ways, he was the opposite of Aodhan, the angel so broken, he couldn’t bear the slightest touch. Jason, by contrast, sometimes only felt real and not the phantom Lijuan had named him if he had the pressure of another’s skin, another’s wing against his own. It was as if all those years, decades, when he hadn’t felt the touch of another sentient being had created a thirst in him that could never be assuaged.

*Review originally posted on Fiction Vixen*

[vale pao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raphael’s Seven
What a compelling group of men... We never really got to know them well. We got many glimpses of their lives, their stories, but NOTHING ELSE. They are always there, loyal to Raphael like no other men, helping him in all manners, but always in the back. Well, lucky for us, NS has decided to write about them all. Now was Jason's turn. The Spymaster.

A slower read is not always bad
I agree with many reviews that mentioned this read being slower than the rest of the books in the series. The main characters are more quiet, more into themselves. They don't fuss, scream or make big scenes. I still loved this, I guess Nalini Singh just knows how to make all characters interesting and compelling. Jason was a tortured man, with a very traumatic past. He wasn't really living, just surviving every day. I loved the way he saw the world, he just had that calm-but-sexy thing going on that I couldn't help to adore. I just wanted to see him finally happy. Mahiya was the same. Strong, but on the tranquil side. She endured too much on her life, but still managed to become an honorable and loving woman. Both were not the type of characters that we are use to read in this series, but their love felt real and true. It took it's time to form and even more to develop. Jason just couldn't comprehend what it was at first, neither was he able to understand what was happening later, but still Mahiya was strong enough and had a heart big enough to love him for both of them.

"I won’t let you go. It was a vow. No matter what happened, what Jason believed about his inability to form lasting bonds, he was hers, and she’d fight to hold him. They needed each other, her and her angel with his wings meant for the night. He was a power, had far more knowledge of the world, but she had a heart strong enough to care for a man who might never fully open his own to her . . . because even a fragment of Jason’s heart, it would be raw, honest, a dazzling joy".

A side from humanity non should ever get to know...
We see many complex and negative emotions in this read. Some very intricate characters with varying feelings and many sides. It's hard to judge characters that are able to do the most horrendous things while at the same time show courage and love for others in a way not many can.

“Did I have the chance to strangle you in your crib, I would have done so in a heartbeat. Without you, she would’ve forgiven my transgression long ago.” A wineglass smashing onto marble. “Be careful when you sleep, girl. I have friends who may yet snap your neck for me.” It was her most vivid memory of the man who had contributed his seed to her creation.

So you see, be prepare for a slower reading, but one you will enjoy as much as the rest. The plot is action-packed and moving. Just know that this is not a fast-paced read, as were the others.Ns' writing style is just so captivating...**SIGH. I adore her books. I just wish she could write faster.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about Jason’s book is that it opens up the world even more.

When I read the first book in this series I was amazed by what a harsh, bordering on unlikeable hero Raphael was in the beginning. He hadn’t lost all ability to empathize with the human race but he was straddling the line of that. But after spending time in Neha’s court Raphael’s early time look positively gentlemanly.

This is what I know….NO ONE, that is no one holds a grudge like and Angel. Neha kept her consort as a prisoner for 300 years because he had an affair. But don’t let that fool you into thinking she didn’t love him. She did in a weird and twisted only Angels would understand way. So when he is killed Neha asks Raphael for assistance in finding the killer.

Jason wasn’t really on my radar. He is the broken quiet guy who has no feeling and can disappear into shadow right before your eyes. So he was interesting but I wasn’t dying to read a book about him, until I started this one. It seems that childhood scars never go away even if you are thought immortal and Jason has some doozies. He is a broken man who believes that he can never love only to be proved wrong when the right woman comes along. I know it is basic PNR plotting but I don’t care I love it and it works.

Mahiya was a fantastic heroine. She isn’t really a physical fighter but she knows how to play a good game and wearing masks has served her well in Neha’s court. She is so good at reading others and hiding everything that she is really feeling. Neha’s court is a battlefield of lies and deceptions so when she meets Jason and he is honest with her even if it wasn’t exactly what she wants to hear she decides to allow herself a little happiness with a man who wants her but proclaims he could never love her. It sounds harsher than it is…remember he is broken.

Still the expansion of the world and seeing how another Angel’s dominion is run is extremely interesting and I liked how it really highlighted the differences between various courts and how deal with things.

I enjoyed the relationship that built between Jason and Mahiya. It didn’t go superfast but it was nice to see them connect right away having a painful past in common.

There were a few surprises and twists and the killer wasn’t who I thought it was going to be. The book was really entertaining and showed a few more talents that various angels have picked up.

Overall I enjoy this series and have really liked my time away from Raphael and Elena.

[Riz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐

Is this book really good or is it me being a bit biased when it comes to this author? Either way, I LOVED this book 🥺💖✨
I adored Jason and Mahiya so much 🥺💞✨
And what happened to Jason when he was still an angel babe shattered my heart into million pieces 😭💔 Shit! I can't imagine such a babe had to endure such things 💔😭
And Mahiya, she's so strong and stubborn! And what I loved most from her is the way she doesn't let all the bad and cruel things happened to her make her heart bitter and full of rage. What she wants is to build a life full of love happiness she had never known 🤧💖.
Such a beautiful heart she has (thanks to Vanhi and Jessamy) 🥺💖
They are so perfect together 💞✨

Oh this is a glimpse of convo between Jason and Mahiya that still stucks in my mind until now :


“If you could kill Neha, would you?”
A spymaster knew a great deal, such as when an archangel might be most vulnerable to attack by her enemies.
Mahiya shook her head. “No.”
Shifting so they were eye to eye, she whispered, “In making that my goal, I’d become just like her, a woman driven by hate until there’s this knot of bitterness inside her that infects everything she touches.”
Anoushka, Jason thought, hadn’t become who she was in isolation.
“I’ll find my vengeance in living a life overflowing with happiness,” Mahiya vowed. “In drowning myself in love, not hatred.”

[Monty Cupcake ☠ Queen of Bloodshed ☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh. Well, this was better than Dmitri's loser book, but it didn't wow and you know why - Mahiya. Sadly, this could've been awesome because Jason is awesome, but Mahiya dragged it all down. As did having to read several chapters from Dmitri's point of view.

The plot is simple. Eris, Archangel Neha's consort (husband) has been murdered and Jason, Raphael's spymaster arrives to help solve the mystery. Because he's from a rival ruler, he has to take a blood oath to one of Neha's family members to ensure he doesn't tell any of the secrets. Mahiya, Neha's illegitimate niece by Eris, is chosen to be the one Jason is blood bound to and watched by. She's a princess in name only and more so Neha's whipping girl, but the only blood relation to Neha's left alive. I liked the plot and it was a mystery for half the book, until one clue that gave it all blatantly away, then it was just a countdown to the murderer being revealed for Neha.

The problem with this book was Mahiya because she's beyond weak in every way. She's mentally, spiritually, and physically weak and that isn't interesting or cool. I get that she's been loathed by Neha for two centuries, but did she have to be so boring? Couldn't she have had some hidden talent or hobby? She's so devoid of everything it's like that cheap wonderbread that no one wants to eat because it's all dirty chemicals and collapses at the first touch into mush. I've read other pnr books with abused for centuries characters that still have something going for them, like an amazing talent, power, or they're just outright insane, but nope, nada for Mahiya. Jason can say all he wants she'll develop a power eventually , but I'm reading the story happening now, not fucking eventually. I'm not waiting around for her to get interesting.

I think that was my biggest disappointment with this book, that Mahiya was in no way a special snowflake, which is basically the norm in 99.999% of books. If I wanted to read about a whiny non special snowflake, I'd be reading NA. Ugh. Ok, fine, if she wasn't going to be a special snowflake, could you at least make her mentally interesting? I'd even have been happy at this point if she was a crazy cat lady. She's too bland to be part of this story and her inner monologue is whiny. I didn't find her changing at all during the course of the book, no coming out of her shell because of Jason, same old same old. Only thing that changed was she became TSTL. I wanted to smack her for a few of her choices.

Jason is like James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause in the black leather jacket, except Jason totally has a reason. He's all shadows and doesn't speak much + the whole spymaster thing. Very cool. I liked his quiet intensity and problem solving mind. His back story, wow, sad sad sad. If I had a heart and tear ducts, I might've gotten teary over his story. No wonder he's distant, semi mute, and broken inside. He's a shadow that lives in the shadows and had the power to harness the shadowy shadows. (I should've tried to use shadow more in that sentence. Haha). He's definitely always thinking ahead and considering all the angles, which is why it's mind boggling that he hooked up with Mahiya, Princess Dunce. She has zero personality and she's so whiny. How's that attractive to him, or helpful? At least Honor, Dmitri's woman, was a hunter and had skills. Ugh. So disappointed in Jason's lady choice. And he's got that cool black flame sword going on.

I thought I hated Honor, Dmitri's lady, but I see the error of my ways. She's an idiot where he's concerned, but she has skills as an academic and hunter otherwise. If his book hadn't had such a rapey feeling to it, I'd up my rating by half a star for her.

I'm only rating this 3 stars as it is because there were a lot of murders and Jason was awesome. If Mahiya hadn't been such a stick in the mud, this might've been 4 stars. Hmm, maybe this should be 2 after all. She really did annoy me, as did the inclusion of 4 or 5 short chapters of the continuation of Dmitri and Honor's story. They had their book, stop making me still read about them, it's over.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

I was skeptical about the main characters in the beginning, but agh they won my heart soon enough.

Mahiya was such a pure soul. She went through pain, fear, and loneliness throughout her whole life. Her own family sought to humiliate and torture her just for being birthed. Yep, I cried for her. The admirable part about her was that the crappy lot she had in life did not make her into a negative, scornful person. I would feel bitter and angry and vengeful for all the shit she had to deal with from people. However, Mahiya remained good and true to herself, refusing to be like her bullies. Also, despite being kind, she was not a weak pushover. She had reasoning, she had a plan, she had a will. The way she perseveringly fought for the goodness in her and fought for a life of freedom was inspiring.

Jason, on the other hand – well, broke my heart too. His childhood was dark and scary and terrible. I’m glad he found it himself to allow himself to feel alive and happy again (with the help of Mahiya). In addition, he was resolute and badass as a spymaster.

Their romance was slow, progressive, and deep. I loved that while we saw three examples of toxic love in the side characters, we saw the perfect representation of a healthy love in Mahiya and Jason. They were supportive, patient, and understanding with each other. Also, it was great to see that when Mahiya confessed her feelings, she was upfront and determined – without being pushy or pining. She just laid it all out there because that was how she felt – how she freely felt. Because of his skepticism, she asked him to know that she was mature and smart enough to walk away if she did not feel satisfy with his skepticism to love anyone. I just thought that was a great conversation. It was mature, straight-forward, and I could really see this was a relationship of mutual respect and affection.

Furthermore, I absolutely adored that the story jumped to what was going on with Dmitri and Honor as well. Any problems or doubts I had about them from the last book disappeared here. I can officially say that I love them. I might have even gotten tearful because the emotions in their scenes were so deep.

Great characters, great character developments, great character backstory, and great romance, so 4 stars. I loved that this book had a plethora of complex emotions. Nalini Singh’s character building was brilliant, like always. I also liked the plot with the mystery of “whodunit” – my guess was correct (which almost never happens), but even guessing correctly still had me surprised on how it developed. There were some interesting plot developments, and I’m definitely looking forward to see more angel-vampire politics in the next book.

Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Is there a happy/satisfying ending? Yes, absolutely beautiful epilogue.
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level? No, no, medium.
Tears-worthy? Yes, definitely some tears.
Humor? No.
Favorite scene? This book is pretty thoroughly good, but a scene that is standing out to me is when Mahiya sought to escape another kind of prison, and while she was flying away, and was about to get caught, Jason arrived. They were both seeking each other, and it was sweet. I also adored the ending with the house.

And even when Mahiya meets Elena, and later on, when Mahiya is pondering about all the possibilities she have in life now.
What age level would be appropriate? Mature audience. There are explicit details on sex, murder, torture, domestic abuse, etc. Can be quite bloody/gory.
----------
I'm almost halfway through to catching up to this series. I'm excited but also, it makes me sad. I'm going to try to read this and the future books slower, so I can savor.❤️

[Melanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS!

"The skies will be clear tonight. Will you fly with me?"

~SWOOOOOOON~

It's official. I will read anything that Nalini Singh writes. This installment of the Guild Hunter series was SO GOOD; swoon-worthy, heart-string tugging ROMANCE at its absolute best.

Jason, one of Raphael's Seven, didn't have an easy start in life.

"He's like that all the time, isn't he? Part of the world . . . but apart. A shadow who never becomes involved."

