Reviewette: Demon's Delight --- The Angel and The Hellraiser --- by Vickie Taylor

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Pages: 241 - 314

From the Cover: Zane is hell-bent on danger --- the more he eludes death, the bigger the rush. Then he awakens from a near-drowning not only alive, but in the caring arms of a beautiful angel. But the ethereal Rosemary is driven by her own desires --- and full of surprises....

Only months to live, full throttle life, the only way to live, all out and full of danger.

Angel of death, moving souls from one existence to the next, no comparison to human existence.

Zane Halvorson lives life as he always has, full throttle, all the way to the edge and back again. First in the army, and now as a civilian; a dramatic stunt aviator. That means he jumps from flying planes, with or without parachutes, or maybe takes a walk on the wing. Zane doesn't have a death wish, he just wants to spend every minute he has making life count the most, and the count is getting higher.

Rosemary D'Amica is a reporter with the Times. But in another incarnation, she is the angel of death, waiting for the souls of the dying to move to the next plane of existence. Now she has a body, a mind, a soul, and a heart. What she needs to know is why, why has she take the form and memories of a woman. She usually waits for the soul to need her, but not this time, now she is stuck inside this confining human form being forced to feel a human's existence.

Zane may have gone one time to far, as he watches his parachute ignite. Well, this is as good a way to go as any. He only wishes he had more time; time for love, life, laughter; time to live.

Rosemary watches Zane fall to Earth and into the lake, first in angelic form and now in human form, and she realizes she is meant to save Zane, this time. As she gives him CPR, his body sputters back to life, opening his eyes to look into hers, almost as if he can see into her soul; guardian angel.

He's crazy, she thinks, he's trying to kill himself. Zane assures her that he's not crazy, just living life full out, the way it was meant to be. There are two kinds of people in the world, the doers and the thinkers. Zane is definitely a doer, he plans each stunt in detail for the best possible outcome, to walk away alive. Rosemary has serious doubts about his planning process, but begins to see life the way Zane does. When she talks to her boss, St. Peter (bar owner extraordinaire), he tells her that maybe Zane isn't the only soul that needs saving, to search her humanity for the answers her heart and soul desire.

Rosemary is like a newborn being born into an adult life. She knows about life, but has never actually lived it. Now, it's time for her to live. For once, she's not the guide, but the guided. Zane is her guide, a guide to living life to it's fullest. As Rosemary and Zane grow closer, the next natural step in their relationship must occur; Rosemary needs to feel Zane's life breathing through her body. Rosemary has to trust Zane enough to love him and to be loved; and Zane must give her that piece that is missing from both of their lives, love. Zane is dying, as we all are, and no one or thing can save him, not even his guardian angel, Rosemary. Now Rosemary has something else to worry her. Trey, an angel of darkness has joined Zane's airshow and he also wants to guide Zane's soul. But to a different dimension, one of darkness and destruction.

The Angel and The Hellraiser by Vickie Taylor was a beautiful story of life and love. I was in love with Zane's robust, feisty nature after the first page. He meets life head on, no holds barred. Zane is a hero who at first blush, looks like he might be tired of life, but in reality, it's just the opposite. He lives life to the fullest because he never knows when it's going to end. He doesn't want to miss a moment. Rosemary, the angel of death, has been an angel for so long that she has forgotten what life is about. She doesn't understand Zane's zest for life. The angelic plane is so much better in so many ways. She has lost the ability to feel, to live and breathe, and has forgotten the pleasure that a simple sunset or sunrise can bring. This is what Zane has to teach Rosemary in what time he has left. Rosemary needs to learn how to love another being. She is a heroine that needs to learn what life can only teach, how to live, she needs to learn to fight for what her heart desires. She has an unique scrappiness that holds Zane's fiery attention, and she doesn't let go. She is given a chance to help Zane and herself find true love, maybe the only love of their lives. I have to say that I cried through the last two chapters of this novella. I cried for Zane's life and the Rosemary's loss, my heart breaking for their time together and apart. It was one of the best short stories I have ever read. I highly recommend this novella for readers who love romance and full throttle living. I picked up this novel on the recommendation of Vickie Taylor, she thought I might like it. She was wrong, I loved it. For more information about all of Vickie Taylor great books, please visit her website. She's been away from writing for a while, but she's back now full time. The third book of her Les Gargouillen (Gargoyles) Series is in production and The Doctor's Watch, a Silhouette Romantic Suspense, will be released in January 2010 (start looking for it around the end of December).