Reviews

     When I first began reading this novel I was trying to remember why I agreed to read it.  I am not, to state it bluntly, really a sci-fi fan in any of its forms, whether the print media or any other form of entertainment.  I just can't seem to find the energy to wade through all the ins and outs of alternate universes, or to keep straight characters whose names sound like pharmaceutical generics, or figure out how all that futuristic stuff relates to all the other component parts of a story. In short, I usually don't read sci-fi or futuristic novels.

     However, that being said, I am so incredibly thankful that I didn't miss this one.  Yes, there are demons, non-humans galore, guardian angels, uber-cops who have an extra gene which relates them to the heavenly beings (nephilim), teleporting all over the place, really evil -- I mean virulent evil people and a crime organization populated with these non-human "soldiers" who have managed to pretty much overtake the home planet of the heroine, a scientist who might not be "mad," but who is just about as greedy as one can get and thus manages to do some fairly dastardly stuff. Wow! What a cast of characters! Add in the fact that the action in this novel begins with a big bang of sorts, and I defy anyone to not be hooked almost from page one. It is definitely the kind of novel that moves past one's literary prejudices and gets into the mind and emotions of readers just like that!

     Weber is an uber-cop. Don't ask what his first name is--he never will reveal that--and somehow he is connected with the powerful guardian angel Dokiel. As an I-Marshal who keeps the inter-planetary peace and who has the technology, smarts, training, and will to take down just about any caliber of criminal, Weber is given undercover responsibility to scope out an organization which is abducting blonde, blue-eye women for sale to buyers who will break their will and use them for sexual satisfaction until the cruelty and torture kills them.  Yadira, as the only survivor of a space tragedy, is taken into custody as one of a group of terrorists seeking to abduct one of these blonde/blue-eyed women and who finds everyone else in her group killed. Weber believes her to be innocent as he has the gift of reading auras and sees no evil in her, even though she was a part of the group and participated sort of "around the edges" of the action.

     Out of their initial encounter in a holding cell grows an attraction that is certainly greater initially for Weber than for Yadira, yet as the story progresses, their connection grows and Weber makes it his mission not only to find the source of the human slavery trafficking, but to protect Yadira from those who would drag her into the evil out of which this illicit activity grows.  As the case progresses and as Weber makes contact with the crime bosses, both he and Yadira are subjected repeatedly to situations out of which they may never come as whole and live people. But it seems Dokiel is always there in the shadows and somehow Weber's knowledge and use of technology as well as his super speed and strength manage to move them in and out of an almost impossible number of strange scenarios.

     We know who the bad guys are and we know who the good guys are, well--mostly, anyway.  But there is so much more to the story and to really delve into the depths and the surprises and the twisty bits all along the way, you are just going to have to pick this one up and read it for yourself. You will encounter love at its finest, true and horrific hate, deep grieving and overwhelming joy.  It is a tale of people who may live in a strange and wonderful world, but all the component parts that make up real life are there in some form.  And through it all is woven the strand of the telling of a journey of growth and becoming a woman of strength and inner beauty in such magnitude that when it is all done, Yadira doesn't even resemble the reticent and shy girl of those first pages.

     Obviously, Michele Hart is one of those people whose imaginations never quit and who has gifted readers with the fruits of her dreaming. She has also demonstrated a very skilled writing style that moves the story along and keeps the interest of the reader successfully throughout. This is one of those wonderful books that make me wonder out loud:  "How do they think up all this stuff? It will be a rare person indeed who does not find this story to be awesome and one of the Grade A, Top-of-the-Mark books no one should miss.

Here's the Review!

     Human trafficking is one of our dirtiest little secrets. In Vigilant, Weber is an I-Marshal whose current assignment is to stop a gang of bad guys from kidnapping the highly prized blond-haired, blue-eyed women sought for sale. Yadira, a woman who was part of the gang, is his prisoner and his way to bust the ringleaders.

     I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, but I found Vigilant easy to read. While some things were different from a contemporary piece, enough things were similar so that I didn't feel lost or like I had to learn a new culture in order to understand the plot. Hart does a wonderful job of weaving vital information into the story in such a natural way. She has a friendly writing style that invites the reader into a wonderful, interesting, exciting world.

     The characters were very well developed. I liked how Yadira grew as a person from the beginning to the end. She starts out as a sheltered person, but she really comes into her own and takes control of her own destiny. Weber's journey was also riveting. As someone with supernatural powers, he's jaded by what he can see about a person. Yadira makes him understand that his powers don't have to keep him apart from people.

     I liked the whole idea of angels, and I loved how Hart wove Dokiel into the story. Like Yadira, I couldn't tell whether he was part of Weber or a separate being. It added another element of mystery and suspense.
Though the novel is longer, the pacing keeps it moving quickly. This is the first novel I've read by Ms. Hart, and I very much enjoyed the adventure. Whether or not you're a sci-fi fan, you'll enjoy this stirring, romantic adventure.

Check out the Review!

     Are you my salvation or my damnation? Even in the future, when you are the top cop the problems that plague us in the 21^st century are still the same.  I-Marshall Weber is trying to bring down a human trafficking ring and finds himself caught in a gun battle right out of the old west that he survives with a bonus.  Weber teleports out of the situation and has the misfortune of bringing back the most stunning woman, ah suspect he has ever seen.  Yadira Maxwell is not an innocent by-stander, but she is also not part of the mess created by her now deceased husband and Weber figures that out quicker than anyone else on the force does but keeping her alive is proving to be a challenge since someone really wants her dead.

     Weber may come in to save her but he is the force she fights against how is she going to trust him to help her?  She has been internally tagged so the man that wants her dead is going to be able to find her unless Weber comes up with a solution.  Running at first appeared to be an option and even after some skirmishes with trouble, they keep on moving toward clearing her name and getting some time alone.

     Who do you trust, who do you turn to, where do you run when every step you take is being watched by someone?  Yadira wants to believe that what is happening to her is real and not a dream but is Weber an angel sent to save her or the devil sending her to her eternal punishment.  She has to decide, and really quick because this is all going down one way or the other since someone has the means to cause her demise and rule books are thrown out as anything to stay alive becomes an option.  The moneyman has hired the big guns to eliminate her, and has the power to make her non-existent, but what is the motive behind all this that even Weber cannot quite figure out.

     Being chased isn’t fun, on the run is worse but Weber provides Yadira with the tenderness that reminds her of what a heat-filled kiss tastes like and how tender the strong arms of protection feel.

     This is not my first book by Michele Hart so knowing I was going to like it was not the question – how much was.  I did enjoy it because Ms. Hart knows how to write a futuristic adventure without making the reader struggle to figure out the complexities and not feel lost.  She lays out the plot, explores the nuances of the characters, and rolls out the story without ever leaving the reader wondering what just happened, and how is that person.

Got the Review Right Here!

     I must say that this sequel is even better than Hart’s fantastic Luminous Nights. The opening pages throw you straight into a kidnapping scene on a subway-like cab car. You can instantly tell that the bad guys are trying to take a woman named Yadira for the purpose of their boss selling her off to the highest bidder. Then you have Weber, our beloved I-Marshal, who is there to make sure that is exactly what doesn’t happen. When the kidnapper is shot dead, the victim taken into custody and the entire subway car blown up with over 100 people dead, … that is when the adventure starts to happen.

     This is a fast-paced novel, full of action, plotting, and intrigue. People are not who they say they are, and nothing is as it seems. Vigilant kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, not sure who to trust or what will happen next. I honestly believe fast-paced, action adventure romances from Hart has become her bread-and-butter writing style. I just can’t get enough of it.

     I loved the push and pull between Weber and Yadira. Neither can trust one another, yet they can’t afford to tackle Brinolis alone. Yadira can’t shake the thought of seeing Weber murder the love of her life on that subway car. She hates Weber but knows that he is also trying to protect her from falling into the hands of a slave-trader. Weber is very attracted to Yadira, but he can’t afford to get lost in his thoughts of her or else they can both be dead.

     I cannot wait to read more from Hart. She is an amazing author and I declare Vigilant to be another hit in her series. Vigilant is beyond 5 stars!

Here's the Review!

World-building is a process that isn't as easy as one may think. And for this book, the world-building was amazing! Set in the future, Michele Hart creates a fun, imaginative story in Vigilant. Readers are sure to be wowed with this non-stop action, edge of the seat never knowing what's going to happen next.

I haven't read many sci-fi romance books before, and I'm wondering why not! This book was a treat, and absolute blast for me, and I enjoyed it. There are plenty of mixed genres within this book. I-Marshall Weber and Yadira are interesting, intriguing, and they make a great team in this action packed thrill ride.

     Alliance I-Marshal Weber is assigned to bring down a human-trafficking ring. Weber sets a trap but everything goes wrong. He is forced to kill two of the kidnappers and takes the third kidnapper, a young woman, to headquarters for questioning. Weber has a gift that allows him to read guilt from a person’s aura and he finds out that his prisoner is really a victim of the ring. Weber finds himself attracted to his prisoner. She cannot forgive him for killing her husband who was one of the kidnappers. Can Weber convince her to forgive him and still bring down the human-trafficking ring?

     Yadira’s life was never easy. J, the man Weber killed, was the only person in her life that she loved. Now he is dead. Her troubles, however, are just beginning. Now that J is no longer there to protect her, she is at the mercy of the leader of the human-trafficking ring. Only I-Marshal Weber stands between her and pure evil. Members of the crime ring turn out to be real Demons. No matter how often she escapes them, they always find her and bring her back. Can she survive?

     Michele Hart introduces a world where real angels and demons exist. The angels work with the I-Marshals to combat evil. The demons infiltrate a planet to make life miserable for its inhabitants. The I-Marshals have their work cut out for them. Not only do they have a human-trafficking ring kidnapping innocent girls, but they also have a traitor in their ranks working with the demons. Ms. Hart takes the reader on a ride guaranteed to leave you breathless by the end of the book.

Check It Here!

4 out of 5 Stars!
Erotic Whispers/Sexy Reads.co.uk
Reviewed by Mitnik

     This was my first foray into sci-fi erotica and it’s been an interesting journey, one that was certainly memorable and I’ll be visiting again soon if Vigilant is an example of what can be found in this strange new world.

     This is actually a sequel to Luminous Nights, but works really well as a stand-alone read. The plot here revolves around an officer trying to crack a human trafficking ring, it’s an interesting tale and is conveyed with quite a relaxed writing style. I was worried at first that we’d have all kinds of new made-up terms for everything and it’d be a real drag to read but those fears were very quickly allayed as I quickly got a grip of things, making this an enjoyable, well paced read.

     Yadira was a fun character and it was nice to see her develop throughout the tale. Starting out quite shy and reserved but coming into her own and taking control of her destiny, Weber was the alternative took grew within the tale also, learning that people can be more than the seem at the start, this is a lesson I wish more people would learn and Michele did an excellent job of conveying his growth in an entertaining fashion making for a compulsive read I raced through.

     In a world where real angels and demons exist things are never really going to be what they seem but were as all this could have been confusing it’s been handled in such an Intriguing and well written way that the reader is never lost and I think that’s a real credit to Michele Hart.

     This is one for those who believe in Angels and like their erotica futuristic, fresh and fun.

Here's the Review!

     Michele Hart creates a fantasy world in Vigilant you can almost taste. A quick moving tale where things are not as they seem. I'm a reader who often figures out the ending in the first few chapters. Her book had me completely surprised at the end. Well paced, well written. I definitely recommend this read and look forward to Ms. Hart's next. 

I loved this book! I hated this book! 

     What I loved: The way Ms. Hart dropped me right into the action and mainlined me into the character’s brain from the first page. Without lengthy backstory and information dumps to show the reader the future world, she managed to paint a vivid picture of a brutal society where women are traded like baseball cards and lives hold minimal value. Weber, dedicated I-Marshal becomes captor and subsequent protector of a beautiful young woman who has been cruelly used as the slave-trader’s pawn. Yadira has never known a loving family. That she has survived to become a young adult is a miracle. Now she finds herself the property of yet another man, after that man has killed her lover and protector. Although drawn to each other, neither can afford to trust the other as Weber uses Yadira for bait to draw out Brinolis, the evil criminal master mind behind the slave-trade ring. Weber is driven to bring him down as well as those who purchase the young kidnapped victims.

     What I hated: Oh, yeah. I hated the way I had trouble putting it down and the way the characters haunted me when I did manage to turn away.

     A thoroughly good read but not to be started at bedtime because you will look all baggy-eyed the next day.

Review This Book!

Watch the Book Trailer