Angels of Darkness (The Guardians series)

I was so excited about this anthology that I instantly dropped everything else I was reading the moment it appeared on my Kindle - these authors are among my very favorites. I was pretty hyped for this, which might have worked a bit against me, I enjoyed the four stories, three of which are connected the authors' series, but I was surprised that with so many of my top favorite authors, the new to me Sharon Shinn's story was my favorite. The stories in Angels of Darkness weren't super romancey even though there were romances in each story, but the personal aspect of the relationships was more the focus. FYI, the Andrew's story is the only one that didn't have an angel in the lead, just two brief references to 'angels'.Here's just a quick bit about the stories in the order I read them....Singh's Angel's Wolf - Noel, the vampire who was brutalized in an earlier Guild Hunter book and who is healed in body but still not recovered emotionally from his ordeal, is sent away from Raphael's Tower to guard the deceptively fragile looking Nimra whose territory is New Orleans - but Noel knows that no angel rises to power by being weak. - Singh does a really good job of developing the characters and the relationship in this short - though the romance aspect of the relationship doesn't have the tension filled build up of some of Singh's other stories. I really liked both of the leads and it was nice for a change that the power imbalance between angel and vampire isn't so great as the immortal/human pairings in the other Guild Hunter books. My only nit, and it didn't stop me from enjoying the story - and probably wouldn't have struck me the same way if I hadn't recently read Archangel's Blade - was that I am now really ready for another Guild Hunter story where one (or both) of the leads hasn't been savaged to the extreme in the past. 4 stars)Sharon Shin's Nocturne - A despondent blind angel is brought back to life by a woman who is no fan of angels. - This story ended up being really sweet, and the relationship is really well built as both of the leads come to trust each other and learn to move beyond the past that has limited their lives. The love scenes are left mostly to the readers imagination but the thought of the heroine being enveloped in the angel's wings adds fuel to fire that imagination. I haven't read anything by Shinn before, but recognized that this story is set in the world of her angel series, but this actually turned out to be my favorite story. (4.5 stars)MelJean Brook's Ascension - Concerned for her former friend, Radha drops in on fellow Guardian Marc who is on the hunt for what Marc suspects is a Demon 'poisoning' the minds of humans in his territory and though Radha is the mistress of illusion, after 140 years, it may be time clear up the misunderstanding that ended their friendship - I am a huge fan of the Guardians, which is up to book seven and only one more story away from being complete. For newbies Brook has tried really hard in this story to catch new readers up on the whole Guardian mythos, fans who have just finished up Demon Marked - which had also had a pretty thorough recap and a lot more space to weave it in - probably won't appreciate this as much as fans who need to come back up to speed in preparation for Michael's book. (3 stars)Ilona Andrews' Alphas: Origins - An ill fated pit stop, changes a field trip mom's life forever. Now her survival and that of her daughter depends on her bond to the frightening, Lucas, who is part man and part beast. I think that this is a prequel for a new series from the Andrews, and the world is a fusion of paranormal and sci-fi. I always enjoy stories like this in which a 'weak' heroine discovers her strength and also finds the hidden vulnerability in the man who is nearly a beast, and I am sucker for a hero who appealingly leashes his primal nature in order to give his heroine a choice. I would have like this one better without the conversation that did an info dump to explain the series mythos.(3 stars)

Overall, this was a good collections of short stories. If you like at least two of these authors, it's worth picking up.Angel's Wolf - Nalini Singh is becoming one of my favorite authors. Noel, who can't emotionally get past a brutal attack, is "demoted" to ruthless angel Nimra's Louisiana court. He soon realizes he was really sent there to uncover a traitor who tried to poison Nimra. It was refreshing to see a more "human" angel & Noel's recovery & rediscovery of his worth was painful & inspiring. The mystery wrapped up a little too quickly & neatly, but the heart of the story is Noel & Nimra's journey together & that's beautifully done.Alphas - This is the darkest & most violent of the stories, opening /w a widowed mother being attacked, abducted & forced into slavery to man/beast Lucas, all while her young daughter is held captive. You could feel Karina's claustophobia & panic as she woke up one day stripped of her freedom & child. It's set in a fantasy/scifi world where two superior races are at war: one trying to destroy & one trying to protect humans. The world is complicated, but the authors did a good job of working it's explanation smoothly into such a short story - there's more telling than showing, but it works. Karina & Lucas's growing relationship, while rushed, is enjoyable to read, if not entirely believable. The daughter is critical to the story, but I found some of Karina's actions at odds with what I'd expect of a mother. This might have been more suited to a full-length book.Nocturne - I've never read anything by this author, but was able to follow along. A boarding school cook /w a chip on her shoulder about angels decides to take out her pent-up aggression against a blind angel living in hiding in the headmistress's residence. This story picked up about 1/2 way through when Moriah and Corbin regularly interact. Before that, I found Moriah difficult to relate to - she's on the run from angels & desperate to keep her job & remain hidden, yet sneaks into a forbidden residence, lets her presence be known to the maid & is rude to the angel. How his blindness would prevent her from being fired or reported to whoever was looking for her is beyong me. Moriah later explains that she doesn't always do what's in her best interest, but she came off as being either really stupid or having no sense of self-preservation. But, the story did pick up & the romance was very sweet. I'm going to give this author's other works a try.Ascension - I can't put my finger on why, but I just can't get into Meljean Brook. The major relationship obstacle the two leads had to overcome felt contrived ***spoiler*** best friends for a year, when they finally hook-up Radha bolts w/o word b/c she overhears Marc (a much younger warrior-in-training) insult her while praying for forgiveness for breaking his vow of celibacy. Radha says she had 3 choices: cry, kill him or run away. Um, how about take a deep breath, wait until you calm down, then talk to him? ***end spoiler*** She knows Marc's young & inexperienced, so her unwillingness to cut him some slack made Radha unlikable & that clouded the story for me. The underlying mystery (unearthing a powerful demon who's taken hold of a small midwestern town) didn't really hold my attention.

Four fabulous authors from the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres share tales of darkness, desire and wonderful wings.**Angel's Wolf - Nalini Singh**Once beaten and broken in a brutal attack, vampire Noel doubts he will ever be the man he once was. So when Archangel Raphael assigns him to the court of the beautiful Nimra, he has no doubt it'll be an easy job, since he isn't much good for anything else. Except nothing in this angel's territory is quite as he expects. Especially the fragile looking beauty whose reputation is enough to instil fear into even the cruellest of angel hearts. While stirring forgotten feelings in his own.After his brief, unhappy appearance in Archangel's Kiss, it's good to finally get to know Noel as more than a victim. Fans of the Guild Hunter series should also enjoy this glimpse into another corner of this fascinating world. Newcomers will also receive a taste of what this series has to offer - strong characters, fearsome powers, unexpected emotion and gorgeous romance.**Alphas: Origins - Ilona Andrews**This story defies description but it is complicated, clever, brutal and brilliant. With a hefty dose of sci-fi this is yet another new direction for the Andrews team, who have so many wonderful ideas that are refreshingly different.Fans of strong heroines should fully appreciate Karina as she fights hard to create a good life for her daughter, even before she gets flattened beneath a ton of supernatural activity. It may not be to everyone's taste, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.**Nocturne - Sharon Shinn**Moriah has never been good at following rules, so when she's told to stay away from a dark and dingy mansion she simply has to find her way inside. Even if it means she'll come face to face with an angel.Of all the stories I think this was the most romantic, because there was nothing else going on in the plot beyond the growing relationship between these two. The change in the mistrustful, secretive Moriah as she coaxed the proud, arrogant, despairing Corban back into the skies again was wonderful.**Ascension - Meljean Brook**Marc hasn't spoken to fellow Guardian Radha for one-hundred-and-forty years, since he succumbed to temptation and crossed the line between friendship and lovers. But he's never forgotten that night. So when she shows up unannounced in his territory he'll do anything he can to help her. Especially if it means she'll stay. And not just because he needs help hunting down a vampire-killing demon.I'm a huge fan of the Guardian series, so I really enjoyed this one. It gives newcomers an insight into this wonderful world, without making things too complicated or giving too much away. For fans this tells a tale of two Guardians that have been glimpsed in earlier books, while adding further depth to the Guardian ranks. It's pretty hot too.**With four wonderful and nicely different stories, I can't actually pick a favourite here. Fans of any of these authors, of winged beings, romance, intelligent fantasy and good story telling should all find something to enjoy here - and may even come across something new. This is the best anthology I've read in ages.

I came for the Sharon Shinn and stayed for the rest. I've now ordered the first in the Guardians series, am halfway in love with Noel in the Guild Hunters and VERY upset there any other Alpha stores. Come on Ilona Andrews I want tho know more about Henry and learn more about the Withers. All four novellas share something other than Angels... impressively detailed worlds crafted with each story.

I loved this collection of short stories! I devoured the whole book in less than an afternoon. Four very different tales that captivated me from start to finish. I'd recommend this anthology to anyone who has a 'thing' for angels. Enjoy!

Bit of a disappointment for me really. I haven’t even bothered to finish the book. I only got it for the Nalini Singh story line in all honesty.

I love the Guardians series. Every time I finish one of these books I feel dissapointed and cant wait for another one to be published.