Avenging Angels

"Lyuba Vinogradova is a historian with a writer's dramatic eye. By personally interviewing many of the Russian women who as teenagers during WW2 took up arms to defend the motherland, her story becomes undeniably poignant and powerful" MARTIN CRUZ SMITH, author of Gorky Park The girls came from every corner of the U.S.S.R. They were factory workers, domestic servants, teachers and clerks, and few were older than twenty. Though many had led hard lives before the war, nothing could have prepared them for the brutal facts of their new existence: with their country on its knees, and millions of its men already dead, grievously wounded or in captivity, from 1942 onwards thousands of Soviet women were trained as snipers. Thrown into the midst of some of the fiercest fighting of the Second World War they would soon learn what it was like to spend hour upon hour hunting German soldiers in the bleak expanses of no-man's-land; they would become familiar with the awful power that comes with taking another person's life; and in turn they would discover how it feels to see your closest friends torn away from you by an enemy shell or bullet. In a narrative that travels from the sinister catacombs beneath the Kerch Peninsula to Byelorussia's primeval forests and, finally, to the smoking ruins of the Third Reich, Lyuba Vinogradova recounts the untold stories of these brave young women. Drawing on diaries, letters and interviews with survivors, as well as previously unpublished material from the military archives, she offers a moving and unforgettable record of their experiences: the rigorous training, the squalid living quarters, the blood and chaos of the Eastern Front, and those moments of laughter and happiness that occasionally allowed the girls to forget, for a second or two, their horrifying circumstances. Avenging Angels is a masterful account of an all-too-often overlooked chapter of history, and an unparalleled account of these women's lives. Translated from the Russian by Arch Tait

Harlow O'Neill is waiting for Javier Montoya to make his move. She has it bad for the gorgeous new investigator at Nightingale Investigations and Security. She's sure he knows it. She's also sure he's just as into her. And she's read the Rock Chick books. She knows how those Hottie Squad men are supposed to win their women. Javi is just not trying to win her. Then one evening Harlow is undercover on a mission for the Avenging Angels, and Javi blows her cover. She's not happy about it. They share words and some of the ones Javi uses aren't all that great. Harlow retreats. Javi goes on the advance. And the man Harlow was investigating winds up dead. The Angels go all in to discover what's happening with a dating app scam that ended up with a dead guy. The Nightingale men aren't fans of the women wading in on such a dangerous case, and they're doing something about it. It's a race between the Angels and the Hottie Squad as to who's going to solve the mystery. While all of that happens, Javi's not taking any chances with Harlow's safety. He moves her into his place and Harlow learns firsthand what it means to be in the romantic crosshairs of a member of the Hottie Squad...and the heartbreaking reasons why Javi kept her at arm's length.

Luna Nelson and Knox Chambers fell together fast, and they did it hard. It was so big, so special, they wanted it just for themselves and kept it a secret from their found family: the Avenging Angels and the Hottie Squad. They both knew this was it. Together forever. What Luna didn't know was that Knox had secrets. Secrets that tore them apart. But when Knox asked for them to continue being friends-for the sake of their crew, and so he wouldn't lose her-Luna loved him enough to say yes. Yes to the torture of being in the life of a man who was the love of hers, but he let her go. Then, Knox gets shot. He gets shot not because he's got a dangerous job (which he does), but because his family is an absolute mess. With the man who means everything to her recuperating, Luna can't keep away. While Luna tries to keep the Angels safe from interfering in Knox's family's criminal enterprises, she and Knox circle each other, drawing a different kind of blood. Will Knox continue to keep his secrets? And will both of them be safe in the Chambers Family Feud?

Willow Knightley has just been through it with her ex-mooch of a boyfriend. But sadly, he's just the latest in a long string of men (starting at birth) who didn't treat her right. She decides her only recourse is to give up on men forever. The problem is, her friend/acquaintance/one-time bodyguard, member of the Nightingale Investigations & Security team, Gabriel Stark, has targeted her as His One. Gabe's been through it at the hands of women too, so he knows exactly what he wants. And he wants Willow. Willow states her case against them being an us, but she doesn't count on the fact that not only does Gabe love a challenge, he lives for them. Up against an onslaught from a man who rinses his own whiskers out of the sink, Willow might not stand a chance. But then, while the Angels are trying to figure out what's got one of their informants very jittery, she gets a hint that there are demons in Gabe's history, and she has to know. The bets are on... And luck favors a Stark.

Jessie Wylde is on a secret mission. She's trying to find her brother. She hasn't told her friends; this is about family. She doesn't think it's dangerous. Eric Turner disagrees. Eric is a member of the Nightingale Investigations and Security team. Therefore, Eric knows what he's talking about. Eric isn't only badass, he's also a seriously gorgeous guy, and Jessie has a huge crush on him. She doesn't think he knows she exists...until now. Eric steps in, and so do Jessie's besties, the Avenging Angels. Soon, the Angels and the Hottie Squad are on the case to find Jessie's missing sibling. There's more happening when it comes to Eric, though. Jessie's so worried about her brother, she's not paying attention. Eric sets about changing that, and just like all the Hot Bunch before him, when he finds his one, he doesn't mess around. However, something is afoot in Phoenix. And as the Angels uncover the sinister workings behind people going missing, and Eric and Jessie unpack their emotional baggage, the Angels dive deeper into the dark underbelly of the city... Finding heroes, more hot guys, lots of hijinks...and heart.

Jessie Wylde is on a secret mission. She's trying to find her brother. She hasn't told her friends; this is about family. She doesn't think it's dangerous. Eric Turner disagrees. Eric is a member of the Nightingale Investigations and Security team. Therefore, Eric knows what he's talking about. Eric isn't only badass, he's also a seriously gorgeous guy, and Jessie has a huge crush on him. She doesn't think he knows she exists...until now. Eric steps in, and so do Jessie's besties, the Avenging Angels. Soon, the Angels and the Hottie Squad are on the case to find Jessie's missing sibling. There's more happening when it comes to Eric, though. Jessie's so worried about her brother, she's not paying attention. Eric sets about changing that, and just like all the Hot Bunch before him, when he finds his one, he doesn't mess around. However, something is afoot in Phoenix. And as the Angels uncover the sinister workings behind people going missing, and Eric and Jessie unpack their emotional baggage, the Angels dive deeper into the dark underbelly of the city... Finding heroes, more hot guys, lots of hijinks...and heart.

Luna Nelson and Knox Chambers fell together fast, and they did it hard. It was so big, so special, they wanted it just for themselves and kept it a secret from their found family: the Avenging Angels and the Hottie Squad. They both knew this was it. Together forever. What Luna didn't know was that Knox had secrets. Secrets that tore them apart. But when Knox asked for them to continue being friends-for the sake of their crew, and so he wouldn't lose her-Luna loved him enough to say yes. Yes to the torture of being in the life of a man who was the love of hers, but he let her go. Then, Knox gets shot. He gets shot not because he's got a dangerous job (which he does), but because his family is an absolute mess. With the man who means everything to her recuperating, Luna can't keep away. While Luna tries to keep the Angels safe from interfering in Knox's family's criminal enterprises, she and Knox circle each other, drawing a different kind of blood. Will Knox continue to keep his secrets? And will both of them be safe in the Chambers Family Feud?

Willow Knightley has just been through it with her ex-mooch of a boyfriend. But sadly, he's just the latest in a long string of men (starting at birth) who didn't treat her right. She decides her only recourse is to give up on men forever. The problem is, her friend/acquaintance/one-time bodyguard, member of the Nightingale Investigations & Security team, Gabriel Stark, has targeted her as His One. Gabe's been through it at the hands of women too, so he knows exactly what he wants. And he wants Willow. Willow states her case against them being an us, but she doesn't count on the fact that not only does Gabe love a challenge, he lives for them. Up against an onslaught from a man who rinses his own whiskers out of the sink, Willow might not stand a chance. But then, while the Angels are trying to figure out what's got one of their informants very jittery, she gets a hint that there are demons in Gabe's history, and she has to know. The bets are on... And luck favors a Stark.

Harlow O'Neill is waiting for Javier Montoya to make his move. She has it bad for the gorgeous new investigator at Nightingale Investigations and Security. She's sure he knows it. She's also sure he's just as into her. And she's read the Rock Chick books. She knows how those Hottie Squad men are supposed to win their women. Javi is just not trying to win her. Then one evening Harlow is undercover on a mission for the Avenging Angels, and Javi blows her cover. She's not happy about it. They share words and some of the ones Javi uses aren't all that great. Harlow retreats. Javi goes on the advance. And the man Harlow was investigating winds up dead. The Angels go all in to discover what's happening with a dating app scam that ended up with a dead guy. The Nightingale men aren't fans of the women wading in on such a dangerous case, and they're doing something about it. It's a race between the Angels and the Hottie Squad as to who's going to solve the mystery. While all of that happens, Javi's not taking any chances with Harlow's safety. He moves her into his place and Harlow learns firsthand what it means to be in the romantic crosshairs of a member of the Hottie Squad...and the heartbreaking reasons why Javi kept her at arm's length.