Angel of the L Train: A Novel

by Penelope Marzec

Thea Ahern desperately needs a job, so when she lands a job at LetSlip, a New York City gossip magazine, she takes it even though it will mean hiding her heritage. When she helps a man who is attacked on the subway, she's hailed as the Angel of the L Train, and people notice her striking resemblance to a once famous actress. This sparks a renewed interest in Paris Hulette and her whereabouts. What happened to the award-winning actress after her husband shot her? And is Thea Ahern really the actress's daughter?
Thea's coworker, John, understands what it means to hide from your past, and so he shields Thea from the ensuing media frenzy. She falls for him, and he falls for her, but LetSlip's CEO orders John to investigate Thea. Now he has to choose between protecting Thea or losing his job.
When LetSlip's CEO is murdered while John is in the building, John is thrust into the public spotlight along with Thea, and his past is revealed. Can Thea ever trust him again? And can he ever be forgiven for what he's done?

Genres: Christian, Fiction, Suspense

392 pages, Library Binding

First published August 12, 2022

About the author

Penelope Marzec grew up along the Jersey shore, heard stories about Captain Kidd, and dug for his buried treasure. Her adventure resulted in a bad case of poison ivy. Deciding books were better than buried treasure, she discovered romance novels and was soon hooked on happy endings. She became an early childhood educator and found her own hero in an electrical engineer who grew up in Brooklyn, played the accordion, and was immune to poison ivy. Together they raised three daughters. Now retired, Penelope either writes her stories or paints seascapes in oils. Sometimes she sings while her husband plays the accordion.

Reviews

[Carol James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgiveness and Second Chances

I am a Penelope Marzec fan, and her new book Angel of the L Train is one of my favorites. It’s a beautiful story of forgiveness. Two wounded people must learn to forgive others…and themselves. Thea has been wronged by society, and John has committed an act that he believe has put him beyond forgiveness.Angel of the L Train is a sweet romance in which I was pulling for them both to find peace with God and each other. I highly recommend this story.

[Kathy Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thea Ahern just wants to be left alone. For most of her life it’s worked. But when she leaves her beloved Pine Barrens to take a job with a Big Apple-based gossip magazine, the solitude she and her beloved mother cultivated ends.
Thea’s mother, Paris Hulette, made movies and headlines in her heyday. After her daughter is born, she shuns the spotlight, settling down on a farm in rural New Jersey. She and her little Thea don’t need anyone, just each other, their farm and their horses. But when Paris Hulette is diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Thea has to go where the money is, and that means Manhattan. She boards her horse, arranges care for her mother, and heads off for a lucrative design job at LetSlip, one of the country’s premier celebrity gossip magazines.
A lonely Thea begins online dating, but encounters mostly boors. From the book: “Getting tangled up with a sugar-packet ripping maniac who fortified his coffee with gin made single life more appealing.” She is attracted to a journalist at work, John, and he to her. But John’s on a bigger mission, and it’s ugly: expose who Thea is or lose his job. With the nature of LetSlip, how could he not? It’s what they do.
Thea wants her anonymity, and longs to go back to the Pine Barrens. She muses, ”Somewhere in this crowded city there must be someone who liked sitting on the back porch in the evening, to watch the sun go down.”
John has his own baggage, and he’s been carrying it for a long time. Set up by his shallow first wife, he committed manslaughter. From the book: “The judge absolved him, but not the people in the town. Worse, he never forgave himself. How could he? He broke a commandment.”
And Thea can’t stay anonymous for very long. When she intervenes in a subway stabbing and rescues a child, her picture makes the media, and she’s dubbed the “Angel of the L Train.” The harassment is on, as people with hidden – and obvious – agendas work to expose her. She goes on the run, with various disguises, from wigs to a nun’s habit.
John recoils at what he’s been asked to do. He remembers being on the other side of the reporter’s notebook, and the hateful and unwanted publicity. From the book: “Nowadays he stood in the crowd with the rest of the reporters…But he knew what it was like to be on the other side, and he never wanted to be there again.”
Marzec does a good job in this contemporary romantic thriller. Her young protagonists are appealing, especially Thea. With everything life has thrown at her, she still retains her faith, and even prays for her abusive boss, reasoning, “The Lord loved office bullies too.” John has the heart of a lion for people he loves, even after what’s been done to him. And when things begin to go south, John finds out who he really is under the guilt.
Marzec shows a surprisingly profound insight into gossip mags, a dirty industry. She shows how the editors and journalists have sold their souls, and she accurately portrays John’s struggle not to. I don’t know how she knows what she knows about that business. I don’t want to know. But she nails it in this book.
Marzec also paints a complete portrait of life in New York City, with noise and dirt and eccentrics, with businessmen and beggars. But her best scenery and ambience come from the Pine Barrens, a wildly beautiful place Thea is proud to call home. A horseback ride in the woods is the beginning of John’s healing, though he resists it. And the colony of camper vans is classic. I’m booking a ticket to the Barrens as we speak…
But Marzec doesn’t neglect the most important healing of all. The spiritual message is strong, with Thea’s faith being tested but surviving and John inching his way back to belief.
This is a good late summer/early fall read and I recommend it.

[Anita Klumpers · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Angel of the L Train" is such a great title, isn’t it? Fun to say and intriguing. The premise of the story—a woman who’s chosen to avoid the public’s notice is hurled into the limelight by a good deed performed in a most public setting. She has to deal with constant media scrutiny, the looming loss of a loved one, and a boss from only one step north of Hades. Shouldn’t that be enough? No. Throw in a few violent attacks on her person and property, a murder, and a coworker who is supposed to be digging up dirt on her for publication. And he’s a murderer. And she’s falling in love with him.
There is a lot of action, a fair dose of gospel, and the most unique concept of a “motel” this side of Norway’s Igloo inns.
"Angel of the L Train" makes me wish I knew more about New Jersey, especially the smaller towns and farms. The author contrasted the freshness of life there with the difficult and often dangerous frenzy that is New York City, and writes convincingly of the misconceptions many good people—even Christians!—can carry about sin, grace, and forgiveness. No problem recommending this book to lovers of clean, exciting romance with an unashamed Christian message.

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a romance written for devotional Christians. This book is imbued with romantic aspects while still encompassing at least two people's journey with religion.

Here we have troubled Thea trying to make it through what is a Job-like existence. She is desperate to keep her identity on the down-low, but one selfless act blows that out of the water. Her relationship with John is a strong aspect of this work. In many ways, she needs to get a better grip on her faith before she can come to grips with romance.

The action and intrigue are enough to make this a page-turner. The character development is well done and many of the characters come to life. There seems to be a societal issue that comes from this work. Many people call themselves Christian but have no issue sitting in judgment of others. There is also a lack of remembering the Old Testament. To quote a classic song...the good book said it so I know it's the truth, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Forgiveness is good for the soul. Justice brought heavily down on a wrongdoer isn't bad either.

A wonderful read that can mean a lot to many. Fans of the world of gossip will love this book. Fans of clean romance will love this book. Fans of Christian romance will love this book. An excellent addition to this genre.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it.

My Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed by: Mr. N

This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Barbara M. Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marzec writes a fast-paced, mystery-filled suspense novel that I couldn't put down. Thea Ahern holds a family secret that a gossip magazine would love to seize. Unfortunately, she takes a job at LetSlip which is a gossip mag, so she can pay mounting medicals bills her ill mother is accumulating.

John works at LetSlip and has been tasked with finding out if Thea is related to a former starlet. As John gets close to Thea, he doesn't want to rock the boat of their relationship. He too, has a skeleton in his past that he would rather not disturb.

As John and Thea grow close, their boss is murdered, men are following them, and there's that pesky incident on the L-Train which branded Thea a hero.

Marzec does a wonderful job of showcasing the forgiveness found in Jesus.

Will Thea and john start anew with no secrets and a bright future? That may or may not include an old mare? Don't miss this action-packed romance.

[Gay Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Good One

Romance. Intrigue. Christian. Believable characters. Well-written. Thea's mom was a famous actress turned artist. Thea inherited her mom's artist talent, but she used it as an ad designer. John was a farmer turned writer, and he and Thea met at work. John killed a man in self-defense, and both Thea and John have a problem with this. At the end of the book, the author warns against gossip, and it's good advice. However, I found the theme of forgiveness to be more prominent. You'll like this book.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I think this should be made into a movie! There are so many things that happen and keep us guessing. I love Thea's strong faith in God. Even she had to learn some things about forgiveness. And John? Well, you'll love reading about his journey, too. Very well done!

[Tia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won "Angel of the L Train" from a Goodreads giveaway, but the following opinions and words are all my own.

I found this book to be suspenseful, romantic, and well-written. It's a clean romance with barely any kissing and nothing more than that. With that being said the characters and storyline are very interesting and keep you guessing who might the bad guy(s) be. There's definitely drama but also lots of biblical references that help the characters and the reader think about what it's really saying.
I tend to read explicit books but I found this to be a refreshing change and worth reading.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angel of the L Train

The daughter of a movie star just wants a normal life. Being raised out of the city and the public eye has made it a little easier to blend in. When she makes a decision to help save a life her private life is put on public display. The people she works with turn against her to increase profits. With a few friends and a little money, she needs to figure out what is important and focus on that.

#GoodreadsGiveaways

[Janis Atherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful Christian Romantic Mystery

I really liked the character development and the "sense of place" the author created within each scene. I appreciated that the author did not dwell on the gory details of the violence that played out during the unfolding of the plot and its development.

This is a good Christian read - and there is suspense!

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was so unbelievable I kept getting out of my reading zone. Also, the male lead was such a jerk to her the whole time, yet she is so in love with him. Their love was so awkward. They literally had nothing to talk about except work and shootings. Bleh book is an L.