Member Reviews

I love the Angelbound world and am so happy to dive once again into this world with a new set of stories and characters. Archenemy is the first book in this new Angelbound story. Archenemy is the first book in the Angelbound Xavier Trilogy and I can tell you right now I can’t wait for the other books to appear.

Archenemy is Camilla and Xavier’s stories. Their story is a blast to read with all the gods and angels that make their appearance. I have always loved stories about the god Set. Set is set on destroying the world.

Xavier has a plan to stop Set. But before he can a beautiful woman appears before him turning his world upside down. Xavier wants nothing to do with this woman but she and his body have other ideas. Xavier learns that this woman is from the future if you can believe that.

This woman, Camilla says she has come back to help Xavier save the world from Set. But Xavier always works alone which is just the way he likes it but this woman has other plans. Will Xavier accept Camilla’s help? Can they save the world from Set and his destruction? Or will Set destroy it?

There is only one way to find out and that is to grab a copy of Archenemy today for the rest of the story! Oh, and I highly recommend Archenemy as well as all of the books set in the Angelbound world!

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Xavier is an angel who must stop the Egyptian God Set from escaping his prison. As he prepares to enact a spell, he is distracted by the arrival of Camilla, a beautiful woman from the future. She says she is an ally, but despite the powerful attraction he feels for her, Xavier worries she could be working with Set.
An intriguing story that unfolds at a good pace. The characters are well written and I kept reading to find out what happened next. I do enjoy books about Ancient Egypt which drew me to this book initially. I would recommend it for paranormal romance fans.

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Archenemy (Book1, Angelbound Xavier series) – Christina Bauer



I was given a copy of this story through Net Galley in order to provide an honest review.



Christina Bauer is an American author who writes many fantasy stories. Besides the “Angelbound Offspring” series she has also written the “Pixieland Diaries” and the “Beholder” series plus many more.



Xavier is a simple lower-level Angel – a warrior angel.

Yet somehow the great Ancient Egyptian God Osiris choses to save him from a battlefield. Then Osiris begins to teach him magic and simple things over the years.

But it all ends the day Osiris goes off by himself to face his brother Set – and Xavier finds his body in the Nile. Yet it is not Xavier that goes to confront or try to punish Set, it is Horus. Horus, drunk as he was, was able to imprison Set. All Xavier could do was run and hide – and this he did for many years.

Until his dreams of the woman in red – dreams that let him unable to sleep or function properly. Then the unthinkable happens, Set visits him – taunting him about the woman in red, supposedly a minion of his own on her way to kill him.

That’s when Xavier wakes from his dream and knows exactly what he has to do – visit the red pyramid and ensure that Set hasn’t escaped. Luckily Set hasn’t escaped yet but unless something is done to stop him, he will soon and destroy everything in his path. So off Xavier goes to do what he can but then he runs into the woman in red – Camilla. She’s real and even more alluring in person but swears she isn’t an agent of Set but from the future here to stop him; and together they embark on a mission to imprison Set forever.



“Archenemy” is a short fantasy story that once again delves into the author’s wonderful world of angels, purgatory and magic. Though this was a short story, the story telling was rich and magical – with an ancient Egyptian theme I absolutely adored it. This story really highlights the talent of the author to be able to tell and convey so much across so few pages is really something. For any fantasy fan that just needs a quick escape or to unwind – this is definitely the book for you.

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Ancient Egypt comes to bear in this story of power and greed. Set, the god of chaos, wants to destroy the human race but Camilla comes from the future to work with Xavier and save the world.

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Love stronger than time - archangels and Egyption gods, druids and magic. He will travel through time to cure his beloved, and what an interesting journey it is.

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This is Camila and Xavier's story, set in the Angelbound world and mixed with Egyptian mythology. The story was entertaining, and I was hooked from the start; I think the story was well-paced, the worldbuilding was fantastic, and I love how the author used Egyptian mythology to add something more original to this fantasy story. The romance and suspense were well-balanced.

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Archenemy is the story of Myla's father, Xavier. Set in the past, it explores how the archangel became who he is today.

There is a mixture of Egyptian mythology with the angels.

A fast-paced story, full of twists of turns, but I had the hardest time getting into it.

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I enjoyed this story. I look forward to more in the series, these always end way too soon for me. I like the characters..


Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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3.5 stars—ARCHENEMY is the first instalment in Christina Bauer’s adult ANGELBOUND XAVIER Egyptian gods and goddesses, fantasy trilogy, set in the author’s ANGELBOUND ORIGINS world. This is the story of lower angel/warrior/Archangel Xavier, and Purgatory’s quasi demon Camilla.

Told from first person perspective (Xavier) ARCHENEMY follows lower angel Xavier as he struggles to contain tSet, the god of chaos, in the Red Pyramid of Egypt. Set went into battle with his brother Osiris, eventually killing Osiris, wherein Osiris would embark on a life ruling the Underworld. With Xavier’s aid, Set would be imprisoned in the Red Pyramid but Set’s magic is too powerful, and the god of chaos is about to reap havoc upon the world but not before warning Xavier about a woman in red who would be Xavier’s downfall. Enter Camilla, a quasi demon of Purgatory, and the woman with whom Xavier had fallen in love. With the help of magic, Xavier and Camilla go in search of three ingredients meant to contain the god of chaos but Xavier will soon discover Camilla is dying, and it may be his fault. As Xavier and Camilla journey together in the search for the magical properties, the gods and goddesses each inquiry of Xavier if he knows why he was chosen.

ARCHENEMY blends the mythology of Egyptian gods and goddesses with Christina Bauer’s take on power and control. The premise is engaging and entertaining but adolescent in presentation and story telling-this trilogy may be suited for a younger teen audience. The characters are magical; the romance is hidden by secrets and eons of love.



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How do I do this and not give away all the delight inside? ... You are going to love this. CB always deliver with the world she created for the Angelbound World/Universe. There was so much for you to get lost in. The vivid imagery was just a tip of the delights you will find within the pages of this new trilogy. Her mind is just amazballs.

Xavier was a lone warrior that liked it that way. Of course, you know that it had to be a female to show him the error of his thinking. Not just any female. With him being an angel it could only be a human female. A human female, Camilla, that shows him a bit more than he was not and could not do this alone.

Camilla was so much more than what Xavier was barging for. She was that one for him that would make everything in his world make sense and not make sense all at the same time. You will have to pick up a copy of Archenemy to see what I am not telling you.

Just FYI. I admit this is a bias review. I absolutely love the world of Anglebound. I love the new and different characters available for consumption in the world created.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Page-turner Great world building Easy-to-read Entertaining Wonderful characters Witty Action-packed

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I loved how fast paced it was. From the moment I started it, I was hooked!

Xavier is on a quest to defeat & lock away Set, the God of Chaos, once and for all.

When Camilla comes on the scene, Xavier doesn’t know what to do.

Xavier works alone and now suddenly she is telling him that they have to work together. It also doesn’t help that he’s insanely attracted to her & he is doing everything he can to avoid those feelings.

I love how Egyptian mythology was woven in so well, as well as having visuals of the Gods and places in the book.

I was left wanting more, that’s the ONLY reason I gave it four stars, instead of five.

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The angel Xavier has a plan to capture Set, the Egyptian chaos god, and lock him away. Everything is going well until a mysterious woman appears and tells him she is from his future. If that wasn’t weird enough, Camilla tells Xavier that they must work together to defeat Set. That goes completely against Xavier’s plan and he does everything he can to avoid her help. Of course, it doesn’t help that he is unexpectantly attracted to her. Is Camilla’s appearance part of Set’s chaos magic? Will Xavier be able to save humanity and himself?

Archenemy is the first book in the Angelbound Xavier series. This is a new spinoff series of Angelbound and takes place many years before the original books. Bauer has made another short book that had the action and adventure almost turning the pages themselves. I believe this book could have been even better if it was longer and some additional details were given throughout, but I also enjoyed a book I could finish in one sitting. I’m looking forward to the next book being released.

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When reading the Angelbound series, I was always curious as to who Myla's father could be, so when Xavier made an appearance and Camilla revealed that Myla's father was Xavier and not a ghoul, that revelation brightened my day.
But when reading the following books, another question arose: what was Xavier's life like before he met Camilla? And by the way, how did Xavier meet Camilla and what was his story like?
In Archenemy, Christina Bauer tells us a little about Xavier's life and his past without Camilla.
An excellent story, very entertaining, that combines the universe of Angelbound with Egyptian mythology. A topic that has always caught my attention, so for me, this will be a perfect series. I can't wait to read the next book: Archnemesis!
I loved this book and thank the author, Monster House Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think and feel about this book.

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So many thoughts, but many of them are technical (chuckle). So let’s get the story out of the way.

Archenemy is a great addition to the Angelbound series. It contributes to the adventure and adds another layer to Xavier and Camilla’s love story. So far we have seen their journey through other’s eyes and for the first time we get it directly from Xavier. (I’m trying not to give anything away here (chuckle).)

Christina Bauer has created a world from the past that sucked me right in and I wanted more. I will say that I am grateful that Bauer left out the aliens and mixing Rome and Egypt concepts. I would love to see Aurelian’s story. I’m thinking of a series of one-offs where we get individual one book stories that can fall under one series under Angelbound.

Back to the story, once again everything in the story makes sense. Bauer has this ability to jump back and forth in time with her characters and still manage not to mess up the space time continuum. (More on this down below, but there will be spoilers in that discussion so don’t read if you don’t want to know.)

A few technical caveats here, the book is listed in the Young Adult category. Neither character is young in this story. I have seen a few advertisements stating this is the most romantic story that Bauer has ever told in the series. Nope. Lincoln and Myla are the greatest story told and I’m not just saying that because I have a huge crush on Myla. There is chemistry between Xavier and Carmilla, but it’s missing something. This might be because of the storyline premise and it works if that is the reason.

There are lots of battle scenes. I wish there had been more interaction with Carmilla’s tale and the battle, but this is Xavier’s story. They are older and therefore maybe there isn’t the fun interaction that Myla has with her tale. Many interesting demons are in Archenemy. Bauer has included graphics and kudos to her for creating “ick” factor monsters.

Archenemy is very different from the rest of the Angelbound series. It has the battle scenes, the great love of a lifetime, sacrifices, and mysteries. It is missing the snark and humor that is in most of the books, but once again I think it is because of the age and experience of the characters. Carmilla is a stateswoman. Xavier has been in isolation for a long time. This presents very different and mature reactions than the rest of the cast of Angelbound.

I had a good time with Archenemy. It is a quick adventure read with familiar characters. If you have never read an Angelbound book, this can be read as a standalone.

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Xavier is an old friend of Osiris, who was killed by Set, the God of Chaos.

Concerned that Set has escaped his prison beneath the Red Pyramid, that is where Xavier travels to. Before he prepares to depart, Set pays Xavier a visit, foretelling of a woman who has been set on a path to distract him away from his mission.

This is the woman who has been visiting Xavier's dreams for months. A woman in red, who Xavier leans goes by the name of Camilla.

Xavier does meet Camilla, and has to fight against his deep attraction for her, believing her to be an agent of Set.

They learn together that the only way to imprison Set and keep chaos from taking over is to recast the original spell that Horus initially cast.

To do so, the pair must work together to gather the required ingredients for the spell. This involves visiting various gods and completing trials and tests to get what is needed.

This book had me enthralled from the very beginning. Not only is it written by one of my favourite authors, but it also incorporates the myth and magic of Ancient Egypt, another great love of mine.

I am already deeply invested in this storyline and am looking forward to where Christina takes us next.

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Fun fast read. The Angel bound series just gets better and better! Camilla, who is from the future, must get Xavier to team up with her to defeat Set. This is not what Xavier wants, or is it? With characters you'll fall in love with, a great story plot and lots of action, this is an enjoyable read. Thanks#netgalley and #MonsterHouseBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

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Fast paced and highly addictive! Xavier is not keen on company but he can't seem to resist Camilla. But, is she a trap that was 'Set' ?! You need to find out!!

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Electric from the beginning. Will have you flipping pages and gripping the edge of your seat!! I could not put it down!!!!.

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This was a quick read but totally worth it. I’ve been a huge fan of the Angelbound series and have been waiting for an Xavier/Camilla prequel series since day one! I like how this was very much a prequel of a prequel. I can’t wait wait for the next book and I hope it continues to bring out the snarky and lovable characteristics as displayed throughout these series.

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