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Angels of Darkness
Angels of Darkness
Angels of Darkness
Audiobook10 hours

Angels of Darkness

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

They soar through the night, unearthly creatures of legends and lore. Three masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance explore the rapture of the heavens above, and the darkness below in three all-new stories of angels and guardians, and good and evil.

Bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her Guild Hunter universe to tell the story of vampire Noel, and Sharon Shinn returns to her Samaria series to tell the story of a blind angel and the woman helps him-even though she hates and fears angels. Hear these stories and an all-new novella from New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews in this exciting collection sure to delight fans of the paranormal.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 4, 2011
ISBN9781452673578
Angels of Darkness
Author

Ilona Andrews

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team, Gordon and Ilona. They currently reside in Texas with their two children and numerous dogs and cats. The couple are the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors of the Kate Daniels and Kate Daniels World novels as well as The Edge and Hidden Legacy series. They also write the Innkeeper Chronicles series, which they post as a free weekly serial. For a complete list of their books, fun extras, and Innkeeper installments, please visit their website at http://www.ilona-andrews.com/.

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Reviews for Angels of Darkness

Rating: 3.8881578315789476 out of 5 stars
4/5

152 ratings12 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This review is only for Angel's Wolf. I haven't read the other authors yet and don't want to be spoiled!

    Loved Nimra and Noel. A very sweet romance. Both are deliciously tortured souls who find peace and love with each other. Made me want to get on a plane to LA right away. I enjoyed the different characters of Nimra's court. I wonder if Midnight will make an appearance in later books? It sounds like a scary potion.

    Curious about the other stories in the anthology. My TBR list just got a lot longer!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I only read Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter (#3.5) story "Angel's Wolf" so far. I tend to dislike angel stories but after two friends rec'd Singh's books, I decided to check her out. Im quite impressed with the writing; her intriguing characters, pacing, and overall world/alternate universe, what have you...it sucked me in even though this novella was just a peek into the series. I hope to read the other stories in this anthology, but for now Ill rate and mark this as read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Only read Ilona Andrews' Alphas.

    Hmm. I'm torn. The first half of the story gets a tepid 3 from me, while the second half gets a solid 4. This short story had the potential of being an awesome full-length novel, so I'm kinda sad that the premise was "wasted".

    The world the Andrews' created is cool and had there been more time to see it develop, rather than have major info-dumps to explain its complexity, this could easily have been the first book of a series/trilogy. Too bad, so sad, cuz I would have signed up for that asap. 

    The characters were interesting, but again, being that it's a short story, there wasn't time to explore them in-depth and really bring them to life. Where the authors never disappoint, is in writing likable MC's. Never a dull or weak heroine in sight when reading anything from the Andrews'. All the characters had interesting facets and/or abilities. I was fascinated by the possibilities and simultaneously disappointed that I wouldn't get to read more. Why you no make this a novel, Ilona?

    The first half was a little tough, because I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story where many interesting things had happened and I was required to quickly catch up so I could understand all the interesting things that were now happening. Many of these things made me think, "That's really interesting and unique, but why?" Everything felt rushed and fell short and that's a shame. The second half was easier, because the action picked up and because I had more info to go on. 

    Despite its shortcomings, this short still managed to entertain, but after thinking it through, I'm not torn on how to rate it. It was chock-full of thwarted potential. Though I wish the authors would expand on it, I'm inclined to think that it's not gonna happen, because this short had so much in it that it'd be a spoiler for any follow-up - but then again, what do I know? I do feel slightly robbed. Had I gotten more, this could have been a new favorite of mine. Worthwhile read despite my gripes, because the Andrews' are just that good and because my biggest gripe is that I wanted more. 
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Four angel themed stories with some set in well established universes. Only one of the stories angel theme was faint with the rest having the angels front and center to the plot. I liked 3 out of 4 of the stories and only one wasn't my cup of tea. The Shinn story universe was interesting enough that I have requested the first one from the library to give it a whirl. I did like the Singh story since it is set in her Archangel series but doesn't deal with any of the regular characters so it is a nice taste of the series without having to commit to several books.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh
    5 stars
    I have read the Guild Hunter series so know the world well. I liked the story and the characters but the relationship was a little stilted by power issues. Still the story was pretty well fleshed out for a novella. Even the characters and their problems were well drawn. It was a great addition to the series.

