Overall, I enjoyed this book. This was the first book I read by this author. It was fun, lighthearted, and easy to read. I will defintely read more by this author, I'd like to read more in this universe. The world building was very engaging.

This book was fun but did not feel like an interconnected standalone, it felt like book three of a series which made it hard to follow at the start and then like I was missing context that would have made it a lot more impactful throughout. I would not recommend reading this without reading the others first.

That being said, I enjoyed the fast pace and the way various lore was combined. I also really liked the main FMC, Liss.

I don't love pop culture references in books, which happened throughout this one, but that's just a personal preference and Im sure others will enjoy that aspect.

I would recommend this series for folks who enjoyed the TV show Luther, as it definitely gave me those vibes, but again would suggest reading the other two books first for maximum impact.

Thanks to NetGalley and Enchanted Publishing for the ARC!

This book was a roller coaster.
I didn't realize this was the third book in the series. While you can definitely figure out what happened in the previous two, I think I lost out on a lot of time to fall in love with these characters. Instead I found Liss' snark quite abrasive. As I read on, I started to understand her, but again I think I missed out on valuable getting-to-know-you bits from the previous two books.

It took me almost a quarter of the book to really get into it. I flip-flopped between disliking the characters and then thinking they were ok. Zavier's matyr/I'm not good enough bit got kinda tedious just because it drags on and on. One thing I did like is that the author includes mythical/legendary beings from around the world.

But really what drove me crazy is how much talking there is. Even in the middle of an important scene. And for all her bravado, Liss really sucked when showtime came. I did not like how short and frankly anti-climactic the 'big fight' was. Followed by very little falling action, the book just ends.

If you've read the first two, you'll probably love it. If you're jumping in to the series for the first time, you should probably go back and read the first two.

I did not know this was part of a series when I received it. Also, it just didn't do it for me. I felt myself not caring about the main characters and their relationship. The pacing was slow and I just didn't enjoy the storyline, so I had to DNF.

I've really been enjoying this series from Christi Barth. It's cute, a bit funny, and has some very nice romantic elements. In this third installment, Liss (human) and Zavier (half angel half human). The author does a good job of building the world for this series, but I do recommend reading book 1 and 2 before tackling this one -- it will make more sense and enhance your reading enjoyment.

Zavier is a bit standoffish at the start but there is no denying his feelings for Liss. When those feelings are returned, the couple will have to stick together to save the world with the rest of their supernatural friends.

Overall, a cute romance with plenty of humor and heat.

Liss used to be a normal person with normal friends...until a demon crashed into a party. Now, Liss is still a normal person, but all of her friends have powers and everything has changed. Zavier is a Nephilim warrior working to stop the release of the Titans in order to save the world. At the same time, Liss is at risk of demon attacks. With all the chaos and the potential end of the world, its quite possibly the worst, (or perfect?) time for Liss and Zavier to fall for each other.

This is an interconnected standalone, and it does work well on its own, but I feel like I may have benefitted from some of the backstory in the previous two books before diving right into this one. This book was exciting and engaging, with a fast paced plot. All of the characters were great and it was really interesting to see them going from saving the world to "normal" life activities. I enjoyed the romance between Zavier and Liss. They had great chemistry and banter together. Liss's journey of self-discovery was also a really fun storyline that I enjoyed.

Many thanks to Entangled Publishing for the advance copy!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was steamy, fun, action-packed and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I loved the series Lucifer. I must have watched all the seasons multiple times. Christi Barth’s Not Always An Angel is deemed to be similar to the Lucifer show, and that piqued my interest. It is the third book in an interconnected series. As a non-book-number follower, I was fine reading Book 3 first. I enjoyed the charm and the lightheartedness of Not Always An Angel. Zavier’s character was well-written. I liked his personality and how protective he was with Liss—perfectly matched up with her sass!

3.5✨
Would have been great to know ahead of time that this was book 3. It can be read as a standalone, and they loosely give info on the previous books. But it's also blatantly obvious that the world and characters are already established.
That being said, since I didn't read the previous two, Liss and Zavier's relationship seemed kind of fast despite them knowing each other for six months. I did love them together though. The bickering and banter *chefs kiss* I'll probably circle back to the first two at some point because I adore our three Nephilim boys. They had such a fun relationship.
The use of various mythologies is very interesting and something I don't see many authors do.
Thank you to Entangled for the ARC!