And neither did Mahiya, Neha's niece...

...who had never mattered much to anyone.

On their own, they're self-reliant yet so very lonely, but together, they melted my heart into a big-fat slushy puddle.

Strong arms, lips against her temple, wings of midnight opening to curve around her, until Jason surrounded her on every side.

I know this review makes it sound like a sap-fast, but Archangel's Storm was anything but. Truly worth reading, you guys! If you haven't read anything by this author, I urge you to do so.

She must be so, so careful not to fall for him, not to seek more than the dark sexuality that swirled between them, hot and beautifully violent as a desert storm.

[Lady Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-read

"5- You're The Reason I can Survive Eternity, Stars!"

Jason.. you are now one of my absolute favourites in Paranormal/Urban Fantasy romance characters.
I LOVE how broken you are, and yet your still able to be the warrior you were destined to be, and finally learn what real love is.
You broke my heart in some places.



Once Mahiya realized she could trust you, and she saw the man underneath all the armour



She was able to finally break thru the wall you built around your heart so many years ago.

I really enjoyed reading Jason and Mahiya's story, as well as the continuation of Dmitri and Honor's journey as a secondary story.

Once again the writing and story were amazing.
This series just keeps getting better and better!

If you're a fan of this series, I highly recommend this story.

[Lana *Lifeinwordsandlyricscom* · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Somehow, someway this didn't work out for me as well as the previous books in the series. I'm not even sure why. Maybe it was too slow a pacing for my taste. Maybe Mahiya was just too normal (well, as normal as anyone in that world could be). And yes, I do get that she was exactly what Jason needed, but what I needed was a little more badassery. I like when my heroines are less demsels in distress and more warriors in their own right. But, with everything else I had no problem. I liked the storyline, I liked that Neha wasn't a total villain of it. I adored little Jason and my heart bled for him, for his childhood was that of a nightmare. I absolutly loved the location and the exotic feel of it, I even loved the role snakes played in Neha's palace.

It's all in the accessories, ladies

So yes, it wasn't all great, but still. The parts that were good, they were really good. And I found out that there's a special club for women in the Seven's lives, with a secret handshake and all. Now I just need to catch Bluebell and convince him to be my boo and I can join. Wish me luck.


Over and out

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads

This was an interesting installment in the Guild Hunter series in that, the book and characters took on a different feel than previous books. Coming off Dmitri’s story where he was a very big presence on page and just in general, Jason is quite the opposite. He has that archangel edge, being one of Raphael’s closest friends, he does what needs doing in his world, but he’s quiet, dark, very emotionally closed off. Having love in his life was an interesting balance between how he had love once and refused to let himself go there again with his heroine, Mahiya, who has never known love and wants it badly, wants to be love but most important to her, she wants someone to give her love to.

The story takes place almost completely in Neha’s territory. An archangel in the Cadre, her consort has been killed and as an act of goodwill (and a way to help try and keep her powers under control) Raphael sends his spymaster Jason to Neha to try and find the guilty party. As a way to insure his loyalty while in her home, she requires he blood bond to Mahiya, her niece and “toy” as Mahiya’s father was Neha’s now dead consort and her mother was Neha’s sister. Neha killed her sister and isolated her consort for hundreds of years, but kept the young Mahiya at her home, providing a place for her to stay, but gave her nothing in the way of love. Once Mahiya reached adulthood, all bets were off and Mahiya knows that it’s only a matter of time now before Neha has her killed as well. She’s used to being treated as nothing, a prisoner in her own home, she’s been beaten, has had anything she’s loved taken away and she now knows her only chance is to use Jason’s appearance and hope to gain his help in securing her freedom. Jason promises her nothing, but they come to an agreement to share information and in return he’ll do what he can to help her.

As I was reading the story, I kept thinking that the pace made it seem as though not much was really happening. Jason and Mahiya spend a lot of time trying to figure out not only who killed Neha’s consort, but other murders that are occurring, people close to Neha are dying and they’re trying to track clues to find the killer. There are a few very important pieces of information that come up that not only impact this story but the overall storyline for the archangels and specifically the power surrounding angels who are part of the Cadre. It’s a time of change and power fluctuations are starting to have a big impact. It’s something that’s just beginning, but will absolutely have greater meaning to Raphael, Lijuan, Neha, et al as the series goes on.

“I can’t give you what you want,” he repeated, some unknown thing tearing and ripping inside him at the thought of having to sever his connection to her, when it was the first time in his life he’d trusted even a part of himself to a lover.

A soft smile. “Did I make any demands, hmm?” Lifting her free hand, she ran her fingers along his jaw. “I have so much love inside me, Jason. So much. And I have never been allowed to shower it on anyone – no one has wanted it. Let me stretch the wings of my heart with you.”

He could feel his fingers tightening on her wrist, forced himself to loosen his hold. “Will it be enough to love and not be loved?” he asked, knowing it was a brutal question. “To give and never receive?”

Her smile grew impossibly more luminous. “You have no idea what you give me.”

The spotlight in all these books for me is the romance. Jason and Mahiya are such strong characters on their own, they’ve each overcome tragic pasts, especially Jason and their romance has a slow build up. Jason makes it perfectly clear that while he wants her, it will never be more than that. He can’t let love back into his life and we find out why through small flashbacks that culminate into the full scene taking us back to the defining moment in his young life when, as child, he had the one person he loved more than anything taken away from him. That was the moment I went from liking Jason to loving him. His scenes with Mahiya felt understated, going from the previous book with a very naughty Dmitri; that isn’t Jason at all. Even though the scenes when they’re together felt quieter, they were still intense and the emotion between them kept building. I enjoyed their romance and I liked watching Jason find a sense of home again with Mahiya.

I found Mahiya to be an easy heroine to care about. Even after all the angst she’s had to go through because of Neha, having a father who didn’t care about her at all and being afraid to love out of fear that harm would come to those she did, as it had in the past, she is still filled with so much hope. She accepts Jason for who he is and accepts what he can give her and of course she hopes for more, but there’s strength in her for loving him and not expecting anything in return. This love and caring that she shows Jason starts to break him down and he opens up to her like he hasn’t to anyone else ever. This couple may not be as dominant as Raphael and Elena, or as wicked and naughty like Dmitri and Honor but they fit, and their romance is very reflective of the people they are and it’s satisfying to see play out.

Dmitri to Honor:

“My beautiful wife, whom I’d like to peel out of her dress and set naked in my lap so I can do debauched things to her sexy body.” He never had been much good at behaving.

