Wild Angel

by Sasha Lord

Book Overview

Obsessed with a craving for revenge, and hiding a terrible secret, Ashleigh uses her skill for trickery and illusion - taught to her from birth - to torment the people she believes are hiding her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451222857
• ISBN13: 9780451222855
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 335 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Original and Creative - 4-1/2*

As a renowned warrior fighting for his king, war weary Scottish lord Mangan O'Bannon takes stock of the carnage around him. He is aghast at the acres of bodies - his comrades in arms as well as the enemy, and totally disgusted with himself. Mangan wants to be cleansed and after renouncing his inheritance as the only son of an earl enters a monastery. After thirteen months at the St. Ignacio Monastery, the abbot knows Mangan is not ready to take final vows until he can forgive himself and sends Mangan on a religious quest to retrieve a stolen relic, or find his true destiny. Sixteen year old Ashleigh led a cheerful life traveling with her mother and father in a gypsy caravan. With word that her maternal grandmother was dying, her family had broken off to travel to Scotland so Ashleigh's mother could make amends for running off with a gypsy. Encountering a band of soldier's and peasants, Ashleigh was forced to hide and watched as her mother was gang raped and her father butchered. After the murderers left, Ashleigh came out of hiding, and blindly killed the one peasant remaining. She vowed to hunt down the others responsible and kill them as well. Later after realizing what she'd done, Ashleigh lost her will to go on and nearly drowned when Mangan arrived and saved her. Mangan had vowed to not let another soul die if he could help it, for with one look she had captured both his heart and soul. *** Keeping with tradition, Sasha Lord renders another outstanding book in her "Wild" series featuring another originally creative character in Ashleigh. Having led a rather carefree life as a gypsy, Ashleigh was not naïve to the dangers that gypsies faced from time to time. Her parents were well aware of the risk they took by breaking off from the caravan. Even so Ashleigh's mother wanted to make peace with her aristocratic mother before she died and introduce Ashleigh to her grandmother. The brutalities Ashleigh witnessed and was helpless to stop sent her over the edge and the author used that trauma and horror to her advantage by having Ashleigh mindlessly react to that horror. Working around Ashleigh's anguish the author provided motivation out of a profound sense of guilt when Ashleigh attempted suicide to take away the pain. Llikewise Mangan was fully fleshed out with his own soul searching. Serving his king he led his men in battle, urging them on like any great commander, but at his last battle to gain another meaningless hill, Mangan looked around at the waste of good lives, both friend and foe and thought, "enough". Giving up wealth and status he thought to find peace but before taking his final vows he was sent on a religious pilgrimage. Finding and rescuing Ashleigh not only gave him purpose but loving her woke him up to the fact that perhaps a religious life was not in his future. While Ms. Lord has used wildly hot sex in earlier novels it appears she stepped back (a bit) in this story to focus more on the characters motivations

Original Medieval Tale

There are many fine moments in Wild Angel. It has a wonderful hero and heroine, a unique story line and emotionally sensitive dialogue. But it also has some terrible violence, an over the top villain and some spirituality that works well at times and then is a bit uncomfortable. Mangan, the son of a nobleman, is a monk in training. He has witnessed terrible bloodshed on the battlefield and is sick to his soul of death and violence. He retreats to the monastery hoping to cleanse his soul. But before he can take his final vows, he must complete a religious quest. His search for a religious relic stolen years before leads him to a small highland village and there he encounters Ashleigh. Ashleigh is traveling with her parents to visit her ailing grandmother. They have never met because her grandmother disowned Ashleigh's mother when she fell in love with a gypsy. Ashleigh's father is a gypsy magician and he has taught all kinds of little magic tricks to his seventeen year old daughter. En route her parents are brutally murdered. This was a bit difficult to read because Sasha Lord is such a descriptive writer that I cringed reading this scene. Ashleigh witnesses their tortuous end and is determined to exact revenge. She does so swiftly to one man. She then wages a campaign against the other village men who observed her parent's death but did not intervene to stop the soldiers. She is quite consumed with rage and Ms. Lord does an excellent job of letting the reader feel Ashleigh's shock and terrible depression. Mangan literally saves Ashleigh's life. He feels an instant bond with her. She is wary of him, especially as he is a monk and she has a soul burning with hatred. Mangan is still on his quest and when he inquires about the local church relics, he is immediately told about strange happenings in the village. Mangan promises to look into these devilments but is aware that they are caused by human and not spirit beings. Behind all the mischief is Ashleigh. Her focus has never wavered from seeking revenge and she is playing all kinds of pranks to terrorize those who witnessed her parent's death. Ashleigh is truly alone in the world. Mangan is both her savior and her nemesis. Mangan and Ashleigh have a simply lovely romance. It is deep, healing and spiritual. There were times that Ashleigh's words healed Mangan and vice versa. Trust comes a bit easier with Mangan. Mangans's quest reveals his heart and life purpose thanks to Ashleigh. She, however, is unsure about her own soul. She is so angry and quite unable to forgive others or herself. Mangan's spirituality is a comfort to her. Their physical intimacy is almost a spiritual experience. At least for Mangan. This was okay but at times felt a little too forced. Mangan would be having a spiritual thought during intimacy that would almost draw me away from the scene at hand. Other than those brief moments this book is terrific.

Love it!

Another great book by Lord. I can't wait for every book that is released. I buy them and cannot put them down. This one was not an exception. Her characters are as original as the story lines. Lord writes books that every romance reader loves!

Wonderfully inspirational medieval romance!

"Wonderfully gifted author, Sasha Lord's final installment of her medieval Wild series, WILD ANGEL is her most touching to date (Signet Eclipse/Jan. 2008). In 11th century France, emotionally scarred, Mangan, heir of the Earl of Kirkcaldy, is sick of killing and battles. So he decides to enter the monastery and denounces his heritage. A year later in Scotland, Brother Mangan is still angry so before taking his final vows he is given a holy quest by the abbot of St. Ignacio Abbey to find a missing relic of the only remaining piece of the baby Jesus' blanket. Ashleigh, a wild gypsy girl is traveling through the Highlands with her beloved parents to visit her dying noble grandmother she has never met. While en route her parents are accused of being spies and murdered by ruthless nobles who force a local villager to assist them in their evil deeds while Ashleigh hides. She is so traumatized by the experience she is unable to function for several days until she is befriended by a black raven she names, Cairdean. Over the initial shock, Ashleigh goes a little crazy and vows revenge on her parents' killers. When she almost drowns in the river, it is Mangan, who rescues her on his faithful steed, Sir Scott. Mangan wonders why a beautiful peasant girl is wandering around the forest alone and tries to find out her secrets. But Ashleigh is distrustful of all men now and it takes several chance meetings and their growing attraction before these two team up and discover an evil plot to kill the king. Each tale in Sasha Lord's Wild series has been unique and compelling and her writing prose keeps on getting better and better. However, with WILD ANGEL there is not only Ms. Lord's signature sensuality and sense of humor but a spiritual connection between her hero and heroine that will uplift readers' hearts!" - Patricia Rouse, Rouse's Romance Readers Groups

fine medieval romance

In twelfth century France, Scottish lord Mangan O'Bannon sees the deaths from the senseless battle that he led because his monarch wanted to rule some French territory. Disgusted and feeling guilt, he rides away from the battlefield, his country, and his inheritance. Thirteen months later, the Abbott of St. Ignacio Monastery sends Brother Mangan on a mission to regain a stolen relic after telling the monk he is not ready to pledge because he must first forgive himself before God forgives him. Sixteen years old Ashleigh travels with her parents to see her Scottish mom's ailing mother, who disavowed her daughter for marrying a gypsy. Ashleigh has never met her aristocratic maternal grandmother. However, soldiers and peasants kill her father and group rape her mother before killing her; Ashleigh hides behind a plate device used in gypsy shows to vanish in thin air. When the killers leave, Ashleigh kills the remaining peasant and vows further vengeance. Mangan saves the life of a half drowned Ashleigh. Exhausted they sleep in each other's arms. When she awakens she uses the plate to hide from him. Ashleigh plays tricks on the villagers who were with the soldiers. The superstitious villagers fear God punishes them for what happened to the gypsies. They beg Mangan to help them gain God's forgiveness though Mangan thinks it is a human trickster. As Mangan and Ashleigh keep running into each other, they fall in love, but she has to overcome her thirst for vengeance and he his guilt. The lead couple is distinctive protagonists as he is a warrior who refuses to use his sword any more and she has killed a peasant out of vengeance and uses Gypsy "magical" devices to cause demonic havoc. Although imprisoned and severely battered with probably a concussion and a crushed finger, readers will doubt Mangan will want to make love with the grieving teen. Still their escapades as a unique duet make for a fine medieval romance. Harriet Klausner