Proof of Angels

"Life is not just a bunch of disconnected events and people. It's not just a random stream of coincidences. There are reasons, and we may not know them or recognize them and we may not understand them, but we have to trust that there are reasons beyond us, because I've seen it work out enough. It doesn't mean we will all live forever. It doesn't mean bad things won't happen or we won't feel sad sometimes, but it does mean that we can't discount the miraculous in the mundane." (209).

Firefight Sean Magee never believed in angels before even as he watched his nephew Colm die after numerous attempts to try and save him from his heart defect. As Colm slowly passed from this world to the next, Sean knew that despite all the claims Colm had that heaven was real, he still doubted. He doubted until he saw what he believed was an angel at Colm's side that night. He wouldn't remember it was the very same until Sean found himself trapped in a burning building. Unable to locate his way out in the black smoke, Sean uttered a prayer to God that if he saved him, he would spend the rest of his life being a better man, and just like that the angel appeared to lead him to the third floor window. Sean's only issue was jump from this height or risk being burned further from the flames following him out.

So he jumped, not knowing if he would die in the process or be forever crippled and unable to walk. When he woke up, he was neither. Against all the odds, Sean lived even though it would take months of rehabilitation to restore his shattered legs and back and recover from the burns. Now as he spends time thinking about how he can make good on his promises, he can't help but wonder if angels are real or if he was just imagining that had happened. He would eventually discover that" the secret to happiness is not wanting. It's not getting what you've always hoped for or imagined. It's managing your expectations." (275). Perhaps, just perhaps, there are angels after all in the unlikeliest of places, just when we need them the most.

I received Proof of Angels by Mary Curran Hackett compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own unless otherwise notated. I loved this novel, especially after being familiar with Sean Magee where readers were introduced to him in Proof of Heaven. This is his story, "about finding second chances, about failure and forgiveness, about doubt and faith, and about all the angels who touch us along the way. The ones who might just bump into us long enough to nudge us on our way and the ones who stay in our lives forever and guide us indefatigably toward the light."(24). I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and truly believe that there are angels around us, and some happen to be the people we need in our lives who are inspired and encouraged to help make us all better people. There is also Reading Group Discussion Questions at the conclusion of this novel.

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Proof of Angels by Mary Curran Hackett

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