Elena's School of Horror

Guild Hunter #9.7

by Nalini Singh

Short story from authors July Newsletter. Part of the Guild Hunter Series.

Genres: Fantasy, Angels, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Short Stories, Paranormal Romance, Romance

4 pages, ebook

First published July 1, 2018

About the author

I've been writing as long as I can remember and all of my stories always held a thread of romance (even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes). I love creating unique characters, love giving them happy endings and I even love the voices in my head. There's no other job I would rather be doing. In September 2002, when I got the call that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.


I was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. I also spent three years living and working in Japan, during which time I took the chance to travel around Asia. I’m back in New Zealand now, but I’m always plotting new trips. If you’d like to see some of my travel snapshots, have a look at the Travel Diary page (updated every month).

So far, I've worked as a lawyer, a librarian, a candy factory general hand, a bank temp and an English teacher and not necessarily in that order. Some might call that inconsistency but I call it grist for the writer's mill.

Reviews

[εllε · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Aodhan. I can't wait for his book. I hope it's the same book as Illum's. Why are they always mentioned together if they're not meant to be together? I'll be so disappointed if they're not a thing...

[Saimi Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yo sabia (por libros posteriores) que Aodhan le gustaban las películas de terror y que Elena fue la que lo introdujo a esas películas, pero no esperaba que hubiera sido tan divertido como resulto esa primera vez. Por supuesto, aquí vemos a un Aodhan mucho mas "normal" y tranquilo, divirtiéndose viendo Psycho con Elena.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st Read - November 2018
2nd Read - September 2020

It’s so nice to see Aodhan coming out of his shell a bit more and I really can’t wait to have a full length book about him! In the meantime I’m more than happy to settle for little snippets like this where Elena has decided its time to introduce him to horror movies for the first time

[Elle ♡ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elena & Aodhan's friendship is now seriously contending with my love for Elena & Illium's friendship. Can't decide who I love most at this point, but it makes me so happy to see Sparkle coming back to life🥺✨🤍

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

My, my. Aodhan has sense of humor. maybe there's hope for him yet!

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very amusing!

[Lover of Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun little snippet into the Guild Hunter series. And seeing a scene between Elena and Aodhan, so hilarious.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elena introducing Aodhan to horror flicks was hilarious. What a fun vignette to the series!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elena and Aodhan watch his very first horror film.

[Catherine Lefay]

Aodhan bebé hermoso y brillante!
Merece su propia historia :c igual que Illium!

[Selenity Jade (Coffee Addicts Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a sudden craving to reread this series. Elena and Raphael are probably one of my favorite couples ever. This just gave me a small taste! Love this series!

[Paraphrodite · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

What a fun snippet with Elena introducing Aodhan to his first horror film "Psycho" and popcorn.

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this short story (bless Nalini Singh for always giving us amazing extras and allowing us to see snippets into our favorite characters' lives) and now that Illium and Aodhan are essentially canon, I am going to need an extra with the two of them just being domestic and sharing a popcorn while watching a horror movie together. Please.

[Patricia Lopes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aodhan is coming out of his shell and it is heartwarming to see that he rely's on Ellie to help him.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. :)

I like seeing Aodhan getting out more. :)

[Debrac2014 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing

[Paulina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny short. Love Aodhan!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy these little short stories.

[Musings on Living · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need more Aodhan!!

[౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

elena can walk all over me and I’d let her.

[Noemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to read Aodhan story and figure out what happened to him in the past.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure whether I’m a bit bias because I do love Aodhan but I really enjoyed this short story. I think the main stories need more little bits like this as I personally think it adds so much to the characters

[Roxy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for a little extra Sparkle Ms Singh. He is my second favourite character in the series and i am looking forward to his book coming out one day soon... Will it be I and A? I wonder...

[Stephaniec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh this was cute

[Renegade ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

In this short, Ellie introduces Aodhan (an angel who is almost 500 years old) to horror movies... and she starts with a classic!

Aodhan’s popcorn eating came to a jagged halt when the iconic ee-ee-ee music sounded before the shower scene. His eyes widened. He sucked in a breath.



[...] he was leaning forward and saying, “Don’t do it. Don’t do it.”
He jerked at the sudden burst of the creepy, screeching music that denoted impending murder, but didn’t move from his position. Elena loved this movie, but right now, she was having far more fun watching Aodhan.



