A Heavensent Gift of Love In a season of giving, the beloved New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber sends joy winging our way with two miraculous full-length novels together in one volume.
Celebrate life, love, and the holiday spirit with three unforgettable heavenly helpers -- the irrepressible angels Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy -- as they work their inspiring, poignant, and sometimes hilarious magic on hearts in need.
A Season of Angels Wishes for love bring hope from above. But before the angelic trio can answer the Christmas prayers of three lonely women, there are memorable lessons that must first be learned ...
Touched by Angels For some, New York City can be a sad and cold place at Christmastime. But with the help of Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy, three of the city's most deserving souls will learn what miracles are all about ...
Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Fifteen of these novels hit the number one spot.
In 2023, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publication includes Must Love Flowers (July). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, three adult coloring books, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books.
Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and six have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons.
She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series.
I really enjoyed both novels in this one. I thought they both told about love, faith, joy, and sadness overcome. Pick this one up for a very pleasent read.
Christmas is coming.... in less than two months! But, it's time for me to get into the holiday mood by reading some Christmas-y stories (seasonal stories FTW?). Anyway, after a really long time, I picked up another Debbie Macomber book.
Angels Everywhere is a collection of two novels - A Season of Angels and Touched by Angels. The two novels follow three angels - Mercy, Goodness and Shirley as they meddle, I mean try to help their charges by Christmas. The three get into a lot of trouble (mostly by riding on escalators, moving a war-ship, etc) but their heart of gold wins out in the end.
Both stories follow the same "pattern", if you will. There are three or more human protagonists, and they have to learn to trust God, let go of fear, or some other lesson before their lives can be filled again. I'm making this sound boring when it's not. They're sweet captivating stories, written in the Cedar Cove style (for the uninitiated, that means multiple POVs and plots).
I will, however, sound a note of caution about the heavenly trio. For some reason, the angels feel too human to me. While they are lovable scamps, they do seem to be fallible (does disobeying direct orders count as a sin?). Plus, they're totally not scary. In the Bible, the first thing Angels tend to say is "Fear not".
But despite my gripes, this is a typical Debbie Macomber novel, which is to say, I love it. Both stories are heart-warming (with messages about trusting God and such), and so appropriate for Christmas. Definitely one to put on your list along with Melody Carlson's A Christmas Dog and An Irish Christmas
These stories are good, however they are dated. I think they would be a better read if The stories were dated back to when they were first written. (The first is set in the 90's) I knew what I was getting because U own these in paperback and wanted kindle versions. I took off a star because for some strange reason, this ebook contains book 1 and 3. I am puzzled about this decision.
This book features two of Debbie Macomber's angel stories, although strangely it contains the first and third books in the series. The Trouble with Angels actually falls between the two. There aren't any spoilers here that would ruin it, but there are several references to the last two years of cases that may seem a little odd if you don't know about the second book.
***A Season of Angels***
During the holiday season, three peoples cries for help have fallen on heavenly ears: Leah's prayers for a baby have gone unanswered for years, Monica's prayers for a husband are hindered by her self-righteousness and all Timmy wants for Christmas is a father. Three young angels, Shirley, Goodness and Mercy, have been sent to act as guardians but they'll soon find out helping humans is harder than they expected.
This was a really fun read with a great storyline. I was a little worried that it could end up being overly religious and preachy, but my fears were unfounded and I loved getting to know Shirley, Goodness and Mercy. The angels bring a great uplifting feel to the tale and their encounters with modern technology are hilarious (who thought angels could enjoy riding escalators so much?).
I loved the uniqueness of each character and their story and I ended up glued to the page, hoping everything would work out for them in the end. Each character has their own struggles and it was great to see the characters grow and change so they could make themselves happier, with a little divine help of course. The ending does come together very quickly, and I found one story's conclusion to feel a little contrived but on the whole this is a great read.
Shirley, Goodness and Mercy are back and this time they're bringing their heavenly guidance to New York. Shirley struggles with the case of an optimistic young teacher at a tough inner city school, while Mercy tries to help Jenny decide whether to cling to her dream of Broadway stardom or return home to Montana and Goodness decides that Gabriel is wrong about her case. He insists Hannah's fiancee is perfect for her, while Goodness thinks attorney Joshua is a far better match.
I really enjoyed this story but I found it took me a little while to connect with the characters. Unlike the previous angel books, Gabriel is around more so Shirley, Goodness and Mercy have to be a little more controlled (although they still manage to pull off some hilarious pranks). The cases are harder this time, especially Shirley's which is focused on the idealistic Brynn who is determined to make a difference at a Dangerous Minds-esque school.
I loved the progression of the stories, and again the switching focus created lots of mini cliffhangers. The storylines ran concurrently which meant the reader only sees what is relevant. I did feel that the ending was a little rushed and I'd have liked to have seen the motivation and consequences behind some decisions, but all in all this was a great read.
Loved the stories but got caught out as I already own the individual books. Shame. Make sure you don't already own them.if you don't then this is a brilliant set to buy.
