Arms of an Angel

by Linda Boulanger

Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can start to climb back up. At least that’s what Claire Orion was finding out. She was done. Over with life and the fact that her looks and money couldn’t purchase what she needed most… acceptance and a family of her own.

And then she met Garrett.

When a reservation mix up has them sharing a bottle of champagne and an evening that leaves them both wanting more, Claire decides to give life another try and finds out there might just be such a thing as a happy ending, even for her.

"I still like happy endings, and Linda never fails her readers on that! It's good to know you can count on authors to deliver a good story with a good ending."

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 13, 2011

About the author

Linda Boulanger is a happily-ever-after author, wife, and mother of four human children and two fur babies. She has an eclectic mix of published books, numerous story singles and short stories in a few group anthologies, plus a slew of always evolving works in progress.

Along with being an author, she designs book covers for herself and others through Tell~Tale Book Covers and TreasureLine Designs, all from her desk just north of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Visit her at www.LindaBoulangerBooks.com

Reviews

[Ellen Maze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I just treated myself. I took my Kindle to Pizza Hut, ordered a personal pan pizza and read ARMS OF AN ANGEL all the way through. Yummmm on all fronts!

Claire is independently wealthy, has never worked, and spends empty days and emptier nights doing whatever and whomever it takes to feel "alive". Scarred by an emotionally abusive father, a passive-aggressive mother, and a hysterectomy before she turns 20, Claire decides to take her life. Enter Garrett. Balanced, handsome, and an overgrown boy scout in Claire's eyes. He shows up unexpectedly and slowly shows Claire that she is a wonderful person inside and out.

I highlighted and shared my two favorite quotes from the book, so be sure to check the "highlights" when they show up. This is a meaningful book that is also enjoyable and intriguing. I didn't want to put it down, and I can recommend it without reservation!

ABOUT THIS COVER: it is gorgeous! If I hadn't already heard about the book from a friend, I would have picked it out for the cover alone. WELL DONE!

Ellen C Maze
Bestselling Author of the #1 Customer-Ranked HORROR novel:
RABBIT: CHASING BETH RIDER
"Curiously Spiritual Vampire Tales"

[Riverina Romantics · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Hearts

I have enjoyed chatting with the author of this book – Linda Boulanger on and off for a few months now. Although, we don’t talk all that often I do consider Linda a friend of mine and wanted to surprise her by reading and reviewing her book.

Even though I don’t know Linda all that well, this book represents a lot of what I see in her. Sugary sweet, hope inspiring and a joy to experience.

I fell in love with all the characters and could relate to them all, which is quite rare for me. I also felt in my heart what the author was trying to describe, the despair that consumed Claire, the spark of hope her angel brought to her life and the joy they experienced when their lives finally meshed into one.

In the size of a short story Linda tells the emotional story of the angel that saved Claire’s life. It is heartfelt at times but also left me with a smile on my face with the happily ever after ending.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that this was a novella, so the story had to be told in a very short amount of time. So, I have no issue with the pace of the book. The dialogue in the book, however, left something to be desired. Neither Garrett nor Claire spoke like a 20 or 30 something year-old. Instead they sounded like high-society old ladies at tea. It just left an unreal quality and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around it.

Other than that, it was a compelling and quick read. It is really a good novella for anyone to read who might be suffering from low self-worth. Claire was adorable and Garrett was a true knight. In fact, I would have liked to have seen this story expanded even more, it felt like it had enough material for a full-length novel.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever met someone who comes into your life and changes everything? Someone who makes you think about how you got through life without them? This book is about a girl named Claire who flounders through life living outrageously just to feel alive or to numb the hurt she feels. A young girl who's life is changed drastically when she not only loses her parents but also finds out she has cancer. What would you do if you thought you had lost everything? Claire thinks she knows until she meets Garrett by chance and her outlook changes. A thoughtful story about earthly angels and how if you give life a chance you may find what your looking for.....

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! My first from this author and won’t be my last.
I could not put this book down; however, everyday life kept getting in the way.
Grab your tissues and let’s go.......

Claire’s journey to find her self worth & happiness was beautiful…along came
Garrett with his wit and compassion – What a man…Claire’s Angel.
Their journey together to heal their lives and build together was all that a book
Should be with a happily ever after.
(oops—didn’t want to spoil anything)

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda Boulanger certainly knows how to construct a romance. She starts with a troubled woman, Claire, and puts a kindly man (Garrett) in her path through a set of unusual circumstances.

"Arms of an Angel" is the story of Claire and Garrett's difficult courtship, and of Claire's personal issues. There's a lot of story crammed into this brief novella.

I don't want to give away spoilers; suffice it to say that at one moment I teared up, which surprised me.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book and felt so good after reading it! It was one story and then a few short stories after that. When I was done I felt like I had just received a big hug from all the angels--truly heart warming and a delicious way to spend the afternoon! I look forward to reading more from this author!! Great job Linda!!

