Sabrina Devour-Ayres was conflicted about her life. She was torn between two men: Richard Tate who made her burn with passion and hate, and Dylan McGuire who evoked her need for gentle love and unconditional acceptance. But Sabrina's conflict stemmed from dark secrets that haunted every corner of her life: secrets about the Devour family and the Tate family, secrets about her mother and father, and a possible curse that existed to ruin her chance at any sort of happiness.

Book Two of the DEVOUR FAMILY SAGA: THE FACE OF HEAVEN began with Sabrina fleeing from the Tate mansion and all of the mysteries and ominous spirits it contained. Sabrina wanted to get away from Richard Tate and start over. Her desire was to begin again, to create a new life without the evil Tate family hanging over her. Normalcy was impossible for Sabrina to achieve however. The pain attached with Richard and the Tate mansion haunted her. She fell in love with Dylan McGuire but was stalked by Richard, and though she despised secrets and lies, Sabrina was caught up in her own web that threatened to capture Dylan as well.

Sabrina's life was connected, be it though destiny, to the Tate mansion. She was unable to let go of the house and all of the mysteries that connected her family, the Devours, to that of the Tates, the owners of the mansion. She discovered that she might have the key to breaking a curse placed on one of her ancestors. Sabrina decided that she was willing to try if it meant being free to love Dylan without the darkness of the curse hanging over her head. But Sabrina's life was never as it appeared, and the maze she was navigating grew more ominous and threatening as she went.

Sherry Hall-Mauro has written a creative story with a thoroughly intriguing plot. The conflict perpetually builds and climbs, mounting tension between the characters as well as the setting. Hall-Mauro's descriptions, especially the scenes between Sabrina and the house, and those that evoke fear, are superb. She is able to raise feelings of fear that build the suspense. THE FACE OF HEAVEN isn't primarily a Romance, but instead a Gothic novel that explores Sabrina's inner conflict between who she wants to be and her perception of who she really is. THE FACE OF HEAVEN looks at relationships--both healthy and unhealthy--between lovers, mothers and daughter, and fathers and daughters. It explores the ideas of psychic abilities coupled with spiritual warfare. Most importantly it asks and examines, from a female perspective, the age-old proverb about the sins of the father being passed onto the son.

By Maci Walker
© 2004