Angel Mm (Mass Market Paperback)

Both Angel and Cassie are interesting characters, Angel more so for his tragic upbringing and his highly dangerous, but mostly lonesome career as a hired gun. Cassie is perky with her fine lady mannerisms and rancher upbringing. With her flair for getting into other people's business, she can't seem to stay out of trouble. Plus, she has an eccentric homelife, which includes a pet panther from Africa named Marabelle who loves to clean her teeth on bare toes.

The story is fun and the action nonstop, from the first chapter's opening showdown at noon to the final "showdown" between Cassie and Angel, with stampedes, brawls, and all sorts of crazy things thrown in between. Angel's search for his identity is also an important element in this novel, and it is treated with care. The only "fluff" extraneous scene happens at the very end and I won't go into detail, but it doesn't serve much in my opinion other than to get Cassie's unconventional mom to like Angel.

Altogether, I enjoyed "Angel." It is fast-paced and witty, and it brings back all the characters from "Brave the Wild Wind" and "Savage Thunder." Of the three books, however, I thought "Angel" was the least passionate. "Savage Thunder" is, by far, my favorite Lindsey novel EVER and it was where Angel made his first brief, memorable appearance. But the spark between Cassie and Angel isn't as strong as with Colt and Jocelyn of "Savage Thunder" or Jessie and Chase of "Brave the Wild Wind."

I highly recommend "Angel." However, I'd first read its two prequels, "Brave the Wild Wind" and "Savage Thunder" (in that order) to familiarize yourself with the storyline and to wet your appetite for "Angel."

Well known as "The Angel of Death" in the West, Angel is a fast gun for hire. To repay a debt to a friend, he travels to Texas to provide protection for a young woman caught in a feud among families. When he first arrives, he is not captivated by the woman. (She's not your classic beauty.) However, the more he sees of her, the prettier she appears to him.

Cassie has a bad habit of meddling in other people's affairs. In effort to end a 20 year feud between two neighboring families, she plays match maker by setting up a daughter from one family, with a son from the other. The two lovers then run off to be married, but come back to rejoin the feud. Now both families are mad at Cassie. They threaten to burn her ranch to the ground if she doesn't vacate Texas. Cassie seeks to hire a peacemaker. However, the peacemaker sends Angel in his place to handle the young woman's problem.

After facing a few weeks of Angel's intimidation, the father of one feuding family forces Angel and Cassie to marry at gun point. Cassie can't figure out why Angel didn't fight to stop it from happening. Nor does she understand why he took his marriage rights with her. She doesn't believe herself attractive, so she wonders why Angel would not insist that they have an immediate annulment.

When Cassie's parents show up, Angel's obligation is fulfilled. Feeling he can't offer her a good life, he decides to leave and let Cassie's mom push for a divorce. Before he goes, he wants to do something for her. He sets out to put an end to the feud that has been causing Cassie such anguish. Cassie wants to do something for Angel too, so she hires a detective to find his family from whom he was stolen as a child.

Both Cassie and Angel decide that they don't want to be divorced. Before they can tell one another, Cassie is kidnapped. Angel sets out to save his beloved wife from her captures.

Angel is a great hero. Even though he is a gun fighter, he keeps his killing on the side of the law. He protects the under dog and won't compromise his principles. He's dangerous, exciting, and still honest. Cassie is a very realistic character. She's not the usual raving beauty. Men don't flock to her. But she is vibrant, brave, and loyal. I do wish she wasn't quite so mousy in the face of her mother, but that is consist with the era of the story.

Some of the major problems that the characters face are too prettily solved. In stead of a realistic truce, many unlikely people end up in love at the end. It's the usual "Happy Ending Overkill." Still you leave the story feeling satisfied. The book held my interest from start to finish.