The Angel Wore Fangs - Sandra Hill (Avon - June 2016)

Series: Deadly Angels (Book 7)

A Viking vangel’s otherworldly mission pairs him with a beautiful chef who whets his thousand-year-old appetite . . .

Once guilty of the deadly sin of gluttony, thousand-year-old Viking vampire angel Cnut Sigurdsson is now a lean, mean, vampire-devil fighting machine. His new side-job? No biggie: just ridding the world of a threat called ISIS while keeping the evil Lucipires (demon vampires) at bay. So when chef Andrea Stewart hires him to rescue her sister from a cult recruiting terrorists at a Montana dude ranch, vangel turns cowboy. Yeehaw!

The too-tempting mortal insists on accompanying him, surprising Cnut with her bravery at every turn. But with terrorists stalking the ranch in demonoid form, Cnut teletransports Andrea and himself out of danger -- accidentally into the tenth-century Norselands. Suddenly, they have to find their way back to the future to save her family and the world . . . and to satisfy their insatiable attraction.

Good book. Cnut is the last of the brothers to have his story told. Each of the brothers was guilty of embodying one of the seven deadly sins. Cnut's was gluttony. The story starts in 850 AD, with Cnut showing just how far he has fallen. He weighs more than 400 pounds, constantly eats even though his lands are suffering a famine and his people are starving to death. He also overindulges in drink, sex, gathering wealth, anything that can be done to excess. Then the Archangel Michael shows up to let Cnut know just how much trouble he is in, but also giving him a chance for redemption. All it takes is becoming a vampire angel in God's fight against evil. Though he might have wanted to reconsider after Michael's first decree is "you're going on a diet."

A thousand years later, Cnut is a lean, mean fighting machine who has been tagged with defeating ISIS and the Lucipires that egg them on. He just isn't sure how to start, until a woman arrives at his security agency, looking for help getting her sister away from a Montana cult that is recruiting for those same terrorists. Andrea is a pastry chef who has spent her entire life watching out for her beautiful but flaky younger sister. However, this escapade is the worst she's had to deal with, and she's grateful for the help of the sinfully sexy man. Not so grateful, though, that she's willing to stay behind.

There are sparks between Cnut and Andrea from the moment they met, sparks that neither wants to admit to. Those sparks lead Cnut to take Andrea with him to Montana, even though he's sure that it's a bad idea. I loved Andrea's determination and refusal to back down, even though she knows she's out of her depth. Their trip to Montana was pretty funny, with her nerves making her chatter and getting on Cnut's nerves. His forebodings are borne out when they arrive to find the place apparently deserted except for some puddles of slime - until he spots hordes of lucipires converging on the lodge. The only way to escape is to teletransport out of there, but something goes wrong, and they end up back in Cnut's homeplace and time.

I really enjoyed this part of the book, as Cnut is forced to face his past and poor example of a man he had been. Unable to contact his brothers or Michael, he realizes that maybe he is meant to make amends for the sins of his past. I ached for him because even though he is so different in looks and behavior now, he still sees himself as the fat glutton and selfish bastard that he used to be. Andrea has her own self-esteem issues after years of comparing herself to her beautiful and vivacious younger sister. Both of them have some interesting and amusing inner dialogs wondering what the other sees in them. I liked the way that they grew closer as they worked together, and understood each other's fears. The heat that grows between them is explosive and when they finally give in their connection is undeniable. I loved seeing the trust that makes it happen.

I loved the way that Andrea took her arrival in the past in stride, once she got over the shock. She's determined to help Cnut save his people from starvation, and I enjoyed seeing her team up with the castle cook to do it. There are some terrific cooking scenes -- soup! turnips! -- and I loved the use of menus at the beginning of some of the chapters. There are also some really funny insertions of modern life into Viking times, such as "Save a longship - Ride a Viking!" and teaching Viking women about birth control.

It's not all fun times though, as Cnut discovers that there are lucipires lurking in the woods around his home. Though easily dealing with those he finds, there's more to come. A woman from his past unexpectedly appears, bringing trouble with her. It was interesting to see him try to deal with her when all he wants is to be with Andrea. It doesn't help things that the woman and her traveling companions all carry the scent of rancid lemons, a sure sign that the lucipires have struck. This is confirmed by the unexpected arrival of Zebulon who has been given direct orders by Jasper regarding Cnut. There's a great deal of angst as Cnut tries to do the right thing as he sees it and still protect Andrea. I ached for him as things don't go the way he expected and the guilt tears at him. I had a hard time liking Michael at this point. Though things ended well for the vangels, poor Zeb is left to face the music. I can't wait to read his book, as he surely deserves to have his own happy ending.

Even Vampires Get the Blues - Sandra Hill (Avon - Aug 2015)

Series: Deadly Angels (Book 6)

A Viking vangel's otherworldly mission teams him with a Navy SEAL who's more than his match -- she's his predestined mate . . .

The fact that vampire angel Harek Sigurdsson was a Norseman in his mortal life doesn't make thawing out after exile in Siberia any easier. But things heat up when his search for evil Lucipires connects him with Camille Dumaine, a human who thrums with sensual energy that can mean only one thing: she's the mate Harek's been seeking for centuries . . .

The SEALs call her "Camo" for her ability to blend into a crowd -- yet Harek's intense blue gaze singles Camille out like a white-hot spotlight. The security wiz was hired to help bring down a ruthless band of international kidnappers, but Camille senses an unspoken agenda -- besides Harek's bold declaration that she's his "destiny." Just Camille's luck that the sexiest man she's ever met may also be . . . a vampire!

 A fun addition to the series. It opens with Harek in his own time of 850 AD. One of seven Viking brothers, Harek is the merchant of the family, whose greatest pleasure is accumulating wealth in any way that he can. It doesn't matter how much he has, it is never enough. He has just dipped his toes in the business of buying and selling people when he gets a visit from Archangel Michael who lets him know that he's finally crossed the line. All is not lost when he is given the option of repenting and going to work for Michael as a Viking vampire angel, or vangel.

I liked Harek. He's super-smart, confident, with a bit of rebel that remains a part of him. He has adapted pretty well to modern day and is quite the wiz with computers. He still likes the better things in life, which regularly gets him into trouble with Michael, and banished to Siberia while he contemplates his mistakes. He is called out of his banishment when his talents are needed in a joint mission to stop terrorists and Lucipires (Satan's vampires) from kidnapping young girls into slavery. He is sent to work with a joint force, including a female SEAL named Camille.

Camille is a young woman from a prominent New Orleans family. She has chosen to take a different path than her parents and brother, who are highly regarded academics, instead devoting her life to her military career. She has made her place in the teams with her ability to go undercover. She's tough and scrappy on the outside but has a well-hidden center that would like to be loved.

The initial meeting between Harek and Camille doesn't go particularly well. He thinks she's unattractive and pushy, she thinks he's vain and over-moussed. But there is also an unexpected and unwanted zing of attraction that hits them both as soon as they shake hands. It's the kind of zing that tells Harek that Camille is his life-mate, something that completely freaks him out. It also messes with his mind, and he finds himself offering to go with her to her brother's wedding in New Orleans. It was great fun to see the two of them trying so hard to resist each other and failing miserably. The chemistry between them was explosive when they finally gave in to it. It's not an easy relationship, as Camille has a couple issues that could bring everything to a screeching halt. First, she has some trust issues thanks to a cheating ex-fiancé. Second, because of her heritage, she has some very strong opinions on slavery. Harek knows that if she finds out about his past it could mean trouble.

I really enjoyed the development of their relationship. Once they got past the first impressions stage, their chemistry took over. It was fun to see the push and pull as they got to know each other. I laughed out loud when Camille changed her clothes before they got to the rehearsal dinner and totally blew Harak's mind. Harek could be very charming when he wanted to be and he used that charm to get closer to Camille. When his past comes back to bite him, it takes all the charm and determination he can muster to get past her fury. Harek is still reluctant to fully commit to his feelings and it takes some forced contemplation and some unexpected interference from Michael for him to see the light.

The mission that brought the vangels and the SEALs together was taken right out of the headlines. Their job was to stop a band of terrorists from kidnapping a school full of young girls. These terrorists are aided and abetted by lucipires, which is what brings the vangels into the mission. Things get really intense when Camille goes undercover as one of the schoolgirls. The rescue scene had me on the edge of my seat as Harek went charging off to save Camille. I loved the battle scenes, both between the vangels and the lucipires and then the SEALs and the terrorists. I liked that they didn't have a fairytale ending, in that there were injuries and not a 100% success rate. In spite of the fantasy aspect of the book, it lent a note of realism.

I also enjoyed seeing characters from other books, not just the Deadly Angels series, but also the Viking series and Cajun series. Even Tante Lulu made an appearance and a prediction. I love the way that the seven brothers tease each other but are also there when one of them needs the support. I also enjoy the relationships with Michael. Though he frequently displays disappointment in them, I get the feeling that he really has quite a soft spot for them. I also suspect that he has had a hand in the finding of their mates. One of the most fascinating of the secondary characters is Zeb, the lucipire double agent. I am really looking forward to his story.