Archangel’s Shadows by Nalini Singh (UK edition)

Title: Archangel’s Shadows (A Guild Hunter Novel, 7)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz (6th November 2014)
Blurb:

Return to New York Times best-selling author Nalini Singh’s sensual and painfully beautiful Guild Hunter world, and a new novel about sacrifice, loyalty, and the choices of love that can shatter the heart.

In the wake of a brutal war, the archangel Raphael and his hunter consort, Elena, are dealing with the treacherously shifting tides of archangelic politics and the people of a battered but not broken city. The last thing their city needs is more death, especially not death that bears the eerie signature of an insane enemy archangel who cannot – should not – be walking the streets.

This hunt must be undertaken with stealth and without alerting their people. It must be handled by those who can become shadows themselves . . .

Ash is a gifted tracker and a woman cursed with the ability to sense the secrets of anyone she touches. But there’s one man she knows all too well without a single instant of skin contact: Janvier, the dangerously sexy Cajun vampire who has fascinated and infuriated her for years. Now, as they track down a merciless killer, their cat-and-mouse game of flirtation and provocation has turned into a profound one of the heart. And this time, it is Ash’s secret, dark and terrible, that threatens to destroy them both.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

ARCHANGEL’S SHADOWS is the seventh addition to Nalini Singh’s brilliant GUILD HUNTER series. The book is split into two main plots – the fallout from the events of the previous book in the series, and the hunt to find and destroy the monster bringing death to the recovering New York City.

As the seventh book in the series, ARCHANGEL’S SHADOWS builds brilliantly on the over-arching storyline of the series. It also superbly tells the story of Ash and Janvier, and their hunt to find the monster that is haunting New York city. I really liked the fact that Singh split the book between these two storylines, although there is occasional overlap. By splitting the book this way Singh gives an idea of the overall picture of what is going on at this particular time in the GUILD HUNTER world. And a lot is going on.

Having read/heard about about Ash and Janvier in previous books in the series, I was really glad that they finally got their own book. They had been appearing in the background, and appeared in a short story, so I’m glad Singh felt it was time to reveal their story. Their interactions were fun to read, and although their narrative was primarily from Ash’s point of view it was nice to get occasional glimpses from Janvier’s point of view. Ash’s dark and terrible secret, was an interesting one and I really liked the way Singh handled it – the hints, and the reveal. I also really liked the investigation of who – what – the monster was and what it meant. Singh laid some good hints and teases, and I never guessed what was actually going on.

The politics side of the book, that tied in with the overall series storyline, was also quite interesting. It also meant that familiar characters got to return like Elena and Raphael, as well as Dmitri, and several other familiar faces. It was nice to see them, and I actually liked the fact that despite the hunt and romance we got to see what was going on behind the scenes, so to speak. There is a lot going on in this book, and as such it is an engrossing read – I found it hard to put the book down, and ended up reading in about a day. If you are a fan of the GUILD HUNTER series, then you will surely enjoy the additIon of ARCHANGEL’S SHADOWS.