Title: Heaven and Hellsbane
Series: Hellsbane Novel Book #2
Author: Paige Cuccaro
Genre: Romance/Sci-Fi Fantasy
Blurb: Someone’s killing angels and turning the half human, half angel illorum warriors against their angelic supporters. If the supernatural baddy behind the attacks isn’t stopped soon, Heaven itself could fall victim. The Council of Seven has called in the best they’ve got to find the killers, and no one’s more surprised than Emma Jane Hellsbane when it’s her phone that rings.
But when her own angelic mentor—and off-limits hottie—Eli is targeted, Emma takes it personally. With Emma hot on the trail of the growing army of assassins, though, hackles start to raise around her. Everyone wants to know if she’s in it to protect all angels or just one in particular. The Council has their suspicions…and so does Emma’s boyfriend.
Now Emma isn’t just fighting off demons, rogue nephilim, and Fallen angels, but she’s defending her honor as well. The problem is even Emma Jane isn’t sure of her motives. One thing she does know: if she doesn’t figure out the killers’ identities soon, she may not live long enough to know what, or who, she really wants.
It’s all in a day’s work as Heaven’s ultimate bounty hunter.
Thoughts: I’ll start of by saying that I jumped into this series without reading the first one in the series. While it is quickly made apparent that there was a prior novel, I didn’t really feel lost in the context of the pages. The author does an amazing job of keeping you up to date with what is happening, recapping things for those who didn’t read book one, and still capturing everything needed for the continuation of the story. Sure, we have a new world to try to sort out with nephilims, magisters, seraphims, gibborims, etc., but that is to be expected when your reading about a whole new world that the author has created and is trying to make us a part of – especially in a sci-fi/fantasy series. And while it is a little bit confusing at first, it is quickly ironed out by the author.
I thought it was a very interesting read – while it sounds like any standard sci-fi/fantasy book that is common in this genre right now, it really steps outside the norm. The author has really managed to separate it from the rest of the pack and make this novel really fresh and intriguing. I really got caught up in the world, as well as the characters, and it made me want to go back and start reading from book one in the series. I don’t want to give too much away, but my favorite part was where a decision is finally reached on whether Eli will “fall” or not because of his love for Emma Jane – which apparently has been a long time coming! The crucial scene on this topic was simply breathtaking!
Only complaint – it’s another one of those books in a series that is meant to leave the reader guessing for the next installment, so a lot of things are left up in the air.
Definitely a series I will continue to follow!
Rate: B+
