Destiny (Rogue Angel Series #1) [NOOK Book]

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Overview

An ancient order tied to the Vatican...
A blood fortune buried in the caves of France...
A conspiracy of power, greed and darkest evil...

Archaeologist and explorer Annja Creed's fascination with the myths and mysteries of the past leads her to a crypt in the caves of France, where the terrifying legend of the Beast of Gevaudan hints at the unimaginable. What she discovers is shattering: an artifact that will ...

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Destiny (Rogue Angel Series #1)

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More About This Book

Overview

An ancient order tied to the Vatican...
A blood fortune buried in the caves of France...
A conspiracy of power, greed and darkest evil...

Archaeologist and explorer Annja Creed's fascination with the myths and mysteries of the past leads her to a crypt in the caves of France, where the terrifying legend of the Beast of Gevaudan hints at the unimaginable. What she discovers is shattering: an artifact that will seal her destiny; a brotherhood of monks willing to murder to protect their secret; and a powerful black-market occultist desperate to put his own claim to centuries-old blood money. Annja embarks on a high-tension race across Europe and history itself, intent on linking the unholy treachery of the ages with the staggering revelations of the present. But she must survive the shadow figures determined to silence her threat to their existence.

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble Review
Blending the super-intricate plotlines of historical thrillers like The Da Vinci Code, the over-the-top action of a DC Comics superhero adventure, and the archaeological intrigue of an Indiana Jones movie, Rogue Angel: Destiny features a protagonist that's a mix of Joan of Arc, Trinity from The Matrix, and Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. Annja Creed is an aspiring archaeologist who is currently paying the bills by working as an investigative reporter for a cable television show called Chasing History's Monsters. Sent to the Cevennes Mountains of France to unravel the gruesome legend of La Bête -- a female monstrosity said to have killed almost 100 people between 1764 and 1767 -- Creed is hiking in the mountains when an earthquake opens up a crevice leading to a cave containing what may be La Bête's remains. But she also finds an artifact (a shard from the sword of Joan of Arc) that will not only put her life in jeopardy but also lead her to some mind-blowing revelations…. While this novel, the first in a projected series by Alex Archer, is categorized as science fiction, it could just as easily be shelved in mainstream fiction or action/adventure in any bookstore. Future installments may delve into more SF-related themes; but there is little, if any, sci fi in this book. Regardless of categorization, this Gold Eagle release is a page-turner of the highest order, packed with nonstop action and intrigue that will surely satisfy fans of The Da Vinci Code. You want secret European monastic cults, Vatican conspiracies, bizarre murders, and centuries-old mysteries? Look no further. Paul Goat Allen
Publishers Weekly
History, mystery and metaphysics are at the center of an inspired adventure novel, the first in a series by debut author Archer. This present-day tale brings Annja Creed, archeologist and field reporter for cable TV's Chasing History's Monsters, from Brooklyn to the small town of Lozere, France, to hunt down evidence of La Bete, the Beast of Gevaudan, rumored to have killed close to 100 people between 1764 and 1767. Instead of investigating dusty bookshops and hiking in the Cevennes Mountains, however, Annja finds herself fighting to protect an ancient charm she's uncovered from 500-year-old men, a dangerous occultist anxious for profit and a brotherhood of monks desperate to keep safe the charm's secret. Annja is a deft, well-drawn character, a woman in her mid-20s who is intelligent, alluring and able to fend off multiple attackers twice her size while keeping her cool. Archer keeps pace by building up a cohesive, multilayered plot with attention-grabbing action sequences. Though Archer wraps up Annja's hunt for the truth behind La Bete in this volume, readers should be eager for her next adventure-and fortunately for them, it's scheduled for release this September. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781552544945
  • Publisher: Harlequin
  • Publication date: 6/1/2009
  • Series: Rogue Angel Series , #1
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 352
  • Sales rank: 68,017
  • File size: 238 KB

Read an Excerpt

An excerpt from DESTINY, book 1 of the new Rogue Angel™ series.

