Angels in Leather by Bella Jewell

Angels in Leather by Bella Jewell

The story had me confused but captivated from the very beginning. But a word to the wary – you will question some aspects of this book- as it is most definitely violently descriptive. It covers some scenario’s that you may find difficult but which are pertinent to the integrity of the story and for that reason it will hang your emotions out to dry along with your heart.

We find the female lead – Meadow in a pretty bad place to begin with life is too much and he has only one way out but she hadn’t happened upon her savour Axel having other ideas.

Jump forward 10 years and the circumstances are completely unrecognizable as is the relationship that is beginning to unfold between Meadow and Axel.

Meadow is on a mission to fulfil the dying wishes of her father and that leads her right into the path of the now volatile and damaged Axel Wraithe.

Axel has been tracking Meadow for years trying to recover the information she was given by her father – information that in the hands of the authorities would do no good.

But is there more to his quest for the information than we initially understand.

Meadow will stop at nothing to get the data she has to her father’s contact in LA and I have to say her dedication to the task at hand is admirable – most others would have given up long ago but to her credit, she leaves no stone unturned in outwitting Axel and his crew.

Unfortunately for Meadow despite all her best efforts, she places herself right in the epicentre of Axel’s home territory and without having to lift a finger, this time he has her in his grasp.

Meadow doesn’t break easily and the story revolves around the fight for dominance between them both – and for them both, their history is most definitely clouding their judgement.

The relationship between Meadow and Axel goes back years – and as I have said their history gives this story an added dimension. The sexual tension between the pair of them is immense and it makes for very interesting reading as the story develops.

Meadow is captivated in more ways than one by the dominant Axel that she is not at the mercy of and Mercy does not fitting well into Axel’s vocabulary! But given her current situation, she understands that nothing good is going to come from the fantasies she is having about him, but that doesn’t stop her thinking about him all the time.

Her mind remembers the man that saved her all those years ago but she has the flip side knowing what he did to her Dad and as a reader I found it difficult to reconcile her emotions with the man that was now holding her captive.

From what we know of Axel – his past has been brutal and the change in him from the last time he saw Meadow is absolutely complete – he is nothing like he was back then but we learn that not all is as it seems and much of what we see in him now is as a result of him being a victim of circumstance – one that we don’t quite get to know about straight away and because of that , we don’t fully understand the dynamic of his feelings for Meadow, but history is history and despite everything that has happened between them Meadow’s heart lets Axel in and while you may end up screaming at pages, the relationship between them is beautiful to read.

Meadow refuses to give in to his dominance and brutality, she fights him every way she can – she pushes all his button and takes his soul apart in every way possible in order to gain access to the man inside.

Understanding Axel and actually caring about him in anyway was difficult to begin with, his mannerisms and methods were reprehensible to say the very least. But the author held back on his past history and until that information becomes completely clear it is easy to hate him. After the clarity of his situation, I actually felt a modicum of empathy for him.

He had been created – tortured into being the cold, heartless creature he now is, one that shows no mercy – until Meadow and the creature that Meadow can see through and repair.

Axel, fought his feelings for Meadow tooth and nail but when fate took control he was left fighting for her just as hard and he did everything he could to keep her safe and to make everything right between them.

There were some great peripheral characters that added to the story line and I must admit that I am looking forward to the next instalment of the series for that fact.

The end of the novel caused me difficulties in as much as I could have done with it being a little more in-depth – considering the length of the novel – the build-up to the end I felt was a little bit rushed but that did not distract from the story – it finished on a high.

The story is brutal, intense and definitely not for the faint hearted but it is passionate. They love each other in their own way and in the end that is all that matters.

Rating 4 out of 5