With her latest, O'Day-Flannery (Colliding Forces
) makes it look easy to incorporate angels, quantum physics and the evolution of humanity into a satisfying neofeminist paranormal romance. When Cristine Dobbins's boyfriend of seven years deserts her, her friends, a group of five women called the Yellow Brick Road Gang, send her to a male escort resort to recuperate. Unfortunately, Cristine throws her back out before she can get any satisfaction. Back at home, a mind-blowing orgasm brought on by a floating cloud of lights heals her—and leaves her doubting her sanity. Enter Daniel Burns, a strong, handsome, impossibly fast contractor who redoes Cristine's kitchen and refuses payment. Turns out he's not a handyman at all—he isn't even human. As Cristine allows Daniel into her life, she learns to open her mind and heart to extraordinary possibilities. O'Day-Flannery gives Cristine a rich inner voice and a compelling struggle for happiness, but the lessons she learns often sound like New Age hokum: "When you believe... you deserve whatever you desire, you shall have it." However, the novel's unapologetic pro woman stance is not just uplifting but downright smart, and the plot is intriguing to the very end. (June)
