The Prince’s Angel

Title: The Prince’s Angel
Authors: Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael
Publisher: http://torquerebooks.com/zencart/
Genre: Paranormal, GLBT (M/M)
Length: Novel
Rating: *****+ (out of 5)

This book held me in its grip from the first page with its brooding, dark, gothic mood which ratcheted up the suspense that never let go until the very end. What can I say that will do it justice and give the readers a sense of what awaits? I’ll start where else, at the beginning.

A bit of background is important to set the scene. In 1962 the world became aware of the existence of vampires and this precipitated a war involving several countries and a faction of vampires that broke away from the Romanorum, the governing body of the Diocourides Society which rules vampires. The Diocourides reached agreement with the United States in 1970 which officially recognized vampires as US citizens and since then humans and vampires have lived together in peace. The year is now 2005 and in the City of London Prince Mael Black governs the vampires who live there. However, the faction of vampires that attempted several years ago to take over several international cities now wants to destroy the peace in London by creating rogue vampires and their main target is Mael. This threatens the lives of the humans as well as the agreement that has been in place for 35 years between the two species.

Cian Carmichael, an angel, a sorcerer and executioner of rogue vampires first meets the Prince at a mutual ‘kill’ and the sexual undercurrents between them are apparent immediately although they both try to ignore them because they don’t believe that angels and vampires can be lovers. But with menace coming from every direction, the looming danger conspires to bring them together as they form an uneasy alliance to counter the threat. In the midst of everything going on in Mael’s world he is given a most difficult, almost impossible task to accomplish and he has to determine whether Cian is what he appears to be on the surface and if he can be trusted, because Cian is the only one who can help him.

During the conflict and almost open warfare happening around them, Mael’s and Cian’s love story evolves and plays out and there is so much emotion between these two characters it bleeds off the pages. With creatures on all sides, even those in the highest offices seizing every opportunity to harm Mael, our two heroes have a lot to contend with at the same time as they explore and try to resist their volatile attraction to each other. Despite their best intentions they give in to the inevitable and it is a conflagration that neither can extinguish. These two are smoking! The dialogue is seductive and when Mael and Cian communicate this is in itself a seduction, make no mistake about it – the sexual undercurrents are ever present and ready to explode.

I was impressed by several characters introduced in the book, but two in particular caught my attention. One is Mael’s and Cian’s protégée Brandon, a recently turned vampire who had been ‘adopted’ by Mael’s Court so that he could learn the ropes of being a vampire. The other is the wonderful Cornelius, Magician to the Court of the Prince of London, who has been Mael’s seer and adviser for millennia. Brandon begins to study with Cornelius and this proximity leads to feelings which blossom into love. Cornelius recognizes a kindred soul and takes the young ghoul under his wing but is constrained by what he feels are issues in his own past that do not augur well for any relationship between them. I have a sense that Cornelius’ and Brandon’s story is yet to be told.

Mael and Cian are polar opposites in looks as well as temperament but the differences are not quite what they appear. Mael is beautiful but dark as would be expected of a creature of the night, however he has other characteristics that endear him to the reader. Cian, whose golden aura seems to glow, also has a dark side as he lives in the shadows to fulfill his very dangerous mission of hunting down and killing rogue vampires.

In The Prince’s Angel Mychael Black and Shayne Carmichael have created a world where belief is suspended in a story that is original, fast paced and as complex as the two flawed protagonists. The authors take the time to introduce these three dimensional characters and a wonderful supporting cast to the reader and build the story and the anticipation level before Mael and Cian become lovers. When they do, the sex is as delightful, delicious and exhilarating as readers have come to expect from this duo who have made writing about sex an art form in itself. The plot is rich in complexity, ingenious, clever, and intense; the story is also horrifying and bloody at the same time but it is so riveting and engrossing it left me breathless and wishing for more of the same. I loved the Welsh influence in the language between Mael and Cian and recognize the hand of Mychael Black who is an aficionado of all things Welsh. The story oozes with emotion and tension which weaves its way between Mael and Cian to create a rich tapestry for their love and survival. Books from these two writers’ imagination are an auto-buy for me because I have never been disappointed by them and this story is right up there with Dark Needs which I consider to be one of the best vampire books I have ever read.

The sequel to The Prince’s Angel, And The Two Shall Become One is scheduled for release at the end of July, 2008 and for me even this short delay is too long to wait but I hope that in these new adventures we see more of Brandon and his beloved Magician, Cornelius

Because of the subject matter this book is very violent and may not be suitable for everyone