ARCHANGEL'S HEART - Nalini Singh
A Guild Hunter Novel , Book 9
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-451-48800-8
November 2016
Paranormal Romance

Manhattan, New York and Morocco – Present Day

For two years, Elena, guild-hunter turned angel, has been waiting for the other shoe to drop.  The Cascade caused great changes in the angels and archangels, even waking two Ancients from Sleep, then suddenly seemed to hit pause.  It's also been two years of waiting to see if Lijuan, the insane Archangel of China is dead, in Sleep, or plotting her next step in taking over the world.  When Raphael and the Cadre (the other Archangels) are called to a meeting by the Luminata, Elena can see that the other shoe is starting to drop.

The Luminata are supposed to be neutral, searching only for luminescence, with no political agendas, but from the moment Elena and Raphael arrive, they know something is wrong in Lumia.  The leader of the sect is just a little too watchful of Elena, and there is something creepy about the whole place.  The deeper they dig, the more sure Elena is that the Luminata are no longer what they are supposed to be, but the answers she finds will change everything Elena knows about herself.

ARCHANGEL'S HEART, the ninth book in the Guild Hunter series, once again shifts the focus back to Elena and Raphael, while still keeping readers up to date with both the Cadre and Raphael's Seven.  After a few tumultuous years, Elena and Raphael had some relatively quiet time together, yet they were always aware it was the lull before the storm.  The Luminata – the only angels with the right to call the Cadre to a meeting – want to divide up Lijuan's territory, but nobody is sure where she is.  From the first, it's obvious to Elena, Raphael, and their escort Aodhan, that things have changed in Lumia from what they should be, and they are all in for a few surprises.

Being the ninth book in the series, a lot has happened prior to ARCHANGEL'S HEART, and it may be more helpful to know what is going in.  If you haven't read the earlier books in the series, it won't be too difficult to catch up, but you will be missing a lot of great backstory.  A captivating addition to the series, ARCHANGEL'S HEART was worth the wait.

Jennifer Bishop