A Touch of Crimson

Renegade Angels Trilogy, Book 1

By: Sylvia Day

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

An angel with immense power and insatiable desire, Adrian Mitchell leads an elite Special Ops unit of the seraphim. His task is to punish the Fallen - angels who have become vampires - and command a restless pack of indentured lycans.

But Adrian has suffered his own punishment for becoming involved with mortals - losing the woman he loves again and again. Now, after nearly 200 years, he has found her: Shadoe, her soul once more inhabiting a new body that doesn’t remember him. This time he won’t let her go.

With no memory of her past as Shadoe, Lindsay Gibson knows only that she can’t help being fiercely attracted to the smoldering, seductive male who crosses her path. Swept into a dangerous world of tumultuous passion and preternatural conflict, Lindsay is soon caught between her angel lover, her vampire father, and a full-blown lycan revolt. There’s more at stake than her love and her life - she could lose her very soul....

©2013 Sylvia Day (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Explodes with passion and heat. A hot, sexy angel to die for and a gutsy heroine make for one exciting read." ( New York Times best-selling author Cheyenne McCray)

"Sylvia Day spins a gorgeous adventure that combines gritty, exciting storytelling with soaring lyricism. Adrian is my favorite kind of hero - an alpha-male angel determined to win the heart of his heroine, Lindsay, while protecting her from his lethal enemy.... This is definitely a book for your keeper shelf." ( New York Times best-selling author Angela Knight)

Pretty good urban paranormal

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Not so much after reading other Sylvia Day books, however there was a lot of passion and forbidden sexual encounters.

If you’ve listened to books by Sylvia Day before, how does this one compare?

Not as put together as her other books, took me a while to follow characters, and what they were doing and their standing in the story.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

Luke Daniels performance made this story. I would only have given it 2 stars if it were not for his great narration, which made it easier to understand the who's who.

Any additional comments?

I just finished book 2 in this series. Has a different narrator, but the story is much better and easier to follow. I'm hoping book three will just get even better.

Not really a new twist but I still liked it.

This book is a nice read. It has lots of blistering romance and sex but a lot of action to keep you on your toes to. The charactors are believable and you start to really care about them. the narration is good to. def a book you should try and I plan and reading and reviewing the next one as well.

No!

I only got about 3 chapters before I flounces. the author or the reader, I don't know which, tried miserably to make the heroine of the story a badass, but failed. it turned me off quickly. A woman can be independent and powerful but in this story is was strained. I deleted it from my library.

Decent intro book

This book is about a girl who doesn't know why she is faster than normal and can pick out 'evil' people, but she eventually finds out all about angels, demons, vampires, and lycans. You see, she shares a soul with Shadoe, who brought down the angel Adrian through love and seduction and comes back to him time after time. The way this book ends makes me think the sequel is going to be better than the first book.

Narration was so bad!

The voice of the main characters was so bad, that towards the end I would start laughing. Luke Daniels needs some practice, otherwise he has a pleasant voice.
Story was nothing exceptional, but helped pass the time.

Good book if you don't think so hard.

I believe in honesty as the best policy so as much as I hate to say it this book left me feeling a bit confused. From the moment is started I got hit with definitions for all these things that turned my brain around and made me want to listen to them again, so I approached the story thinking things would be complicated. It was not.

If you don't want to think too hard about the problems with the book and love it as it is, don't read on. Plus, it might get spoilery.

Let's start with how the book bashes you over the head with a beginning. No slow beginning this one - the lovely couple bump into each other at the airport and she goes home with him (and not for a one night stand)... ?

Meet Adrian. Angel, badass, faithful lover to Shadoe, a woman who is reborn every now and then (the last time was 200 years ago) and who has his undying loyalty. Epic love.

Meet Lindsey. Buffy with curls, minus the chosen stuff, plus an extra soul. But there's where the story gets confusing. This whole time the book talks about how Lindsey IS Shadoe, Adrian sees her wants her, she wants him for an unknown reason, but resists for his sake which makes him want her more... then we discover she's not Shadoe, she's herself, and Shadoe is like an infection (extra soul/leech) Adrian wants to rid Lindsey of. huuuhhhh?

We're taught to follow this epic love story then it's smashed to pieces for a bizarre twist. And that's only the beginning. None of the characters are really developed except for the lovebirds and a lycan. Humans seem to be ignorant of EVERYTHING despite stuff happening out in the open all the time. The angels seem to be making their own problems grow (consistantly creating vampires who can create more vampires) while mindlessly sticking to a plan that began "in the beginning" and the bad guys don't seem all that bad - in fact one of them gets cleared of a murder and that's never explained before the book is over (can we foresee a sequel? Oh yeah, there it is for sale).

In the end I couldn't figure out where Adrian's love of Lindsey came from - let alone Shadoe who is this shallow harlot who apparently fondled herself in front of him at every turn until he caved. Seriously? And Adrian didn't know how vampires are made... even though he makes them? AND to top it all off, Adrian is doing the exact thing he kills other angels for and no one bats an eye?! Not to mention the whole slavery issue and how everyone was like... meh. By the end of the book I sat there wondering what the heck was going on with the story - things didn't make since and it seemed super shallow.

And in the end, Lindsey's choice, the big one, you know what I'm talking about and if you don't I'm not spoiling it... made absolutely no sense whatsoever. It was so against character, the result of it was a deus ex machina, and the resolution with the baddies just fizzled and BOOM everything was just peachy keen for everyone. No big fight, no conflict, just a weak little climax not worthy of such a sexy book. So now there's a slew of new questions but, look, the book's over.

Okay so maybe this is more of a rant, but when people rate a book 5 stars when it clearly doesn't deserve it I feel like I need to make them see the problems. And for readers/listeners like me who reads reviews, I enjoy when a person confronts a book's issues before I spend a credit. Is it worth it? Maybe... if you don't think too hard.

A Decent Story!

Would you be willing to try another book from Sylvia Day? Why or why not?

Yes, I love PNR's and this story tick off all the components I look for in a good PNR. It had a good plot, great characters, hot sex scenes and action.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the scene where Adrian realizes he no longer loves Shadoe the way he loves Lindsay and will do what it takes to free Shadoe's soul from Lindsay's body. It was both happy and sad.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, the plot and characters kept me listening; however, there were times the story felt disjointed and became a little confusing. However, I liked the story enough and will continue the series.

Incredible storyline

This is my first reading this type of story and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. Maybe it's because Sylvia Day is a great writer. I have enjoyed all her work. I going to start the next book in this series.

Yes, More Please!

What made the experience of listening to A Touch of Crimson the most enjoyable?

I became a fan by listening to the Crossfire series from Sylvia Day. That author is amazing! She makes very good descriptions of the characters and their sex scenes. Very steamy book if you like that kind of stuff. She never disappoints when it comes to that subject.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is different from any other fantasy/romance book I've listened to so far. I'm use to listening different books about vampires but renegade angels puts a different twist to the story WITH vampires...how they're made, survive, etc. They give you a good definition of each kind of character in the first chapter which helps throughout the book. At first I thought it was boring to hear the definitions but it begins to makes more sense if you listen further.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

Luke Daniel's performance has kind of a harsh voice as in too serious of a narrator. I get that the story is intense at times but it's kind of like listening to a news broadcaster who's relaying a breaking news story. The female characters he portrays needs a little work. Because of the narrator's low tone, the female characters lack personality.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moment when Adrian chooses to fall. I think I gave away too much...but that's the moment the book moved me.

Any additional comments?

Give the book a chance. The first few chapters are kind of boring but it gets better towards the middle and end. The series leaves you wanting more and I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out. It's worth the purchase but not the credit. You get your money's worth if you just buy it.

Angles

weird how love is prosecuted. the storyline is very good. Human who has 2 souls inhabiting body. Angle who has loved one woman since dawn of man. Now finds a selfless love with vessel that carries is old love.