– Customer review on 27/11/2011

Every angel on earth has a "Purpose" and 16 year old part-angel, Clara is beginning to have visions of her own. Continual visions of a boy in the middle of a roaring forest fire whom she's certain she has to save. So that's why her mother decides the family should pack up their Californian life and move directly where the vision takes place - Wyoming. Clara's mother is firm on the importance of following one's purpose, so she's willing to take any necessary steps in making sure things will pan out the way they were planned to. And so begins a rocky start at school, the formation of new friends, some of whom may be hiding their own secrets, a crush on a taken boy who frequents her visions and an unexpected, taunting cowboy riding up on his steed. Oh, hi Tucker *smiles*

It doesn't take long after enrolling into her new school that Clara meets this boy from her visions. Christian Prescott is your popular, drop-dead gorgeous, all-round nice guy. He's the whole package - good looks, intelligence, popularity, sporting prowess. He's the guy every girl wants. He also has a girlfriend. Clara's enamoured by him, she wants to know him, she needs to know more about him and while he does hint at having some more-than-friendly feelings toward Clara, his heart lies elsewhere. But there's another boy lurking in the background. One who doesn't have the advantage of appearing Clara's visions, but doesn't need it to make his impression on our little part-angel.

Nearly every review I read of this wore proud their Team Tucker badges, but it wasn't until halfway through did I really begin to see his potential. And yes. I am 100% a Tucker fan! I love how it wasn't love at first sight - Clara didn't fall head over heels and profess her undying love and his unrelenting hotness every second page. It actually begin as sort of a love/hate relationship. With his schoolyard teasing and bantering, it took a while for Clara to really warm up to him. Their romance is slow building and it's growth feels real. Not once do you doubt the bond that begins to develop between these two. It's so sweet! Teasing, blushing and covert glances, a genuine friendship that warms around the edges of the heart and heats up into something much stronger. Tucker is a little rough around the edges, but I think that's what makes him so likeable. He's smart, funny and down-to-earth.

Which makes Clara so conflicted. Christian is the one who she is supposed to be focusing on because he plays a vital role in her Purpose, but she begins to be distracted by Tucker. What happens if her relationship with Tucker stops her from fulfilling her purpose? What will happen to Christian? What will happen to Clara? Are her visions telling her that she's meant to be with Christian? We're left with a lingering hint of more with Christian and Clara, but I'm still firmly on Tucker's side!

I also really enjoyed the fact that Clara has such a strong family unit. There are times when things are a little frosty between her and her mother, but that's what made is so realistic. They had a really nice bond and genuinely enjoyed one another's company as opposed to so many times where you read the protagonist whining about how their parents won't leave them alone or else the parent is just an ghost, who only conveniently reveals themselves when the character needs an unfortunate grounding that's totally going to ruin their love life. I enjoyed seeing a REAL mother. Not to mention the relationship between Clara and her brother, Jeffrey. You can see the genuine sibling love and protectiveness there coupled with the classic bantering and 'ohmygod get lost you're embarassing me.' Cynthia did a great job!

If you're tired of the same old angel plots where the girl falls for the hot winged guy, then this is the perfect book for you. The mythology is fresh and intriguing and watching Clara growing into her abilities is like a coming-of-age-teen-angel story. Cynthia's writing has an easy, natural flow that quickly sucks the reader into this divine little nugget of a story. I can't wait to see how everything unfolds in the next book!