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Gothic City Lights: Helena
Helena must have fallen into disfavor with Mother Superior. Her latest assignment to pose as a stripper and infiltrate the notorious underworld lair Gothic City Lights was outrageous! She -- an angel of charity -- was required to display her pure, perfect flesh to bait and eliminate a demon lord.
Demon-hunter Antonio Bendicini was bred for war. Sent to Portland to reduce the rampant population of demons there, he is quickly mired in an ancient war between angel and demon.
Both after the same mark, their paths collide. Helena could never have prepared herself for Antonio. Huge, hideously scarred from years of battle, and ugly, he was a true warrior, just like she, and he ignited something she’d never felt before: lust.
In "Beauty and the Beast" fashion, their desires entwine with molten ferocity and she falls to her want. Helena realizes she cannot complete her mission, because her heart belongs to the human. Determined to devise a new plan where she need not display her naked flesh for any man save Antonio, Helena is captured by the demon lord. Antonio must swallow his pride, stay his wrath, and join forces with the angels to rescue her before she is killed -- or worse -- defiled.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: violence.
Demon-hunter Antonio Bendicini was bred for war. Sent to Portland to reduce the rampant population of demons there, he is quickly mired in an ancient war between angel and demon.
Both after the same mark, their paths collide. Helena could never have prepared herself for Antonio. Huge, hideously scarred from years of battle, and ugly, he was a true warrior, just like she, and he ignited something she’d never felt before: lust.
In "Beauty and the Beast" fashion, their desires entwine with molten ferocity and she falls to her want. Helena realizes she cannot complete her mission, because her heart belongs to the human. Determined to devise a new plan where she need not display her naked flesh for any man save Antonio, Helena is captured by the demon lord. Antonio must swallow his pride, stay his wrath, and join forces with the angels to rescue her before she is killed -- or worse -- defiled.
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: violence.
- GenresParanormal
ebook
First published January 3, 2012
26 people want to read
About the author
Brindle Chase
31 books101 followersThe world is a lonely place without romance. It took me too many years to figure that out, but now that I have, I hope to infect others with its splendor. I’ve always loved the paranormal -- vampires, demons, angels, were-creatures and more. I also love a spicy tale and writing stories that are both has been the greatest adventure -- beyond parenthood and marriage -- that I have ever embarked upon. Sharing it with you makes it all the greater. Come visit me at www.forlorn-hope.net
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 16, 2012
Brindle Chase has written a sequel to his first Gothic City Lights - Lillith, which is quite different from the Dark is The Night book we reviewed here last year. I read Lillith’s book last year and I did not think Mr. Chase could ever do a sequel that would compare. Well shut my mouth, Helena is here!
The world we follow is the angels, the demons and the humans. Mother Superior is a risen Angel. To us, she is in charge, under God and the angels above. She deals with her lower charges all vying to ascend.
We met Helena, in the first story. She was Group Leader Gabriel’s best friend. Each angel is part of a group, that is, their order. Earthbound angels lives here on earths plane and have 777 years to save that many souls. Then they can arise to heaven. We met Helena in the first story, not a very outgoing angel, hating Gabriel’s fall because of his love for Lillith.
Now Helena has been called before Mother Superior and asked to find a demon, so their group can bring him down and destroy him. He is said to haunt Goth City Lights, and it is Helena’s job to become an exotic stripper at the club and ferret this demon out. Mr. Chase has a great sense of humor as this shy, virgin shudders at the thought of dressing in satin and lace and give up her corduroys. She enlists the help of Lillith, a succubus demon to help her, and the scene is hilarious. Armed with a push up lace bra and satin panties, she is off to the club.
Demon Hunter, Antonio Bendicini, is waiting for this demon himself. He is a bigger than life hunter, well over 6 ft tall, scarred badly from years of fighting demons and he watches our sweet Helena. He is a loner, a warrior. He has only been with woman he pays for. He is almost the virgin himself. Helena stands on stage, tall, beautiful and sexy to the world and inside she is all about the ick factor.
