Title: The Naughty Angel
1 Night Stand Series
Author: Sheila Stewart
Release Date: July 24, 2012
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Category: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Type: Kindle
Blurb:
Even the good turn bad sometimes.
A life of servitude to God has left Ariel Raine feeling worn out. Being an Angel isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Day in and day out of the same routine tends to get tedious. Wanting some spice in her life, she sets her mind on discovering the allure of a sexual encounter. With the help of Madam Eve and her 1 Night Stand dating services, Ariel is about to have her world rocked.
Only problem is…her match is a demon.
Edison Grey has relied on dating services to claim minions for not only him, but for his master Satan as well. 1 Night Stand just happens to be this week’s preference. No use wasting a good service, Edison decides to have a little fun while he’s at it.
Stripping an angel of her purity is an added bonus.
What happens between Ariel and Edison is a surprise to both. Even with the threat of punishment looming over top of them.
Excerpt:
“You’re a demon!”
“And you are an angel.”
“There’s no need to say it with such disdain.”
He leaned one arm on the door, resting his body against it and lifted one eyebrow as he responded. “It’s fitting for how I feel for your kind.”
“My kind? You are the scourge of the earth.”
“Right. And your kind is perfect. I think not.”
“We do not claim what is not ours to take.”
“No, you just possess the bodies of innocent souls to do your bidding.”
“They offer their service to the Lord.”
“Yes, ‘offer’.” He made quotations with his index fingers. “I think we should discuss this in privacy.” He motioned to the couple standing by the door across the hall.
Reluctantly, she stepped inside and he closed the door behind her. “This is a mistake. Surely the woman in charge, this Madame Evangeline, has made a mistake. I couldn’t possibly be fitted with such a detestable creature.”
“Pot calling the kettle black there, sweet cheeks.” She touched her face, confused. “Not those ones.” He motioned to her backside and instantly her face flush with warmth.
“How dare you!”
“What? You came here for sex, right?”
She was aghast at his candor. “Must you be so vulgar?”
“It’s how I roll, sugar. Did you expect your date not to admire your body?”
“I did…well, I assumed he would. That’s not the point.” She stiffened her shoulders. “Keep your eyes to yourself.”
“Happy to.” He let out a long breath. “So…now what?”
“I leave."
“Good luck with that. Storms brewing and they’ve shut the roads down until it clears. I hear it could be several days.”
“I have other ways of leaving.” All she had to do was wish herself elsewhere. No storm could prevent her from returning to heaven.
“Huh, that’s a new one. A cowardly angel.”
She stiffened in response. “I am not a coward!”
Dialogue Highlight:
Laughing, he poured his drink then much to her surprise, plopped down beside her. “Should we see what’s on TV?”
“Do as you wish. I have no desire to partake in such mundane festivities.”
“My, that stick up your ass is jammed in there tight.”
“I have no stick up my…derriere, and how dare you insinuate such a thing.”
He patted her leg and made her pulse speed up. “Oh darling, you are too much fun. Okay, let’s see what we have here.”
He selected a channel called Adult Entertainment while she wondered how long she had to stick around to prove her point. He had said all night, but surely an hour was enough. Ariel lifted a magazine from the coffee table and flipped the pages as he perused the selection on the TV screen.
She could admit to herself that she found him attractive, but she couldn’t tell him. His dreamy stare made her heart flutter, not to mention the way it sent moist heat in her loins. Her pulse had quickened when he’d touched her leg. What a horrible creature. He sat on the sofa, staring at the TV. One hand held a glass, which rested on his thigh, the other lay on his crotch. Her mouth watered. His long legs stretched out before him, his feet on the coffee table.
Relaxing, she let her gaze fall to the TV screen. She bolted forward. The male and female actors behaved like wild animals, their hands tearing away the clothing concealing their bodies. “What in the heavens are you watching?”
“It’s called pornography. Damn, that chick has nice tits!”
“That’s repugnant.”
“That’s sex, baby.”
