Review: Savagely good
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 10, 2013
I read Nobody's Angel,the first book in the Earth Angels series, and really liked it. When I saw Savage Angel was available, I picked it up. Well, wow. So good. Sara is a bodyguard, a warrior. Gideon is a doctor fresh off a tour in Kandahar. Noah, Gideon's father is being targeted by a madman, and Noah wants Sara to protect him. Gideon can't believe Sara is good enough to protect his father when the person targeting him has already killed 5 people.What worked for me - Sara - Usually, I am very hero-centric. In Savage Angel, Sara stole the show. She is the perfect blend of innocence and deadliness. Born to be a warrior, trained to be a protector, she carries herself with the air of a person who has very little fear of anything. She can, and does, take care of herself. She also eats her weight in sugar and caffeine a day,and can't stand to be idle. Give her any weapon, attack her with any move and she can match it. Give her a man who she had an encounter with a year ago, hours before he had to go off to war, and when he blows her off when he returns, she is confused and heartsick. Sara is a complete bad ass with a heart of pure gold.Oh, I felt so sorry for Sara. She broke my heart. Her confusion and longing were written so well. Sara has no experience with people outside of her little world. Gideon left her hurting and sad, and determined to not give him the satisfaction of knowing it.The supporting cast - KJ, Carter, Macbeth, etc. were all fleshed out and real.Second half Gideon - Once he gave up fighting his attraction and got over his "I'm not worthy", Gideon proved his attraction and loyalty to Sara over and over. SO many good lines...he melted me completely.Interesting story, well plotted and executed.I like the way Stacy Gail writes. She is funny, but can move you to tears within a few words. Nothing is wasted, and the story flows beautifully. Savage Angel is really a longish novella length, but felt complete. Given the number of characters, the plot and the time Sara and Gideon spend together, this is quite the accomplishment, in my opinion.What didn't work as well - First half Gideon. Well, it was less than half, but he was so mean to Sara. Over and over. Yes, I get he was struggling with some mighty awful PTSD...Still, he was so mean. And then, he did an abrupt about face. It felt too quick to me. I almost got relationship whiplash. He made up for his bad behavior, though.Bottom line - I look forward to the next Earth Angels story! Time and money very well spent.