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