On a sweltering Fourth of July, the suicide of fourteen-year-old Maureen Bower’s father shatters her security. She fears that eventually, everyone she loves will abandon her.
With the words, “May I have this dance,” Frank Russo introduces himself to Maureen at a roller-skating rink. As he teaches her skate dancing, she falls deeply in love with him. Meanwhile, the country advances further into World War 2. They wait until they feel it is safe to marry only to return from their honeymoon to find Frank’s draft notice. He leaves for the Pacific and is gone for the next three years. When Frank’s best friend, Harvey, dies at Normandy, Maureen’s closest friend, June, walks out of her life too.
Frank returns from the war physically and emotionally scarred, Maureen does her best to mend him until their first child’s birth hastens his recovery. They share rich experiences, develop close friendships, raise two daughters and eventually welcome the young women’s husbands into their lives. When their children move from Brooklyn, New York to suburban Connecticut, Frank and Maureen follow and become active volunteers at the Bristol Senior Center. On the night of Lieutenant William Calley’s conviction for the Mai Lai Massacre however, Frank is overcome with guilt. When he confesses his own wartime atrocities to Maureen, she struggles to understand the man she thought she knew.
Through fifty-plus years of marriage, Frank becomes the center of Maureen’s world until his sudden death shatters her faith and rekindles her deep fear of abandonment. She can’t escape from the crushing loneliness. Friends, family and even ministers are helpless to lift her from her depression. Maureen finds tasks like driving a car, paying the bills, even cleaning the house overwhelming and her smallest joy feels like a betrayal to Frank. As she prepares to end her suffering, help comes from the unlikeliest of sources: Doris Cantrell. Following an abusive childhood, a troubled marriage and estrangement with her own daughter, Doris is as damaged as is Maureen. The mistreatment she inflicts on others evidences her contempt, yet underneath it all, Maureen senses a deep sadness.
Doris refuses to sympathize with Maureen’s plight and persists in exposing her to different experiences and new ways of living. Maureen also refuses to accept that Doris’s past gave her the right to abuse people in the present or to neglect her bond with her daughter. Both women lack the strength or will to help anyone. Nevertheless, God has His own plan for these wounded angels. The inconsolable widow and the uncontrollable social misfit manage to support and help heal each other. They do this, not despite their brokenness, but because of it. Maureen and Doris become close friends.
As Maureen heals, the widower, Larry Kowalski, reenters her life. Through their shared experiences of love and loss, they fall deeply in love. However, will her daughters understand her being with another man? In addition, can Maureen’s friendship with Doris survive her love for Larry?
Wounded Angels: Sometimes the Only Way to Heal a Broken Heart Is Through a Wounded Soul is a novel I was excited to read thanks to the mention of a tale of two people coming together and healing each other. I love novels of this nature and when novels feature many themes, especially themes that do not typically fit into the genre of the book and so I was excited to get lost in this brilliant Christian fiction tale called Wounded Angels! Wounded Angels is an exceptional novel that will alight readers’ minds with amazement and entertain them from start to finish; this is because of the extraordinary author Chuck Miceli who perfectly captivates his readers early in the start thanks to his wealth of world development and an intriguing plot. That is why I would already recommend that you lovely readers have a read of Wounded Angel’s; however, if you need more convincing, then continue to read!
Wounded Angels is an exceptional novel that takes the reader on an unforgettable, poignant, and emotional journey. The reader will be introduced to the protagonist of the book, Maureen Bower, a fourteen-year-old girl who has had a tough life so far after her father abandoned her but a key character in this novel, Frank Russo, enters her life and he provides her with all the support, love and kindness she needs. However, Maureen can’t help but think, what if Frank abandons her too and so Maureen sinks into a deep depression that nobody can seem to pull her out of.
That is however until she meets Doris Cantrell, a woman who has also experienced many hardships as she suffered abuse from a young age, has broken family ties and is afraid just like Maureen. Together, these two wounded souls get to know each other better and thus ensues a story of healing, love and harmony and this book lovers is the short premise of the incredible Wounded Angels!
The story of Wounded Angels is phenomenal, and the wealth of intriguing characters combined with the extraordinary story will entertain readers from beginning to end. The author of Wounded Angels perfectly describes every event and all the details for you. I admit that some novels can be confusing; however, I found with Miceli’s literature that although it was detailed, it was immersive and brilliant! Miceli manages to draw you in quickly and guide you along the way while never confusing you, and I am impressed with Miceli’s talent to accomplish this as it is not easily done!
Chuck Miceli is clearly a talented author; there is no question about this and he clearly knows what a reader wants in a great novel. As I read Wounded Angels, I read every sentence slowly so that I could absorb all of the novel’s information; I felt if I was there and it made for an immersive and moving reading experience. Miceli is an excellent writer who is well accomplished, and his work astounded me from the very beginning thanks to his original plot, as well as his compelling characters as well as the romance at the heart of the story that in turn made me invest in the story even more.
To conclude Wounded Angels is an incredible, phenomenal and breathtaking story that is immersive and full of detailed world and character building so I, of course, have to award the stellar read an excellent five stars! So please, do read this book, book lovers and get lost in an incredible story as it will entertain you from beginning to end and leave a lasting impression. Be sure to have a read of the preview below book lovers; you will not regret it!
Thank you so much for reading book lovers! I appreciate it so much. Here is a preview of the book for all of you lovely readers to enjoy! Please have a read of the preview and if you find that you have loved what you have read then all you need to do is follow the links below!
Goodbye for now book lovers,
P.S. Below I have attached some links about the author and this wonderful book so if you would like to learn more about the author and the book then please have a browse. Thank you so much again for reading book lovers!
Amazon U.S. – Amazon U.K. – Goodreads
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