You did it! We figured this one out! It is a truth universally acknowledged (by me for certain) that the Bitchery pretty much knows everything, and really, it's true. Scroll down to see the solution for this HaBO - and many thanks!
Author Silver James is looking for a novella she read in an anthology featuring hot sexxytimes with a black winged angel, and she’s pretty sure it’s not Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series.
I probably wouldn’t be trying to track down this book but confession time. I’m *just now* succumbing to the cracktastic catnip that is Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter/Archangel series. *hangs head in shame* I know, right?!? What was I thinkin’ waiting this long? *sigh* My reading failings aside, keep this fact in mind. It will be important later. Because, kick-ass angel.
I should probably explain that books go through my hands like sands through the hourglass. I read for a bunch of contests. I also buy books, paper and digital like the gateway drug they are.
If they don’t end up on my keeper shelves (I have THREE ROOMS of shelves!), they get boxed up and my husband delivers them to the local VA hospital when he has appointments because there aren’t enough romance books in the volunteer library for female vets and family members of male vets. (Sh’up. I know that was a run-on sentence.) This is why my brain is a sieve when it comes to titles and why I can’t just dig through my shelves because I already did that and no sign of this particular story.
Anyway, my HaBO request. I read a novella–pretty sure it was in an anthology, hence novella, and not a stand-alone. It’s been awhile. Like a few years but sometime this century. I thought of it again when I started Nalini’s GH books and figured I’d find the story in one of her anthologies, because kickass angels = Nalini. Uhm. Nope.
So, here’s what I remember about it. There are bad guys. Either vampires or zombies or demons. There is a female hunter because…heroine! A badass heroine with weapons. There’s a shopping center which may or may not be deserted and it’s midnight because when else do badass hunter-heroines go after evil V/Z/Ds? She gets herself in trouble, and there may or may not have been a male hunter who was her backup but he gets zapped–if he was there. Or not.
She gets rescued by this other kickass dude with black wings and he carries her up to the top of the shopping center. And there were sexy times because I remember wondering about the logistics (because we all love logistics) about doing the deed with wings getting in the way.
I know it’s not much to go on but now I’m driving myself crazy. (Yes, I am aware that’s a short trip…) My Google-fu is a total fail on this. Can the Bitchery help this bitch out?
I remember seeing a Tumblr post about how musculature on a human body would have to be modified to accommodate wings (found it!) but I haven’t seen anything about how sexxytimes would work with or without wings (well, not yet anyway).
Aside from muscles and science and whatnot, do you recognize this book?
I’m probably wrong, but Sunny’s Mona Lisa series keeps popping into my head.
By the way, some of the male vets read romance novels. When I worked in a bookstore I had some older vets that read old-school romances. They mentioned that they got started back during Vietnam. I also had more recent military types that mentioned that romances were prized reading on deployments, often being the first books to be read to pieces as they were passed around.
I’m pretty sure this is one of Cheyenne McCray’s stories in the Magic series, Breath of Magic in the anthology No Rest for the Witches.
The description kind of describes a Dianne Duvall book. in her Immortal Guardians series http://www.dianneduvall.com/books.htm
I think it is a mix of 2 of them: In Still Darkness and Darkness Rises.
It isn’t one of Meljean Brooks’ Guardian series novellas, is it? Confession: I haven’t read any of this series yet, despite loving what I have read from Meljean, so I could be way off the mark. I just know there are some kind of angels involved.
Hm. That tickles a memory. I am probably thinking of Nalini Singh, but it might be a novella set in Christina Henry’s series(noIse am not sure of the series title, but the first book is Black Wings.)
Virginia, not familiar with the Mona Lisa series. Will check it out. I’m very aware that vets and active duty personnel read romances, too. 😀 One of the coolest pieces of “fan mail” I’ve ever gotten was from an Army captain in Afghanistan. His wife had loaded the first three of my Moonstruck series (about military wolf shifters) on a Kindle, with a bunch of other books, and sent it to him. His entire unit read the books and he was writing to thank me for getting the military bits right, and when was the next one coming out. He and his guys have read every one of the books for free because I sent them a copy with each new release. I still hear from some of them.