Too cute!

The Guild Hunter Character Guide:
https://wickedscribes.wordpress.com/t...

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this!! Hope to see more like it.. I can just picture a collection of our favorite angels and vamps lounging around a living room laughing, joking,occasionally throw in popcorn at each other and the screen as they hang out and watch movies 😊

2nd review after rereading it...
I really do adore this little snippet.. It's probably one of my favorite short ever, and that's saying something because I've read quite a few, including most of the ones written by Nalini Singh for this series and her Psy-Changeling books (and some of them are really great, like Stalking Hawke) but this one is my favorite!..
Heard hoping they institute a Movie Night with Elena so I can see some more.. I'd love to see Aodhan watch a comedy next 😊

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guilt Hunter #9.7
Elena's School of Horror by Nalini Singh is the fulfillment of a promise that Elena made to Aodhan in Archangel's Heart. I loved the little tidbits of Sparkle background that the author threw in to round out this wonderful addition to the Guild Hunter world. Enjoy!

Read:
October 24, 2019 – FREE link on the goodreads page
October 16, 2021 – FREE link on the goodreads page
October 19, 2022 – FREE link on the goodreads page

Just in case you want to know how this story fits into the timeline of the books/novellas/short stories set in Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter world, I have provided a complete list below. And so you don’t get confused, you’ll notice that each entry on the list is numbered in two ways. The 1., 2., 3.… Etc. numbering at the beginning of each entry is mine and denotes the chronological reading order. The – Guild Hunter #?.? – numbering you see immediately following each title is the number they are on the series reading list provided by the goodreads website. Enjoy!

Guild Hunter series chronological reading order:
1. One Night at the Refuge - Guild Hunter #0.2 (FREE in the April 2016 newsletter) - Illium (Angel and one of Raphael’s Seven) and Aodhan (Angel and one of Raphael’s Seven)
2. Angels' Dance - Guild Hunter #0.4 (found in the Angels Flight collection) - Jessamy (Angel, teacher of angelic young and historian of the angelic race) and Galen (Angel, Raphael’s Weapons Master and one of his Seven)
3. Angels' Judgment - Guild Hunter #0.6 (found in the Angels Flight collection) - Sara (human Guild Hunter) and Deacon (human Guild Hunter)
4. Angels' Pawn - Guild Hunter #0.8 (found in the Angels Flight collection) - Ashwini (human Guild Hunter) and the Janvier (Vampire)
5. A Little Bakery – Guild Hunter #0.9 (from the December 2019 Newsletter) – Illium
6. Angels' Blood - Guild Hunter #1 - Elena Devereaux (Hunterborn human Guild Hunter) and Archangel Raphael
7. Archangel's Kiss - Guild Hunter #2 - Elena (new made Angel and Guild Hunter) and Archangel Raphael
8. Weapons Training - Guild Hunter #2.5 (FREE on the author’s website) - Jessamy and Galen - takes place during “Archangel’s Kiss” after Elena finishes training with Galen
9. Archangel's Consort - Guild Hunter #3 - Elena and Raphael
10. Angel's Wolf - Guild Hunter #3.5 (found in the Angel’s Flight collection) - Noel (vampire) and Nimra (Angel)
11. Archangel's Blade - Guild Hunter #4 - Dimitri (vampire, Raphael’s Second and one of his Seven) and Honor (human Guild Hunter)
12. Archangel's Storm - Guild Hunter #5 - Jason (Angel, Raphael’s Spymaster and one of his Seven) and Princess Mahiya (Angel, who is Archangel Neha’s niece)
13. A Wedding Breakfast – Guild Hunter #5.1 – EVERYONE
14. Knives and Sheaths - Guild Hunter #5.5 (FREE in the author’s WELCOME Letter for signing up for her newsletter) - Elena and Raphael
15. Archangel's Legion - Guild Hunter #6 - Elena and Raphael
16. Zoe's Workshop - Guild Hunter #6.5 (FREE on the author’s website) - Sara (human Guild Director), Deacon (human, former Guild Slayer, Sara’s husband and Master Weapons Maker for humans and immortals alike), Zoe (human daughter of Sara and Deacon) and Slayer (dog)
17. Archangel's Shadows - Guild Hunter #7 - Ashwini and Janvier, with side jaunts to Elena and Raphael
18. A Walk on the Cliffs - Guild Hunter #7.5 (FREE in the July 2015 newsletter) - Montgomery (vampire and Raphael’s butler) and Sivya (Angel and Raphael’s chef)
19. A Sip of Eternity - Guild Hunter #7.3 (FREE on the author’s website) - Dimitri and Honor
20. A Small Fairy Tale - Guild Hunter #7.7 (FREE on the author’s website) - Talu (a human girl living on the streets of NYC), Sina (one of the fairies carved by Aodhan), Elena and Honor
21. Archangel's Enigma - Guild Hunter #8 - Naasir and the Angel Andromeda
22. Secret Things – Guild Hunter #8.3 (FREE in the February 2018 newsletter) – Naasir and Andromeda
23. Fairy Balloons - Guild Hunter #8.7 (FREE on the author’s website) - Talu (a human girl rescued from the streets by Archangel Raphael’s Consort, Elena) and the Angel Izzy (the first member of Consort Elena’s Guard)
24. Archangel's Heart - Guild Hunter #9 - Elena and Raphael
25. An Unexpected Guest - Guild Hunter #9.3 - Elena and Raphael
26. Elena's School of Horror – Guild Hunter #9.7 (FREE in July 2018 newsletter) – Elena & Aodhan
27. Archangel's Viper - Guild Hunter #10 - Venom (a vampire and one of Raphael’s Seven) and Holly Chang (the previously human girl who survived Uram’s rampage)
28. Archangel's Prophecy – Guild Hunter #11 – Elena and Raphael
29. Archangel's War – Guild Hunter #12 – Elena and Raphael
30. Archangel's Sun – Guild Hunter #13 – Archangel Titus and Sharine (The Hummingbird)
31. Archangel's Light – Guild Hunter #14 – Illium and Adohan
32. Archangel's Resurrection – Guild Hunter #15 – Archangel Alexander and Archangel Zanaya

