Sins of the Angels - Linda Poitevin - Review

A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case—a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell.

Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.

Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

Title: Sins of the Angels (Grigori Legacy #1)

Author: Linda Poitevin

Genre: Adult Fiction, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Ace Books

Publication Date: September 27, 2011

Format: E-ARC

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Brady from Penguin US for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

Look for it: Amazon, Book Depository, Chapters

My rating: 4/5

Sins of the Angels is aptly named as the world is set to pay in blood for the sins of one angel in particular. Aramael is sent to hunt the Fallen Angel wreaking havoc on earth, and goes undercover as a police officer to assist in the hunt for said angel. Alexandra Jarvis is one of the lead detectives on the case, and is highly annoyed when she learns that she has acquired a new partner midway through the investigation. She does not realize that the case has a supernatural angle, and it will take more than the entire police force to stop this killer. 

Sins of the Angels ramps up the action, and keeps us guessing as to how different characters are tied into the story. Motives vary, and it is hard to decipher just which side of the playing field some of the characters are on. Alexandra Jarvis is a tough detective used to relying on no one. She is a believable character, and I enjoyed reading her story, even when she balked at various points throughout the novel. The interaction between her and her new partner, Jacob Trent, led to some interesting scenes. She doesn't want a partner and he doesn't want a partner, but they are forced to work together.

The action keeps the plot flowing rapidly, and the reader will inhale the book until they finish it. It is that captivating. There is a romantic sub-plot as well. Watching the two characters fight their feelings was intriguing especially knowing that said feelings should not exist. I'm curious to see what happens in the rest of the series, as the world could be irrevocably changed by said feelings. Trent or Aramael is also an engaging character. Watching him fight his emotions, and fulfill his duty to hunt down the Fallen Angels adds another dimension to the read. Knowing who the killer is and his relationship to Aramael also adds another twist to the story. 

Certain descriptions and scenes are particularly gruesome, and realistically portrayed. The killer is methodical, and his lack of caring make the scenes all the more chilling. 

Though there is a romantic sub-plot in the novel, it ramps up from barely there to all-consuming in moments without really spending time in between those stages. With the twist thrown in though, I'll be waiting to see what happens next between the characters, especially since there is the potential for a love triangle to develop in the next few books. 

All in all, a bold and brilliant new read to add to the roster of great urban fantasy reads. Those new to the genre, and those who voraciously read the genre will enjoy this new author. Sins of the Angels may have left us with more questions than answers, but I'm sure Sins of the Son will answer some of them for us. I know I'll be reading it as soon as it comes out. Poitevin is one to add to the must read list. 

The Space Between - Brenna Yovanoff

Everything is made of steel, even the flowers. How can you love anything in a place like this?

Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped - and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible. Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie's whereabouts. As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way. But she also discovers, unexpectedly, what it means to love and be human in a world where human is the hardest thing to be.

This second novel by rising star Brenna Yovanoff is a story of identity, discovery, and a troubled love between two people struggling to find their place both in our world and theirs.

Synopsis taken from goodreads. 

Title: The Space Between

Author: Brenna Yovanoff

Genre: Young adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: November 15, 2011

Format: ARC

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Vimala from Penguin Canada for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Look for it: Amazon, Chapters, Book Depository

My rating: 4.5/5

Daphne has never left Pandemonium. She has never had a reason to, until her brother Obie disappears. Something sinister is afoot and it is up to Daphne to find Obie. She tracks down the one person she knows may have seen Obie last, and with him at her side she will try to track down her kidnapped brother. Her demonic powers manifest in the earthly realm, and she will need to learn how to defend herself from the deadly archangels who protect earth from her kind. 

Daphne is a half-demon, the spawn of Lucifer and Lilith. Pandemonium is a brilliantly realized world, brought to life with a metallic sheen. Yovanoff has this beautifully descriptive writing style that just grabs hold of you and thrusts you in with her creations. 