A faint shiver. “You shouldn’t be let out to torment women.”

Smiling with a slow deliberation that brought slumberous heat into those eyes of haunting green, he leaned in close, his next words a purr against the shell of her ear. “I only plan to torment one woman for the rest of eternity.”

A small supporting storyline takes place for Dmitri and Honor and centers around her decision to change (or not) into a vampire. I loved getting a little extension on this couple’s story and seeing Dmitri so devoted to Honor made me sigh every time they came back on page. There’s always that one character who shows up or gets mentioned very briefly that I immediately want to know more about. Aodhan is that character for me in this book. With just one small paragraph describing who he is at this moment, an angel who can’t bare touch and desires isolation, I want to know why and even more, I want to know who the female is that’s going to cause him to let her in. He’s also close friends with Illium and I can’t wait to see more of this friendship through the series.

I enjoyed this latest installment in the Guild Hunter series. Jason is a hero living in darkness and finds his match in an angel who’s filled with love and hope. They have a sweet romance, understated at times and it worked for them. I like the progression of the Cadre storyline, especially with the new developments in Neha’s life. I’m excited to see that pick up steam with the next book, which will take us back to Raphael and Elena.

[Ren Puspita · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

RE-READ in order to read Archangel's Prophecy and Archangel's War. Also, part of my Guild Hunter series read-a-thon.

Anyhoo, I bypass reading Archangel's Blade because my copy was borrowed by friend and the person still not giving it back yet -.-. Actually, Dmitri is never my favorite Seven, hahaha. I know readers adored him, and maybe if I re-read his book he will change my opinion. But eh, since the first time he already got a wrong impression :P. I know that his scent-tease to Elena is part tease and part test, because Dmitri is Raphael's second and he did what he think best. I also know that Singh didn't want to make Elena fall into Mary Sue heroines therefore from all the Seven, its only Illium aka Bluebell that remain Elena's closest friend. Venom taunt Elena like Dmitri, yet I can accept his taunting. Aodhan is more like curious. Naasir is out of question since from book 1 to 5, he have a minor role. Galen himself didn't hide his feeling that he also doesn't like Elena, but it didn't feel suffocating. As for Jason, he like Aodhan, curious but mostly mind his own business for he's the spymaster. It's just Dmitri that rubbed me the wrong way, lol.

Okay, enough about Dmitri :P. I realized that my early review can't be counted as review and I write so many spoilers, so I remove them beforehand, lol. As always, reading Singh's Guild Hunter always make me sigh. I can said that her writing style now is more polished and refined. Also, less repetitive word, although she can go on and on when its come to description (not that I'm complaining, lol!) I can't said enough about her world building. It's still superb. And not just a world building, but also character developments, political games between angel and archangel alike, violence through violence also mysteries that surrounded the entire plot of Archangel's Storm. Sure, the first part can be too slow and it's like Jason and Mahiya going in circles to solve the mystery that surround the death in Neha's court but in the middle part, the story gain momentum.

I'm glad that both Jason and Mahiya's story is not a carbon-copy of Elena-Raphael. Elena and Raphael's relationship feels like maelstrom, maybe because of the nature of theirs origin that already clashed in the beginning, so its take many trial and error for both parties to understand each other. Both Mahiya and Jason are angels, but while Jason with his tormented past got his freedom, not Mahiya that bear the traitorous act that Neha's consort bring. Yet, Mahiya is also not a weak princess, she have a spine of steel and determination that can rivaled even Elena. Jason and Mahiya's love also have a slow burn moment despite their story just told in one book. It's work though, Jason with his silence tendencies and Mahiya with her soft demeanor yet strong willed is a force to be reckoned with.

After writing about the Archangel of New York, Singh now took her readers into the depth of the Archangel of Poison territory deep in India. As always the story start with murder. And yet, Singh give a deep insight into Neha. Since this series can't be read as standalone, readers will know what happen to Neha beforehand. After losing her daughter now she lose her consort. Singh again show that love can be blinded and can be compared for hatred. For Neha can't forgive her consort's infidelities, yet she still loved him is beyond me. Also, you can't help to hate Eris too. Seems like he's not worthy of Neha's love. There will be revelation of the murderer behind Eris's death and many others and will make the story interesting. The murderer's identity also make a complication matters, in which Singh once again show the intricate relationship between love and hate.

And now, I once said that the battle between Raphael and Uram in Angel's Blood will always be my favorite, but now I will add that the epilogue of the Archangel's Storm is also my favorite. Singh write about the horror that Jason endured in his childhood despite angelkind deemed his parent's love story is the greatest angel romance. It's not easy to read, but its also what formed Jason into what he is now. He is a man of few words, but I still like to read his story. And yes, the epilogue is one of the best. You will get my meaning if you read what shelves I categorized this book into, lol.

All in all, a good book that feature the Seven and how they found their significant other. Also, if you like Dmitri, he got some chapter focused on him with Honor on it. I forget when, but I'm sure that in Storm, the event called Cascade that will affect the world was first mentioned. Lijuan of course is still a threat (a fact that I know she will always be a threat, lol).

[Eon ♒Windrunner♒ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Archangel’s Storm Raphael sends Jason to investigate the murder of a victim close to Neha’s heart, but she will only trust Jason in her territory if he ties himself to Mahiya, who is a blood relation, via a sacred vow. He agrees and soon finds himself navigating the treacherous territory of Neha’s court of snakes in his search for answers to the murder mystery. What he does not expect is that Mahiya is proving to be a bit of a mystery herself. A mystery he very much wants to solve.

Nalini Singh has time and again proven herself adept at capturing emotions on page, and this story is no different. However Jason’s story has been my least liked so far in this series. We have seen many glimpses of Jason in previous books and know that he is very much a creature of privacy and isolation, his personality seemingly repressed and for valid reasons it turns out. His interactions always seem calculated and muted, and yet knowing how this stage was set, I still found him bland. I know that this was intentional and true to the character, but it made for unhappy reading on my part. Parts of the narrative did hold my attention, such as Jason’s parent’s story which was heartbreaking and Neha’s tough past but, overall something went wrong. Perhaps it was just the pacing. I struggled to make progress with this book until the last quarter of the story, where Jason revealed some of his powers which were very cool and impressive to say the least. The conclusion of the investigation into the murder culminating with the battle at the end was great reading and the eventual romance between Jason and Mahiya was satisfying as well. I loved Mahiya and found her a refreshing change of pace to the female protagonists we have encountered so far. She was tough as nails, but not a warrior at all and her struggle at surviving as a good person in a world of evil and her refusal to compromise was a joy to read. I only wish that I found the rest of the book as likeable. Based on that I would only say it was ok, but there were some glimpses into the rest of the Seven’s lives that I very much enjoyed and elevated the book enough to reach good, but not great.

