Before the Fall

Angels of Mercy #2

by S.A. Collins

Elliot Donahey is an out young queer boy—artistic, empathic, and full of secret passions. He is a boy seeking protective shadows where he can hide from those who don’t understand him…and to provide him with the means of surviving one more hellish day of high school.

When Elliot finds himself in the arms of Marco Sforza, a boy who is made to bask in the light of fame and success, shadows and light take on a whole new meaning. Marco’s rising star as the quarterback of the Mercy High Avenging Angels may come crashing down around him if his relationship with Elliot is discovered. And Marco’s past of playing a ladies man convincing his teammates he’s one of them will pose problems that Marco’s teammates have to deal with.

Can Marco and Elliot find their romance in the sun, or will those who profess to be close to them tear them apart?

ebook

Published November 18, 2019

About the author

As a co-host of the WROTE Podcast, SA Collins hails from the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his (legal) husband, their daughter and, wonder of all wonders because he only just broke 50, a whirlwind of a granddaughter. Their home is filled with laughter and love. A classically trained singer, and a theater actor for many years (under another name), Mr. Collins is all about the story telling and the spell a good yarn can weave for an audience. This is Mr. Collins foray into writing but, as with all his creative endeavors, he leaps right in and figures it out as he goes along. It's been a winning combination thus far so why break a working formula?

http://wrotepodcast.com
http://violetquillredux.com
http://sacollins.com

He can be reached -

e. | sacollins@sacollins.com
w. | www.sacollins.com
t. | @sacollinsauthor
g. | google.com/+sacollins
kik | sacollinsauthor
fb. | facebook.com/authorsacollins

Reviews

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

2.75 stars

While the characters in this book are seniors in high school, this is in no way, shape, or form a YA book, not with the sheer amount of raw sex Elliot and Marco have. I’ll also note that is the second book in the Angels of Mercy series, and I haven’t read book one, so my review is only on this book, based entirely upon the characterization, plotting, and writing of this story. I don’t know if my review would have been different if I’d read the first book or not, but considering my issues with this book, I doubt it.

We start with Elliot, a young man in the “geek/nerd/drama” kid camp who spends his days, nights, and all the time in between thinking about, pining over, dreaming about, salivating over, and worshiping Marco, who he refers to, often, as a “young god” in his thoughts. There is very little of Elliot in his own head, very little feel for who he is as a person since he’s so busy being a worshiper at Marco’s feet.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author S.A. Collins refers to "character study" in all his descriptions of this and the other books in this series. I start with that, because not much actually happens in this book with a very thin plot and more questions (mostly questions) and very few answers revealed in over 300 pages. This is actually the second book in a series and I have not read the previous book. Add to that, there is a two part prequel that is nearly 1300 pages.

First, this is not a YA novel, even though the two MCs are only 18. (There is a third character with a brief storyline who is younger (underage?), whose highly sexual storyline might offend some readers due to his age.) It takes place in and around a high school, but there is a darkness and intensity that I think is not appropriate for young readers.

Second, the author tends to ramble on and on, saying the same thing, in a slightly different way-- so much that many times I thought I was rereading the same thing over again (as in a misprint), scene after scene-- perhaps this is the 'character study'? Anyway, an editor would have helped focus and cut down much of the repetitive expressions, shortening this book significantly.

Elliot and Marco are both interesting characters, but there is so much unclear desperation in their desire for each other and in themselves. Towards the end, the attraction becomes even more unclear and a little disturbing. The relationship isn't what I would call abusive, but the need to possess and dominate are intense and become extreme at the end-- without any apparent cause.

There is a lot of intense sex in this volume. It doesn't seem natural for 18 year old boys to express themselves in this way unless there was a history of abuse that is not alluded to in this book. On top of that, Marco and Elliot frequently call each other 'lover', 'sweetheart', etc. which seems unnatural in this day and age. Their ongoing professions of love and devotion are repetitive and a little neurotic.

I did find a fascination in reading this, driven to see where the author was going. It turns out though, he leaves you hanging with no answers and no resolutions. I was left with no desire to read the upcoming (next) book in the series-- just frustrated I went this far with arriving at any destination.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author is a challenging one for me. The first book I read by SA Collins was "His Summer Of Love"... I really didn't connect with that story at all. I found it to be more like "Supernatural" fanfiction than a novel. The second book I read was "Beware Mohawks Bearing Gifts" and I loved it! The writing was superb, the world-building was great.

This book is a strange second installment in the "Angels of Mercy" series. The dialogue is flowery and too frequent... I feel as though this novel could use a good edit. I felt no connection to the characters in this sequel... even less than the first novel in the series. The two male characters are in a weirdly co-dependent, possessive and at times abusive relationship that the author seems to be attempting to normalize.

I liked the parallel story about the convoluted history of Marco's family.

Not great characterization of any of the female characters in the book.

Strange... I thought after I enjoyed "Beware Mohawks Bearing Gifts" that I would give this one a tray - clearly I'm not the right audience for it.

Thanks for letting me read!