Customer Reviews

Angel Slayer (Harlequin Nocturne)

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4 star:		(1)
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Eden Campbell dreams of angels but has learned not to tell anyone for fear of them thinking she is mentally ill. Instead, she tells her story through her paintings of the angels she has seen. She is happy that she is finally able to let it out until her art draws a fallen angel to her who is intent on impregnating her with an offspring that will bring on the apocalypse. Eden is a muse and only they are capable of bringing these offspring into the world. Scared for her life she runs from her attacker and is saved by a very handsome man who is the only one able to protect her.

Ashur is an demon who is an angel slayer and has been summed from the Beneath to kill the fallen angel after Eden. He first thinks to use Eden as bait but soon starts to soften towards her. He exists to commit sin and kill the fallen and is forbidden to fall in love. But every moment he spends with Eden he inches closer and closer to the one thing he is never allowed to have.

Eden is a trust fund baby and generally I don't like these types of characters. They flaunt their wealth around and think they are entitled to the world. But Eden doesn't look down on people and would rather receive her father's love than his gifts. She is a strong independent woman who wants to tell the world about the angels she dreams of through her paintings. She has her mind set on the type of men she likes until she meets Ashur. Ashuriel is a Sinistari. He was made to commit sin and kill fallen angels. At first he is like a robot that was made for one purpose. As he spends time in his human form around Eden he starts to remember what it was like last time he was on earth. His emotions start to return and he begins to feel the one thing he is not allowed to, love. I feel for Ashur. He knows he is not allowed to and even though he keeps telling himself he isn't, he falls for Eden and wants to love her but can't. It tugs at your heart to read how much these two want to be together but keep being told it is not allowed.

The angels in this book are not the beautiful heavenly looking ones you can find in paintings with white fluffy wings. They seem to be formed from steel and different metals and in their presence you would tremble. I really loved that Michele Hauf did her own take on angels. It really put a unique spin to the story. Angel Slayer is not just about vanquishing a fallen angel. There are vampires who have their own agenda involving the fallen and it adds another interesting layer to the story. I can't wait until the 2nd book to see how their plan will unfold.

There was nothing I did not like about this story. I kept finding one interesting thing after another to keep me from putting my book down. The only thing that left me scratching my head was an incident that involved a friend of Eden's. He was hurt by the fallen that is after her and it was never said exactly what happen to him and why wasn't Eden called? He was supposed to be really good friend of hers and she was never told. Other than that I have no complaints. In Angel Slayer, Michele Hauf takes you into a world of wicked angels and a demon that will sacrifice it all for the woman he loves. The 2nd book cannot come out fast enough.

This is my third book by this author. The first two were wonderful but this one was absolutely fantastic. I loved the hero. He was so complex and interesting. I never got tired of Ashure or Eden. Michele develops the characters so well you care about them right from the start. I've added this to my favorites list. I would read it again.

This is the 2nd book I read by Michelle and I recommend this book and this author. I read everything from gangster romance to documentaries and when I find an author who "hooks" me, they have the full package of what I look for in an authors. Michelle has the package.

Wow. This was such a good story that I had to read it in one sitting! Michele Hauf creates a world of Angels, Demons and Vampires that is just plain wonderful. The hero Ashuriel was actually a Demon without emotions and the author did a great job depicting his inner turmoil (Demons are evil after all) about what he was feeling. This was an emotional read and I can't wait for her follow-up books. There are many authors out there right now writing about Angels and what-not but this book is one of the better ones out there in my opinion.

Working at an art gallery near Chelsea Park where her first showing is being held, artist Eden Campbell muses that she paints angels from her nocturnal dreams, but wisely tells no one her source as she prefers avoiding padded rooms. However, a fallen angel Zaqiel knows who she is and why she dreams of angels.

Zaqiel stalks her looking for the moment to abduct and rape her. As a Muse, she will birth his offspring, a nephilim who will cause the apocalypse now. Demon Asher Manning has been sent from Beneath to kill Zaqiel and as a temporary second order effectively protect Eden. However, he desires her and she falls in love with him; but demons cannot love in return.

Set in the same realm as the Wicked Games and Bewitching the Dark sagas, the first Of Angels & Demons urban fantasy romance is a terrific paranormal due to a strong cast who insures the otherworldly species seem real. Eden is a wonderful female in peril character, but Asher owns the story line as he knows demons' first sin is falling in love. Fans of Michelle Hauf will enjoy her expansion of her Old Testament Book of Enoch mythos as the Angel Slayer is a great paranormal romance.

Harriet Klausner

I had never read a Michele Hauf book before. I was surprised to find the book so dark, with such a complex hero. It was refreshing to see depth and detail in this type of book. Eden seemed a little flat, in comparison, though it was partly because she had to be a match for such a larger-than-life hero (Ashur). I wasn't wild about all the side characters introduced, but they all seemed to serve a purpose, leading up to the next book in the series. All in all, this was well written, with evocative descriptions and close attention to details. I imagine I'll buy "Fallen" (book 2) when it comes out.