Author Celise Downs » Blog Archive » Road Trip Wednesday #43: Book of the Month

September 1, 2010 | Life in General,Reading is FUNdamental,Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival”, where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing or reading-related question and answer it in on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

You’re more than welcome to participate! Just answer the question on your own blog, and leave a link to it in their comments.

Topic #43: What’s the best book you’ve read last month?

BEDEVILED ANGEL
by Annette Blair

A WORKS LIKE MAGICK NOVEL
Book Two

At the Works Like Magick employment agency in Salem, Massachusetts, matching clients in need with magical temps is a piece of cake, especially when the temp happens to be heaven-sent…

In a building collapse, Chance Godricson is meant to live and Queisha Saint-Denis to die, but he sent her up his escape tunnel before him, and it collapsed behind her. At that moment, he became her guardian angel. Now Queisha’s about to face the most difficult challenge of her life and Chance wants to be there for her. Enter Angus, a fellow angel, who knocks Chance back to earth, and to Queisha, without permission. Will the archangels let Chance stay? For how long? And at what cost?

When Queisha Saint-Denis agreed to be a surrogate mother for a jet-setting–but childless–couple, she never dreamed she’d see a return on her gift. Literally. But now she’s looking at two adorable orphans, who come with a lot of baggage: there’s a battle brewing over who “inherits” them and their huge fortune, plus an unwanted (and alarmingly attractive) guardian, whom she’s sure has been hired by the dueling family members to keep an eye on her more than the children.

Chance Godricson is keeping an eye on Queisha. in fact, he’s her guardian angel. Ever since he gave his life to save hers, Chance has felt an undeniable connection to Queisha. And now that he’s back on Earth, in her house, surrounded by two scene-stealing moppets and a woman he finds irresistible, Chance is about to discover that helping Queisha and still staying angelic is not going to be easy…

For the record, Annette Blair is one of my favorite authors. If she had a blog, it’d be on my blog roll over there. (Hint, Hint, Annette. Get a blog. LOL). I really enjoyed reading the “Witch” Series and even gave her a glowing review for one of the books. BEDEVILED is Book Two in a new series called Works Like Magick. I really enjoyed Book One, NAKED DRAGON, and was hoping to get another dragon book this time, but was pleasantly surprised when the story was about angels instead. Guardian angels.

Totally diggin’ the concept.

I love the idea of having a guardian angel watching over you from the minute you’re born and waiting to meet you on the other side when you die.

I love the idea that if you almost die, it’s not a doctor that brings you back, but your guardian angel.

I love the idea that both humans and animals have guardian angels.

I love the idea that guardian angels have rainbow-colored wings and each layer stands for something (i.e. gold = love)

I love the idea that there are different types of guardian angels, depending on how you died, and that each and every one of them has a special job in Heaven.

I love the idea that someone’s last words to you can become the motto you live by.

I love the idea that my guardian angel could be as gorgeous as Chance Godricson. (Seriously. Take a look at that cover again).

Just like the blurb states, Chance became Quiesha’s guardian angel after he dies in her place. Chance’s last words to her inspired her to become a surrogate mother for a jet-setting couple. When they die in a freak accident, the twin girls she gave birth to end up in her care. And Chance, who’s been in love with her for years (even though it’s forbidden), gets kicked back down to Earth to help her out and deal with a shit-storm of a custody battle.

The world Annette created for these four people (Quiesha, Chance, and the twins, Lace and Skye) just pulled me in and made me want to stay a while. Quiesha is this brave half-Kenyan/half-white soul who has to overcome her insecurities about her parenting abilities. It’s not that she doesn’t want or love the girls—quite the contrary—Quiesha just has this teeny, tiny, itty, bitty, okay, it’s a pretty large, problem: she’s agoraphobic. So much so that she’s secluded herself in a big house. On an island.

To be honest, if I were agoraphobic, I would never want to leave my house if it looked like Queisha’s: multiple bedrooms and each one of them painted a different color. It even had a dance studio. With a disco ball, people. How cool is that?

And then there’s Chance. Mr. Hottie on a Stick who’s really one thing but comes to Queisha in a different capacity: as a cook.

I felt sympathy for the girls, who ended up with parents that spent their time around the world rather than with their children. And I found myself rooting for Quiesha and silently encouraging her as she faced her fears. Agoraphobia is a very real and very crippling disease and although it was a subplot, it never overwhelmed the rest of the story. I think it was a great book and I’m really enjoying this series and am looking forward to the forthcoming books. Maybe you’ll like her books, too. Head on over to her website and check out all her other stories.

JUST A REMINDER: There’s still time to add “your two cents” to Chapter 5 of A Royale Pain: A Draven Atreides, Teenage Informant Novel. It’s the final chapter I’ll be posting for my class project and comments close on Sunday.

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