YA book review: Love's Long Shadow by Ciara Knight

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 200 KB
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press (October 1, 2011)

Book blurb: Sammy Lorre was cast from Heaven for conduct unbecoming an angel. Living in a demon infested small town with no memory of her previous life, she faces never-ending purgatory until Boon saunters into her life with a promise of angelic love. But is he an angel from Heaven or a minion from the underworld preying on her human emotions? To discover his true identity, she must risk eternal damnation and her heart.

My review: From the opening lines of this novella, I thought I was in for a first person YA featuring a sulking girl. I was wrong. This third person tale of fallen angels sent to earth because of their interference and how they are tested had me hooked. When we meet Sammy Lorre, she is wading in the ocean on an extremely hot Florida day. She has no memories of Heaven. Once she was banished from heaven, along with her brother Alex, they were granted teen bodies and live with Grace, an earthbound angel who mothers them.

I found Sammy's innocence refreshing. She may have no recollection of her past but she refuses to give up. She is full of wonder, questions, and determination, especially when she spies a young guy on the beach. For some strange reason she has the need to touch him. This guy, Boon, hangs with some bad guys and yet Sammy knows he's not like them. Sammy's mental anguish about the past combined with her dealing with the growing needs of a teenage human body were well crafted. I liked how some of her word usage gave the impression of an older person.

 Ciara Knight sets a strong foundation for her Battle of Souls series with this novella. Her writing was smooth and I enjoyed her descriptions. Though short, the tale was successfully succinct in realistically depicting a Heaven which sends their fallen to earth to learn from their mistakes. I rooted for Sammy to remember and to discover what role Boon has played, if any, in her past. I look forward to seeing more of Ms. Knight's angels.

Favorite excerpt: ""He left?" He lunged forward, strong fingers wrapped around her arm. An image of a dark figure enveloped in a pale-purple light flashed like a shock to her memory. Softness caressed her skin sending tremors down her arms and legs. Pure joy erupted deep in her core and snapped from nerve to nerve throughout her entire body. Her arms and legs turned weightless and she thought she'd touched Heaven. She gasped and clung to him, never willing to trap her soul in her heavy body again.

He let go and shuffled away, his gaze downcast. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

Sammy clung to the rumbles of euphoria that remained. The sweetest taste, reminiscent of fresh picked strawberries, coated her tongue. And the perfumed scent of honeysuckle, her favorite smell on earth, lingered. Did she remember something from Heaven? She only had the vaguest of memories, barely a recollection of life before she fell. If so, she longed to connect to him again for one more moment of bliss."

Rating: I liked it.

Cover comment: Lackluster for me. I also thought Sammy was blond.

Book source: From the author for my honest review.