Chasing Sunsets (Angels Walking #2) by Karen Kingsbury

Title: Chasing Sunsets (Angels Walking #2)
Author: Karen Kingsbury

Read by: January LaVoy and Kirby Heyborne

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 14 minutes
Source: Simon & Schuster Audio Digital Review Copy – Thank-you!

What if you were to become the mother of an important child for all of humanity and you didn’t know it? What if angels were sent from God to watch over you and to fight the forces of evil to ensure that you would become the mother of this child?  This is the basic premise of Chasing Sunsets.

Jag is an angel that had a mission ten years before that ended in tragedy. He is trying to make up for that on this current mission.  With gangs running around LA causing senseless violence, Jag has a hard time controlling his rage and keeping with the forces of good.  He has a partner, Aspyn, who helps to intervene and stop tragic events.

Mary Catherine is a wealthy young woman who is living life to the fullest.  She has a heart condition that leaves her not knowing if the next day will be her last.  She devotes her life to charity, but starts to have strong feelings for Marcus, a pitcher for the LA Dodgers.  Although Marcus appears to return these feelings, Mary Catherine doesn’t want to embark on a relationship with her health in peril.  Together Mary Catherine and Marcus help Lexie, a young teenage girl and girlfriend of Dwayne, a wannabe gang leader who attempted to murder Marcus.  Lexie feels like there is no future for her outside of the gang, but with the help of Mary Catherine, Marcus, and her incarcerated mother, Lexie starts to learn that there is more to life than being part of the gang and that she has the possibility of a different future.

I thought this audiobook had a riveting storyline.  I thought this was much stronger than book one.  The Angels had more of a personality and were better-rounded.  They played a more integral role in the storyline.  I particularly loved Jag and his struggle with remaining good and not seeking vengeance.  I also really enjoyed Lexie’s storyline as well.  It was a painful story, but also one of hope.  I sadly missed the very end of this book as my audio file must have been corrupted.  I need to find a hard copy to find out what happened on the last few pages!  I also enjoyed that Tyler and Sami were back from Book #1.  I think this book stands on its own, but there is enjoyment from knowing more of the background of the characters if you’ve read book one.

I enjoyed the start of the audiobook, I enjoyed the thanks at first and they even brought a tear to my eye . . . until they seemed to go on forever.  They went on for ten minutes and I’ll admit I skipped forward.  I think this would be more appropriate for the end of an audiobook than the start of one.  Otherwise, January LaVoy and Kirby Heyborne were great narrators and it was a perfect story to keep me entertained and awake on my hour long commute to work.

Overall, Chasing Sunsets was a powerful book with an intriguing storyline.  I really need to read book three!