Average rating a little below 3,5 stars.


Morning Glow by Taylor Lochland - 2 stars

A Trail of Feathers by Sarah Ann Watts - DNF

Heart's Salvation by Réve Garrison - 2 stars

In the Hands of the Gods by Jana Denardo - 3,5 stars

A Voice in the Darkness by Patric Michael - 4 stars

Some Comfort by S. Blaise - 4,5 stars

Ascension by RJ Scott - 2 stars

Sariel by Mary Calmes - 2 stars

The Platypus Learns Astrophysics by Matthew Vandrew - 5 stars

The Angel Blues by Cornelia Grey - 3 stars

Redemption by Clare London - 2,5 stars

Herbal Tea by H.J. Brues - 3 stars

The Tenth Avatar by Roland Graeme - 3.5 stars

Santangelo by Zahra Owens - 4 stars

The Archangel of Castro by Diana Copland - 4 stars ( )

I really wanted to read Sariel" by Mary Calmes and I did.

Fucking.
Loved.
It.

4.5 Stars

It was Mary Calmes goodness wrapped together with history - I love history. Yep, there's an alpha angel who possessed the hell out of Jacob, a regular grad student who almost raped by bad guys. We don't know a lot of Jacob's back story. I didn't think it was needed so I am happy. It's instalove but it surpasses it because for angels in this story, there is no in between. They can see your inner most desires and wants . it's either black or white. No gray. So I won't gripe with the binding declarations made because it was inevitable. But also made from free will.

Hot stuff.

Angels are not my fave paranormal read. I lump them together with psychics. (Bottom of the totem pole for me) I might read more stories from the anthology, I might not. *shrugs*" ( )

3.5 stars.

BOOK BLURB:
Guardian spirits walk among us. They are heavenly beings who grant courage, unknown benefactors who offer help, best friends who lend their strength, and celestial beings who embody inspiration. You might not recognize these everyday angels or messengers of mercy, but the men in this anthology are touched by their purity and light and sometimes blessed by love.

BOOK REVIEW:
I should probably confess up front that I have a certain fondness for winged wonders, so jumped at the chance to read and review this angel-themed anthology, and my expectations were high. I wasn't disappointed, either. I had some reservations about the sequencing, but the overall quality of the stories is very high. This is a generous collection - fourteen stories, and none of them felt like they were being crammed into a limited word count, and there are a good variety of tropes, styles, and voices.

"Morning Glow" by Taylor Lochland is a super-sweet friends-become-lovers story, but I'm not sure why it was chosen to launch the anthology ~ it's an intriguing set up, but a little too neat and too easy to be one of my favourite stories.

"A Trail of Feathers" by Sarah Ann Watts and "Heart's Salvation" by Reve Garrison run one after the other, which is unfortunate, as that's three 'regular guardian angels' stories in a row, and these two are both 'as I mourn my dead partner' stories. Their proximity made that a distraction, and almost forced me to compare the two ~ Watts' beautiful, strange, almost crystalline story was much more to my tastes than Garrison's soap-like drama.

In the "Hands of the Gods" by Jana Denardo breaks out of the contemporary Christian guardian angel mould entirely, transporting the reader back to ancient Pompeii, and recasting the guardian angel theme onto Roman beliefs to create a wonderfully warm and engaging story. Completely different, but also highly rated, "A Voice in the Darkness" by Patric Michael makes incredible use of dialogue. The sense of risk and fear is palpable, the central relationship refreshingly real, and the tale as a whole completely compelling.

"Some Comfort" by S. Blaise takes a tough situation ~ a soldier unable to adjust after returning from combat, and creates something sweet, and light, and warm and good ~ but not sickly sweet. It's almost dream-like in places, but emotionally so solid.

"Ascension" by R.J. Scott, however, never quite came together for me ~ neither the setting nor the characters seemed definite enough for me to really invest in them, so even Sabreal's sacrifice seemed a little flat, while in the next story, "Sariel," Mary Calmes managed the impressive feat of making a demonic underworld far more convincing than contemporary Italy. However, all that was forgiven once I reached the heart of the action in Calmes' story, where love and kindness prove their power. This is another pair of stories that I wish hadn't been back to back, though ~ not least because the very similar character names.

The next story perked me right up ~ "The Platypus Learns Astrophysics" ~ and isn't that a title you wish you'd come up with? ~ showcases Matthew Vandrew's rich, fresh tone, adding a touch of humour to the anthology as Heaven's best laid plans don't quite go according to the script. Hardworking businessman Jonas Mason seems a bit of a caricature at first, but that's shattered ~ along with all his certainties about how the world works ~ when Micah arrives, the story picks up pace, and the net result is a joy.

"The Angel Blues" by Cornelia Grey is another five-star gem, with a very different but equally strong voice. Cop Morgan's dry, grumpy internal conversations as he tries to work out if he's actually crazy really sings. Clare London's "Redemption," the only story in the collection to consider an angel-angel relationship, also hits the high notes ~ the world building and the balance of the plot are masterfully handled, and Ziba's journey had me enthralled. "Herbal Tea" by H.J. Brues returns us to the human world, but doesn't let the quality drop off in the slightest. Like Morgan in "Angel Blues," Douglas is in law enforcement, but this is a lighter, sweeter, brightly coloured story, playing with the mismatch of expectations between the law and the lifestyle of a young herbalist, Justin, and delivering a twist that I genuinely wasn't expecting.

Like Denardo's story, "The Tenth Avatar" by Roland Graeme translates the idea of a guardian angel to a different religious context, this time in the form of a statue of Kalki who overseas the improvement of Arun's fortunes in contemporary New York. The result is both sexy and understatedly romantic, and a really enjoyable read.

"Santangelo" by Zahra Owens strikes a bitter-sweet note. A brutal gay bashing takes Michael to the hospital, where he meets Dr Gabriel, and the doctor's disabled daughter, and whist both men feel the sparks, this story makes it clear that falling in love is not that simple. The author's skill with dialogue and medical background grounds what could be a syrupy, patronising set up, and makes it instead a textured, believable, hope-filled tale.

Finally, "The Archangel of Castro" by Diana Copland brings the collection around full circle, closing as it opened with a friends-become-lovers story ~ this one a fabulous romp of a story, rooted in a neighbourhood and found-family, jam packed with deftly sketched characters.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable collection, and one that's introduced me to a number of authors I want to read more from.

(Originally reviewed for Rainbow Reviews - http://www.rainbow-reviews.com/?p=6434) ( )