Paranormal Romance Month Review: Ashes of Angels by Michele Hauf (Of Angels and Demons #3)

Publisher - Mills and Boon
Publication Date - 19th August 2011
Paperback - 336 pages
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Purchased

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - Cassandra knows her dark destiny. She is a muse, who will one day be sought by a Fallen angel, to be the mother of his nephilim child - a fate that will destroy her.

Samandiriel walks alone amongst his Fallen brethren. He refuses to use mortal females as vessels for his evil offspring. He's determined to protect them. But now he's been summoned to capture a muse, Cassandra, against his will.

Together Sam and Cassandra must fight to keep her alive and to prevent the Fallen from achieving their sinister goals. Cassandra trusts Sam, but he can't trust his own compulsion to mate with her. Can they stop the apocalypse before Sam's desire overtakes him?

My Thoughts - Once again I really enjoyed entering the world created by Michele Hauf. I love how she always keeps the line blurred between good and evil, keeping the reader on their toes.

In this instalment of the series, Sam, the Fallen angel, is not the evil being that he is supposed to be. He has found his Muse, Cassandra, but he has no intention of impregnating her. Instead, he wants to make amends with God and return to Above. So he plans on killing all the Fallen angels and vampires that he comes across. I liked the character of Sam. He is honest and fearless, whilst having an innocence that is endearing. He speaks in a way that is very old-fashioned, making it easy for the reader to believe he has been around for centuries.

I found Cassandra to be a bit confusing at times. She is a likeable enough character but I found her actions to be pretty inconsistent. She is a Muse - a human who is destined to bear the child of an angel. But this is not a destiny that any woman would want. The nephilim that is produced is a monster. A giant who kills the mother shortly after its birth, and then goes on to consume large amounts of human blood and flesh. Unlike the other Muse's  so far in the series, Cassandra actually knows about the existence of angels and demons, and about her destiny. Her grandmother has taught her everything she needs to know about her rather unique situation, and she has grown up thinking that Fallen angels are the ultimate in evil. However, when she catches sight of the gorgeous Sam, she instantly forgets all that and starts throwing herself at him. I just found this to be slightly frustrating considering the fact that in other ways she is so fearless and has a strong sense of doing what is right no matter what the consequences.

The pace of the story moves along nicely and there is a good balance between the action and the romance elements. There is also the introduction of other characters, such as Cassandra's sister, Coco, and her vampire boyfriend, Zane, to add more depth to the story.

Summary - Although this isn't my favourite book of the series, it was still a fun and entertaining read. I love the world that the author has created and I will definitely be reading more of her books in the near future.

Other books in this series:
1. Angel Slayer
2. Fallen
2.5. The Ninja Vampire's Girl
3. Ashes of Angels

Other reviews of this book:
Paranormal Haven / The Romanceaholic

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #7 for 2012 Speculative Romance Reading Challenge
Book #5 for 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Book #11 for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Paranormal Romance Month Review: The Ninja Vampire's Girl by Michele Hauf (Of Angels and Demons #2.5)

Publisher - Mills and Boon
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Purchased

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it


Book Info - Coco Stevens has a taste for adventure - enough to risk stealing a halo from a Fallen angel to help her sister. But she never imagined her mission would land her in the arms of a scarred - but still dangerously sexy - vampire.

Zane is on his own quest to hunt a Fallen angel, and will do whatever it takes to win... including bite the interfering Coco. Even if it joins them by an erotic bond that warms both vampire and mortal's blood with desire...

My Thoughts - This is a very short novella that is included in the UK edition of Ashes and Angels (book three in the series). It is only around 50 pages long, so this is likely to be just a quick review.

I liked both of the characters in this novel, although I had already met them before whilst reading Ashes of Angels (I read them out of order). Coco is a strong character who is very protective of her sister, who is the muse in book three of the series. She has gone to find a halo for her sister to use as a weapon in case a Fallen angel should ever find her, but she meets up with the vampire, Zane. He is a very sexy vampire and it was easy to fall a little bit in love with him. However, because the novella is so short I didn't really feel as though I learnt as much as I would have liked about the characters. At the end they were still a bit of a mystery to me.

There is a good balance between romance and action in this novella, but the background story was lacking slightly, most likely because of the length of it. There was not much explanation of the world in which these characters live and so I think this should only really be read as part of the series. But, as part of the series, this is a fun, sexy and quick read that I would highly recommend.

Summary - A quick read that I managed in one sitting, and that I enjoyed a lot. It is full of romance and action and is a must-read for fans of Michele Hauf's work.

Other books in the series:
1. Angel Slayer
2. Fallen
2.5. The Ninja Vampire's Girl
3. Ashes of Angels

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #8 for 2012 Speculative Romance Reading Challenge
Book #12 for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Paranormal Romance Month Review: Fallen by Michele Hauf (Of Angels and Demons #2)

Publisher - Mills and Boon
Publication Date - 20th May 2011
Paperback - 336 pages
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Purchased

Rating - 4 out of 5: I really liked it

Book Info - He fell because he loved mankind. It cost him his soul. Now Cooper seeks his halo, his only to chance to regain what he lost. But wherever the Fallen walk, a Sinistari demon is not far behind; their only task is to slay the earthbound angels. Pyxion stalks Cooper. When she kills an angel, she can claim her own soul. His death will be her chance at redemption. Yet Cooper's first encounter with the Sinistari leaves him hungering for more. And Pyx finds herself drawn desperately, sensually towards Cooper. With a vampire trailing both of them, relying on each other could be their best hope of survival - but they cannot give in to their lust or they'll both be doomed.

My Thoughts - This book is not what I expected and as a result I found that I ejoyed it a lot more than the first book in the series. Most PNR series that I read tend to follow a basic formula, so I was expecting this book to roughly follow the same formula as the first book - fallen angel is the ultimate bad guy out to destroy mankind, demon sent to protect the human woman the fallen angel wants to impregnate, demon and human woman fall in love while taking down the bad guy. But the author mixed it up a lot and I really enjoyed reading Fallen.

Cooper (the fallen angel) is not a bad guy. When he was working up in heaven he was an angel warrior who would basically smite anybody he was told to by the archangels. He fell because he didn't want to kill people anymore and this would give him a chance to make a choice about what he wants to do with his life. Plus he has absolutely no intention of finding his muse - the human woman that he is destined to impregnate to produce a blood-drinking, flesh-eating nephilim. He breaks all the rules for a fallen angel and I absolutely loved this about him. He is just a good guy who is trying to fight his destiny.

Pyxion, or Pyx as she likes to be known, is also a very intruiging character. When she is called from Beneath to track the fallen angel she has a sexual identity crisis. In Beneath the Sinistari demons are all sexless but she has always believed herself to be male like all the other demons - so imagine her surprise when she realises that she has been given the body of a female on earth. I must admit that I wasn't sure what to make of this at first, especially when she feels an attraction to Cooper and still thinks of herself as male, but I soon got used to it as Pyx became more comfortable in her female body and starts to think of herself as a woman. And I loved watching her as she got used to all the things that are involved with being a woman - shopping, nice clothes, make up etc. It gave her a sense of vulnerability which I found really endearing. Although what I loved most about her is the fact that she is completely kick-ass. She loves nothing more than spending an evening ridding the world of vampires and she is just completely fearless.

The romance aspect between Cooper and Pyx was really sweet. They are both outcasts amongst their own kind and they are just looking for a place to belong. And it is obvious that they feel most comfortable with each other and that they want to find a place to belong together. There is a lot of chemistry between the two of them but I could also feel a much deeper connection between them which I loved.

I also felt as though there is a much better balance between all the elements in this novel - romance, action, suspense - and as a result it flowed a lot better than the first book in the series. I read the book in just one day and I literally could not put it down.

Summary - A great paranormal romance that questions everything we believe in the genre. With likeable characters, great world-building and a steamy romance this book is a must-read for all fans of paranormal romance.

Other books in this series:
1. Angel Slayer
2. Fallen
3. Ashes of Angels

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #4 for 2012 Speculative Romance Reading Challenge
Book #3 for 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Book #8 for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

Paranormal Romance Month Review: Angel Slayer by Michele Hauf (Of Angels and Demons #1)

Publisher - Mills and Boon
Publication Date - 18th March 2011
Paperback - 368 pages
Genre - Paranormal Romance

Source - Purchased

Rating - 3 out of 5: I liked it

Book Info - All her life Eden Campbell had dreamed of angels…but none that she painted was like the fallen angel who attacked her. A muse, Eden was now to bear her attacker's offspring—one who promised the apocalypse and foretold her death. Where else could she turn but into the arms of a mesmerizingly handsome angel slayer? But Ashur's protection came with a price.

The dark, dangerous and oh-so-sexy slayer tormented her, made her remember how long it'd been since she'd had a man. But Ashur was no man, and no angel. He was a demon. Called from Beneath to slay her attacker, he could commit every sin but couldn't fall in love. And that was the one thing Eden wanted from him. How could she choose between a death sentence or a life without Ashur?

My Thoughts - I am a big fan of paranormal romance novels about angels and, although this book really changes things up with regards to angels and demons, this book was no exception. Ms. Hauf portrays angels in a way that is completely different from any I have read about before. The angels that Eden dreams about - and paints in her pictures - are very steampunky, and I loved reading the descriptions of these angels. Here is a quote of Eden explaining one of her pictures:

"Hence, her titanium angel with Steampunk-geared wings of binary code. Its face was hollow, exposing honeycomb bone, and silver filaments sprouted on the skull. A halo spun like the rings of Saturn at the back of its head."

Certainly not how angels are usually thought of!

And I absolutely fell in love with Ashur, the demon who is brought to earth to kill the Fallen angel who is after Eden. He is a demon with a softer side - although he would probably kill anybody who dared to suggest that! He has just been released from Beneath after being tortured there for a thousand years as a punishment for falling in love on his last trip to earth. And it is this ability of his to fall in love with a woman, despite what he is and everything that he has done, that really endeared him to me. And I just loved his innocence! The world has changed a lot since he last visited a thousand years ago and it was a lot of fun to view our world through his eyes as he learns all about life as it is now.

I enjoyed entering the world that the author has created and learning about angels and demons as she sees them. The storyline was also fresh and unique in a genre that has become very popular lately. However, there were some parts of the story that moved pretty slowly as Ashur seemed intent on hiding Eden away from the Fallen angel, resulting in a lack of action for fairly large portions of the book.

I also had some problems with the romance aspect of the novel. There was definitely chemistry between the two of them, but to me it just felt more like lust rather than any deeper connection. Don't get me wrong, a romance novel wouldn't be the same without a good dose of lust, but I just felt as though there could have been something more between them.

Summary - A promising start to the Of Angels and Demons series with loveable characters set in an intruiging world. Despite my reservations about the pacing of the novel and the connection between the two main characters, I still really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to entering this seductive new world again soon.

Other books in this series:
1. Angel Slayer
2. Fallen
3. Ashes of Angels

Other reviews of this book:
Bitten by Books / CataRomance

This book counts towards the following challenges:
Book #3 for 2012 Speculative Romance Reading Challenge
Book #1 for 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Book #5 for 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge