Samantha L. Strong

So far only read two:

~ The Bones and Their Girl by Sylvia Heike - 4*
https://www.flashfictiononline.com/article/the-bones-and-their-girl/
So interesting. So unique. A girl with a sad secret, a boy with an ability and some kissing.

~ Bread of Life by Beth Cato - 5*
https://www.flashfictiononline.com/article/bread-of-life/
Loved it. Very clever. Beth always includes a bit of baking and this one features baked bread, right up front and bold.… (meer)

Guarding Angel is epic. I was on an amazing emotional roller coaster ride from the start. The simple summary would be it is a tale of good versus evil; angels versus demons. The book, in my opinion, is much more complex than that. It is a kaleidoscope of different levels of angels, demons, minions, humans and beliefs. It was disturbing, entertaining, emotional, and, for me, philosophical. It is a book that I will return to again. And again.
It is hard for me to choose what I loved best about this book. The author did an awesome job with descriptions. I could see everything unfolding in my mind as if I were watching a movie, or better yet, as if I were there. The relationships between the angels with each other and with humans were believable to me. I believe we do have Guardian Angels. I do believe our souls choose the lessons we learn in life. I do believe we return and that we form relationships during the lifetimes that can cross into other lifetimes. I read other Guardian Angel books and enjoyed them but they didn't have the realistic feel to them that I got from this book. The author successfully combined fantasy with reality for me. Faith was central to the success or failure of the angels ability to help the human they were assigned to. The author was all inclusive on this. No single religion was selected or denied. All relied on faith in a Higher Power be it God, Jehovah, Allah or any of the other names used around the globe. I love that. I want to say so much more but am afraid of giving away too much. There is a part that I feel I need to address though.
There is a disturbing scene involving rape. It was not pleasant to read but, for me, it fit in the story. Bad things happen in life. To ignore that in this story would have been an injustice. I thought the author handled it well. She wrote enough to tell the story but nothing more. I think to shy away from using rape in a book is to hide it away as shameful. It wasn't easy for me to read because I was raped. But what is harder for me is when people want to hide it. That is when I feel ashamed and hurt. Things kept hidden away can have a lot of power. Just as acknowledging that they happen can have a lot of power. They are different powers though and I prefer the one that heals. My personal beliefs run along the lines of those in this book. It was not hard for me to believe that a soul would choose that type of suffering. If we are here to learn than not all the lessons can be of rainbows and unicorns. What happens afterwards and the ending of this life is both beautiful and tragic. This part of the book was huge for me. I really hope if you are interested in this book you don't let this scene stop you from reading it. The author gives enough warning that it is coming so if you don't want to read the details of it you can skim over it. I think it was essential to the story. This book is filled with complex characters and scenes. It is a bit dark though not what I would call horror. I loved it.
I read this in a day only stopping to keep the horde from attacking due to hunger. I love my horde so I had to cook. I would recommend that you start this book when you have a large chunk of time to read it. Don't start it on the train to work. You might call in sick and just ride the rails, reading. Don't say you weren't warned. I would also recommend it for book clubs. I know I would be immensely interested in a discussion.… (meer)