Lisa, that’s a possibility. I have NO REST FOR THE WITCHES ordered from the library to check. Several of the stories seem familiar (specifically the Christine Warren entry), so I’ve either read the anthology or bits of it. Thanks for the suggestion. Even if it isn’t the right book, I still want to read it! 😀
Erica, I’ve never read Dianne Duvall (that I’m aware of) so I’ll give them a look see and maybe something will ping. Thanks!
I’m with Aislinn, this is Meljean Brook’s Guardians. Probably “Thicker Than Blood” from the First Blood anthology. Micheal (swoon) would be your black winged angel. And this is another series you should hang your head about not having read. It is 100 flavors of awesome sauce.
Aislinn, I’m remiss in reading Meljean’s books, too. But she’s been in several anthologies so I’ll check them out. Thanks for the suggestion. Something tells me my TBR pile is multiplying as I type this. 😆
Niki, I checked out BLACK WINGS, but I don’t remember the “escorting souls” component. That said, yeah, will definitely have to check out the series.
*prepares to owe soul to Amazon*
These aren’t related to the novella Silver is looking for, but I’d like to recommend Sharon Shinn’s Samaria SFF novels. They are set in a secondary world that is an interesting blend of fantasy and scifi. Angels are prominently featured and the novels and novellas all have a strong romance plot. The first novel is Archangel. The most recent Samara novella was published in 2011 in the romance anth Angel of Darkness (w/ novellas by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, & Meljean Brook).
It ain’t Meljean Brook’s Guardian series.
You should still give it a try, but be-warned it’s eight books and four novellas (I think there’s another one on the way, for the subplot that didn’t fit in Guardian Demon).
And I think this HaBO will break my wallet. Didn’t need it anyway.
oh man, I love this HaBo. I’m taking notes and checking out the library. I know it’s not Nalini and it’s not Meljean. I don’t think it’s sunny either. Can’t wait to hear exactly who is the actual author!
WHoops, it would help if I click on the notify button.
WasIt adrian phoenix’s series? A Rush of Wings I think?
The only thing I found when I looked was a novella with a Deidre Knight story, except the roles were reversed, the hero was the hunter and the heroine was the angel.
Oh wait! Cynthia Eden has an Angels series too! But I don’t think there are any novellas.
I don’t have an answer (sorry!), but I’m taking copious notes.
(I’ve had a thing for heroes with wings since reading Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series. Lucivar… *sighs*)
I’m willing to put money on “Thicker Than Blood”. It’s on you now Silver.
Y’all! Y’ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First, thanks everyone for chipping in with ideas. My book budget is now shot and I’ve made my librarian my BFF for at least a week.
Second, I FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And in the last place I’d expect to locate a novella about an angel warrior: THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF SPEC OPS ROMANCE. I know, right?!?! The novella is “The Angels of Punishment – A Special Forces of Heaven story” by Michele Albert. Evidently, this was a prequel for a new series but I haven’t been able to locate any further books in this vein by this author or her other pseudonym, Michelle Jarott.
And I was wrong. It was a Walmart (well, close to a shopping center!), and he had black hair, not black wings, though he was dressed all in black.
Anyway, thanks again everyone! The Bitchery is made of all things awesome!
Oh…and:
TheMistWalking, I’m right there with you on Lucivar. *deep feminine sigh of satisfaction*
DonnaMarie, consider me chastised. I have Meljean’s books on order at the library. 😉
Silver you will not be sorry. You will be gobsmacked by how good it is. Plus, there is an actual black winged angel, and he is soooo worth the wait. And honestly based on black wings, shopping venue and roof top it would totally have been “Thicker Than Blood”. So I guess I owe Maritza the $3.42 that’s in my wallet.
*HUGE sigh* You’re really gonna make me do it, DonnaMarie. I have 300 books on my TBR pile–between Kindle and paper. Plus holds at the library. And deadlines. I’m going to have to start reading between 2 and 4 a.m. just to make a dent. And yeah, “Thicker Than Blood” is now on my radar. I shall hold you accountable when I’m found under a mountain of books someday. 😉
Silver, you say that like you think my tbr mountain is any smaller. It actually has snow on it. Sometimes you just have to let the lesser books languish a little longer.
DonnaMarie, do I need to loan you my snowshoes and climbing gear? 😉 One day, I shall read them all. Stop laughing.