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Running from a Telepath Guild assassin, Anya Vaedrin heads for a space station at the far reaches of the galaxy. She is known as Angel because of her long white hair and beautiful voice. She is also a tel-empath which is why the Guild is hunting her. She lands on the station and asked to see Jason Salvatore, the second-in-command. Begging for sanctuary is the only way she can be free of her fear.
Jason Salvatore has always been a fan of the Angel. To have her begging for help on his station seems a strange dream come true. But he fears her power. He thinks that she only wants to humiliate him. So he antagonizes her at every meeting, fighting his attraction for her.
Unfortunately, Anya has stepped into something that she doesn't understand. The captain of the station welcomes her with open arms. Alliances are being made and expectations are raised. Will this station be her salvation? Or, will what she finds there lead her far from reality?
Ms. O'Leary has created a magical world populated by humans and aliens alike. The space station becomes real as the characters are portrayed as believable. The story flows at a marvelous pace. Jason and Anya's relationship matures nicely as Jason learns to overcome his fear. The secondary characters help build the story perfectly.
Angels and Ministers of Grace is a wonderful book to curl up with and spend time visiting with strange creatures and interesting worlds.
RATING: Four and a Half Roses
Having reviewed Ms. O'Leary's previous book THE HUNTRESS, this reviewer was very impressed with the author's talent in mixing the two genres of Science Fiction and Romance and making the story work so successfully. She's done it again! ANGELS AND MINISTERS OF GRACE is a unique romance set in the SciFi world, and packs just as much 'punch', keeping the reader enthralled in a fast paced story involving a complex world of science and spiritual definitions.
Anya Vaedrin, aka Angel, is a singer with a special talent that is rare and mistrusted by the majority of humans and aliens. Being a "tel-empath" (meaning she has both talents of telepathy and empathy), Anya is an actual threat to others. Although she has a good heart and doesn't use her talent for evil, others still mistrust her. And there are those who would seek to 'use' her—or destroy her. Fleeing from a psychopath assassin sent by the Telepath Guild, Anya and her band seek refuge on Far Reach Station where those like her are accepted without prejudice.
But not all will be well there, as Station Captain Marta Jamison plans to use Anya's arrival to her own benefit, and two other alien races will center their obsessive attention on Anya too. Also there is Lt. Commander Jason Salvatore who will do anything it takes to protect Anya.
The passion that starts to simmer between Jason and Anya will have readers devouring the pages, eager to read the final culmination of their love. But interfering with their love is the life-threatening danger that surrounds Anya, and this has to be taken care of first.
Filled with all the requirements that make a romance enthralling, and all the technical and deeply intricate plots that make a SciFi exciting, Ms. O'Leary's newest book is a must read for fans of both genres. This reviewer loved the intricate, complex world the author skillfully creates to be so believable. Her characters are both tough and tender at the same time, have deeply rooted beliefs and feelings, and they come to life from the first introduction. Ms. O'Leary has a reader fan in this reviewer, and I will eagerly look forward to her future books.
Rating: 5 Roses
Anya Vaedrin is famous throughout the galaxy as a singer of immense talent. What most of her fans don't know is that Anya is an empath. She senses the emotions and strong thoughts of those around her. The law requires empaths to register, but in general the Telepath Guild doesn't bother them. The TG wants to find children with telepathic powers and train them from an early age, ostensibly for law enforcement. As Anya gets older, she realizes that not only does she receive emotions from others; she can also emit them. When she sings, she emits emotions that affect her audience. Some see this as an extra dimension of talent, others as an unfair manipulation of the audience.
As the story begins, Anya and three of her friends are on the run from the TG. Someone has informed the TG that Anya possesses undocumented skills. Anya's party has been turned away and refused asylum everyplace they've gone. Their last hope is Far Station. The TG has sent someone to track down Anya. At first, everyone assumed the tracker was hired to bring her in alive, for use in the Guild. But the closer he gets, the more Anya can sense him. She knows he's psychotic. Why would the Guild send someone like this for her? And are there hidden agendas among the officers of Far Station?
This is a hard book to classify. It is at once a story of science fiction, mystery, and romance. Relationships bloom in the least likely of places, as readers will discover. The far-future world described here is fully realized and vividly detailed. The characters are all three-dimensional and have diverse backgrounds and motives. Secondary characters and even alien races add flavor to the mix. An engaging mystery, plenty of intrigue and emerging romance will keep readers glued to the story.
In the future, mankind still quarrels among themselves over outdated ideals and political agendas. They are still controlled by their basic need for power, the need to feel superior to others because of color, race, greed and ignorance. But the universe is shrinking and species from all over the galaxies are closing in on our world and mankind has also evolved. There is a new breed, one with telepathic abilities that makes them both revered and frightening. There is an organization of evolved humans called the Telepath Guild who over a period of time have enslaved humans, and their own kind, to their will. They think themselves far superior to all species in the universe.
Anya Vaedrin was born an empath. Her ability at first was so weak the TG left her alone. At puberty her abilities altered and she became a tel-empath. The first of her kind, she knew she had to hide it, or the Telepath Guild would capture her and experiment on her. Anything they see as a threat they either controlled or eliminated. Anya&Mac226;s ex lover turns her in, and now she is running for her very life.
Anya is a singer by trade; with a voice that has earned the nickname Earth Angel. Along with her are her backup singers and closest friends Rie of Thlassnian, Jarden and Cesna. They have heard of a place called Far Reach Station where they might find sanctuary. It is known as the Free Zone where all forms of life can live together in harmony. Maybe there they will be safe.
Captain Marta Jamison runs Far Reach Station and grants Anya and her group asylum gladly—a little too gladly. Anya gets the feeling that Capt. Jamison has her own agenda.
There, Anya meets Lieutenant Commander Jason Salvatore. With her ability of empathy, she can feel his anger towards her, but she has no idea why. She is also drawn to him in a way she has never felt for any man. But that will have to wait. Right now her main concern is to stay alive and avoid the assassin sent by the TG.
From the moment Jason sees Anya he is a stunned. This is the woman he has fantasized about ever since he first heard her sing. But he fights this attraction because he believes Anya read his mind and was poking fun about his feelings for her. He uses anger as a way of shielding himself from her. He soon realizes he's deeply in love with Anya and very afraid for her life.
Capt. Jamison is a highly intelligent woman and she knows that change is inevitable. Anya could be the one person who can help achieve peace between the human race and the alien races that are closing in on their universe.
Jason is torn between his love, as well as his need to protect Anya, and his duty to the station and his captain. Anya realizes her love for Jason, but doesn't know how to get through the anger he feels toward her. Can she get past his barrier and find a love ever lasting? And how does she fit in Capt. Jamison's plans to stop a war, which could very well wipe out mankind?
This sci-fi romance is very well written; it has action, intrigue, humor, and love. Once I started reading I just couldn't put it down. I laughed and cried as I watched Jason and Anya quarrel their way to a love that could only be found in the stars. Michelle O'Leary, who also wrote the book The Huntress, once again shows just how talented she is. Her ability to create other life forms that not only sound realistic, but have you looking up at the sky and wondering, does she know something we don't? I hope Ms. O'Leary has plans to expand this story by writing a story for Anya's friends. Jarden, Cesna and Rie were very strong characters, as well as the captain and Lt. Cooper. All together they made for a very wonderful day of reading.
Overall rating: 5 Hearts
Sensuality rating: Very sensual
Anya Vaedrin is a fugitive on the run from the Telepath Guild. For moral support her friends Jarden, Rie and Cesna join her on a journey to Far Reach Station.
Aboard a cargo ship, Anya informs them that their only hope of freedom in human territory may be in contacting Captain Marta Jamison and Lieutenant Commander Jason Salvatore. In order to be provided with better cover, they'll ask Salvatore to input them into the registration system.
With the cargo ship behind them, Far Reach station's customs check and DNA ID's were now ahead. It wouldn't be difficult for the Guild's stalker to trace their steps. When Salvatore makes his appearance, he tells Anya that he doesn't care what brought her so far out and that her fame as a singer will not win her and her friend's special attention. He has a station to run and can't cater to the needs of a spoiled girl. But it isn't a matter of privilege for her, more so a matter of life and death. From the beginning she's straightforward with Captain Jamison. As a tel-empath, one who can project feelings and emotions into others, she is a rarity highly sought by the Guild, therefore seeking sanctuary is their only choice of freedom. It also is a conflict for the Captain in going against the wishes of the powerful and influential agency.
Captain Jamison grants them sanctuary and Lieutenant Francis Cooper is now in charge of Anya's protection. They're given a one bedroom in sector seven and told to stay put for their own safety. Anya is fully aware that the agency already knows she's at Far Reach.
Jason Salvator's problems are on the rise since Anya "Earth Angel" Vaedrin became a Far Reach resident. She has been the object of his fantasies for the past two years. Now she's calling him before he hits the pillow sensing the nearness of the stalker. The danger doesn't end there for the Captain has a plan that includes Anya's cooperation. With that plan comes danger and changes that Earth has to recognize. It's time.
ANGELS AND MINISTERS OF GRACE is a SF adventure, a struggle to survive beyond the grasp of a judgmental society, to be one's self without the manipulation of another. Far Reach is a middle ground, a platform for harmony and independence. Within its metal structure are humans in search of monetary opportunities and freedom. Then there are those who see beyond themselves. The Thlassnian Dreamer, whose visions forge the way of the future. The Queen of the Shrieks, who is concerned about the safety of her unborn daughters. And one brave Captain and crew willing to make sacrifices in order to secure a better life for future generations.
O'Leary's e-book is fast paced, full of dimensional characters whose friendships are exceptional. Even with danger awaiting in the shadows, they are so filled with life. Together they support Anya when the stalker strikes and they try to make a new life for themselves.
Four and a half good thoughts out of five