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Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Angel Burn (Angel #1)

by L.A. Weatherly

Goodreads:

They're out for your soul.
And they don't have heaven in mind...
Willow knows she's different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people's dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself does. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces and that he's one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil.

My Thoughts:

First off, love love loved the cover! Second, wow, what a twist on angels! They are the bad guys. I really liked the loved story and the chemistry between Willow and Alex. I thought that it was well done. Willow has some great character quirks, like mechanic. Alex is complex and alluring—gotta love that! The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that it felt bugged down with information, detail and flashbacks. There were times that I skimmed because of it. Plus, it was really weird having Willow in first person and then when it flipped to another character it was in third person. It would have been nice if the character changes were clearly marked. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

Note: PG-13, very clean romance, four stars.

Hunted by D.J. DeSmyter

Hunted

by D.J. DeSmyter

Goodreads: 

Seventeen-year-old Lily Atwater has always kept to herself, living a lonely life with her workaholic dad. Not the most thrilling life, but it’s quiet and ordinary, two things she’s come to expect from living in Victor Hills, Michigan.
 
When kind and mysterious Alex takes refuge in her home, she is suddenly thrown into his world of werewolves, a world he wants to keep her safe from. But while the two of them grow closer, a relentless hunter continues his search, stalking the woods with hopes of catching the wolf that got away

My Thoughts: 

The first two chapters really threw me (they are short chapters, though:-). It took me until the third chapter until I could finally ground myself in the story. It is a very clean and sweet romance. I enjoyed the wolf lore. I did wish that the characters could've grown more by the end of the novel. And I would've loved to see more plot tension and mishap going on (I did skim quite a bit due to it..sorry). D.J. did a wonderful job having tension and sweetness between the love couple. I liked how he wove his knowledge about music into the story. Keep Writing D.J., looking forward to more books by you:-)

Note: Very mild PG-13, and only because of a little blood. Three stars.

My Christmas Flash Fiction

I entered this Flash Fiction into a contest held by the goodreads group Unlocking Books. I wanted to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy it. It was fun to write:-) I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Angel’s Wings

By Ashley Lavering

          

            “Aisha,” Mom hollered as she ran through the snow in her slippers, waving my sheet music.

            I rolled down the car window. “Oh geeze! Thanks Mom. Mr. Skilty would've had my head.”

            “I know you’ll sing their socks off.” Her breath plumed in the icy December air.

            I rolled my eyes at her singing metaphor. Really, they were all that corny.

She smiled, chuckling softly. “I’ll see you in two hours.” She slapped my doorframe. “Drive safe.”

“I will.” I rolled up my window and drove down our snowy dirt road. My little Ford Tempo wasn’t the best winter vehicle, but Mom splurged this year and bought studded tires.

Charging up the freeway ramp, I tapped out Jungle Bells on my steering wheel as it blared from my Ipod. I was desperate to drown out my nerves and the annoying hope, I’d see Devon there.

Not likely. I sulked.

My heart ached remembering his deep blue Milky Way eyes that enveloped me in the cloak of his galaxy. How my blood rushed as his cloud-like lips had touched mine, deepening into breath-catching storm. That night, I’d soared the heavens in my dreams, only to crash to Earth in a heart shattering heap in the morning when his chair was empty in second period and the only text I got read, “Mistake.”

I shook my head. Two weeks of misery was enough. It was Christmas in five days, and I was determined not to let him ruin my holiday. I reached for my Ipod, needing something more thought drowning and accidentally bumped it off the armrest. It thudded on the passenger side floor.

 “Crap!” I strained to reach it, my figures barely brushing the smooth surface. I gave the white dusted road a quick glance before ducking the extra inch to grab it. My fingers slipped around it, and I snapped back to sitting. 

A brown blur darted in front of me. I yelped and jerked the steering wheel. But the sound of bone and metal crunching came anyway. My hands flew to protect my face at the deer carcass flew into the windshield. The airbag punched me so hard I barely could breathe through the pain. Metal screeched and glass shattered all around me as the car slammed into the ground, rolling over and over again. Something sharp pierced the airbag and my abdomen. I screamed as pain lanced through my flesh like a hot iron.

Dear God, don’t let me die.

The car came to jarring halt, hanging me upside down. The seat-belt and the twisted metal pinned me to the seat. Wet blood trickled across my chest and neck. Dark spots dotted my vision. I hovered in and out of consciousness as a woman’s ethereal voice floated on the chilly air.

“You can’t do this!”

“She’ll die if I don’t.” A deep voice rumbled.

I struggled to understand the voices, everything sloshed together in my pain fogged mind. Was I already dead? Dreaming?

“You’ll die if you do! How can you do that to me!” The woman snapped. My temper instantly lit in the stranger’s defense.

The flapping of wings and a glorious light filled my vision.

This is it, I’m dying.

Then suddenly, I was yanked forward. Lightning pain exploded through my body, stabling my mind into darkness.

I woke to a sweet citrus smell. It overwhelmed my senses, bringing a painful ache to my chest. I whimpered. Was I in Heaven or Hell? 

“Shh..” A soothing voice sang through my ears. A gentle finger wiped at my damp cheek.

My eyes flew open. “Devon.”

 His glorious face hovered over me, his eyes sparkling as if with the stars. I moved to sit up, but he pushed me gently back into snow.

“You’re hurt.”

My mind flashed with the horrible crash. My figures found my abdomen whole without any gaping holes. “But how?” My mind buzzed. “The voices, the light?”

He looked worried. “You hit your head.”

“No,” I said stubbornly, my mind clearing. How was he here? Who pulled me from the crash? Something crazy popped in my head. “You saved me.”

He frowned, and my heart lurched at something the women had said.

“You’re dying!” I sat up so fast the glimpse of my mangled car swirled like melted wax.

“Aisha, calm down.”

He tried pushing me back into the snow, but I latched on to him. “No! You can’t die. Not for me.”

“I’m not dying.” He let out a frustrated sigh.

“But the woman…”

He looked at me with his endless eyes and tucked a blonde strain of hair behind my ear. “I’m mortal now.”

I gaped at him and he chuckled. “That face right there is one of many reasons I can’t live without you.”

His words warmed me. I lifted my hand to wipe his curly brown bangs out of his eyes. “What are you?”

For a brief second, sadness filled his eyes. Then his lips curled into a smile that lit his blue eyes like the morning sun. His hands cradled my face. “An angel who gave up his wings for the woman he loves. To be mortal together for the rest of our lives.”

He brought his lips to mine, and my heart nearly thumped out of my chest. I wrapped myself in the arms of my eternal Christmas present.

The End