Smorgasbord Book Reviews Rewind – #Paranormal – The Emissary Trilogy; A Riverbend Spinoff by Marcia Meara

In May this year I took advantage of the great offer for The Emissary Trilogy by Marcia Meara, bringing the three novellas together in one terrific read. Please note the books are no longer in a collection but are available separately.

About the Emissary Trilogy

Now for the first time, Marcia Meara, author of the popular Wake-Robin Ridge and Riverbend series, has made all three of her Riverbend spinoff novellas available in one trilogy. Join Jake, Dodger, and that ginormous glowy-eyed archangel, Azrael, on their quest to save mortals about to make some serious mistakes.

THE EMISSARY – 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.

The archangel Azrael has had enough. He believes he’s found a way to ease their burden while saving jeopardized humans, too—hired help.

THE EMISSARY 2: To Love Somebody – They’re back! Jake and Dodger, the first (and so far, only) Emissaries to the Angels, are on the road again, looking for mortals about to take a wrong turn.

Of course, there are rules by which the emissaries must play, and the archangel Azrael stands ready to enforce them. First and foremost, a person’s free will must never be compromised. Emissaries are allowed to use only the smallest of mental nudges. Thankfully, a whispered suggestion here or images of a better course of action there is usually all it takes.

But whether the results are immediate or not, Jake and Dodger are fully committed to making a positive difference, even as they struggle with issues of their own.

THE EMISSARY 3: Love Hurts – The archangel Azrael created his emissaries to help mortals avoid choices that would doom them for eternity. He hadn’t planned on the youngest member of the team falling in love with one.

Azrael’s emissary program was growing daily, but it still met with stubborn opposition from many on the Council of Angels. Dodger’s request to be allowed to experience what falling in love was all about didn’t help matters, but Azrael believed emissaries who’d shared a loving relationship during their mortal lives would have a deeper understanding of human emotions and motivations, thus enhancing the skills needed to do their jobs.

With that in mind, the archangel gave Dodger one chance to search for true love. He then laid down a daunting set of stringent rules and guidelines that could not be broken under any circumstances, warning that dire happenings could occur.

Sometimes even angels hate to be right!

My review for The Emissary Trilogy May 3rd 2021

As you can tell from the blurb, being an emissary on earth is no easy task. It is a learning curve for both the new recruits and their supervising angel Azrael, who despite thousands of years on human over watch, is not familiar with the emotional element so crucial to mankind’s existence.

As always Marcia Meara creates wonderful lead characters who engage the reader from the first moment. Never afraid to include flaws, the author always shines a light on their goodness as their roles develop during the course of the story. Jake, Dodger and Azrael are no exception.

Traveling up and down the Florida coastline, familiar territory for the author and therefore wonderfully described, Jake and Dodger hone their powers in an effort to prevent a human from straying from the straight and narrow with evil on their minds. As they learn how to harness this power they can also reach out to humans who are on a more self-destructive path, saving lives and futures.

But, a young man such as Dodger whose life ended far too young, has not experienced the wonder of falling in love and despite Azrael’s initial reservations, he allows two young people to discover the true meaning of the word. It comes with a price and despite this their romance is a wonderful element to this paranormal journey.

There is danger along the road and despite their special status, the two emissaries are not immune to violence and have to learn patience, desperate though they are to prevent tragedies. It is a fine line when attempting to nudge the mind of a dangerous criminal away from their path without causing themselves harm. However both discover the satisfaction of making a difference as the miles pass under the truck of their semi.

These three novellas come together in a lovely package with elements that will delight those who enjoy paranormal mysteries, thrillers, romance and a well written story with exceptional characters. I highly recommend.

Each of the individual novellas have their own reviews accessed via the authors’ Amazon page but here are the links to buy the trilogy.

At a special Trilogy price of $4.06: Amazon US – And £2.92:Amazon UK

A selection of other books by Marcia Meara

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Marcia Meara on: Goodreads – Blog:Marcia Meara Writes – Twitter: @MarciaMeara

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and one small dachshund.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

 

I hope you have enjoyed my review and will be leaving with some books.. thanks Sally.