I’LL BE SEEING YOU by Jana Ricards
Fiction, Paranormal (angels), Romance, Second Chances
4****
Blurb: When apprentice angel Gabriel takes Frank back in time for a second chance at love, they both learn lessons about trust. My name is Gabriel Daniels, and the first thing you need to know about me is that I’m dead. The second thing you need to know is that I’m an apprentice angel. At least, that’s what Thomas tells me. Thomas is a senior angel, and I know he’s real because I’ve seen his wings. He’s the one showing me how things work up here. Or near here. Heaven itself is agonizingly close, close enough to feel, but Thomas says I don’t belong there yet. Not until I earn it. And this is where things get… unreal. According to the Heavenly Council, the only way I can earn my wings is by giving three mortals a second chance at love. Thomas and I will take them back to the time they made the choice that shattered their hearts. My task is simple in theory and terrifying in practice: I have to convince them to choose differently this time. To trust. To stay. To love. Our first client is Frank Brennan, a World War II veteran. In 1944, in Plymouth, England, Frank fell deeply in love with Claire Cartwright. But when he found her in the arms of another man, he walked away without listening—without believing her when she swore things weren’t what they seemed. Now it’s my job to help Frank find the courage to trust her love again. I can’t fail. I need to get into Heaven.Thomas has promised that once I become a full-fledged angel, I’ll be allowed to watch over my mother and my brother back on Earth. They need me. With their mental health struggles, the world is often too much for them. And maybe—if I’m lucky—I’ll be allowed to watch over Sloane, too. She was the love of my mortal life. Even though she said goodbye, even though I never told her what I should have, I never stopped loving her. Not for a single moment. What I didn’t expect was that earning Heaven would require me to relive my own failures. Thomas never mentioned the part where I’d be dragged back through my every mistake. He claims understanding myself is vital if I want to be allowed into Heaven. But the more he shows me my relationship with Sloane, the clearer it becomes: it wasn’t fate that ruined us. It was my inability to trust. Like I said, I can’t fail. But Frank is stubborn, wounded, and carrying decades of pain. Before either of us can get what we want, he’s going to have to confront the past he’s been running from. And so am I. I’LL BE SEEING YOU is the first book in the Twice in a Lifetime time-travel romance series. This paranormal romance with closed door love scenes, duel-time line love stories and plenty of angel magic, is intended to be read first in the series. Follow that up with book 2 (NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE) and then book 3 (WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN) for your complete reading pleasure!
THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this story, but I just wasn’t completely sure why Gabriel was being shown his life except maybe for atonement. Still, the characters were great. Especially Thomas and how he is so enigmatic with not answering Gabriel’s questions. I loved Frank and how curmudgeonly he was at first. Having him go back and relive things…and how he can’t change certain things, but can change others (and does). I really enjoyed how Thomas told Gabriel how his life turned out after all. I laughed a little at the “waiting room” and Gabriel getting stuck there at various times. And the ending tells you that there will definitely be more to come as Gabriel has to save three people and Frank is just the first. It’s a journey of discovery for Gabriel, and us as we read about him.
Recommended.
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