The Emissary (A Riverbend Spinoff Novella) by @MarciaMeara #Fantasy #TuesdayBookBlog

Author: Marcia Meara

Kindle Edition

Category: Fantasy, Book Review, Books

Was Gabe Angelino, the mysterious truck driver in Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2, really an angel, as Willow Green believes? Or was he simply a good man, determined to help a stranger in need? Find out, as author Marcia Meara reveals the truth in the first Riverbend spinoff novella, The Emissary.

An angel’s work is never done—that’s part of the gig. But angels hadn’t been created to deal with such a vastly over-populated planet, rife with misery, suffering, and general chaos. Helping souls in peril has become a nearly impossible job, and even angelic tempers are frayed.

We were introduced briefly to Gabe Angelino, otherwise known as Jake, when he appeared in Hunter Painter’s life at just the right moment. Willow Green wasn’t far off the mark, thinking he was an angel. But Azrael, Jake’s boss, isn’t too pleased with his, Jake’s, interactions with Hunter and Willow.

Jake can’t understand Azrael’s problem, when all he did was stop someone in a desperate situation from doing something terrible. And okay, he didn’t wipe Hunter’s memory of him. So what? Still, Azrael was adamant. It was against the rules. Rules that were emphasised when Jake was given the job. Totally unprepared for Azrael’s reaction, Jake decided to quit.

Azrael’s eyes flamed a furious blue. In one blink, he disappeared from the cab’s passenger seat. In a split second, he reappeared by the driver’s door, ripped it right off the truck, and flung it to the pavement. Before Jake could get his mind around that little trick, Azrael snatched him out of his seat, and hurled him across the empty parking lot with so much force, he might well have continued travelling a half mile or more, had it not been for slamming into the trunk of an enormous oak. Hard.

I was intrigued, reading about ‘Gabe’ in Finding Hunter and am so glad Marcia Meara decided to extend his story. When Jake Daughtry dies while attempting to save someone’s life, he is immediately appropriated by Azrael before he can pass through the pearly gates. There’s far too much work now for the angels to deal with and Azrael believes he’s found the solution. Building an army of emissaries. Only his first attempt at recruitment doesn’t seem to be working out too well…

I love this story, there are so many things that need to gel before Azrael and Jake can make this partnership work and convince the Angelic Council it’s a viable undertaking. Jake’s brief is to travel the highways, and as we ride with him, he’s on the lookout for souls in trouble who he can help and hopefully send them on their way. However, it’s not as straightforward as Jake expected and he’s overwhelmed by the number of people needing help and he ends up with more than he bargained for.

The dialogue between Jake and Azrael is fun to read and it seems angels can be pretty scary when they get annoyed. And boy, can they lose their temper! (Good job Azrael hasn’t realised the text corrector wanted to change his name to airtight!! 😳) 

Marcia Meara has a very natural, easy writing style and always injects heartfelt emotions into her books. Jake, Dodger and Azrael are well defined, strong and engaging characters, can’t wait to catch up with them. A delightful story.

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US

Marcia Meara is a native Floridian, and lives in Sanford, just north of Orlando, with her husband of 30+ years, two large cats, and two small dachshunds. When not working on her books and blogs, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard.

At the age of five, Marcia declared she wanted to be an author, and is ecstatic that a mere 64 years later, she finally wrote “Wake-Robin Ridge,” her first novel. Making up for lost time, she has published five more novels over the last four years, including:

A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2 
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3

Swamp Ghosts: Riverbend Book 1
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book 3

Marcia has also published a small chapbook of poetry, Summer Magic: Poems of Life and Love, and her work has been included in six Silver Birch Press Anthologies.

Her philosophy? It’s never too late to follow your dream. Just take that first step, and never look back. At age 73, when many people are slowing down, Marcia’s new career is just taking off. She plans to keep on writing until she falls face down on the keyboard, and would, in fact, consider that a pretty good way to go.

Marcia’s social media links ~ The Write Stuff | Bookin’ It | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads