Mountain Angel

Northstar Angels #1

by Suzie O'Connell

A strong-willed woman, a heart-weary deputy, and a cozy mountain cabin. What could possibly go wrong… or right?Fiercely independent, Aelissm Davis prefers to manage her own affairs. But when an obsessive friend refuses to take no for an answer, it’s time to call in reinforcements. Unfortunately, her meddling uncle’s solution—send his best deputy “on vacation” to protect her—could be an even bigger complication.For three years, Pat O’Neil has buried himself in his work to get past a violent relationship, and it hasn’t done him any good. This assignment to protect his boss’s niece could be just what he needs. Aelissm is an irresistible breath of fresh mountain air, but as his heart learns how to breathe again, her past entwines with his and trouble comes knocking. Will she let him do his job or will her stubbornness put them both in danger?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Westerns, Suspense, Romantic Suspense

383 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Suzie O'Connell grew up in a small town on the Kitsap Peninsula in Western Washington, but has called the mountains and valleys of Western Montana home for well over a decade. She has been writing stories since she was old enough to know how (the first she can recall was penciled in the second grade, about the mouse who went to the sea) and completed her first novel, Summer Angel, before she graduated from high school. After high school, tired of the endless rain, she attended college at the University of Montana-Western and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Writing. She is currently working on a Masters of Education and teaches high school English.

Suzie considers herself to be a rather quirky individual with ecclectic tastes in music, movies and books. She listens to just about anything, including pop, rock, country and techno and her favorite movies range from Grumpy Old Men to Lord of the Rings to Moulin Rouge to Pirates of the Caribbean. When it comes to reading, she prefers fantasy, science fiction, romance and literary fiction.

She firmly believes it's healthy to laugh at yourself, that best friends are worth far more than their weight in gold, and that home truly is where the heart is.

When she isn't writing, teaching or studying, Suzie enjoys playing in the mountains with her husband Mark, their daughter Maddie and their energetic golden retriever Reilly. She is also a hobby photographer, specializing in landscapes.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 34% Nothing was happening, the dialogue was stilted and I lost patience with the characters.

[De'Siree Fairley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was perhaps the most mellow and slow burning book I've read all year and I absolutely adored this!! It did bore me a little bit in the middle for just a chapter or so but that didn't change my overall feelings about this story. Northstar sounds like a place that I want to raise my own children and the community just sounds so warm and inviting. Pat and Aeli had just such a beautiful chemistry going. The pacing was absolutely wonderful and I really have to say that I've never read a sex scene in my life that felt sweet and sentimental. Suzie O'Connell is just so good at ambiance writing. I always felt like I was reading something taking place in the quietest meadow or something. Nothing about this was loud or overbearing or quick. I do have to say though that it only lost a star for dragging for me a little bit in the middle. Everything else was great!! There's even a bit of a suspense storyline going on!! This book is free on kindle!! Please read it!!

[Black Butterfly · Rating 1 out of 5]

AN EXTREMELY-OVERLY LONG-DRAWN OUT-REPETITIVE BOOK. STORY LINE WAS A LITTLE TOO UNBELIEVABLE (angel & devil thing), THE GOOD AND BAD CHARACTERS DIDN'T SEEM REAL TO ME. IS ANYBODY THAT SUGARY SWEET OR THAT DAMN BAD, IT WAS SOMETHING OFF ABOUT ALL OF THEM. AELISSM'S NAME IS NOT THE ONLY BACKWARD THING ABOUT HER, PAT AND SHE SWITCHED BACK AND FORTH FROM I'M STRONG THEN NO I'M A BIG WUSS. A GREAT AMOUNT OF THE BOOK READ LIKE A TRAVEL LOG ABOUT MONTANA'S BEAUTY, I GET THAT BUT WHY SO MUCH GOT STUCK INTO THE STORY. GEEZ! MAYBE I WOULD HAVE ENJOYED THIS BOOK MORE IF I WERE 13 OR 14, . . . MAYBE? NAW! ;<

[Njkinny (Njkinny's Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aelissm Davis was all set to start the dream life and as people would say, she had it all. A rich fiance, a set life plan, a satisfactory job, some good friends and her belief for a happy future. But one night all this changed
when her fiance Bryce tried to rape her and her friend Adam, in order to save her, killed Bryce, his own best friend!! It was as if something snapped that night and Adam was never the same. He became obsessive of Aelissm and would not leave her alone despite her repeated warnings and pleadings.
Out of options and running away from Adam and her nightmares of that horrible night, she comes back to the one place she always felt was her home, Northstar in Montana.
Seeing Adam's talent at finding Aelissm every time she became sure that no one could find her, her uncle Bill who is the Sheriff in another county, requests Patrick O'Neil, one of his deputies and also a good friend to take a vacation to Northstar and protect her until Adam is caught. Patrick or Pat has his own demons to take care of and he is a haunted man running from his nightmares.