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A free short story, 9.2 in the line-up, from Nalini Singh's July 2018 newsletter in the Guild Hunter paranormal romance series set in an alternate history and revolving around former Hunter-now-Archangel Elena, taking place after new family members come to "life".

My Take
It's a sweet bit of "therapy", as Elena works to fulfill her promise of horror. It's a tricky one, as some event occurred 200 years ago in Aodhan's past that has him too traumatized for normal life. Well, normal for an archangel.

I loved how into it Aodhan got, reacting just like a human in all the "right" spots, *giggle*. It must've warmed Elena's heart.

"“I am in character,” he answered before taking another handful of popcorn. “Horror movies are not an angelic thing.”

Singh uses third person point-of-view from Elena's perspective, which provides all the fun and fears of the story while keeping Aodhan's past a secret.

It's not all for Aodhan though, as events in Archangel's Heart , 9, have left Elena raw as well.

The Story
It's a tough obligation, choosing the right horror movie when introducing a newbie to the genre. It can't be a film that brings one's personal horrors back to life, but it must be a good flick that represents the genre well.

And sucks them in...bwa-hah-haaa...

The Characters
Elena Devereaux still works as a Guild Hunter, tracking down naughty vampires, but as a newly formed archangel, she must learn how to function in the world of the Cadre and support Raphael, her mate, the terrifying Archangel of New York.

Aodhan "Sparkle", the glittering diamond of an archangel hates for people to touch him. The blue archangel, Illium, was his boyhood friend and the only one whom he permits physical nearness.

The Title
The title is too perfect, as this is truly "Elena's School of Horror".

[Payne’s Bookworm Reviews (Samantha Payne) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short story that contains a special bonding moment between Elena and Aodhan.

I’m not sure what I enjoyed more, the fact that they were watching a horror film, that it was a moment with Aodhan, that Aodhan hadn’t eaten popcorn before or the fact that a friendship was just solidified between Elena and Aodhan.

But this moment had me in stitches,

“Elena, why did I enjoy having my heart attempt to jump out of my chest?”
“It’s a thrill?” she said with a grin.
He drank more of the whiskey, though it would only give him a slight buzz at the most. Lowering the now half-empty bottle, he reached for the remaining popcorn. “When do we watch the next one?”
Elena laughed and picked up the remote. "Elena's School of Horror, class number two, is now in session."