Angel in Training is listed a paranormal romance. I would call it a funny, para-abnormal, mystery with some hot romance thrown in.
Let me start my review with two things:
On a scale of 1 to 5, my rating for this book is a 7. (I would rate it an 8 but I don’t want the authors head to swell too much.)
The second thing is that I am biased; actually doubly biased. Firstly, because the story takes place in New Orleans, one of my favorite cities. Secondly, the heroine of the story is a Brit. and I love everything British: Having lived in London for several years and it now being my second home whenever we travel.
However, I’ll desperately try to put all that aside and give a fair review.
Our heroine, just turned 20, Angelina (Angel) Connors, is celebrating her birthday with friends in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras. Drunk as a skunk, she is pulled into an alley and stabbed. As she lays dying, Michel, an Archangel, offers her eternal happiness (through death) or eternal life. Angel, quickly chooses eternal life; which she soon finds out also includes dying, kinda.
Six months later, she wakes up in a convent, a few short blocks from where she was killed, wearing a ….. Victorian nightdress? Michel, the Archangel in charge of the region, informs her that she is now Angel, a real live (oops) dead Angel in training, who must first earn the right to be an Angel before earning her wings.
As Angel attempts to fit into angeldom, Michel puts her through a rigorous training program, coached by Cupid, which includes: Learning how to use a bow and arrow, a sword, read auras and track and protect her charge: All of which she fails miserably at.
Not even half way through her training, she’s assigned her charge, a rookie New Orleans PD detective named Joshua Walsh. Oh, did I mention that Joshua is 24 and adorable? And that, as an angel, sex, drinking, smoking and drugs are not allowed. (To quote Angel: “You expect me to go an eternity without sex and alcohol?”) Nor is Joshua helping when he keeps flirting and telling her how hot she is. (Oh, it’s going to be a long eternity!)
In any case, Angel and Joshua soon begin tracking her killer who, it turns out is a serial killer stalking the French Quarter.
It’s here that I’ll leave you to read the rest of the story on your own.
But, not before telling you that the author has done a fantastic job writing this book.
First off, the story line is not only unique, it has the perfect amount of twists and turns to keep you wondering what will happen next; with their tracking the serial killer, their relationship and Angel earning full Angelship (?).
Character development is also exceptional and if you don’t find yourself hoping that Angel comes back from the dead so she and Josh can get it on, you have no heart. Likewise, you’ll soon develop a love/hate relationship for Michel and wonder what in the hell is going on with Cupid.
Most impressive is the authors ability to play British English, American English and Teenage English against each other, as Angel has her discussions with Michel, Josh, Cupid and others. So many times you can just picture all of them standing with their mouths hanging open trying to figure out what the hell each other said. Along the same line is the subtle British sense of humor that she slips in without even thinking about it. Perhaps it’s because I’ve spent so much time around Brits, but I found myself laughing out loud on almost every page.
(I need to pause here and mention that one reviewer referred to numerous typing errors. I however found almost none and will note that, if you’re not used to the differences in word usage, and sometimes spelling, between us and the British, you might easily see them as errors.)
In summary: Angel in Training has it all. A great plot. Twists and turns. Great characters. Exceptional writing. Subtle humor with a laugh on every page. And, just an overall wonderful story.
My recommendation: Place Angel in Training at the top of your Must Read List. Enjoy