Immortal Angel

August 24, 2020
A vigilante vampire finds love with a mortal in Sands’s sexy but underwhelming 31st Argeneau romance (after Immortal Born). Vampire Ildaria’s reputation for finding and stopping trouble using her supernatural abilities has put her on the radar of the Immortal Enforcers, who order her to lay low in Toronto or face execution, the punishment for immortals who risk exposing their kind. Ildaria finds a job as an accountant for a nightclub owned by Joshua Simpson Guiscard, affectionately known as G.G. (for Green Giant, due to his towering stature and green mohawk). Ildaria realizes that G.G. is her fated life mate after the pair share a series of vivid sex dreams, but when G.G. learns of their connection he makes it clear he has no interest in becoming immortal. Though the sex primarily occurs in dreams, it’s steamy enough to satisfy series fans. But, because the love between Idaria and G.G. is destined, the couple spend the better part of the novel fighting what readers know to be inevitable, making the conflict feel contrived. Less devoted readers can safely take a pass. Agent: Jenny Bent, the Bent Agency.

September 1, 2020
A secretive club owner might just break his greatest rule: Don't fall in love with an Immortal. Ildaria Garcia left the Dominican Republic 200 years ago after having survived a vampire attack that left her an Immortal and in constant fear of retribution from the man who attacked her. Moving from place to place, she does her best to keep her past hidden while acting as a vigilante. However, social media has proved to be more of a bane than a boon, forcing Ildaria to lie low after her crime-fighting exploits go viral. The Night Club (yes, that's the name) is run by Joshua James Simpson Guiscard, known as G.G. Though the venue caters to a supernatural clientele, G.G. is all human. A traumatizing event has made him both fearful of and fascinated by Ildaria and her kind. While Ildaria is physically running from her past, G.G.'s avoidance is more the emotional sort. When the possibility of Ildaria and G.G. being mates is brought up, due to their immense attraction, both of them must grapple with their prior baggage. Can G.G. ever love an immortal vampire? Can Ildaria live with endangering a man she's come to care for? There's nothing terribly new in this paranormal romance--lots of black leather outfits and the notion that fate has selected a one true love. While it's refreshing to see a vampire heroine, the excitement quickly fades once Ildaria's previous sexual trauma is revealed and italicized Spanish words start being sprinkled in. If readers are expecting a nuanced representation of a woman of color-turned-vampiric superhero, they won't find it here. Her characterization is hollow enough to hear an echo. Readers who have stuck with the 30-plus books of the Argeneau series will find this to be a passable addition even if the cast is getting rather large. New readers: Don't bother, as you'll either be lost, annoyed, or infuriated. Ultimately skippable.

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