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Rogue Angel #34
Labyrinth
A book dealer lies imprisoned in a Boston mansion, an IV tube dripping a lethal narcotic cocktail into his veins. In thirty-six hours, he'll be dead. His final request is to receive a visit from one woman….
It wasn't the most hospitable invitation she'd ever received. Archaeologist Annja Creed is being rushed to Massachussetts, abducted by a famous environmental terrorist–a zealot willing to kill anyone who gets in his or the planet's way. He has taken the book dealer hostage in order to steal a rare and very valuable treatise called the Tome of Prossos. Annja is the key to retrieving the ancient manuscript hidden somewhere deep within the mansion. But the book is well-protected. In order to find it, she must survive the rigors of an elaborate maze. She has only twelve hours to decipher the labyrinth's sinister secret…a secret that could ensure she never emerges.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
Alex Archer
99 books237 followersA house name for the Rogue Angel series, published by the Harlequin Publishing's Gold Eagle division.
The first eight novels were written by Victor Milan and Mel Odom. New writers joining the series starting with book nine include Jon Merz and Joseph Nassise.
The first eight novels were written by Victor Milan and Mel Odom. New writers joining the series starting with book nine include Jon Merz and Joseph Nassise.
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January 5, 2021-multi-author series. this one was written by jon merz.
-and for a change, someone besides just anna lives at the end! someone she likes gets to live!
"I always have an open mind, but that doesn't mean I let my brain and common sense fall out."
"it always amazes me how little those who claim to stand for ideals actually think."
"I sometimes think I don't have any friends who would even know what normal is."
-and for a change, someone besides just anna lives at the end! someone she likes gets to live!
"I always have an open mind, but that doesn't mean I let my brain and common sense fall out."
"it always amazes me how little those who claim to stand for ideals actually think."
"I sometimes think I don't have any friends who would even know what normal is."
November 26, 2012
What the hell Roux???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2014
Oh my goddess and holy freaking crap.
I so did not see that one coming.
Oh, *********, how could you do that?!!!
I so did not see that one coming.
Oh, *********, how could you do that?!!!
November 22, 2022
This time Annja didn't go on vacation. Instead, she gets abducted and cast into a nightmare trip through a maze, a labyrinth designed, she is told, to keep a very important ancient book safe. She has her doubts about that, but the life of the owner of the book is threatened. He'll die if she can't find and recover the book. She allowed a "helper", a man, Kessel, mostly to make sure she doesn't abscond with the book when she gets it. While wandering in the maze, Annja starts to wonder just how much of what she was told is true.
This is the next in the Rogue Angel series. I've been using the series as my purse book, the book I carry in my purse for times I have to spend waiting in line or a waiting room. I've had a spot of trouble lately with my tires, so I've been busy waiting. I like Annja. She intelligent, resourceful, honorable. The books themselves are action stories. They may be based on historical event, but not always. It's easy for me to read several chapters, put the book back in my purse, and read several more chapters a month later without being lost. I really like that.
Back to the story, of course the book owner hasn't put any book in the center of the labyrinth. The book may or may not even exist. His purpose is to dominate Annja, break her spirit, and maybe take her magic sword. Can anybody conquer our Annja? And where are the sword's other guardians, Roux and Gavin? Questions only reading the story will answer. I hope you do read it. I think you will enjoy the action.
This is the next in the Rogue Angel series. I've been using the series as my purse book, the book I carry in my purse for times I have to spend waiting in line or a waiting room. I've had a spot of trouble lately with my tires, so I've been busy waiting. I like Annja. She intelligent, resourceful, honorable. The books themselves are action stories. They may be based on historical event, but not always. It's easy for me to read several chapters, put the book back in my purse, and read several more chapters a month later without being lost. I really like that.
Back to the story, of course the book owner hasn't put any book in the center of the labyrinth. The book may or may not even exist. His purpose is to dominate Annja, break her spirit, and maybe take her magic sword. Can anybody conquer our Annja? And where are the sword's other guardians, Roux and Gavin? Questions only reading the story will answer. I hope you do read it. I think you will enjoy the action.
September 25, 2023
Lazy writing IMO.
