Guild Hunter #5
by Nalini Singh
“He was beyond fascinating”… Yes, Jason, Raphael’s Spymaster, encased in mystery, layered with shades of nuance, epitomizes the Byronic hero. The dark, brooding enigmatic spy totally enamored me…with his seductive masculinity, calm demeanor and sexy attractiveness. Jason is the darkness, blends with the silent shadows, soundless, unseen; the Spymaster listens, analyzes, and reports.
Singh weaves a sensual tale replete with subdued muted tones, poetic imagery that caresses our senses…we taste, see, and listen to Jason…experience his anguish, his agonizing back story that directs his life choices, his future. His solitude, the aloneness, ideal for an angel of the night; yet, quietly seeks more. “ who made him think impossible thoughts about always being welcomed home as he’d been last night”. Is he too damaged, too broken?
Archangel’s Storm opens with the death of Eris, the unfaithful consort of Neha, the Archangel of India. Grieving, she borders madness; devolving into a deadly, potentially, lethal threat to her kingdom, a macabre form of anger and vengeance, Raphael sends Jason to solve the mystery of Eris’s death. His Spymaster will investigate and find Eris’s killer. To alleviate her anxiety and paranoia, Jason agrees to take a blood vow; pledges totally loyalty and discretion to Neha, specifically, to her niece, Princess Mahiya. This dangerous blood vow binds Jason to Mahiya, as proxy for the interest and well-being of the kingdom. Any violation or breach, real or perceived, results in Jason’s death! “A fine line (Raphael)” “I can walk it” (Jason)”
Yes, he does…and skillfully; The Spymaster navigates the intricate web of Neha’s court; reveals deceptions, lies, false innuendos; defuses threats and acts of aggression… with Mahiya’s assistance.
And Mahiya…
Surprisingly, Jason finds her as compelling as she finds him. “Not much fascinated Jason after a lifetime spent unearthing secrets and listening to the darkest truths, but he found himself returning again and again to the problematic Prince Mahiya…”
Another mystery…she is not what she seems. Another survivor of a horrific past bleeding into her present situation, she lives on the edge, her life in constant danger…by a madwoman, the Archangel Neha. Jason reveals Mahiya’s masks, disarms her shields that she’s employed for her protection; to be invisible, unseen (as he). For she is Neha’s target, a constant corporeal reminder of Eris’s infidelity; his illegitimate daughter. Mahiya’s strength, her resolve to hope, to love, to not harbor hatred, bitterness, or vengeance, impresses Jason. He sees her, listens to her, respects her…understands her.
The murder mystery continues… complicated with additional murders, insidious schemes, deliberate destruction, intrigues and frustrates the pair in their search for Eris’s killer. Yet, the allure of Archangel’s Storm is Jason and Mahiya. Their scars, the emptiness, the echoes of memory…Jason, a wild unpredictable storm, embraces his darkness, the void, the emptiness of his abyss. He yields to his demons, an immutable part of him; and he distances himself… immersed in the fringes, the edges. …”Part of the world…but apart. A shadow who never becomes too involved”.
Nevertheless, Jason does connect; possesses a complex indelible bond with the Seven, his fellow warriors. Both Venom and Aodham visit Neha’s court to support Jason, to “watch his back,” for he is one of Theirs… And Mahiya’s. She claims him as hers; beckons him, entices him with her brightness that illuminates her path of transcendence; her ability to fly, to rise above her horrific past and blossom…to live free enhanced with hope and love.
Enthralled, I watch Jason and Mahiya transform, evolve…into lovers. Delighted with their ability to whisper, to caress, to bond, and adore each other with a sanguine intimacy… modest, fragile, expectant. Singh closes their lyrical tale with the breath-taking imagery of Jason’s flight, his elegant majesty, “he did a wide sweep above her”, he unearths his song with the bittersweet promise…
“I’ll be home soon, princess”
Just perfect!
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