Shadow fallen

Valteri the Godless is a Norman warrior and brother to the king, who has reluctantly put down his sword to preside over Ravenswood Hall. His tenants fear him and his mismatched eyes, and a childhood of torture at the hands of monks left Valteri with the belief that he is worthy of his cruel reputation. Ariel is an Arel, a sort of angel, who ferries souls from the battlefield to heaven, until a curse makes her lose her wings, and a trick of the demon Belial has her forgetting who she really is. When she lands at Ravenswood Hall, she immediately sees the good in Valteri, and despite his efforts to keep her at bay, he is soon smitten. But larger forces are working to keep the two apart. In this medieval mash-up of Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid, Kenyon continues her Dark-Hunter series (after Stygian, 2018) with the ongoing battle between cosmic good and evil. Though best appreciated by series fans, readers of dark romance will root for Valteri and Ariel.

Bestseller Kenyon (the Dark-Hunter series) gets her Dream-Hunter series off to an exciting start, set against the Norman invasion of England. Ariel is a supernatural creature called a Naşāru, and her role is to escort the souls of men who die on the battlefield to the afterlife. But a sorceress blames Ariel for her son's death and seeks revenge by cursing Ariel and transforming her into a human. The only way to break the curse and return to her former self is to fall in love--and then watch the one she loves die in her arms. Human Valteri, abused his entire life because of his mismatched eyes, has no interest in romance--until he meets Ariel. And, though loving a human is a sin to the Naşāru, her feelings grow just as quickly. The pair will either end up saving each other, or bring about each others' demise. Kenyon packs the angst into their romance, and their conflicted emotions can sometimes grow a bit repetitive. Still, the struggle between fate and freedom makes for fascinating reading, and Kenyon does a good job imbuing all her characters--even the villains--with complexity. Fans are sure to devour this. (Apr.)