She jumped to her feet, repulsed by his comment. “I refuse to be a party to this.” Her rage showed once more when her wings broke loose. Their flapping didn’t deter him from making the clucking noises again. “Stop that!”
“Not going to happen as long as you continue to be such a prude. Sit down and enjoy the show.”
“I will not, and don’t you dare make that infuriating noise again.”
“If it walks like a chick and talks like a chick then it’s a chicken.”
“You’ve spoken the metaphor wrong. It’s a duck, not a chicken.” What a buffoon.
“Semantics.” He began to flap his arms like wings.
“Stop it!” He grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her down onto his lap so quickly she barely had time to think. The warm sensation in her loins struck even harder, and her heart began to hammer. “Release me!” Yet, she remained there, not even trying to break his hold. The intoxicating spicy, woody scent coming off of him made her head swim.
He pulled her closer so that their chests bumped and his breath scorched her sensitive skin. “Prove you’re not a prude. Watch the show with me.”
She planted a hand on his chest. “It’s disgusting.”
He held it securely in place “That’s what you came here to do, is it not?”
Review:
Argh! I am struggling just a bit to write this review. The story wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as great as all of the other 1 Night Stand books I have read so far. I am not quite sure what it was about the characters that I didn’t like that much, but I will figure it out as I write this. That is generally how the reviews play out for me; especially those that I have difficulty explaining when I first begin to write. The best thing to do is start by explaining the story.
Ariel is an angel and watches over children. Children can see her, but adults cannot. She has been doing this “job” for centuries and over time has become curious about the opposite sex. She is at the point in her life where she longs for something more. A connection to someone else. Someone to share her life with. So she decides to hook up with someone for one night just to experience all that she has wondered about for so long. She talks to Cupid and comes up with Madame Eve’s information. Before you know it a match has been made and a 1 Night Stand planned. Against her sister’s advice, she continues with this plan despite the risking everything. If she is found out she will be cast out forever.
Edison is everything that Ariel despises. He is a demon for starters and he is on a mission; to grab another soul. Lately he has been frequenting dating services such as 1 Night Stand, finding a soul to capture, and moving on to the next service. But those other services were not 1 Night Stand and he is about to meet an unexpected match in Ariel. And Edison has a bit of a problem as well. If anyone finds out he is with an angel, he will become a laughing stock. But something about Ariel draws him in and he immediately goads her into staying the night with him … but not for sex … unless Edison has anything to say about it.
Ariel is, of course, offended to be in the presence of a demon, but after Edison pushes the right buttons she finds herself staying with him even though she tells herself to leave several times. He is crude, disgusting, completely gorgeous, and Ariel desires him – but she will die before she admits that to him. After watching the “adult entertainment” channel with Edison, Ariel starts to get some ideas of her own … looks like Madame Eve knew what she was doing once again, but then she always does.
I think that my problem with this story is that the characters do not stay true to who they are presented as. Ariel as flat out against Edison, which wasn’t hard to believe. But then she completely turns around and is ready to run away with him. And Edison is straight bad ass, but instead of getting down and dirty with Ariel, he flips and treats her tenderly like he says she deserves. I don’t know. I guess they characters just didn’t seem consistent. Good girl and bad ass. And while that combination generally works well, they characters also have to maintain some sort of sense of self or else they get lost in all of the sex and I think that is what happened with this story. The end is abrubt and realistically makes no sense. I do not want to give anything away, but their “plan” for afterward seems rushed and ill planned. And again, doesn’t seem to fit with the characters.
The sex was hot and the basis of the story was steamy. I just felt like it didn’t quite work the way I had expected it to. I would say that if you are looking for a way to pass the time without getting overly invested in the characters, then this story is still a good pick. And yes, this is a novella, so overly invested is not really a big concern, but I still like the thoughts/actions of the characters to make sense. People who enjoy the 1 Night Stand series and Ms. Stewart will more than likely find the read enjoyable. But if you are a little more particular, then you might agree with me. Either way, the story is still steamy and entertaining. I just wish it had met my expectations to a higher level.
(eBook copy provided by author/tour company in exchange for an honest review.)
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