What do you think?
Rate this book
Fallen
Man has free will, and guardian angels have an eternal place in the holy host.
When unexpected feelings interfere with Malchediel's guidance of a mortal being, he must decide if his love for one man is true, or the work of the devil. Charged with the soul of handsome but suicidal Bran Weller, Malchediel faces a new challenge: Bran's steadfast belief that homosexuality is not wrong despite the Church's view of his lifestyle.
In the course of his angelic duties, Mal is tempted to turn a blind eye to long-standing rules of guardianship as he falls in love with his charge. Torn between faith in God and belief that every man deserves love, Malchediel must find a way to balance heart and soul or risk a Fall to Hell.
When unexpected feelings interfere with Malchediel's guidance of a mortal being, he must decide if his love for one man is true, or the work of the devil. Charged with the soul of handsome but suicidal Bran Weller, Malchediel faces a new challenge: Bran's steadfast belief that homosexuality is not wrong despite the Church's view of his lifestyle.
In the course of his angelic duties, Mal is tempted to turn a blind eye to long-standing rules of guardianship as he falls in love with his charge. Torn between faith in God and belief that every man deserves love, Malchediel must find a way to balance heart and soul or risk a Fall to Hell.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2010
2 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Pia Veleno
14 books57 followersPia is currently inactive on Goodreads for everything except her personal reading list. For news and updates, please follow her on Twitter (@PiaVeleno) or at www.piaveleno.com
Pia is a dirty girl, but she knows you're naughty too. Tongue in cheek, and everywhere else, Pia spends her time running nowhere, avoiding housework, and randomly quoting Placebo lyrics. Now that others are reading her stories, her husband no longer wonders about her obsession with gay men falling in love.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 19, 2010
In the beginning I was getting seriously irritated with this book. I mean it's one thing to send an angel to be a guardian of a man by making him retain his Faith in order to save him, but the man in question is gay and said angel is telling this 'suicidal" man how being gay is a sin and not approved of in the eyes of God. Geez isn't that an ultimate downer if I say so myself. Being gay and wanting to off myself, hearing that coming from a supposed angel wanting to save me I think I'd just say shoot me now, feather fluffer boy, cause you aren't helping me one iota.
Even in my frustrations of the content I continued on and read further, hoping for and opting for something to redeem MY Faith in this book and it did. The story took a twist I hadn't expected and therefore renewed my flabbergastation of this one being a flop that warranted in final success.
There is an event that takes place that is hearted breaking and I did hold my breath on this being the final straw, but again I was rewarded with a HEA.
I recommend the book but be ready to have different senses of emotions clusterfawk your mind.
Even in my frustrations of the content I continued on and read further, hoping for and opting for something to redeem MY Faith in this book and it did. The story took a twist I hadn't expected and therefore renewed my flabbergastation of this one being a flop that warranted in final success.
There is an event that takes place that is hearted breaking and I did hold my breath on this being the final straw, but again I was rewarded with a HEA.
I recommend the book but be ready to have different senses of emotions clusterfawk your mind.
December 5, 2010
What a Dark and Lovely Romance!!!!
And I loved it!
Just finish this story and I'm still thinking about the main characters. Mal, the angel, is the only narrator of this book. He is innocent, and in a certain way very immature. Regardless the lack of some explanation of his age is very obviously he is an eternal creature.
I may tell right away that as a angel his main thoughts and talks is full of religions (pre)concepts, and one of those is the main theme of this book... homosexuality and the church.
No, it's not a preaching type of book, and all the religions discussion between the characters is very pertinent... Mal is on Earth to avoid a tragic suicide so he will use religion as a weapon. To help a humam... Bran.
But, nothing is predicted, and I'm still thinking of who help whom? Mal had his mission, but is very clear that he is the one that must lean a value lesson.
So, this is a romance? Yes but also a very dark story. To all romantic readers scared by my words don't be... there is a HEA... but it's not forecaster, and that's the beauty of this book... the surprising way Mal and Bran will be together.
I can't give less than 5 stars. Great story, and obviously, a remarkable book. Something I rarely find... a book that don't end after the last page, but keep going in my mind.
January 21, 2011
Fallen is another guardian angel book but it has a unique style in presenting the story. Told in first person, present tense the novella follows guardian angel Mal as he experiences life and love in an entirely new way. So much that Mal is no longer happy in Heaven. After falling in love with his human charge Bran, Mal is called to atone in Heaven. Although Mal knows he’s sinned, he’s not sure he’s sorry. Yet Mal doesn’t know how an angel and a human can ever be together.
