Angels of Darkness (Alphas, #0.5; Guild Hunter, #3.5; The Guardians, #7.5; Samaria) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jun 17, 2011 Purple rated it did not like it

Shelves: anthology, angels

With anthologies, one can see which author writes better than the rest. And with this one, I'd say Ilona Andrews takes the cake. It's not what I expected from her, judging from her books that I've read, and the only story in the anthology that is exciting and new. I wish there was more of it (and if there are more of that I would find it). The plot was fast and the characters are strong and actually mature.

I'm a fan of Nalini Singh too. But her story felt old to me. She takes a back seat here, f ...more

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Sep 07, 2010 Sandra rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, pnr-uf, shifters, nalini-singh, anthologies, vampires, demons-angels, ilona-andrews, meljean-brook, paperback

Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh ★★★★

Noel the Vampire, recovering from the vicious attack at the refuge, is sent by Raphael to assist the angel Nimra. Nimra holds Louisiana on behalf of Raphael and someone has tried to murder her; she doesn't trust any of her Court.

Noel solves the problem and finds a new purpose, and kittens!

Alphas: Origins by Ilona Andrews ★★★

Whilst IA is one of my fav authors, this story was pretty hard to get into. By the end though, I was fully invested.

Single mother Karina, is ...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Kalynn rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this anthology. All of the stories were very different, but I did find something to like about each one. Three of the four authors were familiar to me and are among my favorites, while Sharon Shinn is a new discovery. My brief take on each story follows:

Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh- I love Nalini Singh's writing, and I enjoyed the story, but it tried to do too much in the short format. The mystery plot of this story has a resolution that I'm not even sure makes sense. It certain I really enjoyed this anthology. All of the stories were very different, but I did find something to like about each one. Three of the four authors were familiar to me and are among my favorites, while Sharon Shinn is a new discovery. My brief take on each story follows:

Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh- I love Nalini Singh's writing, and I enjoyed the story, but it tried to do too much in the short format. The mystery plot of this story has a resolution that I'm not even sure makes sense. It certainly does not seem to fit the logic of the story. The love story between damaged vampire Noel and the angel Nimra, however, is very well done and beautifully written. 3.5 stars.

Alphas: Orgins by Illona Andrews- This was a really cool introduction to a new world with a very compelling story of a mother who finds her own power in tough circumstances. Some of the mythology is still a little vague, but I really hope that Illona and Gordon come back to play in the Alphas universe at some point. Their world building is just awesome, and I think they have some interesting things going on here. I did feel that the hints of romance in the story were a little forced and didn't seem organic, and later I read that this was actually the case and was a result of editorial needs. I believe a romance could develop between the two leads, but it felt too soon in the context of this story. 4 stars.

Nocturne by Sharon Shinn- This was my first Sharon Shinn story, and I think it has convinced me to try one of her novels. The story of a woman on the run and a damaged angel is simple and well told. The descriptions are gorgeous, and the characters are well drawn. It also was well paced for the short format, focusing on one plot. 3.5 stars.

Ascension- The anthology ends on a high note, because Meljean Brook is so freaking good at writing these novella length stories. I loved this story about a romance between 2 guardians looking into a troubled town. The pacing is perfect. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is that the central problem relies slightly on a misunderstanding that feels a little contrived. The issues, themselves seem real, but the 150 year old misunderstanding sounds a rare false note. Despite this fact, this is my favorite story of the bunch. 4.5 stars
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Nov 30, 2011 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: nalini-singh, ilona-andrews, anthologies, meljean-brook, read-in-2013, sharon-shinn

A thoroughly enjoyable anthology, I adore the writing of both Nalini and Ilona so I was excited about this one. I have read Nalini' s tale before but it was still enjoyable second time around. Sharon was a new to me author but I will be looking out for her on my next shopping spree, I loved the world she created and the characters drew me in. I hope there are more stories set in this world. ...more

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Sep 19, 2025 Midu Hadi marked it as to-read

Shelves: reviewed, series-completion-in-progress, guild-hunter-series

Angel's Wolf
Wounded vampire Noel is sent to help Angel Nimra with a problem. He feels nothing... until he sees her. Now, he's tasked with finding the assassin who tried to kill her, and his unfeeling heart is on the line.

Thoughts on the Series
A formulaic series with HEAs. It can get violent and dark though, but it can also get repetitive. I'd suggest spacing out the books--and there are a lot of them--for days when you need a certain happy ending.

Book 1 review here ...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Shay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: one-story-anthology

I've only read Ilona Andrews's story 'Alphas: Origins'
AND IT WAS DEVINE!

They better keep writing this into a series, b/c this little teaser got my really interested.

GO READ! ...more

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