In my review of Life and Limb, I wrote: “A new Jennifer Roberson novel is always a treat, but a new Jennifer Roberson series is a cause for celebration.” Sinners and Saints, which continues the story of Gabe and Remi, an ex-con biker and a Texas cowboy, is even better! The two unlikely brothers-in-spirit share part-angelic ancestry and all-too-human limitations. Now, abandoned by their heavenly guide and thrown on their own resources, they’re about to face an unexpected menace: the spirit of Jack the Ripper (yes, that Jack the Ripper) who is bent on savagely murdering women who share the names of his historical victims. As if that weren’t enough of a challenge, Lucifer’s own shock troops are out to destroy the two.

Sinners and Saints succeeds on so many levels: fascinating world-building that draws from diverse folklore, myths, and legends, plot twists and superbly handled tension to keep the pages turning, and a mystery worthy of a volume of its own. The best part for me, though, is the hallmark of Roberson’s work: the depth and intricacy of her characters. Gabe and Remi are not only heroes to fall in love with over and over, but reminders that even fallible humans are capable of tremendous courage, loyalty, and self-sacrifice. No matter what the odds and reversals, no matter how many times they stumble, they never give up. The world is a better, more hopeful place with them in it.

Upfront, this sounds like my type of book. I love me some weird west, some urban fantasy, some tales of myth and magic. I knew starting at book two would put me at a slight disadvantage, but I've found most genre series one can get away without reading the first book. Book one establishes and builds the characters and setting, book two gives us enough of a recap to know who and what we're dealing with and generally gets to the meat of things. Sometimes book two continues the job of book one in establishing the characters. I'm an opportunistic reader, and if my introduction to a series is the middle, so be it, if I like it I'll go and read the beginning and through the whole thing. Sinners and Saints lived up to this expectation and made sure the reader was starting with the necessary information.

TL;DR - I didn't start at the beginning of the series, and I don't think it impacted me reading a whole lot.

Reading I struggled with the story in a few places. It hit a pet peeve early by someone casually saying that Osirus, Hades, and Satan are the same figure... which just makes me put on the breaks and go WAIT A MINUTE NOW. I'll buy "they have some similar roles and duties," both are involved with the afterlife and the souls of the dead after all. I also had this really strange struggle regarding Gabe. For some reason I kept reading Gabe as female, then would be jarred with the text correcting me. Honestly, the story would be more interesting to me with Gabe as a lesbian biker standing off against the incoming holy war, but it is what it is.

The story does deliver what it promises, and some more. The ground Remi and Gabe stand on is not as certain as they could wish, and their own roles points of contention among the Host. Perhaps my favorite parts are those with the ghosts, and you'll have to read to understand that part.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to someone specifically for the "Western" attribute. It has cowboys and the geographic location, but it lacks the connection to the roots of the Western genre or to separate itself otherwise from general Contemporary/Urban Fantasy. There's no frontier, they are within civilization, and they may be brothers but they are not a band of brothers nor are they ronin standing in the way of injustice. The Western genre is larger than this, of course, but the fit remains off.

Instead, I would recommend it in line with contemporary fantasy with themes of mythology and angels vs demons. I would definitely recommend it for fans of Supernatural

I read Mythology with angels and cowboy mcs and I was like I'm intrigued! Unfortunately the story felt a bit messy and crowded. This was like supernatural but it felt like something was missing from it. You don't necessarily have to read the first book to understand what happens but I recommend that you should for full understanding of the plot.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sinners and Saints is the second installment in author Jennifer Roberson's Blood and Bone series. This story begins exactly where Life and Limb left off. It’s up to Gabriel Harlan, a biker in black leather, and Remiel McCue, a country music-loving cowboy, to stop Armageddon and take up the fight between heaven and hell in this dark urban fantasy. Gabe was recently released from prison after he killed someone. Remi has been living in Arizona where he loves to buck horses. The two are tied by the fact that neither of them is entirely human.

In his war on Heaven, the devil has claimed a more dangerous, unearthly weapon: demons. Now loosed upon the earth in the first spasms of an unholy war, demons inhabit and make real the beasts and characters of fiction, folklore, fairy-tales. Gods and goddesses walk the earth and have chosen sides. Myth becomes reality. Legends and lies become truths. End Times. End of Days. Armageddon and Apocalypse. It’s up to Gabe and Remi to stop it, no matter the name. But how do you stop the Devil? Tell truth from lies? Friend from foe? Heaven has its own agenda, and demons wear wings, too.

Gabe as the first born is the Alpha, while Remi is the Beta. Gabe is really good with guns, Remi is really good with knives. Gabe is sensitive to places, Remi is an empath. Gabe and Remi's allies include Lily Morrigan aka Boudica the Irish Goddess of War who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61 and an African Orisha who sings volcanoes awake. At the end of the previous novel, Gabe and Remi received a disturbing letter and photo. Apparently demons have chosen to bring Jack the Ripper to life as well as his list of names that the original Jack killed in London.

As new characters are introduced, nothing is quite what it seems nor is their mission quite what they expect. And that lack of black and white, is exactly what makes the story so compelling. Can the boys really trust the man they call Granddaddy who is almost never around? Or how about the woman Park Ranger who strolls in on them after they've put down a monstrous demon and just happens to be one of the women on Jack's list? Or how about Ambriel, the Female Grigori who tells the boys to pay attention and not get lured in by all the pretty bells and whistles when something bigger is happening?

She also gives them a flash drive which could lead to serious answers to their questions. The most stunning revelation is that there are Gods like Hades who are playing a game similar to fantasy football where they choose who they want, and then try to move them around like pieces on a chess board. Once again, the story ends on a cliffhanger and all I have to say is, please don't take another 2 years before the third book is released! My recommendation is that readers absolutely must read these books in order since they are all connected.

Sinners and Saints by Jennifer Roberson: Engrossing Twist on Urban Fantasy
A biker and a cowboy must fight the coming apocalypse in the second book of the Blood and Bone contemporary western fantasy series.
It's the End of Days, and Gabe and Remi--an ex-con biker and a Texas cowboy--have been conscripted to join the heavenly host in a battle against Lucifer's spec ops troops: demons who inhabit characters from fiction, history, myths, legends, and folklore.
But Gabe and Remi, still learning their roles, now must deal with one particular demon wearing the body of an infamous murderer: Jack the Ripper. Young women bearing the names of the murder victims killed during the Ripper's time are turning up dead, setting Gabe and Remi on a perilous path to save whoever they can, while also battling members of Lucifer's vanguard bent on killing them.
Sinners and Saints is myth and magic, gods and goddesses, angels and agendas.

The second book in Jennifer Roberson’s new series, Blood and Bone, lives up to the potential in book one. Not only that, but I think it actually is slightly better. In the first book, Jennifer Roberson was still developing the characters and their world. Now, in the second, she is finished with the development stage and everything comes together much smoother. The rapport between Gabe and Remi is stronger, the action much more defined, and the twists in the plot unexpected.
In this novel, it picks up immediately after the action of the first book which can be a blessing or a bane. In this case, Roberson uses the voice of the character to bring readers up to speed very quickly. While it is certainly helpful to have read the first book and I highly recommend it, it is not impossible to follow the story without that prior knowledge. But what makes this so intriguing is the way the story twists and spins as the main characters, Gabe and Remi, attempt to figure out who and how to stop their newest antagonist, Jack the Ripper. Within the story, nothing is quite what it seems nor is their mission quite what they expect. And that lack of black and white, is exactly what makes the story so compelling.
In addition to the plot, I love the descriptions of the area. The book is currently set in modern Flagstaff, Arizona area and as a native to Arizona, Roberson’s descriptions are so authentic and real. I love having a western urban fantasy set in this area and better yet, it adds to the western elements of the book. That Roberson is so familiar with the area makes for a book that resonates with me and I think will do so with other readers from the area. But even more, it adds in texture and reality in a way that few other authors manage. While my fantasy does not have to be realistic, when an author uses a real location, it can add in a compelling aspect and that’s exactly what has happened here. Not only that, but it is definitely a different take on urban fantasy to have the protagonists be a biker and a cowboy. While it might not be to everyone’s taste, Jennifer Roberson’s writing is excellent and the story intriguing.
So for the second book in a series, Sinners and Saints does a fantastic job of adding in new twists and turns, new aspects to the world and some elements of intrigue that will keep readers coming back for more. There are enough loose ends for several more books and I, for one, can’t wait for more of the adventures of Gabe and Remi.
Rating: 5 out of 5 angels.

I liked book one in this series, I liked book two better! The characters and the world have been set up and the author can get right to the story. I didn't watch Supernatural when it was new but I’ve been catching up on Netflix and I would definitely recommend this series to a Supernatural fan!