The Trouble with Angels Book

Cute book. The blurb made it sound like it was going to be saccharine and cloying, but it was well written and dodged the danger of being too sweet by a mile. So props to the author on avoiding the typical pitfall that most Christmas books makes, too sugary and cavity inducing.

This would have been five stars, except. SLIGHT SPOILERS AFTER THIS PART.

The Joy/Ted/Blythe triangle.

Ted was dating Blythe, was planning on popping the question. She was obviously the wrong woman for him. She was beautiful, selfish, focused on looks and money and was basically a witch on Manolos. Ted meets Joy, who is sweet and giving, the complete opposite of Blythe. Ted falls for Joy immediately, kisses her and then wants to date her.

Without telling Blythe he wants to date other people or breaking it off with her.

Joy says no, but never says that he needs to tell Blythe or break it off with her. She gives in to his demands for dates.

But this all becomes ok, because Blythe ends up being pregnant by the married man she's been seeing on the side.

No, just no. Ted should have respected Joy's no. He should have been honest with Blythe when he realized he wanted to see Joy too.

This whole plot line drops the book two stars for me. I don't abide with cheating, period.

The rest of the book was good and realistic. Well, I guess the triangle WAS realistic, but I like my realism to not be TOO realistic, not so realistic that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Books are for escaping reality, not wallowing in it.

Well, the other two plots involved a pastor who lost his faith when he lost his wife to cancer and a bitterly divorced woman who's bitterness was affecting her daughter and her chance at happiness. The bitterness after divorce was realistic and the moving forward from that felt realistic and hopeful to me. Good HEA for that. The pastor's issues also felt very real to me, despite never having gone through what he did, I could FEEL his utter depression and despair and then his hope after going through it all.

The angels were cute and not too hokey.

Cute and sweet read for Christmas. Not the best, that JTB triangle irked me, but the rest of the book made up enough for it to earn this book three stars from me. You can definitely read worse Christmas themed books than this. I would read other books by this author for sure.