AVENGING ANGEL - Kristen Ashley

5 stars

I have been waiting a LONG, long time for the Rock Chicks universe spin-off series. It's here.

…and it was AWESOME. My heart is full.

Characters: ★★★★★
Plot/Pacing: ★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★★

From the Blurb:
Rachel Armstrong has a burning need to right the world’s wrongs. Thus, she becomes the Avenging Angel. And maybe she’s a bit too cocky about it.

While riding a hunch about the identity of a kidnapper, she runs into Julien “Cap” Jackson, who was trained by the team at Nightingale Investigations in Denver. Now he’s a full-fledged member at their newly opened Phoenix branch.

It takes Cap a beat to realize Raye’s the woman for him. It takes Raye a little longer (but just a little) to figure out how she feels about Cap. As Raye introduces Cap to her crazy posse of found family and his new home in the Valley of the Sun, Cap struggles with his protective streak. Because Raye has no intention to stop doing what she can to save the world.

But there’s a mysterious entity out there who has discovered what Raye is up to, and they’ve become very interested. Not to mention, women are going missing in Phoenix, and it seems like the police aren’t taking it seriously. Raye believes someone should.

So she recruits her best friend Luna, and between making coffees, mixing cocktails, planning parties and enduring family interventions (along with reunions), the Avenging Angels unite to ride to the rescue.

When you've waited a long time for something, it builds up in your head. Expectations, memories, that nostalgia of the past growing in effect over time... The whole nine yards. That's why sequels and spin offs are so tough for me—both in my books and in television/movies.

Based on that, you could definitely say I was nervous for Avenging Angels.

How could a new spin-off give me that same rush of pure joy that the original Rock Chick series gave me??

Will the vibes resonate??

Can I let go enough of my old favorites and their memories and let in a new generation??

All of those questions and others made me anxious. But y'all--when in doubt, it's always best to trust the process. KA delivered.

From that very first chapter, I was hooked. Rachel, or "Raye," leapt right off the page and into my heart with her drive, her shenanigans, and her Phoenix found family. It was like no time had passed and yet, still, something fresh and new unfolding on the page. Raye might be an Angel, not a Rock Chick, but dang does she stand mighty fine next to our original leading ladies.

And then there's Cap. Who I was most nervous about—I'm being honest!--mostly due to the fact that I wasn't sure if I, as a reader, could make that transition from seeing him as a young teen named "Sniff" in the original series to the badass leading man energy of a KA love interest. Again, I don't know why I ever doubted... Cap, nicknamed because of his physical similarities to a yummy bearded Chris Evans, was perfect. Assertive without being an alphahole. Competent without being annoying. Supportive of Raye's journey without being a background wallflower. He just...worked. And that worked for me in a big way.

There's no other way to say this: I felt like I was coming home to this novel after being away for several years.

Home might look a little different for us Rock Chick fans—we're in Phoenix, not Denver, and the cast of characters is largely new—but it was still home. I thought the balance of old to new was done perfectly in Avenging Angels. It's a new cast, but the old cast is there too in a realistic way. And the shenanigans?? OH BOY, hang on to your hat. Ridiculous in that classic KA way. Lovable in that KA way. Just... home. (At least for this KA and Rock Chick mega fan.)

Can't wait for more of the Angels to get their happy endings!

Thank you so much to the author for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.