"She is my heart. Protect her as you did once before." Can I start off by saying how much I love Raphael? He's giving Barrons a run for his money. But Barrons is still my number one guy, for now. We all fell in love with the Archangel of New York in Angel's Blood and we fall more deeply in love with Raphael in book 2 of the Guild Hunter series - Archangel's Kiss. This book starts off with Raphel and Elena at the Refuge. They have been summonded by the Archangel Lijuan to attend a ball. Elena is still recovering from her injuries and as of yet, can not fly. Or have sex. At least have sex the way Raphael wants to have sex. We learn more about Elena's past and what happened to her mother and sisters at the hands of Slater Patalis. And what caused the now strained relationship between her and her father. There's still more to learn and thank goodness there's going to be a book 3. Elena is still adjusting to her new life as an angel and her new lover. She's still having trust issues and she is not quick to forget that she is hunter-born. She plans on returning to the Guild and her work as a vampire hunter once they return to Manhattan. I love the dynamics of Raphael and Elena's relationship. He's an archangel and is not used to asking for permission. Like Nike, he just does it. Elena is independent, strong-willed and doesn't like that her body isn't completely healed. And she doesn't like being told what to do. Their verbal sparring is interesting and funny. At one point, she calls Raphael "snarly". He smiles and says, "Only you would ever dare to say that to me." Raphel is becoming more human. He is not as cold as he was in Angel's Blood. His Seven worries that Elena weakens him; that his enemies will use Elena against him. When approached by Venom with this declaration, Raphael's response is: "She's more important to me than all of you. Don't ever forget." This was a great follow-up to Angel's Blood. I was not disappointed. We are introduced to more of Raphael's Seven and we have more of Illium (or Bluebell as Elena likes to call him). I hope there's more Illium in future books. He's a great character and I love his interactions with Elena. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves sexy Archangels who know how to love hard and fight hard and protect their own.
