Vampire's Kiss (Legion of Angels Book 1)

Vampire's Kiss is my first book by Ella Summers, but it really grabbed my attention. It may have something to do with my current Lucifer and Supernatural obsession, but Leda's beginning held up well on its own, too.Summary:Paranormal bounty hunter, Leda Pierce, is used to the simple life. Living on the edge of human civilization and on the border to a land of monsters doesn't allow for a lavish lifestyle even if her pay was more than modest. But she doesn't need much, and she has her family. That's the most important thing. So when a job goes wrong and her brother is kidnapped hours later, Leda determines to do whatever it takes to get him back. Unfortunately, he was probably taken for his magical gifts, and Leda has none of her own to speak of. She has no way to track him, and if she did find him, she'd be outmatched from the start. Her only option is to earn the power needed to save Zane. It's risky and completely crazy, but becoming a part of the elite supernatural Legion of Angels unit is the only way to be gifted powers from the gods themselves. She just needs to survive long enough to advance in rank. That's easier said than done when you have a dangerously powerful angel trying to break you, a supernatural conspiracy, and considering the very thing she needs, can kill her just as easily.*************************I have a fascination for all things gods, angels, and demons, so Vampire's Kiss was an enjoyable read for me. Ella Summers built a vivid post-apocalyptic world with a definite caste system with Angels serving the Gods at the top. There's a lot to learn, but I thought the information was given throughout instead of in an overwhelming dump. Leda was a strong heroine. She was loyal, protective, loved hard, and possessed an overabundance of stubborn grit and determination. I liked that she took action and stood up for what she believed was right, even to the angels. The only thing that irritated me about her was that her origins are unknown. It comes down to me being impatient and wanting to know now. It's apparent she's special, but I have a feeling we won't find out how for a couple more books. 😭 This book flirts with the possibility of a romance, which I really liked. At my core, I'm a Romance junkie, so I'm always happy to see it included. Nero, Leda's love interest and an angel hasn't won me over just yet, though. He's sexy, smart, alluring, and dangerous, but he can also be cold and calculating. He was hard on Leda, but I think that had a lot to do with his surprise in how she affected him. A relationship between him and Leda would definitely add another layer to the story. Overall, I was caught up in my questions about Leda, continuing to read in hopes I'd find answers. Something big is coming, and I can't help but be intrigued. That said, not all of the storyline sits well with me. While I am loving reading about Leda conquering challenges and watching her grow stronger, the reasoning behind her decision doesn't make complete sense to me. Joining the Legion seems like the long con, and not months long, but years. Her brother being gone that long and coming out unscathed if not a completely different person seems implausible. And that was the thing that irked me most because I feel like this issue will just fade into nothing when it's the sole reason she joined. I enjoyed supporting cast, though. Ivy and Drake, especially. I'm trying to be cautious, though, since initiates drop like flies. I really liked Harker, too until he disappointed me with his decisions and actions. I'm not sure where things will go with him, but forgiveness for me will have to be earned. Leda's family is close-knit and supportive. They aren't a family by blood, but by choice and that bond can often be stronger than blood. The story wasn't boring. There was lots of action, a little sleuthing, and the promise of more danger to come as Leda consumes more nectar. Each book seems like a stage in her magical journey, and I'm looking forward to seeing where she ends up and how increased power affects her. ♡

In a post-apocalyptic world, Leda Pierce is a bounty hunter in thefrontier town of Purgatory. Although the world has stablized somewhat fromthe days when gods and demons began to fight over it, there are still vastwastelands where dangerous magical beasts roam and initiate attacks on themagi-tech barriers that protect civilization, and Purgatory is one sitejust on the inside of the wall.Bounty hunting is steady business given the lack of funds forofficial police in the borderlands, but Leda and her family, whoseem pretty much normal humans, play it conservatively, and don'tattempt to track down supernaturals. Except this time somethinggoes wrong and her quarry turns out to be a vampire. Leda escapesbeing killed only through the intervention of her brother who isspirited away by forces unknown while she finishes dealing with thevampire.Now her only chance to find him and bring him back is to join The Legion ofAngels, the gods' enforcers on Earth. And to do that, she will have toundergo their brutal training (and morally ambiguous practices) whileleveling up through the ranks until she gains the telepathic magic necessaryto track him down. And while she's doing that, she may find friends, love,and the power to save the Earth..These are popcorn books, not deep, but fun. Each book is named forthe power Leda gains during its course, but the plot may otherwisehave little to do with that. Leda is never shy, but she does makeentertaining progress into confident badassery (with only a briefdetour into jackassery) by the later entries. If I fault the storyanywhere it is in the world building (anything not plot-relevantseems pretty much 21st century American substituting "magitech" forelectronics/internet despite the apparent suppression of the oldnations and religions. In fact the one time we are presented anorganization that wants to shake things up, they turn out to bedupes..) and the supporting cast that comes and goes. The currentlast book ends with Leda gaining her angel's wings (not a hugespoiler -- it was inevitable) and ready, finally, to shake thingsup. There is at least one more book to come, which I will pick up.

I would consider this a feel good read. A character with freely acknowledged flaws that she can find humor in or joke about is always a winner.The story did feel a bit rushed, though, which is why I put 4 stars. Some smaller details were left out , (**SPOILER**) Like when Leda and Harke were in the bakery behind shelves and Rose said welcome. How did she notice them? How and when did they move out from behind the shelf to address her and start the fight sequence? There was no indication that they were noticed and Rose wasn't in the room for more than a minute before she zeroed in on them.Its a small detail, but things like this were sprinkled throughout the story and just gave off a generally rushed feel like the author didn't realize she was doing it or maybe didn't think to add them in because writing the story itself was too engaging. Because of this, it kind of felt like we were jumping from plot point to plot point.Step 1: Introduce the CharacterStep 2: Introduce the ConflictStep 3: Introduce the Solutionetc etcOverall, it was a great read. I really enjoyed Leda and Nero, really enjoyed the world creation and the spin on the supernatural we were given. I feel like this is a new spin on the age old angels and demons phenomenon, and Im here for it. The story just felt rushed in some places, and I was a bit disappointed because the world thats the been made and characters in it deserve to be flushed out. I really hope to see more of that in the next books.

There is definitely a good reason as to why this book has several 4+ star reviews. It's really that good. At first I was a little taken aback at the 232 pages of this book. Great, what could you possibly explain in that short amount of pages? I've been suckered into buying so many of these expensive Create Space Independent type trade paperback novels and have been let down a number of times. Well, let me tell you that there is a great deal that the author has done with that limited amount. The premise is set in a slightly dark world where your typical paranormal entities exists (vamps, werewolves, fairies, etc). This type of world setting has been done over and over and I don't think it will slow down any time soon. The one difference here is the involvement of angels.Another reviewer commented that this is very similar to Nalini Singh's works. I can understand where that would be coming from, however the author takes her own sort of approach to this novel. Nalini Singh is a very talented author however her one primary series seems to be getting to be the same old twisted characters going through the grind and coming from the shadows renewed. We are at that point with Elena and Raphael that they are comfortable in their relationship and the heartstrings aren't being pulled anymore. This novel here touches a bit on romance but there is still a lot left to be developed between the main character and a certain angel. There is a lot of potential for world building and story growth as well. We also have yet to get to that point of true love's fulfillment so I think it's too harsh to compare this to Nalini's novels and to tell other readers to stick to her only.The main character, Leda, is strong and doesn't bend easily. Her main potential romantic interest is mostly the same in that regard. The worst thing to happen in romance novels is to have two spineless, love drunk people tossed at each other without any grit rubbing between and to proclaim that they have 'true love'. Or to have your main character lose her inner strength and to become a shadow of who she was to just submit to the 'handsome jerk' in the novel. So tired of novels like that.This novel is very satisfying and leaves you wondering what is going to happen next. At the same time I feel a sort of hopelessness as the Legion of Angels seem to be a little overwhelmed with what you can interpret to be an epic battle that is slowly building up. I don't know how it will end but I feel like people will suffer.There's a couple things I noticed in this novel that kind of bugged me. When the main character was having interactions and dialogue with her instructors, these very high and elite beings, sometimes the author failed to mention the observations of the others around them. There is a point where Leda is talking to one of the female captains, Captain Somerset, and she has this whole discussion with Leda about the men and their feelings for her. I believe this was at a time where the recruits were getting ready to head out on a mission. If my captain stopped to talk a recruit in length, I might be curious to eavesdrop or question after the preferential treatment maybe...? This would be if I were one of the Legion brats that had been giving Leda a hard time.The second thing that bothered me was Leda's attitude sometimes. She chalked it up to being nervous but she didn't deal very well with Nero to begin with. She was very up-front and flirty which struck me as kind of odd. Not sure if that's how someone would act in the presence of such greatness, strength, and danger. Right off the bat she was super cocky with him. You would think that any new initiate that had that kind of attitude would have been rejected onsite. Or taught a severe lesson earlier on.All in all, I look forward to seeing this series develop further and have the characters fleshed out a little more. I am rooting for Nero and I hope that his character doesn't change too much in the sense that he softens up way too much. He comes from a disciplined and strict background. His principals shouldn't topple.

