For Love of An Angel by Rosalie Lario

Book 1 in the Fallen Warriors series

www.rosalielario.com

A big thanks to Rosalie for sending me this book for review!

Angels aren’t really God’s servants, in For Love of an Angel. No, instead they come from a different dimension. When the veil fell and angels found themselves stuck on Earth, for good, they decided to play up to the fact that humans worshiped them and do what any invasive species does - take over the planet. First, by turning humans into slave laborers and mindless drones fed by pro-angelic propaganda. Second, by methodically exterminating said humans until the planet is all their own. However there are some angels that want to co-exist peacefully with humans – who believe in preserving a species instead of wiping it out. They are known as The Fallen – and they fight a losing battle. Eva is a human, working as a barista, when she meets Michael, who is one of the Fallen. While he is devastatingly sexy, Eva knows that’s not enough to form a connection. But Michael knows Eva’s secrets, and soon reveals how Eva’s very life is in danger. The two must make a daring escape and Eva knows she will be on the run from the angels (the evil, not-fallen ones) for the rest of her life. Can she forgive Michael for risking her safety to meet her, and acknowledge their love? Or will she turn her back on him and leave for a life below-the-radar - and alone?

I love Rosalie’s writing. There were sentences in this novella that literally gave me the chills – that made my eyes light up, made me bounce in my seat in excitement and a shiver crawl up my back. Stealthily eerie and ominous, sentences like “Angels were not known for their compassion” were short and to the point. Sentences like that – that get their message across in so few words – are the mark of a truly great writer. And Rosalie is a fabulous writer. She has good voice and focus, and her writing is exciting. It builds inside you, each sentence upon wonderful sentence of prose and dialogue. I really enjoyed this book. I was entertained by most every page. The book didn’t let up – it was consistent, through and through, in it’s riveting qualities. Let’s sum up this paragraph by saying that, quite simply, there is absolutely nothing lacking in Rosalie’s writing style.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the character development or plot development I needed. While the story moved at a great pace, there was way too much sex and not enough relationship/bonding thrown in. The sexual tension between Michael and Eva could literally be compared to a blazing bonfire, but I wanted to see the more emotional connection underlying the lust. Whether that connection was under-developed because Rosalie chose not to write about it or because there simply weren’t enough pages in the book and something had to get cut out, I was surprised by the lack of bonding. As far as plot went, many of the scenes occurred a bit too quickly for my taste – leaving a few things lackluster in description or in believability.

However the book was suspenseful, and very unique. As with Rosalie’s other series Blood of the Infernum (which I strongly recommend), in For Love of an Angel beings like angels are not from heaven as in human lore, but are instead akin to aliens (that's as apt a description I can give you). I really enjoy the intriguing twist this brings to the story-line (you can read more about that twist here, in Rosalie’s own words when she did a guest post on my blog!) because the book is definitely more interesting than the average angel-infused paranormal. I loved the creativity and imagery in this book – and Michael is mouth-watering both in his dialogue and his physique. I must admit that at first, his pet name for Eva – ‘beloved’ – kinda freaked me out, but as the story progressed I found I liked it. It fit him, and their situation. All in all, this was a good novella – interesting, well-written, and unique. I would highly recommend For Love of an Angel by Rosalie Lario for a quick, fun-filled afternoon of reading.

Favorite Quotes:

Angels were not known for their compassion.

The walking orgasm in front of her hadn’t gotten laid in years?... How was that even possible?

But despite their differences, they all had one thing in common. They all exhibited a blatant, rip-their-shirt-off type of sexual appeal.

Not that any of them was wearing a shirt.

 “Sexy”ness rating: HOT but a little overwhelming in mass and repetitive nature

Overall Rating: B

Bottom Line:  With sexy angels and a sweet but sensible heroine, For Love of an Angel is electric, riveting, inspired, and unique. You don't want to miss this fabulous novella by Rosalie Lario!

Pages: 35,000 words

Published: May 8, 2011

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy