Book Review: Trinity Stones (The Angelorum Twelve Chronicles, Book 1) by L.G. O'Connor

Trinity Stones (The Angelorum Twelve Chronicles, Book 1) by L.G.

O'Connor

Completed: April, 2014
Length: 366 Pages

Anxiety-ridden New York investment banker, Cara Collins, has little to smile about on her twenty-seventh birthday between a hostile work environment and her impossible romantic situation with her longtime friend and first love, Dr. Kai Solomon. But before the day ends, she learns she has inherited $50 million—a windfall that must remain secret or risk the lives of those close to her.

As Cara unravels the truth surrounding her inheritance, she makes a startling discovery: angels walk among the living, and they’re getting ready to engage in a battle that will determine the future of the human race. In the midst of these revelations, she meets mysterious and sophisticated Simon Young, who offers her the promise of romance for the first time since Kai—but when Kai and his daughter are kidnapped by dark forces, Cara must choose: accept her place in a 2,000-year-old prophecy foretold in the Trinity Stones as the First of the Twelve who will lead the final battle between good and evil . . . or risk losing everything she holds dear.

One of the reasons that I enjoy doing book tours is because it gives me a chance to hear about books I may not have heard about otherwise. I also enjoy getting out of my comfort zone a bit. I was originally interested in this book because of the fantasy elements. I was a little unsure about the religion and romance. I read books that include both, but they are not something I look for in my normal reading. While essentially a very different book, I was mostly intrigued because this series reminds me of the things I loved about the Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason. That's another series that was largely out of my comfort zone... (I had to enter the romance section of the bookstore even!) It was worth it, though, and has helped make me take chances with other books.

So, on to the book... First of all, I am a sucker for books with a strong female lead. Cara Collins is only 27 and is about to have her life changed entirely. And, we get a taste of that right from the very beginning. I appreciated that we are an audience to Cara's future before she even knows things are about to happen. We don't know everything, we will learn as she does, but it was enough of a teaser to get me interested in the story. Cara is really well. Her life has been turned upside down, but O'Connor managed to write her with the right mixture of kick-ass heroine and 'what the hell did I sign up for'. I sometimes find the character is too ready to accept their fate, which can sometimes seem unbelievable. Or, go in the other direction so much that they just annoy me. It is important to have a mixture to make the store work for me.

Then, there are all the religious connections to the book. I have to admit, I really liked how they were handled. That was a relief because if I wasn't, this would have been a very wasted book for me. And, really, any time you attempt to tackle such a subject you are taking a huge risk if you ask me. Anyway, O'Connor takes the typical religious stories and expertly weaves in Cara's story. I actually found it all really interesting. Sometimes stories about the battle between good and evil can be a bit silly, but this read more like a history lesson. As a big fan of history I was delighted to see how everything unfolded.

And, well, the romance is there. I didn't hate it... Sometimes I admit I groaned a bit. (Mostly in the beginning when meeting all the characters...) I liked Kai. There is one scene where he is dressed in a polo shirt and slacks and just looked like an average person. The rest of the men in the book mostly had 'amazing' bodies, appearances, blah blah. The women, too. I kind of get tired of a guy meeting a girl and liking her immediately and vice-versa. It's all based on appearance and it grates on my nerves. It could have been a lot worse, though. There were just a few scenes that bugged me. I won't go into detail because I know it is mostly me and other people like those kinds of scenes. No point in ruining it for anyway with my grumbling.

Other things to mention... I love Chloe. She's a dog. I am a sucker for animals in books.... I can't help it! And, she is such a great character all on her own! (The fact that we are in the process of hopefully getting a dog probably contributed!) I liked that Chloe played the right amount of a roll in the book... Is it sad that in many ways she was my favourite character? Don't mind me... I haven't had a dog in years and I am a tad bit excited about dogs in general at the moment!

Back to the book... Overall, I found it to be a page-turner. Any problems I had with it were minor. One other thing I will mention is that there is a lot of information dumped on you in this book... It might have been nice to have a bit more of a story, but it will definitely set up the rest of the series, so I understand it was necessary.

I recommend this book and look forward to the rest of this series. I am glad I took a chance on it!