Title: No Quarter, 2nd edition
Series: Archangel Chronicles: Book One
Author: L.J. LaBarthe
Genre: Paranormal / Angel~Demons
ISBN: 978-1-62798-671-7
Length: Novel (220 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (December 20th, 2013)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥2.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
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.
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4447
Review: This is the second time I read this book and other than typos and errors lacking, there isn’t much done story-wise. Thus, while much, much easier a read this time around, it was still lacking profoundly in intensity for such an “epic” book/series.
Let’s take a look at the lore here. This series is about the Archangels and their duty bestowed to them by God to protect human kind and the plane of Earth. Specifically here, we have a megalomaniac human who believes to be himself the reincarnation of a Saint and thus he has bargained with a Fallen One, has surrounded himself with demons, and plans to open up the Gates of Hell and unleash the poor condemned souls. The Archangels must intervene and eliminate him, but the impending doom is not overthrown.
This is the main action plot and frankly, I found it lacking. The epic-ness that characterizes such reads was nowhere to be found, the characters making the backbone were quite flat and uninteresting, and the story itself was a bit ludicrous. I mean there were demons that really looked like lackeys, Archdemons that made no impression whatsoever, except for that mwahahaha-type of villain you get on all cheesy reads (seriously Ondrass was overkill), the human megalomaniac named Bob was, oh my God I have no words for him, and they all, all of them fell flat making me wonder what is the point of writing a bad guy if you don’t intend to do something with him.
Romantic wise it was just the same. Michael is supposed to be pinning for Gabriel for years, Gabriel always wanted Michael, but this meeting after a thousand years drove home the fact that he loves him. The beginning – before either of them talked – made you think we’d get the tragic/epic hotter than Hell kind of burning relationship that would make even the stars shine less in front of its brightness etc.etc. But, but I’m afraid it was the most disappointing thing. The longing one would come to expect, the you’re-finally-mine feeling one would rightly expect, the Earth-Heaven-Hell-are-nothing-before-us kind of feeling that should be there, were not. The sex was good, nice and all, but it was no match for Archangels, if not a bit cheesy and laughable at times. I was really put off with this relationship, one ought to have made it burn and explode, but this was beyond lukewarm.
As for Michael and Gabriel as personalities, oh my, especially with Michael, Archangel Michael, the Prince of Heaven, I wanted to blind myself and stop reading altogether. That was one hell of a way to ruin all my fantasies for the big badass Archangel and that I do not forgive. He was ruined and a total fail in my opinion, and while I’d go for any ludicrous story and lukewarm sex/love, ruining such a powerful figure such as Michael is a crime. Gabriel was just, I don’t know, just so weird… I’ll not go there at all.
Overall, this new edition did not bring any changes in the story. The only good thing was the fact that the typographic errors were lacking and it was easier a read than before. Still base core of this story, the backbone of it, held a slight interest, that’s why I’ll be reading the next installment and see if the series is a worth reading one or drop it and move on sort. As for this one, I don’t know. If you like, angels and demons so much and you don’t mind the above, then give it a try.