Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: No Quarter
SERIES: Archangel Chronicles #1
AUTHOR: L.J. LaBarthe
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 220 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 20, 2013
BLURB:
You would never know it from his flamboyant lifestyle, but Gabriel’s not just the cheerful, fun-loving adoptive father of a pair of indulged young adult humans. He’s an Archangel, commander of Heaven’s legions of Seraphim, and despite his apparently easy virtue, he’s harboring a serious crush on his superior officer, Michael.
For years Michael has devoted himself to developing a team of humans, the Venatores, to aid in the fight against Hell. He’s been pining after Gabriel for centuries without hope, believing himself to be too serious to attract the other Archangel’s interest. He’s happy to discover that he’s wrong, but their burgeoning relationship is stymied by a major problem: an egomaniacal human is recruiting demons and fallen angels in a bid to take over the world. It’s up to Michael and Gabriel, and the rest of the Brotherhood of Archangels, to beat back the forces of Hell before the Earth is overrun.
REVIEW:
Gabriel has always believed in living life to the fullest; he may not be human but that doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy what humanity has to offer. The one thing he wishes he could get more of, however, is time with his commanding officer, the Archangel Michael. Michael has spent the last millennia in love with and avoiding Gabriel, afraid that he has nothing to offer his fellow angel but when he accepts Gabriel’s offer to help with the Venatores, the two find they have more in common than they thought. Relationships aren’t easy but the two angels are willing to give it a try…a plot to release the demons from hell puts a damper on their plans, however, and the Archangels will have to work fast if they want a hope of saving humanity.
This was so different than what I usually read and I loved that. The beginning of the book was a little dry with the information about angels and the ‘stories’ being told that set up the history of the fallen. I did enjoy that the back story wasn’t a carbon copy of what is written in the Bible and I liked the twist the author gave it all. Once I really got into the main story, however, I found myself relaxing into it more and I started to really enjoy myself. Michael isn’t at all what I imagined when thinking about the head Archangel and while it took me a little mental readjustment, I found I quite liked how he was written. Gabriel is Michael’s opposite in everything but his sense of duty and they balanced each other nicely.
The story itself was interesting though it was towards the end that I really found myself drawn in and the ending left me with the desire to go find the next book so I could find out what happens next. The only real problems I found I had with the book were relatively minor, all things considered. Gabriel was apparently supposed to be British in his look and mannerisms but the way his dialogue was written at times made him sound more like he was from Texas. I had trouble really sorting out his ‘voice’ due to this for a good portion of the book. My other little inconsistency was in regards to Gabriel’s children; they were supposedly in their twenties yet it felt that they were younger than that with how they interacted and were told it was time to go to bed. Like I said, minor issues, but I enjoyed the story enough that I could easily ignore it without too much trouble.
If you’re looking for something a little different from the norm, or maybe just have a yen for some wing porn, this might interest you and I would suggest giving it a try.
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