Review: Angel In Chains by Cynthia Eden

Author: Cynthia Eden 

Release Date: Nov. 27, 2012

Publisher: Kensington Brava

The Fallen #3

ISBN: #978-0758267634

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Format(s): Paperback (352 pgs), e-book

Book Source: Publisher

     Jade Pierce may be human, but she’s also deadly, strong, and clever. A survivor first and foremost, she’s lived her life on the run from her psychotic shifter ex for years. As much as she’d like to see Brandt dead, she knows she can’t kill him on her own, and has gotten very good at knowing when it’s time to escape. Getting close to anyone else has only led to the destruction of those she cares about, and standing up to Brandt was never an option she could allow herself to consider. Until she met Azrael.

     Though he now roams the streets of New Orleans as a “fallen,” Azreal spent his entire heavenly existence bringing death to those whose time on earth had ended. Once the commander of angels, Az will do anything to get his wings back, but something about the fiery woman he’s decided to help makes him think that Heaven isn’t what he really needs after all. As much as he wants redemption, Az soon discovers that temptation is even better.

     Angel in Chains is essentially a rescue story at its onset, but becomes much more than that by the end. Jade and Az both have ulterior motives for joining forces, and have no qualms about using each other to those ends. Jade wants protection from Brandt, and Azrael believes that saving her will be his redemption and path back to Heaven. But, as their story progresses they discover what sacrifice really means, and their determination to see each other survive will either save the earth, or destroy it utterly. It’s not an easy transition, but Ms. Eden manages it with feeling and sincerity that continues to grow throughout the story.

     Azrael and Jade are absolutely perfect for each other. Hot, sexy, erotic—all three apply in this case, as both characters briefly try to resist each other, knowing their mutual surrender to their desires is inevitable. Azrael is a virgin, but he’s clearly a sexual creature, and Ms. Eden thankfully never attempts to portray him as an uncertain innocent. There’s nothing particularly innocent about either of them, as a matter of fact, which I really enjoyed. Az never puts up a strong defense against the temptation of Jade, but instead convinces himself that, since he’s already fallen, pleasure is an acceptable and worthwhile pursuit. Az is, in short, a very bad angel. And I, like Jade, wouldn’t have him any other way.

     Angel in Chains was a captivating read, and I’m once again sorry that I’ve not read the first two novels in the series, something I intend to correct soon. While Jade and Az are fantastic characters, the author gives her other characters just as much complexity, and I was unable to dismiss any of them as truly “minor.” Brandt is the bad guy I loved to hate, and I was very pleased that his traumatic history wasn’t used as an excuse for the atrocities he committed. Never trading sex for substance, Angel in Chains is more than just a romp between humans and immortals, it is an exciting, engaging story about falling in love and the salvation that goes with it.