Title: The Death Skull
Series: Relic Defender # 2
Author: Cassiel Knight
Published: May 6th, 2014
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Word Count: 87,000
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Content Warning: Adult content, minor blood/gore
Recommended Age: 18+
Synopsis: Fallen angel Marisol Asheni Fell when she unwisely chose to follow Lucifer. Unlike many of her fellow angels, she has no desire for redemption. Instead, she prefers fighting the followers of the Dark when they step over the line. Except, in the deepest part of her soul, she longs for a reason to stop fighting.
Jackson’s only loyalty is to himself and his mother, but even he has boundaries he won’t cross. When his last job threatened the life of a young woman, he tossed aside the lucrative pay, and finds himself fighting evil. He’s attracted to Mari despite her hard, seemingly emotionless edge. And while Mari finds the tall human reluctantly appealing, she has no intention of finding herself in a relationship with a human.
Brought together by the Archangel Michael, they must find and destroy the crystal Mayan Death Skull before the son of Lucifer uses the skull to destroy the world’s leaders and throw the world into chaos to begin Hell on Earth.
Their search for the Death Skull takes them from Chicago to Central America to the lost city of Lubaantun in Belize, the heart of the Mayan civilization, and into a battle for their souls.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads
Series: Relic Defender # 2
Author: Cassiel Knight
Published: May 6th, 2014
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Word Count: 87,000
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Content Warning: Adult content, minor blood/gore
Recommended Age: 18+
Synopsis: Fallen angel Marisol Asheni Fell when she unwisely chose to follow Lucifer. Unlike many of her fellow angels, she has no desire for redemption. Instead, she prefers fighting the followers of the Dark when they step over the line. Except, in the deepest part of her soul, she longs for a reason to stop fighting.
Jackson’s only loyalty is to himself and his mother, but even he has boundaries he won’t cross. When his last job threatened the life of a young woman, he tossed aside the lucrative pay, and finds himself fighting evil. He’s attracted to Mari despite her hard, seemingly emotionless edge. And while Mari finds the tall human reluctantly appealing, she has no intention of finding herself in a relationship with a human.
Brought together by the Archangel Michael, they must find and destroy the crystal Mayan Death Skull before the son of Lucifer uses the skull to destroy the world’s leaders and throw the world into chaos to begin Hell on Earth.
Their search for the Death Skull takes them from Chicago to Central America to the lost city of Lubaantun in Belize, the heart of the Mayan civilization, and into a battle for their souls.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads
Sara's Reviews
The Death Skull
I've read The Key of Solomon, and I loved that book, and wanted to read the sequel The Death Skull as well. I was not disappointed. Once again, Cassiel Knight has delivered an engaging urban fantasy/paranormal romance/adventure book that hooked me from the very beginning and kept my interest to the very end. If there's a third book on the horizon, I know I want to read that one as well.
Introduced in the first book, Marisol – who usually goes by Mari, is another Fallen angel (fire demon, to be accurate), but she's not seeking redemption, being content in the circumstances she's currently in. Despite that, when I came to the end of the book, I realized there was a lot more going on inside her, and we get glimpses of that periodically. She has her own fears that make her a compelling and complex character in my estimation, and she's one of my favorites in this series. It's not just that though. Much like Lexi in the first book, Mari has plenty of attitude and sarcasm to go around, and she's an awesome fighter too, and that was displayed at various times.
Jackson, a character from the first book, is teamed up with her in this book. From the beginning, it is apparent that there is mutual attraction between the two, and I could sense the sparks between him and Mari. My favorite shape-shifting demon, Rocky, makes appearances in this book, and he's entertaining as always.
Highly recommended for readers who enjoy strong female main characters, along with fans of urban fantasy/adventure/paranormal romance books. My rating is 5/5 platypires.
Introduced in the first book, Marisol – who usually goes by Mari, is another Fallen angel (fire demon, to be accurate), but she's not seeking redemption, being content in the circumstances she's currently in. Despite that, when I came to the end of the book, I realized there was a lot more going on inside her, and we get glimpses of that periodically. She has her own fears that make her a compelling and complex character in my estimation, and she's one of my favorites in this series. It's not just that though. Much like Lexi in the first book, Mari has plenty of attitude and sarcasm to go around, and she's an awesome fighter too, and that was displayed at various times.
Jackson, a character from the first book, is teamed up with her in this book. From the beginning, it is apparent that there is mutual attraction between the two, and I could sense the sparks between him and Mari. My favorite shape-shifting demon, Rocky, makes appearances in this book, and he's entertaining as always.
Highly recommended for readers who enjoy strong female main characters, along with fans of urban fantasy/adventure/paranormal romance books. My rating is 5/5 platypires.
The Key of Solomon
The Key of Solomon is a great book, and I really enjoyed reading it, and its sequel, The Death Skull. Part urban fantasy, with a little paranormal romance, and plenty of action and suspense, I was hooked from the very beginning of the book and I knew as soon as I finished it I wanted to read more about the characters that are introduced in this novel. The Key of Solomon focuses on Lexi and Mikos.
The one thing I need to say about Lexi, is the fact I thought she was plain awesome. She's sarcastic, definitely stubborn, has a sharp wit, and had, from my point of view, great character development. I've always enjoyed reading books with strong female leads, and she did not disappoint. Working on her PhD at the University of Chicago, it's obvious she has a high level of intelligence, and I love female characters like that.
As for Mikos...wow. I'll admit I fell in love with him as the main male character. He's one of the Fallen (fallen angel), but he grabbed my attention from the very moment he was introduced. Definitely sexy, I loved the romance that started to form between him and Lexi, and further developed as the story unfolded. Rocky, a shape-shifting rock demon was one of my favorite secondary characters, simply because of the humor he brought to the story. The other character I grew to like based on this novel was Mari. She has her time to shine in The Death Skull, and she's another of my favorites in this series.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves urban fantasy and books with angels and demons. My rating is 5/5 platypires.
The one thing I need to say about Lexi, is the fact I thought she was plain awesome. She's sarcastic, definitely stubborn, has a sharp wit, and had, from my point of view, great character development. I've always enjoyed reading books with strong female leads, and she did not disappoint. Working on her PhD at the University of Chicago, it's obvious she has a high level of intelligence, and I love female characters like that.
As for Mikos...wow. I'll admit I fell in love with him as the main male character. He's one of the Fallen (fallen angel), but he grabbed my attention from the very moment he was introduced. Definitely sexy, I loved the romance that started to form between him and Lexi, and further developed as the story unfolded. Rocky, a shape-shifting rock demon was one of my favorite secondary characters, simply because of the humor he brought to the story. The other character I grew to like based on this novel was Mari. She has her time to shine in The Death Skull, and she's another of my favorites in this series.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves urban fantasy and books with angels and demons. My rating is 5/5 platypires.
Book Excerpt
Excerpt from The Death Skull (Relic Defender #2) by Cassiel Knight:
Jackson leaned against the gymnasium door. He flexed his right knee, which was still sore and tender from his near-death slide down a mountain a couple of weeks ago. Once off the slopes and in the hillside city of Nagarkot, he’d been pronounced fine by the local doctor. The little joyride down the mountainside had left Jackson with a banged up kneecap and strained and bruised neck and shoulder muscles. Not much more severe than the normal scrapes and cuts he’d gotten over the last six months since he’d turned over a new leaf and joined a band of do-gooders to save the world.
How had his life changed so fast from the neatly roped-and-tied, orderly affair to the messy, knotted circle it had become? Six months for a complete turnaround was fast for a man who had been perfectly content as an unscrupulous mercenary working for the rich and powerful.
Especially the rich.
Now, instead of traveling the world to work for men willing to part with their ill- gotten money, he lived in a goddamn huge mansion with an angel who turned down Heaven, an ex-exotic dancer with a sassy mouth and a destiny to save mankind, a shape- shifting rock with aspirations to be a 1920s mobster, a cocky tech expert and--
Her.
The woman currently kicking the crap out of the poor punching bag. Correction. Not a woman. Fallen angel. Demon, actually.
Christ. Jackson swept a hand through his hair. When he found trouble, he went all the way. Said woman, Marisol Asheni—a flowery name for a hard-ass demon—struck the bag, the force of her blow rocking the heavy sack violently. He half expected the damn thing to crash to the floor.
Even as she pounded the hell out of the bag, her body flowed in lovely symmetry. Much like the woman herself, each of her movements was precise, effortless and made with minimum motions. And a helluva lot of grace.
Her taut ass flexed and smoothed under the formfitting tight shorts women—God love them—seemed to favor. Long legs, tanned and straight, looked silky under the soft lights. Her waist was bare, and when she moved he thought he caught a glimpse of something flashing at her navel.
Holy hell, the woman had a belly-button piercing. When had she gotten the damn thing? He sure hadn’t noticed it the last time he’d seen her work out. His appreciative gaze tracked a path up her body, flowing past her curved hips to her uptilted breasts, up the smooth column of her throat. Despite her features being too austere for true beauty and marred only slightly by the iron determination in her square chin, she possessed a wildness he found fascinating.
Her auburn hair, woven into a tight braid, swayed back and forth as she moved. The glowing strands flickered with fire—filled with gold, rich coppers and hot reds.
Any adjective used to describe fire fit Marisol Asheni to a T. As in trouble.
Jackson leaned against the gymnasium door. He flexed his right knee, which was still sore and tender from his near-death slide down a mountain a couple of weeks ago. Once off the slopes and in the hillside city of Nagarkot, he’d been pronounced fine by the local doctor. The little joyride down the mountainside had left Jackson with a banged up kneecap and strained and bruised neck and shoulder muscles. Not much more severe than the normal scrapes and cuts he’d gotten over the last six months since he’d turned over a new leaf and joined a band of do-gooders to save the world.
How had his life changed so fast from the neatly roped-and-tied, orderly affair to the messy, knotted circle it had become? Six months for a complete turnaround was fast for a man who had been perfectly content as an unscrupulous mercenary working for the rich and powerful.
Especially the rich.
Now, instead of traveling the world to work for men willing to part with their ill- gotten money, he lived in a goddamn huge mansion with an angel who turned down Heaven, an ex-exotic dancer with a sassy mouth and a destiny to save mankind, a shape- shifting rock with aspirations to be a 1920s mobster, a cocky tech expert and--
Her.
The woman currently kicking the crap out of the poor punching bag. Correction. Not a woman. Fallen angel. Demon, actually.
Christ. Jackson swept a hand through his hair. When he found trouble, he went all the way. Said woman, Marisol Asheni—a flowery name for a hard-ass demon—struck the bag, the force of her blow rocking the heavy sack violently. He half expected the damn thing to crash to the floor.
Even as she pounded the hell out of the bag, her body flowed in lovely symmetry. Much like the woman herself, each of her movements was precise, effortless and made with minimum motions. And a helluva lot of grace.
Her taut ass flexed and smoothed under the formfitting tight shorts women—God love them—seemed to favor. Long legs, tanned and straight, looked silky under the soft lights. Her waist was bare, and when she moved he thought he caught a glimpse of something flashing at her navel.
Holy hell, the woman had a belly-button piercing. When had she gotten the damn thing? He sure hadn’t noticed it the last time he’d seen her work out. His appreciative gaze tracked a path up her body, flowing past her curved hips to her uptilted breasts, up the smooth column of her throat. Despite her features being too austere for true beauty and marred only slightly by the iron determination in her square chin, she possessed a wildness he found fascinating.
Her auburn hair, woven into a tight braid, swayed back and forth as she moved. The glowing strands flickered with fire—filled with gold, rich coppers and hot reds.
Any adjective used to describe fire fit Marisol Asheni to a T. As in trouble.
About the Author
About the Author:
In the job that pays the mortgage and allows her to indulge in her real passion, writing, Cassiel Knight works in the beautiful state of Oregon. Crazy-passionate about the romance writing industry, Cassiel has a paranormal romance series featuring fallen angels and demons from Samhain Publishing, an urban fantasy through Lyrical Press and a Egyptian mythology/archeology series with Champagne Book Group. She writes paranormal romances with kick-assitude that blend archeology and mythology – just a few of her favorite things.
Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website | Blog
In the job that pays the mortgage and allows her to indulge in her real passion, writing, Cassiel Knight works in the beautiful state of Oregon. Crazy-passionate about the romance writing industry, Cassiel has a paranormal romance series featuring fallen angels and demons from Samhain Publishing, an urban fantasy through Lyrical Press and a Egyptian mythology/archeology series with Champagne Book Group. She writes paranormal romances with kick-assitude that blend archeology and mythology – just a few of her favorite things.
Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website | Blog
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