Almost an Angel by Katherine Greyle is the story of Carolly Hanson, a modern woman who is now being reincarnated again and again into different lives in different times. 

Believing that she has to help others find love she sets out to atone for the sins of her first life, in which she was selfish.  She believes that once she has helped enough people she will become a full fledged angel. 

Carolly has now woken up in the year 1815 where she appears as a battered and beaten woman on the lands of James Northram, Earl of Traynern, a forbidding and imposing man who is destined to become the next person that Carolly is to help.

James Northram wants nothing to do with the madcap plans of Carolly who is determined to fix him up with a wife and help him to find love.  He runs an isolated household with only his staff and young niece for company.

Carolly first sets out bringing together James and his niece Margaret (Mags) who are formal and distant from each other.   With her modern ways and ideas she soon sets the entire household on its ear and disrupts James's life so much it may never be the same again.

Carolly finds though that her work is cut out for her when she finds herself falling for James and torn between her heavenly destiny and her newfound love for the man she is trying to match with another.

James meanwhile does not believe that Carolly is a pre-angel and is sure that she has escaped from a local asylum.  As her delusions continue he feels that he cannot help her and must send her back where she came from if she is ever going to be well again.

Carolly does not stop her meddling in James's love life either and does not know the danger that she is in when she tries to build bridges between him and the villagers who are resentful to him for firing all the women and children in the mines.  They do not appreciate that it is for their own safety and only know that they needed the income.

Carolly is open and honest with James and knows that he does not believe her about who she is and why she is there.  Things become even more confusing when she finds herself gaining the memories of the woman whose body she is now in and forgetting her own past lives. 

As the past retreats James finds that he does not like the new Caroline as much as the old Carolly and he realises that he loves her fire and spirit and sets out bringing back her memories, even if they are only delusions.

Carolly finds herself settling in with her memories and things appear to be sorting themselves out. But her prediction about the coming of Waterloo is out in the open and it is only a matter of time before event itself occurs and James will have no choice but to believe her story.  This Carolly finds more terrifying than anything else for whenever in her past lives she has proven herself to be a pre-angel it has resulted in her death.

A touching story, if a little confusing in places, when Carolly and Caroline are at odds with each other.  I would have liked to see a bit more of some of the secondary characters, the staff in the house and Mags governess for example, but all in all a very good story with plenty of suspense and tension throughout.

Just one thing - yet another cover where the picture does not match the description of the character.  The short-haired Carolly appears to have some hair extensions on the cover.  One day could the artists please get it right?  Obviously not the author's fault but still very irritating.

RATING : 
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Also by Katherine Greyle: Oracle

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