The Side of the Angels

Christina Bartolomeo assembles an engaging cadre of characters that are sure to entertain readers in her work, The Side of the Angels.

Nicky Malone is a modern career woman beset with a nagging mother, a boyfriend that won’t go away, and a boss that decides she is the best candidate to help in a high-stakes nurses’ strike. Not only will she be battling the bureaucrats, but the union organizer is none other than the man Nicky loved years ago. Soon Nicky finds herself in Rhode Island pulling out all the stops on her PR work as she goes to bat for the underdog while fighting her feelings for the man she let go.

The Side of the Angels is an involved plot that takes readers in and out of a multitude of characters’ lives. The story was slow to develop for this reviewer, but eventually I became engrossed in how Nicky would resolve the various aspects of her life. At times, the main character’s train of thought becomes tiresome and a distraction from the main focus of the story. However, Nicky’s wit lightens the pages when the action surrounding the strike threatens to take precedence. The premise of the strike is interesting and thought out. It takes center stage in the majority of the book as the nurses and their plight take priority with Nicky. The author has balanced the drama surrounding the nurses with the light-hearted meddling of Nicky’s mother and the love conflict Nicky must resolve. The author does well concluding the story in a believable, rewarding fashion and readers who stick with the story won’t be disappointed.

Reviewed by: Amanda