Andrea Green's Blog

I realize I have neglected my Goodreads, but I will make an effort to do better. I'm going to do a quick review, then I'll discuss some thoughts I had about subjects in the book.

I read the complete trilogy and found the storyline really good. The author's writing style and the characters kept it interesting. I can't really get into too much more than that without giving away the storyline. I will say this, however. There is a twist you won't see coming until book 3. It's a good read and is available on Kindle Unlimited here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MFQ9N4V

One of my favorite subgenres in Romance is the Fallen Angel subgenre. And this trilogy definitely falls under that. Since I started reading these romances, I have wondered which 'side' is really good? Angels? Fallen Angels? Demons? Or maybe none of them?

I'm more inclined to believe there is no good or bad. Not in the absolute sense, anyway. Why? Let's go back to the beginning of the division, The Fall. (Which is the premise behind The Fallen by Lauren Kate, one of my favorite series to read) Before The Fall (this is just for sake of discussion, I am not religious, not that it makes a difference in the discussion. I am simply discussing it in relation to this subgenre), God created Humans, and told his beloved angels to protect humanity.

Now here is where it gets a little vague. The Bible says Satan fell because of Pride. Early Christian beliefs are that angels fell because they wanted to experience freedom and emotion. When Satan fell, 1/3 of Angels fell with him, and according to The Bible were cast into Hell, or perhaps they were just cast out. Again, this is, unfortunately vague.

Here's where we come to my theory, that in fact, not all Demons are inherently evil, and not all Angels are inherently good. If Angels were all inherently good, then why would they have succumbed to 'human' emotion? They wouldn't.

Part 2 of my theory is that Demons are not inherently bad. Why? Let's think about this. Demons tempt humans. Sometimes humans fall prey to temptations. Are those humans bad? No. They're human. So, is it really that hard to believe that Hell is just an uber harsh re-education program? Surely God would want all his 'children' in Heaven at some point. Right? Perhaps Demons are simply performing a job. Cull out those humans who need some help adjusting their beliefs. Perhaps not the nicest, most glamorous job, but maybe necessary.

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From here on out, I will be discussing my thoughts on certain aspects of the book, so there will be spoilers. Do not continue reading if you don't want to read spoilers.

***SPOILER ALERT***

This theory ties directly to the Greylyn trilogy. In the book, Greylyn's 2 best friends are Jasper, the Guardian Angel who was there when she woke up, and Thomas, the nerdy computer expert. Greylyn has known Jasper for hundreds of years and has no reason to not trust him implicitly. Another main character is Kael, who is a Dark Guardian. He has spent her entire existence as a Guardian Angel harassing and tormenting her. She has no reason to trust him.

And yet, in the end, Satan, his brother, the Archangels, and yes, even her best friends, all betray her. Only Kael, who is a Dark Guardian has always been honest. Only Kael did not betray her. And only Kael condemned himself in an effort to save Greylyn's human life. Yet he is a Dark Guardian. Even the Archangels betrayed her. So this begs the question: If Kael is not evil, how did he become a Dark Guardian? He was blackmailed into it by Satan and Jasper (her best friend. That Jasper).

To take that 1 step further: If that is the case, that Kael was forced into becoming a Dark Guardian, then God should forgive him because Kael was trying to save his love. It's the heart that counts, right? Except Kael would have been condemned to Hell without Redemption. Does that sound like something an inherently good God would do? It doesn't to me. Being forgiven for actions out of one's control seems to me to be the only good, fair thing to do.

I fully believe that neither side is all good or all bad. There are shades of grey. This, I think, is why the Fallen Angel subgenre is so popular because it speaks to all of our shades of grey. It helps us believe, or hope, that we can still be good. That we can still find the love we deserve, despite our faults. After all, we are only human.

As always, comments and discussions are always welcome, and please be civil.

Have you ever read a book and wondered why an H or h was written the way they were? Did you ask yourself who acts like that in real life? Or, who would put up with that for 5 minutes, never mind long enough for a book?
I recently started reading a book that made me ask just those questions. The H in the book is a single dad to 2 sons, the older of whom is 10. For some background, as I said, the H is a single dad. The son is interested in a girl at school but apparently won't ask her out. The whole it takes a village thing had also been mentioned.
The h in the book has taken it upon herself to inform the single dad that he's a shitty dad because he didn't know about his son's crush and because he isn't doing his duty by dating. Wait, what? She went into great detail, for a long, long time about how this man is failing his 10-year-old son. The entire first 6% of the book.
First off, I hate the h. Period. No one has any business telling someone they're a bad parent because they aren't dating. (And she didn't have children) Who even does that? I'm sorry, but there's just no coming back from that. There's literally nothing she could do that would make that okay. Ever.
I get that there needs to be some kind of drama or angst in a romance, otherwise, (IMO) they're too sickly sweet. I even prefer books with drama and angst. However, I just can't read a book where people allow themselves to be ripped into in that manner. The H just stood there and took it. Let her rail at him for something that was none of her business.
To me, while storylines may not always be plausible, even most times, the characters should at least behave like normal humans, unless different behavior is explained. For example, a character who was abused or assaulted may show fear and anxiety in certain triggering situations.
I don't understand why writing characters that behave so horribly to someone they're supposed to fall in love with would even be considered, much less written and published. (No, this wasn't an enemies-to-lovers, it was a friends-to-lovers)
Berating someone for the way they parent, and for the extent of time that the h in this book did, reeks to me of someone who is or will be an emotional abuser. Not attractive, nor something I want to read. Not when the MCs are supposed to be friends. If this author had wanted to write a dark romance or enemies-to-lovers, then they should have done that. This was a hard DNF. (As this blog is only my opinion, I will not supply the title or author, so please don't ask.)

How many times have you gone to Amazon to look at a book, and it tells you it has an HEA? Some of us (a lot?) read books just for the HEAs. Real-life is difficult and sometimes we just have to read something to restore our faith that we're going to be okay.
I was reading a book recently that talked about how the MC's life had a beginning and a middle, that there was no end. And that makes sense. Until we're gone, there is no end to our personal stories. There are only a beginning and a middle.
Books are the same way. There are a beginning and a middle. But the book is over. It has an ending. But is that really the end of the story? Yes, maybe, but is that the end of the story for the characters? No, not really.
Think about it. How many books have an epilogue to tell you what happens later? How many books do we read and start to believe in the characters? How many times do we become invested in their stories? No, the characters are not (generally, unless it's non-fiction) real. They don't have real lives. But for that space in time, while we read their stories, in our minds, they are real. We imagine them in our minds, picture the events. We keep reading to find out what happens. For that moment, they are real. For that moment, their stories will not end with the book.
So no, these books have no end. They just have a beginning and a middle. And now that this blog is complete, I'm going to try to get some work done on my book's beginning and middle.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times someone has asked why do you enjoy reading? (Or, why do you like to write?)
The answer is both simple, and complicated. The simple part is, that reading and writing are an escape. They're an escape from real life. I read every day anyway, but when I've had it up to the gills with reality, I want to escape to someone else's world. I don't want to think about my life, I'd rather read about someone else's fictional life.
Most books have a happy ending. Or, at least they have a resolved ending. Real-life? Not so much. I like to read about a character and their happy endings. I like to know, that at least in someone's imagination, good things can happen.
The same with my writing. I like to tell stories, and often some of my own anxieties and worries bleed into those stories. Take my debut novel, Stronger Together. Granted, I never suffered the abuse Susie has, I have never dealt with the grave injuries that Hunter and Kent have suffered. (Although I do have injuries of my own) I do, however, have the anxiety of whether I will ever find someone who truly accepts me despite my problems, and loves me regardless. I want the casual affection that comes from truly loving someone and knowing them. And I fear that real life doesn't turn out the way books do. So, I read and I write. Because at least in stories, I don't have to read books with sad endings, and I can write books that turn out happy for everyone.
There are times when I think the only things that have kept me from losing my shi(take mushrooms) are my daughter, reading, and writing.
So, after all of this rambling, I guess what I am saying is, don't let anyone shame you for needing to escape reality for a little while, in whatever (healthy) way you need to. Whether it's reading, writing, working out, photography, etc. You do whatever is needed for you to stay sane. Especially with life being as rough as it is right now.
Peace and love!

I've been writing since I was little. Whether it was my diary, once every 2 or 3 months for a couple years, poems, or the beginning of about one million and two stories. It used to be my go-to whenever I was upset or stressed.
Somewhere along the way, I let my stresses overtake me, and I didn't write for a long time. Life got in the way, and there were times I couldn't see my way out of a paper sack. After a car accident, I was diagnosed as borderline depressed. Later, I was told I had anxiety, and then, during a particularly rough part of my life came the panic attacks.
What I am trying to say, is that what is called "mental illness," (I hate that term) isn't a weakness, it isn't bad, it just means you've been too strong for too long with not enough support. Period.
My first husband was in the Air Force and was deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm as a Civil Engineer. Even though he was nowhere near the front line, there was still some amount of risk. His squadron was housed in a tent city right off the runway at Diyarbakir and Incirlik. I feared what would happen if the runways were ever bombed. Every spouse's nightmare is opening the door to the base chaplain. So, to some extent, I understand what military personnel and their families go through. We were lucky and he was not injured. But I came to hold great respect for both military personnel and their families. It is a hard, stressful life, and sometimes the only consolation is that you are doing the right thing. That there is a greater purpose.
When military personnel is sent home, whether it's the end of their commitment, or because they have been medically discharged, they have a hard adjustment to civilian life. And our country utterly fails them. They deserve the best of care, free housing for life, no taxes for life, no stress, so they can concentrate on their recovery and remaining healthy. That's what we should be giving them for signing their names on the line.
I've seen too many heartbreaking stories of veterans being forgotten, homeless, alone. I decided if I could do nothing more than make 1 or 2 people aware of their plight, then maybe I can make a tiny difference in a veteran's life.
So, that's why my book is about a wounded veteran.
I am currently working on book number 2, which will take place in the gap year from book number 1. The 2 main characters, are people you already know from book 1, and hopefully, love enough to want to read. It's a slow start because the book isn't speaking to me yet, but it will. So hold tight, I'm hoping to have this book done and published by sometime this summer.