Book Reviews Fantasy Romance

Angel Romance Series’ Second Novel Continues the Story of the Zenith Elite Protectors

The second in the “Zenith Elite” series of paranormal romance novels, “Protect My Heart” continues the story of the Zenith Elite, a group of Protectors who were created by archangels and are as old as time itself. They appear in many forms and have a mission to save souls and combat evil wherever it is found. Though this book and the previous Zenith Elite angel romance, “Protect My Soul” are connected, each can be read on its own and knowledge of one is not required to understand the other.

The book begins with Protector Alex, who has found a badly beaten woman, Willie, in the trunk of her own car. She has been sexually assaulted, and is in terrible shape both physically and emotionally. And Alex knows who the perpetrator is: the Soul Stealer. The worst part of the assault is that the Soul Stealer has also taken Willie’s soul.

The story follows a group of young, 20-something Protectors who are, in many ways, much like “normal” humans. They go to parties, chase women and have an overabundance of testosterone. The difference, however, is that they are also Protectors. Some have special powers. All have been given the sacred task of protecting humans. As the plot unfolds, we meet other protectors in the group, including Gideon, its leader, and Azrael, his archenemy. We also learn more about the crisis that has befallen Willie. Her ordeal is not over…in fact it is just beginning.

Herald has, again, created a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at love and how our connection to other people gives our lives meaning. On one level this is an exciting fantasy about angels and souls, on another it is a paranormal romance involving a group of mystical guardians. And on yet another, it is a meditation on what we owe to each other as human beings and the limits of care-taking and compassion. Anyone who enjoys paranormal romance, angel romance and fantasy romance will surely enjoy “Protect My Heart,” as will lovers of adventure and those who look for deeper meaning and truths in novels of any genre.

About the Author

M.J. Herald has been a nurse for 20 years, in both hospitals and correctional facilities. Nicknamed “The Psych Whisperer” by her colleagues, she brings many years of observations of human behavior and the empathy and compassion that psychiatric nursing requires to her writing, creating characters and settings that are multi-layered, complex and true to life. Her work includes training other medical professionals to work with people suffering from mental illness, work that requires a great deal of responsiveness and an ability to see beyond what is immediately evident. This ability obvious in the fantasy romance novel she writes.

About both her nursing work and her writing, M.J. Herald says, “I believe we that we do not know everything there is to know in this world. Some things are not black and white, there are a lot of gray areas.“

In her debut novel, “Protect My Soul,” Herald has created a complex story of romance, love and redemption and good versus evil. “Protect My Soul” and “Protect My Heart” are part of the Zenith Elite paranormal romance series for adults, which focuses on a group of Protectors who have existed almost as long as time itself. Created by the archangels, they take many forms and appear any place that evil lives or a soul needs saving.

A New England native, Herald is the mother of two and the grandmother of six. She is currently working on more paranormal/angel romance novels, tentatively titled “Protect My Legacy” and “An Unexplained Love.”