EverWriting @ Leigh Verrill-Rhys

Radiance: Love After Death, Debra Jayne East, xoxopublishing.com, 978-1-927027-19-6

Radiance is the story of a severely depressed divorcée whose life takes an unexpected diversion following a near-fatal traffic accident. Marena Jacobs is a thirty-plus woman with a good job, a ‘fine son’ and many friends, but the betrayal of her husband sends her life crashing to a black pit. Though spiraling out of control, she discovers a heart-shaped rock that restores some semblance of hope. On a stormy night, she sees a young, hooded man just before her car stalls at traffic lights and is struck by a delivery truck.

For a short time, Marena has an out-of-body experience and meets the radiant image of an angel. After many weeks in a coma, she emerges with part of her spirit still deep in sadness. Along her road to recovery, she faces obstacles, dangers and resistance but she has the encouragement of her son, Brian, and her friend, Selena, to push her forward until a giant of a man crawls through her window to rescue her from an awkward situation.

David Martin is blind and acute. His skills are phenomenal, his talents immeasurable. He is handsome and 6’ 9” of power. He is there as a caretaker for Selena’s parents’ old house in the country.

Radiance is a heartfelt, paranormal love story of human triumph over often self-imposed misery and offers the assurance that no one is completely alone. It is an important journey for Marena and David, a journey I thoroughly enjoyed.

I felt that some of the story is repetitive and extraneous, needing a tight editorial hand. There are also numerable typing and grammatical errors that I found distracted too much from the otherwise compelling story.