What drew me into this book is that it's something completely different and new to what I've read before. The title of the book did worry me at first as I thought it would be all about vampires (and they're not my favourite creatures) but really this book is more to do with Angels, but not as we typically know them.There were some steampunk elements to this Urban Fantasy boo and I definitely enjoyed reading those moments as I am a huge steampunk fan, however it wasn't overly obvious so if you're not a fan you don't need to worry about it overtaking the book.Leda, who is our kickass lead female is a great character with the right amount of sassyness and wit thrown in to make me laugh out loud several times whilst reading. Nero, who is the main male has got the right mix of bad and good to his character (I love me a bad male but who can also show some compassion and caring at times) I loved the tension there is between the two of them. Personally I love a slow build of romance it's all the will they or won't they that makes it so exciting, and there was definitely the right mix there to keep me satisfied as I really dislike a too fast romance (to me it's all that build up tension that I enjoy)I have to warn you though that I was left with a massive book hangover after reading this book and I just couldn't pick up anything else to read. I really do need the next book in this series ASAP as I impatiently want to know what's going to happen next. This book deserves more than the maximum 5 stars I have given and I recommend you pick it up and try it for yourself too, just be prepared to not want to read anything else after finishing this one

If I'm asked is this a good book the answer is definitely yes.Fantasy gives so much scope for the writer that the basic rules of story telling can be forgotten and spoil the book. In this case the author has packed the book with action from start to finish. We are allowed to meet and get to know the main character and her family and given a clear understanding of the purpose of the story. Her brother has disappeared and dhe has to find him at any cost. The cost happens to be that she must become an angel to obtain the powers needed to find him.A daunting task for anyone especially the one way to do this is to join the League of Angels which requires being accepted for training and then progressing through numerous levels till she achieves her goal. Let's ignore the fact that acceptance is almost impossible and very few survive the training.After acceptance, well she had to be accepted for the story to continue, we meet new friends, the trainer's from hell (not literally) and a training programme she must complete or die trying. There are no other options, or are there.The inevitable romance element comes from more than one source and has some surprises in store. By the end of the story there is a clear favourite but we will wait and see.Great story telling keeps your interest from start to finish and there are lots of twists and turns and a few surprises on the way. The ending was surprisingly abrupt and leaves you wanting the next book to be ready to read.So as mentioned earlier I accept this is a good read but it is spoilt for me as I found it similar in too many ways to another fantasy series.

I love the boundlessness of authors' imaginations. If they can imagine it, they can write it (most of them anyway) and here we have an author who can make her universe compelling and believable.Although they call it Earth, it is not our Earth. It is another multiverse with 7 Gods who play Dice with Demons and Worlds. Humans are pawns and easily discarded. Witches, Vampires and other Supernaturals are not much better in value in their game of Chess or whatever game it is that they are playing and who knows who their opponents are - apart from other Gods of cause.The only thing that they seem to value is their Army. The Legion is their Army with Archangels as the Kings and Queens, and Angels their Castles and Knights.You become a soldier in the Legion and the Gods give you poison - inappropriately named Nectar, to unlock your magical potential.Each book tells the story of our heroine as she a: unlocks her magical potential and climbs the ladder rank.; and b: develops an intense relationship with an Angel.I just read them all the way through and am waiting eagerly for the next one to come out.... 5 books all 5 stars

I don't write reviews, so I am breaking all my own rules here. Loved the style, it had tautness but not at the expense of the feel of the characters and their situation. I was really able to engage with the protagonist, and her attitude to the situations she found and put herself in. Book left me wanting more. Have read previous work by this author, and while they were readable and reasonably entertaining, this book tops them. It shows the development in style and technique that writing experience (and a good editor) brings to an author.I really hope the author is able to focus on and finish this series as I think it has great potential, and from a selfish perspective I so dislike when authors go so far in a series and then drop it or leave it unfinished for an inordinate period of time.