I have been aware of this book for a while, long enough that I knew about it before it was actually a book, available for purchase.
The problem was, I already had a massive list of books I had agreed to read, and knew if I said yes to another one, I wouldn't know when I would be able to get to it.
But eventually, my inability to say no stepped in, and I said 'yes, I would love a copy to review!' I also mentioned that I didn't know when I would be able to get to it, due to the massive list of books ahead of it. I'm not sorry to say, this book definitely skipped the queue!
Plus, this book officially published yesterday, so yay! Many congrats to the author!
So, let me introduce the book to you, and then we shall get into my review!
When an angel and a demon fall in love, there's Hell to pay...
And Heaven's waiting its turn
Rome in the 10th Century is full of demons and succubi, trying to influence and corrupt the church.
To combat them are a host of angels and guardians.
Kalili is a demon.
Faith is an angel.
When Faith encounters Kalili, sparks fly.
It's impossible, but they can't deny their feelings.
When they learn who - and what - they truly are?
Neither side wants that.
All they can depend on is each other.
My Review!
In 10th Century Rome, demons and angels battle to corrupt or save humans, trying ensure their souls go to the Below or Upstairs, depending on what outcome would be most beneficial. Of course, the demons and angels do not agree on where each human should end up, and fight to get them where they want them.
Kalili is a demon on an assignment, trying to corrupt a soul and prevent him from becoming Pope, when she receives news that she is no longer safe, and that an angel is trying to find her in order to kill her. Except, when the angel does find her, she is not at all what Kalili expected. Faith is not a trained warrior, but is inexperienced, and cannot answer Kalili’s questions as to who wants her dead, or why.
But while Faith has no answers as to why Kalili’s death has been ordered, neither can figure out why they are drawn to each other, why they feel an instant connection, and why they would both rather not kill the other. An angel and a demon working together is one thing – an angel and a demon falling in love is another thing entirely.
I am not sure if enemies to lovers is the correct term to describe Kalili and Faith’s relationship. It is more enemies to immediate lovers while being confused about why they like each other, and trying to maintain the facade that they shouldn’t get along. This book is told from Kalili’s perspective, and, as the demon of the pair, she should be trying to corrupt, not caring too much about the lives of the humans around her, focusing on her assignment. But doing so is difficult when being near Faith makes her feel like doing the ‘right thing’. On the other end, Faith is incredibly naive, she doesn’t understand the world, and although she has been around a long time, she has little experience in anything. You might say that Kalili is a bad influence on her, but Kalili helps her to figure out who she really is, rather than just someone blindly following orders.
The pairing of someone who is characteristically good, and one who is characteristically bad, is an opportunity that has definitely been taken with this book. Faith and Kalili clearly have their own opinions on what is okay to do, and they each contradict the other’s viewpoints and beliefs. But, their inability to walk away from each other means they must figure out a middle ground, and the effect they have on each other certainly helps to level the playing field.
I loved watching the development of Kalili and Faith’s relationship. From the moment they first meet, you can instantly tell there is a connection between them, but neither have any idea why they have the connection, or how they are meant to move on with their assignments when all they want to do is be together. With Faith being so unlearned about life in general, Kalili takes her under her wing, (in the metaphorical sense, although they do both have wings, being a demon and an angel!) and helps her as they try and find a way to figure out why they have such a connection.
There is something so beautiful about the way Kalili and Faith trust each other so completely, even though they shouldn’t. In the most tense of situations, they both know that the other will do anything to keep them safe. They don’t worry about their own safety, because the other is already doing that for them. And, considering they are not in a modern setting, but in 10th Century Rome, there is certainly danger around. The mix of their relationship, in an ancient world setting, worked wonderfully. The necessity for discretion, considering a same gender relationship was something they had to hide, slotted perfectly into the story, and added an extra level of tension, as they tried to lie and act their way out of situations I wasn’t sure they would get out of safely.
Angels, demons, passion, lust, danger… is there anything missing from this book?! From simply two separate assignments, to a strong and unyielding love, Kalili and Faith are a couple that would take on Heaven and Hell to be together, and their relationship is absolutely delightful to read about. With an ending full of revelations, this book itself is simply the genesis of what promises to be a glorious series that I absolutely cannot wait to read.
And done!
I really should stop making a habit of reading every new book I get, and ignoring the others that have been sat in my ereader waiting for ages. It's really not fair to all those other books...!
Anyway, that's all for now...
Bye!
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