[Jaimey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contemporary romance novella ~ 4.6 stars

Overall, a great story with a great message. I teared up in several places and the happily-ever-after is beautiful. It's the perfect length for a quick read, one you can start and finish easily in one sitting. The romance is totally clean, as well.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Although a very small and quick read, it is a beautiful little love story. It has religious overtones, however, not anything that would be deemed offensive. I would recommend this book as a break away from everyday stressors in life.

[S.B. Niccum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, sweet and uplifting, this is a love story that you won't be able to put down. Have some kleenex handy!

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arms of an Angel by Linda Boulanger is a great little feel good story. The wonder of the strings from fate run deep in this one, and Boulanger really has magic in her words. I love how these characters came together and all the visuals this created for me. I also love the two sweet shorts at the end.

*I dropped a star for editing, but it did not detract from the story in any way, just slowed me down a bit as I put the pieces together.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know, I know. But before you go jumping to conclusions, let me explain. For those of you who have been following my reviews, this book seems so out of place with the horror novels and urban fantasies I usually read, and in some of my reviews, I believe I have stated how I feel about romance. So why take the time to read a romance novel? Well, because I made a promise. And I keep my promises. It took me awhile to get around to reading it after I downloaded it to my Kindle because I had to prepare myself. Kind of like some people need to prepare themselves before going to see a horror film or picking up a horror novel. To me, romance is my horror. I cringe at the scenarios because they are usually so far-fetched, and the sex scenes are either badly written or so over the top with the heaving bosoms and the throbbing manhoods that I sit there rolling my eyes or, more often than not, tossing it aside. But a promise is a promise, so, taking a deep breath, I dove into Linda Boulanger's Arms of an Angel. . . and I couldn't put the damned thing down.

Claire Orion has it all: the money, the lifestyle most of us would envy, and, from the sounds of it, a string of men that would make a prostitute blush. But thanks to a misdiagnosis of cancer when she was younger and a verbally abusive father who constantly berated her for being less than a woman (because the surgery to remove the non-existent cancer left her unable to have children) that no man would ever want to marry, Claire feels her life is empty, which is why, when we meet her for the first time, she is planning her last hurrah before putting an end to her miserable life.

Dressed to the nines, Claire sets out for what is supposed to be her last supper, but thanks the ineptness of the restaurant's host, she has the good fortune (or misfortune) of meeting Garrett O'Bryan, a handsome man who is immediately taken with Claire. They end up spending the evening dining together and enjoying each other's company (Not in that way, so get your minds out of the gutter!). At the end of the evening, Claire does intend on inviting him up, but he declines. It seems Garrett has other plans. He makes Claire promise to meet him for Sunday Brunch. Reluctantly, she agrees, and being a woman of her word, there go her plans for the rest of the evening.

Each time she meets with Garrett, she tries to get him into bed, and each time he declines, which frustrates her to no end. It actually seems as if Garrett is interested in her, but she can't seem to wrap her head around that. After all, years of being told she's only half a woman no man would want have left her scarred.

So, does she finally get frustrated with trying unsuccessfully to get Garrett into bed that she goes ahead and kills herself? Is Garrett able to make her realize that there are men who can see past the fact that she can't have children and see her the person she once was, the person she buried all those years ago? You'll just have to read and find out.

With Arms of an Angel, Linda Boulanger has created a moving tale of a woman's journey through the darkness of her own soul. Right away you are moved by Claire, and you want to know what happened to this young woman, a woman who seems to have everything life could offer, that would drive her to want to take her own life. Once you find out what she has endured at such a young age, you want somebody to come along and show her that life is worth living and that she has so much to offer the world. Is Garrett that man, or do the scars run to deep for Claire to be saved?

For those who might be put off at the prospects of reading romance, don't be, not when it comes to Boulanger's tale. For one thing, it is short, so you won't have to suffer through it for long (which was my initial reaction when I first started it), BUT once you have started reading it, you forget all about the fact that it has been classified as a romance. At least that's the way it was for me. The romance came off as secondary. The focus of the novella was a woman's rediscovery of herself and overcoming the stigma her father had ingrained in her, that women are only good for reproduction and little else. It's about rediscovering life.

My only complaint with Arms of an Angel, and it's the same complaint I have with most well-written novellas, is that it was too short. It comes to a satisfying conclusion, but I found I wanted more. I wanted to know what happened after, which is the sign if a good writer.

I have to give kudos to Linda for opening my eyes that not all romance is insipid saccharine to be taken in small doses or eye-rolling bodice rippers. Part of me knew that already, but having to weed through them is the hard part. Should you pick up Arms of an Angel? Definitely. It's one of those novels that leave you with that "feel good" feeling at the end.

[ILoveBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire has not had an easy life, battling cancer at a very young age and losing her parents in a tragic car accident. She has grown a little bitter, which she is certainly entitled to. Garrett is one of the most virtuous, kind men she has ever met. She has not lived a virtuous lifestyle. She literally threw herself into life with no regards for the consequences. Claire learns that she needs at accept that others love and worry about her and she needs to shape up. She begins to fall in love with Garrett. The story takes off from there.


