Larissa Ione - Azagoth

He holds the ability to annihilate souls in the palm of his hand. He commands the respect of the most dangerous of demons and the most powerful of angels. He can seduce and dominate any female he wants with a mere look. But for all Azagoth’s power, he’s bound by shackles of his own making, and only an angel with a secret holds the key to his release.
She’s an angel with the extraordinary ability to travel through time and space. An angel with a tormented past she can’t escape. And when Lilliana is sent to Azagoth’s underworld realm, she finds that her past isn’t all she can’t escape. For the irresistibly sexy fallen angel known as Azagoth is also known as the Grim Reaper, and when he claims a soul, it’s forever…

Comment: I've had this novella to read for who knows how long.... I've read the Demonica series by the author and some of the other connected series, and that is why this one was in the TBR list. I no longer remember many details, but when certain references were done, I could kind of keep some things in mind. Nevertheless, this would have probably meant more to me if I had read it closer to the time I've read the other books...

In this short story Azagoth is the ruler of Sheol-gra, an underworld place for many beings, including demons, and a place where most people would not want to be, much less angels. Azagoth, formerly known as Azazel, feel from grace voluntarily but felt he was betrayed and for centuries had to service angels, being the father of Memitim. Now, Azagoth is tired and lonely and wants a mate, thus refusing to continue to help Heaven unless he can stop being a stud and can have a mate. 

That is how Liliana is sent to him, obviously as a punishment, but she is also going with a secret mission: to rescue an artifact for Heaven. The problem is that she wasn't counting on liking Azagoth despite his fame, and what will she do when she realizes she likes being with him...

This is a novella, which means it's easy and quick to read it. It is, as expected, heavily connected with the main series and I think a new reader probably would feel lost. Also, in the same vein, there are some references that work on their own but have an extra meaning if one had read the previous books.

This said, I found the story to be pretty basic and easy, if one considers the other books and the world building. Like I said, there is a lot I no longer remember, but just some sentences or references were enough to remind me of this and that, and that can be enough to "support", let's say, having an understanding of what is going on. As for seeing this novella as complete piece of work... I'd say the same issue applies to most novella sized stories: not enough pages for a full development.

Despite that, for fans or for those who are reading the series in order, it probably works out well enough. I think that, for me, this made sense because it does assume a little that a reader knows about the world building and there is enough content explaining the plot, but I would not say it was as well accomplished as it could. The story is pretty basic precisely because it infers readers have knowledge, and Liliana and Azagoth have a very quick romance progression. I mean, I could debate that this is PNR and some "fated mates" vibe can be found (kind of), but there isn't much to it, no.

Azagoth wants to rest, wants to have someone to be with him after so long doing something for duty. I think his personality and attitude were presented in a way that there was no doubt he was supposed to be seen as a "good guy", even bearing in mind shady stuff. I think his connection to Liliana was too much about attraction (obviously!), but the author did manage to convey the idea they were a good match in other levels and I liked how the surroundings improved the more their shared emotions and feelings.

Liliana is a new character, if I remember correctly, and we are given more about her too quickly to justify her character and so on, and I got the feeling she wasn't as developed. She is a good angel and all that but - another expectation repetitively met - there's a misunderstanding, a conflict between them and also, a bit later, a reconciliation. This romance tactic might be proven right and accepted in countless romance novels but sometimes things do feel a little exaggerated. I thought an honest conversation could have been a fresh take on things instead...

Overall, this made enough sense, in the big scheme of things, and it was certainly nice to think about those characters again, about their world and it did make me want to revisit my favorite scenes, but I don't think it was truly ground breaking, plot wise.

Grade: 7/10