Until Next Time by Amy Lignor (Book Review)

Title: Until Next Time (Angel Chronicles #1)
Author: Amy Lignor
Publisher: Tribute Books


About the Book: How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul? 

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache. 

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans. 

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart. 

My thoughts:  When I first started this book, I didn't think that I was going to like it.  It starts with Emily and Matt in the author's view of Heaven engaging in a battle that was meant as both punishment and training.  The whole Heaven scenario in the beginning just felt contrived and unrealistic.  

But then we start to get a little more information as Emily starts to reread her and Matt's first story about their first journey down to earth.  She becomes Liz and Matt becomes Daniel.  They are 2 people living in 19th century Ireland and this is where I started to lose myself in the story. 

I really liked Liz's character as well as that of her friend Faith.  They were two strong, independent women who were not afraid to speak their minds.  I am surprised that they hadn't gotten into more trouble than they had because of this quality.  I think the fact that they lived in a small remote village, where the villagers had "adopted" them as their own daughters, that kept them safe. 

While on Earth, Emily and Matt are not aware of their angelic lives.  They know that there are things about them that are different, but do not know why.  Emily goes back to her trainers in Heaven when she falls asleep, or sometimes passes out because she needs to speak with them.  In Heaven, she is aware of the life she is leading on Earth as Liz, and brings back with her the conflict of emotions that Liz carries.   She does not remember these visits when she awakens though sometimes she has memories that she believes are just dreams.

The book is told from Emily's viewpoint and we only know what is going on with Matt/Daniel as it relates to Emily/Liz.  I believe there could be another whole book from his viewpoint.  

This is the first book in the series and I can see how there could be many books taking you through out history and all over the world.  At some point in the book it stated that for the most part, the souls that you are surrounded by are usually the same ones through out time -- or something to that effect.  I would be interested to see how they all meet up again in other times.

~I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Tribute Books in exchange for my unbiased review.

About the author: Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico. 

You can connect with Amy at the following sites:

The Angel Chronicles web site:
http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com

The Angel Chronicles Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Angel-Chronicles/168932393209654

Until Next Time GoodReads page:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13319888-until-next-time

Amy Lignor's Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/alignor

Amy Lignor's Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/HelloWritersAmy

Amy Lignor's Website:
http://www.thewritecompanion.com/

Amy Lignor's Blog:
http://hellowriters.wordpress.com/

Amy Lignor's GoodReads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5222068 

Until Next Time

Publisher/Publication Date: Tribute Books, Jan 24, 2012

ASIN:  B0071LLL2M

221 pages

To purchase:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble