Kiss of Temptation - Sandra Hill (Avon - Apr 2013)

Series:  Deadly Angels (Book 3)

IS IT LUST?

Ivak Sigurdsson is dead . . . well, sort of. Guilty of the sin of lust, he's been given an unusual penance: spend eternity as a Viking vampire angel, or vangel, fighting Lucipires, Satan's vampire demons on earth. Now sequestered in Angola Prison as a "spiritual adviser," Ivak is finding all these centuries of celibacy depressing, to say the least. But then, along comes southern belle Gabrielle Sonnier. Is she a reward for his good deeds, or a temptation sent to rattle his lustsome brain?

OR IS IT LOVE?

Gabrielle, a lawyer, begs Ivak to help get her brother out of prison. Aided by the Cajun LeDeux family and their chief looney bird, Tante Lulu, Ivak reluctantly agrees. And while he alternately tries to seduce and save Gabrielle before the Lucipires run rampant, they both begin to wonder if it's really only lust, or something more. 

Fun book.  Ivak is paying for his sins of lust.  He has been assigned as a spiritual adviser at Angola Prison, surrounded by men with almost no women around.  His job is to try to save as many sinners as he can to prevent the Lucipires from getting them.  He has been working with one specific inmate for awhile when he meets the man's sister.  Gabrielle has been trying to get her brother out of prison.  On a visit to see him she meets the prison chaplain.  There is an immediate spark between the two, but they both are fighting it.  Gabrielle doesn't want anything to do with a man who is an obvious player.  She doesn't understand her body's fascination with him and the intensity scares her.  Meanwhile Ivak is equally attracted to her, but it is more than that.  He knows he has seen his soul mate, but that means an end to his days as a player.

I really liked both characters.  Gabrielle is working for a firm that helps people who have been wrongly convicted or whose sentences are excessive.  It also gives her the chance to work on her brother's case.  Meeting Ivak has really confused her.  He says he is helping her brother also, but his story of being a Viking vampire angel makes him seem pretty weird in her book.  She can't deny the effect he has on her body and soon he has her pretty convinced he's telling the truth.  His Viking attitude toward women drives her nuts but she also feels safe when she's with him.  She keeps trying to convince herself that it's all about the sex, but she's fighting a losing battle there.  

Ivak is the typical vangel - good looking, strong, and with the Viking attitude toward women.  He loves all women which is what got him into trouble in the first place.  He immediately recognizes Gabrielle as his soulmate, but fights it hard since he knows that means he'll be "stuck" with one woman.  I really loved seeing his Viking attitude run up against Gabrielle's modern woman ways.  He is also working to help her brother and as they join forces their feelings for each other grow stronger.  He finally gives in to the feelings but worries because he knows that nothing can come of it.  They both have quite a surprise at the end.

Gabrielle is sent to talk to Tante Lulu for her help in Gabrielle's attempts to help her brother.  Tante Lulu is a great believer in St Jude, patron saint of lost causes.  She is also one crazy old lady, but also one that seems to know everyone who is anyone in the entire state.   I loved seeing her work her wiles on everyone she came in contact with. One of the things that Ivak is involved in is having to run a prison talent show.  Tante Lulu also gets her family involved in helping Ivak with this.  Lulu also fancies herself as a matchmaker and is determined to get Gabrielle and Ivak together.  Her actions and attitudes are hysterical in places. I've loved her in other books, and her antics are just as much fun here.

The vangels are continuing their battle against Jasper and his Lucipires.  There is just enough exposure to him and his activities to keep up the tension without grossing me out with the details that were present in earlier books.  It's always fun to see the vangels at work doing what they do best.  I also enjoyed the appearances of Ivak's other brothers and seeing what they are up to.  There are a couple of appearances by "Mike" aka Michael the archangel.  His frustration with the vangels is always fun to see, along with the way that they do their best to make his life interesting.  I really enjoyed his confusion over the surprise twist at the end of the book - not something that usually happens to him.

I'm really looking forward to the next book, and hope it doesn't take too long to come out!

Kiss of Surrender - Sandra Hill (Avon - Dec 2012)

Series: Deadly Angels (Book 2)

It's not easy being a Vampire Angel.

No one knows that better than Trond Sigurdsson. In the centuries since he last went out drinking and wenching with his Viking buds, Trond has been a gladiator, a cowboy, a ditch digger . . . even a sheik. But now he's the baddest of them all: a kick-ass Navy SEAL kicking butts of terrorist immortals with the help of his hotter-than-Hades female partner, police officer-turned-Special Forces operative Nicole Tasso -- whom Trond dearly hopes to "partner" with very shortly in a whole different way.

The "cop" part of Nicole tells her there's something bizarre about her gorgeous godlike teammate. But her "all-woman" side can't help wondering how great it would be to have a virile Viking in her bed. Trond has secrets galore, but Nicole feels certain she can dig them out -- and really get to the heart of this powerful, unnerving stranger whom she may be risking her soul to love. 

Loved the book.  Trond and Nicole were great.  Trond's sin was sloth/laziness which makes his current mission as a SEAL a particular punishment for him.  His constant mental complaints about why things always have to be done the hard way are pretty amusing.  His other problem is his conflict with Nicole the woman SEAL or WEALS as they are called.  They are constantly rubbing each other the wrong way.  She can't stand his laid back ways and her constant peppiness makes him crazy.  But there is also an attraction there that can't be denied.  As a vangel Trond is forbidden to have sex outside of marriage so his attraction to Nicole has him constantly on edge.  He also has his mission to stop the demon vampires from infiltrating the SEALs and has two of them he needs to save.  Nicole has her own past issues that she is trying to overcome.  She left an abusive marriage and her perkiness is her method of compensating for the way she submitted to the abuse for so long.  Now she feels that she has become the woman she is supposed to be.  Her attraction to Trond is unwelcome as she finds his attitudes offensive, but she can't deny his physical appeal.  She also trusts her instincts that say he has secrets that he is hiding.  This reminds her too much of her ex-husband and she is determined to find out what they are. The more time they spend together the more their relationship changes as it moves from dislike to intrigued to attracted to love.  The trust that developed was very important also. The mission that they and the other SEALs are sent on to recover some hostages is well done but ends up with Trond and Nicole sort of captured themselves.  Their interactions with Zeb the demon vampire are great and I loved his part in the story.  The ending was a lot of fun with St. Michael playing his part yet again. I loved seeing characters from Sandra Hill's Viking SEALs books as they played their own parts in this book.  The meeting of Trond and Max was great as they recognized each other as Vikings.  I also loved the wedding scene at the end.  The concept of the Viking vampire angels has been a lot of fun so far.  The idea of Viking angels (oxymoron for sure) fighting evil has been great as they try to do their jobs while following the rules (not what Vikings are known for).  Can't wait for the rest of the series.