How can a book move quickly but still feel slow? ( )

I am giving this 4 stars despite my disappointment in the ending. The four stars are for how I was completely drawn into the story all the way through the end. But, the last chapter of the entire book just kills me. Hmph.

I'm editing this review and adding the spoiler alert.

Here's my beef:

Maddy in book 1 is a strong, independent girl with strong beliefs about angels and how they should operate. She falls in love with Jacks who is sweet, not angry or bitter, and loves Maddy.

Book 2...Maddy is a bit of a pushover and Jacks is jealous, proud, and hurtful, and Maddy takes it. This can be believable given the circumstances, but...I don't have to like it. But that's not what really got me. The end...we are on the brink of a possible extermination of human kind and the last paragraph is dealing with which guy Maddy will choose!?! REALLY!? This book was about so much more than a love triangle. It didn't take me by surprise when it finally came to that, but for THAT to be THE cliffhanger is extremely disappointing. You could say that it's more than choosing between guys that it's choosing between angels and humans. If she caves to either side, I will be disappointed. Maddy is her own person and to be led around by either guy is ridiculous. She needs to put her foot down, make a stand, and be the strong Maddy from book 1. PLEASE BRING HER BACK!

That is all. I'm finished venting. ( )

Author Scott Speer really went in some interesting directions with Natural Born Angel. Once again, his insider knowledge of the Hollywood elite comes into play as he charts the dimming of Jackson Godspeed's star as Maddy's is rising. Suddenly Maddy is the new poster girl for angel-kind, and it looks like they need all the good PR they can get because anti-angel sentiments are running high. And the strain on Jackson and Maddy's relationship is starting to show.

I was extremely surprised to be treated to a love triangle in Natural Born Angel, because I really didn't expect one. However, as Jacks has to deal with seeing Maddy get all the attention that was once showered on him, his ego is taking a major beating and suddenly Jacks and Maddy seem on different trajectories. I thought the way both of them handled themselves under the circumstances seemed pretty realistic. The anti-angel movement adds additional stress, as Maddy finds herself torn between humans and angels as both factions try to get her on their side. With Jacks dealing with his fall in status and the two of them drifting apart, it seemed natural for her to be drawn to the human pilot giving her a crash course in flying techniques. The only problem is a lack of romantic chemistry between Maddy and Tom; I bought them as friends, but the romance seemed pretty much nonexistent until a sudden outpouring of feelings in the final chapters. There wasn't much heat between Maddy and Jacks either, since their relationship was struggling through the majority of the book. Once again romance turns out to be the weakest link of the story.

Meanwhile fallen angel/police detective David Sylvester is investigating more odd happenings around Angel City (bombings of angel holdings, murders, strange disappearances) and uncovering all kinds of dark secrets. I loved the twists his various investigations brought to the story, and the way everything built to a real nail-biter of a finale. The last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat; I literally could NOT put the book down!

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Natural Born Angel, there were some rough spots where things felt a little off-balance and "too busy." There were also some pacing issues scattered throughout, where the story would be moving at nice clip and then seemed to slow down before picking back up again. As everything started coming together at the end, however, it all smoothed out and the pacing took off like a race horse. I will DEFINITELY be picking up book three to find out what happens next!

There's a lot more going on in Natural Born Angel than there was in Immortal City, and while the complexities sometimes seemed to get out of Scott Speer's control, he was able to pull all the threads together just in time to present a killer of a finale. Romance continued to be a weak link in the series, while some pacing issues added to the problem this time around, but the mysteries investigated by Detective Sylvester and Jackson's personal struggles helped shore things up. All in all, Natural Born Angel was a great entry in the series and managed to surprise me with the directions it took. Nicely done. ( )

My name is Maddy Montgomery. I'm sorry I'm Maddy Godright. Let me try it again. Third time's always the charm. My name is Maddy Montgomery Godright. Right now my life is a little bit crazy. Not only am I Jackson Godspeed's girlfriend but my Uncle told me some life changing news. It appears I am half angel. No need to freak out or anything. If I'm half angel shouldn't my wings be coming in pretty soon? Or is that up in the air as well?

I am told to keep my head held high. Don't let people get to me. Things will turn out ok at the end. I would be okay if not for Jackson. He hasn't been himself in the last couple of weeks. He tells me he's fine. If he's fine then why does my gut tell me something bad is going to happen?

Maddy has a right to worry. Something will change for all of the Angels around the globe. Who is there to protect the humans if the Angels can't protect themselves?
-from jennation book reviews ( )

Hmm.. I didn't think I'd ever say this about an agel-related book, but I honestly can't wait for [a:Scott Speer|4873609|Scott Speer|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1342259659p2/4873609.jpg]'s new book [b:Natural Born Angel|15747422|Natural Born Angel (Immortal City, #2)|Scott Speer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342152410s/15747422.jpg|21439098] to come out! I hope the storyline stays as interesting as the first novel and did I mention.. That. Cover is sooo preety ! (:

Over & Out, T xx