Angels' Flight: A Guild Hunter Collection

This anthology features a collection of short stories in the Guild Hunter world. Three have been previously published. The last is new.

Angels' Pawn - Throughout the first three Guild Hunter novels, we get little teasers about the hunter Ashwini and her constant foil, the sexy Cajun vampire Janvier. But in this short story, we get to see the two of them in action. Though Ash is usually hunting Janvier, here they are working together to bring in a vampire at the center of a power struggle. The whole thing serves as a little slice of life for the Guild Hunter, but it also showcases the sexy dynamic between Ash and Janvier. This isn't a story with an HEA. It does, however, leave the door wide open for the possibilities between these two. I hope they get their own story one day. The backstory on Ash alone would make it worthwhile.

Angel's Judgment - This is our chance to see Sara and Deacon when they first meet and fall in love. When the story begins, Sara is trying to decide whether she will accept the position as the new Guild Director. (Chronologically, it happens before the events of Angels' Blood.) As she works a case, trying to find a killer who is targeting vamps, she is paired with Deacon. He is known within the Guild as The Slayer, investigating rouge hunters and delivering punishment when necessary. They work together to find the guilty party, and grow close in the process. Sara has always been just a background character for me in the series, but this story gives her more depth. And Deacon is hawt! A great novella, filled with action and awesome sexy-times. Definitely a keeper for fans of the series.

Angels' Wolf - Poor Noel. Back in Archangel's Kiss, he was the vampire savagely beaten and tortured to send a message to Raphael. His body has now healed, but he may never recover from the emotional damage. As this story begins, Raphael sends him on a mission to Louisiana, to help the angel Nimra figure out who is trying to kill her. Nimra is very powerful, striking fear in even the most brutal angels. But Noel finds there is a gentle spirit behind her fierce reputation. It was strange seeing such a soft angel, when almost all the others in the series have this vein of inhumanity. But I did enjoy watching her breathe new life into Noel's broken spirit. By the time the story ends, we finally get an idea of who he was before his attack. And it's clear that through love, he'll one day be whole again.

Angels' Dance - Set 400 years in the past, this story gives us the chance to watch Galen and Jessamy fall in love. Jess is a teacher at the refuge, loved and respected by all, but the ancient angel has never known a man's touch. She is thousands of years old, but her malformed wing has kept her grounded and isolated. Galen recognizes that there is more to her than just a teacher and historian. He sees the woman beneath. And he takes her to the skies... exposes her to the world. He awakens feelings in her that she never thought she would have. This is all happening as Galen works to prove himself worthy of entering Raphael's service. Also at the same time, there is turmoil in Cadre with a missing archangel and an attempt on Jessamy's life. But the real draw is the love story that develops between Jess and Galen. They are wonderful contrasting characters, proving how much opposites attract. A lot of time passes over the course of less than 150 pages, but it only adds to the depth of their feelings. Very satisfying.

Loved this book full of novellas in the Guild Hunter world. Each story was a treat. Fans will love getting the fist glimpses into characters who have come to mean a lot and those who haven’t started the series get a taste of the world; before it became something altogether different.

Angels’ Pawn - 5 Stars

This one we get a closer look at Ashwini, Elena’s Guild Hunter colleague and Janvier. It’s a little moment in time with these two; before they get their full Novel Archangel's Shadows.

In Archangel’s Shadow they mentioned this moment this assignment briefly and it made me want to find out more on the backstory of Ash and Janvier’s relationship.

Ash is smart, tough, and can kick ass. She also has some “talent” or a curse, depending on who looks at it. Janvier is the ban in her existence. She’s hunted him in the past, but here he stands by her side for a Guild assignment. He has a talent for making friends with anybody.

Angels’ Pawn focuses on the action rather then the romance. The chemistry is their and we Sigh does a wonderful job giving us a taste of, Ash and Janvier's, budding teasing flirtatious relationship. As for the world it's terrifying and riveting.

I loved Angels’ Pawn.

Angels’ Judgement - 5 Stars

This one we get Sara Haziz story. She is a human-born Guild Hunter who later becomes the Guild Director for America. Before she becomes the Director she is sent on a mission and tested by the Archangel’s - The Cadre. But, she’s not alone. Yummy, Deacon is at her side. He’s their to offer protection and to help Sarah on her mission.

It's action-packed and gritty. I loved every moment of it. They are hunting one of their own, a Guild Hunter who may or may not have gone off the deep end. Sarah uses her mind along with her crossbow to her advantage. Deacon was a amazing. He does his job well, but he can also be light and funny. The chemistry was off the charts with these two and those love scenes, steamy.

Angels’ Judgement was a treat. It was wonderful to see Sarah and Deacon become lovers. This novella was perfect. Their is action, danger, blood, and romance.

Angels’ Dance - 5 Stars

If you have been reading the Guild Hunter series then you have caught glimpses of Galen and Jessamy, but in this novella, they shine.

I have been wanting their backstory for sometime. Galen is one of Raphael’s Seven. We get glimpses into him and what he does, but here we find out their is so much more to him. I loved Galen. He’s fierce, loyal, protective, and honorable. Jessamy is the teacher of angelic young, a library, and the keeper of angelic knowledge/archives. She’s fragile, strong willed, and has a strong heart.

Reading about these two was exquisite. They matched perfectly. The sexual tension was amazing. The writing is magnificent. The scenes are so vivd bring the characters and world to life.

Angels’ Dance was a beautiful crafted novella. I loved everything about this one.

Angels’ Wolf - 3.5 Stars

I read this in Angels of Darkness.

I enjoyed this short story. I liked both Nimra the Angel and Noel the Vampire. Nimra needs help and Raphael sends Noel, but he thinks he’s been cast aside; because of what happened to him. Both of them needed healing in different ways and they come to find what they need in each other.

Angel’s Wolf is a sweet, sad, and enjoyable read.

I'll be honest that I am little funny when it comes to anthologies. I love the glimpses the short stories give into other perspectives in worlds that I have come to love. However I do not ever read them to find new authors. In fact I have several owned anthologies that I have skipped multiple stories in. Of course, I come back to them once I've read the authors main books. I only want to read these types of stories as a supplement rather than an introduction. That all being said, when I saw that Angels' Flight was going to be four stories all set in the Guild Hunter world, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Even though I was worried about my favorite couple was not being featured, I did not miss Elena and Raphael one little bit. It was truly wonderful getting to see so many different secondary characters shine. In fact while reading Angel's Flight I was overcome with the desire to re-read the entire series, and once my review schedule opens up a little I will be doing just that.

First up was Angels' Pawn which featured Ashwini and Janvier. I've always been intrigued by the dance these two have going on, and now that I have seen how it all got started I am even more desperate to have a full length novel that features them. There is just something about their cat and mouse game that really draws me in, and I'd love to see both of their hidden secrets become unraveled for one another.

Angels' Judgement show Sara right before she became the Guild Director. It also shows how she came to be involved with her very yummy husband, Deacon. It showed just how strong the pair of them are, both together and as individuals, as well as some tough choices along the way. Very enjoyable.

I really enjoyed Angel's Wolf. My heart bled for Noel in Archangel's Kiss, for what he lived through. I hated to see him so broken and have been very curious about why Raphael sent him to Nimra's court in Archangel's Consort. That question was more than answered in this story, and I really loved seeing him come back to life one small bit at a time.

The heart and soul of this anthology belongs to Angels' Dance. It showed a much different time than what has been showed in the Guild Hunter books. It is set back when Raphael was first coming into power and establishing his territory. I loved seeing how everyone came together in their roles, especially as they tested one another. Prior to this point, Galen came across as only being very cold and harsh, fitting of his position, yet in this story we got to see another side of him as he courts Jessamy. I loved getting the insight into her character as well, especially since I realized her inner strength far surpasses even the toughest archangel. To be the only of her kind permanently unable to fly, and yet still able to overcome that debilitating longing, is nothing short of amazing.

In closing I would have to highly recommend Angels' Flight as it was a fantastic grouping of stories in the stellar Guild Hunter world. Some of the content was previously published, but the gorgeous cover and the new material make this anthology more than worth the purchase. This is a definite must buy for fans of the series, and will make a great addition to your collection.

An awesome anthology of four stories written for the Guild Hunter series. Some has appeared in other anthologies.

Angels' Dance - 4.5 Stars!

I really, really liked this one despite not usually being a gigantic fan of secondary couples. However, Jessamy and Galen, both teachers at opposite ends of the spectrum, and both such awesome people separately, are absolutely mind-bogglingly awesome together!

The Good:

The writing and the story behind it were both an amazing addiction to the Guild Hunter series. The heat between these two and the perfect flaws each exhibit… I was enthralled with this story!

The Bad:

I only wonder what took Galen so long in the middle of the story! Gah! Pig-headed males! But we love them!

4.5 stars!

Angels' Judgement - 5 stars!

OMG! I adored Deacon!

That’s pretty much that needs to be said, honestly. It’s not often I rate a short story or novella 5 stars but wow…

The Good:

Deacon. Sara is awesome too, but the good of this entire story was Deacon. I just loved the gay bar scene. There is some off-the-wall stuff in this story that details Deacon and Sara's meeting. A must-read for anyone who loves the Guild Hunter series!

The Bad:

Not enough Deacon!

5 stars!

Angels' Pawn - 4.5 Stars!

I love the interaction between Ashwini and Janvier, although they aren’t my favorite couple, they are the most humorous.

The Good:

This was an excellent view into one of the early meetings between Ashwini and Janvier. I loved the insight and I loved every word of this story.

The Bad:

I am simply not quite as gushy about this one as every other installment. I love these two and I loved this story, which was the perfect length for this little gem. Nothing overtly bad about it, just not as interested in this couple as some of the others.

4.5 stars!

Angel's Wolf - 4 stars!

For those who can’t remember, during one of the previous Guild Hunter novels one of the vampires was brutalized very badly. This is his story. I wasn’t all fired up to read this one because it was a minor character’s story, but I am on a mission here, so I delved right in!

The Good:

As always, there was an excellent story and excellent character building for such short installment of the Guild Hunter series. You get a glimpse of angel’s territory under Raphael and her court and the healing of Noel after the brutality he suffered.

Plus, a female angel and a male vampire. That is new to this series. Most are mortal women in love with powerful vampires, angels or archangels. Or even an angel woman in love with another angel. But not a female angel hooking up with a vampire. It was nice to see the norm change in this story.

The Bad:

The only things I wasn’t gung-ho about were the fact it was about an angel unheard of and a minor vampire from the previous books. So it wasn’t any of the secondary characters you know and love. However, it didn’t really detract from the story much. This though is my personal preference though. I love immersing myself into my favorite characters in my favorite world so much I probably would overdose if I could!

4 stars!

2 Star
Angels’ Pawn
Ashwini has been given an assignment by the powerful angel, Nazarach. Knowing the power associated with the angel she enlists the help of one of her usual targets, Janvier.

There is a feud brewing between a few of Nazarch’s vampires which has led to the supposed kidnapping of young vampire, Monique. Ashwini has been tasked with recovering the young vamp and returning her to Nazarach. But upon investigation it appears that Monique wasn’t kidnapped, but went willingly. Can Ashwini and Janvier work together to convince Monique to go with them back to Nazarach? Or will the growing feelings between the two get in the way?

I’ve heard great things about this series and I absolutely love Singh’s Psy-Changeling series so I knew I had to give Guild Hunter a shot!

I had a hard time following the hierarchy of the angels and vampires explained in the beginning chapters of this novella. But after figuring out the layout of the world and how everybody fit into it, the story flowed smoothly. Unfortunately, I found this story to be a bit bland for my liking. I’m hoping that it was just due to all the information that had be relayed to the reader and that the series will improve from here on out.

