Archangel's Light (Guild Hunter, #14) by Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter #14
Published by Berkley on October 26, 2021
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 396
Goodreads

FINAL DECISION: The book has a lot of interesting information about both Aodhan and Illium, and the two of them certainly love one another, but I didn’t buy the romantic relationship between the two. The problem for me is that the two don’t have enough tension between them to drive a romance story and the “plot story” here wasn’t compelling either. No Guild Hunter book is bad, this one is okay but disappointing.

THE STORY: Since they were children, Illium and Aodhan have been inseparable. They have been the closest of friends. Recently, however, Aodhan has struggled against Illium’s protectiveness of him. At times it feels like their friendship has broken forever. The two haven’t spoken for some time when they are asked to serve in China helping the new archangel who has taken over the territory since the ending of the evil archangel who had long ruled the area. But all is not right and Illium and Aodhen must determine what is wrong — not only in China but also with their relationship.

OPINION: I really wanted to like this one because I am a big fan of the Guild Hunter series. But the romance here (what there was of it) just didn’t work for me. Singh told readers that Illium and Aodhen were not romantically involved for quite a while, but there was pressure from certain fans to get the two together. Singh caved, and whether because her heart wasn’t in it or because of her own limitations writing m/m stories, this relationship just didn’t work for me. There is no sex in this book, and Illium and Aodhen don’t seem emotionally engaged at all with one another. The book lacks emotional tension and the plot was pretty banal. I enjoyed reading about some of the missing pieces in the history of these two, but otherwise, this book is merely okay.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is told in varying time periods (present and the past) to inform readers about events, emotions, and thoughts of what happened before.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ARCHANGEL’S LIGHT is the fourteenth book in the Guild Hunter series. This book should be read as part of the series. The complexity of the story really requires a reader to know a great deal of background.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.