Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: Archangel’s Viper
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #10
Hero/Heroine: Holly & Venom
Genre: M/F Urban Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 26, 2017
Available at: Berkley & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Once a broken girl known as Sorrow, Holly Chang now prowls the shadowy gray underground of the city for the angels. But it’s not her winged allies who make her a wanted woman—it’s the unknown power coursing through her veins. Brutalized by an insane archangel, she was left with the bloodlust of a vampire, the ability to mesmerize her prey, and a poisonous bite.
Now, someone has put a bounty on her head…
Venom is one of the Seven, Archangel Raphael’s private guard, and he’s as infuriating as he is seductive. A centuries-old vampire, his fangs dispense a poison deadlier than Holly’s. But even if Venom can protect Holly from those hunting her, he might not be able to save himself—because the strange, violent power inside Holly is awakening…
No one is safe.
Review:
I feel like every time I write a review on a Nalini Singh book, I say the same thing. It’s just SOO hard to write reviews for her books! I find writing reviews for books I love are harder than writing reviews for none 5 star books so this one is especially hard to write. And I don’t want to go into details about the story itself because I feel like this is one that you really get the best experience of if you don’t know how things will unfold.
With that said, this is definitely not a book you can read as a stand-alone. You need to see Venom and Holly from the very beginning in Angels’ Blood to really know their backstory. Soooo much happens between that book and this one to show how much they’ve grown. I mean, in book 1, Holly was a damaged little girl and Venom was an enigma with snake eyes. As the series progresses, Venom becomes more humanized and Holly becomes suicidal (all things you should know by now).
While we got to know both Holly and Venom in the first nine books, in this one we REALLY get to know them – their thoughts and feelings and their baggage. They’ve always had a connection and while at times it was hostile, this one turns into something softer, more intimate. The moments they spent together in Venom’s apartment were the highlights for me because I loved how much they had in common, their love for the hot stone floor and their teasing and bantering.
It was amazing to finally see all that emotion between them turn into such an explosive connection. That moment they act on those feelings was such a phenomenal scene, I had to reread it twice! I just ADORED it. Now, I’m making this story seem like it’s a love story but, let’s be honest, Ms. Singh likes to put a bit of adventure in her stories and this one is no exception.
It’s mostly about Holly and figuring out who and what she is. It has a bit of mystery to it with quite a bit of suspense. I mean, Holly is a badass and Venom encourages it. I loved the place she’s carved out for herself even though her future is uncertain. At the same time, Venom realizes what’s happening and he wants to help Holly just as much as she wants answers but he won’t let her do it alone. I loved the bit of possessive and dominating attitude he had towards some things she did. And I loved seeing how Venom and her reacted whenever a new ability popped up for her. I mean, the things she could do not even Venom could do! It was fascinating to see how they dealt with those situations and the realization that Holly is not like any other vampire but also finding out how much they really had in common.
Gah, I just LOVED THEM!! Okay, I’m going to stop rambling now and leave readers with this – if you’ve enjoyed the Guild Hunter series then you’ll enjoy this one and finally seeing Venom and Holly get their story. I know I just LOVED this book. Ms. Singh has such an engagingly sensational way of writing that always draws me in. I can’t wait to read the next book and REALLY REALLY hope it’s about our Bluebell and Sparkle!
Overall Impression: It was amazing!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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