Claire's character is interesting. She is definitely not perfect, but that adds to the story; no character should be completely unflawed. She has her problems, life has hit her hard. Garret, on the other hand, appears to really roll with the punches. He is calm, collected, and caring. He truly cares for Claire, his love for her is believable. There isn't much mention of secondary characters beyond Joe in this novel, but the reader will enjoy getting to know him.


The plot is interesting for a short story, the author takes on the hard task of establishing a connection between the main character and the reader in a short story. The events are fast-paced. The characters will keep the reader occupied. This story is recommended to young adults/adults who enjoy romance and second chances.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Arms of an Angel, Claire Orion is beautiful, alluring, and sensuous...and she is filled with pain so deeply embedded she was sure she could bear the pain no longer. Deciding to end her life, she goes out to a last fabulous meal and a mix up of names brings Garret O'Bryon into her life. He becomes Claire's earthly angel and helps to turn Claire's life around.

Although this book is Christian, it is not preachy at all. It merely conveys the message that we are all somebody special and that there are people in our lives who can help us through rough times and we are never alone. The dialogue between Garrett and Claire at dinner seems very old fashioned, which doesn't match the description of Claire as promiscuous. It also was very short which didn't lend time for the plot or the characters to develop much. Things just seemed to jump from one thing to the next and then the end of the book. It was ok....but I think if the story were longer we could learn a whole lot more about the characters.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was different...most of us have probably heard the story of the two boys in high school. One of them comes across the other cleaning out his locker one Friday afternoon and taking everything home and they become friends. Five years later, at their graduation, you find out that the one boy had been planning to commit suicide that weekend, and was cleaning out his locker to save his mom the bother of it. That is how the beginning of this story felt to me - you can tell that there was something going on with Claire but you really didn't know. It was short (not even 100 pages) and I felt that the characters were a bit shallow and not well-developed at times, the dialogue between the two didn't seem easy going, but was a bit rough. However, I think it had potential, and might check out future work by the author.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character, Claire, was someone that most people can relate to. By all appearances, she seemed to have the perfect life. But underneath the surface was a girl filled with rejection and pain. And when she met Garrett, she had no idea that her life would never be the same.
The author did a fantastic job of not only bringing this story to life, but also holding my attention from the first page to the last. I expected this to be a simple, predictable romance and was pleasantly surprised to realize that there was much more to this story.
Claire's quiet desperation, and Garrett's unconditional love for her made this a book that I had to read in one setting. Although this is a fairly quick read, (95 pages), it lacks for nothing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to following this author in the future.

[Zoe and the Edge · Rating 3 out of 5]

First things first: The author performs daring acrobatic switches of viewpoints within a freakin' paragraph. It was confusing as hell.
There's another weird thing about this book. The dialogue is fabulous. Smooth and eloquent, sarcastic and charming. But the actual writing surrounding the dialogue is absolute rubbish. It was like hiding gems within a rag.

Claire is an elegant and loose woman who drowns her insecurities in men and shopping. She's snarky and seductive and keeps a close lock on the persona she presents to people. She has major daddy issues.

Garrett can be a bit of a goody-two-shoes but he doesn't judge Claire. At all. The ending is a happy-go-lucky, cliché HEA.
It's a simple and short read that could have easily been deep, but instead remained easy and light.

[Tifferz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a lucky winner of Arms of an Angle! This would be my first book from Linda and will not be my last. This is a sweet romance that makes you feel good when you are done reading it. This had a great message to it and is super clean! Arms of an Angle is a fast paced novella, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It was a nice little escape from my day! I am looking forward to my next Linda Boulanger book!

[Terry Palardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable, a story that held my interest from start to finish. Characters were fully developed as true humans with angelic qualities that sometimes meshed and sometimes wavered through the story. Secondary characters were developed late in the story, but were believable as written. I would recommend this story as one that will bring readers satisfaction and a modicum of peace.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Delightful Read!

Linda Boulanger writes from the heart. Her understanding of relationships, romance, and deep emotional expression comes across in her writing. Given a 4 star review because I wish it had been longer, but a definite 5 star review for a novella. A highly recommended read.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am liking the story. It is out of my normal genre and I am trying to expand that. I do agree with some of the reviewers that the book is short..although my understanding is that it is part of a 5 part series.

[Jennifer McMurrain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming novella, really enjoyed it. It was nice to fit a little romance in-between the hussy and bussle of the holiday season and this was the perfect length. Won't be the last I read from Linda Boulanger.

[Nissie Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

could have been developed a lot more.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was just lovely - very heartwarming. It definitely had a few twists in it I wasn't expecting, though! It's so nice to read a happily ever after story! :)

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice clean romance. Not particularly believable, but for a little escape from reality, it was good.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book! It was a sweet love story and a quick read! I really enjoyed it and highly recommend!

[Brianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was truly one of the worst books I have ever read

[Paula Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read. Ms. Boulanger writes romance well and brings out the depths of her characters and their relationships. I look forward to reading more novels by this author.