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melindavan's review against another edition
3.0
Book 2 in this series. I'm still enjoying the premise, and I feel like the writing is coming together a bit better. The conversations are still somewhat stilted and I don't think the main character is developed enough. As a lawyer I still say she should be asking more questions about her unique circumstances. She did, however, do a bit more of that in this book than the first one so that's something. The mystery itself was good, clues were left in all the right places and at the end was satisfying. Overall a fun read if you are looking for a light guilty pleasure, beach kind of escape. I'll definitely give the next in the series a try.
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
I already look forward to the next book in this series, AVENGING ANGELS, due out next month (YAY). Bree is a good strong character who finds herself in the position to work with angels and assist those who need some intermediaries to get them out of areas of Hell and possibly into Heaven or at least in a better circle of Hell. She has some great assistants aiding in her good fight, a dog, a couple of legal aids, a cool landlady...all of whom are angels of dubious goodness.
The office is set in a graveyard that no one but Bree and her aids can find. Also the ghostly clients can't pay the bills and Bree is feeling the pinch. Luckily, she has the free rent of the office, free rent of her abode she shares with her sister, so she's got that going for her. She also has the loving (wealthy) arms of her family should she ever take them up on their offers of funds.
I want to smack the crap out of the rich teen, Lindsey, who hires Bree to get her out of the horrid crime she admits to committing. It seemed like a fun idea at the time, in her basic spoiled brat thought process. Her ghost of a father is not much better. That's how I tell the characters are well-written, I want to reach in to smack the crap out the brat characters and hug or high-five the good ones.
Five angelic beans.....
The office is set in a graveyard that no one but Bree and her aids can find. Also the ghostly clients can't pay the bills and Bree is feeling the pinch. Luckily, she has the free rent of the office, free rent of her abode she shares with her sister, so she's got that going for her. She also has the loving (wealthy) arms of her family should she ever take them up on their offers of funds.
I want to smack the crap out of the rich teen, Lindsey, who hires Bree to get her out of the horrid crime she admits to committing. It seemed like a fun idea at the time, in her basic spoiled brat thought process. Her ghost of a father is not much better. That's how I tell the characters are well-written, I want to reach in to smack the crap out the brat characters and hug or high-five the good ones.
Five angelic beans.....
lakecake's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great series--spooky and atmospheric, with characters you care about. Definitely worth a read!
tregina's review against another edition
2.0
Conceptually I still like this series, but this second book just didn't hold up as well as the first. It just never really settled in to its story or its world, and as a result came across as disjointed and overall a bit sloppy. I'll probably continue with the series, though, because the potential is there if the books tighten up.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
3.0
I did not hesitate to jump right into Angel's Advocate upon finishing Defending Angels. In the second book of the series, Bree's aunt asks her to take on the defense of a rather unruly teenager, Lindsey Chandler, who assaulted and stole the money of a Girl Scout. Bree isn't sure how she can help--or if she'll be able to do much for the child, but she agrees to at least give it a try.
As it turns out, someone else needs her assistance as well. Lindsey's father died in a car accident four months before.Probert Chandler was a man who had lived a modest life despite his wealth. He had been found guilty of serious charges in the Celestial Court, however, and had filed for a retrial and Bree is his designated attorney. Bree has her hands full. Lindsey is out of control, and her mother does not know what to do with the child. Not to mention the long list of suspects who may be embroiled in some sort of trouble related to Mr. Chandler and his business. And does it relate to Lindsey and all the trouble she manages to find her way into? Bree has quite a knot to untangle in order to find the truth.
If that wasn't enough, it appears two bodies have disappeared from the cemetery surrounding Bree's office, and the murderers' spirits are out to stop Bree. Someone isn't happy she picked up where her uncle left off.
Angel's Advocate was just as exciting and fun as the first book in the series. The reader is reacquainted with old characters and meets a slew of new ones, each of them interesting. I could just picture Belli and Miles, Bree’s most recent guardians, crammed into the back of Bree's car everywhere she went. And, of course, I was happy to see Sasha by her side.
In preparation for writing this series, the author did extensive research into the subjects of angels and early Christianity. The foundation of the Beaufort and Company series is built loosely on 11th and 12th century medieval theology, which was influenced by the world's major religions of the time: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The author also drew on Chinese religions as well. I found this especially fascinating and admit it makes the series even more appealing to me. Mary Stanton has created an intricate and detailed world that I am looking forward to exploring further with each novel.
Bree has an interesting back-story that is threaded throughout each of the novels and most likely will continue in future books. So, while each book can stand well on its own, there are personal story lines that carry over and might be best read in order.
Despite the somewhat frivolousness of the novels, they do have a darker side. The more I delve into the "cozy" sub-genre, the more I am discovering how wrong my early conceptions were. Charlaine Harris, Clea Simon and now Mary Stanton are among the authors who have shown me the light. I like edge to my mysteries and The Beaufort and Company mysteries certainly contain that.
As it turns out, someone else needs her assistance as well. Lindsey's father died in a car accident four months before.Probert Chandler was a man who had lived a modest life despite his wealth. He had been found guilty of serious charges in the Celestial Court, however, and had filed for a retrial and Bree is his designated attorney. Bree has her hands full. Lindsey is out of control, and her mother does not know what to do with the child. Not to mention the long list of suspects who may be embroiled in some sort of trouble related to Mr. Chandler and his business. And does it relate to Lindsey and all the trouble she manages to find her way into? Bree has quite a knot to untangle in order to find the truth.
If that wasn't enough, it appears two bodies have disappeared from the cemetery surrounding Bree's office, and the murderers' spirits are out to stop Bree. Someone isn't happy she picked up where her uncle left off.
Angel's Advocate was just as exciting and fun as the first book in the series. The reader is reacquainted with old characters and meets a slew of new ones, each of them interesting. I could just picture Belli and Miles, Bree’s most recent guardians, crammed into the back of Bree's car everywhere she went. And, of course, I was happy to see Sasha by her side.
In preparation for writing this series, the author did extensive research into the subjects of angels and early Christianity. The foundation of the Beaufort and Company series is built loosely on 11th and 12th century medieval theology, which was influenced by the world's major religions of the time: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The author also drew on Chinese religions as well. I found this especially fascinating and admit it makes the series even more appealing to me. Mary Stanton has created an intricate and detailed world that I am looking forward to exploring further with each novel.
Bree has an interesting back-story that is threaded throughout each of the novels and most likely will continue in future books. So, while each book can stand well on its own, there are personal story lines that carry over and might be best read in order.
Despite the somewhat frivolousness of the novels, they do have a darker side. The more I delve into the "cozy" sub-genre, the more I am discovering how wrong my early conceptions were. Charlaine Harris, Clea Simon and now Mary Stanton are among the authors who have shown me the light. I like edge to my mysteries and The Beaufort and Company mysteries certainly contain that.
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
3.0
This is my second book in this series and I am still not really sure about it. The concept of a Celestial court and justice system being served by a terrestrial lawyer is interesting, but we still don’t really know much about how it works. The setting of Savannah is detailed with loving care. The focus on the setting is definitely something that the author is emphasizing. Some pieces still seem a little disjointed and Bree’s behavior is often unprofessional or irrational. I get the sense that everything will be explained if the reader hangs in and continues reading the series. This series came highly recommended from a friend who had finished it, so I probably will continue.
krisrid's review against another edition
4.0
The second book in the Beaufort & Company series was just as entertaining as the first!
The characters - quirky and charming every last one of them! - get further developed in this second installment, particularly Bree and her angelic employees, whom we get to know much better in this case.
The case itself is interesting and challenging, with lots of clues and opportunities to try to figure out what's going on and who did what to whom. As with the first book, Bree is working on two parallel, but connected cases: the "live" client is the spoiled, bratty daughter of a wealthy man who died several months ago. The "celestial" client is the rich, dead father, who by all accounts was deserving of the sentence he's been given in the 9th circle of incarceration by the Celestial Court. But he's requested a re-consideration, because he says all the facts weren't considered.
