Review:: Angels' Blood, by Nalini Singh

Title: Angels' Blood

Author: Nalini Singh

Series: Guild Hunter, #1

Format: eBook

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

A possessive sex glitter archangel entrances a feisty silver-eyed vampire hunter he needs because of her keen sense of smell. There's a plot, but it's hidden somewhere beneath a lot of "oh god I'm so aroused" and "wow vampires are kinky."

This book is exactly what I expected. Well, no. It exceeded my expectations with the sex glitter. But no one expects sex glitter. It's full of shallow characters that don't have clear motives beyond how horny they are (constantly) and what needs to happen to make plot go. It's full of that fun flavor of internalized misogyny so common in romance novels... Most women are called "females" throughout the book, and in the very first chapter, the heroine decides to talk about a woman with "bimbo blonde hair." Also, women who really like sex are whores and tramps. Except when she wants an angel to "fuck [her] into oblivion." That's not whore-ish.

Oh! Back to the sex glitter!

Archangels apparently give off aphrodisiac sparkle dust when they're horny that's sticky. The vampire hunter, who finally fucked the archangel, apparently cannot get all of the sex sparkles off of her because they're that sticky. For some reason, she's less grossed out by this, and more worried about what will happen if someone licks her. (She was told not to let anyone lick her.)

Oh, the sex glitter angel is also really, really possessive. He told her that if she lets anyone else touch her (or lick her, I guess) he'll not just kill them but also torture them. Probably really gruesomely.

I think she finds this hot.

Now, here's the thing: If you're working some powerplay, that could be totally hot. But over and over she seems to miss that you don't need painplay or bondage or toys to make something kinky. And just because you put up a fight doesn't mean you aren't super subby. (The best subs put up fights!) He's literally talking about her as a toy. And he doesn't share his toys.

Either he's abusive or it's kinky. Pick.

Strangely, though, this book didn't upset me. I mostly found it "meh." I think that's because I went in expecting an urban fantasy paranormal romance... and what I got was pretty par for the course. There was actually some inventive worldbuilding in here (although some of it made me roll my eyes, especially towards the super predictable end) that is innovative-ish for the genre. It also doesn't seem to be taking itself super serious.

I think I want to read the next one.

No. I don't understand it.

I make bad life choices.