[ARC Review] Imperfect Angel by Christi Barth

Publisher's synopsis: Three days ago, all Maisy Norgate had was a stack of bills, about a gazillion jobs, and her sunny-as-hell outlook. Now, thanks to an uncle she never knew about, she’s inherited an ornate skeleton key with absolutely no idea what it’s for—or why she has it. Which is exactly when a ridiculously handsome guy claiming to be an angel shows up at her door and all hell breaks loose…

Nephilim Rhys Boyce cannot believe that Maisy is the new Keeper of the Key. Why would anyone bequeath this warm, bubbly redhead the key to Hell? And to make matters worse, she’s given the key to the first person who asked for it. A demon. Yep, Maisy is determined to make his job—not to mention some seriously inconvenient temptation—as hard as possible.

First a half angel with a very human chip on his shoulder must find a way to convince Maisy that angels and demons do exist. Then Rhys will have to break the really bad news…that she might have accidentally ended the world.

My thoughts: This human/nephilim romance reminded me why I constantly reread the Hush Hush series when I was younger - I'm a sucker for a grumpy yet angelic hero.

When Maisy inherited a mysterious key from an even more mysterious uncle, she had no idea the hell she was about to go through. Enter Rhys, a nephilim who doesn't think very highly of humans in general. Until he meets Maisy. And starts falling for her. With the fate of the Gates of Hell on the line, they'll both be put through trials like they've never seen before.

I loved Maisy and Rhys's dynamic. They were both at the extreme ends of the grumpy/sunshine spectrum, but when it came down to it, they were exactly who they needed to be. Maisy was just so unflappable when it came to her goodness and light; we could all probably stand to learn a little from her.

Of course, our main characters aren't the only reason to pick this one up. With Rhys' fellow nephilim adding physical and moral support (and the more-than-occasional sarcastic quip) alongside a unique cast of demon one-offs, Maisy and Rhys definitely have their hands full.

The overall plot wasn't wholly engaging for me. I definitely enjoyed this one more for the characters and their interactions and relationships rather than the action in the plot itself. That's not to say I didn't like the whole search for the key and Maisy's journey to find out more about her uncle and her new role; I just found myself drawn more to the inner conflict rather than the physical action on the page.

I absolutely will be reading the next book in the series; Maisy and Rhys are just too good to not see where their relationship goes from here. And I definitely want to see Maisy coming into her own. Imperfect Angle basically set up her story, and I know there's a lot more to see when it comes to Maisy.

Thank you so much to Entangled Amara for sending me an eARC of this title!

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Release date: 10/25/22 Format: eARC

eARC provided via: NetGalley