What happens when you finally get the baby down for a nap, collapse on the couch with your earbuds, and the first words you hear are 'You're dead'? Honestly, some days that sounds like a vacation.
I'm kidding. Mostly.
So here's the deal with Raziel - it's paranormal romance with fallen angels, blood drinking, and a heroine who literally gets hit by a bus in the opening. Allie Watson wakes up in some hidden supernatural realm surrounded by gorgeous, brooding immortals who want nothing to do with her. And honestly? After spending my morning refereeing a fight over who got the blue cup, I related to feeling unwanted in a room full of beautiful beings.
The Voice Situation (Because We Need to Talk About It)
This is a dual narration setup - Karen White handles Allie's chapters, Paul Costanzo takes Raziel's. And look, I'm just gonna be honest: it's a mixed bag.
Karen White? She's fantastic. Emotional, clear, great character voices. I could follow her through all the chaos of Allie figuring out she's dead and stuck with a bunch of fallen angels who treat her like an inconvenience. White made Allie feel real - annoying moments and all (and yes, Allie can be annoying, but in a way that felt intentional rather than poorly written).
Paul Costanzo though... meh. His Raziel came across pretty detached. Which maybe works for a centuries-old immortal? But when you're trying to feel the romance, the heat, the longing - and the guy sounds like he's reading a grocery list - it's a problem. I had trouble telling his Fallen angels apart too. They all kind of blended together into one monotone supernatural blur.
I survived 47 pauses and still made sense. But I'll admit, during Costanzo's sections, I sometimes zoned out and had to rewind. Not ideal when you've only got a 45-minute window before the toddler wakes up screaming.
When the Story Actually Clicked
Here's where I give credit - the world-building is genuinely interesting. Anne Stuart (writing as Kristina Douglas) knows how to construct a supernatural universe that doesn't feel like a Wikipedia entry. The Fallen have rules, hierarchies, this whole blood-drinking situation that's darker than your typical paranormal romance. There's real tension about what Raziel's disobedience means for everyone. Stakes that matter.
And the slow burn? It paid off. Eventually. If you're impatient, this might drive you crazy - the romance takes its sweet time building. But I appreciated that it wasn't just instant attraction leading to immediate supernatural bedroom scenes. (Though those come later. Don't worry.)
The first-person alternating POV helped me understand both characters even when I wasn't fully feeling the connection through Costanzo's narration. You get Allie's confusion and fear, then Raziel's ancient guilt and unexpected desire. It's effective storytelling even when the audio execution stumbles. I had a smoother experience with Paris Apartment: A Novel, where the narration elevated the mystery instead of fighting against it.
Garage-Sitting Verdict
I finished this over about a week and a half - mostly during school drop-offs and my sacred garage-sitting time. It's not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. Sometimes you need fallen angels and forbidden romance and a heroine who refuses to just accept her weird new afterlife quietly. Beneath This Mask gave me that same satisfaction—a heroine who pushes back against impossible situations instead of just going along for the ride.
Would I have enjoyed it more with just Karen White narrating? Probably. The dual narration concept makes sense for alternating POV, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Costanzo isn't bad exactly - he's got this classical music background and there's definitely skill there - but the emotional disconnect kept pulling me out of the story.
The content warnings are real, by the way. Violence, blood drinking, dark afterlife stuff. Not something I'd accidentally play on the car speakers with the kids in the backseat. Learned that lesson the hard way with a different book. Emma had questions.
Who's This Actually For?
If you love paranormal romance with actual darkness to it - not just brooding looks but real stakes and blood - and you can tolerate uneven narration, grab this one. Skip it if you need consistent audio quality or if slow-burn romance makes you want to throw your phone. My book club would love debating this one (if I ever have time for book club again). Perfect for multitasking moms who want something with edge that still delivers a satisfying ending.
Not my new favorite, but I'm curious enough about the series to keep going. Just maybe at 1.25x during the Costanzo sections.
