Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter Book 4)

Bloody Hell! Nalini Singh's Archangel series just keeps getting better and better with each addition. Archangel's Blade is the fourth full-length novel in this series and is the first that doesn't focus almost exclusively on Elena and Raphael. Archangel's Blade is the story of Dmitri, and man is it a good one.I feel pretty safe in saying that most readers have, to this point, likely found Dmitri to be totally creepy, seriously lethal, absolutely intriguing, and disturbingly sexy. None of these qualities change in this novel but we are given a glimpse into Dmitri's world and particularly his past that helps the reader better understand his personality. Dmitri's past spans a bit more than a thousand years and to say that that past is bloody is putting it mildly. We learn that Dmitri honed his skills as a warrior as a result of his abuse at the hands of Isis; he carries a torch for his long-dead wife, Ingrede; and his loyalty to Raphael runs deeper than anyone ever suspected.And then there is Honor St. Nicholas, the totally damaged Guild Hunter whose first mission following her abduction and abuse at the hands of a gang of demented vampires is with Dmitri. Man, did she draw the short straw, or what? The problem however is much more complicated than simply dealing with Dmitri's vampirism. The larger issues are: 1) Honor is still flashing back to her time in captivity which makes her a bit twitchy and somewhat lethal; 2) she and Dmitri are trying to track down a sadistic killer who is taunting Dmitri with memories from his past and; 3) that both Dmitri and Honor are ridiculously attracted to one another.Here's what I liked about this book: freakin' everything!! Once again, the plot not only unfolds but deepens leaving the reader with a ton of questions about what's going to come next. And we know there is going to be a next. The characters, all of them not just Dmitri and Honor, evolve as the story goes on but remain true to their basic natures - an absolute strength for this series. As for the secondary characters, well, Singh once again manages to dangle just enough information to make the reader crave more. For example, there's Venom who is still remarkably creepy but evidently has a soft spot for Sorrow (nee Holly), Illium is still dangerously far too interested in humans, and Ashwini has become a more prominent player. With all this being said, Singh doesn't ignore the older more established characters like Elena and Raphael; they are still very much a part of this series even when they are not center stage. Singh's willingness to move established and beloved characters like Elena and Raphael to a secondary position is a risk but one that she makes work each and every time. As a dedicated reader of this series I find the risk to be worth it as it allows more time and pages for the development of other characters.Bottom line: Singh changed my mind about Dmitri; I always thought he was a dangerously sexy but didn't really care for his attitude. After this book, I'm good with Dmitri and looking forward to seeing how his character will further evolve in future novels. As for Honor, she has nowhere to go but up and with Dmitri at her side, they may be damn near unstoppable as a team. The long-term plot line has far-reaching possibilities and has yet to become even remotely close to stale. I have yet to feel frustrated or cranky over an Archangel novel's ending because I know, without doubt, that Singh is going to trot out something equally as good within the next year.

Nicely, I’ve also been re-reading with a bunch of friends over at Goodreads – some who’ve read the series/books before and some newbies. It’s always so much fun to talk about books with other people, I’m enjoying this series more than ever.Having just finished this book I can see why it didn’t get a review from me the first half-dozen times I’d read it. It’s beyond emotional, beyond heart-wrenching, it breaks me every single time, over and over again.Trigger warnings: Captivity, rape, abuse, violence against children (and innocents)Not only does Honor have to overcome a vicious history, that struck me on many different visceral levels, but Dmitri’s past is just as horrific. These two characters are damaged. But what works for me is that they’re handled with care. Dmitri and Honor are who they are, they’ve been hurt – beyond belief – and came out the other side. Not always for the better, but they came through. And sometimes that’s enough to give you time to get better. Better might not be what one would think before such atrocities have touched their lives, it might not be sunshine and roses, but it can be happiness, security, love, and contentment.And because this book does give them love and happiness again, without making it perfect and, worse, as if the trauma in their lives never happened, I absolutely adore this book. Even while I rage against and my heart cracks from the pain that each is suffering, I’m completely invested in seeing them both find a way through. It’s not easy, and Dmitri makes one horrible move, but I even liked how that was handled between the characters. It could have been unforgivable, and in the hands of a lot of people would have been. Some readers might find it unforgivable still. It worked for me though, because the contrition was immediate and forgiveness asked for without pride.Though the world is still the same, amazing world that we’ve been living in for the past three novels, and the plot is tragic and suspenseful, the real draw here is the characters. I’ve loved and been excited for Dmitri’s book for a long time. He was the broken one, with more than a touch of cruelty, that I wanted to see have some happiness again. So I was a little surprised when it turned out to be Honor that I adored and fell in love with.This woman has a core of strength that, quite frankly, astonishes me. I related to her, though my experiences have never been anywhere near this level, and I loved watching the way she fought to come back from it. It wasn’t easy, wasn’t gentle, and she needed some of the tough, no-nonsense treatment that she got from others, but she fought to be herself again, to show them that they didn’t get to own the rest of her life, no matter what they’d done. From the first moment we meet her, where she’s not sure she wants to step out into the world again and some small piece of pride pushes her to take that first, hesitant move, I adored her. I understand her. I love her. She deserves everything she fought so hard to achieve in this book.And Dmitri is lucky to have her. Luckily, he knows it.This book battered me at points, thankfully it gave just as many happy, sigh-worthy moments as well. I loved it, beginning to end.

He is a Rascal but he is Honor’s and our rascal!Reread… AGAIN!Like the hero Dimitri this book just gets better and better with age!!Decided to up the star from 4 to 5 because of it.Recommended but mind the triggers.

If you like action packed novels with a dash of sexy romance, this is for you! The entire series is Absolutely amazing!

Loved it

Après 3 tomes sur Elena et Raphaël avec pour but de nous présenter ce monde fantastique avec archanges anges ,vampires et chasseurs de vampires avec intrigues et suspense, l'auteur s'attache à présent à mettre en valeur un des personnages secondaires Dmitri le second de Raphaël un vampire puissant très vieux et vicieux , qui pourrait avoir son propre territoire mais reste attaché à son vieil ami !Elena et Raphaël sont à Amanat où Caliane la mère de Raphaël vient de se réveiller d'un long sommeil. Une tête de vampire flottant dans l'hudson avec un tatouage intrigant sur le crâne va permettre à l'auteur de nous amener à l'origine des liens entre Raphaël et Dmitri et de sa transformation en vampire.Honor une chasseuse de la guilde va travailler avec lui pour résoudre ce mystère. Elle n'est pas chasseuse née donc immunisée aux parfums envoûtant qu' utilise Dmitri pour draguer. Malheureusement elle vient de subir plusieurs semaines de torture par des vampires et décoder ce puzzle va l'aider ? Ce livre nous plonge dans la société des vampires, ses règles et punitions la violence est là bien sûr mais tempérée comme chaque fois par l'héroïne. Nous retrouvons en filigrane les autres personnages de là série Illium bien sûr les autres chasseurs et Elena Raphaël. ...Rebondissements, émotion et affection avec une frontière entre les humains et immortels qui diminue on est emporté par l'histoire vraiment bien écrite avec quelques scènes chaudes mais toutes en émotions comme toujours avec cette auteure À lire ! Par contre je ne crois pas que l'on puisse tout appréhender sans lire les premiers tomes avant ,ceci dit ils sont tellement bien que vous ne le regretterez pas !

A terrific read...Nalini Singh never disappoints...this whole series is a top favourite. She writes strong male leads, but also strong women who know what they want and aren't afraid to pursue their goal.