It all starts when Nora finds herself becoming intrigued by the mysterious senior transfer student, Patch. There's something incredibly alluring about the darkly handsome stranger and something incredibly . . . creepy, too. Is that his voice that starts invading Nora's thoughts? And is he the one who starts stalking our smoky-eyed heroine? And what's up with the inverted V-shaped scar on his back? Why, it almost looks as if wings have been ripped away. Omigod, could he possibly be . . .? First-novelist Fitzpatrick spares no contrivance in her sometimes uneven but always eerie novel of supernatural suspense, which finds its inspiration in the apocryphal Book of Enoch and the legends of the Nephilim, the progeny of fallen angels and human women. Horror and romance fans who are weary of the werewolf (and vampire) next door will welcome this new take on the heart of darkness. And enough loose ends remain at novel's end to suggest a sequel is surely in the works.

Nora finds bad-boy Patch dangerously attractive. She suspects him of stalking her but discovers that the truth is even more frightening. As a fallen angel, Patch can either reclaim his wings by saving Nora's life--or become human by killing her. Patch's abrupt redemption foists the role of villain onto a previously marginal character, defusing an otherwise suspenseful denouement.

When Coach changes the biology-class seating chart, e-zine reporter Nora Grey finds herself instantly attracted to yet fearful of her new dark, sexy, bad-boy partner, Patch. She also becomes acquainted with good-looking transfer student Elliot, the key suspect in a murder-ruled-suicide at his former prep school. While putting her journalist skills to the test researching the backgrounds of both mysterious guys, Nora experiences terrifying hallucinations, saves her best friend from an attack meant for her and discovers that Patch is a fallen angel who wants to become human—at any cost. In a thrilling debut with an attention-grabbing cover, this game of revenge among fallen angels with Nora caught in the middle has too many coincidences to move the plot along and an uneven, rushed ending. Twilight readers will either squeal over the forbidden romance between Nora and Patch and the steamy scenes they generate or sigh over another helpless young woman torn between sexuality and fear and threatened and manipulated by males who play with her vulnerability. (Supernatural thriller. YA)

Fitzpatrick debuts with a gripping chiller where humans become pawns in the hands of fallen angels. Nora Grey is assigned a new partner in her sophomore biology class. Her instincts tell her Patch is trouble, and she doesn't like the way he is already inside her head (“Part of me wanted to run away from him screaming, <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Fire! A more reckless part was tempted to see how close I could get without... combusting”). Soon she is questioning her sanity—she is attacked by a masked figure that smashes her car window, but later the glass is intact. And the same figure ransacks her bedroom, but everything is in place when the police arrive. The violence and danger escalate, and Nora learns that Patch is actually a fallen angel seeking to become human. Fitzpatrick regularly tweaks the tension, resulting in a fast-paced, exhilarating read. Nora's tempestuous relationship with prototypical bad boy Patch is genuinely, even unsettlingly, seductive—fans of paranormal romance should be rapt. Ages 14–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Oct.)

Gr 9 Up-High school sophomore Nora Grey, a dedicated student striving for a college scholarship, lives with her widowed mother in a country farmhouse outside Portland, ME. When Patch, her new biology partner, is suddenly thrust into her life, Nora is both attracted to his charm and put off by his inexplicable awareness of her thoughts. Eventually, she learns that he is a fallen angel who wants to become human. She is susceptible to his control, but other forces are at work as well, and Nora finds herself caught in the middle of dangerous situations and unexplainable events. The premise of Hush, Hush that fallen angels exist and interact with humans on Earthis worthy of contemplation and appealing to teens. But stories with such supernatural themes require that the details of day-to-day life be realistic and believable. Unfortunately, most readers won't be convinced that a mother whose husband has recently been murdered would leave her daughter alone overnight in their home far from the nearest neighbor or that a school counselor would be replaced by someone whose credentials were not checked. While teens may enjoy the scenes of tension and terror, most will be disappointed by characters without dimension and the illogical sequence of events. Sue Lloyd, Franklin High School, Livonia, MI

Sixteen-year-old Nora Grey is smart, cautious, and focused on her future until the enigmatic bad-boy Patch enters her life. Patch seems to show up everywhere, and soon Nora and her edgy best friend, Vee, become involved in life-threatening situations that are difficult to explain. Nora's friends and acquaintances need to think twice before putting on any article of clothing she offers. Nora is torn. Should she turn to Patch for help and protection or suspect him of trying to harm her and her friends? After an abundance of drama and danger, Nora reluctantly accepts the supernatural situation in which she is involvedùa battle among sinister fallen angels that will redefine her life. This quick read contains the standard characters found in a teen romance: the skinny protagonist, her mysterious love interest, a loyal but easily duped best friend, and a collection of clueless adults. Although the concept of an archangel willing to become human for love is compelling, the mythology could have been better researched and often appears to be inserted in the story as an afterthought. Twilight comparisons are unavoidable and may prove to be either a delight or distraction. These include a first-person narrative told by a smart but innocent girl and an unsettling much-older biology lab partner who stalks and romances her as he reluctantly puts her in mortal danger. Even the setting of Nora Grey's foggy Coldwater, Maine, is interchangeable with Bella Swan's dreary Forks, Washington.ùLynne Farrell Stover.