Deep in the mountains of Lozère, France, a discovery is made that will seal Annja Creed’s destiny…

Was this a place of worship? Annja wondered. Or an altar celebrating past triumphs? She tried to imagine Cro-Magnon men sitting in the cave bragging about their success as fierce hunters. Except that the sheep’s body was anachronistic. None of the sheep’s forebears had looked like that in Cro-Magnon times. This sheep was small and compact, bred for meat and wool, not far removed from the sheep Annja had seen on farms she’d passed on her way to the mountain range. Looking closely, she noticed that several of the skulls were human. Used to handling human remains on dig sites, she had no fear of the dead. She set down the flashlight to illuminate the scene. Upon further inspection, she discovered that several of the ribs, and arm and leg bones were likely human, as well. Shreds of clothing that looked hundreds of years old clung to some of the bones. Boots stood and lay amid the clutter. A cold chill ran down her spine. Whatever had lived in the cave had preyed on humans. Shifting the light, heart beating a little faster, Annja spotted the great body stretched out on the floor. For a very tense moment, she’d thought the animal was lying there waiting to pounce. She froze. The light played over the mummified lips pulled back in a savage snarl that exposed huge yellow teeth. The eye sockets were hollow, long empty and dry. In that moment, the animal musk she’d smelled seemed even more intense. Death had stripped the fantastic creature of much of its bulk, but it was still easy to see how huge it had been in life. The head was as big as a buffalo’s but more bearlike in shape. Its body was thick and broad and the limbs were huge. It was unlike anything Annja had ever seen before. Making herself move despite the fear and astonishment she felt, Annja took pictures of the creature with the digital camera. Finished with the camera, she hurriedly took out a small drawing pad and a mechanical pencil from her backpack. If the camera failed to capture images, she could at least draw them. On closer inspection, Annja saw a broad-bladed spear shoved through the beast’s chest. Beneath the corpse of the impossible animal was a human corpse. Decomposition hadn’t settled in. Locked in the steady climate of the cave environment, kept bug-free by depth and ecology, the dead man had mummified as the beast had. His hands, the flesh so dehydrated it was almost like onionskin over the bones, still held tightly to the spear. Man and beast, locked in savage combat, had killed each other. Kneeling beside the dead man and beast, she reached out her empty hand. Something gleamed at the dead man’s throat. Taking a surgical glove from her backpack, Annja plucked the gleaming object from the corpse. It had partially sunk into the dead man’s chest. A leather thong tied the object around the corpse’s neck. After freeing the gleaming object, Annja held it up so her flashlight beam could easily illuminate it. A jagged piece of metal, no more than two inches to a side, dangled from the leather thong. The piece looked like an ill-made coin, hammered out on some smith’s anvil in a hurry. One side held an image of a wolf standing in front of a mountain. The wolf was disproportioned, though the oddities seemed intentional, and it appeared as though the wolf had been hanged. The obverse was stamped with a symbol she couldn’t quite make out. Annja remained kneeling. She was checking the image when a flashlight beam whipped across her face. Instinctively, she dodged away, remembering the motorcyclists and the old man she’d seen outside. She tucked the drawing pad, pencils and charm into her backpack as she scooped up her flashlight and switched it off. “Where the hell did she go?” someone demanded in French. Shadows created by the glow of the flashlight trailed the beam into the chamber. Annja stayed low as the light sprayed around the room. She barely escaped it before reaching the pile of skulls. Once there, she flattened herself against the wall. Light played over leather-clad bodies that stepped into the chamber. Evidently the motorcyclists had made their way down the sinkhole. They’d come along the passage Annja had found. She’d been so absorbed by her discoveries that she’d forgotten all about them and hadn’t noticed them. Silently, she cursed herself. “She can’t have just vanished,” another man said. In the soft glow of the reflected light from the flashlight, all six of them stood revealed. All of them held pistols. “If we lose her, Lesauvage is going to kill us.” The speaker’s voice was tight with fear. “We haven’t lost her,” someone stated calmly. “We came in that hole after her. There’s no other way out.” “You don’t know that, Foulard.” Another man gave a startled curse. “What the hell’s lying there?” Foulard aimed his flashlight at the creature’s huge mummified body. “The Beast of Gévaudan!” someone said. “It must be! Look at it! My grandfather told me stories about this thing!” His voice dropped and took on a note of awe. “I never believed him. Thought it was all crap old men told kids to scare the hell out of them.” Hidden by the shadow of the skulls, Annja’s mind raced. They came here looking for me. “Forget about that damned thing,” Foulard commanded. “Spread out. Find the woman. Lesauvage wants to speak with her. I don’t want to go back and tell him we lost her.” He directed his flashlight at the cavern’s ceiling, providing a weak cone of illumination from above. Thankfully, the light didn’t quite reach the cavern floor. Annja sank down low. Her free hand plucked up one of the human skulls. Her fingers slipped easily through the empty eyeholes to secure her hold. It wasn’t much as weapons went, but she hoped to improve her standing.

Join Annja in her quest to uncover the truth behind the Beast of Gevaudan and discover how the unusual coin will seal her fate.

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Table of Contents

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 56 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(24)

4 Star

(22)

3 Star

(5)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(4)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 56 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 16, 2006

    One Hellava Ride!

