Conspiracy of Angels

Reviewed by Annie Holland © 2006

Wild Child Publishing.com © 2006

Conspiracy of Angels by Zinnia Hope
Publisher: Freya's Bower
ISBN: 1-934069-40-X
Genre: Contemporary/Angels & Demons
Rating: Tangy
Length: Plus Novel
Release Date: December 19, 2006
Author's website: Zinnia Hope

When Elizabeth Shaw, a single mother, returns to her hometown Barnesville, Ohio, she's carrying a load of baggage. Constantly under the gun from her grandmother, the local minister, and the townspeople, Elizabeth struggles to keep her chin up and stay positive as she watches her dream of a successful restaurant flounder in the tide of prejudice. Only Daniel, her first love, seems to understand, but Elizabeth doesn't want a relationship with a man, and especially not with him. Between her restaurant, her son Alex, and the townspeople snubbing her, she doesn't feel she can handle any more. The last thing she needs is for people, and Daniel too, to discover Daniel is the father of her son.

But her heart refuses to listen to her head because she still loves Daniel. And no matter what the townspeople, the minister, and her head say, she can't stop the inevitable. And with heaven on the side of love, she sheds her fears and comes into her own.

There are some twists and turns in the plot, so I won't say anymore for fear of spoiling it.

This book was hard for me to get into at first. The prologue addressed issues that I sometimes don't want to recognize as being part of our society (Pollyanna syndrome here.), but it set the stage. And while I could see how Elizabeth became so neurotic, I still didn't like her that much. She whined, constantly questioned the decisions she made, and let people walk all over her. But, as the story unfolded, my sympathies turned, and I became more introspective, soul searching. How would I react if someone I loved constantly attacked me? Would I snipe at them too? Would I question even the smallest decisions? It's hard to say, but it's possible that I might.

I have to admit that I wanted to smack her grandmother for being so unfair, smack the minister for being such a hypocrite, and smack the townspeople for being such bigots. Most of all, I wanted to smack Elizabeth into discovering her backbone. When she finally found it, I cheered her on, yelling: "Woo-hoo, Lizzie! String them up to dry!" By the end of the novel, I wore a huge grin on my face and sighed happily.

If you are expecting the typical scenes of angels conversing about how they can help the poor woman heal and move on, you won't find it here. The angels are included with subtlety, something I appreciate.

Despite the initial struggle to immerse myself in the story, I am extremely glad I finished it. Had I stopped reading, I would have missed one of the best books that I have read this year. It's not often I find a book that has great characters, true-to-life renderings of difficult situations, believable character development, doesn't whitewash Christianity, and one that makes me take a look at myself. Oh, did I mention the wonderful love story? Yes, it has that too.

I highly recommend this book. A perfect read any time of the year.

Rating: 5 cats.

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To find out more about how to purchase Conspiracy of Angels visit Freya's Bower.