Did not enjoy this plot or resolution. Weak writing, plot holes and macguffs throughout. I like the series though so will give the next book a read. Like S. King I guess a writer can become bored or lazy with their characters.
Did not enjoy this plot or resolution. Weak writing, plot holes and macguffs throughout. I like the series though so will give the next book a read. Like S. King I guess a writer can become bored or lazy with their characters.
September 8, 2019
3.5 stars.
That epilogue conversation between Roux and Garin was the most interesting bit.
That epilogue conversation between Roux and Garin was the most interesting bit.
February 12, 2013
*Genre* Adult, Science Fiction
*Rating* 3-3.5
*Full Review*
In the Rogue Angel Series, Annya Creed is a world-traveling archaeologist with a penchant for adventure, lost cities and treasures, mysterious codes and puzzles, and shadowy history that has never been recorded. Heir to Joan of Arc's magical sword, Annya finds herself drawn into the webs of darkest villainy with lives on the line. As a protector of innocents and host of Chasing History's Monsters, Annya is under constant attack by forces that want to remove Joan of Arc's sword from Annya's possession.
Labyrinth is the Thirty-Fourth installment in the Rogue Angel series. The series itself is written by various authors using the pen name Alex Archer to hide their involvement. Our main heroine, Annya Creed, is kidnapped by an Eco-terrorist named Scott Greene who claims that a billionaire named Reginald Fairclough wants to chat with her about a book called "The Tome of Prossos" which was said to have been recovered from the library at Alexandria, Egypt.
Annya fails to connect the name Fairclough to anyone who she may have gone up against in a previous installment of this series and believes that he's an innocent that is being blackmailed by Greene and his partner Jonas to give up the book. This leads Annya on a Tomb Raider-esque adventure to an underground Maze where she is tested to her limits by Fairclouth's ultimate revenge seeking exploits. She is forced to work with a man named Kessel who has a few secrets of his own in finding a way out of the Maze, and defeating Fairclouth and Greene.
Truth be told: I have forgotten those who have fallen by the wayside to Annya's blade or her ingenuity in getting out of troubled situations over the course of this series. Annya has made more than a few enemies that have tried to kill her unsuccessfully now that they know she carries a magical sword with unlimited potential. A few of Annya's friends (Garin and Roux) aren't exactly trustworthy and it seems that they are getting devilishly wicked in their attempts to take the sword away from Annya.
What you should know is that this book is pretty much a guns blazing full time adventure that tests Annya to the point where you just know that she's about to give up once and for-all. As a reader of this series, we somehow forget that this is Science Fiction and therefore we get lulled into believing that Annya is a super human who can be kicked upside her head, stabbed numerous times, and nearly dies a dozen or more times. Somehow, someway, you just know that she's going to kick the bad guys ass, and walk away into the sunset where we hope she will live happily ever after. She may even find romance, which is rare, along the way.
However, in this book, the ending reached out and smacked me upside my silly head. I could not believe who was working with Fairclouth in order to betray Annya. This person shall not be named for fear that I will spoil the book for anyone who may want to read it at a later time. Only time, and the next book, will answer the questions as to why he would betray Annya on this level.
Side note: Dear Gold Eagle, if you happen to read this review, please put me on the mail lists! I would love to catch up on this series since I am now many books behind (all of 2012). I promise I shall read each and every book and post a review in return! Thank you!
Published January 3rd 2012 by Gold Eagle
*Rating* 3-3.5
*Full Review*
In the Rogue Angel Series, Annya Creed is a world-traveling archaeologist with a penchant for adventure, lost cities and treasures, mysterious codes and puzzles, and shadowy history that has never been recorded. Heir to Joan of Arc's magical sword, Annya finds herself drawn into the webs of darkest villainy with lives on the line. As a protector of innocents and host of Chasing History's Monsters, Annya is under constant attack by forces that want to remove Joan of Arc's sword from Annya's possession.
Labyrinth is the Thirty-Fourth installment in the Rogue Angel series. The series itself is written by various authors using the pen name Alex Archer to hide their involvement. Our main heroine, Annya Creed, is kidnapped by an Eco-terrorist named Scott Greene who claims that a billionaire named Reginald Fairclough wants to chat with her about a book called "The Tome of Prossos" which was said to have been recovered from the library at Alexandria, Egypt.
Annya fails to connect the name Fairclough to anyone who she may have gone up against in a previous installment of this series and believes that he's an innocent that is being blackmailed by Greene and his partner Jonas to give up the book. This leads Annya on a Tomb Raider-esque adventure to an underground Maze where she is tested to her limits by Fairclouth's ultimate revenge seeking exploits. She is forced to work with a man named Kessel who has a few secrets of his own in finding a way out of the Maze, and defeating Fairclouth and Greene.
Truth be told: I have forgotten those who have fallen by the wayside to Annya's blade or her ingenuity in getting out of troubled situations over the course of this series. Annya has made more than a few enemies that have tried to kill her unsuccessfully now that they know she carries a magical sword with unlimited potential. A few of Annya's friends (Garin and Roux) aren't exactly trustworthy and it seems that they are getting devilishly wicked in their attempts to take the sword away from Annya.
What you should know is that this book is pretty much a guns blazing full time adventure that tests Annya to the point where you just know that she's about to give up once and for-all. As a reader of this series, we somehow forget that this is Science Fiction and therefore we get lulled into believing that Annya is a super human who can be kicked upside her head, stabbed numerous times, and nearly dies a dozen or more times. Somehow, someway, you just know that she's going to kick the bad guys ass, and walk away into the sunset where we hope she will live happily ever after. She may even find romance, which is rare, along the way.
However, in this book, the ending reached out and smacked me upside my silly head. I could not believe who was working with Fairclouth in order to betray Annya. This person shall not be named for fear that I will spoil the book for anyone who may want to read it at a later time. Only time, and the next book, will answer the questions as to why he would betray Annya on this level.
Side note: Dear Gold Eagle, if you happen to read this review, please put me on the mail lists! I would love to catch up on this series since I am now many books behind (all of 2012). I promise I shall read each and every book and post a review in return! Thank you!
Published January 3rd 2012 by Gold Eagle
December 13, 2017
Thirty-fourth in the Rogue Angel urban fantasy series revolving around the wielder of Joan of Arc's sword.
My Take
Oh boy, oh boy, oh...brother...that ending twist...oh, boy.
Yeahhhh, I have to agree with Annja, there's something odd about this maze. I can't believe Kessel didn't figure out that Greene would have the maze bugged.
Cocky, much… Oh, please, Archer has Greene expressing remorse? Why?
Seriously? Annja really thought she would be forgiven?? Then hanging around to kiss? WTF? Hullo, it's Annja's thirty-fourth adventure (that we've read about) and Kessel is a Navy SEAL and they never learned the cardinal rule about hanging around in the bad guy's space?
The Story
Annja's finally got some downtime and this Mike Jackson is sorely impinging on it. Fortunately, he doesn't interrupt for long. Unfortunately, it's not a positive departure for him. It seems that Greene requires a certain book, the Tome of Prossos, that survived the destruction of the Library in Alexandria. A book that he believes will force the world back to a cleaner, more pristine time.
But the dealer who owns the book refuses to give it up and, instead, demands a meeting with Annja Creed. Greene doesn't give Annja ANY options to refuse---he shows absolutely no reluctance to shoot anyone who may help her, anyone he can destroy and force her to reverse her refusals, and, besides, he won't give Fairclough the antidote to the poison if Annja doesn't agree.
The Characters
Annja Creed is an archeologist and TV show host for Chasing History's Monsters. A show to which she attempts to bring some sense of accuracy. She's also the holder of Joan of Arc's sword and it requires that she right the wrongs she encounters.
Scott Greene is an environmental terrorist on the lunatic fringe. Jonas has medical skills, especially with toxins, and a fervent desire to experiment on people. NOT to their good health. Kessel is his mute associate. And undercover with the FBI. A former SEAL, he's makes a good partner on this adventure. Kozumi is a Japanese ninja hired to harass.
Reginald Fairclough is the reluctant client, a seller of old books.
The Cover and Title
The cover finds a ripped and torn Annja wielding her sword two-handed in her trademark tank top and pants against the background of a labyrinth.
The title is accurate as Annja must solve the puzzles that a Labyrinth provides to find the book.
My Take
Oh boy, oh boy, oh...brother...that ending twist...oh, boy.
Yeahhhh, I have to agree with Annja, there's something odd about this maze. I can't believe Kessel didn't figure out that Greene would have the maze bugged.
Cocky, much… Oh, please, Archer has Greene expressing remorse? Why?
Seriously? Annja really thought she would be forgiven?? Then hanging around to kiss? WTF? Hullo, it's Annja's thirty-fourth adventure (that we've read about) and Kessel is a Navy SEAL and they never learned the cardinal rule about hanging around in the bad guy's space?
The Story
Annja's finally got some downtime and this Mike Jackson is sorely impinging on it. Fortunately, he doesn't interrupt for long. Unfortunately, it's not a positive departure for him. It seems that Greene requires a certain book, the Tome of Prossos, that survived the destruction of the Library in Alexandria. A book that he believes will force the world back to a cleaner, more pristine time.
But the dealer who owns the book refuses to give it up and, instead, demands a meeting with Annja Creed. Greene doesn't give Annja ANY options to refuse---he shows absolutely no reluctance to shoot anyone who may help her, anyone he can destroy and force her to reverse her refusals, and, besides, he won't give Fairclough the antidote to the poison if Annja doesn't agree.
The Characters
Annja Creed is an archeologist and TV show host for Chasing History's Monsters. A show to which she attempts to bring some sense of accuracy. She's also the holder of Joan of Arc's sword and it requires that she right the wrongs she encounters.
Scott Greene is an environmental terrorist on the lunatic fringe. Jonas has medical skills, especially with toxins, and a fervent desire to experiment on people. NOT to their good health. Kessel is his mute associate. And undercover with the FBI. A former SEAL, he's makes a good partner on this adventure. Kozumi is a Japanese ninja hired to harass.
Reginald Fairclough is the reluctant client, a seller of old books.
The Cover and Title
The cover finds a ripped and torn Annja wielding her sword two-handed in her trademark tank top and pants against the background of a labyrinth.
The title is accurate as Annja must solve the puzzles that a Labyrinth provides to find the book.
September 8, 2014
I love this series. Sure, it is pulp fiction at its worst (or best) and Alex Archer isn’t even a real person – it’s a pseudonym for any number of authors trying their hand at this series.
The plot for this instalment (and most others) is basically a bad James Bond movie with random doses of pseudo-science and magic. But it’s exactly my kind of thing. Globe-trotting, adventuring archaeologist basically just goes around ‘landing’ in more adventurous situations (like the Poirot effect – crime keeps finding the master detective, and so adventure keeps finding the master adventurer).
But Labyrinth doesn’t do any globe-trotting, instead opting for a more claustrophobic atmosphere. Then there are the eco-terrorists, something I can never take seriously for some reason. Actually there is a lot of silliness here, so if you’re not geared up to go along for the ride, you probably won’t enjoy it. I did though. Just turned my brain off and enjoyed reading Annja struggle to survive the increasingly personal challenges.
While it’s not necessary to read the Rogue Angel books in order, this one does reference past stories (namely, Footprints, Warrior Spirit, and Phantom Prospect). So I wouldn’t recommend starting with this one (though it is one of the more action-packed and brutal survival stories). But if you like your women ridiculously strong with a drive for justice behind her, this is the series for you. Just be warned, like bad James Bond movies, there are a silly number of dead innocents caught in the crossfire. It’s only a minor annoyance for me, and one that doesn’t detract from the fun tale.
All in all, Labyrinth was a great entry to the series, and reminded me just how many books of Annja Creed’s I haven’t got around to reading yet. I should get on that. Big thumbs up :)
The plot for this instalment (and most others) is basically a bad James Bond movie with random doses of pseudo-science and magic. But it’s exactly my kind of thing. Globe-trotting, adventuring archaeologist basically just goes around ‘landing’ in more adventurous situations (like the Poirot effect – crime keeps finding the master detective, and so adventure keeps finding the master adventurer).
But Labyrinth doesn’t do any globe-trotting, instead opting for a more claustrophobic atmosphere. Then there are the eco-terrorists, something I can never take seriously for some reason. Actually there is a lot of silliness here, so if you’re not geared up to go along for the ride, you probably won’t enjoy it. I did though. Just turned my brain off and enjoyed reading Annja struggle to survive the increasingly personal challenges.
While it’s not necessary to read the Rogue Angel books in order, this one does reference past stories (namely, Footprints, Warrior Spirit, and Phantom Prospect). So I wouldn’t recommend starting with this one (though it is one of the more action-packed and brutal survival stories). But if you like your women ridiculously strong with a drive for justice behind her, this is the series for you. Just be warned, like bad James Bond movies, there are a silly number of dead innocents caught in the crossfire. It’s only a minor annoyance for me, and one that doesn’t detract from the fun tale.
All in all, Labyrinth was a great entry to the series, and reminded me just how many books of Annja Creed’s I haven’t got around to reading yet. I should get on that. Big thumbs up :)
September 10, 2012
I've been reading the Rogue Angel series since the start, so I'm predisposed to like them, but needless to say, there are some good ones, some bad ones, and some WTF ones. This, sadly, falls into the last category.
Annja, who is having a little stay-cation, is snatched by eco-terrorists. They are torturing a rich document expert who has a book they want, but he will only talk to Annja, even though she doesn't have a clue who he is. He tells her that the book is at the center of an underground maze he has built on his property.
In West Massachussets.
This is the WTF element of the story. In the US, only a few hours from New York city, this guy has built an underground maze with multiple levels, including a giant pool with pirhannas, and another with a shark. Oh, and there are starving wild dogs running around, and ninjas. And a sasquatch.
Okay...
So, Annja has to get through this maze, accompanied by one of the eco-terrorists (mute after having his tongue supposedly cut out while in the military), who turns out to actually be undercover FBI. And of course there is more to this that meets the eye.
I liked the acknowledgement to previous books in the series (the ninja and the sasquatch), but still, how the heck did this maze get built without anyone in homeland security or the like taking an interest? It worked in The Princess Bride, but not here. I liked Kessel, I even enjoyed the eco-terrorists in an 'are they serious?' b-movie sort of way, but I could not get past the WTF logic problems.
Still, a fun read for a weekend with a sinus infection.
Annja, who is having a little stay-cation, is snatched by eco-terrorists. They are torturing a rich document expert who has a book they want, but he will only talk to Annja, even though she doesn't have a clue who he is. He tells her that the book is at the center of an underground maze he has built on his property.
In West Massachussets.
This is the WTF element of the story. In the US, only a few hours from New York city, this guy has built an underground maze with multiple levels, including a giant pool with pirhannas, and another with a shark. Oh, and there are starving wild dogs running around, and ninjas. And a sasquatch.
Okay...
So, Annja has to get through this maze, accompanied by one of the eco-terrorists (mute after having his tongue supposedly cut out while in the military), who turns out to actually be undercover FBI. And of course there is more to this that meets the eye.
I liked the acknowledgement to previous books in the series (the ninja and the sasquatch), but still, how the heck did this maze get built without anyone in homeland security or the like taking an interest? It worked in The Princess Bride, but not here. I liked Kessel, I even enjoyed the eco-terrorists in an 'are they serious?' b-movie sort of way, but I could not get past the WTF logic problems.
Still, a fun read for a weekend with a sinus infection.
June 19, 2013
eh.... this one needs some explaining.
ok, i got this at a truck stop when i was looking for some audiobook to keep me awake.
i was REALLY put off when all the selection the truck stop had was books in a series of 50.
now i am very much against jumping into the middle of a series. you miss so much, and its disorienting to try and place where its taking place and whats going on. and when it comes to a series with 50 books, i have to imagine that not a lot changes from book to book. i feel its like the simpsons. at the end of every episode, everything has to work itself out like nothing ever happened.
so, all that said, i grabbed this book cause i wanted a romp through an ancient labyrinth in the amazon or something. i was thinking tomb raider.
it also turns out this was book #34. a feature the box failed to tell me.
in review. the book was surprisingly not bad. i was actually surprised! it had a love interest. it had a labyrinth. kinda high tech, and under someones mansion, and not in the amazon like i had hoped. but it still worked. it had plot twists and surprises too. i did not expect to enjoy it. it did have some things that did not get explained from previous books. like how she has jone of arks sword, and how it can teleport or something. but it still became an important part of the story. so you ignored it.
now, it wasnt a huge epic adventure or anything. very small scale story. but it was not bad. not amazing, but not bad. it was adequate.
ok, i got this at a truck stop when i was looking for some audiobook to keep me awake.
i was REALLY put off when all the selection the truck stop had was books in a series of 50.
now i am very much against jumping into the middle of a series. you miss so much, and its disorienting to try and place where its taking place and whats going on. and when it comes to a series with 50 books, i have to imagine that not a lot changes from book to book. i feel its like the simpsons. at the end of every episode, everything has to work itself out like nothing ever happened.
so, all that said, i grabbed this book cause i wanted a romp through an ancient labyrinth in the amazon or something. i was thinking tomb raider.
it also turns out this was book #34. a feature the box failed to tell me.
in review. the book was surprisingly not bad. i was actually surprised! it had a love interest. it had a labyrinth. kinda high tech, and under someones mansion, and not in the amazon like i had hoped. but it still worked. it had plot twists and surprises too. i did not expect to enjoy it. it did have some things that did not get explained from previous books. like how she has jone of arks sword, and how it can teleport or something. but it still became an important part of the story. so you ignored it.
now, it wasnt a huge epic adventure or anything. very small scale story. but it was not bad. not amazing, but not bad. it was adequate.
January 31, 2012
I enjoy this series, written by a group of people under the name Alex Archer, in much the same way I enjoyed "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - a person chosen for a quest of good against evil, and with "spiritual" undertones. I have read several in this series, and this was the worst of the lot. The quest was really unnecessary, could have been stopped at at least two points, and was very repetitive. I would not recommend anyone buying this book; however, should one be found, the redeeming factor (and what kept it from being a "one star") is right at the end, when the protagonist is trying to explain why she keeps doing what she is going. It is a very moving, "secular," statement of the power of faith in a person's life.
May 15, 2014
Considering that I had read and enjoyed somewhat another book in this series, and that this one claimed some added interest with the labyrinth theme as well as featuring a bookseller (my old proffession),I quickly became dissillussioned when I reazlized that everything to do with this volume is bunk. Even the labyrinth does not conform to the definition,and even the author seems to get bored with the concept and abandons any fidelity to the structure.
So we have our heroine and her fabulous otherworldly sword, a false mute and a nasty eco-terrorist who cares not much for human life, and machine like writing that in fact could be computer generated. As for the bookseller,that's just an expensive cover.
So we have our heroine and her fabulous otherworldly sword, a false mute and a nasty eco-terrorist who cares not much for human life, and machine like writing that in fact could be computer generated. As for the bookseller,that's just an expensive cover.
July 21, 2014
The first of this series I've read. And probably the last. The worst book I've read in 18 months. The dialog was repetitive, the characters were not engaging. The plot was light and barely held together. It left me hanging at the end (did not sufficiently explain why the main character was in the labyrinth). Apparently this and the other 51 books in the series are well thought of by readers.
March 31, 2012
Thrilling, though not quite as good as some of the earlier books in the series. Anyone who wants to start reading the Rogue Angel books really should start with the first one. The first installment helps make everything in the later books make more sense.
November 7, 2012
Very odd book, maybe I should have read an earlier book in this series before I read this one. On a positive note, this book had a quick pace, not much graphic violence, fairly clean language, no strong religious overtones, and no overt sexual content. All in all, a decent book.
February 10, 2013
Loved this book! It had so many great elements to it! A Kick-ass heroine, a great plot, an interesting twist at every corner, and a hot guy that Annja rescues countless times. Also, had a bit of historical tid-bits in it, and included the ledgend of Joan of Arc. 5/5* in my books!
March 20, 2014
Just getting started listening to graphic audio. Picked this lil gem up for dirt cheap on a road trip. Liked the story a lot, but sometimes her character was annoying. I was very entertained and hope to find more in this series :)
June 17, 2024
Not my favourite of this series…
August 9, 2014
very exciting. Lots of action and suspense. Loved the new character. Realistically I know he won't stay around but I would love to be wrong. On a side note SHAME ON YOU ROUX!
March 23, 2017
Good action an I liked the Labyrinth setting. Ending was a little disappointing. Saw a similar ending in another book and didn't like it then either.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews