Gay Media Reviews
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Angels Of Mercy: Phoenix In The Fire by S.A. Collins - 5 Star Review and Giveaway

5/24/2016

4 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
A companion novel to Angels of Mercy - Volume Two: Marco, as told by his boyfriend, Elliot Donahey.
 
The climb out of the homophobic beat-down that Elliot endured at the hands of Marco's teammates is only the beginning. In Angels of Mercy - Phoenix In The Fire, Elliot has a choice to make: withdraw further into himself and risk losing the one person who loves him unconditionally, or find a way to rise above it and become stronger?
 
For Elliot the choice is clear. He must choose to rise because Marco means everything to him. But as the boys find their way out of their nightmarish situation other things begin to plague them. Deceit, familial intrigue and secrets begin to eke into the boys lives as they try to just keep moving forward. To remedy this Marco provides a haven for Elliot that will keep him protected, walled off from any harm. But is this the answer the boys seek? Elliot isn't so sure, and even Marco begins to have his doubts. Marco throws every ounce of his immense resources at the problem, but as Elliot tells him, “Money can't solve what's troubling us.” To add to the boy’s woes, Marco’s meddlesome brother is threading his way into their relationship in the most inappropriate ways. Everything is not what it seems. Marco and Elliot are just trying to find their way out and remain together. The investigation back home isn’t making things any better as the authorities are closing in on who attacked Elliot. Everything bubbles up to the breaking point for them all. Will Marco and Elliot's love for one another be strong enough to see them through?

Picture
Picture
Firstly I should say that Paul normally reviews this series, but as he is absent at the moment, I had to have a complete Angels Of Mercy binge read from the first book, so that I could write this review – not that I am complaining, I just wish I had read this series earlier!
 
OMG OMG OMG – this series is honestly one of the best I have read for a while, and it is one that I don’t want to end.  This is also sad in parts, but it will be added to my list of books to be read again and again.
 
This book is again told from Elliot’s point of view, and I so loved the voices of reason in his head (which he called gayboy me and Bitchboi), both trying to get him to either do the right thing, or actually make things worse!! I have to admit to having a giggle a few times at their comments, especially when Elliot decided to answer himself out loud!
 
We pick up with this book, Elliot still in the hospital, but this time we understand more about his frustrations with being laid up in hospital, and also find out that he was taking more in than Marco and the others realized.  He sensed that he was not being told everything, so he would feign sleep to find out more!!!  Elliot seems to learning to be rather devious, but to me this was due to literally being treated like a child.  Yes he was badly hurt in his attack, but it seemed like everyone has then decided he was made of spun glass.
 
The special relationship between Elliot and Marco comes through loud and clear, as it is Marco that he will reach for, to ground him, to give him a certain peace of mind.  To me it seems that their love seems to grow stronger, and Marco vows to protect Elliot from anyone else being able to cause him harm – but Elliot has no idea of what this would actually mean. 
 
When Elliot is finally released from the hospital, Marco takes him to the house he has brought, but it is not just any house, it is like a fortress, and at first Elliot is ok with everything, but then little doubts begin to creep into his mind, especially with Marco’s family, and even more so, with Marcos brother whom he has never met – or has he??   He soon begins to question everything, and seems to think he has an ally in Frankie, but is she who he thinks she is??
 
Slowly but surely Elliot begins to piece everything together, and he is not so sure he likes what he is finding out, but he is unsure about telling Marco anything. Does this mean the end for Marco and Elliot?  Do they catch the men that assaulted Elliot and left him for dead?
Does Elliot remember the events prior to the assault, when he thought it was Marco but it wasn't? 
 
I can pretty much guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down once you start reading.  When I first began, I thought I was reading Marco’s book, but although it may seem similar, you now have Elliot's thoughts, and wow you see how wrong everyone was thinking they knew what he wanted.  You also see that Elliot is a lot stronger than you thought, and when he finally blows and lets everything out.... hold onto your hats, as it will be explosive.
Picture
Picture
SA Collins Webstore: 
Also, the only place to buy personalized autographed ebook copies of all my works.

Smashwords:
Amazon: 
All Romance: 
Picture
Picture
Picture
We go back to Marco’s prequel series to flesh out WHY things went the way they did. Marco unwittingly sets up some of what comes Elliot’s way – which is why he is so hard on himself.

So before we get the final Angels of Mercy v3 – Pietro, we will go back to both Diary books to flesh in Marco’s POV before and his first few romantic months with Elliot before his teammates beat him up.


Order Of Books:
Diary of a Quarterback I - King of Imperfections  *Late Spring 2016*
Diary of a Quarterback II - Prince of Mistakes *Mid/Late Summer 2016*

Angels of Mercy V1 - Elliot  *Out Now*
Angels of Mercy V2 - Marco *Out Now*
Angels of Mercy V3 - Pietro *Late Fall/Early Winter 2016*

Angels Of Mercy - Phoenix In The Fire *Out Now*
Picture
SA “Baz” Collins hails from the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his husband, their daughter and wonder of all wonders, a whirlwind of a granddaughter and two exotic cats. A classically trained singer/actor (under a different name), Baz knows a good yarn when he sees it.

Based on years of his work as an actor, Baz specializes in character study pieces. It is more important for him as an author that the reader comes away with a greater understanding of the characters, and the reasons they make the decisions they do, rather than the situations they are in. It is this deep dive into their manners, their experiences and how they process the world around them that make up the body of Mr. Collins' work.
 You can find his works at sacollins.com, violetquillredux.com and as a co-host of thewrotepodcast.com podcast series (found on iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher and other podcast resources).
Picture
Picture
a Rafflecopter giveaway
4 Comments
SA Collins link
5/24/2016 01:42:28 pm

Thanks for your kind and thoughtful review. Best of luck to those who enter.

Reply
Lee Todd
5/25/2016 12:58:21 am

Reply
Lee Todd
5/25/2016 12:59:50 am

works better if I type something...lol
I haven't read this series

Reply
jodi marinich
5/25/2016 05:28:22 am

havent read this series yet

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Ann Lister
    Blog Tour
    Christi Snow
    Cover Reveal
    Ella Frank
    Flynn Eire
    Gavin Atlas
    GIVEAWAYS
    Guest Post
    HBO The Normal Heart
    Jaime Reese
    Jake Biondi
    James Crawford
    Jennifer Wright
    J.J. Scotts
    Kindle Alexander
    Kindle-alexander
    Morticia Knight
    New Releases
    Nicola Haken
    Nya Rawlyns
    Piper Kay
    Rain Carrington
    Sara York
    Susan Mac Nicol
    T.M. Smith

    Archives

    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.