Defending Angels (Beaufort & Company, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jul 05, 2009 The Flooze rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, urban-fantasy-paranormal, vanquished_2010

**3.5**

Defending Angels is the first book in the Beaufort & Company series. A blend of mystery and fantasy, the story focuses on Brianna Winston-Beaufort as she takes over her great-uncle’s hinky law practice in Savannah. It’s a concept with a lot of potential, although the thread of the story gets muddled at times.

The mystery aspect is relatively straightforward: Determine who murdered a local magnate and why. Bree runs about town conducting some rather weak interviews in the hope of catching **3.5**

Defending Angels is the first book in the Beaufort & Company series. A blend of mystery and fantasy, the story focuses on Brianna Winston-Beaufort as she takes over her great-uncle’s hinky law practice in Savannah. It’s a concept with a lot of potential, although the thread of the story gets muddled at times.

The mystery aspect is relatively straightforward: Determine who murdered a local magnate and why. Bree runs about town conducting some rather weak interviews in the hope of catching someone in a lie. These conversations aren’t vastly important in the grand scheme of things. Sure, they establish motive and allow all the loose ends to be tied up once Bree finds the killer. But they’re secondary to the greater issue--clearing the recently deceased of the Celestial Court’s accusation of Greed. The mystery comes across as more of a vehicle through which Bree discovers her new role on the spiritual side.

Stanton creates a formulaic cast, but the fantasy underpinnings prevent the story from becoming ho-hum. There’s a cute cop, an exasperating sister, an eerie landlady who Knows things, a dog who’s far too smart…read enough UF and you get the idea. Bree herself is a bit clichéd as a fiesty young woman who blindly tumbles into weird phenomena.

Frankly, Bree’s not unsettled enough for most of the book. I couldn’t determine if her lack of freak-out comes from denial or if Southern manners and strength are really so remarkable. I certainly think the sudden appearance of ghostly figures, phone calls from dead men, and a putrid glow emanating from the living room would prompt a bit of a to-do from a gal. Not for Bree though. She seems to dismiss most of these things, instead focusing on hard facts. It’s only well after the halfway point of the book that she starts questioning her sanity and demanding answers. By then, she’s got so much evidence that something Other is at work that mulling over her mental health becomes moot.

The fantasy element is choppy and ill-defined. It’s hard to describe why without giving away the details. There are vague descriptions of disturbing visions and random appearances from sinister figures. Despite this, it’s got such potential that I forgive the awkward introduction. Depending on how deeply Stanton delves in her world-building and how inquisitive she allows Bree to be, the series could offer fabulous things. A defense attorney in the Celestial Courts could meet some very intriguing characters, and not all of them need be pleasant or professional. I can imagine messy proceedings in Bree’s future, and Stanton hints at a larger arc in play. I was surprised that we didn’t enter the courtroom with Bree, but I guess Stanton’s saving that for a more dramatic case.

By the end, there are many unanswered questions about Bree, her employees, and the scope of this unique law practice. Being a fan of both cozy mysteries and fantasy realms, I find myself quite eager to learn more. ...more

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Jun 17, 2010 Ruby Hollyberry marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, not-owned, wishlist

Many years ago I acquired two fantasy novels where all the characters are horses, The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and Piper at the Gate. They were pretty good, though not perfect, and I had this feeling that the author had a lot more potential than was showing. (How much can you do when the characters are all horses?) I never saw anything else by the author and forgot to look after a while. Apparently during part of the time I missed she wrote a children's series about a princess and ...more

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Jun 20, 2010 Jeanne Brockway rated it it was amazing

Wonderful book. Keeps you interested even with all the different angles being introduced, because this is a series. Can't wait to read the next book ...more

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