The meeting is electric. Antonio has never been with a woman and actually ‘made love.’ Helena is a virgin and is trying to sort it all out. I kept thinking as I read this story the line in the movie “When Harry Met Sally” and the lady watching across the room from Meg Ryan says, I’ll have what she’s having….
So now what is an angel to do? What sins has she committed? Will she Fall and have her memories erased? Will she find the demon and fulfill her job? What will happen to Antonio? Again Brindle writes a fast paced story to keep the storyline great, and yes Brindle cranks up the sex hot and steamy. He has it all here with some lighthearted fun, mixed with serious subject matter with steamy sex. How could you go wrong?
Review by Gloria Lakritz
Review Chair and Sr Reviewer of the Paranormal Romance Guild
The world we follow is the angels, the demons and the humans. Mother Superior is a risen Angel. To us, she is in charge, under God and the angels above. She deals with her lower charges all vying to ascend.
We met Helena, in the first story. She was Group Leader Gabriel’s best friend. Each angel is part of a group, that is, their order. Earthbound angels lives here on earths plane and have 777 years to save that many souls. Then they can arise to heaven. We met Helena in the first story, not a very outgoing angel, hating Gabriel’s fall because of his love for Lillith.
Now Helena has been called before Mother Superior and asked to find a demon, so their group can bring him down and destroy him. He is said to haunt Goth City Lights, and it is Helena’s job to become an exotic stripper at the club and ferret this demon out. Mr. Chase has a great sense of humor as this shy, virgin shudders at the thought of dressing in satin and lace and give up her corduroys. She enlists the help of Lillith, a succubus demon to help her, and the scene is hilarious. Armed with a push up lace bra and satin panties, she is off to the club.
Demon Hunter, Antonio Bendicini, is waiting for this demon himself. He is a bigger than life hunter, well over 6 ft tall, scarred badly from years of fighting demons and he watches our sweet Helena. He is a loner, a warrior. He has only been with woman he pays for. He is almost the virgin himself. Helena stands on stage, tall, beautiful and sexy to the world and inside she is all about the ick factor.
The meeting is electric. Antonio has never been with a woman and actually ‘made love.’ Helena is a virgin and is trying to sort it all out. I kept thinking as I read this story the line in the movie “When Harry Met Sally” and the lady watching across the room from Meg Ryan says, I’ll have what she’s having….
So now what is an angel to do? What sins has she committed? Will she Fall and have her memories erased? Will she find the demon and fulfill her job? What will happen to Antonio? Again Brindle writes a fast paced story to keep the storyline great, and yes Brindle cranks up the sex hot and steamy. He has it all here with some lighthearted fun, mixed with serious subject matter with steamy sex. How could you go wrong?
Review by Gloria Lakritz
Review Chair and Sr Reviewer of the Paranormal Romance Guild
August 7, 2016
Helena isn’t sure why she is being punished by Mother Superior, and it must be punishment, because why else would she send her, an Angel of Charity and warrior, undercover as a stripper? There is a nasty demon on the loose, and Mother Superior feels this is the only way to catch him, so using the name Candy, Helena goes undercover at the notorious club, Gothic City Lights.
Antonio Bendicini is a Knight of the Holy Order of Angelis. The order has sent him to the city of Portland to help out with their demon problems. His hunt for a demon takes him to Gothic City Lights on the same night as Helena’s first performance. While totally smitten with Candy’s dance, Antonio sees his mark and follows him to the alley to take care of it. Seeing Antonio go after the demon and not knowing who he is, Candy goes out to help.
Little do Helena and Antonio know they are after the same demon and their pursuit of him will bring them more than either bargained for. They fall immediately into each other’s arms and hearts and must figure out an alternative way to catch their prey. Helena gets captured, Antonio learns that angels are not just myths, but seasoned warriors and everyone’s faith will be tested to its limits.
