Customer Reviews

If Angels Burn: A Novel of the Darkyn

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Dr. Alexandra Keller is a renowned surgeon with the fastest hands of any known surgeon. She is kidnapped to New Orleans to operate on Michael Cyprien, a Darkyn (read: Vampire) who was tortured gruesomely by the Brethren, a secret sect of the Catholic Church whose sole purpose is to destroy the Darkyn. His injuries are to the point that he has no face. Yet his healing abilities are such that Alex can sculpt his face back to what it should be. Unfortunately, Dr. Keller is accidentally turned and, although human generally die if exposed to the rapture and thrall (author's terms for ... something), Alex survives. She comes to the attention of the Brethren, who is recruiting her brother, a Catholic priest, to their order.

As a fantasy, If Angels Burn works very well. It's multi-layered, damaged characters kept me intrigued and wanting more. The multiple storylines were fascinating, and I just waited for the story to unfold, to see what happened next. Viehl's writing style flowed well, although the constant use of specialized terms could be jarring at times (some aren't defined, others are). The bad guys were truly bad - resorting to hideously gruesome torture and rape on their victims. I felt like I was watching the Spanish Inquisition all over again, and indeed, Viehl's characters compare the torture to that.

As a romance.... Well. By the last 10 pages of the book, I was still looking for the romance. Alex, the heroine, spends a lot of time - most of the book - hating Michael and staying away. While this happens in romances, I got the sense that Alex really truly hated Michael. At one point, she refuses to come to New Orleans because, as she says, she swore she'd only return to kill him. There were a few misses in their sexual interludes, and, IMO, the culmination of the sexual tension was rather forced. I don't feel like Alex truly loved or wanted Michael, nor him her. She saw him as the cause of her problems, and he saw her as a possession, something he owned because he made her. Throwing out the words "I love you" in a moment of panic does not make the characters love each other.

OTOH, I did like the heroine, even if she appeared too violent for my tastes. She's intelligent, strong and independent - maybe too much. Not exactly a "soft" female. And definitely not a moron. She has her own mind, but she spent too much of the book being resentful and hateful. OTOH, if I had a hero like Michael Cyprien, who is domineering and controlling (because he can be), I'd be resentful, hateful, and I'd probably haul back and punch him a few times myself.

The book is described as erotic, but I didn't get much of that from this. Maybe if you're heavily into violent BDSM, it would work for you. A male character is raped while drugged, and also rapes in return. The heroine has to be tied down to have sex willingly, and a nurse is raped by another character. Oh yes, the heroine is also strangled and, from my point of view, mind-raped by the hero.

I'm torn about this book, truly. As Fantasy, it works for me. As Romance, it didn't. If the book had been marketed as Fantasy, it would have gotten 5 stars from me. I like it enough that I'll continue to read the series (and hope that I can find the romance in the next book!). But because I can't find a romance to save my life in this book, I'm giving it 3 stars

Dr. Alexandra Keller, a brilliant reconstructive plastic surgeon, with a private practice in Chicago, is a dedicated doctor and frequently does pro bono work for the poor. Her extremely busy schedule barely allows time for a social life. When Alexandra receives a mysterious offer to perform extensive reconstructive surgery on an unknown patient in New Orleans for a $4 million dollar fee, she smells something fishy. She is told that the prospective patient, one M. Cyprien, is unable to travel and that she will only be required to spend a few days in Louisiana. Obviously, her persistent refusals are ignored, as are her professional commitments. M. Cyprien arranges to have her kidnapped and forcefully brought to his mansion, La Fontaine, in the heart of the New Orleans' Garden District.

After recovering from a knock-out dose of ether, a lengthy sleep, nausea and a terrible headache, Alexandra is taken to meet Michael Cyprien, a man without a face - literally. Obviously, he had been horribly injured. Her job would be to construct an entire face, and the underlying structure, from scratch, using just an old portrait to go by. Cyprien presents an unusual challenge as he has a strange disease which causes him to heal almost immediately after any cut or incision is made on his flesh. The primary reason he insisted on Dr. Keller performing the surgery, is because an article written about her in Time Magazine called her the "fastest scalpel in the world." She is able to perform accurate surgical procedures very quickly. And a fast scalpel is just what M. Cyprien needs.

Fortunately for Cyprien, the miraculous operation succeeds with almost perfect results. Unfortunately for Dr. Alexandra Keller she is given more than money in payment for her services and winds up back in Chicago - in the hospital with almost all the blood drained from her body. Her reclusive former patient is a member of an immortal species called the Darkyn. They have been ruthlessly hunted and destroyed, since they began rising from the dead in the 14th century, by a Vatican-sponsored order of soldier monks dedicated to their annihilation. Alexandra's brother, a priest, has just been recruited by this group of holy Brethren.

I am a major fan of good vampire fiction. Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series is my absolute favorite. I also really enjoy Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series, Poppy Brite's novels, as well as many of Anne Rice's books. Therefore, when a friend recommended Lynn Viehl's "If Angels Burn: A Novel of the Darkyn," I couldn't wait to pick the book up. I am extremely disappointed. The characters are not well developed at all, not are they compelling. There is little chemistry between Alexandra and Michael. I cannot understand why not, for the life of me. All the components are there, except the sizzle. And I am shocked that any author would have a professional, a doctor and romantic protagonist say, "Bite my a*s!" How terribly unsexy!!

There are many possibilities for this series to improve with future novels. The author's premise is a good one. I like the attempt at plot complexity - but please not at the expense of character complexity. I will rate this as average - barely, because it is not boring and does have the potential to be much more. I keep my fingers crossed and look forward to the author's next effort, due out in the autumn, I believe.
JANA

Even though four million dollars would go a long way in her charitable medical practice, Dr. Alexandra Keller (Alex), turns it down; the reclusive millionaire who repeatedly ups his offers of recompense for her services sets off her internal alarms. Since Michael Cyprien is not used to taking "no" for an answer, he doesn't, having her kidnapped and brought to him to perform an impossible, for multiple reasons surgery. Then, when she has saved his life, he takes hers. Oh, he does not exactly kill her, but turns her into what he is, a Darkynn, a vampire. Instantly, she becomes her priestly brother's enemy, though John Keller does not know this immediately. The young minister, long tortured by his own id, has recently been recruited into the service of a secret Catholic order, to fight what his sister has become. Both siblings are now unwilling participants in an ancient war against the forces of a Hell only one of them believes in.

** In saying this is a very dark book, I am not being deliberately ironic or making a bad pun. The tone is dark, gritty, and for the most part, hopeless. Alex's noble intentions and spunk are negated by the bitterness that spreads through her life. Whatever intrigue this book might hold is killed by its total lack of joy and overly gritty descriptions of things that for the most part do not need to be described. **

After reading the book, at first I thought it was more of a dark urban fantasy with some romance, rather than a paranormal romance as it's marketed. I didn't think there was enough relationship development between Michael and Alex.(I suspect that might be the reason for so many mixed reviews--the book missed its target market.) However, now that I've read more of the series, I learned that the author continues to develop Michael & Alex's relationship in future books--they are key characters throughout the series. The books get better and better as the series progresses. The first book was good, while others were great. So keep reading!

I enjoyed the well written, fast paced storyline and the world building around being a Darkyn. I liked the main characters and supporting cast. I would have liked more development of the relationship between Michael and Alexandra in book one, however was ok with their continued story in later books. Viehl does a great job creating many twists and turns in the plotlines as the series progresses, as well as introducing appealing new characters. I also really liked Samantha (a cop) and Lucan (a former vampire assassin turned master), who show up in the third Darkyn book and we meet them again in the first Kyndred book. The author also does a good job of creating scary bad guys.

Didn't do a plot synopsis, since that was already done well in a lot of other reviews. All in all, a good read. Here's the reading order according to Goodreads:

If Angels Burn (Darkyn, #1)
Private Demon (Darkyn, #2)
Dark Need (Darkyn, #3)
Night Lost (Darkyn, #4)
Evermore (Darkyn, #5)
Twilight Fall (Darkyn, #6)
Stay the Night (Darkyn, #7)
Shadowlight (Kyndred, #1 - spinoff series)

If you are on the hunt for more books like this, check out my list of paranormal romance favorites...
http://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-action-romance-must-reads/lm/R214ESW3HL12HM/ref=tag_lag_rb_munk_lmfull

Alexandra Keller is a plastic surgeon in Chicago. She has been profiled in Time magazine as the fastest scapel in the operating room. Alienated from her brother who is a priest she works many jobs, pro bono, because she and her brother were adopted into a wealthy family. But she still remembers not having enough to eat and no place to stay.

Michael Cyprian is a Darkyn, a member of a group of people who contracted a disease in the Dark ages. They think they are cursed and so does a group that works within the church, called the Brethren. Michael has been tortured and his face has been destroyed. Due to the swiftness of his healing he needs a doctor who is fast enough to fix his face before it heals itself.

Michael finally kidnaps Alex and brings her to New ORleans where she carves him a new face. Michael unknowingly attacks Alex but somehow manages to stop drinking her blood long enough to save her life. However he expects her to be mad and mindless if she lives, the virus usually kills those infected humans.

Alex does not die and she does not come under Michael's domination. When she finds herself alive and ill with their sickness she locks herself in her lab and finds out many things that the Darkyn do not know. Michael thinking she has become Darkyn brings her back to his home and she explains that they are not cursed they have a disease. Several of the Darkyn close to Michael have been tortured by the Brethren and Michael needs her to help him save them.

Somewhat like the Dark books by christine Feehan, but with a different slant on the cause of their need for blood but still an entertaining read.

This novel reminded me of the gritty reality feel I associate with early Laurell K. Hamilton and Jacqueline Lichtenberg. A strong imperfect female lead with issues facing a dire situation. The setting was very realistic and strangely right, even considering all of the squick factors included. My only real complaint was that they had shelved this book in romance! It ISN'T a romance. It wasn't the least romantic! It was dark, disturbing, erotic, jolting, electric, heretical, and engrossing bbut NOT romantic. The story introduces a whole cast of characters and situations that undoubtedly will be explored in future novels- which I am eagerly looking forward to. Much darker than Kenyon, Drake, or any other Paranormal Romance author I've read. Left me with chills but I couldn't put the book down, even to eat supper....
I highly recommend for anyone though a high squick factor is needed.

Dr. Alex Keller is a rockstar in the cosmetic surgery world. She's been on the cover of Time Magazine and been proclaimed as the "Fastest Scalpel in the World". What's more is she works pro bono, taking on cases of disfigurement from accidents and violent crimes, preferring to help those who most need her skills over rich, vain clients. As she and her brother are wealthy from the deaths of their adoptive parents, Alex can afford to be scrupulous.

However, there is one patient who persistently requests her services, and won't take no for an answer. The mysterious Mr. Michael Cyprien, via his assistant offers Alex up to $4 million to fly out to his home in New Orleans and perform surgery on him--which Alex takes as a blatant show of wealth and arrogance, and detects something sinister. She informs Cyprian's assistant that he has to go to a hospital to have any surgery performed, recommends colleagues that could perform the surgery, but firmly refuses to consider his case. Michael, however, is not having any of it, and has Alex abducted (read: drugged up on ether) and forcibly brought to his Louisiana manor to perform the surgery. Upon awakening, Alex is justifiably outraged...until she finally sets eyes on Cyprian and sees the extent of his injuries. His face has been brutally crushed, and covered in thick ragged scar tissue. He has no eyes, as the tissue has healed over them, no nose, and a gaping hole for a mouth. Alex is a healer and empathetic by nature--her curiosity is piqued, and as a medical doctor she cannot resist the mystery in front of her. That Cyprian survived such a brutal mauling that left him without a face is astounding enough--and then he shows her why he needed the Fastest Scalpel in the World. Upon being cut, Cyprian heals almost immediately. Any other surgeon would take too long, and his face would heal over mid-procedure. Seeing the once in a lifetime challenge before her, Alex accepts and is successful beyond all expectations--Cyprian is restored to his former beauty. He awakens and opens his beautiful eyes, and unfortunately for Alex, succumbs to bloodlust. Cyprian is not, as Alex postured, a medical miracle but in fact a Darkyn; a creature akin to vampires, an ancient race that survived the Black Death and roam the earth damned to eternal life. Michael manages to stop himself from killing Alex but in the process has infected her, and she begins her own journey from human to undead. Determined to ignore Michael and the magnetic pull they have towards each other, Alex tries to fight the infection using her medical savvy. Meanwhile, her brother (who is a priest) searches frantically for his estranged sister, and stumbles into The Brethren--a secret order of priests dedicated to hunting down and destroying the Darkyn.

Overall, this was a good read. I enjoyed Ms. Viehl's characters, and I liked the spunky heroine she created in Alexandra (even if she was just Cherijo with a regular scalpel in Louisiana as opposed to a lascalpel on K-2). Alex's dogged refusal to drink blood and accept becoming a Darkyn as she searched for a `cure' felt genuine. Similarly, her brother's struggle with celibacy and faith certainly was not a comfortable topic to read, and the torturous scenes involving him weren't pleasant either--but they were effective and lent dimension to these characters. Ms. Viehl writes a smart story, and she doesn't pull her punches.

The actual romance between Cyprian and Alex was enjoyable as well--they are two very stubborn characters, and the attraction they feel for each other is realistically portrayed. Alex has rough edges and refuses to be dominated immediately by Michael, exhibiting her strength of will and spunk (even telling him at one point to bite her...butt, packing a nice punch as well). Michael himself was a bit of a wanker though---a bit stock in the growly possessive mate department. I enjoyed the romance as an almost afterthought to the actual story however, and I suspect this is why the book garners negative reviews.

What Ms. Viehl does best though is weave multiple storylines with deftness. The subplot involving Alex's brother and the hideous torture and rape he undergoes at the hand of the Brethren is terrifying, yet engaging and relevant to the overall story. The baddies here really are bad; not your typical incompetent idiot villains. There are other subplots involving other characters, most notably the character of Thierry Durand who has been driven mad after being forced to watch his mate raped, tortured, then murdered by the Brethren.

This is a complex and dark book--not so much a paranormal romance as it is dark fantasy or horror. I'd warn romance fans that are expecting another sexy vampire fluff tale; Ms. Viehl isn't about that. Think more along the lines of Anne Bishop than Kresley Cole--except Ms. Viehl is far superior to both authors, in this reviewer's humble opinion.

I enjoyed this book. Ms. Viehl proves again that she can write an engaging, fast paced story, and I'll probably be picking up book 2 sometime in the near future. I still prefer the Stardoc series, but her foray into the paranormal genre has everything I could have asked for.

Review Courtesy of thebooksmugglers.blogspot.com

I bought this book because I'd read some really BAD customer reviews of it and wondered if it was really as awful as it appeared to be. It wasn't.

Michael and Alex worked for me. Everyone seems to need it to make sense. Well love don't make sense a whole lot of the time does it? I don't think either wanted the attraction. They clearly weren't comfortable with it. They were certainly from different worlds...Michael was used to deference and respect from everyone around him simply because of his position...very old world in that sense. Alex was a modern woman with a modern woman's sense that one isn't entitled to respect until they have earned it. That may be second nature to most of us...but it isn't 1400 anymore either. It wasn't the explosive all consuming urgency of a typical romance. Still I could work with it.

My issues with the book were

1) the use of unfimiliar terms that were often not defined leaving me to guess at their meaning (glossaries are a beautiful thing in books of this sort)

2) it took me a long time to get into this book....it really didn't start holding my interest until halfway through (I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and assume that was because I'd just finisihed another book that was still tying up my thoughts)

3) it felt like the last 10 pages were hurried...like the author had written 281 and thought "well I have 10 pages to end this and the entire story to tell". I read it stunned by what was happening. Surprise endings are good but give me something to hang it all on.

Still a good book all in all. I'll get the rest and hope I get to know the world better then reread this one to help put it in perspective.

Bottom Line: Try before you buy
One of the quotes on the book cover, stated it was 'Erotic'. I didn't find it erotic at all.
It wasn't a great idea for a story. The whole thing where the main character is kept (so to speak) in order to perform surgery on a vampire's face...seemed well, not that interesting. It did not captivate my attention.
It was sort of a ho-hum read...nothing horrible, nothing fantastic. It certainly didn't make me want to read the rest of the series.
J.R. Ward is much more interesting, and erotic.

This is such an underrated book - but I've noticed from the reviews, probably because it's been promoted as a paranormal romance. That's truly a shame, because it is in NO way a paranormal romance. What it IS is a deep, dark, sometimes ugly, definitely treacherous but imaginative world with complex and flawed characters leading extraordinary lives.

Alex is a reconstructive surgeon stolen off the streets of Chicago and brought to Michael, the tragically scarred Darkyn who was captured and tortured by the Brethren, a sect of religious fanatics out to destroy the race of beings who survived...in a manner of speaking...the Black Plague. Restoring Michael leads Alex down a path of loss and pain and change for both of them.

The plot of the story has been covered in other reviews so I won't rehash it, but will admit I had some difficulty getting into this book and I felt a bit overwhelmed with the story at first. I felt it introduced the main characters of both factions - Darkyn and Brethren - and Alex and her estranged brother, John - without really building the world or explaining what was going on. There was terminology used between characters but not explained to the reader, and quite a bit of French treated the same. At times I felt confused and a little lost, but I stuck with it and I'm very glad I did. Things do eventually become clearer, and are explained a little better the further you go into the book. Once I did start to grasp the mythos of the Darkyn and some of their political structure and spent a bit more time with the characters, I ended up really liking and appreciating the depth and breadth of the story and the world. I can't say I have a total grasp of the Darkyn's political and societal structure, and there are questions that AREN'T answered in this book - though for a series beginner, that's not at all uncommon - but by the book's end I was satisfied that enough had been explained and the world fleshed out enough to be very satisfied with the read.

There were several aspects of the book I liked very much - Alex's character in general and any of the scenes where she was dealing with the Darkyn family she helped were a particular favorite, as well Phillipe, Michael's Seneschal. He was definitely my favorite secondary character. There were also a couple of really nifty plot twists towards the end that I in NO way saw coming and I like when a book catches me off guard that way. All in all, it wasn't a completely comfortable read...it's very dark and has several truly torturous themes...but I ended up liking it a lot more than I did at the beginning. I will be continuing the series, but I'll hold off recommending this one to paranormal romance fans. Dark Urban Fantasy fans would dig it if they can be patient with the beginning, but those looking for a feel good HEA may want to go elsewhere.