I have to admit I was skeptical when I first started reading this book. I was expecting stories that were full of too much happiness, too good to be true, and predictable. Thank goodness I was wrong...I loved this book with its two stories filled with great characters and angels that you really love and could picture helping us humans out! So the first story, A Season of Angels, had the "prayer ambassadors" helping three women. Leah desperately wants a baby. Her plans don't work out the way she expects, but in time, her family will be complete. Monica and Chet was a cute "falling in love" story, but I couldn't help thinking that it was unrealistic that Chet kissed Monica in public not even knowing her. And then they both apparently fall in love in a matter of days? It sounded more like an incredible infatuation to me. Then Jody and her son Timmy's story was about a single mom coming to grips with her husband's death and moving on with her life. Just as she accepts to moving on after 8 years, who do you think shows up at her door? Well, it could happen with the help of angels, I guess. The second story, Touched by Angels, had the prayer ambassadors Mercy, Goodness, and Shirley help three women again. Brynn is the new teacher in a school where the neighborhood is tough but in time, Brynn's class grows to respect her and Brynn grows to care for each of her students and their dreams and possibilities. She falls in love with Roberto, who despite his tough neighborhood mentality, wants a better life. Hannah, a Jewish girl, is set to be married to Carl, the rabbi's son. But then she meets Joshua, and she realizes he is the one she is meant to be married to. Jenny has been living in New York for three years trying to make it big on Broadway. But she realizes her home will always be in Montana where Trey, her life-long neighbor, has always loved her.
This was a sweet book. Both books (Touched by Angels and A Season of Angels) followed three angels, Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy, as they helped people prior to Christmas. In one of the novels Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy help a teacher who is trying to help her students grapple with their tough lives in the rundown, gang-filled neighborhood in which they live. They also help a young Christian woman accept her love for a tough detective who has not stepped foot into a church in years. They helped a little boy who wanted a father. This particually touched me because his mother had thought her husband was dead. So after many years of pertering from her son she began to date a really nice man. They were falling in love but her husband winds up being alive after he was missing for years. The woman gets her husband back and the boy gets his real father. Another woman who was helped by the angels wanted a child but could never seem to concieve one. Her husband feels the odd need to reenter their adoption papers and they wind up getting picked to adopt a newborn girl born in the same hospital where the woman works. I feel these two books being brought together in one volume really helps you get a better idea of the angels personalities through two different stories. Debbie Macomber always captures the magic of the holiday season and the magic of the angels around us.
This book was actually published as two separate books: "A Season of Angels" and "Touched By Angels," the first and third books in Debbie Macomber's Angels Everywhere series. The book in between is called "The Trouble With Angels" and I would recommend reading it after you read the first story in this book, and before you read the second. It doesn't matter a whole lot, you can read these in any order, but there will be a couple of things that might make a little more sense if you read the stories in order. I absolutely love this whole series, about angels Shirley, Goodness and Mercy, who are sent to earth to answer people's prayers. I haven't been able to put them down, they are so entertaining. There are seven books total in the series (some of them like this one have been republished as two books in one) and I'm looking forward to reading all of them. Can't wait to find out what these mischievous angels will be up to next.
I'm a fan of Debbie Macomber's books (especially the knitting books), but I didn't care for this. Angels Everywhere is actually two books of a trilogy about three angels: Shirley, Goodness and Mercy. Why they chose the first and third books is beyond me. The angels are sent in response to prayers, usually involving matters of the heart. The issues I had with the books stem from the fact that the stories are all rather trite and predictable and that the three angels are supposed to be young and impetuous but come across as lying malcontents who ignore their "boss," the Angel Gabriel. I found this disturbing. I believe in angels, but I don't think they lie and try to hide their misdeeds from heaven. I think I hold Macomber to a higher standard because she has been featured in Guideposts magazine as a Christian writer. This was a disappointment.
This is a good pre-Christmas read when you want to read something uplifting. "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life....." Started reading this book about 3 angels sent to help 3 people with giant Christmas wishes that would make their lives better. And the angels names are Goodness, Mercy and Shirley....had to laugh at that one. I liked the angels as they aren't totally good. They do ornery things that make people listen to what they are saying and help to promote their cases for accomplishing what these 3 people need to have happen. Before the wishes of the 3 people can come true they must each learn a memorable lesson (and maybe not an easy lesson) Good reading !!
This is actually two full novels in one. The first story is called A Season of Angels. It is the story of three angels named Shirley, Goodness and Mercy and their inspiring assignments. Gabriel is short-staffed and has appointed Shirley, Goodness and Mercy to help three people in time for Christmas. A funny yet touching story about three people trying to find what they desire most, with the help of some wacky angels! A great read and perfect for Christmastime. The second story is called Touched by Angels. The same 3 angels are sent down to New York City to help 3 people discover what a miracle really is. Honestly, I preferred the first story to the second but both are excellent together!
There were a lot of characters introduced in a short amounnt of time in A season of Angels, both heavenly and human, and it took me awhile to be able to keep everyone straight and be interested in their individual stories, problems, etc. Once I did however, I enjoyed the book.
Touched by Angels followed a similar pattern with 3 different people needing help from a group of 3 angel friends. I enjoyed those stories.
In the traiditional sense of a Christmas story though, the only thing really Christmasy about these stories is that they take place in December and with Christmas approaching.
PERFECT! This is exactly what I was looking for at Christmastime. I've come to love all of Macomber's books that I read this time of year (or any time of year actually). They put me in the christmas mood and make me feel all warm and fuzzy. It's like drinking a cup of cocoa while watching snow fall outside. Both stories had great characters and made me laugh (or cry) more than a few times. Shirly, Goodness, and Mercy are of course up to their usual antics and I'm so glad there's more books with the three of them.
This book kept me on edge so that I could not put it down. And when I had to, I couldn't wait to start reading again.
Archangel Gabriel gave them what seemed to be easy assignments. But each on proved to be much more difficult than any angel thought. And these prayer angels are mischievous. Hint one of them likes to ride escalators. With their many little misdeeds, archangel Gabriel has his hands full. You will laugh all the way to the end of both books.