The story centers around the philosophical questions of whether homosexuality is a sin and whether religion is really God’s word. The two main characters Mal and Bran meet on the first page and then almost immediately get into a deep religious conversation. On the one hand this is pretty bizarre in that it makes almost no sense. Even feeling a strong first connection to someone, I find it hard to believe the natural turn of conversation would be religion and whether homosexuality is wrong. For a good majority of the story these questions are debated and Mal has long internal monologues on the topics.
Yet it’s a credit to the writing and the story that I could suspend disbelief enough to go with it. Considering Mal is a guardian angel, one of God’s workers, and possessing a near blind faith, in some ways the conversation really does make sense. I just had a hard time buying into the fact that Bran would be so easy going and happy to have such a discussion on a mere hours’ long acquaintance. Likewise the two men fall in love almost instantly. This is more understandable for Mal who as Bran’s guardian angel is expected to love his charge. Less so for Bran who has no real basis for falling in love with Mal. It can’t be his charm, wit, or intelligence because really Mal displays none of those qualities.
Instead Mal acts like a slow, totally sheltered man. He often has odd bits of knowledge or lack of insight. The choices seem to be based on what can make for an amusing scene rather than what’s logical. This choice works if a reader can get into the story and ignore the issues that sometimes Mal’s knowledge or lack there of makes no sense. The explanation is that as an angel, Mal’s not exposed to the ways of humans. Thus Mal has no real concept of slang or pop culture or most of the things Bran talks about, but I’m left wondering why Bran falls in love at all. Part of the problem is that Bran is rather undeveloped. There is no explanation of why Bran needs a guardian angel. There are references to Bran’s sad state of mind but no reasons or explanations are offered. Bran himself is rather bland and undefined, more like the idea of someone than an actual person.
Another problem is that the writing is extremely formal and very verbose. The awkward diction is meant to convey Mal’s status as an angel. It does show his awkwardness with humans and a more formal thought and speech pattern. Unfortunately this isn’t ever broken up. There is very little dialogue and the story mostly happens in Mal’s internal thoughts. Even the punishment scenes are told in italics as if they happen outside of the main story. This style makes the story difficult to get into and the flow feels choppy. Gradually Mal’s internal monologues relax and become more casual as he becomes more human, yet I feel as though the story is mostly told to you through Mal’s thoughts than shown through his interaction with Bran.
The novella does an admirable job in presenting a difficult and often controversial religious stance and offering a mild, very romantic take on true love between two men. There are some vague lecturing tones but the warmth of Bran’s tone helps soften any overt pandering. Mal displays some good emotion and that just deepens throughout the story, building to the happy ending. This progression is a nice development and gives a very good, solid ending to romance fans. Not without problems, Fallen is still a nice way to spend an hour or two.
The story centers around the philosophical questions of whether homosexuality is a sin and whether religion is really God’s word. The two main characters Mal and Bran meet on the first page and then almost immediately get into a deep religious conversation. On the one hand this is pretty bizarre in that it makes almost no sense. Even feeling a strong first connection to someone, I find it hard to believe the natural turn of conversation would be religion and whether homosexuality is wrong. For a good majority of the story these questions are debated and Mal has long internal monologues on the topics.
Yet it’s a credit to the writing and the story that I could suspend disbelief enough to go with it. Considering Mal is a guardian angel, one of God’s workers, and possessing a near blind faith, in some ways the conversation really does make sense. I just had a hard time buying into the fact that Bran would be so easy going and happy to have such a discussion on a mere hours’ long acquaintance. Likewise the two men fall in love almost instantly. This is more understandable for Mal who as Bran’s guardian angel is expected to love his charge. Less so for Bran who has no real basis for falling in love with Mal. It can’t be his charm, wit, or intelligence because really Mal displays none of those qualities.
Instead Mal acts like a slow, totally sheltered man. He often has odd bits of knowledge or lack of insight. The choices seem to be based on what can make for an amusing scene rather than what’s logical. This choice works if a reader can get into the story and ignore the issues that sometimes Mal’s knowledge or lack there of makes no sense. The explanation is that as an angel, Mal’s not exposed to the ways of humans. Thus Mal has no real concept of slang or pop culture or most of the things Bran talks about, but I’m left wondering why Bran falls in love at all. Part of the problem is that Bran is rather undeveloped. There is no explanation of why Bran needs a guardian angel. There are references to Bran’s sad state of mind but no reasons or explanations are offered. Bran himself is rather bland and undefined, more like the idea of someone than an actual person.
Another problem is that the writing is extremely formal and very verbose. The awkward diction is meant to convey Mal’s status as an angel. It does show his awkwardness with humans and a more formal thought and speech pattern. Unfortunately this isn’t ever broken up. There is very little dialogue and the story mostly happens in Mal’s internal thoughts. Even the punishment scenes are told in italics as if they happen outside of the main story. This style makes the story difficult to get into and the flow feels choppy. Gradually Mal’s internal monologues relax and become more casual as he becomes more human, yet I feel as though the story is mostly told to you through Mal’s thoughts than shown through his interaction with Bran.
The novella does an admirable job in presenting a difficult and often controversial religious stance and offering a mild, very romantic take on true love between two men. There are some vague lecturing tones but the warmth of Bran’s tone helps soften any overt pandering. Mal displays some good emotion and that just deepens throughout the story, building to the happy ending. This progression is a nice development and gives a very good, solid ending to romance fans. Not without problems, Fallen is still a nice way to spend an hour or two.
March 26, 2011
4.5 stars.
The writing suits the narrator and the story perfectly. It's what struck me the most. I didn't even realize it was in the present tense until I was a quarter of the book in and even if I don't avoid books written in a certain point of view or tense, I pay attention to these things, but Mal just took possession of my brain and I shut off everything else.
Mal is a guardian angel and although he's probably been around for a long time, he's very innocent, bordering on naive. In the world written by the author, angels are forbidden to get physical with humans and to create an emotional bond with them. Their love is meant for God, so while they are compassionate beings and concerned with their charges, they are in a way the most unfortunate creatures because they can't love (and be loved since God seems almost indifferent to them). Bran, the man Mal is sent to save, is very experienced in the ways of sex and has the conviction that God loves people regardless of what the teachings of the Vatican are and he tries to convince Mal that there's nothing wrong in loving another man. He is not satisfied with his life and his soul is probably as pure as Mal's.
While reading the story, I didn't know what I wanted because there was no room to reconcile Mal's feelings for Bran and his status as an angel, one excluded the other and I couldn't stand the injustice, so I read this book till the end with a heavy heart and with sorrow mixed with sweetness. It's bittersweet because the reality of life is that you can't have your cake and eat it too and I'm sorry that I'm using such a low saying for a book which is very lyrical and a little philosophical too.
I'm giving 4.5 stars because before the end it was a bit disconnected, the narration seemed to lose some of its flowing quality and I had to re-read a few pages because I felt like I had missed something before.
It's a very intense book. Still thinking about it.
The writing suits the narrator and the story perfectly. It's what struck me the most. I didn't even realize it was in the present tense until I was a quarter of the book in and even if I don't avoid books written in a certain point of view or tense, I pay attention to these things, but Mal just took possession of my brain and I shut off everything else.
Mal is a guardian angel and although he's probably been around for a long time, he's very innocent, bordering on naive. In the world written by the author, angels are forbidden to get physical with humans and to create an emotional bond with them. Their love is meant for God, so while they are compassionate beings and concerned with their charges, they are in a way the most unfortunate creatures because they can't love (and be loved since God seems almost indifferent to them). Bran, the man Mal is sent to save, is very experienced in the ways of sex and has the conviction that God loves people regardless of what the teachings of the Vatican are and he tries to convince Mal that there's nothing wrong in loving another man. He is not satisfied with his life and his soul is probably as pure as Mal's.
While reading the story, I didn't know what I wanted because there was no room to reconcile Mal's feelings for Bran and his status as an angel, one excluded the other and I couldn't stand the injustice, so I read this book till the end with a heavy heart and with sorrow mixed with sweetness. It's bittersweet because the reality of life is that you can't have your cake and eat it too and I'm sorry that I'm using such a low saying for a book which is very lyrical and a little philosophical too.
I'm giving 4.5 stars because before the end it was a bit disconnected, the narration seemed to lose some of its flowing quality and I had to re-read a few pages because I felt like I had missed something before.
It's a very intense book. Still thinking about it.
October 28, 2010
I am not a huge fan of first person writing, nor am I the slightest bit religious. In which case at face value this book was probably one it would seem I should avoid.
However I had forgotten it was written from the angels POV by about page ten, so that took care of my first person issue. As to the religion, there is the battle in the book between what religion dictates about a man lying with a man and what the angel grows to learn. This is not focused entirely on the religious aspect, more about the kind of things as children (children of man, or children of God) that we are taught. I felt that it was a journey of discovery - understanding that things we learn as we *grow up* lead us to have a particular prejudice or belief in later life. Sexuality, depression, suicide, love and God, were sweeping themes that sometimes twisted together so finely that I wanted to *see* what the other characters thought so badly. That was my only small disappointment really.
A very strong first book with some heady themes. I cant wait to see what the author comes out with next.
However I had forgotten it was written from the angels POV by about page ten, so that took care of my first person issue. As to the religion, there is the battle in the book between what religion dictates about a man lying with a man and what the angel grows to learn. This is not focused entirely on the religious aspect, more about the kind of things as children (children of man, or children of God) that we are taught. I felt that it was a journey of discovery - understanding that things we learn as we *grow up* lead us to have a particular prejudice or belief in later life. Sexuality, depression, suicide, love and God, were sweeping themes that sometimes twisted together so finely that I wanted to *see* what the other characters thought so badly. That was my only small disappointment really.
A very strong first book with some heady themes. I cant wait to see what the author comes out with next.
January 8, 2011
First off, I have to say this was my first Kindle purchase. I've been waiting for months to read this, and was truly impressed. Of course I knew it would be fabulous because Crank is awesome. What really stirred me more than anything was the socio-political aspects of the novella. I whole-heartedly agreed with Bran's views on Catholicism and homosexuality. There is a fine line between what is considered "right" and how we as humankind act on our personal values. We must find a way to change long-standing stereotypes and blatant bigotry in regards to religious perceptions of homosexuality. I would recommend this book to anyone! Even my Mom. :)
A beautifully sympathetic and heart-warming view into the minds of an angel and his charge. LOVED!
A beautifully sympathetic and heart-warming view into the minds of an angel and his charge. LOVED!
December 16, 2010
Pia Veleno is an amazingly talented writer who knows how to keep you enthralled throughout the story, and she so deftly sweeps you from the highest highs to the lowest lows, that I was left wondering just how on earth she managed it. It's not easy to write romance, much less such sexually explicit material, without delving into corniness, or worse, just bad writing, but Pia clearly knows her terrain. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
March 17, 2011
Oh yes! It was about time I gave 5 stars to a book again! This novella is delightful, I just couldn't put it down. Mal's innocence and his struggle with slang had me giggling 80% of the time, and even if I still don't understand what was going on in Bran's head, the development of the story makes up for that. It's a sweet book, full of interesting reflections about religion, homosexuality and love and how the three need not clash.
Read
November 22, 2014Updated and republished by Loose Id November 2014
My publishing debut!
Contains the questioning of religion and faith, a latte machine, and a single bullet that changes everything.
My publishing debut!
Contains the questioning of religion and faith, a latte machine, and a single bullet that changes everything.
October 30, 2010
This is a hard one, I'm torn. I really wanted to like this book. The problem may have been my expectation of the story instead of what was actually there. I was looking forward to a "It's A Wonderful Life" type story, minus the holiday and flashbacks. I expected it to be much deeper than it actual was. I expected the story to be more involved with Bran's life and depression. I expected Mal to be a much stronger character; not hard or unreachable, just less wishy-washy.
The thing that stood out most in the beginning is the way Mal thought and phrased things. Very formal, very wordy. It took quite a bit of time to get used to. The dictionary/thesaurus aspect of the sentences was off-putting. I understand the formality is true to the character created so I was happy to see it be consistent all the way through. There was even a few references to Mal learning slang words that was very cute. Showed some growth to his character.
I would have been able to appreciate his perspective more had we had some other voice to balance it with. There were 3 other people with prominent speaking parts. Even their lines were kept to a bare minimum. Most of the story was reduced to Mal's inner dialogue, usually about himself. There is a few mentions of his reasoning for being here, but it is glossed over, just saying that he has to help Bran get back on the right road to heaven, help him from sinning. The only reason we know Bran is suicidal was because the blurb told us so. Had that not been included in the synopsis then Bran shooting himself would have come from out of no where.
And here is where the wishy-washy comes from. Mal, an Angel, a devout and steadfast being of God, is sent to help guide a struggling man and prevent him taking his own life. Mal "believes" homosexuality is wrong but after a few hours in Bran's company, they are completely in love. Huh? Mal has a few points about the Vatican, in which Bran has a few replies, but again, the "argument" takes place in Mal's mind where Bran's statements are summarized instead of actually seen on the page.
And if Bran is so completely comfortable with being gay then why is he suicidal? He certainly sounds convincing in the few lines he has, and his actions as he seduces Mal seem to back up his comfort. Yet no other explanation is given so his homosexuality is the most logical conclusion based on what is included in the story.
The only other thing that may point to some hidden issue is "the morning after the night before." Bran finds something that hints that Mal isn't who he says he is and there is an over dramatic scene where Mal is told to leave. Could this be a sign of the ups and downs of clinical depression or is it just drama blown-out of proportion? We really don't have enough to go by.
What follows is Mal's call back to Heaven to deal with his own misdeeds, then eventually finding his way back to Bran at a pivotal moment, then finding himself back in Heaven to deal with his latest set of misdeeds. The italicized section after Mal's "punishment" is thinly veiled aggression packed into a neat "I'm happy anyway" package. The emotion in this section alone (regardless of the actual words used) is a lot of what I expected for the entire story. Some honest back and forth, both between the characters and within themselves. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much more to the story than Mal; Bran really could have been just about anyone.
The thing that stood out most in the beginning is the way Mal thought and phrased things. Very formal, very wordy. It took quite a bit of time to get used to. The dictionary/thesaurus aspect of the sentences was off-putting. I understand the formality is true to the character created so I was happy to see it be consistent all the way through. There was even a few references to Mal learning slang words that was very cute. Showed some growth to his character.
I would have been able to appreciate his perspective more had we had some other voice to balance it with. There were 3 other people with prominent speaking parts. Even their lines were kept to a bare minimum. Most of the story was reduced to Mal's inner dialogue, usually about himself. There is a few mentions of his reasoning for being here, but it is glossed over, just saying that he has to help Bran get back on the right road to heaven, help him from sinning. The only reason we know Bran is suicidal was because the blurb told us so. Had that not been included in the synopsis then Bran shooting himself would have come from out of no where.
And here is where the wishy-washy comes from. Mal, an Angel, a devout and steadfast being of God, is sent to help guide a struggling man and prevent him taking his own life. Mal "believes" homosexuality is wrong but after a few hours in Bran's company, they are completely in love. Huh? Mal has a few points about the Vatican, in which Bran has a few replies, but again, the "argument" takes place in Mal's mind where Bran's statements are summarized instead of actually seen on the page.
And if Bran is so completely comfortable with being gay then why is he suicidal? He certainly sounds convincing in the few lines he has, and his actions as he seduces Mal seem to back up his comfort. Yet no other explanation is given so his homosexuality is the most logical conclusion based on what is included in the story.
The only other thing that may point to some hidden issue is "the morning after the night before." Bran finds something that hints that Mal isn't who he says he is and there is an over dramatic scene where Mal is told to leave. Could this be a sign of the ups and downs of clinical depression or is it just drama blown-out of proportion? We really don't have enough to go by.
What follows is Mal's call back to Heaven to deal with his own misdeeds, then eventually finding his way back to Bran at a pivotal moment, then finding himself back in Heaven to deal with his latest set of misdeeds. The italicized section after Mal's "punishment" is thinly veiled aggression packed into a neat "I'm happy anyway" package. The emotion in this section alone (regardless of the actual words used) is a lot of what I expected for the entire story. Some honest back and forth, both between the characters and within themselves. Unfortunately, there really wasn't much more to the story than Mal; Bran really could have been just about anyone.
March 1, 2011
I've been trying to write a review on this book but I just can't. I know I would end up offending a whole lot of people and that really isn't what I want to do.
In the end, I did like the style of writing in this book. But, man-o-man, I had some serious issues with some of the concepts touched on. I think it is the arrogance of humans claiming to "know" what G-D wants and diminishing G-D to the minute understandings of our human pettiness that has always turned me from organized religion.
In the end, I did like the style of writing in this book. But, man-o-man, I had some serious issues with some of the concepts touched on. I think it is the arrogance of humans claiming to "know" what G-D wants and diminishing G-D to the minute understandings of our human pettiness that has always turned me from organized religion.
February 12, 2014
This a hard book to review! I really liked what was in the story. The problem comes in how much was left out of the story. So much was left unexplained and unfinished. I think this would have been a 5 star book if it had been fleshed out, but unfortunately it wasn't.
January 17, 2011
More of a 3.5
Want to read
May 8, 2011I haven't started this yet but I just wanted to say I love the cover art! Beautiful.
August 28, 2011
It was a quick read,at first I wasn't to sure about this book,as I kept reading I really started to like it. Give this book a try.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews