In the Presence of Angels [Mass Market Paperback]

This story kept my attention so thoroughly that it was 1 AM before I realized how long I had been reading. The characters - Will moreso - think and talk about God without apology, neutrality, or embarrassment. I found Will's faith humbling. The story does juxtapose spiritual themes with explicit sexuality, and it is possible that this could be uncomfortable for some readers. However, I found that it gave the book more depth, because it required me to think a little more, and in a different way, about the nature of divine goodness and human love. I recommend this novel highly.

Major Lord William Fizpatrick is sick of war and death. After his best friend Val dies in his arms he resigns his commission and heads home. But first he makes a pit stop to see Louisa, Val's widow, to bring her the letters she'd written to Val. In those letters Louisa had vividly described her happy home life and Will, who never had a happy home of his own, fell just a little bit in love with her.

Louisa wasn't honest in her letters, though, and she and Val had had anything but the idyllic love life that she hinted at in her letters. Val left Louisa and their young daughter Pip in dire straits and Louisa only wrote the letters in an attempt to soothe her pride and to make Val feel a little guilt at his desertion. As a result of her doomed marriage Louisa has hardened her heart and become quite grumpy.

When Will arrives she mistakes him for a handyman she so desperately needs. Will becomes tongue-tied by her beauty and pretends to be a handyman named "Will Cutter". He sees this as a chance to become free of his past and longs to spend more time with Louisa.

This setup was often emotional and held much promise but the romance that followed did not live up to its potential. Louisa is a screechy, unbendable and mostly unlikeable heroine right from the get-go. She is desperate to keep Will at arm's length and spends most of the book treating him to harsh, uncalled-for tongue-lashings. After a few of these outbursts I was really shocked when he decided to stick around. But stick around he did, and emotionally abused he was.

Will was a great hero, and the sole reason that I continued to read the story. He's kind and has a fantastic sense of humor that really comes in handy when he's dealing with Louisa's red-hot temper. Louisa eventually warm up and the plot takes a temporary turn for the better. The story becomes entertaining, moving and highly sensual for a bit but then things begin to slide downhill again. Several annoying plot twists occur including a frustrating and simple to resolve misunderstanding, a catastrophe where Louisa acts in a embarrassingly pathetic fashion and a three-month long separation that occurs near the end of the story.

Despite the plot contrivances and irritating heroine this book had some genuinely touching moments, some way better than average love scenes and a beautiful spiritual element. Sadly, though, there were too many problems for me to give "In The Presence of Angels" anything more than a lukewarm rating. But if you're willing to overlook the problems I outlined in order to meet a great hero you may want to give it a try.

A year later, William has left the army to come home, but decides to detour to give Louisa letters that Val possessed. When he reaches Broadhurst Farm, William is shocked by the dilapidated conditions that are nothing like the utopia he thought. Louisa is a bitter person and her father acts like he suffers from battle fatigue. Only Val's little girl Pip shows any energy. William accepts a farm hand job and begins to pump life back into a family that Val destroyed before he joined the army. Louisa and William fall in love, but when she learns the truth about his identity, their relationship will end.

IN THE PRESENCE OF ANGELS is an interesting, character-driven Regency romance. The cast propels the story line as each adult suffers from a traumatic situation that has left them with demons. The lead couple is an endearing duo and the support cast brings out their better qualities. Katherine Kingsley provides sub-genre fans with a warm romance that will be cherished for its insightful look at the era.

Harriet Klausner