Can he protect Aelissm?
Will Adam find Aelissm once again and what will happen when he does?
Can Patrick overcome his fears and let go of the past to accept his feelings for Aelissm?
Can Aelissm stop Patrick when the time comes for him to leave and convince him of her love for him?

A soulful story set in the beautiful Montana. This is a vacation where you don't have to actually travel to the place to feel the beauty and peace of it all. The author succeeds in creating a vivid picture in the reader's mind and it's as if we are there seeing everything and feeling every shift in the weather. :)

The relationship between the characters is heart warming and expertly portrayed. The sister like love and true companionship between June and Aelissm; the no-returns-required love between June and her foster son, Luke; the budding romance and emotional bond between Aelissm and Pat; also the support and love shared among the people in the close- knit community in Northstar is beautifully sketched and portrayed.

The only downside is the pace of the story which is not the fast paced turn of events one would expect after reading the blurb. Nevertheless it's a good story with plenty of suspense and takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. The cozy cabin set in the wilderness and the peace of the woods of Montana with the snow covered mountains is the best place to heal and go to, to forget all our worries and get engrossed in the love story of Pat and Aelissm who live there!

I give "Mountain Angel" a 4 out of 5 and recommend the book for a lazy day or when you want to leave the buzz of the city and travel to heaven on earth where the air is clean, weather unpredictable and where their is only happiness and love among the residents who are willing to lay down their lives to save one of their own!
The next book in the series, "Summer Angel" is definitely on my "To-Read" list now. :)

This review is also available at http://njkinny.blogspot.in/
Checkout the blog for more reviews.. :)

[Delta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apologies to my friend who loved Mountain Angel , but I could not agree.

I was on board with the story for the first 80% moving towards a 3.5-star rating; but the story climax and ending were so illogical that it ruined the book for me--so much so that even though I would like to know the story of other characters, I will not continue the series because I cannot trust that they will not have as disappointing an ending.

It was apparent that the author did not seek input from anyone in law enforcement or in the field of psychology, and that was needed. The degree to which one needed to suspend reality to accept story events and decisions of characters was just too much.

What Ms. O'Connell did do well was to write a likable heroine and an interesting plot. Her vivid description of the Northstar area of Montana makes me want to travel there to check it out. Ms. O'Connell shows much promise as a writer of romantic suspense. I just cannot recommend this one.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I downloaded this last October and while looking around for something 'light' to read I found it had one really good review on Amazon so I thought I'd give it a go and the review was right it's a lovely romance. The characters are great and not just Aeli and Pat but Joan, Luke and the whole town, I loved them all and it's told so beautifully.
I've noticed that at the moment there are 3 more books out in this series Summer Angel, Wild Angel and Twice Shy so I'll be checking them out.
If you're looking for a gentle, slow building romance then this could be worth checking out.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an email from PixelofInk.com with the title and description of this book, and decided to give it a shot. Especially since it happened to be free. Too often, free kindle books are just smutty, and while this one had a few sex scenes (even one with a young preteen boy walking in on the amorous couple) they weren't too bad. The storyline is what hooked me. There are more than enough books with a weak, broken, helpless heroine who needs rescuing by a strong, protective, capable man. But this book gave us a strong, capable woman trying to handle a difficult, painful situation with a former friend (turned stalker) on her own, with loving family taking extra precaution to make sure she's safe in her own home. Aeli isn't your typical damsel in distress; the girl welds metal into art, and is good enough at it that she's getting paid to teach students to do the same. She grew up in the mountains, chops her own firewood without breaking a sweat, and keeps guns (that she knows how to shoot) in her house for protection. She's beautiful, funny, REAL, and very down-to-earth. There's nothing not to like about this girl.

So, I liked that break from typical "protect the girl" stories. But here's another good break, too... the hero isn't your typical "gruff, standoffish, broken and "sex-with-Aeli-is-all-that's-needed-to-heal-him" guy. Pat is a cop with an abusive, psychotic ex who destroyed his heart and spirit for joy so badly that his boss SENDS him on vacation and tries to play matchmaker with his niece (our heroine) because she could be good for him. I love the way this story was woven. I love the redemption aspect, too, that had nothing to do with Aeli and Pat's relationship. It was an additional thread that made this story difficult to put down.

