Review & G*veaway: ANGEL IN CHAINS, by Cynthia Eden

First, only one stop on the River Road virtual tour today, a promo and review with Queen of All She Reads. Check it out, and enter for the tour-wide prizes and the daily commenter’s prize.

And, our favorite undead pirate Jean Lafitte has been nominated as "Best Supporting Character of 2012" at Paranormal Haven. Vote daily--he has some stiff competition (sigh. yes. Jenks.) And thanks to Roger for letting me know about the contest!

Next, if you’re in the East Alabama/West Georgia area today, stop by the Haley Center on the Auburn University campus. I’ll be signing Royal Street and River Road from 1-3 p.m. in the AU Bookstore as part of the store’s Holiday Open House. There’s free parking at the Jordan-Hare Stadium deck, and a free shuttle will be running back and forth to Haley Center. There will be other authors, refreshments and free gift-wrapping, too, so check it out!

Today, I’m looking at one of my recent favorite reads, Cynthia Eden’s Angel in Chains. This is the third book in Cynthia’s Fallen series, but stands alone perfectly well. In fact, I read it first and then went looking for the first two. And—guess what! It’s set in New Orleans and I didn’t find a single thing to quibble with. (Yeah, I know, right?) Cynthia Eden is a fellow Alabama author whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Authors After Dark this past August, and a nicer person you could never hope to meet. So I’m pleased to offer a copy of Angel in Chains to a reader today. 

ABOUT ANGEL IN CHAINS:  As a fallen Angel of Death, Azrael is cursed to walk the earth alone in search of redemption. One night, as he wanders the streets of New Orleans, he discovers a woman surrounded by panther shifters. No longer able to contain the anger simmering within, Az summons his dark powers and attacks, determined to protect this innocent human from certain death….Only Jade Pierce is no delicate flower. She's spent years learning to survive and fight the evil forces sent by her ex-lover who refuses to let her go. But after seeing Az in action, she figures she could use a little supernatural help. And so she plans a course of seduction guaranteed to arouse his interest and his angelic passions. . .

A SCENE I’D READ TWICE: There’s an early scene in the book where Az has saved Jade for reasons he doesn’t quite understand, has taken her back to his apartment, and realizes the panther-shifters are coming for him. He’s so badass in his scene, you gotta love it.

I DIDN’T QUITE BUY: A minor quibble. Az is a fallen angel and has never had sex, right? But he’s awfully, um, skilled when he finally gets around to it. Then again, he’s an angel, not a hermit. So I’m willing to suspend disbelief in favor of some, uh, skillz.

THE WORLD: This is a world where most humans aren’t aware of the Others, but the Others are well aware of each other. Actually, normal humans don’t factor into the story much, although they unwittingly have a lot at stake in the battles. Jade, although human, is far from normal, and she has a Destiny, not to mention a fixated ex-boyfriend—the alpha panther-shifter with an angel-sized chip on his shoulder. I love fallen angels. I’m not tired of angel stories yet, and Azrael is a seriously badass fallen angel of death. There is also a witch of questionable loyalties.

THE CHARACTERS: Jade’s a bit prickly and it took me a while to warm up to her, although I couldn’t help but identify with her ongoing attempts to escape the uber-creepy, dangerous stalker ex boyfriend. Az is hotness personified. He has that whole “I’m death” bad boy thing going, plus his own inner turmoil. Can saving Jade provide the redemption he desires to return him to heaven, or is loving her worth giving up his dreams?

GENERAL THOUGHTS: I enjoyed Angel in Chains enough to go in search of the two earlier books in the series. It’s a great paranormal romance with a strong urban fantasy backstory…and it doesn’t screw up its New Orleans location.

Want to win a copy of Angel in Chains (or the first in the series)? Have you read an angel romance (fallen or otherwise)? Up to five entries possible: +1 for comment, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow, +1 for a Tweet or RT about the contest, +1 for a Facebook follow. Contests end at midnight CDT U.S. on Saturday.