Book Review: Angel Burn

Title: Angel Burn

Series: Angel #1

Author: L.A. Weatherly

Published: September 30th 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Rating: 4.5/5

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BLURB:

They're out for your soul.

And they don't have heaven in mind...

Willow knows she's different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people's dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. she has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself does. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces and that he's one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil.

***Mild Spoilers***

"He bent his head, and I caught my breath as his warm mouth nuzzled at my neck. I hadn't gotten even remotely used yet to how good it felt to be kissed by Alex."

THE GOOD:

The story:

This story is quite creative, I like the idea that angels could actually be evil instead of…well..angelic. With these evil angels actually making humans ill by draining their energy. It was quite interesting how the world took shape as new revelations were revealed. Once Willow discovers her true identity she struggles with idea that she could be dangerous and has to learn to embrace her new self in order to protect innocent people from being brainwashed by the Angel that have invaded earth.

Surprisingly for a story involving angels and churches, it didn't become preachy. The Church Of Angels is depicted as a cult & doesn't really represent a real religion. Religion wasn't really discussed in either a positive or negative light.

The characters:

Both Willow & Alex are pretty standard characters for a paranormal romance novel. Willow is quiet, innocent & inexperienced in love. While Alex has seen the 'bad side' of the world & wants to protect Willow. Apart they are quite simple characters, but somehow, when together they are so much more. For a large part of this book it really just consists of Willow & Alex, and the complex relationship that builds between them is what makes their characters come alive.

The romance:

In a way the romance did have a hint of insta-love, in the fact that they do fall for each other over a very short period of time. However because a lot happens in that short time, we do get the opportunity to get to know the characters and see their relationship develop, from mutual distrust, to respect and then of course love. They spend so much time confined in the car and hotel rooms trying to evade the Angels that they learn a lot about one another and I found there romance to be really beautiful and most importantly believable!

THE BAD:

The Dialogue:

Generally the writing was good, however there were just a couple of times the dialogue got a little mushy between Alex & Willow. I did catch myself rolling my eyes here & there. But not really a big issue.

FINAL WORD:

Overall this story was a creative twist on angels concept. The story doesn't finish on a cliff hanger, but there are definitely a lot a unanswered questions & I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: mild-medium / heavy kissing, discussions of sex

Violence: mild-medium / angels being killed - no blood or gore etc

Language: mild

Drugs & alcohol: mild / one main character drinks (not drunk)