I also have to say, the author did a spectacular job describing the town Aeli lives in, Northstar, Montana. If this place is real, then it's where I want to live. I mean... everything is gorgeous, rich, pristine... the town and people came so alive for me that they felt like another character in the story. Next to Aeli, Pat, June and Luke, the setting was my favorite character. The author did a great job fleshing out the details of the characters, their thoughts, their backgrounds, the setting... it made such a fantastic story.

There were some editing issues; I mostly noticed missing words and a couple of misspellings. But they didn't take away from the story for me. The odd name of the main character was more distracting; as I read I called her Allisem. Like Allison, with an "em" at the end. Not sure if that's right but it was the best I could do. It doesn't roll off the tongue very well, and was chopping up the story in a way that kept distracting me. But this character was different from so many other characters that I've read about... I get that the author wanted to honor her with a unique name.

The one thing that bothered me after it ended: *SPOILER ALERT* Nothing was ever mentioned about JP and the "plans" he had for "the girl who dumped him." Plans that may have involved her son? And I thought I remembered the author calling him Jake at one point, but then he was JP? That's the only loose end that wasn't tied up for me.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tough choice for me in giving it 4 stars and it was really worth it. This is the first book in the series and from start to finish it was a promising and lovely read. There is a slow (but not to slow) build up and everybody who is important in the book is introduced at just the right time. I loved the name Patrick but unfortunately Pat (the name) just didn't seem to do it for me.

It was a breath of fresh air to read this as it is different to anything that I have read lately been that Pat was a good guy and I mean a really good guy and the author described his dilemma in a tasteful way without making him seem weak. Not that when something like that happens to men that they are weak. In every movement that he makes you can see and hear just how sad and broken he really is. It is set in the small town of Northstar and let me say if I was living in the US I would so want to live there. Pat goes up to Northstar to support his Boss's niece as she is in some trouble. Aelissm is a great name and I fell straight away for her as being a strong independent women who took a knock but is fighting to win the battle and she does win the battle. They really build something with one another and I loved how it developed and that it all came naturally. I also liked that she was still a virgin. For me it was special how they both opened up to one another.

Her stalker Adam redeemed himself at the end of the book which I was happy about and well let me just say Karma can be b**ch and well it was not a deserving ending for Sara but a unique one. Important and this is what I find lacking in a lot of books is that there is a series and then there isn't enough foundation work done in previous books to get a better understanding for when something is happening. But for the second book in the series the groundwork is very well laid out to understand the second book.

Last but not least I had the pleasure of receiving this book as a gift from the author for an honest review. It is a great book and I starting the second book in the series. So please add this young and talented author to your to read list.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Detective Patrick O'Neil has been seriously emotionally wounded in his past by a relationship gone bad. Aelissm Davis's fiancee was attempting to rape her but thankfully her friend, Adam, came to her rescue and actually killed her fiance. Apparently Adam had problems of his own because he has been stalking Aelissm for several months.

Aelissm's uncle is Patrick's supervisor and he believes it would be good for Patrick to get away so where better to send him than to Montana to protect Aelissm from "Adam The Stalker."

*Spoilers* This book is about some people who have some major problems: It seems the 6' 4" Patrick - detective and hunk of a man was physically and emotionally abused by his previous girlfriend - she was about 5' and weighed 85 lbs. soaking wet. She was so abusive, she wound up stabbing Patrick and charges were filed against her. She spent time in jail plus time with a bracelet on her leg. She's one angry witch. I find it difficult to have a lot of sympathy for Patrick as far as the physical abuse. I'm more understanding regarding the emotional abuse.

Aelissm is a very capable woman who seems to be able to take care of herself but has now become a victim - understandably so because of the near rape by her fiance and now the stalking situation.

Although Patrick and Aelissm are likeable enough, the story-line just didn't do it for me. Not much happens and when it does, the book is pretty much over. The stalker expresses his desire to be absolved of all his stalking and both Pat and Aelissm give him their blessing. When Pat's former girlfriend shows up with a knife and a gun to try and get Patrick and/or Aelissm, even though the police are present, she is let off the hook. This book is totally unrealistic. I skimmed through much of it. Not a good read.

[Mummy Cat Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this free from Amazon.

