Archangel's Viper: Book 10 (The Guild Hunter Series)

Excellent

I would say you need to read the series to truly understand the story. All the characters are the same throughout, but each book focuses on a specific character/characters. There is a story that runs alongside all of the books, that’s why I said you need to read them all. I was intrigued in Holly and Venom’s story. These two have been featured since the beginning Angel’s Blood #1. This book is set 4 years after Holly’s dreaded attack and Uram’s takedown. I was surprised to see that Archangel’s Viper does not follow on from the previous book but it explained what happened in New York while Raphael (Arcahngel of NewYork) and Elena (His consort) were out of the city. Not going to lie I really really wanted to read about Raphael and Elena again even if it was a small chapter but Venom and Holly did not disappoint. Maybe we will see Raphael and Elena next. Holly Chang AKA Sorrow was tainted by Archangel Uram four years ago, when being forced to feed from him. She is a new unknown vampire whom Venom, Dmitri and the tower are trying to train and learn from. Holly used to call herself Sorrow after her change, she was damaged, destructive and terrified, haunted with the past and the devastation Uram left behind. Making her an unknown threat. But her family and the Tower have brought her out of her depression. Holly is vampire with deadly Venom, but small “Baby fangs”, with part archangel hidden within, who else was going to teach her new skills other than Venom himself. I enjoyed learning about her growth and the relationships she developed within the Tower, especially when it comes to Dmitri. He came across as a father figure. Holly is a strong woman trying to adjust to having to be under control by the tower, however when it comes to Dmitri he is the only person who can get through to her, exactly like a dad would. Everyone else she just likes to test their patience. My favourite quote between Holly and Dmitri: “You’re asking me to execute you. A father should never have to execute a child under his care.” – Dmitri Venom another unique vampire changed hundreds of years ago. He gets the nickname Viper due to the look of his eyes, always covered in dark sunglasses( I wish there was a photo). He is intimidating just to look at, however Holly just finds him annoying, they have a funny hate/tolerate relationship where Venom loves to wind up Holly with cute nicknames “Hollyberry”, “Kitty”. And Holly calls him “Viper face”. On Venom’s return he is collected by Holly, on their ride back to the tower they are ambushed by an SUV with a bounty to retrieve Holly for £5 million. Nalini is a fantastic author who can really express her characters and their feelings. I really got that Venom was annoyed, in the 2 years he was gone he expected his team to train Holly, he only had contact with her once a week to see how she was progressing mentally. Even though the tower continued her physical training and testing they held her back. They both produce deadly Venom which when combined together cancel each other out. Who else is better than Venom to get her to release her inner snake like abilities. With the effects of the Cascade Holly begins to develop new skills which she refuses to tell to Venom, inner voices and the glowing acid green wings growing inside, waiting to be released, her fear is being killed. As Venom spends more time with Holly protecting her from the bounty, he notices her secrets, and tries to unravel his Kitty. Is she a potential threat?, what is really happening inside her head? “What I don’t understand is why anyone would want to kidnap a kitty with baby vampire teeth”. -Venom The relationship between these two was the best. Some reviews online have shown other readers were disappointed that when Venom and Holly did get together it was fast and rushed…. I felt the opposite, the book focused on Holly, the depth in their relationship, Holly learning who/what she is and Uram. I liked that Nalini Singh referred back to the previous books briefly as a refresh, but it helped follow the story. My only point was that I wish there was more for these two. I was left on such a high. I cannot wait to see what is next. A new book will be released in 2018. There appear to be 2 planned books coming in the Guild Hunter series.

I loved how Nalini gave us Venom's back story in snippets whilst showing us the present and what could become. The hidden bits that burst forth were mesmerising giving us the right story for Venom and also for Holly as she grew into whatever she was starting to. The banter between them only heightened the story

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed being back in this world, I love everything about this series and diving into a new book is always like getting the chance to catch up with old friends who you haven't seen in months. I have to admit that I was a tiny bit disappointed that we didn't get to see what has been happening with Elena since the huge discoveries she made about her family in the last book (I don't recall her being in this book at all but I could be wrong!) but that's partly because the timeline of this story overlaps slightly with Archangel's Heart so at the start of the book Elena and Raphael are both away from New York at their meeting with the Luminata. Besides, this is Venom and Holly's story and it's only right they should take centre stage! Holly has been through so much since she was attacked by Uram in the first book, she survived something horrific but it has changed her in ways that have never been seen before so nobody is able to tell her what to expect or help guide her through the process. She has started to come to terms with what has happened though and is working hard to rebuild her life, even if it's not the life she originally intended. It was so great to see how far Holly has come since the beginning, she still lives in fear that Uram's madness might have tainted her, especially since she is hiding some disturbing symptoms, but she is determined to make the best of things and she refuses to quit. I've always been intrigued by Venom, he's quite a mystery man but I wanted to know how he came by his snake like eyes and his poisonous fangs! He's been out of the city for a couple of years but he's called back to help keep things under control while Raphael is out of the territory and he finds that the baby vampire who refused to answer to anything but Sorrow who he left behind is now all grown up and changing into the woman he always thought she could be. When someone puts a price on her head it's obvious she needs back up and Venom can't resist being the one to watch out for her. Theirs was a quieter more slow burn romance than some of the others in the series, there has always been a low key level of respect between them that felt like it could become friendship but as they also have a lot in common that connects them in a unique way. They are both unusual, even for vampires, and their abilities are enough to scare others but their similarities mean they understand each other in a way nobody else manages to. I really enjoyed spending time with them both and seeing Holly grow into her own strength and them grow closer as a couple. I don't want to talk about details from the plot but there are a lot of really interesting revelations in Archangel's Viper that kind of tie back into some of the things Elena and Raphael found out in the previous book. Things are definitely getting interesting and I can't wait to see how it plays out over the next few books. Add in that we get to spend time with the Legion, and with one of my favourite angels Bluebell and I enjoyed every minute of this book. Nalini Singh has created such a fabulous world here and I love spending time in it!

this has to be my favorite ever series of books. I love that Raphaels seven get their own book they all have their own unique story to tell. This book in particular was a great read we get to learn more about holly and venom. Especially holly she's had such a traumatic horrible time but she's strong, brave and determined and that really shines through in this book. Venom is as cool calm and collected as always but we get to see a different side to him as he slowly gets closer and closer to holly. also loved the storyline it had me glued to the pages right up until the end as always.

Again another superbly written story with a unique narrative and so creatively written. It feels a little shorter than the average Guild Hunter book, with a splash of horror in the truth about Michaela and what it means for our Kitty. I adored the cute, funny, playful and super witty exchanges and moments between the deadly and handsome Venom, and the strong, tough independent Holly. My only wish is that there was more to their relationship and more moments about just them together. I hope and pray Illium and Aodan both get their own books, their stories told and have their chances to shine.

Another brilliant book in the guild hunter series. Elena and Raphael have gone it a Cadre meeting and someone has put a bounty on a woman protected by the tower. Holly was brutally assaulted by an Archangel and has been turned by it is not clear into what. This book covers Holly trying to find the person who tried to kidnap her, learn what she is, trying to stay in control all supervised by the mysterious by beautiful Venom.

Nalini is one of my favourite writers...what an imaginative mind.....loved This guild series from Raphael to this book....always a rocky start to the 2 characters but with good ending with maybe a hint of a loose end..it’s like one long rolling story..with most characters turning up and weather good or bad..a very different take on angels,arch angles, vampires and gifted humans...all ruled by arch angles.....