3 stars
Angels’ Judgment
Sara Haziz is a hunter with the Guild and she was just offered the position as Guild Director, now that her boss, Simon is stepping down. Whether to take the position or not is something Sara doesn’t take lightly, but everybody already acts like she’s accepted. She promises Simon to have a decision after her current case is over.

The case? A hunter is killing vampires and it’s up to Sara and the Guild’s slayer, Deacon, to determine who it is and find a way to stop him!

This was a pretty good story. I read Angels’ Blood before reading this, so I had already been introduced to Sara and Deacon. But it was nice seeing how they got their start and left me wanting more of them!

Although, the first sex scene seemed a bit abrupt, which I’m sure is due to the need to rush things with it being a novella. They are a sweet and fun couple and I hope to see more of them throughout the series!

“After this is over, I want a shower in a really big bathroom.”
“I’ll get us the penthouse.”
“What makes you think you’ll be sharing it with me?”
“I live in hope.”
This is a fun and quick read that is definitely worth the time.

4 star
Angel’s Wolf
Noel was a victim of a brutal attack and torture at the hands of others. His physical wounds have long healed, but his emotional wounds are still fresh and exposed. Before his attack, he was in line for a prestigious position in the Towers, but now Raphael has sent him to New Orleans to be a part of Nimra’s court. A move that speaks volumes to Noel saying that he is no longer worthy to work under the Archangel of New York and that Raphael has thrown him away like so much rubbish.

But shortly after his arrival at Nimra’s court, she pulls him aside and tells him how someone in her court tried to poison her and killed her beloved pet instead. His job is to find out who the betrayer is.

Not everybody is happy with Noel’s arrival, especially the angel Christian who fancies a relationship with Nimra.

I found myself enjoying this story although I think the lead character being a victim of torture is beginning to be a little too repetitive for me, especially after reading Archangel’s Blade. But this story was still a good read and I liked Noel’s wit and dry humor.

“I won’t take advantage of you. Today, I’ll be your friend.”
“Fen has been my friend for decades,” she said, sliding her arm into his when he offered it to her. “And he never presumed to put his mouth on mine.”
“Obviously I’ll be a different kind of friend.”
This story is a nice way to spend a couple of hours, especially when you’re in between Guild Hunter releases and need a vampire fix!

2 Star
Angels’ Dance
Jessamy was born with a deformed wing that has left her permanently grounded, despite Keir’s best attempts to fix it. She has subjected herself to a life of solitude not wanting men to court her out of pity and knowing that she’d never allow herself to have children and chance them having the same deformity. Instead, she fills her days with writing the races histories and teaching the children of the Refuge. But everything changes when one of Titus’s angel’s transfers to Raphael’s territory and becomes his new weapons master. Can this barbarian soften her heart and show her exactly what she’s been missing all these years?

Unlike the other stories in this book, I recognized the female lead, Jessamay from the previous Guild Hunter books and knew all about her wing. It was nice to see her romance unfold. But overall I was a little bored with it. It had such an incredibly slow build-up and whenever you think it’s finally going something would happen to put it at a standstill; Galen standing back to let her choose on her own, them being separated while he’s at the towers. Yadda Yadda Yadda. And, the one thing I expected to happen at the end of this book never came to pass.

I really wanted to like this story, but it was just average … nothing more.

Overall Thoughts:

I thought this was an okay anthology. It gives you a little more insight into the Guild Hunter world, but nothing in this book is life-shattering. You could easily skip it and not lose anything in the series story arc. This may be one you want to read, not buy, unless you are collecting the whole series.

Angel's Flight is an anthology containing four novellas set in the Guild Hunter world, each features a different couple and is set at a different point in the series timeline. Angels' Dance, Angels' Judgment and Angels' Pawn are all set before the first book in the series (Angel's Blood) while Angel's Wolf is set between Archangel's Consort and Archangel's Blade. Although I think you could probably get away with reading these stories before the rest of the series I'd actually recommend waiting until you've read at least as far as book 3 just so that you are already familiar with the different characters who star in the novellas. I'm going to talk about each of the stories separately in this review but I would say this book is well worth picking up if you're a fan of the series. I love the world that Nalini Singh has created and it was so much fun to get to know some of the side characters a bit better.

Angels' Pawn - 4.5 stars:
If you have read any of the other books you'll probably remember talk of guild hunter Ashwini and her vampire nemesis. Janvier has a very bad habit of getting himself in trouble with the angels and doing a disappearing act which means the guild are called in to track him down. Ash has spent years chasing him across the world and through the bayou only for him to always make his peace with the angel who hired her just before she catches him. For once Ash's job isn't to search for Janvier though and this time she actually needs his help, she has been asked to find a kidnapped vampire but the last thing she wants is to be caught up in the politics between two of the vampires who report to the angel Nazarach. Since Janvier is familiar with all of the vampires involved she is hoping he can smooth the way and help her through the situation in one piece.

Angel's Pawn is the shortest of the novellas included in this book and it is also the only one where we don't get to see a full on relationship develop between the two main characters. In spite of that it was a really enjoyable read and I absolutely loved the banter between Ash and Janvier. they have great chemistry and I have high hopes for them hooking up at some point as the series progresses - there is no way they can deny their connection forever! Ash has always been on the sidelines (although she does have a larger role in the 4th book Archangel's Blade) so we don't know a huge amount about her but she has some very interesting abilities that I'm looking forward to learning more about in future books. I don't remember actually being introduced to Janvier in the earlier books, he was mentioned but I don't think we ever saw him, so it was great to get a taste of his character too. He is one sexy Cajun with a real playboy attitude but he seems to have met his match in Ash and it looks like he's more than willing to explore their attraction.

Angels' Judgment - 5 stars:
I have liked Elena's best friend Sara from the moment we first met her in Angel's Blood. As the guild director she has always gone out on a limb for her people and she is particularly protective of Elena even when that does mean facing off against a p*ssed off archangel. Sara and weapon expert Deacon are such a cute couple and I've always enjoyed seeing Elena spend time with them but it was fantastic to actually discover how they met each other and became a couple.

This story has a nice amount of action as Sara and Deacon work together to track down a rogue hunter who has started murdering vampires. Sara is also facing trials thrown at her by the archangels because she is about to become the new guild director and the odds are not in her favour. The chemistry between Deacon and Sara is fantastic, they have trouble keeping their hands off each other but their worlds are far apart and they both have reservations about how a relationship between them would work. Sara worries that Deacon wouldn't want to have her as his boss when she becomes director and Deacon prefers a quiet life away from the spotlight which is something the director will never be able to have. I just love this couple and it was great to have a story which focuses on them, I hope we get to see more slices of their life together further down the line.

Angel's Wolf - 4 stars:
I'll admit that this was the story I was least excited about reading because I couldn't remember who Noel was and I don't remember coming across Nimra before. If you're like me and need a reminder Noel was the vampire who was horrifically tortured during Archangel's Consort before being dumped in Raphael's territory as a warning. His physical recovery was a long and slow process but even though he is fully healed he still has the mental scars from his experience. Noel was always one of Raphael's most trusted vampires, not far below the seven in terms of the hierarchy, but now he has been sent to the court of the angel Nimra. Noel has been told it is a promotion but he thinks he has been sidelined because of what happened to him. In fact it is quite the opposite, Nimra has reason to believe that a member of her court, someone who is very close to her, is plotting against her and she needs an outsider's help to uncover who is behind the attempt on her life.

I still don't remember coming across Nimra before, she is a very old angel and one who is feared by even the most powerful angels and vampires. She has no trouble holding even Nazarach out of her territory and we all know what kind of reputation he has! Nimra is nothing like Noel expects her to be, there is none of the terror and fear that he would expect in her court and the people who stay there all seem to genuinely care for her. It was surprising how human Nimra seems considering she is so old and powerful, she shows affection for her people and for animals (you've got to love an angel who cares about her cats!) and seems like a decent leader. It was hard to figure out why her enemies were so terrified of her at first but before long you realise that she has more than enough power to hold her own if she needs to. I enjoyed the way her relationship develops with Noel, she helps bring him back from the knife edge that his torture left him on and gives him a reason to live again. They make a really cute couple and I hope we catch up with them further down the line.

Angels' Dance - 5 stars:
This was hands down my favourite novella in the book and I absolutely loved Jessamy and Galen's story. Jessamy was born with a deformed wing and in spite of the best efforts of the healers she has never been able to fly, she longs to feel the wind on her face and for the rush of flying but when someone takes her it just brings home the fact that she will never be free to fly whenever she wants to so she has refused to fly with anyone since she was a child. Jessamy has contented herself with keeping the angelic histories and with teaching the young angels but she leads a fairly solitary life apart from the time spent with the children. She has never even left the refuge to visit any of the places she writes about in the histories.

We know Galen as one of Raphael's seven but this story is set long before the first book in the series and shows Galen's transfer to Raphael's territory as the new weapons master. From the minute he sees Jessamy he knows he wants her and he will do whatever it takes to convince her to take a chance on him. Their romance was so sweet and they make an absolutely adorable couple. I loved the way Galen was so patient with Jessamy and how he works so hard to woo her but what I love most about him is that he puts his jealousy to one side to ensure that Jessamy makes the decision to be with him for the right reasons. I've always liked Jessamy's character, it can't be easy to be the only angel who is unable to fly and it has had a huge effect on her confidence. She has always believed that nobody would be interested in her so she pushes people away before they have the chance to hurt her but Galen shows her how good things could be if she would just let him in. This story left me with a huge smile on my face and I don't think it could have got any better!

Angel's Flight is a unique type of omnibus composed of four, short-story to novella length, works set in the Guild Hunter universe. Of the four, two I have already read, "Angel's Judgment" originally published as part of Must Love Hellhounds, and "Angel's Wolf" that was part of the Angels of Darkness anthology. "Angel's Pawn," originally e-published as a short story, and "Angel's Dance," the novella length never before published story in this collection, were both new reads for me, and I have to say that they both added to the richness of the world that Ms. Singh has already created in the Guild Hunter universe.

This collection earned a high four stars all the way around.

"Angel's Pawn"
In this story we get to know Ashwini-- a secondary character so far in the main Guild Hunter storyline-- a little better, along with her charming interest Janvier "the Cajun." I loved getting to know some more about these two, and straightening out some of my earlier misconceptions, including my wrong assumption that for a hunter to be sent the vamp in question had to be under a hundred. Ashwini is a fascinating character, and Janvier is a perfect foil for her. We also were able to see Nezarach, a frightening yet enlightening excursion. I truly hope that we get to see more of these two in the future and would adore a whole novel devoted to their budding love story. This was a fun, if agonizingly short story.
I give this one four stars.

"Angel's Judgment"
This story, I feel, is a must read for any Guild Hunter fan. Detailing how Sara became head of the Hunters Guild, and met Deacon, it is the ground work for the first few books, gives some insight into how the guild actually functions and is an all around good read.
I give this one four stars.

"Angel's Wolf"
I feel that this story is only fully appreciated after having read through Archangel's Blade, where we experience the trauma one of the main characters, Noel, goes though, and so can more fully understand the transformation he undergoes in this story. I really enjoyed this story, both the first time I read it in Angels of Darkness and in this volume. It is a complete departure from the main storyline in the Guild Hunter series, and as such has a freedom to be nothing more than it is. Even in so short a work, this story managed to feel complete to me, and encompass feeling of both tenderness and ferocity. It also showed and angel in this world with both power and compassion, a somewhat new concept to date in this series. I would be happy to see either of the characters in a secondary role again in future works, I am however content with where their story is now to feel they do not need further spotlight.
I give this story a high four stars.

"Angel's Dance"
This new story surprised me by going back in time and letting us see some of the build-up that got us to where we open in the first Guild Hunter book. Seeing Raphael as a new archangel was an interesting sight, and the cobbling together of his seven was seminal to the series, if only peripheral to this story. I will admit that Galen has not been one of my favorite characters to date, however seeing this story from his perspective definitely had him grow on me. Also getting to know Jessamy more deeply was a pleasure, the only externally "flawed" angels in this series hers was a worthwhile journey to travel, and I felt honored to be able to tread some of it with her. The glimpses we get of Illium in this story are equally fun and sad; I enjoyed knowing the origins of "Bluebell" but knowing the future outcome of his relationship with a mortal that strings through this story was a bitter ache. All in all it was a good story that also added wonderful back-story and insight into the series on Raphael's side.
I give this story four stars.

Nalini Singh's Angel's Flight was a delightful read! Four novellas of some of the secondary characters we've seen in the Guild Hunter series! It was fun seeing some of these other gals and guys being the leads!

ANGEL'S PAWN

This was an interesting little story with Ashwini, a hunter forced to work with a vampire she's tried to kill several times over. Savvy Janiver makes her feel things, things she's not happy about feeling towards a vamp. But when she has to except his help with tracking down a female vamp that's been kidnapped and return her to her angel master and all during a turf war. Ashwini won't be too picky about the help she receives!

Rating 4/5 stars

ANGELS' JUDGMENT

Before Sara became Guild Director, she was an ordinary hunter set out on a job to find a person attacking vampires. Here she meets hot and sexy Deacon, who's there to protect her from threats. This story was totally awesome! Loved seeing how these two met and fell in love! This was probably my fave story from the collection!

Rating 5/5 stars

ANGEL'S PAWN

Noel is a vamp with a broken past, sent to Nimra by Raphael as a favor. He is to discover who among her people wants her dead. Tension grows between the two of a romantic sort, naturally! This also had a nice little mystery factor going on with a shocking end!

Rating 4/5 stars

ANGEL'S DANCE

Jessamy the kind yet broken angel and Galen, the strong barbaric angel. Two complete opposites, yet the two are drawn to one another. Galen has always been the strong sort, yet a weakness grows when he's near Jessamy. They each start to feel an attraction for one another, and Jessamy always had a hard time with trusting people since most men pursued her out of pity. It takes her awhile to truly believe in Galen's feelings. They really had to work at their relationship throughout this novella, starting with Galen saving Jessamy from an assassination attempt and then becoming her personal bodyguard! Galen is an endearing sort of man, yet at times he was a little possessive, but it was still sweet, because he truly cared so much!! There were a few moments that dragged a bit in this one, being the longest of the novellas but still highly enjoyable!

Rating 4.5/5 stars

A totally incredible anthology set in the Guild Hunter world!! A highly recommend read for all Guild Hunter fans!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Four great stories of love and angels.

Opening Sentence: From Angel's Dance "She had seen empires rise and kingdoms fall, queens come and go, archangels clash in battle and drown the world in rivers of blood."

The Review:

I. Love. My. Job. Or, my "job" as it were. I get to read then review books by some of my favorite authors. Let that be a disclaimer...I am a bit prejudiced, I live for the day the next book by Nalini Singh comes out. I love her books and this one was no exception. This volume contains four novellas about the characters from her Guild Hunter series, two of which are making their first appearance in print. I was so excited when I got this one in the mail; I just had to read it right away.

Angel's Pawn brings us to the deep south of Atlanta, Georgia where a newly formed vampire gang, or "kiss" as the book calls it, has kidnapped the descendant of one of the more powerful vampire families of the region. Their angel in charge brings in the vampire hunting guild, and more specifically, Ashwini, hunter extraordinaire, to retrieve her. With the help of her vampire "friend," the rather tasty, Janvier, she is able to gain entrée into the group's headquarters and retrieve the kidnapped vampire.

You might notice I had a bit of trouble defining the relationship between Ash and Janvier. As a vampire hunter, Ashwini has been previously hired to track down Janvier and bring him in, only to be denied the pleasure at the very last second. As a result from their combined time together, it appears that Janvier has developed certain feelings for Ash. However, Ashwini has a personal rule: no dating the enemy, namely those vamps she makes a living hunting. Though, had I been in her shoes, I would have given in to temptation a LONG time ago. And I can't for the life of me figure out what she's waiting for. I mean, there is a man that rules were made to be broken for.

Angel's Judgment was a reread for me. It gives us a look back into the past of the Guild's Director, Sara, before she held the position, and how her relationship with the very impressive Deacon began. When the two met, Deacon held the role of The Slayer, the specter who hunted the hunters gone bad. Deacon is also the man behind all the very best tools used by the Guild hunters. The two are thrown together to find a hunter who has been indiscriminately killing innocent vampires, and to make sure Sara survives the test phase that comes with being picked as the future Guild Director.

Suffice to say her becoming director was no easy task, but it did come with a bit of yummy Deacon frosting.

Angel's Wolf is nothing short of a love story. The kind of love story that makes you sigh, then roll over and cuddle with the man you love. Noel is a vampire broken, a victim of torture healed only by the fact that he is an almost immortal. Noel is seemingly exiled to Louisiana to serve the angel Nimra. What he doesn't realize is that all is not right in the bayou. Nimra is an angel, who is also tortured by her past, in this case a relationship gone bad, and a very devastating loss. She has called to Raphael for help in dealing with a threat and very personal betrayal. You see, someone she considers almost family is apparently trying to harm her using a poison that is paralytic for angels, which then allows them to be murdered.

What neither of them was expecting was the feelings they would develop for each other, species lines be damned.

Angel's Dance brings us four centuries into the past, when Raphael was still a newbie archangel without his seven, when the city of New York was still wilderness, when Jessamy met Galen. As some of you may know, and some of you won't, Jessamy is a teacher of young angels, at Refuge, the place where most angels go when they are born, where they go to heal. Galen is to be Raphael's weapons-master, given command of his angel troops, and told to prepare them for battle, under any circumstance. Jessamy was born an angel without flight, having one wing deformed. After trying many times to fix this malady, she is resigned to a life alone, using her teaching to fulfill her life. Galen was an angel born to two warriors, trained in the arts of weaponry and warfare. Perfectly formed in every way *wink, wink* When Jessamy comes under attack, Galen puts himself in charge of guarding her body, and also her heart.

Galen and Jessamy prove together, that true opposites do often attract, that physical characteristics do not always matter, that love may last forever.

The Guild Hunter Series:

1. Angel's Blood

2. Archangel's Kiss

3. Archangel's Consort

4. Archangel's Blade

5. Angels' Flight

FTC Advisory: Berkley Sensation provided me with a copy of Angels' Flight. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.

An omnibus of four Guild Hunter short stories. Some about the angels and some about the hunters.

Series Chronology:
Angels' Pawn (0.5) [Kathy chronology places it at 0.75])
Angels' Judgment (1.5) [Kathy chronology places it at 0.5]), Also in Must Love Hellhounds
Angel's Wolf (4.5), Also in Angels of Darkness.
Angels' Dance (4.75)

The Stories
Angels' Pawn is a new story in the Guild Hunter series with Ashwini, a hunter-born, coupled with Janvier, a vampire she keeps having to chase down. Seems Janvier has a habit of pissing off the angels. In this instance, the shoe's on the other foot and Janvier is helping Ashwini on an assignment to retrieve a new-Made vampire for Nazarach and introduces us to a new kiss leader, Callan Fox, setting himself up against the Beaumonts.

As Ashwini contacts Sara to confirm her orders, I'm guessing that Sara is now the director which places this after Angels' Judgment.

Angels' Judgment opens with a Cadre meeting of archangels in which Simon, the guild director, informs them he is retiring and that Sara Haziz is his successor. The story provides a bit of background on the angels' ruthlessness while introducing us to Sara and how she meets Deacon. Also in Must Love Hellhounds.

Angel's Wolf is a sweet romance between an angel and a vampire when someone tries to assassinate the Angel Nimra and Raphael sends Noel, a damaged vampire, to guard her and find out who. Also in Angels of Darkness.

Angels' Dance is a bit confusing as it starts by saying "Four hundred years ago" and then Singh plops it into the series at 4.75. And this far into the series, I rather expected to hear about Elena. Despite these chronological discrepancies, this is my favorite story in this omnibus as it revolves around a handicapped angel, bookish and slight of form, and the towering, muscled warrior who falls immediately in love with her. It's sooo sweet as Galen overcomes Jessamy's reticence.

The Cover
It's a soft twisting circle in a tone-on-tone gray lavender background encasing a viv red-violet-winged and -dressed angel coyly tiptoeing through the air as she touches her shoulder with one hand and studies the world below her.

The title encompasses these Angels' Flights.

I loved this book almost more than Archangel's Storm. Almost but not quite, Jason is still my book boyfriend and I love him the most out of all the characters presented so far. But that doesn't diminish the fact that the characters presented in these stories are excellent, and these were stories that needed to be told even if I didn't know it prior to reading it. The best way for me to review this is to address each story individually.

First was Angels' Pawn, this is a story set prior to the first Guild Hunter book and follows Ashwini and her connection and relationship with Janvier. She is asked to help in the kidnapping of a vampire, she asks Janvier come along because he used to belong to the court of the angel she is visiting, Nazarach. I had a huge fangirl moment over this story. I have been hoping to hear more about Ashwini and this vampire she has a love/hate relationship with. But we have also heard a lot of rumor and interesting tidbits about Nazarach, so I wanted to see him first hand too. Not only was this story exciting because it introduced me to characters I have longed to meet more intimately but because the story surprised me as well. The case of the kidnapping isn't at all what it seems and it gets Ashwini into some hot water. I was really happy with this story and it wet my appetite for more about Ashwini in the future, fingers crossed!

Next up was Angels' Judgement, the story of Sara becoming the Guild Director so this was also set prior to the beginning of the Guild Hunter series. This story was an unexpected enjoyment for me. I never really thought that I wanted to know more about Sara and Deacon and how they met or how she became the Director. But I enjoyed it tremendously and it made me ask a lot of fascinating questions. It revealed how involved and concerned the Cadre of Ten is with the selection of the Guild Hunter.

Third on the list was Angel's Wolf where we get an introduction to two new characters Noel (one of Raphael's vampires) and Nimra (the angel who rules over Louisiana). She is concerned that someone is trying to kill her and asks Raphael for assistance in trying to sort out who the traitor in her court is. Noel has been viciously attacked and seeks to escape so Raphael asks him to go help Nimra with her problem. Nimra is greatly feared about the other angels and vampires alike, so Noel is surprised and intrigued to discover that she has a softer side too. I wasn't expecting this story but I did like it. If I was forced to choose a least favorite it would probably be this one, but that's just in comparison to how passionately I loved the other three.

Last was Angels' Dance, the story of Jessamy meeting the mysterious Galen and becoming intrigued with him despite her refusal to become romantically involved with anyone for centuries. I have liked Jessamy and Galen both from the limited time we have seen them. And I vaguely recalled mention (ok, someone reminded me of the mention) that Jessamy and Galen were romantically linked in one of the other Guild Hunter books. Another great point was their early relationship. They started out not really even liking each other that much, but then circumstances force them together and they discover that there is much more to the other's character than they first thought. It was a touching, sweet, and romantic story that I thought was a perfect addition to this collection of short stories. Jessamy got her story and I loved it.

I will never, never get tired of Nalini Singh's stories. *happiness*

Angel's Flight is a compilation of stories for some notable characters in the Guild Hunter series.

Angels' Pawn - Ashwini & Janvier
Angels' Judgement - Sarah & Deacon
Angels' Wolf - Nimra & Noel
Angels' Dance - Jessamy & Galen

I already read Angels' Pawn (it has a solo ebook) and I enjoyed it. A little short, but entertaining nonetheless. I heart Janvier. :)

Angels' Judgement is about Sarah before she was Guild Director. Deacon is such a bad-*ss human in the world of angels and vampires! And now i know why their dog is called Slayer. *winks*

Noel's story is brutal. Cold yet (sometimes) compassionate Nimra is the perfect companion for him. I think Angels' Judgement is my favorite out of the four novellas.

Angels' Dance revealed how Jessamy and Galen got together. And the dance... WOW. It was so fantastic to read about it! Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the sparring sessions; Dmitri getting whipped by an angel? So good! And yes, a younger Ilium also appeared here. He's courting the mortal that will be his downfall. Anywhere he appears, I follow. Haha! Ilium FTW!

Guild Hunter fans will devour Angels' Flight. I think that every time I get sick of the Elena-Raphael tandem, I will reread the stories in here. :)

I held off reading this book as long as I could. I loved it!

I always wondered about the sizzle between Ashwini and Janvier and I liked finding out where it came from. I also was really intrigued about Ashwini's past and her extra talent. Angels'Pawn was a great read!

I'd read Angel's Judgement before about Sara and Deacon, and enjoyed re-reading that. The story never gets boring!

Angel's Wolf was a very pleasant read. I'm glad Noel got his happy ever after. I was intrigued about a benevolent-ish angel, and was glad that not all angels were unnecessarily cruel.

Angels' Dance, it was wonderful to see Jessamy and Galen together. I never in a million years would have thought of the two as a couple, but it is uncanny at how perfect they are for each other. It was also nice to see most of Raphael's Seven, and Raphael himself, as well as many of the Cadre. It makes me wonder why Galen and Jessamy aren't together in the Guild Hunter Series books with Elena? I'm definitely hoping to see more of these two!

This is my first entry into Nalini Singh's world and I absolutely loved it!

Three stories. Two that were previously publishing and a third as a bonus.

For me, the idea in the first story that Angels are such an eternal being (with life and death screaming at those around them for thousands of years) that they are the most vivid image I can take away from these stories. I was taught that Angels were good beings in Scripture class at my old elementary school in the 1980s. I always wondered though, how we could define a being that was not human with human values. Nazarach is my favorite character out of all three stories. A powerful being who wields life and death in a human world. A creature that is as powerful as the universe with no concept of our small lives and time.

Well done.

I first read one of these stories in another collection, "Angels of Darkness". I'd picked up that book primarily due to the story by Sharon Shinn; I'd read her Samaria series and absolutely adored it. Imagine my surprise at how much I loved "Angel's Wolf", the offering by Nalini Singh. I'd seen her name on some of the groups I belong to on various websites, and knew that she was considered a pretty good romance writer. I enjoyed "Angel's Wolf" so much that when I saw she had a collection coming out of four of her own angel stories, I decided to pick it up as soon as I could. (Which meant waiting for it to show up in our library system, as we know I rarely buy books anymore.)

This is a lovely book, and I must admit that it makes me want to read her full-length novels in this series (Guild Hunter). "Angels' Pawn" starts us off, and I think this was probably the weakest of the four selections. In fact, I'm pretty sure that there's a book with these two characters in it somewhere, a book I probably should have read before this story, as I felt like I was missing a lot of history between said characters. Vampire Hunter Ashwini must work with smoldering Cajun vampire Janvier to prevent an all-out war between two rival vampire factions. Of course, the vamps are being pitted against each other, unbeknownst to them (or maybe not - never really clear on that). Janvier seems like the epitome of forbidden fruit, while Ashwini seemed...I don't know. I just didn't feel her character much. As I said, I know there's history between these two, and perhaps I'll learn more if I read the series.

In "Angels' Judgment", we meet Sara, candidate to succeed Simon as Guild Director. But first she must complete one last mission, tracking down a suspected rogue hunter and delivering justice. During her investigation she meet Deacon, aka The Slayer (and yes, there is a nice little nod to his nickname coming from a certain TV show), the one sent to dispatch hunters gone astray. Of course, this is no walk in the park, as the angels that make up the Cadre of Ten will be watching Sara - watching her pass or fail the tests they set in front of her. It's going to be a long couple of days, but with Deacon by her side, she can survive anything. Anything but a broken heart: as Director, she cannot be seen as weak, and as The Slayer, he must keep himself cut off from emotional ties. Nice character development, and from what I understand, this is actually backstory to one of the novels, showing how these two became a couple.

As I said previously, I'd already read "Angel's Wolf", and it was great. The vampire Noel has been sent to investigate a potential murder plot in angel Nimra's court. There's intrigue all around, and Noel is anything but friendly toward the angels, having been beaten and broken in a previous court. But Nimra catches this damaged vamp's heart with her kindess and beauty (she has a unique fondness for kitty cats), and he quickly becomes her biggest fan. Which means he has to discover who wants to kill her and deal with them. What I loved about this story is that all is not as it seems, with some nice plot twists rounding out a nice little love story.

Finally, we have "Angels' Dance", my absolute favorite. This is the engaging and wholly romantic tale of Jessamy and Galen. Jess, a thousand-year-old angel, is the teacher and historian at the Refuge; she doesn't leave it due to a misformed wing. She is the only angel with such a deformity, and feels if humans see her, they'll know that angels have weaknesses. She spends her time instructing the angel children and tending the library. Enter Galen, a huge brute of an angel who has come to present himself to the archangel Raphael in hopes of becoming his weapons master. Galen is blunt in all he does, including his sweet attempts at wooing Jess. She can't imagine what he sees in her; she's "not right", and too skinny. He sees her inner beauty, looking at her more like a delicate exotic flower than a crippled angel. The chemistry between the two is immediate and undeniable, and when Galen first takes Jess flying, it's breathtaking. A fabulous story of what love can truly do for one's soul. This reminded me so much of Shinn's Samaria series, I found myself wanting to go back and read all five of those books! Singh really delivered on this one, not only in the character development and the plotting, but also in the exquisite scenery exposition. I literally felt like I was flying through the heavens with Jess and Galen.

