A beautiful seacoast sunrise enters a mansion’s lavish bedroom to find a fallen angel wrapped in the arms of a mortal man; and not just any angel. Aranes had been the Superior of all Celestials until just last night when she sacrificed her immortality to save the life of Alex, the man now at her side.
It’s a sensual start to standout author J.F. Cain’s new book, War Eternal: Book Two: The Emergent Threat. In this powerful sequel to Angels’ Whispers, Cain reveals that it’s not the first time Aranes has tasted mortality. Indeed, angels have been walking the earth since before time began, engaged in the tumultuous task of protecting us from evil forces that would otherwise soon overwhelm and destroy the human race.
But, as the story unfolds, the celestial beauty finds that this incarnation is different; she has lost her angelic powers — the terrible price exacted by The Source in exchange for Alex’s life. And the timing couldn’t be worse.
Just as in the first book, Cain thoroughly imbues her well-defined characters with style and immense believability. It becomes no stretch at all, therefore, to find oneself as a reader relentlessly rooting for the Angels as they engage demons, vampires and a host of similar bad guys in a series of cinematically staged fight scenes — all in deadly pursuit of Aranes’ and Alex’s demise.
During one particularly intense battle, it is revealed that Alex’s best friend is not human. Turns out, he’s been here for at least the past ten years, watching over Alex. Upset by the revelation, Alex flees in his Aston Martin. This proves unwise as it makes him easy prey for Aranes’ evil nemesis Lyla to pounce on him with a host of her demonic minions. And yet another otherworldly set-to takes place.
From epic Biblical battle scenes to steamy, yet restrained, sexual interludes, this book once again measures up mightily to expectations, giving readers still more of everything a fan of this genre might expect — and then some. As the book careens toward a climactic conclusion — with still another epic sword-wielding battle — Lucifer reaffirms his goal of world domination and sets the stage for a decisive third book with the most astonishing revelation of all. Readers will be suitably shocked, and we all will eagerly await Book Three, due next year.
Five-plus stars to this sensational sequel. While many long-awaited sequels fall short of expectations, The Emergent Threat proves to be more than equal to the task. It’s a triumph in storytelling that should move author J.F. Cain to the forefront of her genre.
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