Heather’s Bookshelf: The Angel Scroll
Author: Penelope Holt
Released: 06/28/24
Genre: Contemporary Adventure/Romance
“The traveler waved goodbye. Untouched by the sadness that overcame his friends, he rested bravely in the poignancy of the moment, in the tension that only farewell can bring. You are, Claire thought, never closer to someone you love than when you tell them goodbye.”
“The Angel Scroll” introduces Claire Lucas, an artist living in New York City who has recently lost her husband.
After her husband’s death, Claire begins to have dreams and visions that beckon her to capture a specific image. She names the painting, Absent a Miracle, a depiction of a holy man in India standing bedside of a dying woman and her grieving husband. The painting draws the attention of many, including Richard Markson, a mysterious man who relays a prophecy. The Angel Scroll prophesizes three miraculous paintings and Richard believes hers to be the first of the three.
Convinced he may be on to something, Claire follows Richard to Israel and then to Europe where they meet up with a Buddhist, a Benedictine monk, and a professor of early goddess worship. But others are also after the paintings and things keep happening to the painters…
Will Claire be able to put her past behind her in order to discover the answers to her present or will she succumb to the same fate as the other painters?
Trigger Warning: violence, animal violence, sexual refences, illness/cancer related deaths
Overall, I enjoyed this story. Claire is an interesting protagonist- broken, lost, but with a new purpose. The author does well in intertwining Claire’s history and the relationship she lost within the tale. Her feelings for Richard also seem natural and not forced with each of their backgrounds developing further through these emotions. The book is much more romance forward than adventure forward. While the characters do physically move through various locations and there are parts of the book that have action, the plot is not driven by the action series. There is an underlying feeling of sadness and need for comfort for a good majority of this book. The author does such a good job in not just describing the scenes in the paintings but also describing the emotion of those who painted and who witnessed the paintings. I especially felt this connection to Anselmo, who did not spend a lot of time in the book, but left an impact all the same. There’s one reveal at the end that makes sense to the tale and ties everything together, but do not expect this to be a mystery “Dan Browneque” type of book. It’s connected by the ties to religion and artifact, but that’s about it. The timing of the book was also a little bit off with parts of the book moving swiftly (especially the flashback portions) and others moving more slowly. I did enjoy the emotion of this book and would be interested in reading more from this author.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
An emotion and character-forward book with some timing issues but a reveal that brings everything together.
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