Cover Him with Darkness

Book 1 of The Book of the Watchers

Dark romance/thriller: Contemporary paranormal: HFN ending

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” (Genesis 6:1-2)

"In a remote and mountainous part of Europe, a priest keeps a dark secret beneath his chapel — a prisoner. He has been there hundreds of years, or perhaps even longer. The priest's fear is that anyone in his parish would ever come in contact with his mysterious and unholy charge. But what happens is even worse than he could have ever imagined. His own daughter Milja, whose innocence and devotion to God he prizes over all else, trails her father into the cavern and catches a glimpse of the prisoner, a beautiful being like the most handsome of men, and yet not human at all. She looks into his eyes and sees pain and wisdom and eternity. Unable to keep away from this silent creature chained to an altar stone, she is torn between family loyalty and her growing connection to their prisoner. Cover Him with Darkness is a dark and thrilling story of an archangel banished from heaven and the human woman with whom he falls in love. "

NB: This novel began life as a short story of the same name, in the anthology Red Velvet and Absinthe (ed. Mitzi Szereto)

“Cover Him with Darkness is uncommonly literary in tone and original in ideas. Janine Ashbless brings to the tired paranormal genre an exhilarating world wherein the creatures of Judeo-Christian faith are brought to life and written into contemporary times. Sexy, dark, and suspenseful, Cover Him with Darkness is a superbly creative story that is just impossible to put down" – Portland Book Review

"Damn, if Dostoevsky wrote smolderingly hot erotica about fallen angels, he’d be Janine Ashbless... And if you haven’t yet read Cover Him with Darkness, the first book in the Watchers series, then you need to seriously re-evaluate your priorities in life." – Samantha MacLeod, author

"Calling Cover Him with Darkness a romance is like calling a Lamborghini a cute little car. Janine Ashbless has broken every unwritten rule of writing romance and makes it work most spectacularly - it's dark and gritty and so beautifully written that the words are pure poetry." - Kate Douglas, author

"An intensely wild ride" - D L King

“This sharp and enticing novel will leave readers eager for the next in the series” - Publishers' Weekly

“Cover Him With Darkness is an intense, engaging, grandly imagined, intelligent, entertainingly well-paced and very—very—sexy story; erotic romance writ large … I hesitate to draw the obvious comparison here. Ashbless’ tale of ancient texts and ruthless churchmen at first seems of a piece with some Dan Brown thriller, though Ashbless is a much better writer—certainly far more intelligent and imaginative” – Erotica for the Big Brain

"Drawing on the Book of Enoch and Biblical references, Ashbless creates an unlikely love story built into a tale of action, adventure and deceit. Be prepared for some rough, unorthodox sex in this page-turner. The ending to this wonderful book is a shocker, promising more to come. Be warned: some readers may find this book sacrilegious." 4.5 stars – Romantic Times

"I positively loved Cover Him with Darkness ... There's a lot of lust in this book, yes, but there's also quite a bit of action and suspense that left me wanting to read more. I finished this book in a manner of hours simply because I didn't want to put it down. The pacing is excellent, and there's hardly a dull moment. 5 STARS - Bitches 'n' Prose

"A provocative gothic romance with some beautiful prose" - Dear Author

"This fascinating take on angelic mythos is dark and gritty in a way that will suck readers right into the plot. The characters are well written and complex in nature. Ms. Ashbless does a spectacular job weaving the twists and turns in her story. I look forward to the next book in this promising new series." 5 CUPS OF COFFEE - Coffee time Romance

"Her writing captivates you from the very first page" - TOP PICK - Night Owl Erotica

"Cover Him with Darkness is kind of a miracle ... Janine Ashbless's writing style is beautiful. It shines like gold. She has this kind of magical way of sucking you into the story... This book would be a page turner if it weren't for the writing that left me so breathless that at times I had to pause and take a break because it really is that exquisite. But then there were times that I couldn't just rest. I had to keep reading on. I was swept away by how daring this book is---how it's blasphemous, menacing, and just so dark. This may isolate some readers, especially those who are religious and who're expecting angels in their paranormal romance to be all warm and uplifting. The book's religious themes and the liberties it takes with them might offend some. This book won't make any apologies about that. And the eroticism here is just as bold---and it's sexy as hell - Vanessa Clark

"It exceeded everything I could have wanted. Reading the novel was like being consumed. I am not exaggerating, there were times I lifted my head from it and I was gasping for air. It is that intense." - F Dot Leonora

"A dark and gritty story that keeps you turning pages long after you should have turned out the lights and gone to sleep" - Horny Geek Girl

"Cover Him with Darkness is a sexy, dark, intense and powerful story ... good doses of sexiness, danger, action all packed in a book that you won't be able to put down. Eroticism is always present. The author creates an atmosphere that is almost toxic. The attraction between Milja and Azazel is almost too much for moments" - Reading...Dreaming

"WOW, it had me enthralled from beginning to end. Read it in one sitting instead of doing chores on a holiday weekend" - 3 Chicks After Dark

"As readers it's what we want, right? A story that pulls us in and tears at the fabric of our most raw and basic desires until we are bare, exposed and the object of some kind of ultimate desire, in both body and soul. A story that makes us want to be feasted upon until our own lust is finally satiated" - The Sexy Librarian

"Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, only much better written and with much more sexiness involved. This is a roller coaster of a story, and one that will have you rooting for the very different and strong characters that choose to fight either good or evil, and there are times when it’s hard to tell whose side anyone is on." - Clitical

"Oh my God what a story! Janine writes with the assurance of a master of religious studies and a mistress of desire. Her heroine is as flawed and magnificent as her hero and the result is a story as sensual as it is exciting. The plot twists and turns yet never strays from love and lust. I will be reading the second volume in this trilogy starting tomorrow but first - I'm going to get some sleep. I've stayed up late every night since I bought this book because every single chapter ends with a cliffhanger. I am sated and at the very same time all I want is more. Bring on a chorus of angels and an army of demons - I want more!" - Madeline Moore, author