Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter Book 4) Kindle Edition

He is not a good man. At nearly a millennium in age, the vampire Dmitri is not a man at all, but a cold and conscienceless killer who lost his soul long ago and who now walks a razor's edge between being the sharpest weapon for the Archangel Raphael...and being a monster. And the sanguine seduction of the monster grows ever stronger.More than capable of controlling Raphael's New York City territory for the Archangel in his absence, he places a call to the hunter's Guild when the decapitated head of a very new vampire is plucked from the Hudson. The vampire isn't one of Raphael's and the tattooed markings on the face look vaguely like a language of some sort. One that Dmitri doesn't recognize. Requesting assistance from the Guild is only logical given their resources.The first scent of acrid fear and gritty determination he catches from Guild hunter Honor St. Nicholas, however, punches through his logic and rakes talons along his predatory need for blood and sex. The instant want of her is manageable, barely, and the seductive games he intends to play with her are those that he has honed over the centuries. Except Honor is damaged. Traumatized after two months of vampire-inflicted brutality that smacks hard against every single one of Dmitri's very few lines. She is unable to accept even the most casual of touches from him without an instant fear response that has him dodging her blades.The rage that erupts in him like a volcano of furious reckoning at the knowledge that the torturing rapists still live is eclipsed only by a cold and deadly certainly that they will not be doing so for long. He is a monster unleashed and he is the thing that other monsters fear.Honor's damaged soul stirs him in fascinating ways, disturbing ways, as they work together to solve the mystery of the too-young vampire deaths and investigate the grievous crime perpetrated against her. Memories long, long buried are like echoing footsteps along the path they follow towards not one, but two of the world's worst evildoers. They are awakening parts of Dmitri's soul he'd thought excised by the brutal selfishness of a master predator dead for centuries. Those memories may draw him back from the edge of true madness or they may just hasten his descent into blood and death. And much to Dmitri's surprise, he realizes that it is one human woman who will tip the balance either way...either by loving him...or betraying a past she couldn't possibly know.~*~I have to admit, not even my love for Singh's writing was enough to make me rush to read this latest addition to my beloved Guild Hunter series. I was aware that there would be a reincarnation theme in the plot and I am not in any way a fan of that theme. I haven't read one yet that didn't, to varying degrees, seem to devalue the current life of the character who is or has a reincarnated soul. In the worst cases, the disregard of a character's present individuality has also been an issue. For that reason I try to avoid the theme.Avoiding Singh, however, is an impossibility. I just dig her work too much. But I admit, I delayed.And I also admit, for almost all of the book I was kicking myself for that delay, because I was both pleasantly surprised and more than a little elated at how deft and crafty Singh was in addressing and dealing with that theme. It wasn't until the very end that I felt the familiar twinges of dislike and it was only related to one scene. I can live with that...though I do wish that one scene had been different. The power of the writing and the almost effortless emotional firestorm the book generates made up for it, though. I love Singh's characters and the keenly brilliant world she's created for them.I'm probably one of the minority who has never particularly liked Dmitri. I haven't since his unrelenting negativity about Elena became common knowledge. That being said, I don't have to like a character to love a character, and both Dmitri's complexity and the dangerous line he walks between monster and man has held me enthralled on a visceral intellectual level. In short, he's fascinating, and I have nothing but admiration for how Singh so masterfully maintained his utter lack of humanity even as she was crafting his very sympathetic history.The chemistry between Dmitri and Honor burned at the fingers holding my Kindle as I was reading and I thoroughly admired Honor's strength in the face of abominable defilement. She was sharp, bright, and had a core of decency that soothed the sharp edges of Dmitri's almost sociopathic nature...until the story served to blunt much of that sociopathy and Dmitri's darkness started to wane just a touch. I enjoyed them together very much, even though I felt a lack of the dark humor that so charmed me in the relationship evolution between Raphael and Elena.This may sound odd, but I don't really read either of Singh's highly popular series for the story being told so much as for the characters and the depth of emotion found in every one of her books. I do, obviously, still pay attention to those stories. Some appeal to me more than others. This one fell about middle ground for me. I found it more cohesive and less strained than the previous book in the series,  Archangel's Consort , but not as thorough and well-developed as the second book,  Archangel's Kiss .Flashbacks were handled well, and the plot thread concerning the search for the monsters responsible for Honor's torture - as well as her slow and painful recovery - was very well done, though I thought it ended on a slightly anticlimactic note. I also felt the plot thread dealing with the dead newbie vamps and all subsequent issues took on a too-ancillary role and wasn't a significant factor in the book until too close to the end to have much impact. The timing of that particular crisis, as well, at a time when Honor was perfectly situated to come into the picture in Dmitri's life, raised my eyebrow a bit. I couldn't help but feel that after nearly ten centuries to stew, Kallistos' actions were awfully convenient in stirring up Dmitri's past. That sort of convenience made that plotline feel contrived to me.Despite the plot of the book not being completely successful for me and my dislike of the reincarnation theme, I thoroughly enjoyed  Archangel's Blade  and consider it a solid addition to the series. And I didn't even like Dmitri all that much. I can only imagine how much fun I'm going to have with some of the characters I'm either truly fond of, like Bluebell, or utterly fascinated by, like Aodhan. I have no doubt there is going to be just as much truly spectacular reading entertainment to be had as the series progresses as there has been to date.~*~*~*~Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

Dimitri has been the big, bad scary through the whole series and like the rest of Raphael's Seven, he is what he is because his past made him that way. I was eager to read his story- maybe more eager- as I am with each new installment of Rafael and Elena's story. It met up to expectations and then some mostly because of the heroine the author gave him.Honor was tortured and brutalized for two months by a group of sadistic vampires who used her body for blood and sex. She thinks she is broken. Then she receives the mission from the Tower. She is to work not just with the vampires who she was now terrified to be near even if she knew they all weren't like that, but she is working with THE vampire, Rafael's second, Dimitri.Dimitri is not impressed with the scared little rabbit the Guild has sent over to help him with identifying the odd tattoo marks on a dead vamp's face, yet- there is something about her that stirs him to stalk this one right into his bed. She won't keep his attention for long- no female does because his heart has been as long dead as his murdered wife and family, but that doesn't keep him from wanted to have her. Then she surprises him with some unexpected backbone and a knife that nearly slit his face open.Honor is charged to help solve the mystery of the strange tattoo on the unknown vamps' face, but now things have grown more complicated because she has some how stirred the predator in Dimitri. He is determined to have her and though it goes against all common sense and her own personal rules, she wants him too. Too bad she is broken and can't handle being touched. Then he surprises her when he seems to understand exactly her need for retribution toward those who took her and he stays right there along with her while they hunt them all down even while they draw closer to the identity of the one who is now stalking Dimitri.Dimitri is all turned around when it comes to Honor. She has awakened something in him that he thought dead. She brings to mind his long dead wife to him through everything from her scent, to her choice of words, to her mannerisms and behaviors. Even while it is disconcerting, it is not unwelcome. And then there is the issue that just being with her and seeing the woman who was broken come together before his eyes starts to work on his hardened heart. Through working their public and personal cases together and sharing the help of restoring Holly, he feels the changes Honor is causing in his life. Is there enough humanity left in him and will his stalker allow those he loves to live?I enjoyed tracking through the mystery that the dead vampire caused and I felt nearly as vindicated as Honor as they tracked down her torturers which gets pretty dark, fair warning, but truly the best part was seeing these two hurting people start to come together as a couple. It takes some time for these two to come together as it should since she was fighting abuse issues, but when they do, whoo boy! So worth it.The story alternates their points of view and it dips back into the past with flashbacks. It also has several dream sequences. Trust me, both the flashbacks and dreams are important so don't get impatient.Another good part to me was that the story wasn't told in isolation. The other Guild Hunters, Rafael and Elena and the other regular angels and vampires are all part of the story.I little warning to those who are sensitive to these things- there is mention of rape and incest though it is not detailed out or part of a present scene.As always, I am eager for the next book in the series and have no trouble recommending this series to Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy readers.

I really enjoyed rereading Dimitri and Honor’s story and this continues to be one of my favourite books in this series.We get to see a more human side of Dimitri here as he struggles at reconciling himself to the unexpected vulnerability that opening his heart once again causes.Not only that but his sense of guilt towards his dead wife that these feelings also produce.All Dimitri’s encounters up until now have been surface ones he closed off his human heart long ago that piece of him belonging with his dead family.That is until Honor a guild Hunter with an equally painful past and what begins as Dimitri punishing her attackers and helping her find some closure and revenge swiftly morphs into so much more.The more time these two spend together the more the lines blur. This was at times painful and poignant and my heart broke for not only honor but also Dimitri’s torment too.I felt we got to know Raphael’s second on an intimate level as we peeled back the layers to find the actual heart of him.The ending with this one seemed so fitting and definitely gave me all the feels.As usual, this was well written and engaging and I could feel the connection between Dimitri and Honor deep down in my soul.There’s also the usual gory action and a mystery to solve due to Dimitri’s past that initially throw these two together.This series is ever so imaginative and each book adds to the complex layers.This book definitely has more of a paranormal romance flavour than the previous ones which felt more urban fantasy with romance, not a criticism folks just an observation.

This was the first book of Nalini Singh's I had ever read and it is still one of my absolute favourites. The focus is on Dimitri and Honor and the development of their relationship with small cameos by Raphael, Elena, Illium and Venom. There is something about this book that just draws me in, no matter how many times I read it. I love the strength of Honor and the way she rebuilds her life after suffering through months of appalling violence and abuse. Dimitri has always been a favourite of mine and learning about his history is both hauntingly sad and heart breaking. It shows us why Dimitri is the man he is, why his relationship with Raphael is so strong and why Raphael allows him to test Elena the way he does. They say love conquers all and in this book, well it may have taken a thousand years, but it certainly does.

When the tattooed severed head of a nascent vampire is discovered, the case should have been passed directly to the Guild but Dmitri has an ominious sense of familiarity. In his long life as a vampire, Dmitri has seen many things and his search for the truth of the killing leads him to work alongside Guild Hunter Honor. But while Honor is a competent Hunter, she has just survived a brutual imprisonment by vampires and the last thing she wants is to be forced to work with one...especially one as powerful as Dmitri.This is the fourth book in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series (after  Angels' Blood , Archangel's Kiss  and  Archangel's Consort ) and is the first to move away from Elena and Raphael as lead characters. Instead the book focuses on Dmitri who has been a supporting character from the start and introduces a new Guild Hunter named Honor. Elena, Raphael and all the other characters I've come to love are still featured despite the narration change.The book is tightly plotted with dual storylines running together. The investigation into the severed head leads us into Dmitri's past while a concurrent investigation tracks down the vampires who abducted Honor. There is a fair amount of tension and some scenes manage to be deeply creepy which makes for compelling reading. The romance takes a backseat to the character's healing from their pasts, which works well both for the storyline and overall development of the characters.Dmitri has been a favourite character of mine since the beginning of the series. He's always been portrayed as arrogant and controlling so it was fascinating to see why he is that way. He has lived a long existence but never recovered from the events surrounding his turning, leading him to become darker and more deadly. However, when he meets Honor he begins to change and it is fascinating to see how he develops.I found Honor to be incredibly well written and the way in which she gradually deals with the horrors of her past feels believable. She is very different to Elena as while Elena is physically very strong and confident from the first page, Honor is broken and delicate yet holds herself together with an extreme level of self-control.Holly (a survivor of Uram's rampage in the first book) and Venom both stand out as supporting characters with Holly's recovery being aided by Honor and Venom showing a slightly softer side. Interestingly the book steps back from the global changes in the previous installment to tell a tighter, more character focused story and this was a refreshing change.All in all, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to  Archangel's Storm .Plot: 10/10Characters: 10/10Ending: 10/10Enjoyment: 10/10Cover: 8/10Overall: 48/50 Angels' BloodArchangel's KissArchangel's ConsortArchangel's Storm

I am a huge fan of the Guild Hunter series but I'll admit I was a little nervous about reading Archangel's Blade. This is the first story that doesn't focus on Raphael and Elena and I was a worried that I wouldn't enjoy it as much - especially since I've never been the biggest fan of Dmitri. I'll admit he had grown on me a bit since the first book but he has always come across as so cold and I wasn't sure how I'd like him as the hero. I should have know that Nalini Singh wouldn't disappoint me though and as much as I still find him quite a scary character and definitely someone you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of I had fallen head over heels for him by the end of this book.Dmitri is the kind of guy who takes what he wants and makes no apology for it, he is all hard edges and arrogance - definitely not your typical hero. There is a reason that Raphael trusts him to lead his seven and it's because he has the ruthlessness needed to make even the older and most dangerous vampires and angels fear him. No, Dmitri isn't the kind of guy you'd want to cross but he is exactly the kind of guy you'd want on your side in a fight. What I loved most was seeing into his past and getting to know the human Dmitri used to be, he didn't choose to be turned into a vampire and the way it happened and the things he lost are what turned him into the man we know today. 1,000 years ago you would have met a totally different person, that Dmitri was sweet, romantic and head over heels in love with his wife and family. My heart absolutely broke for everything he had been through and it was no wonder he had closed off his heart so that he wouldn't have to go through that kind of pain ever again.Although Honor doesn't magically change Dmitri back into the man he once was she does get to see a side to him that nobody else does and it was no wonder that she was unable to resist him. Honor is a guild hunter who went through a horrific experience when she was captured by a group of vampires and remained their prisoner for 2 months before the guild was able to track her down and rescue her. Her experience has left her wary of people and turned her into a shell of the hunter that she used to be. Thankfully guild director Sara is on hand to give her the kick that she needs and force her to face the world again but it is Dmitri who really helps build her confidence back up. He never treats her as if she is weak and breakable, although he understands that it would be easy to chase her away from him and he is careful in his seduction he respects her skill as a hunter and he is determined to give her her freedom by helping her track down the vampires responsible for what happened to her. The closure she gets from her revenge helps her move forward in her life. The chemistry between them was incredible from the first moment they meet but it takes time for Honor to trust both Dmitri and herself and give in to the connection she feels which made things much more believable considering everything she has been through.I wasn't too sure what to make of events at the end of the book at first. I wasn't sure if I liked the way things played out (I know I'm being extremely vague here but I can't say too much without giving spoilers) and to begin with I felt a little disappointed. After taking some time to think about it I have to say that the ending made a lot of sense and I don't think the story would have worked as well if it had ended differently. My main reason for giving this story 4 stars rather than 5 was that for a lot of the time I felt more invested in Dmitri's past relationship with his wife Ingrede than I was in his current relationship with Honor. I know there were reasons for that and I was happy with the outcome but it was something that bothered me slightly while I was reading. Archangel's Blade is still a fabulous instalment to the Guild Hunter series though, it has everything I love about Nalini Singh's stories, a sexy dominant hero, a heroine strong enough to stand up to him when she needs to, hot sex scenes that will make you feel weak at the knees and plenty of appearances from some of our favourite Guild Hunter characters.

This book is breathtakingly beautiful. I love that the author has given Dimitri his own book it gives you an insight to the man he really is. Honor is a lovely character and hers and dimitri's story will be a treasured favorite of mine for a long time to come I'll definitely be reading it more than the once ☺. This series continues to get better and better with every book I can't wait to see what book 5 holds 💘 all the stars in the sky from me 🌟