Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh

Title: Archangel’s Heart (Guild Hunter, 9)
Author: Nalini Singh
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher:  Gollancz (3rd November 2016)
Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us back into a dangerous and exhilarating world where a deadly, beautiful archangel and his once-mortal consort are caught in a fury of twisted darkness . . .

One of the most vicious archangels in the world has disappeared. No one knows if Lijuan is dead or has chosen to Sleep the long sleep of an immortal. But with her lands falling into chaos under a rising tide of vampiric bloodlust, a mysterious and ancient order of angels known as the Luminata calls the entire Cadre together to discuss the fate of her territory.

Accompanying her archangel lover Raphael to the Luminata compound, Guild Hunter-truned-angel Elena senses that all is not as it seems. Secrets echo from within the stone walls of the compound, and the deeper Elena goes, the uglier the darkness. But neither Raphael nor Elena is ready for the brutal truths hidden within – truths that will change everything Elena thinks she knows about who she is . . .

Nothing will ever be the same again.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Review:

ARCHANGEL’S HEART is the ninth book in Nalini Singh’s sumptuous Guild Hunter series. In this instalment of the series Singh returns to Elena and Raphael. Lijuan, one of the most vicious archangels, has disappeared and no one knows if she is dead or has chosen to Sleep. What they do know is that her lands are falling into chaos, and the vampires she once held under rigid control are falling to a rising tide of bloodlust. Things are still somewhat under control but the Luminata, a mysterious and ancient order of angels, have decided that it’s past time the Cadre step up and discuss the fate of Lijuan’s territory.

I have a confession to make, I hadn’t realised this book was out. ARCHANGEL’S HEART had totally slipped under my radar, but once I saw it I had to get it. The Guild Hunter series is one I enjoy, particularly when the story focuses on Elena and Raphael – I have something of a soft spot for them. I devoured this book in a day. It was everything I wanted and hoped for from a book in this series. Singh has found a formula that works well and she sticks to it in this book, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of ARCHANGEL’S HEART in the slightest.

As I’ve already said, this book focuses on Elena and Raphael which means that we also got to glimpse a bit more of the formidable Cadre. It was interesting to see them working together and trying to come to an agreement – and actually, it was interesting to see them united in the same goal, working out what to do about Lijuan. The return of the Cadre also meant the return of some familiar faces in the form of Elena and Raphael’s friends who are linked to it, which was nice.

As much as the plot of this book revolves around Elena and Raphael, and the Cadre, it also deals with the mysterious angelic order called Luminata. When I first read the blurb I will admit that my thoughts first drifted towards Illumininati. I thought the Luminata was an interesting set-up; an order powerful enough to have some form of oversight on the Cadre intrigued me. The plot Singh wove around the organisation was an interesting and complex one, it was also pretty disturbing and there are definitely some real-life comparisons that could be made. However, the presence of the Luminata did introduce some interesting characters that I hope will make appearances in future books in the series – maybe even have books of their own.