Daphne is completely alone in Pandemonium. She is certainly not like her sisters, and does not want to have anything to do with the lifestyle that they have chosen for themselves. She believes she is above that and does not care if she ever steps foot outside of Pandemonium. Everything changes for her though when she realizes that the one person that means the most to her has gone missing. She will have to step out of her comfort zone and befriend the boy who visited and left Pandemonium with her brother, Obie. I enjoyed her character, especially as she made realizations about herself that had never crossed her mind before. 

Her male counterpart and link to Obie is Truman. He is a richly drawn character as well, and he shows so many different sides. He complements Daphne. Daphne is steel, strength, and determination, and she doesn't have any qualms about defending herself. Truman on the other hand is aware of his faults, and the darkness around him. He knows that his thoughts may not be based on reality, but once he meets Daphne, he realizes that there might be more to life than drinking himself to death. 

They carry the story so completely, and I loved reading about them. The secondary characters round out the story more, and they add humour when needed, as well as the right amount of tension.

This read is so atmospheric, I felt like I was at the party with Truman as he was drinking himself to oblivion, and I was right there with Daphne as she questioned the people and things around her. I can't decide which novel I liked more. The Replacement, or The Space Between. They are both so atmospheric and so fleshed out. The attention given to detail and to the respective worlds from both books is easy to see. They are both so richly realized and they both completely hooked me.

Yovanoff is an author to watch out for. If The Replacement showed us her talent, then The Space Between solidified it. Her world-building, heartwarming characters, and lyrical writing will have me coming back for more. I cannot wait to read the next book she writes, or any of the subsequent titles she releases thereafter. She's a must-read author for me now and I hope you enjoy her writing style and world-building as much as I do.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading, and anyone can play along!

• grab your current read
• flip to a random page
• select two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
• try not to include spoilers!
• please let us know the author and book so we can add them to our TBR pile!

I've been ridiculously lax of late in posting the memes that I used to post each week. I'm hoping to rectify that and get back into posting them routinely. As such, here is today's teaser for you. It comes from an adult urban fantasy novel called Eyes to See by Joseph Nassise. If you are a fan of ghost stories, or the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, you will want to pick this book up. It is an excellent read. You can find out more about the book here. Now here is a teaser for your reading pleasure. =) 

"From that first glance you understand that we regularly interact with creatures far stranger and deadlier than you ever previously imagined. It's not that they weren't there before, it's just that humans rarely recognize them for what they are. Ghosts don't have that problem." pg. 50

Doesn't that make you want to dive right in? 

Feel free to post the links to your teasers in the comments and I will follow up and check them out! 

Thank you for stopping by today! =)

Blog Tour: Sins of the Angels - Linda Poitevin - When I'm Not Writing & Giveaway

Linda Poitevin is here with a When I'm Not Writing post courtesy of her "Angels Gather Here" blog tour for Sins of the Angels. Thank you for being here, Linda! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy! 

When Corrine suggested “What you do when you’re not writing” as a topic for my guest post here, I immediately thought “Where in heck do I even begin?!?” or something equally borderline-hysterical. It may have had to do with the fact that her suggestion arrived as our basement was being dismantled for repair work after unusually heavy rains had caused a minor flood followed by black mold. Or that, on my to-do list that day, I had yet to accomplish the laundry, the groceries, walking the dog, mopping up the dust mammoths left behind by the dog (he’s a really big dog), weeding the vegetable garden, sending out a proposal to a potential freelance consultant, or doing the bills/banking/post-office run.

Or maybe it was because over the course of the following month (during which the basement renovations would be ongoing), I had one daughter leaving for a three-week cadet camp and then preparing for a return to high school after nine years of homeschooling, and another moving back home to finish her last semester of university…necessitating that I move my office out of the spare room and into the dining room while simultaneously seeking to increase my freelance writing business after losing the only regular client I’d had for the past nine years. Or…well, I’m sure you get the picture. And I’m sure you understand the borderline hysteria at that particular moment in my life.

So, to answer Corrine’s question of what do I do when I’m not writing? I do what everyone else does. I juggle the rest of my own life along with those of my husband and my not-quite-yet-entirely independent children. I try to keep my head above water and not panic as I go down for the three-hundredth time. I try to be the calm in the storm my own life can become on occasion. And when I remember to do so, I strive for that elusive balance we all seem to be seeking in this hectic world of ours.