This story started out strong. Pat, an injured soul gets orders of a life time when his boss, Bill, has him go to Montana to protect his niece. Aelissm(strange name)is being stalked by a former friend.
The characters are fairly likable. Both have their own struggles and flaws. I enjoyed the supporting characters, June and her son. June was the "mother" of the story but she, too, had her struggles.
The book takes the reader through Pat and Aelissm's attraction to each other. The reader gets to know the stalker, Adam, quite well. The reader goes through the resolution of other conflicts and the book ends with an epilogue.
The ending of this story was a bit strange for me. The author adds in quite a bit about Adam. This guy is supposed to be the "challenge" to the story but the author chose to humanize him and make him likable. This was strange for me but it wasn't bad, just different.
Towards the end of the book things got repetitive. The pacing was off and too slow. The characters seemed to have trouble resolving their issues.
Overall, this story is fairly predicable. There are some differences from other romance novels but not twists that the reader won't see coming. I found the ending to be too drawn out and repetitive. This was a bit disappointing and lowered the rating for me. I don't think the story captured me as well as other books out there. I found I struggled to keep picking up the book to finish it. This book might interest others but it didn't really work for me.

[Torrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several chores went undone thanks to this novel. I was instead lost in my mind in the back roads of Montana, surrounded by the breathtaking landscapes painted in my mind through Suzie's clever descriptions, eagerly awaiting every turn. Between the budding romance of Pat and Aelissm and the thrill created by their dark, tragic pasts threatening them on so many levels, I couldn't stop turning pages. I love it when an author creates characters that you wish you could hang out and play cards with (I literally laughed out loud several times) but then I am sad when I can't. All I can do is wait to spend more time when them in her next novel, Summer Angel, and believe me I will be one of the first in line to do so... I can't wait!

[Denise Laspina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. It was a little wordy at points but the characters were great. I enjoyed it.

[Holly Bargo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savor this one

Savor this one

I seldom take as long to read a book as this one took me. Mountain Angel is a book to be savored at leisure. Well done!

[Keelie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even finish the book. I got to about the 30% mark on Kindle and couldn't take it any longer. The concept was good and it started out well enough. But it just dragged on and on and on...

[B. D. Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

In comparison with the first book of the series, First Instinct, for which I awarded five stars, this second book of the series was a bit of a letdown for me. However, the book was well written, and the characters were splendidly well developed. Having lived in the Seattle area for nearly half a century and also being very familiar with southwestern Montana, I was amazed at how accurately the author painted her word pictures of the locales. I loved her descriptions of the sense of community that exists among those who live in Montana, something missing in Western Washington.

For me, however, I was disappointed with how she painted the picture of her hero, Pat O’Neil, as being a broken man following his breakup with his former fiancée, especially given the fact that Pat was the one who dissolved the relationship. I found the repetition of the woe-is-me theme by the protagonists over and over again to be distracting. I honestly believe that a selective reduction of the word count in this novel by about 20% would be an improvement.

Finally, I greatly appreciate authors who incorporate Christian values into their works. At times romantic novel authors will stretch the boundaries of how they treat the physical relationships of their characters. In her first novel of this series, First Instinct, Ms. O’Connell chose to be quite graphic in her description of the wedding night of her protagonists. Although I would not describe the scene as pornographic, it really stretched the boundaries of good taste. In that instance, however, I concede that it was critical to the story because the heroine had been brutally raped previously and it was used to show that she had, finally, put that event behind her and the protagonists were actually married. I believe, however, that she could and should have chosen a less graphic description of this scene.

In this novel, however, the author chose to have her protagonists follow a path of engaging in physical intimacy before marriage and even describe their actions, though not pornographic, in graphic detail. My Christian standard is that men and women abstain from physical intimacy prior to marriage and restrict such intimacy thereafter with only their marriage partner. Since this author has a much different standard, I will no longer download her works.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aelissm Davis is at home in Northstar, Montana running her grandparent's inn and teaching a metal sculpture class at the local college. Only one problem is that she has a stalker that she left Washington State to evade but he has located her; her uncle sends one of his detectives, Patrick O'Neil to first protect Aelissm and second to recover from his own depression on an extended vacation. The beautiful mountain setting is a perfect place for romance to blossom, as Pat learns to live again without bad days of depression and as a bonus he finds his Mountain Angel.

The emotional connection between Aelissm and Pat plus the supporting community gives the story a depth of what a community that works together, plays together and helps one another is all about. The mystery of how to stop the stalker and for Patrick to face his demons about his ex-girlfriend make the story full of twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing until the end.