The chemistry between Liss and Zavier was so good. I particularly liked the banter. Liss struggles with feeling powerless and like a burden because everyone around her has powers. Zavier has baggage having been held prisoner and tortured and is convinced he’s dark and will drag Liss down so he tries to resist letting her in. I loved watching them fight the attraction they have for each other. I love a good slow burn and even though it seemed like they would give in pretty early on Zavier fought the good fight.

My problem with this book is just that it is supposed to be an interconnected stand alone and I felt completely lost at times. There definitely was some attempts to catch the reader up on the other books but it just feels like this is too big and involved of a story not to read the books in order.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

Total rating was 3.75 but could round up to 4. So thankful to @entangled_publishing and @christibarth for the chance to read this as an ARC.
Now on to the review. This book is perfect mix of real life + mythology + pop culture humor. The book is an interconnected book with 2 coming before it, but it’s not necessary to have read the others before jumping into this one. With today being release day, I will keep my review almost completely spoiler free, but I think this book was super action packed all the way through. It’s a dual POV which I’ve really started enjoying, and I loved so many of the characters that got introduced including the dear librarian. This book felt very much new age in the references it made and the way it brought up the relevant to today topics and ideas. That’s not something I’ve had a lot of experience reading but it was done in such humor that I loved every second of it. The romance here was good but not super spicy and could easily be bypassed if you didn’t want to read it. The only thing I wish was that the ending had little more closure, as I was like “wait, we are done?!” I feel that way about many good books though, so it’s not surprising.

1.5 stars
okay so i sadly had to dnf this. i was super excited to try this but personally none of it made sense and i was super confused.
i feel like i would have loved this if i was in the mood to. im gunna give this another try in october, because this isnt giving summer or spring.
i also probably should have read the first books in the series so this is on me

What an angelic five-star read. This is number three in the unlocking his heart series, and I would say it’s best to read them in order as they do build the story and allow you to understand what’s been going on, the unsettling nature of the clash of the worlds, it allows you to truly understand Liss and why she feels so puny and not worthy of the people around her. This was a story that had its moments, some of them not as good, but most of them just beautiful. I have loved this series and am almost sad to see them all finished, but then you never know, maybe we will keep up with them, just because the war is over doesn’t mean that everything is settled.

I loved the premise of this series! Angels and demons and all the paranormals, half angels fighting for good so the world doesn’t end. All good stuff. The only issue I had was that the story was way too wordy. I found myself skipping pages of inner monologues and useless dialogue to get to the point. Sometimes the friend group would go off on a tangent (which I guess was supposed to add levity and comradery to the scene) but really just frustrated me.
Zavier and Liss definitely had chemistry and lit the pages on fire (when they allowed themselves to).
I was able to pick this book up and figure out what was going on without having read the previous books which is a plus when the synopsis of a book speaks to you. I’d give this 4 stars though just because I had a hard time staying interested with some scenes not getting to the point.

⁕ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 | 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 ⁕
★ ★ ★ ★ ➌.➐➎ - ➍ /𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜
𝙿𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜: 𝟹𝟺𝟿

ＡＲＣ ＲＥＶＩＥＷ
💭 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:

Liss, a powerless and some would say “useless” human in a world of half-angel of demons and an abundance of evil.

She didn’t ask for this. A party then turned when a demon crashed her friend’s party and now her world is turned upside now. Did I mention she has a full blown babysitter. Zavier, a strong yet handsome and grumpy Nempilim warrior.

With the world on the verge of an apocalypse and destruction between both dementions must sheild and protect Liss all while downplaying his own demons, attraction and feelings towards her.

This was my first paranormal romance and book by Christi Barth. So this is was so new to me. It was fast paced when leading up to the attacks and the traveling they had to do was a lot of fun. The tension between both characters was exhilarating. There was banter and funny moments through out the book which makes the book very enjoyable and not so serious!
Liss deals with her struggles to belong while being the “helpless” one in the group brought in relatable moments for any reader.
Both main characters chemistry was swoon worthy and I believe Christi executed the story, theme, plots, tension and laughter wonderfully!

