Sandy M’s review of Touch of Crimson (Renegade Angel Series, Book 1) by Sylvia Day
Paranormal Romance published by Signet 4 Oct 11

HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK YET??????

If you answered, No!,” then you need to get your butt in gear and read it! Now! OMG. I love everything about this book. Of course, that shouldn’t surprise me since it’s Sylvia Day. I’ve only read her historicals so far, so I wasn’t sure what to expect once I picked up one of her paranormals. I was pretty certain I’d love it, for Ms. Day has never disappointed me. But you just never know what will happen when you read a different genre by a favorite author. Now as far as I’m concerned, Sylvia Day can do no wrong.

What I love the most is, of course, Adrian, the hero and No. 1 archangel who punishes rogue angels and keeps tabs on them, the Fallen, once they have lost their wings. As well, he keeps the balance between his Sentinels and the Lycans, who are also Fallen and have unwillingly assisted the angels generation after generation. Adrian has power like no other and he wields it with an iron fist and by example, with very little deviation. Therefore, he’s alpha to the core. And that makes him as sexy as can be to me. He has his own demons due to his own transgressions, losing the only woman he’s ever loved over and over again as punishment for breaking the very rule he implemented for the Seraphim. But when Shadoe returns to him this time, everything about her and their eventual new relationship is different from all the times before.

Lindsay Gibson, who harbors the soul of Adrian’s Shadoe, is a self-reliant human who has taught herself to handle weapons to quickly dispatch those evilly disgusting vampires to hell, just like the ones who killed her mother. Her life has been dedicated to revenge, searching for those who are forever seared into her brain. On her way to California to take on a new job, at the airport Lindsay spies the most handsome, sexiest man she’s ever seen. He notices her too. Eye contact and there’s a connection like she’s never felt before. Thus begins a journey for both of them which will leave them changed in ways they couldn’t begin to guess at.

The restraint Adrian utilizes in taking it slow for Lindsay’s sake is remarkable. You can feel his want and need of her, as well as the stress and anxiety of everything going wrong around him, losing Sentinels, keeping Lycans leashed, and making sure Syre, the first Fallen, doesn’t get anywhere near Lindsay — he’s also Shadoe’s father, and he’ll do what it takes to make sure he’s reunited with his daughter. And if you think you’re going to hate these “villiains,” think again. Ms. Day is so talented, she makes you feel for them too. They’re Fallen, they’re dangerous, but just as the angels do, they protect their own. Syre wanting his daughter back is just that – a father grieving her loss every time, hoping her next incarnation will be the one to bring her home to him. And Torque, Syre’s son, breaks my heart with his current grief. Even the bad-ass female vamp, Vashti, pulls at the heartstrings now and again, despite her hard, revengeful exterior.

My favorite secondary character is Elijah, a Lycan given the job of babysitting Lindsay – her words. He’s an alpha, and there hasn’t been a Lycan alpha in generations, so the wolves are looking to him to begin a rebellion, to take this opportunity to free them from their bondage. But Elijah knows the cost of such an opportunity is much too high, and he tries his best to nip the growing mutiny in the bud. His friendship with Lindsay is quite special. His soon-to-be relationship with Vashti is going to be a devil of a ride in the next book in the series. One of my favorite scenes in this book is when Elijah gets his first gander at Vash. It’s a good thing their story is next.

The action when angels are soaring is spectacular. You can just seen their wings slicing through the air during fights. And when Adrian uses his to shield Lindsay, to comfort her, to show her love, those crimson-tipped feathers take on a life of their own. The play of the weather for both Adrian and Lindsay is also very interesting, connecting them together in an extra special way.

Through all of this, it’s Lindsay who is ready to sacrifice her love for Adrian. She can’t allow him to be punished for loving her, so she puts distance between them. But Adrian knows everything in his life moves on a higher level when Lindsay is by his side. The difficult part is just convincing her of that. But will he be too late once he discovers Lindsay is now in Syre’s hands? You’ll be very surprised at the answer to that question.

I’m looking forward to every book in this series, the emotion each character brings to the page, and the fascinating and action-packed storyline Ms. Banks has planned. I know it’s going to be one of those rides of a lifetime.

Grade: A+

Summary:

An angel with immense power and insatiable desire, Adrian Mitchell leads an elite Special Ops unit of the seraphim. His task is to punish the Fallen–angels who have become vampires–and command a restless pack of indentured lycans.

But Adrian has suffered his own punishment for becoming involved with mortals–losing the woman he loves again and again. Now, after nearly two hundred years, he has found her: Shadoe, her soul once more inhabiting a new body that doesn’t remember him. This time he won’t let her go.

With no memory of her past as Shadoe, Lindsay Gibson knows only that she can’t help being fiercely attracted to the smoldering, seductive male who crosses her path. Swept into a dangerous world of tumultuous passion and preternatural conflict, Lindsay is soon caught between her angel lover, her vampire father, and a full-blown lycan revolt. There’s more at stake than her love and her life–she could lose her very soul…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

A Hunger So Wild – Summer 2012