Archangel’s Enigma

Singh breathes new energy into the Guild Hunter series with her splendid eighth installment (after Archangel’s Shadows), in which the fascinating vampire Naasir and the scholar angel Andromeda take center stage. The two are dispatched by the Archangel Raphael to find and awaken Alexander, a former archangel who’s currently sleeping the Sleep of the Ancients, before Zhou Lijuan, Archangel of China, locates and kills him in her mad quest for global domination. Inventive descriptions highlight Naasir’s feline—and occasionally feral—nature, which intensifies as he hunts for a mate; the hunt might end with charming, brilliant Andromeda, but he’s dismayed to learn that she’s celibate. Andi’s abstinence and obligations to her scheming grandfather, the North African Archangel, create roadblocks for her surprisingly playful romance with Naasir. Singh never loses sight of their relationship’s development, even with the suspense engendered by Lijuan’s evil, their dangerous mission, and other disruptions to the angelic power structure. The blend of intimate tenderness and globe-spanning action reaches new highs in Singh’s most exciting novel yet. Agent: Nephele Tempest, Knight Agency. (Sept.)