Quiet Angel by Prescott Lane
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We all have that someone we can’t forget, the summer it all began, and the sleepless nights wondering what went wrong.
For Gage Montgomery, that someone is Layla Baxter. When he was 18, he took one look at the chocolate-haired bookworm with porcelain skin and knew his life would never be the same. But it all came crashing down when Layla suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from St. Simons Island -- leaving him with nothing but her angel wing pendent around his neck. For 12 long years, Gage couldn’t shake what happened, if he’s the one to blame, wondering where Layla might be. When their paths finally cross, he’s determined to get the answers he’s spent his life searching for -- and to get the girl, too. Quiet Angel is a story of hope, survival, and lost love made new again.
“I missed you, too, but you were never far.” Gage touched his shirt with the wings inside. “You were always there.”
For Gage Montgomery, that someone is Layla Baxter. When he was 18, he took one look at the chocolate-haired bookworm with porcelain skin and knew his life would never be the same. But it all came crashing down when Layla suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from St. Simons Island -- leaving him with nothing but her angel wing pendent around his neck. For 12 long years, Gage couldn’t shake what happened, if he’s the one to blame, wondering where Layla might be. When their paths finally cross, he’s determined to get the answers he’s spent his life searching for -- and to get the girl, too. Quiet Angel is a story of hope, survival, and lost love made new again.
“I missed you, too, but you were never far.” Gage touched his shirt with the wings inside. “You were always there.”
**Reviewed for EBooks Galore**
Quiet Angel is both a second-chance romance as well as an insta-love tale. It follows Layla and Gage, two teenagers who meet on an island during one intense summer.
To start, the book is well-paced and entertaining. Through the first 40% I wasn't sure where the book was going but was enjoying it. Layla isn't the typical stupid teenage girl, and although Gage is admittedly a horny teenage boy, we get enough of his perspective (the first person narrative shifts back and forth between the two of them) that we can see he truly cares about Layla, and about not screwing things up.
Layla's disappearance comes as a shock to everyone, including the reader - as does the twelve year gap in the story before Gage and Layla meet up again. It's after this point, though, that I started becoming frustrated with the story.
It's hard to explain without giving spoilers but I'm going to try to do my best. Gage and Layla meet back up. Layla is living her dream with her crass best friend Poppy, and Gage has taken over his father's airline company. First problem with the book: he's far too rich for the company the way it's described, and there is excessive use of the company jet. Very few airlines operate with the kind of excess funds that this company does and it strained my ability to suspend my disbelief. My best friend is a commercial pilot, so I know a bit about the industry. Gage's being ridiculously rich is good for the plot, maybe, but not for his character.
And that's another thing. Where teenage Gage wanted to talk things out and work through issues with honesty and charm, adult Gage just wants to throw money at a problem and bury it under a rug. He keeps secrets, takes Layla for granted, and completely fails at learning compromise in their relationships. He makes the same mistakes over and over, and gets pissy when he's called out on it. He goes so far as to project his guilt and bad feelings onto Layla, accusing her of wanting to run like she did when they were kids. I don't mind meeting a hero that's a jerk as long as he learns from his mistakes. Gage doesn't in this story. Case in point: Layla agrees to security, as long as there are no reports back to Gage. Gage says okay. He spends the next chapter looking over minute-by-minute reports from the security guy, and Layla knows he's doing it.
The story of abuse Layla suffered was handled with maturity and grace, although she seemed a bit more "healed" than I thought was realistic, especially when it came to sexual relations with Gage. But I suspended my disbelief about that, mostly because Layla behaved in a more rational, reasonable manner than Gage did.
I was a little off put by the whole political bit. As a reader, I couldn't tell whether Gage wanted to hold public office or not; despite reading things from his head, it was left unclear. His decision regarding whether to run seemed weak for something he'd considered for so long.
I did enjoy some of the secondary characters, Emerson in particular. I love when a secondary character has dimension - flaws and redeeming features both. Emerson has that. I'm kind of hoping she hooks up with the security man (Marco?) Gage hired for Layla.
In the end, it was better written than many of the books I am given for review, but it didn't hold up enough in the second half to rate higher than three stars. I encourage you to try it for yourself to form your own opinion.
Quiet Angel is both a second-chance romance as well as an insta-love tale. It follows Layla and Gage, two teenagers who meet on an island during one intense summer.
To start, the book is well-paced and entertaining. Through the first 40% I wasn't sure where the book was going but was enjoying it. Layla isn't the typical stupid teenage girl, and although Gage is admittedly a horny teenage boy, we get enough of his perspective (the first person narrative shifts back and forth between the two of them) that we can see he truly cares about Layla, and about not screwing things up.
Layla's disappearance comes as a shock to everyone, including the reader - as does the twelve year gap in the story before Gage and Layla meet up again. It's after this point, though, that I started becoming frustrated with the story.
It's hard to explain without giving spoilers but I'm going to try to do my best. Gage and Layla meet back up. Layla is living her dream with her crass best friend Poppy, and Gage has taken over his father's airline company. First problem with the book: he's far too rich for the company the way it's described, and there is excessive use of the company jet. Very few airlines operate with the kind of excess funds that this company does and it strained my ability to suspend my disbelief. My best friend is a commercial pilot, so I know a bit about the industry. Gage's being ridiculously rich is good for the plot, maybe, but not for his character.
And that's another thing. Where teenage Gage wanted to talk things out and work through issues with honesty and charm, adult Gage just wants to throw money at a problem and bury it under a rug. He keeps secrets, takes Layla for granted, and completely fails at learning compromise in their relationships. He makes the same mistakes over and over, and gets pissy when he's called out on it. He goes so far as to project his guilt and bad feelings onto Layla, accusing her of wanting to run like she did when they were kids. I don't mind meeting a hero that's a jerk as long as he learns from his mistakes. Gage doesn't in this story. Case in point: Layla agrees to security, as long as there are no reports back to Gage. Gage says okay. He spends the next chapter looking over minute-by-minute reports from the security guy, and Layla knows he's doing it.
The story of abuse Layla suffered was handled with maturity and grace, although she seemed a bit more "healed" than I thought was realistic, especially when it came to sexual relations with Gage. But I suspended my disbelief about that, mostly because Layla behaved in a more rational, reasonable manner than Gage did.
I was a little off put by the whole political bit. As a reader, I couldn't tell whether Gage wanted to hold public office or not; despite reading things from his head, it was left unclear. His decision regarding whether to run seemed weak for something he'd considered for so long.
I did enjoy some of the secondary characters, Emerson in particular. I love when a secondary character has dimension - flaws and redeeming features both. Emerson has that. I'm kind of hoping she hooks up with the security man (Marco?) Gage hired for Layla.
In the end, it was better written than many of the books I am given for review, but it didn't hold up enough in the second half to rate higher than three stars. I encourage you to try it for yourself to form your own opinion.
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