Overall, if you've never read Singh before, this would be a great place to start. If you're a fan already, pick this up for the last story (there are several the store customers who were upset that this is almost a total reprint of previous material.)

I had only read one of the stories previously - Angel's Wolf - I enjoyed both times. I felt like the story was in a wrong time period though it is present time. Angel's Dance with Jessamy is a big disappointment. I really enjoyed it at first but it became very mired in nothing. I cannot wait until it was finished. The author trying to jam so much information in the book and it went nowhere. Blah. I suggest you check it out in the library.

I am not a romance novel reader and came across this book in my apartment library quite by accident.
Let me start off by saying Ms. Singh is a storyteller first and foremost. She spins four yarns filled with deep character development, excitement and yes romance of interest even someone like me who despises those types of books.
The female protagonist are strong minded and believable. The men in their lives richly defined and of course hot (that can be forgiven). The story lines are well thought out, fast paced and captivating. Cudos.
Each story left me wanting to know the characters better and were just good fun.
I look forward to reading past and future efforts from Ms. Singh.

Let this be a disclaimer…I am a bit prejudiced, I live for the day the next book by Nalini Singh comes out. Love her books. Love’em, and this one was no exception. This volume contains four novellas about the characters from her Guild Hunter series, two of which are making their first appearance in print. I was so excited when I got this one in the mail; I just had to read it right away.

Angel's Dance, the last novella in the book, is nice and lengthy, so right off I felt the author did right by her fans by giving us something meaty to sink our claws into. I've noticed in Nalini Singh's most recent books in both series the author has taken to very elaborate descriptions, almost lyrical. Sometimes that gets in the way of a smooth read for me, but sometimes it makes me so hungry for what's to come my heart pounds harder. Angel's Dance is a captivating story more than riveting adventure. I fell in love with both Jessamy and Galen. Of the collection I'd say Angel's Pawn is my least favorite, but I'm glad to see it finally in print.

These short stories gave me some excellent insight into some of the back stories mentioned in the longer books. There is Sarah and Deacon, Jess and Galen, and Javier and Ash. All of them
are perfectly crafted and fit in to the world of Angels. I loved them!

There are 4 novellas in this book and i got to say, the first 3, let me wanting more, a lot more, they were just like a scratch and i wasn't relieved, at all.

Now, the last one, Angel's Dance, now that one even though it was a novella it certainly delievered a punch like a full length novel and it was good and we got to see the seven and raphael how they were 400 years ago. Loved it.

Enjoy these stories actually the whole series. Wish she would continue with Raphael and Ellies story and not what most of these authors do. Pick someone else in the story and start another story. Maybe some of you read the stories for the sex but I think the stories themselves are really good and hate to see one story line just dropped and another start up. Some of these writers are so talented and it's a little frustrating when switch people all the time.

I love Nalini Singh's books. She is such and romantic and so am I. It's nice having some of the stories from the less prominent characters from the other books. I can't wait to see if Noel shows up in future books. I hope the Raphael's healing powers will some day fix Jessimi's wings.

Ok. I will warn you first, I have not read the "never before published" novella. The reason I have not read it is because I DO NOT want to pay $7.99 for 150 pages of new material. I have already purchased the books containing the other novellas, and honestly, a story about Galen and Jessamy (not really important characters) does not warrant that much money. I know others have stated this, but I hope the more people who give their honest opinion the more likely publishing companies are to stop ripping people off. It is bad enough we already pay $7.99 (Soft) - $35.00 (Hard) for a book, but now you want us to pay for the same book twice. All I have to say is EEEKKKKKHHHHH! Why would an author let this happen?

two stories i had already read in other books but the two new ones where a pleasant addition. my personal favorite was the one from long ago with the angel with a disfigured wing that couldnt fly. it took over 2000 yrs for an angel to arrive and see her as more than the childrens teacher and knowledge keeper and see she truely desired to fly and see the world all the others got to enjoy.

This book is a welcome addition to a good Storyline Series! I would recommend this novel for anyone who loves a good fantasy story, which has love and fighting for what is right involved in every line and page. I would really like to some day meet this author, because she has a talent that is very rare to find and I can't wait for her next book release.

I loved this book! I mainly bought it for Galen and Jessamy's story and I was not disappointed. I had not read Angels Pawn (I thought the price was too high for less than 100 pages), and this story left me hanging (in a good way). i want to learn more about Ashwini and Janvier!

I was thrilled to get this book and since I check in on Nalini Singh's blog once or twice a week, I already knew that there would be only one new book that was coming out. However, for me all but one story was new to me. I chose not to buy the other novellas once I heard about Angels' Flight early last year. I enjoyed very much reading all of the GH novellas.

I really enjoyed this collection of novellas. So much so in fact, I had to read the entire Guild Hunters series starting with book 1, Angel's Blood, because I wanted to know more about the randy lot of guild hunters and the beautiful yet terrifying angels.

Angels'Flight is my favorite book in this series. It was a great introdution to the guild hunters books for me.

Am I the only one that is annoyed with Justine Eyre's reading? She makes the characters sound so feeble and breakable. It pains me to listen to them sometimes and I actually like the book. I'm giving this 3 stars only because of her reading.

I love Nalini Singh's writing. Unfortunately I'm not willing to pay this much for only one story. I own the other stories in other anthologies. Really disappointed that the author is allowing the publisher to only put the new story in an over-priced anthology that includes work published separately. Guess I won't be reading this new story.

This book was a great idea. Instead of getting a book just beacause there is one good Nalini Singh novella and hateing the rest of the book. Now it in one wonderful book. If your familiar with this author you know all of the novellas were amazing.