    I just finished this FAN-TAB-ULOUS book. I powered through it in under three hours. It hooked me hard and fast. When another writer hooks another writer, readers HAVE to believe the book is well written. Annja is a kick-butt heroine in the same line as Laura Croft, Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark or Sigorney Weaver's character in Alien. An archeologist, Annja stumbles onto a mystery while trying to make a living as a host of a history show. She's in search of a story, but what she finds is more than just a story. She finds a magical sword linked to Joan of Arc, a villian of great proportions, a monster and two possible villians who could also be redeemed as heroes. This book reminded me of my favorite kind of action films or books, The DaVinci Code, Tomb Raider, Raiders of the Lost Ark and all the action flicks I've seen over the years. To say that Archer created a movie in my head is an understatement. The tight writing, terrific detail and exciting pace didn't let up until the end, and it left me wanting more. I'm glad there are two more books to come later this year. If there was anything not to like, it was that there was no real romantic elements woven into the book. This didn't hinder the read though, and it was quite satisfying nonetheless. If you like action, like to see a woman empowered and outsmarting the bad guys, then this book is for you!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 1, 2006

    Indiana, Lara, now Annja

    Yes, I read this book twice. I thought this was an amazing adventure for a brand new action hero beautiful Annja Creed. Beginning with the mystery of La Bete to the sword of Joan of Arc I could not put it down. A cross between Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. This is the first of three books in this exciting series.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 25, 2006

    Rogue Angel - The start of a great series

    I was looking for a fun book to read while traveling on an airplane and the Rogue Angel kept me entertained. The main storyline involves Annja Creed, an adventuresome Archaeologist/TV personality who becomes the owner of Joan of Arc¿s sword. This book is the first of the series and establishes Annja¿s origins with the sword. The storyline for this book focuses on the mystery of La Bete, which involves deadly occultists battling with renegade monks while Annja is trying to solve the puzzle and stay alive. The mystery of the La Bete keeps you guesses and ends with a satisfying conclusion. The author does an excellent job of writing a character-driven action story. If you are fan of Joan of Arc, Witchblade and the Da Vinci code, this book will appeal to you.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 20, 2006

    I loved it!

    This is an absolutely terrific action/adventure with a wonderfully unfolding mystery, a delicious treasure hunt, secrets, a mystical sword (that you'll want to own), and -- my favorite -- a smart, witty heroine (I wanted to be her). You will stay up turning the pages to see what happens next. And the secondary characters are fabulous, as well! Two especially -- they made me laugh and charmed me completely. Some books you just want to dive into the pages and become part of the story and this is one of them. This is a book to buy, no doubt about it!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 19, 2006

    Loved the Adventure!!

    Annja Creed is worthy of a series. The archaeology and the action in this first book - Destiny - is reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark but with a touch of the TV show Witchblade thrown in. The pacing in this story is great---a very fast read. Can't wait for the next one!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 16, 2012

    I love this series! You know how I got into this book? I had fou

    I love this series! You know how I got into this book? I had found Destiny plus 4 or 5 of the other Rogue Angel books at Goodwill. At the time they were outside in big boxes with a sign saying they were 25 cents a piece. Of course me and my mom shifted through them to see if we could find anything good. I came across a book with the Rogue Angel title and, after reading the back cover, it looked interesting enough. After a little bit of searching, we found all there was there and went inside to pay for them. When I got home, after figuring out the Destiny was the first book, I started to read and quickly feel in love with this series.

    Weird how stuff like that can happen huh? Anyways now I own all of the books, some used some new, except for the newest ones that are being released. I plan on getting those too though and I hope that this book continues with the series. Though with 41 books, they may be running out of ideas for this book. Still great book, one everyone should read for they want a new series to get hooked on.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 4, 2012

    Lara croft eat your heart out

    This book is intense

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  • Posted July 21, 2011

    Full of action

    Great story with a mystery to solve

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  • Posted May 16, 2010

    Good book, just not enough romance!

    This is one that could've been a 5 star except it left the romance category and simply went for Fantasy. Normally, I'm annoyed by too much sexual contact and not enough story, but in this case it was non-existent. The other complaint I have is that there was no actual "angel" that came forward as such. Why the rogue angel series then?

    I loved Annja in many ways! She's tough and a brawler and takes no crap period. However there could've been something between her and Garin as an example, if not Roux because he was described as about 70 or so. (I have not read the continuing books so I don't know if relationships develop in the future or not I'm only commenting on this particular book!)

    What I didn't like about it is the abrupt ending. It came too quickly and left too many unanswered questions. What did Roux mean when he commented that he had "fought much worse" than the enemies they faced? Demons? Lucifer? Who?? That kind of leave 'em in suspense writing is not something I like. If I enjoy the book, I'll buy the rest of the series, there's no need to lure me in!

    Overall I gave it a 3 star. Sorry to the writer. This could've been so much more....

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 3, 2008

    Witchblade meets Lara Croft

    I really enjoyed this book and felt it had some resemblance of Witchblade with a hint of Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones, which to me isn't a bad thing at all. The action was consistent and the characters colorful. What will be interesting to see evolve is the relationship between Annja and her 500 year old mentor Roux through this series.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 29, 2008

    AMAZING

    I loved this book and I fully expected to hate it lol Seriously though, this book was awesome. Reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code and The Historian with a little something extra thrown in. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 2, 2007

    A reviewer

    A big fantasy and horror reader, I liked this book. It was different from some of the other books in the genre. Lots of action, and I like the way the author tied in the historical with the mumbo jumbo. I have high expectations for the rest of the series, as the author has a great character in Annja. All ages can enjoy this read.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 6, 2007

    Thought provoking, worth lending it out to be shared

    This book was amazing! The cover grabbed me - I'm a sucker for swords! - & after reading the first page, I was hooked. I read it from cover to cover in one afternoon. There are enough mysteries and action to keep anyone's attention. Its certainly a twist on the usual religious novels. Annja is the perfect kind of heroine. I can't wait to buy the rest of the series.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 12, 2006

    Fast paced action and detailed!

    Rogue Angel: Destiny by Alex Archer This book was recommended by a friend whose opinions I value, from a literary perspective, so I started it with very high expectations. Boy did it hit the high marks! This book starts by hitting the ground running and very rarely slows down to take a breath. This caught me off guard, from a series so young, as I write this book number 3 has just been released. Then as I flipped through its pages I noted that it was being published by GOLD EAGLE. Why should THAT make such a big difference? Well Gold Eagle books bought the publishing rights to the EXECUTIONER series back in the 1980¿s For those folks unfamiliar with that series, it started very much like a ¿Punisher¿ premise of revenge against the mob, when Gold Eagle bought them several things started to happen. First there were SEVERAL series available to choose from, all revolving around these characters. Secondly they were publishing 4 to 6 books each MONTH. They also offered a club that you could sign up for whereby you received your books ahead of everyone else, you go a discount and you didn¿t have to leave the house to get them. I participated for several years, and then the load at college got to outweigh the amount if free time available for reading. But I digress. This however does account for the fast action available in this book, and sets a very high standard for the Author for future volumes. Anja Creed appears to be an investigator for a ¿history TV ¿based show investigating history¿s monsters. And that¿s where we find her when the novel opens. Running across France in search of a mysterious beast that killed hundreds of people over the centuries. The first surprise of the books comes when she seems to solve that mystery within the first 1/3 of the book! Of course she has help in her discovery, since she¿s being chased by motorcycled maniacs, madman monks and even nature itself seems to be involved as a mysterious earthquake opens up the tomb of the beast and the closes itself once she has fled. Once you catch up with Anja and she has stopped to catch her breath, the real adventure starts. Who are these gangsters and why are they fixated on her work? Why are the monks determined to kill her? THEN she meets two men who claim to be several hundred years old and hate each other, but have one common interest HER. There is a HUGE potential built into not only this book but this character and the series itself. When dealing with an Indiana Jones type character, which is very intelligent and has a very strong grasp of the unusual you really lay yourself out a very broad palette to draw from, that combined with several `mystically oriented¿ sidebars makes for very interesting and very rapid reading. My hope is that this series will extend for quite a few books, allowing the author a very slow development process to flesh out the main character as well as paint a nice backdrop for some of the ancillary characters as well. I¿d give it 7 out of 10 for pleasure reading, an 8/10 for adventure and a solid 9/10 for potential.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 9, 2006

    THE START OF A NEW SERIES

    This book was Excellent I finished it in 2 days and I just could stop reading it. I can't wait for the second book to come out titled Solomon's Jar. This book has what every adventure reader is looking for.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 6, 2006

    A real page turner

    Part Indiana Jones, part Buffy the Vampire Slayer, part paranormal thriller. This was a fun fast read and well worth your time and money.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 3, 2006

    In Search of Adventure

    Although reminesent of a tv storyline of a cop with magic bracelets, this novel keeps your interest from first word to last. A beautiful archeologist, a secret monastary, two sort of old men, a master criminal and a sense of humor allow the plot to develop and weave its web around the reader. A modern, (thank goodness no references to DaVinci), mystic thriller that brings a heroine who idealies good vs evil when of course good wins. I enjoyed this book and could not put it down until I finished it. I look forward to the continuation of the series for many books to come

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  • Anonymous

    Posted June 9, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 6, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 6, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

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