Rapture by J.R. Ward

Fallen Angels series. Piatkus Books, 2013. ISBN 9780749957155.
(Age 18+) (sex scenes, language) This is the first J.R. Ward book that I've read, and I'm already wondering what I'm missing out on due to the creativity and dark world building in Rapture, the 4th book of the Fallen Angels series.
The paranormal romance series is about a war between Heaven and Hell as Jim Heron, a fallen angel must save the souls of 7 people from the seven deadly sins. His opposition is Devina, a gorgeous, evil demon that has a hold over him. Each book focuses on a different person, and Rapture is about Mels Carmichael, a reporter who one day runs into Matthias, an amnesiac with supreme fighting skills.
As a typical alpha male, Matthias wants to protect Mels from the assassins that seem to be after him, but she's also a strong heroine who carries a hidden handgun and is trained in black belt skills. Mels is inextricably drawn to Matthias due to his broken soul, and they begin investigating a string of murders caused by the evil demon Devina. Unbeknownst to them, the murders are part of the power play between Jim Heron and Devina, who are battling it out to see whether Heaven or Hell will prevail. Each book will record a win or a loss against each side.
While I haven't read any of the previous books in the series, Rapture is relatively easy to follow (aside from the start) as we're slowly putting the pieces together for who Matthias he is and what he's done in the past. I do feel like some references are lost on me, for example the revelation between Dog and the significance of Sissy, but still enjoyed the title as a standalone.
J.R. Ward breathes new life in the angels and demons theme, with the angel struggling to resist the pull of the seven sins and the demon as an evil, gorgeous demon who is seeing a therapist for her OCD. I enjoyed the theme of salvation within Rapture, and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Jeann Wong