Review: A tasty little snack to hold you over until Renegade!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 8, 2013
Gemma has the perfect life. She lives in perfection: Heaven. She is an angel after all. If everything is so perfect, why does she feel drawn to Earth with all of its imperfections and complexities? After completing a mission, Gemma lazily idles by a stream. Watching the water whirl and swirl as it whispers across the river bed. Butterflies flit and float all around her, and Gemma cannot help but enjoy this stolen time. A sharp snap of a branch breaking startles Gemma from her quiet reverie. An unknown man stands watching her. Gemma decides to check it out. A bad decision as she is attacked by a large hellish hound with red eyes. After scuffling, Gemma stabs the creature in the heart with her dagger and escapes back to the stream. A quiet voice asks if she is harmed, and Gemma sees another human. Terrified, she attempts to flee, but something holds her back and she lets this man help her. Back in heaven, Gemma finds her thoughts turning back to the stranger, and before she knows it she is sneaking back to see him. Unfortunately, a relationship between an angel and a human is forbidden, and Gemma will soon face dire consequences. What will the price be for losing her heart to the wrong man?What I Liked:*Gemma has always been of the most enigmatic characters of the Heven and Hell series. Since her introduction in Charade, she has remained elusive and tight lipped and there has been very little revelation about her past and her former existence as an angel. Finally, the reader is able to get inside her head and learn her secrets and gain an understanding as to why she is emotionally scarred and reclusive and see what motivates her. Her story is sad, as we learn she is punished for a forbidden love. It makes you stop and think: What would you be willing to give up for love? What price would you pay?*I liked that this novella takes us back to the past, and then brings us forward to present day, where Gemma is still struggling with her past. She is unable to forget and unwilling to open her heart to Cole. Knowing her backstory, it is now easy to understand why she is so afraid why she continues to push Cole away. Thankfully, Cole doesn't take rejection easily, and he is willing to prove just how far he will go to be with her. Of course, we are left in breathless agony wondering about the couple's fate, and it won't be revealed until the final installment, Renegade, releases in May 2013.*It was interesting to get a glimpse into Heaven. We have taken a trip to Hell in the previous books, and this time around it was nice to gain a perspective on the heavenly realm.*Cambria's writing is lovely as usual. This novella especially was packed full of wonderful descriptions and plenty of emotion. I always enjoy Cambria's unique voice and this was my second favorite novella in the series, behind Bewitched. What can I say? I like Kimber's sassy personality.*Usually, I am disappointed in the short length of a novella, but this time around, I thought the little story packed plenty of punch and I got all the information I needed and was left satisfied. That is saying something because usually I want more. This novella was like a tasty little snack that tided me over until Renegade.And The Not So Much:*I was a bit confused over the time period of Gemma's story. It revealed that she is very old, and that she has been wandering the Earth for a long time since her fall, but her story regarding her fall seems to take place not that long ago, as the love interest Callum has a motorcycle and wears jeans. I was under the impression that the events in the past had occurred a long time, since Riley is a descendant and he is older, again this indicates that quite a few years have passed.*I was a bit perplexed that when Gemma's wings were stripped that she wasn't given any kind of way to redeem herself. Her punishment is swift and harsh. Humans always have a chance to redeem themselves, why can't an angel? I am hopeful that in the final book Gemma will receive her redemption.Beneath is a revealing and heartbreaking look at how a young angel fell for falling in love with the wrong person. This is a quick, satisfying read that will hold you over until the final novel of The Heven and Hell Series: Regenade is released in May.Favorite Quotations:"This doesn’t have to damn you. What you did... you changed... out of love, not out of darkness. That is what will save you. That is what will save us.”"I didn’t say anything. I was afraid to. I was afraid if I opened my mouth, then all the feelings that were swimming around inside me would escape and once the truth was out, it would change everything.""From everything I’ve seen and heard from Kimber, she wasn’t just one crayon short of a full box; she was just the empty box."“Tell me what the price is to love you. I’ll pay it.”"I would hear those words in my sleep. I would hear them in the sunrise and when the stars sparkled in the sky. They would be there always, whispering directly to my heart, following me wherever I would go, and even if I spent eternity alone, those words would forever wrap around my soul and keep me from ever feeling alone. To him, those words had been a plea, but to me... they were everything.""The passion that erupted between us was unlike anything I’d ever known, and I would never be the same again. When I could think again, I would realize that I would never again miss my wings, I would never again miss heaven, because this kiss, his hands, his skin, and his body were the only things I would ever want again."I received a copy of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.