ᴀ ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ to Entangled Publishing and Netgallery for this advanced copy of this binge worthy book!

⁕ PUB DATE: April 21, 2025

Not Always an Angel is brought to you by Christi Barth and Entangled Publishing!

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This is a cute story. I wasn't super into it because I didn't realize it was a book 3 of a interconnected stand alone when I requested it but it said can be a standalone I attempted. I felt like I was missing something the whole time. The cute relationship with Zavier and Liss. The whole friend dynamic of multiple couples is well made. Its a good story I just wished I read the other books first.

This is a stand alone that doesn't work if you haven't read the other books in the series. They don't really help you understand the world or the lore. The romance is a standalone, sure. But the rest of it? It feels like you're jumping in and expected to know.

I kept trying with this one and I kept failing. I wanted to love it and it just never came together for me. I'd say I might like if I tried the first book first, but even then I just couldn't get into the writing enough.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Liss and Zavier - they spend so long denying the chemistry between them, all whilst lighting up any room they both happen to be in with their insane chemistry! Zavier may be a big, bad, dangerous to know Nephilim warrior but he finds himself wanting to just be around Liss. This man was so all in he couldn't see the rim of the whole he'd flung himself into, lol

Liss was so over being the third wheel at every event with her loved up friends but Xavier was right there with her like a silently brooding bodyguard. He gave grumpy a new level to aspire to!

Liss had been drawn in to a whole new world when her best friend’s life changed. She felt like she was on the fringes of this new world as she was the only human with no powers in their group.

Zavier was a strong, brave, determined Nephilim who thought he wasn’t good enough to be saved by his kind years ago. Only his two best friends had been there for him and he had been emotionally closed off ever since.

Liss and Zavier are thrown together when their friends fall in love. They had friendship growing, with a lot of snark thrown in for good measure.

As the danger escalated in the other world Liss decided to make Zavier have a little fun and doesn’t give up till she gets what she wanted from him. Their attraction to each other had grown the longer they have k ow each other, but both thought they are not enough for the other. I wanted to bang their head together at times.

Liss has a whole new life to get used to when she is injured and needs other worldly help. This brings new parts to her she doesn’t fully understand at first and she struggles with this. She doesn’t appreciate how strong, loyal and loving she really is and how she slowly brought Zavier back to life.

They are thrown in to a dangerous finale where they had to fight to save humanity and they prove to each other how much they love each other while doing it.

I was in a bit of a slump from reading my normal romances and this book gave me the passionate,, loving and adventurous change of pace I was looking for.

I would definitely read the books in order to get the full enjoyment and the most out of the story.

This was a fun, passionate, throughly enjoyable read.

✨ He’s a grumpy Nephilim warrior.
✨ She’s a “powerless” human caught in the middle of an actual apocalypse.
✨ Sparks fly. Rules break. Chaos reigns.
And I was 👏 HERE 👏 FOR 👏 IT.

Christi Barth’s Not Always an Angel gave me sizzling tension, non-stop action, and the kind of slow burn that makes you scream internally. Liss is done being the fragile human. Zavier is fighting his past and his feelings. The fate of Heaven, Hell, and the world? On the line. 😮‍💨

If you love your romance with wings, war, and world-ending stakes—add this to your TBR like… yesterday. 🔥🖤

—

🖤 Tropes to love:

Grumpy x Sunshine

He Falls First

Protector Vibes

Found Family

Forced Proximity

Secret Power Reveal 👀

Apocalyptic Stakes

Banter + Steam + Badass Vibes

#NotAlwaysAnAngel #ChristiBarth #FantasyRomance #ParanormalRomance #BookTokMadeMeDoIt #RomanticFantasy #GrumpySunshine #ForcedProximityRomance #HeFallsFirst #NephilimLove #BookstagramMadeMeDoIt #literaryhavocreviews #RomanceTropesILove #FantasyRomanceReads #SpicyBooksRecs #ApocalypseRomance