    Alpha: Origins by Ilona Andrews
    4 1/2 stars
    This was a new world for me also. At first I thought it might be part of the Edge series but very quickly discovered it was something else. It was definitely something else, something between a science fiction and fantasy story but you don't get to that until well into the story. Until the explanation, you just think of grotesque shape shifters and indentured servitude. It was definitely grittier than the other novellas

    Nocture by Sharon Shinn
    4 1/2 stars
    This one starts really slowly. She is a cook at a school and he is a blinded angel who lives secretly in the mansion apart from the school. I really like the play between the two characters when it finally starts. The big problem is you never get to understand the world, who are the angels and how do they interact with the world. It sounds like they have a short life span compared to other angel novels but you never even learn that. Even not having an idea of the world and how the species interact, I still liked the relationship between the two characters probably the best of all the novellas.

    Ascension by Meljean Brooks
    4 1/2 stars
    I liked the chemistry between the two characters. Not knowing the world, I was a little lost but seemed to catch up. I think I would like to try this series out after reading it. The story was great for a short and well explained. The relationship is well fleshed out and since they were coming from a past relationship, pretty believable.

    As an anthology of novellas goes, this is one of the best with all the stories being good. Ascension, Angel's Wolf, and Nocturne, being more romance and Alpha: Origins being more a UF something else.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think this is the first anthology I've ever read where all four of the stories were just awesome. Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh was the story of Noel, the vampire who was hurt so badly at the Refuge, and the angel Nimra, who oversees Rafael's territory around Louisiana. I absolutely love the Guild Hunter series, and this story was an excellent addition. Noel is assigned to assist Nimra in any way he can to find out who tried to assassinate her. While hunting down the would be killer, the two of them draw closer together and help heal each other's hurts. Naturally, they fall in love. Ohhhh, I can't wait for the next book to come out.

    Next was Alphas:Origins by Ilona Andrews. I have to confess that I haven't read anythign by Ilona Andrews before. Shameful, I know. But after reading this story, I am hooked. Karina and Lucas are the two main characters, but I have to admit I was fascinated by all of the characters in the story. The whole thing kind of reminded me of the movie Hellboy, which I love.

    Next was Nocturne by Sharon Shinn. This was the story of a wounded angel and his angel of mercy who shows him the way back to health and happiness. It was really good too, not on the same level with the first two, but it definitely kept my interest.

    Lastly, there was Ascension by Meljean Brook. This story was set in the world of the Guardians, and was the story of Marc and Radha. Who knew blue skin could be so sexy?

    Overall I'm giving this 5 stars because it was outstanding all the way around. And I'm definitely going to be reading some Ilona Andrews in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved this anthology, though hate that it just amped up my anticipation for more Guild Hunters and an Alphas book. I had read and re-read the Alphas snippets on Andrews blog before they were taken down, which made it all the more fascinating to see them stitched into a short story (they made Lucas do way to much 'splainin', but I loved it anyway). Shinn's short story reminded me why I love her books, and Brook's addition reminded me that I really need to read The Guardians series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Only read the Ilona Andrews and Nalini Singh stories... both very good.

    The Ilona Andrews story (Alphas: Origins) seem to be the beginning of a new series.

    The Nalini Singh story (Angel's Wolf) is set in the Guild Hunters world.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Four tales of angels and their lovers...In Angel's Wolf by Naomi Singh, a broken vampire finds new purpose and new perspective as he hunts an attempted murderer in the court of the ruler of Louisiana.Kidnapped and forced into servitude as a blood slave in a war that spans centuries and alternate splinters of Earth, Karina Tucker finds her destiny - and her man - in Ilona Andrews Alphas: Origins. No sign of Kate Daniel's Atlanta or the Edge here, but it doesn't disappoint.Sharon Shinn's Nocturne brings a troublemaker on the run and a broken, blinded angel together. Told in her subtle, inimitable style, this one's worth the price of admission. And finally, Meljean Brooks' Ascension takes readers to small town Illinois to reunite two guardian angels suffering from star-crossed love in the course of a search for a demon. Love the end on this one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I didn't listen to the Sharon Shinn story. I may get to it another time but I haven't read any of this author's work before and am not familiar with the world building and I really only wanted this anthology for the 2 books I listened to.Angel's Wolf by Nalini Singh narrated by Justine Eyre - C . Great story (B for story alone) but the narrator bothered me by mispronouncing the hero's name throughout the book. As his name appears often, it was a problem. His name is not No-El like the Christmas carol. It's Noel and it rhymes with bowl. Otherwise, it was nice to see what happened to the vampire who was severely injured in the Refuge during the course of Archangel's Kiss. He finds love in Louisiana with the angel Nimra.Alphas by Ilona Andrews, narrated by Renee Raudman- B A really different story with an excellent narrator. I hear that the Andrews' had to change up the story a bit and give it a HEA/HFN because it was in a romance anthology and it was originally conceived to be much darker. I liked it as it was I must say - it was quite dark enough for me! And HEA/HFN's are really a requirement for me as well. Still, it was dark and different and interesting and I'd like to read/listen to more of this world. I really enjoy Renee Raudman as a narrator and with the combination of these authors and her voice, I was happy to go in blind otherwise. It's kind of hard to describe the story - "normal" mom gets transported into a parallel universe (kind of) with her daughter and is suddenly food for a beast - and he's the hero! Like I said - different, but I really liked it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book is 4 novellas. I've given it a 3-star rating because 3 out of the 4 were- in my opinion- pretty boring.I did really LOVE Sharon Shinn's contribution- it was smart and sexy and enticing. it gets a 5-star.I cannot say the same for the others. I am not a big fan of the ALPHA MALE!!!!, so the first 2 did not appeal, and i found them pretty boring. The 4th just didn't seem to work well plot-wise, to someone who is not familiar with what seemed to be a known world.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyAngel's Wolf by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter #4.5)Guild Hunter fans will recognize the hero from this story. Noel was the vampire in ARCHANGEL’S KISS who was brutally beaten to the point where virtually all the bones in his body were crushed. After an agonizing recovery, he is sent to Louisiana and the smoldering but heartless angel Nimra. A failed attempt on her life has cast the loyalty of all Nimra’s court in question, and Noel is sent to discover the traitor, while under the guise of Nimra’s latest toy. Essentially, Angel’s Wolf is a mystery. Noel investigates the court, comparing stories, and interviewing suspects during the day while growing closer, emotionally and physically, to Nimra at night. The chemistry was lacking between these two for me and even though the writing and mythology is as good as ever, I was a bit bored by the story. Noel was by far the more interesting character, but it felt like he warmed up to Nimra much too fast—even for a novella—than he should have given his traumatic past. The Guild Hunter series is a great one and I’m still a big fan, but this was probably the weakest installment I’ve read.Sexual Content: A scene of sensuality. References to sex. Rating: 2/5Alphas: Origins by Ilona Andrews (Alphas series)I would never have guessed this was an Ilona Andrews story. Alphas: Origins has a very different feel and writing style from either the Kate Daniels or Edge series. It feels a little less polished, less sharp, than those series. The story involves a young mother and her daughter accidently winding up captors to four very alpha males ensnared in a millennia old war between beings who seek to destroy humanity. To ensure her daughter’s safety, Karina agrees to become the slave of Lucas, a shapeshifting warrior who needs her blood to survive. The writing wasn’t as slick as I’m used to from Ilona Andrews, and initially, I was hung up on the writing style differences, but the storyline and uber alpha male characters, which reminded me of old school Linda Howard romances, quickly picked up the slack. The mythology was outlandish but fun, and the character of Lucas suitably tortured and aggressive. I’ll be looking forward to more Alpha books in the future.Sexual Content: Reference to sex and rape. Kissing. Rating: 3/5Nocturne by Sharon Shinn (Samaria series)This story occurs chronologically about 70 years after ARCHANGEL (Samaria #1). A woman has run from a murky past and taken a position at an exclusive boarding school when she comes across an injured angel hiding on the grounds. She begins visiting him and helping him learn to fly again. The writing is understated and quite good. The romantic relationship is not immediately evident and both the woman and the angel have a lot of personal baggage to deal with before looking at each other. This was my first Sharon Shinn story, but it won’t be my last. Her writing feels more like magical realism than the other stories in this anthology. The pacing isn’t aggressive, but the story and characters gently wooed me until I was completely invested in Nocturne. This isn’t a flashy story, but it is a memorable one.Sexual Content: References to rape. A non graphic sex scene. Rating: 4/5Ascension by Meljean Brook (The Guardians #7.5)I’m not as familiar with The Guardian series as I’d like having only read a few other novellas previously, but Meljean’s engaging and romantic style has won me over in everything else I’ve read from her. I’m not knocking the mythology here, but newbies to the series might feel a bit lost if this is their first Guardian story. The story reunites two Guardian lovers whose romance ended badly more than a century ago. They team up to track down a demon responsible for the deaths of several high school students. Mostly, the romance deals with overcoming the way this couple broke up originally. My big problem stemmed from the fact that Radha initially pursued Marc even knowing that he’d taken a vow of celibacy and experienced severe guilt over his attraction to her. It struck me as callous on her part and then selfish when she got mad watching as he was overcome by guilt after they had sex. I never believed that she cared about him beyond the sex. In my mind, if she truly loved him, she would have waited for him to sort out his beliefs before seducing him. Sexual Content: A scene of sensuality. Rating: 2/5