The idea of Armageddon has been much talked about, be it in literature or in movies, but usually comes connected to Zombies these days. Not so in this book. The author takes the biblical prophesy, slightly embellished and adapted in places, and spins an extremely creative tale that includes Nephilim (descendants of those mortal women raped by fallen angels) , vampires (the offspring of one specific fallen angel, Sariel, and his mortal lover), and about every other paranormal race we have ever thought of and weaves them all together. All of this is told in the voice of international arms dealer, Drake Brokk, who has a warped sense of humor, no patience, and a hilariously funny way of looking at things. Turns out he is the lynchpin to everything that is supposed to happen, including saving the world… an international arms dealer? Really? This, I had to see!

Drake is something else. Strictly a non-believer in Armageddon, despite the fact his family has been in charge of protecting the sword of Azazel, supposedly the one weapon needed to slay evil in the battle to come, it takes him quite a while to start believing that something is wrong with the world. He is a vampire, and needs Nephilim blood to survive, something that will get him into a whole lot of trouble as the story progresses, and not just from his psycho Nephilim ex-boyfriend. Drake and his kleptomaniac elf (a.k.a. his office assistant and best friend) are in for a hell of a ride when events beyond his control seem to set the coming of Armageddon into motion.

Elijah, the angel disguised as an FBI agent, is amazing. He has spent centuries in hell, banned their by one of God's assistant angels, despite the fact he never committed the sins the other fallen angels had. A grave injustice if I ever saw one, but he still wants to help the "good guys" defeat the hordes of Satan. Hence, he appears at Drake's side so he can retrieve the sword of Azazel and play his role in the battle to come. Except, nothing turns out to be the way it is supposed to happen, including his burning desire for Drake, which is definitely mutual.

Amidst their developing romance, initially driven by lust, the truly evil plan of a traitor unfolds, and everyone Drake knows is drawn into the treacherous plot. What follows is a fast-paced, slightly scary, and somewhat bloody battle that will leave none of the central cast of characters unaffected – and some of them dead. All of it is told in Drake's skeptical voice and while it made me laugh several times, his lack of "belief" weirdly enough also made the whole thing seem more believable to me (at least in the context of this totally unlikely world).

If you like paranormal stories that include angels, the devil, and an epic battle, if you enjoy reading about men who are destined to "save the world" yet seem oddly unsuited and entirely unwilling for the task, and if you're looking for a supremely hot romance between a vampire and a fallen angel, then you will probably like this novella. It's scary, entertaining, and is likely to sweep you into a world of mystery and paranormal events that will stay with you for a while.



NOTE: This book was provided by Resplendence Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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