Raziel (Fallen (Pocket Books)) [Mass Market Paperback]

I read both books in the series last night so I'll write the reviews one after the other.

Why oh why oh why do authors insist on writing in the first person? It's a horrible way to narrate a romance. Yes, you do get first person from both of the characters in this series but it feels disjointed. Just one example, near the end of the book Allie nearly dies and you get it from her perspective. No idea how Raziel feels about it, and the next chapter goes on to something else, so you never find out how he feels about it. But then again, as there's no emotion between these two people he probably doesn't care very much anyway. He tells her he loves her about 3 pages from the end of the book and she says 'I know'. I was like, what? Did I miss that page? Flicks back through, nope, nowhere in my book did it show that he loved her. I think the author just tagged that in at the end because it's expected.

There's a definite lack of emotion between Allie and Raziel, you get a bit more from Allie but Raziel, none. I think the author has tried to write him like Rafael in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, he is also an alpha male, an Angel who has lived for centuries, slowly losing his emotion and humanity, but he LOVES Elena, you can feel the emotion coming off him in waves, he loves her with a passion.

I think the author is trying so hard to portray the men in this series as alphas (Azazel in the next one is even worse), that she has forgotten to include any emotion. Yes, they are tough and have had hard lives but these are romance books, there's got to be some emotion from them somewhere!

Also, I have a serious issue with this 'mates' thing. The Fallen Angels mates are human women, they stay as human women, therefore have short lives compared to the men. So when they die the men just get another one. Not very romantic really. So when Alli dies Raziel will just get another mate, so what's the point to these books? They're not going to live together forever, loved up, once the main story has been concluded. I don't think I would be too pleased to find I was the mate of one of them, in a very long line of mates and when I died he'd just get somebody else after me. He does tell her that some of the angels human mates have drank blood from their angel mate and have lived a lot longer but only 1 in 5 survive. During the dying scene she drinks his blood but then, nothing. Did it work? I mean, she obviously survived, but nothing else is said about it.

I did like the world building, the other characters in the book are really interesting, I like how she protrayed Uriel and Lucifer, made a nice change. The book got an extra star for the world building.

Can I also just point out, all the sex scenes were from Alli's perspective, is the author incapable of writing them from a man's perspective? The sex scenes aren't all that good as they lack emotion, to be honest, they're not making love, they're just f***ing.

To summarise, I give it 3 stars, (an extra one for the world building), it was ok, it killed 3 hrs last night, but I've read books on the same subject that were so much better.

A couple of recommendations:- Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, the first 3 books are about Rafael and Elena and they are superb. These are hot hot hot books! They go through a lot of major changes together, Rafael is a very hard man, an Archangel, who looks down on humanity, but he grows to love Elena with an all-consuming passion. To see such a strong, alpha male fall so hard for a human woman is amazing and perfectly written. Marvellous. I've read each book at least 3 times. She is continuing the series with other characters and I can't wait to read them.

I would also recommend Meljean Brook's Guardian series, I think Kristina Douglas must have plagiarised some pointers from this series, the first book the man is an angel and the woman is a demon, the second book the man is a vampire and the woman is a human, hmmm deja vue? They are so much better written, Ms Brook's world building is excellent, plenty of passion and emotion, you really get into each character's head. There are a lot more in the series, 6 at the last count with a new one on the way, I can't recommend this series enough, it's fantastic.

Allie Watson is late for an appointment, but a combination of her highly fashionable shoes and an oncoming bus ensures she never arrives. Escorted into the afterlife by Fallen angel Raziel, Allie is about to meet a truly final end in the fiery pits of Hell until Raziel saves her but endangers his own life in the process. At this stage Allie is confused, lacking some important memories and totally unaware she is dead; however she somehow knows the comatose man beside her saved her and kept her safe.

This is an exciting promising start to a new fantasy series. It may feature angels, but the storyline is dark, edgy and has plenty of hot passion plus some dramatic and heartbreaking scenes. The religious element is highly interesting as the Fallen history is explained, plus the novel idea that Lucifer is one of the good guys trapped away for eternity after questioning the unforgiving and harsh natures of the Archangels is something I've never come across before. God Him/Herself has withdrawn from mankind, and heading up Heaven is top angel Uriel; who has no interest in humans and would rather destroy them all. Standing between Uriel and us are the Fallen, the first angels to mingle with humans and who were later punished by God for feeling emotions; particularly lust :)

Allie is a great character, a modern woman falling in love with an angel who normally prefers a more placid, obedient female. Raziel is a little too alpha male at times, but Allie with her smart mouth can certainly stand her own against him and even put him in his place when needed. There is a brief snippet of book 2 "Demon" available at the end and I'll be snapping up a copy when it's published in May.

This is a great debut by Krisina Douglas and a promising start to the new Fallen series.

When God instilled free will in mortals he stepped back and gave his only remaining arch angel, Uriel, the power to meter out punishment or redemption to said mortals. Unfortunately for us, Uriel hates mankind and has been casting innocent souls into hell for the tiniest sin.

Raziel is a fallen angel, once he and his brothers (fellow angels and arch angels) were sent to earth to aid mortals by bestowing on them wisdom and certain skills. The longer they stayed here though the more human they became, hungering for food and sex and falling in love. Cast out of heaven by God, they are banished to earth to the island of Sheol shrouded in mist and hidden from veiw. There they live, cursed to drink blood to survive, watching their human mates age and die while they remain unchanged, and hunted by the nephilimn, fallen warrior angels cursed to eat flesh.

Raziel and the other fallen are charged with the task of escorting souls to either heaven or hell, and it is during one such task that he meets Allie Watson, he has been charged by Uriel to escort her soul. After she steps out in front of a bus he explains that she is dead and he is there to help her cross over. Just as he pushes her through what he believes is a door way to heaven he realises it is hell and pulls her back, although he does not know why, and now he is stuck with her! He finds himself attracted to her but has vowed to never take another mate as he cannot bear the eventual loss again.

Allie finds herself dead and stuck in a strange place surrounded by fallen angels who are obviously not happy by her presence. She trusts only Raziel and he is even more irritated with her being there! She is attracted to him but fights it as much as he does even though they have a connecton. It becomes apparent that Raziel has broken a pretty big rule by saving her and the fallen prepare for Uriels wrath whilst trying to decide if they should wipe her mind and send her away or take her back to hell. Raziel however will not let them and assumes responsibility for her.

It soon becomes clear that Uriel has been tricking the fallen and they may have unknowingly delivered many innocent souls to hell, and now the nephilimn have found their protected fortress and will eventually break through the protective sheild with the help of a traitor.

I loved this story.

I would strongly reccomend you to buy this book and I can't wait for the next book titled Demon with the character of Azazel taking the lead.