Another enjoyable entry in the guildhunter series, but even though this is not a favorite of mine, it is still a solid story and loved by most other readers.

Can we now get more Aodhan and Illium please?

Before the other angel could continue, a butterfly, its wings an unabashed red dotted with saffron yellow, alighted on Aodhan’s shoulder. Another followed a second later, its markings more modest, its wingspan larger. Aodhan looked at them, and for a fleeting instant, he was a young angel again, woefully embarrassed by his most curious of abilities.
“It’s as if they can smell me,” he muttered, but didn’t brush the delicate creatures away. Instead, he lifted a finger, and a third butterfly appeared out of the sky to alight on it, this one with wings of creamy sunset. “Illium says that perhaps I can use them to flutter someone to death.”

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted on Under the Covers

Jason, the spymaster and one of Raphael’s Seven has always been in the shadows. It’s what makes him good at his job, but as readers we don’t know much about him. In ARCHANGEL’S STORM, the fifth book in the Guild Hunter series, Singh reveals those long awaited secrets in a way that devastates and dazzles.

When Jason takes a blood vow that will place him front and center in Neha’s territory, he meets Princess Mahiya, a woman whose strength is silent, but is still as lethal as a blade. Neha’s husband and consort, Eris is found murdered and mutilated in his prison so it is Jason and Mahiya’s task to find out what happened. Several other murders occur and cause suspicion to rise and ask whether or not the strings of deaths are coincidence or calculated.

The romance between Jason and Mahiya is slow and steady. It wouldn’t have been true to the characters if Jason suddenly turned into a seducer. He has always been the most reserved of the Seven and he takes his duty seriously. So even though the sexual tension between the Spymaster and the Princess is off the charts, Singh develops a slow burn that sizzles through the pages of this book. Similarly, Mahiya is a shy woman who shows more vulnerability than any of the other heroines we’ve met so far. She isn’t an ass-kicker like Elena or Honor or even Ash, but she does display moments of courage and strength. It’s just more in a subtle way.

Thinking back on this, I think Mahiya and Jason were a perfect fit for one another. Though this book may not be my favorite of the series, there are still some devastating moments in this book that took my breath away. Jason’s backstory in particular was heartbreaking to read. I only wished Singh delved deeper into that dark time so readers could learn more about Jason.

There is also a steady amount of action in this book that really showcased Singh’s ability to write fast-paced fight scenes. It just shows how well developed and well-rounded a writer Singh is! Her writing continues to enchant readers with her vivid descriptions and dark tinge to her words. I’m definitely looking forward to returning to Elena and Raphael after this book. Singh never fails to impress.

*ARC provided by publisher

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st read - June 2013 - 4 stars
2nd read - October 2016 - changed to 5 stars
3rd read - September 2020 - still at 5 stars

Original Review

When the archangel Neha's consort Eris is murdered her rage threatens to destroy the balance of power amongst the cadre of ten and if left unchecked thousands of innocent lives could be lost. Neha already has a grudge against Raphael which makes him and his territory a likely target for her rage. The one person that Raphael can send to try and gain Neha's trust and help her investigate the murder is his spymaster Jason. Jason is an expert at uncovering secrets and his unique abilities make him perfect for the job but the only way Neha will allow him into her territory is if he forms a blood bond with her niece Mahiya. The last thing Mahiya wants is to be tied to an enemy spy, especially when she has secrets of her own that are so dangerous her life would be forfeit if they are uncovered but she has no choice but to go along with Neha's wishes and she has her own reasons for wanting to uncover who is behind Eris's death. As Jason and Mahiya work together to uncover the truth they uncover a shocking betrayal that threatens to turn Mahiya's world upside down. Can she trust Jason to keep the promises he made to protect her or will he end up breaking her heart?

I'm a huge fan of the Guild Hunter series, I love Raphael and Elena but I've been dying to learn more about Raphael's Seven, the trusted angels and vampires who have had his back for centuries, ever since the first book so I'm really excited that they each seem to be getting their own book. Jason has intrigued me from the moment we met him, I knew he had to have some kind of darkness in his past and I was desperate to get to know his secrets. Although I was expecting him to have a tortured past I had no idea just how badly he had suffered, in fact reading about the things he had been through actually brought tears to my eyes which is a testament of just how invested I was in his story. My heart broke for the things he had seen as a child but I admire him for the strength of character he showed to survive with his sanity in tact.

I was a bit unsure how a romance could work between Jason and a member of another archangel's court, especially someone who is actually related to Neha, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I found myself liking Mahiya. For a lot of reasons that I'm not going to go into in this review (you'll have to read the book to find out what they are!), Mahiya has never been a favourite of Neha's. The only reason she was allowed to survive was as a punishment to her parents and Neha has taken great pains to keep Mahiya in her place at the bottom of the court hierarchy when by birth right she should be an important member of the family. Mahiya has been through so much that it would have been easy for her to become a bitter and hateful person but she is determined not to let Neha beat her. She knows that the only way she can win is to remain true to herself and she has shown incredible strength to manage that. She makes a worthy heroine for Jason and it doesn't take long for him to see that. They really are so well matched, Mahiya understands Jason on a level that nobody else ever has and she accepts what he can and can't offer her without hesitation. I don't think anyone will be disappointed by the sexy scenes between the two of them, Jason is one hot dominant angel who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it!

Alongside the mystery of who murdered Eris, which I have to admit I guessed in advance but not until fairly near the big reveal, Archangel's Storm also allows us to catch up with favourite characters we already know and love. I always eat up any scene between Raphael and Elena but some of the highlights in this book were the ones between Dmitri and Honor. I love how sweet Dmitri is with Honor, he is like a completely different vampire when he is with her but that doesn't make him any less scary as far as anyone else is concerned. Illium always steals any scene he appears in, I just adore Bluebell and I really hope he has his own book soon because I'd love to see him find a worthy heroine. My only disappointment with this series is that I'm now up to date which means I'll have to wait a whole year in between each new instalment - I foresee a lot of re-reading in my future to get my Guild Hunter fix. At least I still have the Psy-Changeling series to catch up on so that will keep me going for the next few weeks anyway. Nalini Singh is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, I haven't read anything of hers that I didn't love and I can't recommend her highly enough to paranormal romance fans.

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2nd Read

I'm loving this series even more the second time around, Nalini has created such a vivid world and her characters are just all so real to me that I wouldn't be at all surprised if they stepped off the pages and I found out they were real.

Jason and Mahiya are just so adorable together, they've both been through so much and they deserve their chance at happiness.

[Aisa]

I hope there will be a story on Illium. He's become my second favorite character.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I didn't feel this book was all it could be, Jason has intrigued me from the very beginning so I was very much looking forward to his book. However, for me it fell a little flat. There are two main reasons for this:

Oh Melodrama, thy name is Archangel's Storm I am not sure Nalini Singh's writing isn't like this in every book, I know she has a penchant for being a little OTT, but normally her language strays closer to poetic and beautiful rather then cloying and repeatative. In short, it drove me in-fraking-sane, and spoiled my enjoyment of the whole book.

Muted or Mute? This questions the romance, in Elena and Rapheal and Dmitri and Honor's book the romance is very THERE, in this it is subdued to almost non existent. I didn't really feel anything towards them, they didn't have the explosive chemistry like the other couples, which is fine, a quieter more subtle romance is great, but I felt it was a little too quiet, I just didn't get invested.

But, this did get 3.5 stars for a reason, although I found the romance lacking I did find the continuation of the story line interesting. There is a tension in last few books, a massive feeling that something huge is about to happen and rock the world to its core. This book not only notches that up, but gives you a clue to what is happening.

This has been a bit of a disappointing year for me in regards to Nalini Singh as I wasn't that into the new Psy Changeling book either, but despite that I love both series enough that although I consider the books duds, I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Gianne Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Standing on velvet green grass still sparkling with dew, Jason watched Dmitri cup the face of the hunter he had just made his wife, the dawn sunlight kissing her skin, lighting up eyes that saw only the man in front of her.

The grounds of the Archangel Raphael’s home, Jason thought, the Hudson rushing past beyond the cliffs and a mass of fragrant roses in full bloom climbing the walls of the house itself, had seen centuries pass, but a scene such as this, they had never witnessed and perhaps never would again.

A scene in which one of the most powerful vampires in the world took a Guild hunter for his bride.

That Honor loved Dmitri was in no doubt. It didn’t take a spymaster to read the incandescent joy in her every breath, her skin radiant with it. What startled Jason was the potent emotion he saw in the eyes of a vampire who had been a pitiless blade for all the centuries Jason had known him.

Cruelty came easily to Dmitri, maybe too easily in recent times. The vampire was near to a thousand years old and jaded with it, blood and death no longer enough to cause him to break his stride, much less shock. Jason had seen Dmitri wield his scimitar on the field of battle to take off invaders’ heads, glory in the spray of their dying blood, and he had seen Dmitri seduce women with sensual elegance and a cold heart simply to amuse himself.

Yet the man who touched Honor, who claimed her lips in a kiss of possession, had a tenderness about him that was as dangerous as it was gentle. And Jason comprehended that Dmitri would be a brutal weapon against anyone who dared harm his wife, that the darkness in him had not been tempered but merely leashed.

“He cannot deal with the Cadre if he is leashed,” he said to the woman who stood next to him, a hunter with wings of midnight and dawn. Feathers of a rich, silken blue flowed from the pure black at the inner curve of her wings, to segue into a softer indigo and the ephemeral shades visible in the skies when day broke, before becoming a brilliant white-gold at the primaries.

Elena was Raphael’s consort, and Raphael was Jason’s liege. Perhaps that was why he felt an unexpected kind of ease with her. Or it might be that she was a stranger in the land of immortals, searching for a path that would take her into the centuries to come, as he once had. Or perhaps it was that, unbeknownst to Elena, they were linked by a far bleaker tie, a tie that spoke of mothers and blood.

Iron rich liquid matting his hair, soaking into his tunic, sticky on his arms.

Elena looked up, shook her head, the startling near-white of her hair pinned back in an elegant twist, her body clothed in a simple ankle-length gown of a blue the shade of a pristine high-mountain lake. Her only ornamentation came in the form of the small amber hoops she always wore as an outward sign of her commitment to Raphael. “Don’t you see, Jason?” she said as the bridal couple broke a kiss that had more than one sigh rippling through the crisp morning air. “He is only this Dmitri for Honor.” She joined in the clapping and cheering when Honor and Dmitri turned to the assembled guests, well-wishers moving forward to congratulate them.

Having spoken to Dmitri before the ceremony, Jason waited for the crowd to thin. Elena, too, held her place, giving others a chance to speak to the newly wedded couple. As he’d been with Dmitri before the ceremony—alongside Raphael, Illium, and Venom, Elena had been with Honor, the archangel and his consort having turned over a suite in their home to the bride’s party. That party was composed of hunters, all certainly with a weapon or two hidden beneath the sleek, elegant clothes they wore for the wedding.

Blue flickered at the edges of his vision, and he turned to see Illium spread his wings for a hunter who had made the request. Clad in the same formal black worn by the groom as well as Raphael and the others of the Seven here today, he had a flirtatious smile on his face. The smile was real as far as it went, but then, it did not go far. Jason had seen Illium love until his heart broke, and he had seen the angel mourn until there was no light in those eyes of molten gold.

“I understand,” he said to Elena when she glanced back at him, reminded once again of the capacity others had for endless nuances of emotion. Jason had watched mortals and immortals alike for centuries, was able to glean even the most subtle changes in their emotional equilibrium, for no man could be a spymaster without that capability. Yet, through all that time, he had never been able to feel as they did. It was as if life skimmed across the surface of him, leaving his heart and his soul untouched.

“You are the perfect spymaster. An intelligent, gifted phantom unaffected by anything he sees.”

It was Lijuan who had said those words to him, four hundred years ago. The oldest of the archangels had also made him an offer—riches and women trained in the sensual arts; men if that was what he desired—if he would change his allegiance, put himself in her service. Except Jason had already earned and created enough wealth for a hundred immortal lifetimes. As for the other—when Jason wanted a woman, he had a woman. He had no need for anyone to act his procurer.

Elena’s wing shimmered lightly over his as she stretched a little, and he didn’t shift away to break the fleeting contact. In many ways, he was the opposite of Aodhan, the angel so broken, he couldn’t bear the slightest touch. Jason, by contrast, sometimes only felt real and not the phantom Lijuan had named him if he had the pressure of another’s skin, another’s wing against his own. It was as if all those years, decades, when he hadn’t felt the touch of another sentient being had created a thirst in him that could never be assuaged.

A sybarite drunk on sensation, that was what he might have become, but for the fact that those years of excruciating, endless aloneness had left him with other scars—scars that led him to embrace the very shadows he’d hated as a child; scars that meant he meted out trust with a careful hand. Regardless of his need, Jason allowed very few people to touch him outside of the bedroom, for the touch of a friend, it was a far different thing than the caress of a lover taken in the dark of night and left behind when morning broke.

“It was a beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?” Elena said, her eyes soft in the way women’s often were at such things.

“Do you wish for one?” Marriage was thought of as a mortal thing, but as today showed, some immortals continued to embrace it—Dmitri had been most insistent on the ceremony.

Startled laughter from Elena. “Raphael and I married above the wreckage of New York, when he fell with me in his arms.”

Raphael, too, Jason thought, was a different man with his consort, this mortal woman become an angel. Such a weak angel in terms of power, her immortality a flickering flame, and yet she had a strength that spoke to the survivor in him. So he’d taught her how to remain unseen in the sky, watched her push her body to merciless extremes in an effort to achieve a vertical takeoff so soon after her becoming, and listened for threats to her life.

For Elena was Raphael’s biggest weakness.

A tiny giggle, a mischief-eyed little girl running to Elena on wobbling legs, curls of bronze-threaded black captured at the sides of her head with ribbons of summer orange. Smiling in unhidden delight, Elena bent to pick up the child in her arms. “Hello, Zoe, Warrior Goddess in Training.” A kiss on one plump cheek, Zoe’s flower girl dress a confection of lace over Elena’s arm. “Did you give your mom the slip?”

Jason met the child’s direct gaze as she nodded, saw that she held a silver-edged feather of distinctive blue in a careful fist. The daughter of the Guild Director stared at his wings for a moment before whispering something in Elena’s ear. Jason heard what she said, understood none of it, her language that of very small children.

Clearly not at the same disadvantage, Elena glanced at him, silver-gray eyes shining with laughter.

“The imp’s coveting more of your feathers for her collection, Jason. I’d be careful.” She was distracted a second later by a tall man with long black hair tied neatly at the nape of his neck, his cheekbones sharp against copper gold skin.

Ransom Winterwolf.

Hunter.

It was strange to see so many of the Guild on the grounds of Raphael’s home. Located in the Angel Enclave, on the other side of the river from the gleaming glass and metal of Manhattan, it was undoubtedly elegant, but Jason knew the Sire had offered Dmitri far more stunning locations in which to make Honor his bride. However, the leader of the Seven had been adamant.

“Daybreak,” he’d said a bare three hours before sunrise. “We marry at daybreak.”

In those three hours, Elena and the Guild Director had managed to alert every hunter in the New York area who wasn’t on assignment and was within traveling distance, while Jason, Illium, and Venom stood for the rest of the Seven. Naasir, Galen, and Aodhan had been told, had all three spoken with Dmitri before the wedding.

United in their loyalty to Raphael—and to each other—the Seven had forged bonds that were unbreakable, but even had there been more time, it was impossible for all of them to ever be in one place at one time. To keep the balance of power in the world, Raphael needed to maintain a presence in the Refuge and in New York, and now, in the lost city of Amanat, home to the Ancient who was Raphael’s mother.

That three of them stood here to witness Dmitri’s wedding, it was an unexpected gift. There were other invited guests of course—the proud staff who ran Raphael’s home, a number of men and women who worked directly under Dmitri at the Tower, and whose loyalty belonged as much to the vampire as it did to Raphael, two mortal policemen who were considered part of the Guild family.

The well-respected man who’d officiated the ceremony belonged to that family, too, having headed the Guild before passing on the mantle.

Raphael himself had stood at Dmitri’s side during the ceremony, the friendship between the two men old enough, deep enough, that it was the archangel who had played the second this day. Jason didn’t know of any other such friendships among those who served the Cadre of Ten, the archangels who ruled the world, but he knew this one had endured centuries, through anger and war and even a short defection by Dmitri to Neha’s territory. That hadn’t lasted long, and now Dmitri’s lips curved at something Raphael said.

While the vampire was dressed in a crisp black-on-black suit, his bride wore a gown of deep, vibrant green that caressed and embraced her curves before rippling in a liquid waterfall to the dew-laden grass, the fabric arranged cleverly at her left hip to give the illusion of waves. When her gaze landed on Jason, she smiled and came toward him, halting at the border of the invisible space that separated him from the world, one hand holding the wildflower bouquet Elena had created using the blooms in her greenhouse.

“Thank you,” she said, her happiness so luminous, it outshone the diamonds at her throat, diamonds Jason had seen Dmitri buy as rough stones three centuries ago.

It had taken the vampire another hundred years to get them finely cut and set into a necklace of exquisite beauty, until the stones appeared to be droplets of captured starfire.

“Who will you gift it to?” Jason had asked at the time.

Dmitri’s response had been a sardonic twist of his mouth, the hardness in his eyes akin to the gems he held. “A woman whose spirit dazzles brighter than these stones.”

The necklace had graced none but the honey-skinned neck it now encircled.

“For this amazing dream of a dress,” Honor continued, stroking her hand down the fabric. “I don’t know how you found it so early in the morning. It fits like it was made for me.”

“No thanks are necessary.” So much of life he spent on the sidelines—many times out of choice, sometimes because he didn’t know how to belong—but he’d needed to be a part of this day when a man he respected, and who was as close a friend as he was capable of having, claimed this woman for his own.

“Jason can find anything,” Dmitri said, walking over to slide his arm around Honor’s waist. “The winds talk to him, tell him where to go.”

Honor laughed, husky and warm, and then she was being embraced by Elena, the hunter’s wings iridescent in the white light of morning. Stepping a little to the right, Jason met Dmitri’s gaze. The vampire shrugged, the words unspoken but not unheard.

No one will ever believe it.

No, Jason thought, no one would. Even he had thought himself mad when he was a boy on the verge of adulthood. It had taken reading Jessamy’s history books once he arrived at the angelic stronghold that was the Refuge to understand he’d inherited his mother’s “ear,” her ability to sense things happening hundreds of miles away, across oceans and beyond mountains. It was how she’d always had stories to tell him about people in the Refuge, though they lived on an isolated atoll surrounded by the shimmering blue of the Pacific.

“I will write this story down for you, Jason. You must practice your reading.”

He had. Over and over, until the parchment disintegrated, he’d read those stories and the others in the books in the house. Then he’d copied the words out on wood, on flax, in the sand, forcing himself to remember that he was a person, that he should know how to read. It had worked . . . for a while.

“I’m happy for you, Dmitri,” he said now, allowing the ghosts of the past to fade into the background. “This is my gift to you and your bride.”

As Dmitri glanced down at the small note card Jason passed across, Honor’s second—a long-legged hunter who had unique gifts of her own—came to join Elena and Honor, and the women laughed and began to talk all at once.

“A safe place,” Jason said when Dmitri looked up from reading the address on the card, the sun glinting off the simple gold band he wore on the ring finger of his left hand. “Where no one will find you.”

Understanding whispered across the sensual lines of Dmitri’s face. Moving a small distance away from the women, he said, “I shouldn’t be surprised at what you know, and yet I am.” He slid the card away. “How certain are you of the security?”

“The house is mine, and no one has found it in two hundred years.” Hidden in the dense forests of an otherwise uninhabited mountain, it could only be reached via a very specific route that he now shared with Dmitri, mind to mind. Even aerial entry is impossible unless the angel in question knows how to find a particular small clearing. He gave Dmitri the coordinates. Without that, severe damage to the wings as a result of the thick canopy—and the safeguards hidden within—is a distinct possibility.

Dmitri’s eyes gleamed. Good. His next words were spoken aloud. “I didn’t know you had another home in this country.”

“I don’t.” He had houses he used when needed, but home was a concept that had no meaning to him, though Dmitri likely assumed he considered his apartment at New York’s Archangel Tower home. “You’ll be safe there, and you can be private.” Honor’s transformation from human to vampire would take time, and while Jason knew Dmitri would ensure she navigated it in a deep sleep, safe from any suffering, he also knew the other man would not leave her side during the process. “There is no need to take a guard unit.”

“I wouldn’t trust those words coming from anyone’s mouth but yours,” Dmitri said, his face angled toward Honor. “I don’t know when we’ll use your gift. I have her promise . . . but I will not rush her on this.”

“You want to.”

“Yes.” Unvarnished ruthlessness. “But you see, Jason, it appears I have a fatal weakness when it comes to Honor—even should she change her mind and decide to remain mortal, I can’t force her and still live with myself.”

Jason said nothing as Dmitri walked back to his wife, who looked up to offer him a smile Jason had seen her share with no other. Her friends moved away to give husband and wife a moment of privacy, but everyone continued to linger on the luxuriant green of the lawn, the birdsong a delicate accompaniment to the murmur of conversation. Champagne was sipped, greetings exchanged, friendships renewed in the glow of the joy that came off Honor and Dmitri.

Unlike the others, Jason felt exposed out here in the sunlight, the unrelieved black of his wings a target, but he didn’t give in to the compulsion to fly up high above the cloud layer, where no one could see him. A minute later, when the winds began to whisper, he listened.

A single word. A name.

Eris.

The only significant Eris Jason knew of was husband to Neha, the three-thousand-year-old archangel the only one in the Cadre who had chosen to follow the mortal ceremony of binding. Eris was also her consort, but he hadn’t been seen in public for some three hundred years. Many believed him dead; however, Jason knew the male lived, imprisoned in a palace inside Neha’s sprawling fort. Except for when he’d attempted to escape early on in his captivity, he had not been physically harmed.

Neha loved Eris too much to hurt him.

It was why she hated him so violently for his betrayal.

Eris.

Sliding into the shadows of the trees that edged Raphael’s property, a welcome respite from the light, Jason took out his cell phone. In earlier centuries, even with his considerable mental abilities, it had taken him days to communicate with his men and women, weeks to gather a single piece of information. Technology made it so much simpler—unlike some angels of old, and though his chosen weapon remained a sword, Jason did not abhor the modern world.

Now, he saw that he had a number of missed calls that must’ve come in during the ceremony, while his phone had been in silent mode. All were from Samira—she was a servant with clearance to work in Neha’s private quarters, and technically his highest-ranking spy in the other archangel’s court, though Jason had his doubts about her continued efficacy. “Samira,” he said when the call was answered. “What has happened?”

“Eris is dead.” A hushed whisper. “Murdered inside his palace.”

“When?”

“I don’t know, but he was found an hour ago. Neha has not left the body. Mahiya is by her side.”
Jason had never spoken to Mahiya, but having done a subtle investigation when Neha first adopted her just over three centuries ago, he knew the princess was of Neha’s bloodline. That relationship was accepted knowledge, but the facts behind it had long been buried. Many in Neha’s own court chose not to remember, not to see the truth—that Mahiya had been born of Nivriti, sister to Neha and dead as long as her child had been alive.

No terrible secret that . . . except if you knew the name of Mahiya’s father.

Eris.

[Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be frankly honest: as much as I love Jason, I found this book a bit boring. It was interesting at first, but then...meh. I loved the two/three scenes we got from Raphael's POV. But Dmitri's was boring as well :O I think I'm too caught in Raphael's web, that I only see and want him...

She wanted to run her finger over the blade of him even if it made her bleed, wanted to dance too close to the flame, wanted to take a risk that could destroy her.

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Paranormal Romance
Series: - Series, Book Five
Love triangle? - No.
Cheating? - No.
HEA? - Yes.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - No.
Rating - 2.5 stars.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable entry. Mahiya turned out to be a very likeable character. It's very easy to respect someone who conquers the near-impossible challenge of being good when the world around you is bad, not breaking with the unending negative around you, staying whole when the world tries its hardest to shatter you.

All in all, very entertaining. I have to say that I will NEVER adjust to the flowery terminology that the author uses in her nigh-PNR sex scenes... honestly, sheathes and hilts and quivering things. Gah.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ "Obsidian" Stars!

I liked this one a lot. The romance is slow in coming, but was definitely worth the wait. There was a good mystery to solve, and we get a few updates on Dmitri and Honor.

Jason's story was so painful. He stole and broke my heart. He was also a BA as you probably suspect. Mahiya was a big surprise. She had some BA in her as well. I liked them both. There was something to be desired in the ending, but I'm hoping we get some updates as the series continues. This world is definitely building on itself. I can't wait to see what comes next. Happy reading!