Bree has to figure out how the cases are connected, get the daughter to behave long enough to avoid jail, and determine what, if any, mitigating circumstances in the father's case might get him moved to a somewhat less painful area of "the other side" to serve his sentence.
This time around, in addition to her celestial employees, Bree acquires some new canine guardians in addition to Sasha who's still her most loyal protector and guide.
A good mystery, good legal aspects and the interesting twist of the Celestial Court to add spice. Well worth a read!
The characters - quirky and charming every last one of them! - get further developed in this second installment, particularly Bree and her angelic employees, whom we get to know much better in this case.
The case itself is interesting and challenging, with lots of clues and opportunities to try to figure out what's going on and who did what to whom. As with the first book, Bree is working on two parallel, but connected cases: the "live" client is the spoiled, bratty daughter of a wealthy man who died several months ago. The "celestial" client is the rich, dead father, who by all accounts was deserving of the sentence he's been given in the 9th circle of incarceration by the Celestial Court. But he's requested a re-consideration, because he says all the facts weren't considered.
Bree has to figure out how the cases are connected, get the daughter to behave long enough to avoid jail, and determine what, if any, mitigating circumstances in the father's case might get him moved to a somewhat less painful area of "the other side" to serve his sentence.
This time around, in addition to her celestial employees, Bree acquires some new canine guardians in addition to Sasha who's still her most loyal protector and guide.
A good mystery, good legal aspects and the interesting twist of the Celestial Court to add spice. Well worth a read!
fernbell's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first book that I read in this series as found in my library and it sounded interesting. I only gave it three stars as felt there was a lot I missed by not reading the first book. Yes you could read this one and understand what was going on but there was questions that I had in sections. There was a couple chapters that I actually flipped a page back to see if I missed something. I liked the concept but for someone picking up the book some areas needed more depth. Other areas needed her to step up and do more research on what her job was instead of just accepting that her helpers couldn't tell her more. She had enough of a brain to become a lawyer why didn't she research on her own more, as she even had a whole bunch of books on her job that sounded like she didn't refer to at all. Makes me want to find first book to fill in some blanks but not sure will read next as some things so unclear in some areas (don't want to say too much as would be spoilers ) Also one point in book is just not accurate and some of the main reason for what happens. (sorry another spoiler there)
Over all not bad but questionable if would continue with this series.
Over all not bad but questionable if would continue with this series.
bookshopcat's review
4.0
I still love the premise and the world Stanton creates. Bree as a character is easy to like, she is stubborn at doing the right thing, at doing her job even though she can definitely understand that her clients are not the best people. She can also be elitist, but her warm love for her family and willingness to acknowledge her privileges and temper her reactions to other people who might react to that helps mitigate those issues. Like the others the story also focuses on Bree trying to find out exactly what she needs to find out in order to help her clients, both on the temporal and celestial realms. It's clear Bree is not an investigator, but as far as I can tell, she is a pretty good lawyer in that she knows the procedures and the boundaries of what she can do as a lawyer. This early on in the series, it's also clear that she is trying to find her footing in juggling the two aspects of her practice, as well as trying to pry into the affairs of the deceased at their request with no one else aware that she had been asked in the first place. She is also much more uncertain compared to her later stories. As for the mystery aspect, again, it's clear she is not an investigator, as the mystery pretty much gets solved not because she figures out what actually happened but because she stumbles into one of the murderers. From there she is finally able to connect her collected facts and put in the last pieces of the puzzle.
As always I wished Stanton took more time in the narrative to talk about the Celestial courts and its interactions with the world. That was the part that drew me in but its presence is still smaller that I would like. The other parts of the story was good enough, but that other aspect would have been really cool.
As always I wished Stanton took more time in the narrative to talk about the Celestial courts and its interactions with the world. That was the part that drew me in but its presence is still smaller that I would like. The other parts of the story was good enough, but that other aspect would have been really cool.
tregina's review
2.0
Conceptually I still like this series, but this second book just didn't hold up as well as the first. It just never really settled in to its story or its world, and as a result came across as disjointed and overall a bit sloppy. I'll probably continue with the series, though, because the potential is there if the books tighten up.