Mr. Chase brings us a twist on the tale of the beauty and beast with humor, action packed fight scenes, and such steamy eroticism that your heart may not be able to handle the excitement. Like all angels, Helena is almost too beautiful to look at, but don’t be fooled by that beauty, she can hold her own against any human and most demons. All she understands is her virtue of charity and a good fight. Imagine her surprise when she falls head over heels for a big, scarred, demon fighter. Bless her heart, half the time I didn’t know whether to laugh at her or cry. She has most certainly met her match with her warrior, Antonio.
What a warrior Antonio is, there is nothing soft and cuddly about him, he is a huge man with scars all over his body and face. He scares most children when they see him, yet to Helena he is the most beautiful human being who walks the face of the earth. He is lost in confusion when this beautiful woman not only wants to jump in the bed with him but seems to be in love with him as well. There truly must be a heaven.
This book walks a fine line between eroticism and erotic romance, there is a good story intermixed with some hot sex scenes. I have to admit I was a little frightened when I read the disclaimer at the beginning of the book telling us “Please do not try any new sexual practice... without the guidance of an experienced practitioner.” I thought “oh my, can I deal with this?” but I took one for the team and decided if I was going down, it would be with a smile on my face.
Mr. Chase helps us stay the course, just when we think our heart is going to race away, he has mercy on us and throws us a bone with a little bit of humor and some good old fashioned kick butt fight scenes. There is some violence to go along with the sex, some pretty graphic but not bad enough to make the reader turn away. Like the first book in the series, there is a nasty demon that has to be stopped, we also get to catch up with Gabriel and Lil from the first book which was nice.
While I enjoyed this book I liked the first one in the series better, I felt it gave us more face time with the characters. I also had a little problem with how fast Helena and Antonio fell madly in love with each other. Given their histories, I would have thought they would have been a little more hesitant. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good Beauty and the Beast tale with their erotic romance.
Reviwed as a Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Antonio Bendicini is a Knight of the Holy Order of Angelis. The order has sent him to the city of Portland to help out with their demon problems. His hunt for a demon takes him to Gothic City Lights on the same night as Helena’s first performance. While totally smitten with Candy’s dance, Antonio sees his mark and follows him to the alley to take care of it. Seeing Antonio go after the demon and not knowing who he is, Candy goes out to help.
Little do Helena and Antonio know they are after the same demon and their pursuit of him will bring them more than either bargained for. They fall immediately into each other’s arms and hearts and must figure out an alternative way to catch their prey. Helena gets captured, Antonio learns that angels are not just myths, but seasoned warriors and everyone’s faith will be tested to its limits.
Mr. Chase brings us a twist on the tale of the beauty and beast with humor, action packed fight scenes, and such steamy eroticism that your heart may not be able to handle the excitement. Like all angels, Helena is almost too beautiful to look at, but don’t be fooled by that beauty, she can hold her own against any human and most demons. All she understands is her virtue of charity and a good fight. Imagine her surprise when she falls head over heels for a big, scarred, demon fighter. Bless her heart, half the time I didn’t know whether to laugh at her or cry. She has most certainly met her match with her warrior, Antonio.
What a warrior Antonio is, there is nothing soft and cuddly about him, he is a huge man with scars all over his body and face. He scares most children when they see him, yet to Helena he is the most beautiful human being who walks the face of the earth. He is lost in confusion when this beautiful woman not only wants to jump in the bed with him but seems to be in love with him as well. There truly must be a heaven.
This book walks a fine line between eroticism and erotic romance, there is a good story intermixed with some hot sex scenes. I have to admit I was a little frightened when I read the disclaimer at the beginning of the book telling us “Please do not try any new sexual practice... without the guidance of an experienced practitioner.” I thought “oh my, can I deal with this?” but I took one for the team and decided if I was going down, it would be with a smile on my face.
Mr. Chase helps us stay the course, just when we think our heart is going to race away, he has mercy on us and throws us a bone with a little bit of humor and some good old fashioned kick butt fight scenes. There is some violence to go along with the sex, some pretty graphic but not bad enough to make the reader turn away. Like the first book in the series, there is a nasty demon that has to be stopped, we also get to catch up with Gabriel and Lil from the first book which was nice.
While I enjoyed this book I liked the first one in the series better, I felt it gave us more face time with the characters. I also had a little problem with how fast Helena and Antonio fell madly in love with each other. Given their histories, I would have thought they would have been a little more hesitant. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good Beauty and the Beast tale with their erotic romance.
Reviwed as a Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
February 23, 2012
Review by Ollie for bittenbyparanormalromance
First I would like to start off by saying I was very surprised by the book on so many different levels. One of the things that struck me about the book was the very different world that the author developed consisting of angels and demons, compared to others I have read. In Gothic City Lights the angels are earthbound who have 770 years to complete their mission of saving souls and fighting demons before they can ascend to being a true angel. However, these angels seem more human then angels. They may be stronger and faster then humans, but they fight with guns, have very strong emotions such a anger and will do anything it takes to capture a demon including strip.
I really connected to both Antonio and Helena because both had flaws and together they were able to overcome their doubts about themselves and open up to someone who could see their inner beauty. Antonio is rugged, tough and broken in some ways, never having been loved by anyone. He has spent his life fighting demons and he has the scars across his body and face to prove it, but the biggest scar lies in his heart. When Helena sees Antonio while she is stripping at the strip club for the first time to lure a demon she is instantly attracted to him. The is something about him that touches her heart and soul. At first Helena mistakes Antonio as the demon she is trying to lure, but soon finds out he is a warrior like herself battling evil.
Antonio has never seen anyone so beautiful in his life and when he has the chance to kiss Helena he takes it knowing he will never have another chance and that a beauty such as Helena would never want him. However, the connection is too strong for both of them with Helena needing to find out more about this man who stirs her and the man who can't get Helena out of his head.
What happens next is one very hot and intense sexy scene that had both craving for more, but at the same time breaking down barriers that each put up around their hearts. There were so many tender moments where Antonio's disbelief surrounding Helena's love for him were heartbreaking and truly made this reader's heart ache for him.
The consequences of Antonio's and Helena's relationship really drew me in as I really didn't know what to expect and I was quite surprised. The author did a great job in creating tension and drama as well as some very erotic scenes that tested Antonio's resolve and commitment to Helena.
I really enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to more in this series because who would have thought that angels were able to have such intense sexual needs and a Mother Superior who lets her angels have a little fun on the side.
First I would like to start off by saying I was very surprised by the book on so many different levels. One of the things that struck me about the book was the very different world that the author developed consisting of angels and demons, compared to others I have read. In Gothic City Lights the angels are earthbound who have 770 years to complete their mission of saving souls and fighting demons before they can ascend to being a true angel. However, these angels seem more human then angels. They may be stronger and faster then humans, but they fight with guns, have very strong emotions such a anger and will do anything it takes to capture a demon including strip.
I really connected to both Antonio and Helena because both had flaws and together they were able to overcome their doubts about themselves and open up to someone who could see their inner beauty. Antonio is rugged, tough and broken in some ways, never having been loved by anyone. He has spent his life fighting demons and he has the scars across his body and face to prove it, but the biggest scar lies in his heart. When Helena sees Antonio while she is stripping at the strip club for the first time to lure a demon she is instantly attracted to him. The is something about him that touches her heart and soul. At first Helena mistakes Antonio as the demon she is trying to lure, but soon finds out he is a warrior like herself battling evil.
Antonio has never seen anyone so beautiful in his life and when he has the chance to kiss Helena he takes it knowing he will never have another chance and that a beauty such as Helena would never want him. However, the connection is too strong for both of them with Helena needing to find out more about this man who stirs her and the man who can't get Helena out of his head.
What happens next is one very hot and intense sexy scene that had both craving for more, but at the same time breaking down barriers that each put up around their hearts. There were so many tender moments where Antonio's disbelief surrounding Helena's love for him were heartbreaking and truly made this reader's heart ache for him.
The consequences of Antonio's and Helena's relationship really drew me in as I really didn't know what to expect and I was quite surprised. The author did a great job in creating tension and drama as well as some very erotic scenes that tested Antonio's resolve and commitment to Helena.
