Author: Heather Killough-Walden
ISBN: 978-0-7553-8041-1
RRP: $19.99
Messenger’s Angel arrived on my desk a while back and I was instantly in love. I wanted to drop everything and immerse myself back in the world of Walden’s making immediately but sometimes life and priorities get in the way. Instead I kept it sitting there, awaiting that perfect moment when the stars aligned and that moment arrived recently.
Heather Killough-Walden takes us back into the world of the Favored Four and their milleniums long search for the archesses that were made for them. A love story of epic proportions that sees the The Lost Angels battle the Adarians and Samuel Lambent – otherwise known as Samael – for the Archesses.
Messenger’s Angel focuses on Gabriel, the former Messenger Angel, and the discovery of his archess, the love of his very long life and the one who truly completes him. The two are drawn together in a way that almost, and I say ALMOST, seems random. They end up in the same place at the same time and lock eyes across a crowded room, the world falls away until they are lost in time. Explaining it like that makes it sound a little saccharine but it certainly is not, within minutes of that eye-lock there is an earth shattering liplock but that’s quickly followed up by a resounding punch to the Angel’s jaw for taking liberty’s with a stranger, and the punch came from the petite, fragile looking archess who seems even tinier when placed next to the over 6 foot of world stoppingly gorgeous hunk of Angel Gabriel.
The heart of this story is the romance, the indescribable love between Gabriel and Juliette. But if you aren’t one to swoon and get swept away by the timeless beauty of an ageless love story don’t be disheartened because there is plenty of action to keep you interested.
The Favored Four are not the only ones searching for the Archesses. The Adarians, an earlier ‘model’ of angel who were cast to Earth before the Four, also want to secure the Archesses for their own devious designs – they want to transfer the healing properties of the Archesses to themselves; this is the one power which is almost exclusive to the Archesses. Then there’s Samuel, he has an interest in how things play out with the Archesses but his motives and his preferred outcome are never revealed. He is an extremely enigmatic character and one whose story will come more clearly into focus as we near the close of the series I think and I for one am excited to learn more about him.
Much of the action in Messenger’s Angel takes place in Scotland, where Gabriel feels the closest to home. It is also a place Juliette feels a strong affinity for and we learn a lot about her story and her past as the novel progresses. The Angels, and Juliette, are all America based but the beauty of the mansion the Angels call home is it allows them to open portals to anywhere in the world with a door which makes them quite mobile. Juliette is in Scotland working on her thesis and a television mini-series.
Walden divulges more of the legends and circumstances of the Four and their search in this volume and allows us a glimpse at what we may be able to expect from upcoming instalments.
Messenger’s Angel is fast paced, engaging and it hooked me. It was one of those books that made me wish all other responsibilities would disappear for a while so I could just sit and lose myself in this book. Easier said than done but I think I did manage half of it today which is why I love the afternoon outings when I’m not driving.
The Archesses are strong and resilient, which goes without saying really when you consider what they get dumped on them all at once with the revelations of their angelic status. They also know their own minds, they fight the physical sensations trying to sweep them off their feet to discover what’s going on.
Messenger’s Angel was definitely worth the wait. The love, and the love scenes, are breathtaking. The scenery and the history is mind boggling and the action is engaging. Now I have to put my patience shoes back on and wait for the next one.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!