
Sunday Book Review – The Emissary – Book 3 – Love Hurts by Marcia Meara
My Sunday Book Review is for Marcia Meara’s new release – Love Hurts – book 3 in her Emissary series. Jake and Dodger were chosen, after they died, for the first emissary program by their boss, the angel Azrael. They are like heaven sent earth angels who live in their former human forms and save people from either themselves, or from doing something criminal.
Blurb:
The archangel Azrael created his emissaries to help mortals avoid choices that would doom them for eternity. He hadn’t planned on the youngest member of the team falling in love with one. In Marcia Meara’s final installment of her Emissary Trilogy, a Riverbend spinoff series of novellas, we find our heroes facing a new problem, and it’s all because Dodger died before having a chance to learn what love was all about. His request that Azrael help him correct that situation causes a multitude of problems no one could have foreseen. Except the angel, himself.
Azrael’s emissary program was growing daily, but it still met with stubborn opposition from many on the Council of Angels. Dodger’s request to be allowed to experience what falling in love was all about didn’t help matters, but Azrael thought the boy was onto something. He agreed emissaries who’d shared a loving relationship during their mortal lives would have a deeper understanding of human emotions and motivations, thus enhancing the skills needed to do their jobs.
With that in mind, Azrael gave Dodger one chance to search for true love. He then laid down a daunting set of stringent rules and guidelines that could not be broken under any circumstances lest dire happenings occur. But while the angel sincerely hoped Dodger would find a way to make this endeavor work, he feared an avalanche of unintended consequences could be in store for his youngest emissary.
Sometimes even angels hate to be right.
Will Azrael ever tire of popping up behind Jake just to see his first emissary fall out of his chair in shock? Will sharp-eyed motel owners ever notice a big red-and-white semi mysteriously appearing and disappearing from their parking lots overnight? And will Dodger be able to track down the mystery girl who caught his eye two weeks earlier to see if she’s really The One?
To find the answers to these and other angelic or emissarial questions, come along on one last adventure with Jake, Dodger, and that ginormous, glowy-eyed archangel, Azrael. They’re waiting for you!
My 5 Star Review:
This is book 3 in Meara’s Emissary series where Jake and Dodger run into a new situation while doing their jobs as emissaries – Dodger learns hard what love is all about, how amazing it can feel, and how it can hurt.
In their duties as emissaries, hired by the angel Azrael, Jake and Dodger continue to help humans they come across who are on the brink of either committing crimes or close to taking their own lives by helping them see the errors in their ways. They are the voice of reason and saviors. They were sent to earth instead of heaven after their own human deaths and chosen for the new emissary program by the angel Azrael. Immortal now in their old human forms.
Along with taking human form, Jake and Dodger are also cognizant of human emotion and in this novella, the younger, Dodger has his heartstrings pulled when he falls in love with librarian Juliet. But love isn’t always grand, especially when Juliet is mortal and Dodger is no longer, and when Dodger realizes he cannot lead a fulfilling life with his new love because of the two worlds they live in. He is faced with making painful human decisions as he struggles with the decision to tell Juliet his dilemma or keeping silent about who he really is.
Dodger has never known such love in his past life so all the new wonderful feelings he’s experiencing are also his problem as he must figure out how to live in love with a mortal. Azrael keeps a tight watch on his two emissaries and pops in from time to time to both applaud and catch his two new emissaries when they make mistakes.
With lots of good life lessons and empathetic characters, Love Hurts is a wonderful read that will touch on all your emotions.
©DGKaye
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59 Comments
Robbie Cheadle
Another wonderful review for this book, Debby.
dgkaye
Thanks Robbie. 🙂 x
Marcia Meara
Thank you so much for stopping by, Robbie. Hope you get a chance to check this one out for yourself. I’d be very interested in hearing your thoughts. 🙂
Toni Pike
What a fabulous review, Debby – and congratulations to Marcia on her new release. It sounds like the most wonderful and moving story, with a great deal to be learnt from it. Toni x
dgkaye
Thanks Toni. Marcia has a way of tugging at our heartstrings. Beautiful series. <3
Marcia Meara
Thanks so much for that, Toni. I loved Debby’s review, too. Hope you get a chance to check out the series, as I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts about it, as well. 🙂
sally cronin
Thanks for the lovely review Debby… when I have read the Wake-Robin series I will move onto Marcia’s other books.. love the way that she writes and her characters. ♥
dgkaye
You’re always in for a treat with Marcia’s books Sal. I must get back to the rest of the Robin Ridge series too! <3
Marcia Meara
Thanks for your kind words, Sally. I hope you’ll enjoy The Emissary trilogy when you have time to check it out. And thanks so much for stopping by to say hello, too.
Norah Colvin
What an interesting premise, Debby. I haven’t read any of these books – yet. You’re making me see I’m missing out. No one wants FOMO.
dgkaye
Lol Norah. I’m glad to hear my review perked up your ears. 🙂 x
Marcia Meara
I’m glad Debby’s review perked up your interest, Norah, and I hope you’ll enjoy the series if you find time to check it out. Thanks for taking a moment to comment, too. It’s greatly appreciated! 🙂
Stevie Turner
An unusual theme – something different! x
dgkaye
Definitely! 🙂 x
Marcia Meara
Exactly what I was looking for, Stevie. A change of pace from my usual novels. Hope you get a chance to check the trilogy out one day, and see what you think. No serious dogma involved at all, but hopefully some fun and a few life lessons here and there. (At last for Dodger. 😉 ) Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Balroop Singh
Wonderful review Deb, thanks for sharing. This series is on my wish list.
dgkaye
No doubt you will enjoy it Balroop 🙂 x
Marcia Meara
Great to hear, Balroop. Hope you’ll enjoy it when you have a chance to check it out. Thanks for your comments! 🙂
Diana Peach
I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series and can’t wait to get to this one. I loved the characters. Great review, Debby. Congrats to Marcia!
dgkaye
Thanks Diana. You won’t be disappointed xx
Marcia Meara
So glad you enjoyed the first two, Diana, and I hope you’ll like the way I wrapped up this trilogy. I had so much fun writing it, and was sad to let go of these three characters. But now I’m on to Riverbend 4, so I’ll have a few new characters to fret over, along with the “regulars” from that sleepy Florida town. 😀 Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
Gwen M Plano
Wonderful review, Debbie. I’m reading it now and enjoying it very much. Congrats Marcia!! ❤
dgkaye
Glad to hear Gwen. What’s not to love, right? <3
Marcia Meara
That’s great to know, Gwen! So glad you are enjoying it, and hope you’ll like the way the trilogy wraps up. Thanks so much for taking time to say hello! 🙂
Marcia Meara
Thank you so much for such a wonderful review, Debby. I’m elated to know you’ve enjoyed this final novella in the Emissary trilogy, and pleased that you’ve shared it here today. The series was so much fun to write (even the sad bits), and Jake, Dodger, and Azrael will live in my heart forever!
I’d love to think there are some actual emissaries out there, tasked with making sure we stop and THINK before making a mistake that might set us down the wrong path. Would we ever feel them nudging us toward a different idea? Even as they leave free will intact? Or would we just take a closer look at what we were about to do, and go the opposite way, never knowing we’d been presented with that second choice?
Thanks for featuring The Emissary 3: Love Hurts here today, Debby. I hope some of your followers are intrigued. 🙂 <3
dgkaye
My pleasure to read and review Marcia. It was a heartening and beautiful series. As far as getting a nudge, I think we do get them – maybe not from an emissary direct, but possibly through our intuition. <3
Marcia Meara
That’s exactly what Azrael, Jake, and Dodger WANT you to think, you know. 😀 A person who’s been nudge is never supposed to realize it’s not coming from their own intuition, after all. 😀
I’m truly glad you enjoyed the series, and I’m sorry it has taken me so long to respond to all the comments, but your blog doesn’t play nicely with me, now and then. (We’ve always had that problem, I think.) However, I persisted, and today, I was able to get through! 🙂
Thanks again for such a great review. So glad you enjoyed the trilogy! 🙂 <3
Miriam Hurdle
Fabulous review of Marcia’s book The Emissary 3, Debby! Dodger is like living a second life while helping the humans. Thank you for sharing.
dgkaye
Exactly Miriam. Thank you. <3
Marcia Meara
Dodger and Jake both, Miriam. And a whole host of new emissaries across the globe by the end of the series, too. 😀 I had fun with that concept. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a moment to say hi! I appreciate it very much. 🙂
John howell
Lovely review, Debby,
dgkaye
Thanks John. For a lovely book. 🙂
Marcia Meara
I really loved Debby’s wonderful review, John. Made my day, even though I had some trouble getting back in to respond to comments. Sometimes our blogs don’t play well together, but we manage, anyway, by golly! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Jacqui Murray
What a clever plot. Love your review, Deb.
dgkaye
Thanks Jacqui. A heartwarming book. 🙂
Marcia Meara
Thanks so much, Jacqui! I’m glad you like the sound of it. And thanks for stopping by to check out Debby’s great review. 🙂 I loved it, too.
Natalie Ducey
Awesome review to share, Debby! Bravo to Marcia. 🙂
dgkaye
Thank you Natalie <3
Marcia Meara
Thank you so much, Natalie! I agree totally on Debby’s review. Just awesome! Thanks for stoppinb by, too! 🙂
Amy M Reade
What a beautiful review of a book that sounds both heartwrenching and lovely. Congratulations to Marcia on her new release!
dgkaye
Thanks Amy. This book definitely tugs on heartstrings 🙂 x
Marcia Meara
Thank you so much, Amy! This was the wrap up of my trilogy of novellas, and I had such a good time with the whole story line. I love Debby’s review! And thanks for stopping by, too! 🙂
Sarah Brentyn
I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy and need to get my arse moving to the second so I can read this one. 🙂 (I can rarely comment on your blog so I don’t think this will work but…here goes nothing.) Cheers!
dgkaye
Hi Sarah. Well I’m not happy to hear you can’t comment here? But alas! Here you are! <3
Marcia Meara
Hi, Sarah! Yes, please, “get your arse in gear!” 😀 I’m dying to know what you think of the entire series! Thanks for stopping by, and if it’s any help, I always have trouble posting here, too. Debby and I have talked about that before. Our blogs don’t play well together, but we persist and beat them into submission when necessary! So glad you were able to stop by this time! Thanks, and thanks for the kind words about TE1, too! 🙂
dgkaye
Lol Marsh, you shocked me when I came to my blog and found so many comments at once, I knew it was you, lol. Glad the guardsman finally let you in! LOLLLLLL 🙂
Sue Dreamwalker
Now this is a series of books I feel I could get to grips with… Many thanks Debby for this review… And may put on my Christmas Wish list LOL..
Have a great day my friend <3
dgkaye
HI Sue. No doubts you would enjoy the series because of the goodness in the lessons and the heartening storyline. Thanks for visiting. <3 xxx
Marcia Meara
Aw, that’s nice to hear, Sue. I hope you get a chance to read the trilogy. (They are each only 100 pages, so quick, easy, and cheap reads!) 😀 I’d love to hear your thoughts if you do read them one day. And thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
Vashti Q
A lovely review, Debby! Thanks for sharing it. Congrats to Marcia! This series reads fascinating. 😀 xo
dgkaye
Thanks Vashti. It was a heartening series 🙂 xx
Marcia Meara
Thanks so much, Vashti! I really love Debby’s review and hope you’ll enjoy the series if you get a chance to check it out. And thanks for stopping by, too. 🙂
Olga Núñez Miret
It sounds lovely. I have Marcia’s series (and some of her other books) on my list. I’m particularly curious because I have an angel Azrael as a character in one of my own series. Thanks, Debby!
dgkaye
I love everything angels Olga, so Marcia’s series was a delightful series to read. I hope you get to enjoy too. <3
Marcia Meara
I hope you get a chance to check it out soon, Olga. I’ll be very interested in your thoughts on my “take” on Azrael. And on the entire premise of overworked angels needing some hired help to handle all the near-missteps in the world today. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
Deborah Jay
I see you enjoyed Marcia’s third emissary instalment as much as I did. <3
Why am I not surprised?
dgkaye
Lol, of courseeeeeeeeeeeeeee. 🙂 <3 :)
Jennie L Fitzkee
Super review, Debby!
dgkaye
Thanks Jennie, a great movie. <3