Spotlight & Giveaway: Hell of an Angel by Christi Barth

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Christi Barth to HJ!

Hi Christi and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Hell of an Angel!

 
Hi everyone – happy spooky season!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

Gideon’s a warrior half-angel. He keeps humanity safe on the daily – and spends his nights working his way through willing females around the world. Evangeline’s a powerless dark angel with a target on her back. Despite a meet-hate, Eva & Gideon decide there’s something in it for both of them to team up and prevent the end of the world. Do they plan to fall in love while fighting demons (him) and flirting with mermen (her)? Of course not. Do they anyway? You’ll have to read to find out!
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

The best thing about Evangeline Thayer’s job as an actuary was that she didn’t have to talk to people.

Most of the time.

When she got to sit in her cozy home office, using statistics and the glorious certitude of math to analyze financial risk, she was happy. Well, content, for sure.

And she excelled at it. Which had led to the current problem.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• I got to make stuff up! Seriously, I had to imagine what the Fallen Angel enclave in Hell looks like. And how it connects with other parts of Hell. Talk about letting my imagination run wild!
• Um, I got to write a merman! My heroine, Evangeline, is as excited to meet him as I was! And ooooh he’s a handsy one…
• My research pulls from worldwide mythologies. There’s no one emphasis on a culture–they all deserve representation…albeit mostly evil, because I pulled demons from every major and minor religion/legends.
• There’s a secondary character, Caraxis, who runs the Nephilim training center. He is very much set up as a jerk in book 1…and I get to reveal a few more layers and surprise readers with how he’s actually trying to help our heroes behind the scenes and might be their biggest ally. That was a fun challenge as a writer. Hopefully not too nerdy for you all!
• In 1776, the king of France decided that cemeteries were a public health hazard. He closed all of them in inner cities and forbade burials within churchards. Many, Many corpses were dug up and moved to cemeteries outside city walls. It was not a perfect system. Your chances of finding an ancestor’s grave are, well, not good. Does this mean my Buffalo-based hero & heroine go to a French cemetary? For a wholly different reason than you might imagine? YOU BET.

What first attracts your main characters to each other?

Well, Gideon’s ripped like a 30 year old Navy Seal, so physical attraction (as much as they both don’t want it) is there from the start. But they’ve got a big meet-hate, and they nurture that mutual loathing vibe until two things: 1) Eva sees how kind Gideon is to her aunt – isn’t that true of many relationships? Kindness to a family memeber allows you to see a softer side of a partner. And 2) Gideon sees her bravery in a #nospoilers Hell encounter. He’s blown away by her strength.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe your main characters”love affair?

Tumultuous, seductive, tender, competitive, grounding.

The First Kiss…

This is an enemies to lovers book. So their first kiss is while they’re still at each other’s throats…but in Hell with danger approaching. Gideon has to think fast to hide the real reason they are there:

Which left the obvious cover for a man and a woman.
Gideon planted his other hand on her ass and kissed her.
That was a double whammy of goodness. Hard to know which was better—the tight ass molded beneath his palm or the yielding lips beneath his. Hmm. Couldn’t ignore the breasts rapidly rising and falling, either.
This was a cover. Hiding in plain sight. If they’d been in a bar, he’d have grabbed a pool cue and bent over the table. It was a tactic.
It was fucking great.
Evangeline had gasped when he fused their mouths together. That meant hers was open for his tongue from the get-go.
Warm.
Wet.
Pliant.
Enthusiastic.
That, he hadn’t expected. Not with how much the lady doth protest about him every damn second. Her fingers dug into his back. Her soft, sweet lips moved with his in a sinuous, passionate dance.
And she’d clamped a hand on his ass.
Did he keep his senses attuned? Notice the slightly off-balance rhythm to the ever-louder clip-clop gait approaching?
Yeah.
Did he notice Evangeline’s nipples tightening? Her tongue tangling with his? The way her head tilted back into a better angle so their kiss deepened?
Yeah.
It was all hot. Not because they were in Hell hot. Just zero-to-a-hundred on the lust-o-meter. He worked the grip on her waist up her ribs to graze the tantalizing underswell of her breast with his thumb.
 
God, he wanted to cover it with his mouth.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

Chapter 7, lol. In every enemies to lovers book, there’s the moment the switch flips. They still get annoyed by each other, they still knee-jerk argue, but they also realize there’s respect and a commonality that is shared.

Why was it so easy to want things that were bad for you? Butter. Doritos. An older man with a dangerous life who’d discard her like a gum wrapper…
“How old are you?”
“Eighty-seven. And you?”
“Oh, I’m exactly as old as I look. A newbie in this world of ours. I’m thirty-one.” Age was rather meaningless when raised by an ancient, immortal being.
“Ha! I can make you do things.” Gideon swiped the berries off the cutting board and started on the rhubarb. Then he gave her what could only be characterized as a lascivious eyebrow waggle. “As your elder.”
The waggle’s potency was lost on Eva. Mostly. Because he’d poked at a very tender spot. “No. You may be teasing, but I’m deadly serious. I won’t let anyone tell me what to do. I escaped Hell to make sure that was the case.”
“I was only teasing.” He dropped the knife. Crossed to loom over her. “Would that have been more obvious if I’d done this?” Slowly, he tugged at the bottom of her loose hair, still damp from the shower. “More convincing if you had a ponytail in, but the intent’s there.”
“It’s possible I overreacted. There are plenty of demons out there who’d like to enslave me. Plenty of dark angels who want to keep me as a pet to sic on misbehaving demons. I make my own choices.”
“As you should. Autonomy’s important. That’s a big part of why we left the Order.” Gideon turned off the stove. Took her by her shoulders. “There are only two reasons I’d ever try to tell you what to do. The first, given our current situation, would be to save your life. If we’re being chased, I’m fighting off God knows what, and I tell you to run or move, then you do it, Eva. I swear I won’t abuse it.”
“That’s fair.” She tilted her head up and to the side. He was just so tall and so very much in her space. Filling her vision. Taking up far too much oxygen—or was she forgetting to breathe? “What’s the second reason?”
His grip on her shoulders softened. His palms curled around, then stroked down her biceps slowly. “When we’re in bed. If I give you a command then? I promise you’ll want to do it.”
What?!?!?
“You’re making an awfully big assumption off one little pretend kiss.”
His grip tightened again, momentarily. Then Gideon let go entirely. But he didn’t step back. And his jaw clenched as his eyes darkened to the color of her favorite chocolate mint tea. “You don’t want me to give you orders? Well, I don’t want you to lie to me. That kiss started off one way, but it damn well ended as real as any I’ve ever had. Don’t deny it.”
“Fine. That doesn’t mean I want to sleep with you.”
Was it hurt that darkened his tone? Or heat? “You sure about that, Evangeline?”
No. Not at all.
If he respected the line she’d drawn in the sand, the least Eva could do was respect his. “Allow me to restate. I don’t want the complication of sleeping with you. All I want is to finish this mission and go back to my quiet, ordered, stable life.”
The hard lines bracketing Gideon’s mouth softened. Guess he recognized that she’d amended to the full truth.
Eva dumped the peppers and onions in with the sausage. She was eager to put it all together with the ziti and mozzarella and start baking. At least then she’d have the oven’s heat as an excuse for the flush in her cheeks.
But when she started to turn the burner back on, Gideon’s hand covered hers. “Or…you could live a little, first. Have some noisy, disordered fun.”

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

Gideon & Evangeline have to access the Temple of Iris (a ‘real’ thing in Greek mythology) – on an island overrun by tourists who can’t see it. This scene includes magic and flirting – which is pretty much the secret sauce to the entire book.

“Give me your hand.”
“Why?”
Why’d she need a reason? Women generally fell all over themselves to be touched by him.
He tried to ignore the pinch to his ego from her reticence. “Your aunt said we have to be ‘conjoined’ to access the Temple. The light and the dark as one.” Gideon doled out a slow, seductive smile. “Or we can find some other way to ‘conjoin.’”
Evangeline’s arm stopped halfway over to his. She stopped walking, too. “You don’t mean…we can’t…how would we even walk like that?”
Laughter rolled out of him. “First of all, I can walk ‘like that.’” Gideon made air quotes. “I can fly ‘like that,’ too.”
“Really? That’s…well…that’s certainly intriguing.”
As was her response. Maybe she was guarded, not reticent. Evangeline wasn’t one who had to work to find words. Maybe her curiosity was overcoming her caution.
Drenched in sweat on this desolate rock was not the time to go down that path, though. This was a mission.
He took her hand and interlaced their fingers. Did a shitty job of ignoring how right it felt. “Secondly, I was only offering to pick you up and carry you. But now I know where your mind goes, given half a chance.” Gideon gave her an overly big, open-mouthed wink. “You’re part succubus, aren’t you? Feel free to admit it.”
“Stop.” Her other arm came around to whack him in the chest. “We’re approaching a sacred temple site. No talking about sex.”
“You started it.”
“I didn’t. I misconstrued. I thought you started it. I wouldn’t.” Her words tumbled over one another. It had Gideon laughing even harder. It was so fun to wind Evangeline up.
And she definitely appeared distracted from—oblivious to—the pain of her toe.
“For the record? If you feel like you can’t get enough? That’s because you haven’t been with me yet.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I thought people stopped using that word when drawing rooms and cravats went out of style.”
“You seem well versed. Secret binger of Bridgerton?”
Like he’d admit it. The blizzard weekend they’d decided to mockingly watch one episode and turn it into a drinking game…and they’d ended up watching a whole season. Rhys and Zavier had made a solemn vow—in blood—with him to never reveal the humiliating truth to anyone.
Luckily, he didn’t have to answer. Because they hit some invisible border. Electricity crackled in his feet with the next step. And then it was gone.
But the temple was revealed in front of them where the hilltop had been barren and empty seconds ago.
Gideon let out a long, low whistle. “That’s one hell of a trick.”
The temple looked similar to the Temple of Apollo on the other side of the island. Except that this one wasn’t in crumbling ruins. Typical Greek columns, pointed roof, gold-covered scene depicting Iris flying somewhere. The colors were vibrant. As if it was built a year ago, rather than back in the fourth century BC.
The most noticeable feature of the temple to the goddess of messengers and rainbows? An actual rainbow spearing out of the roof and arcing into the sea.
As a Nephilim, Gideon had some control of the elements. He could chill a bottle of wine or start a fire. He had no freaking idea how it was possible for a rainbow to be permanently affixed to a structure.
“So we’re in the right place.” Evangeline’s words were hushed. “Now what?”

Readers should read this book …

There is lots of swoony romance. But there is also a tight-as-heck bromance between my three Nephilim warriors that carries through the entire series. Oodles of banter, snark and sass. Paranormal fun that includes witches, alicorns, and even a meeting with the Devil himself.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m finishing edits on book 3 in my Swan Cove series, WILL YOU PRETEND MARRY ME, and that will be out in February. Then the third book in this Nephilim series will be out later in 2024 (yes, Zavier gets his own book…and yes, he is paired with Liss!). In May, my book in the One Weekend multi-author collaboration will release, entitled ONE WEEKEND IN VENICE.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: An angel feather glass ornament (not guaranteed to be either 100% real angel or Nephilim 🙂 )

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Excerpt from Hell of an Angel:

“My spell ingredient first,” Evangeline insisted as they flew through the waterfall portal. This one dumped them onto the Greek island of Delos. The Aegean sparkled a bright blue in a border around the sandy ground. “You only have the intel about the Book of Keepers being hidden here because my aunt told you.”
“True. She’s been incredibly helpful.”
“So you owe me. To let me go first. In case things go poorly in your half of today’s mission. I don’t want another assassin to pop up and stop me from getting my mermaid scale.”
“Relax.” He absentmindedly ran a hand down her hair. Which Eva did not mind at all. “I’m not arguing.”
“Then why are we hovering?” They weren’t moving any closer to land or deeper toward the open ocean.
“Because I’m getting my bearings. This isn’t an amusement park. There’s no arched gateway spelling out MERMAID LAND in pastel bubbles.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Didn’t think you were that…fanciful.”
Not generally. But…c’mon. “We’re talking about mermaids, Gideon. The stuff of legends, myths, fairy tales. Tell me you aren’t excited to see one.”
“Been there, done that.”
“You are uncharacteristically snippy.” Then, as Eva twisted to settle more, she felt his biceps. His well-developed, sexy biceps. And it hit her. “You’ve been with a mermaid, haven’t you? Are you worried about running into an ex?”
After a few long moments when the only sound was his wings punching through the air, Gideon said slowly, “Is there any answer that would be acceptable to you?”
“Dodging an answer is, in itself, an answer. Gideon, I don’t care who—or what—you’ve dated.” Mostly true.
Eva didn’t care in the sense that she logically knew she had no claim on him. They weren’t dating. They were partners. For a single —well— dual mission, and then they’d go their very separate ways.
On top of that, she knew he was a player. Why wouldn’t he have slept with a mermaid…and a witch, and a werewolf, and other Nephilim… The list had no end. But if his inability to keep his pants zipped created a stumbling block to her getting this spell ingredient, then she’d have a lot more to say about it.
“Okay, then. Yes. Not here. Coralia and I hooked up over off Naxos.”
“A whole other island.”
Gideon was looking past her, scanning beneath them. “Yeah, but this is Greece. It isn’t far. She may not even be swimming here. I just…didn’t want to rub it in her face by flying down with you in my arms.”
That was his concern? Not her jealousy. Was the playboy version of Gideon merely the shallow surface? Eva was coming to understand that she’d judged him by initial appearances. There seemed to be much more to the depths of the man.
To confirm, she asked, “You’re not worried about her yelling at you for leaving? You just don’t want to hurt her by appearing with another woman?”
“Right.”
It was so easy to get annoyed at Gideon. And so hard to stay in a snit with him. “You’re a very honorable and decent guy. Go ahead and land. We can walk.”
“That takes longer.”
“Land and get your bearings, and then we’ll see how far we’ve got left. Oh. OH!” she shrieked.
“Hellfire, woman, don’t scream in my ear.”
The splash of the iridescent tail was unmistakable. No dolphin sparkled like a rainbow. “I see one! I see a mermaid!”
“Where was this level of excitement when you spotted me flying over Niagara the first time?”
“Uh, you kidnapped me against my will. Meanwhile, I’m spotting a mermaid in the Aegean Sea. It’s so romantic!”
“Right. They pee in the ocean and then swim through it, but—sure. Enjoy the romance. Oh, and they’re handsy.”
She’d read that, as she studied every conceivable fact—and quite a bit of fiction—about mermaids. “Is it really true that in their culture, touching is as integral as breathing?”
“I was about to warn you. Not just each other. Everyone. Do you think you can handle that?” Gideon gently set Eva on her feet.
“Letting him touch me? Anywhere?”
Gideon’s neck cracked. He puffed a hard breath from his nose. “Yeah. But he’ll respect you, too. It’s just how they are. That stuff is sacred to them.”
Good to know. She could roll with it for the sake of getting her spell ingredient. Like the French and their double-cheek kiss of greeting, right? “How do I get their attention?”
Gideon arched one blond brow. “Hello’s always good. Dark angels speak all languages, just like Nephilim, I assume?”
“Yes.”
“Then yeah, I’d go with ‘hello.’”
That was a response she’d expect from Zavier. Scant on information and explanation and charisma. “Are you deliberately not helping me?”
“You want to say ‘ahoy’ because we’re on an island?”
It was 50 percent tempting, and 50 percent ridiculous. With a pointed scowl at Gideon, Eva took off her shoes and rolled up her pants. Then she waded out into the warm surf.
“Hello?” How did you address a mermaid?
It looked like the mermaid did the butterfly stroke (albeit with a tail propelling twice as far). In seconds it was bobbing right at the break in the waves.
It was a merman. And all that swimming sure…ah…did things, good things, for his chest and arms. He looked like a handsome Grecian—dark, curly hair, dark eyes, tan skin broken by the T of black chest hair—but the most pumped-up version. Absolutely droolworthy. If the entire species looked like that? No wonder touching everyone was a thing. How could you resist?
“Hello. It is a pleasure to have a visitor who seeks out the merkind. Greetings, fair one. And Nephilim.” His deep voice dropped almost an octave when he addressed Gideon. The disdain…or…dislike was palpable.
Okay. This was special. For all the creatures she’d encountered in Hell? A merman was different. She had the same nervous belly as humans described when meeting movie stars. “It is an honor to meet you. I’m Evangeline. This is Gideon.”
“I know of him.” With a flick of his powerful tail, water somehow sprinkled all over Gideon. Then he turned a full-voltage smile on Eva. “Call me Iosonas.”
Now what? She’d been so distracted recently that she hadn’t bothered to ask Aunt Charmaine the proper protocol. Stepping closer, she asked, “Forgive me. Do we shake?”
“I would be mightily pleased if you shook all over for me.” And that wasn’t a shaky grasp of the language. No, the flirtatious grin backed up the invitation in his eyes. “But it is not necessary.”
“The lady seeks a favor,” Gideon said, far more gruffly than his usual ooze of warmth and charm.
“Then we have no need of you, Nephilim.” He extended a tanned arm with a bracelet of cowrie shells encircling a wrist. “Come, Evangeline, I will hear of your favor in private.”
“Like Hell. It’s not that kind of favor. She’s not yours for the taking.”
“I think, neither is she yours, Nephilim.”
That escalated quickly. “It is the twenty-first century. Shame on both of you for even hinting that a woman could belong to anybody.”
“Forgive me.” Iosonas gave a half bow, then angled back toward Gideon. “I merely mean to swim with her around this rocky promontory. For privacy. No ill will befall her.”
“Hang on.” Gideon grabbed Eva by the waist and flew her back to the sand.
“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t just yank me out of a conversation because your ego’s been pricked.”
“Listen to me. Mermaids like to collect beautiful things. Iosonas spoke truthfully—he wouldn’t keep you against your will. But he’s already tempted to have you. He could swim off with you in the blink of an eye. Hundreds of feet down where I couldn’t rescue you. Be careful.”
Oh.
Gideon wasn’t being a posturing jerk.
He was truly concerned for her safety.
Well, probably with a bit of ego salvaging beneath it all, like the tea leaves that muddied up the bottom of a mug.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Raised in Hell. Living in Buffalo. And on the verge of accidentally destroying both realms…

Dark angel and actuary Evangeline Thayer hates taking unnecessary risks, but she knows becoming human will be worth it. All the creatures in Hell have bullied her about her negligible ‘power’ her whole life. And don’t get her started on why she has wings if she can’t even fly?!? She just needs a teensy bit of help with removing her power…which is where a very hot, very flirty, and absolutely infuriating Nephilim comes in.

Half-angel Gideon Durand has been fighting demons a long time, but he’s never heard of a dark angel. Least of all one this gorgeous, stubborn, and with the power to completely nullify evil. Maybe in Hell, that’s a weakness—but with an unknown evil on the loose and murdering Nephilim?—that’s a damned useful skill. So Gideon strikes a deal with Evangeline: he’ll scratch her wings…if she’ll scratch his.

Now good and evil are—temporarily—working together. And might even be having steamy fun…if it wasn’t for a rather inconvenient threat trying to unleash the apocalypse, once and for all.
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Meet the Author:

USA TODAY bestselling author Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary romance, including the Naked Men and Aisle Bound series.

Christi can always be found either whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.
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