I really enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to more in this series because who would have thought that angels were able to have such intense sexual needs and a Mother Superior who lets her angels have a little fun on the side.
February 20, 2012
Ollie's review below
First I would like to start off by saying I was very surprised by the book on so many different levels. One of the things that struck me about the book was the very different world that the author developed consisting of angels and demons, compared to others I have read. In Gothic City Lights the angels are earthbound who have 770 years to complete their mission of saving souls and fighting demons before they can ascend to being a true angel. However, these angels seem more human then angels. They may be stronger and faster then humans, but they fight with guns, have very strong emotions such a anger and will do anything it takes to capture a demon including strip.
I really connected to both Antonio and Helena because both had flaws and together they were able to overcome their doubts about themselves and open up to someone who could see their inner beauty. Antonio is rugged, tough and broken in some ways, never having been loved by anyone. He has spent his life fighting demons and he has the scars across his body and face to prove it, but the biggest scar lies in his heart. When Helena sees Antonio while she is stripping at the strip club for the first time to lure a demon she is instantly attracted to him. The is something about him that touches her heart and soul. At first Helena mistakes Antonio as the demon she is trying to lure, but soon finds out he is a warrior like herself battling evil.
Antonio has never seen anyone so beautiful in his life and when he has the chance to kiss Helena he takes it knowing he will never have another chance and that a beauty such as Helena would never want him. However, the connection is too strong for both of them with Helena needing to find out more about this man who stirs her and the man who can't get Helena out of his head.
What happens next is one very hot and intense sexy scene that had both craving for more, but at the same time breaking down barriers that each put up around their hearts. There were so many tender moments where Antonio's disbelief surrounding Helena's love for him were heartbreaking and truly made this reader's heart ache for him.
The consequences of Antonio's and Helena's relationship really drew me in as I really didn't know what to expect and I was quite surprised. The author did a great job in creating tension and drama as well as some very erotic scenes that tested Antonio's resolve and commitment to Helena.
I really enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to more in this series because who would have thought that angels were able to have such intense sexual needs and a Mother Superior who lets her angels have a little fun on the side.
First I would like to start off by saying I was very surprised by the book on so many different levels. One of the things that struck me about the book was the very different world that the author developed consisting of angels and demons, compared to others I have read. In Gothic City Lights the angels are earthbound who have 770 years to complete their mission of saving souls and fighting demons before they can ascend to being a true angel. However, these angels seem more human then angels. They may be stronger and faster then humans, but they fight with guns, have very strong emotions such a anger and will do anything it takes to capture a demon including strip.
I really connected to both Antonio and Helena because both had flaws and together they were able to overcome their doubts about themselves and open up to someone who could see their inner beauty. Antonio is rugged, tough and broken in some ways, never having been loved by anyone. He has spent his life fighting demons and he has the scars across his body and face to prove it, but the biggest scar lies in his heart. When Helena sees Antonio while she is stripping at the strip club for the first time to lure a demon she is instantly attracted to him. The is something about him that touches her heart and soul. At first Helena mistakes Antonio as the demon she is trying to lure, but soon finds out he is a warrior like herself battling evil.
Antonio has never seen anyone so beautiful in his life and when he has the chance to kiss Helena he takes it knowing he will never have another chance and that a beauty such as Helena would never want him. However, the connection is too strong for both of them with Helena needing to find out more about this man who stirs her and the man who can't get Helena out of his head.
What happens next is one very hot and intense sexy scene that had both craving for more, but at the same time breaking down barriers that each put up around their hearts. There were so many tender moments where Antonio's disbelief surrounding Helena's love for him were heartbreaking and truly made this reader's heart ache for him.
The consequences of Antonio's and Helena's relationship really drew me in as I really didn't know what to expect and I was quite surprised. The author did a great job in creating tension and drama as well as some very erotic scenes that tested Antonio's resolve and commitment to Helena.
I really enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to more in this series because who would have thought that angels were able to have such intense sexual needs and a Mother Superior who lets her angels have a little fun on the side.
August 22, 2012
Please stop by and read my review at Coffee Beans & Love Scenes Reviews.
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