Falling: Angels Among Us Book 1 - Linn B Halton

Falling: Angels Among Us book 1
HarperImpulse paranormal romance novella by Linn B Halton
Ceri thinks she sees angels…everywhere. She struggles to keep separate what feels like two very different sides to her life. As a manager in an advertising company she’s been working with the gorgeous Alex for two years. The have a friendship based upon the image she portrays whilst she’s at work and it helps to keep her sane. One mad, crazy night spent sharing their secrets and a lot of wine result in them ending up in bed together and their relationship changes. When Alex explains that the reason he doesn’t date is because someone broke his heart, how can Ceri admit that she feels a deep connection to him?

Ceri knows she’s different. What she doesn’t fully appreciate is that her task in life is to correct a series of incidents that alter the course of many of the people's lives with whom she comes into contact. She’s simply putting right little errors that could ripple outwards and change the course of their destiny. However; when she finds herself getting pulled into things that happen around her, how can she prove that she really has made a difference? Is it all in her head?

She's alone for a reason; she's not meant to fall in love in her earthly life. Alex is supposed to cross paths with her and help Ceri during a phase where she begins to question the signs she’s being given. It's meant to be a turning point for them both—but in opposite directions. They are destined to travel very different paths…but Ceri doesn’t know that and neither does Alex…

“No one chooses to see angels, why would they?”

This is a romance story that explores the possibility of there being something more than just the ‘here and now’. If that were the case, how would it work? What keeps us on the path determined for us, when we have free will? How would the spirit world link with us as we go about our lives? Love is a powerful emotion, but can it change the course of someone’s destiny? Ceri is ‘Falling’...

To celebrate the launch of ‘Falling’ I thought I’d share what was, to me, a rather terrifying psychic experience. I have to add that most of the things that have happened over the years have been warm and uplifting, but this was one of the few times when I actually felt scared.

I have on numerous occasions said that a house speaks to me. I suppose what I’m referring to is the atmosphere it exudes. If it is friendly, whether or not there is a presence, I know I would still feel safe.

The house that really upset me was a semi-detached 1980’s house on an estate, and at the time I was carrying out viewings for a local estate agent (realtor) whilst we renovated an old stables. When this family property was first taken on, one of my colleagues had booked a viewing with some prospective purchasers and suggested I go along at the same time to familiarise myself with it. It was a four-bed, semi-detached house, with nice proportions on a little housing estate nestling amongst countryside. The house had been repossessed because of mortgage arrears, so it was totally empty. In Estate Agent’s terms it was ‘tired’ inside, but in reality it hadn’t been looked after very well at all. However, it was being marketed at a really competitive price to achieve a quick sale. We were swamped with viewings in the first three weeks.

The moment I stepped over the threshold on that first visit, I felt oddly shaky. Not faint, a bit unsteady on my feet I suppose and as I walked through into the lounge I had the weirdest feeling on my back. Prickly is the only word that comes to mind; I felt uncomfortable being there. I had to suppress a shiver as I followed my colleague and the young couple viewing the property as they walked from room to room. I know it sounds odd, but after the couple left and I stood chatting to my colleague, I wanted to run to the nearest wall and press my back up against it. I didn’t feel safe. There was nothing visible to explain this feeling, and I seemed to be the only one sensing anything untoward. The first few viewings I conducted there, I braved it out and walked around with the people as normal. Each time I felt I was risking something—I know that sounds very odd, but considering I had to mentally psych myself up each time to open the front door and go inside, I really was putting on a brave face.

Each visit grew worse. Every day I went to work I would end up having to go there again and might have four viewings spaced out over five hours. Not enough time to get back to the office in between, but with viewings lasting between twenty to thirty minutes on average, lots of time waiting around between appointments. After carrying out about half a dozen viewings, I could no longer face going back inside the house. I simply couldn’t bear the thought of it. So each time I parked my car a few doors away from the house, then sat and waited until my appointment arrived. As soon as I spotted them, I would pretend I had only just arrived and would hurry across to shake hands and introduce myself. I would then indicate that I had received an urgent call on my mobile and asked if they would mind walking around on their own. I would unlock the outer porch door and give them the keys for the front and back doors. They were always delighted to be given free-reign to look around unaccompanied. The house was empty and there wasn’t anything to protect as such, so I didn’t feel too guilty—although I felt I was being cowardly. However, I also didn’t want to put anyone off the house if they noticed my unease (or to be honest, downright fear) as this seemed to be something that only I could sense.

One of the last viewings I had prior to the house being sold, the couple had happily wandered around whilst I waited outside as usual. When they reappeared the guy told me they liked the house, but the garden wasn’t big enough for them. He said he’d locked both doors and handed me the keys. I waved them off with a smile and turned back to lock the outer porch door.

To my horror I looked up to see that one of the bedroom lights was glowing, despite the fact that it was broad daylight. To say I felt panicky is putting it mildly. I stood there for about ten minutes, keys in hand, thinking through what I should do. I couldn’t possibly leave the light on and lock up, because one of the neighbours would notice it and I would end up having to come back later in the day to turn it off. If I was going in I had to do it then, whilst it was still daylight, as I certainly wasn’t going back there in the dark.

As I opened the porch door and walked inside my heart started thumping loudly. I felt like my whole chest was moving as the thuds reverberated through my body. I left the outer door open and unlocked the front door. I swung both doors back as far as they would go. The inner door kept closing, so I picked up a soggy telephone directory that had been left outside in a plastic wrapper. The rain had managed to seep inside and it had swollen, so it was quite heavy and a good doorstop. I used that as a wedge to stop the front door swinging shut behind me. I took a couple of deep breaths and I literally RAN as fast as I could up the stairs, into the bedroom, flicked off the switch and ran back down to the front door. If anyone had been watching me they would have thought I was a mad woman. I was panting as if I had run a marathon and all I could hear was the loud thudding of my heart in my ears. I felt weak and I was trembling all over. Even in the porch, having shut the internal front door, I felt awful—unsafe and claustrophobic, as if something was going to grab me and drag me back inside. I didn’t feel safe until the outer door was firmly locked and I stood there, looking up at the house, trembling all over and feeling like an idiot. Of course, I assumed it was one of the people viewing who had turned on the light in the first place. I wonder if that was actually the case.

When I heard the news that the house was sold, my first reaction was to quietly say ‘thank you God’, because I knew I didn’t have to go back there ever again

First thoughts after.....
Linn does it again~! Can't wait for the next step in Ceri's journey
How distracted did I get???
 Falling is a fast paced story that has you hanging on every word til the very end. Ceri is very believable and sweet, the perfect heroine. Who will be her hero? I don't want to give too much away in the story but I will say for the Paranormal/Fantasy lovers this is a must read!
I give Falling Angels Among Us Book 1.......

5 Baskets!


Read chapter one http://linnbhalton.co.uk/falling/

Life is a journey; it seems long but in reality it flashes by in a series of moments and memories. I have found that age does bring a kind of ‘wisdom’. Hopefully I have learnt lessons over the years from the mistakes I have made and the personal tragedies and triumphs that have littered the path I chose to wander. Were there shortcuts on the way? Very often there probably were, but whether I recognised them or simply sidestepped them, unwilling to be deterred from the path I had in my sights, I can’t honestly say. What I do know is that the path I have travelled is my path, chosen by me, unique and often obscure, reflecting personal traits I cannot hide; for they make me the person I am today.

Sharing ones’ written work is a dual edged sword; bitter sweet. It can feel as if you are baring your soul and you have to trust that the people you end up sharing those words with, will understand that. The more you write, the wider the audience you seek. When I write my aim is simple; I seek to strike a chord in the reader’s heart. So many books have inspired me throughout my life and the joy of reading and becoming entranced in a story that unfolds before my eyes, will always rate higher than chocolate on my ‘secret pleasures’ list.

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