Sandy M’s review of Deliver Me from Temptation (Paladin Warriors, Book 2) by Tes Hilaire
Paranormal Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 4 Dec 12

My favorite type of hero is a very tortured one. Life has never been easy, even if they have paranormal powers, even if they come from a privileged background, or any other circumstances an author can come up with. Then when they meet that one woman, life alters for them but their torturous past always gets in the way, obstacles are too many and too difficult to get over. I get quite excited when I find an author who can give this and much more to readers in their books. I’m so happy to say that Tes Hilaire is one of those very talented writers who does all of this in spades.

We met Logan in the first book of the series, Deliver Me from Darkness. He’s the best friend of the hero, Roland; he’s a volunteer immortal angel of God, a Paladin; and he’s the heir to the Paladin warriors, a job he doesn’t relish if and when the time comes. Being the last full-blooded Paladin puts extra pressure on the man, but duty has been ingrained in him. The last thing he wants to let his father in on is the fact Logan has met his mate. He and dear old dad have never gotten along, and Logan knows his father will never accept a human mate for him and the Paladins’ future. Even Logan himself is at first doubtful.

While chasing a succubus through the streets of Manhattan, Logan stumbles over a law enforcement officer who’s in the area on a case. Thus begins their interaction that starts with suspicions flying all over the place. Jessica is working a murder, and her number one suspect? Roland, who was the last to see the victim alive and he wasn’t very happy with the man. But Logan knows it wasn’t Roland, so trying to keep any association with humans as limited as possible, he and Alex, another Paladin brother, try to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. But it’s Jessica who stays on Logan’s mind, his need to be with her and to protect her something that won’t go away.

Jessica, however, takes her job seriously and refuses to get involved with a potential criminal, because the more she finds out about Logan, the more she feels he can’t be innocent. She does hope he is innocent, though. He’s the sexiest man she’s seen in a long time, but she can’t allow herself to get caught up in unimportant things. When Logan keeps turning up in her life, her attraction begins to overtake her suspicions, much to her dismay. She does have a very good reason to keep her focus on taking murderers and the like off the streets.

But when all hell breaks loose, evil integrating itself into their lives through deceit and manipulation, Logan comes to the point where he has to now be honest with Jessica about himself. With near non-existent belief in such holy things from God to angels, it takes Jessica time and a headlong pursuit into danger to finally believe in Logan and who and what he is. In fact, she keeps pushing Logan away. She’s such a total kick-ass, strong character that she may be hard to like for some readers. To me, what you have to remember is why she’s doing what she’s doing and how serious she is about her calling. But you just know when she does love, she loves wholeheartedly. It just takes her a bit longer to get there because of who she is. While Logan may be a tortured hero, it is Jessica who has the longest and farthest journey in this story.

This is turning out to be a great series from Ms. Hilaire. It gives everything the romance reader in me wants, including the paranormal aspect, which is one of my favorite genres. I’m really intrigued by Valin and his mate, who is one of the enemy of the Paladin. It will be interesting to see what Ms. Hilaire comes up with for his story. But I’m looking forward to however many books she’s got in mind to give readers. They’re well worth the wait.

Grade: A+

Summary:

Logan Screwed Up…Big Time

When things go bump in the night, Logan bumps back. Vampires, demons, succubi—you name it, he’s fought it. His job as a Paladin angel warrior is to pretect humans. Not fall for one.

She Never Believed in Divine Intervention…Until Now

Detective Jessica Waters protects humans too—with her Glock and a good set of handcuffs. She doesn’t believe in fate. But if anyone looks like a gift from the gods, it’s Logan. And he clearly knows more about her case than he’s letting on…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: