Release day: Archangel of Mercy

Today is the official release of Archangel of Mercy by Christina Ashcroft 
(trade paperback and ebook, Penguin/Berkley Heat).  Here’s the blurb:

Between an angel and a desperate woman comes salvation- and a raw passion that challenges them at every turn…  When Aurora Robinson attempts to open a rift between dimensions to embrace her true heritage, an arrogant Archangel is the only one who can save her from the jaws of hell. And while she owes Gabriel her life, she’s determined not to fall at his feet-despite the desire she feels whenever they’re together.

After his wings were brutally destroyed millennia ago, Gabriel has no compassion for humans like those who ruined him and betrayed the ones he loved. But when he inexplicably finds himself defying ancient protocols to rescue a woman from a fate worse than death, he is shocked by the searing attraction he feels for a mortal.

As the ancient forces that seek to punish Aurora for her actions close in, Gabriel offers the tempting woman protection at his private sanctuary. But as they both succumb to their desires, they discover an even deeper connection-one that threatens to consume them.

Christina dropped by today to tell us a little about this book:

Several years ago, when the Archangel Gabriel first swept into my mind, I imagined his story could be told in a novella-length book. The only trouble was, Gabe was so closed off I couldn’t get a proper sense of who he truly was. I rewrote the novella twice before admitting defeat to this Alpha Archangel, and cyber-shelved the story. Fast forward a few years and after encouragement from my editor I decided to look again at my Archangel idea. But this time other elements bubbled into the mix. I’ve always been fascinated by the myths and legends of a lost continent. What’s not to love about the idea of an ancient civilisation that we know next to nothing about? This fascination was fed more than twenty years ago when I read something that pointed to evidence that the pyramids and Sphinx are thousands of years older than we’ve been led to believe. Suddenly the world that my Archangel inhabited in his wild, untroubled youth unfolded before me, and I began to understand the man inside the immortal and discovered the reasons for his conflicted, tortured soul. But although the published book is very different from the original short story I first imagined, its core remains the same. An Archangel whose heart was shattered millennia ago and who is emotionally crippled with grief and survivor’s guilt. And, of course, the woman who captures that damaged heart and heals his soul.

You can find out more about this book at Christine’s website and buy it at The Book Depository or Amazon.

All ARRA members who comment on this post will go in the draw to win a signed copy.  The giveaway closes on 25 December 2012. (The winner was Michelle)