What about you? What do you do when you’re not [insert occupation of choice here]? Are you any better at the balance thing than I am? If so, I would dearly love to know your secret!

I want in on this secret as well! ;) Thank you for being here today, Linda! 

Linda Poitevin can be found on her website, her blog, and on twitter. 

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Linda Poitevin is the author of a new urban fantasy series, The Grigori Legacy, from Ace Books. Book one, SINS OF THE ANGELS, will be out September 27/11. Book two, SINS OF THE SON, follows in May 2012. In her other life, Linda is wife, mother, friend, gardener, coffee snob, freelance writer, and zookeeper of too many pets.

Linda is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Quebec Writers' Federation, Romance Writers of America, RWA Futuristic Fantasy Paranormal Chapter, and Ottawa Romance Writers' Association.

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A detective with a secret lineage. An undercover Hunter with a bullet-proof soul. And a world made to pay for the sins of an angel…

Homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis answers to no one. Especially not to the new partner assigned to her in the middle of a gruesome serial killer case—a partner who is obstructive, irritatingly magnetic, and arrogant as hell.

Aramael is a Power—a hunter of the Fallen Angels. A millennium ago, he sentenced his own brother to eternal exile for crimes against humanity. Now his brother is back and wreaking murderous havoc in the mortal realm. To find him, Aramael must play second to a human police officer who wants nothing to do with him and whose very bloodline threatens both his mission and his soul.

Now, faced with a fallen angel hell-bent on triggering the apocalypse, Alex and Aramael have no choice but to join forces, because only together can they stop the end of days.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

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Giveaway Details

1. There are two copies of SINS OF THE ANGELS available for giveaway. Winners may choose either hard copy or Net Galley e-book format.

2. Open to US and Canadian readers, and to international readers who can accept a Net Galley e-book (in other words, physical books will be shipped only to US/Canada addresses).

3. International readers who would like to win a hard copy may state so in their comments. Names will be collected for a special International Readers Only draw at the end of the blog tour on November 14th, at which time three names will be drawn from all international entrants over the duration of the tour.

Please fill out this FORM to enter. 

Giveaway will end October 30, 2011.

All international applicants will be forwarded to Linda for the International Readers Only draw at the end of the tour. 

Thank you!

Teresa Frohock's One Question Blog Tour for Miserere

If Teresa found herself caught in the middle of a street brawl, which character from "Miserere" would she have with her as back-up? Why that character? (Thank you for being here, Teresa!)

Oh, Corrine, I just squealed when I saw this question! I love it.

If I could have any character from Miserere at my back during a brawl, it would be Rachael. She is a strong woman in every sense of the word. She is also mature enough to know when to negotiate and when to fight.

The woman is just bad to the bone and fears nothing, which also works against her. She thought she was indestructible, but Lucian brought her down, and she has never forgiven herself for her lapse in judgment.

Rachael is driven to prove herself, and when she sets out to accomplish a feat, she intends to excel. There are no half-measures for her—she will be the best or she will be nothing. Even when Miserere opens and Rachael is almost insane from her possession with the Wyrm, she believes herself in control. That, I suppose, is the ultimate insanity.

Towards the end of Miserere, the reader will get to see her fight. She is a street fighter. Forget all this ballet swordplay—Rachael knows how to gouge eyes and break noses, and she doesn’t hesitate to do so.

Rachael is awesome.

But I’m prejudiced.

You tell me what you think of her after you get a chance to meet her.

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BIO:

Raised in a small town, Teresa Frohock learned to escape to other worlds through the fiction collection of her local library. She eventually moved away from Reidsville and lived in Virginia and South Carolina before returning to North Carolina, where she currently resides with her husband and daughter.

Teresa has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying. Miserere: An Autumn Tale is her debut novel.

Teresa can be found most often at her blog and web site. Every now and then, she heads over to Tumblr and sends out Dark Thoughts, links to movies and reviews that catch her eye. You can also follow Teresa on Twitter and join her author page on Facebook.

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BLURB:

Miserere: An Autumn Tale

(Night Shade Books / July 1, 2011)

Exiled exorcist Lucian Negru deserted his lover in Hell in exchange for saving his sister Catarina's soul, but Catarina doesn't want salvation. She wants Lucian to help her fulfill her dark covenant with the Fallen Angels by using his power to open the Hell Gates. Catarina intends to lead the Fallen’s hordes out of Hell and into the parallel dimension of Woerld, Heaven’s frontline of defense between Earth and Hell.

When Lucian refuses to help his sister, she imprisons and cripples him, but Lucian learns that Rachael, the lover he betrayed and abandoned in Hell, is dying from a demonic possession. Determined to rescue Rachael from the demon he unleashed on her soul, Lucian flees his sister, but Catarina's wrath isn’t so easy to escape. In the end, she will force him once more to choose between losing Rachael or opening the Hell Gates so the Fallen's hordes may overrun Earth, their last obstacle before reaching Heaven's Gates.

Read the first four chapters of Miserere FREE here.

Book Trailer Link: http://youtu.be/3MvCHEp0EVA

The next interview in the blog tour will be with Megan Burke at Literary Life.

Previous interviews on the tour include All Things Books, Layers of Thought, and The Written Connection.

Blog Tour: Torn - Erica O'Rourke - When I'm Not Writing

Today, Erica O'Rourke is here with a post about what she does when she's not writing, courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her up-coming release Torn. Thank you for being here, Erica! You can follow along with the tour here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

When I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing. Craft, research, deadlines, promotion, networking, the shiny new project trying to tempt me away from my current one…always, part of my brain is thinking about writing. Or sleep. I think about sleep a lot, too. And buying an iPad. But mostly it’s writing.

At the same time, I’m hanging out with my family. We have three daughters -- the oldest is ten and the baby is almost three, so there is a lot of ferrying them back and forth to school and playdates and activities and sporting events and the library, and a lot of helping with projects and homework. The baby’s favorite game is “Fisher Price Little People Go To The Urgent Care Center,” so I spend a lot of time dispensing antibiotics and bandages to two-inch-high plastic dolls. All three girls love to play at the park, so I spend a lot of time going down slides and exclaiming over tricks on the monkey bars.

After we wrestle the girls into bed for the night, my husband and I try to spend a little time together before I head back into my office. Even if it’s only a half-hour spent watching The Daily Show, it’s one of my favorite parts of the day. We catch up, exchange stories, make plans. We have two cats, Per and Maya, that I’m highly allergic to. I can’t pet them all day, or I’d be a giant swollen asthmatic mess. But we usually let them climb up on the couch and snuggle with us. After a while, Per goes upstairs and sleeps with our oldest daughter. Maya waits until my husband goes to bed, then follows him in and sleeps on top of him. Maya is a little odd.

I like television shows more than movies (that’s a story for another post) but as my writing career has developed, I’ve had to get much more particular about what I watch. Doctor Who is essential viewing, and I am waiting impatiently for Series Two of BBC’s Sherlock. And after every episode of Doctor Who, I have to deconstruct it with my best friend. You would be alarmed at the amount of brainspace I dedicate to Doctor Who.

I love reading. Even if it’s three in the morning when I go to bed, I have to read. Sometimes it’s only a page, but I can’t fall asleep otherwise. I read in a lot of genres: Mysteries, literary fiction, paranormal, historical. Most of them are YA, but not always. I’ll also read books about writing, or research for a project, but for the most part, I prefer fiction.

I can also tell you what I’m not doing: Doing laundry. (Though I spend a lot of time staring balefully at the laundry.) Cooking balanced meals. Scrubbing floors. Vaccuming. The one benefit of being on a tight deadline is that nobody expects your house to be clean, and I take full advantage of it.

Thank you for sharing what you are up to when you're not writing, and thank you for being here today, Erica! I'm going to have to check out Doctor Who one of these days. ;)


Erica O'Rourke can be found on her website, her blog, and on twitter.

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Everyone has secrets.

Even best friends.

Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the 'L', a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it's directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn't pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, "Run, Mo!"

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?

Synopsis taken from goodreads.