[Hardly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trite. Poor character development, weirdly specific description of scenery and actions, slow and boring plot progression, nonexistent chemistry between the main characters. This book is a yawn-fest.

Most egregiously, the female protagonist's name-- Aelissm-- is possibly the stupidest name I've ever seen in my life. Every time I see it, my teeth clench in reaction. The only way I can cope with it is to believe that something went wrong with a global search-and-replace and changed Melissa to Aelissm by accident, and then every editor in the publishing house had the flu that week so no one realized it before the book went to print. I cannot accept that any person is so moronic that they would think the unpronounceable "Aelissm" a good name to give a character. Unless you wanted the reader to HATE that character.

[SJ Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend recommended this book to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. The author has done a wonderful job creating characters that feel like they could be a part of my own circle of friends. There is some suspense and a lot of heart-wrenching emotion in this book, which I loved. It's been a while since I've been so emotionally invested in a book. I'm glad this is a series. I can't wait to read more about these characters! I should also mention that I am from SW Montana and I can tell that the author has been here. I hate it when authors write about Montana when they've never been here and they make assumptions about life here. Anyhow, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to curl up with a good read and well-rounded characters.

[Nikol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will be honest, I got this free on Amazon and the only reason I was interested in it at all was because it was about Montana. I will admit, I was not expecting much and this genre of books tends to bore me and disgust me more than entertain me. That said, this book wasn't too bad. It was very predicable and an easy read, but it was also slightly entertaining. I am almost considering buying the second book in the series, but, I do have a lot more books I would much rather read. Maybe in the future if it goes on sale, and I just need a fast read without a lot of thinking, I will buy it and continue the story.

[Ricki Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Mountain Angel was an absolute treat. Aelissm and Pat are characters we can cheer for, and their friends and family are folks we’d like to know. O’Connell brings her characters to life on the page and creates a snowy mountain setting with such precise detail and imagery that one can verily hear the stamping of snow-covered boots at the door and the joyful sounds of camaraderie as friends gather around a fire. Well done!

[Meiwilli · Rating 1 out of 5]

BORING!!!!!!! And boy did I Hate, Hate, Hate that stupid Pig Latin name Aelisem! Too distracting to keep reading that stupid name throughout this stupid, boring book. Pat was equally as uninteresting as Aeli. Do we really give a fig about June adopting Luke?!!! NO!!! And the so-called stalker, is weak and pathetic as most generally are in real life. No need for me to read any further, I barely got through this dribble.

[Literature and Leaves · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started skimming at 25%.
Aeli was not easy to like..she’s a brat. You want to feel bad for her, but the way she pushed Pat on some things…wow. Huge cringe. I almost DNF’d after one particularly cringe scene. The repetitive internal dialogue to actual conversations was WAY off and I just kept wishing something would happen. Anything. At least it picked up after the first half. The descriptions were very surface level and I’d put this in the pass category. Just not for me.

[Nalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this it was kind of slow . So I stopped reading it and went on to other books . Then finally came back ! And of course it got really really good and intense ! I love the change in Adam ! & what love can do To a person . love the ending . Looking forward to read the other one soon .

[Jan Mcleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely well written, and excellent story, by the hand of a master. The characters are skillfully developed, the descriptions are detailed and excellent, and the plot has enough conflicts and twists to keep you glued to the story.
One of the much better books I have read recently.
Download it on your e-device and enjoy!!!

[Lally52 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get interested!

I found the language too sweet and sugary for my taste. It seemed not to have a natural flow. I tried to persevere but I found it difficult to relate to the characters. I knew the ending and had no interest in finding out what happened as the novel progressed.

[Bluejay44 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters were very good and the way they were healed both by their beautiful surroundings and the love and understanding of each other and the mental / emotional journeys they travelled.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I wanted more time to be able to sit and read it. I loved the characters and the setting. I liked the way all of the conflicts were resolved, but they were a little contrived. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys suspenseful romance.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Great

this was a great read you didn't want to put this down the relationships were so real.the descriptions of Montana were so true the areas in Montana;Wyoming;Colo. are so great that you cannot forget these places .

[KN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet romance.

this was a sweet romance with a storyline that kept you intrigued to the last page. this progressive love story is described in each characters shadowed past. excellent read

[Michelle LeKander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Enjoyed this book though I did feel that it too the author a long time to reach the climax in the book and then the conclusion came a little too quickly and easily. But it was a good, entertaining read and I will definitely read the next one in the series