I’m a huge Renee Carlino fan but this book is probably my least favorite written book by her. I’m not a huge fan of paranormal and although it’s not paranormal per se, it felt like it.

It has been quite awhile since I have read a paranormal type read and admittedly at the start it was a challenge to get into that mind set. I kept thinking of a certain fallen angel I have read way back when to get me back into the feel of this genre again.

Then the story brings in the constant questions of Jesus and God and wonder and question their existence. As someone who is born Catholic and actively attending Christian service I could not help think deeper on what is being written.

Lucian, the guardian angel set to watch and protect Evelyn Casey lead to eventually feeling more for the soul he is assigned to watch. However, rules are set and must be followed but what happens if rules are meant to be broken? Can it possibly become something more?

The story started off a little slow with sooo many questions going through my mind it then the progress started going by pretty fast. The meeting, the reveals, the deeper connection had me conflicted on how I should react but then again I needed to keep in mind that Lucian was the angel that has been with Evelyn all her life. And then throw in the life experiences the couples face and I could not help be broken and scared. Renee Carlino took me on a whirlwind of emotions. It was light and intense with a dash of the forbidden mixed with deep love. By the end of this read I could not help by feel more like I was being watched. It was a unique take on our guardian angels and you cannot help think of how much human they can be.

Absolutely loved and devoured!! It was such a refreshing and lovely book. It had all the feels and I loved both characters. It was so sweet how Lucian watched over Evelyn and how he fought his feelings. I just loved it!!! My favorite read so far for 2017 just hits the spot.

I have sorta kinda slowly fallen in love with Renee Carlino. The woman can surely write a page turner. Lucian Divine is no exception. I found myself up early before work just to finish it. I will start my review with a caveat... If you are looking for another Swear on this Life, this is not that book. If you are looking for paranormal, this is also not that book. If you are looking for a good, fast, fun and book full of life, this is that book.

Lucian Divine is unlike anything I've ever read. It was very original in the synopsis alone. Who gets to fall in love with their drunken guardian angel? Evey. That's who. And the fact that he's a drunk, makes it all that more enjoyable. Lucian is witty and sarcastic. He's the angel with all the questions. I did really enjoy Lucian, but Evey's character fell a little short for me. She was hard for me to relate to or even really feel her emotions. Lucian's emotions fed off Evey's so much more I felt and made him a deeper character. However, the faith written between Evey and Lucian is beautiful. The love and devastation they live through is beautiful. The story really is beautiful.

Go into this story with an open mind. It's intended to be a fun and heartfelt story. Take it with a grain of salt and enjoy the satirical aspect of this story. This is a new genre for Carlino which makes me so excited because she did it so well. Definitely recommend this book.

4.5
I'm a big fan of Renee so I know I will enjoy anything she writes! Lucian Divine is different than what she usually writes, but I really enjoyed it. It must be the Catholic in me. I heard guardian angel and thought, man, that is going to be good! Lucian isn't your normal guardian angel and apparently the others aren't as well. He drinks and sleeps around and is pretty much inappropriate. Why is he drinking you ask? Because he fell in love with Evey, the woman he protects. It's wrong. Forbidden and just really. Wrong. But, he can't help himself so he starts to drink and one night he shows himself to her and confesses everything. Another no-no. Evey doesn't really question him and she's really attracted to him. She knows that's not a good sign! But, something connects them and they can't seem to stop caring for each other. Lucian knows that he can't do this but he can't stop. He doesn’t know what's going to happen, but he can't imagine it's going to end well. Their relationship is forbidden but pure at the same time. They give each other what they need most. Evey needs to be on her own and away from her jealous best friend. She needs to branch out and do what she loves with her career. Lucian helps her achieve her goals. He wants what's best for her. He just wants her to be happy. Evey wants Lucian, but she can tell being together is changing him. She wants to know him the way he knows her. Can you really fall for your guardian angel and live happily ever after? This is a unique story that kept me entertained from start to finish. I laughed, cried more than I thought I would and sighed a lot. It's uplifting and sad with a bigger meaning than just falling for your guardian angel. Are things just meant to be no matter what? I think so! I wanted to watch Dogma when it was over! I also wouldn’t classify this as paranormal. It has angels, but not the paranormal aspect of that genre. I loved that Renee had fun with this, you can just tell. Sometimes you have to not take yourself so seriously and just write what you want!

"Can't you just zap that and turn it into wine like you did before?"
"Only wine. You-know-who stole that idea from me, by the way."

"I am real. Jesus was a real man, and now he's one of us, sort of."
"Where is he?"
"He spends a lot of time in Milwaukee, for some reason."
"Stop it!"
"I'm serious. Got sick of the desert, I guess."

“Angels can be obnoxiously self-righteous.”

We love our ‘Angel’ books….LOVE them! So, we started Lucian Divine with excitement and a girly giddiness. We immediately fell in love with the humour, the writing and the characters. But then again, we love Renee Carlino’s work, always have done. Whilst we didn’t find it particularly unique we fell in love with everything it stood for and the quirkiness of it. Who doesn’t love a cheeky bad boy Angel who loses his heart to the one he’s meant to watch over?!

‘I’m on the other side of life, Evey, existing where death belongs and yearning to be with you. Yearning in brief moments to bring you here, into the darkness. When my thoughts are so painfully selfish, I cannot breathe you in at all. I cannot love you when I hate myself. Don’t say my name. Don’t think about me. Don’t imagine how we can be together.’

Lucian, our guardian Angel is not only super swoony, he’s funny, caring and a ‘man’ with a big heart. He loves and loves hard to the point of no return. He looks controversy and rules straight in the eye and shows it his middle finger, because he wants and craves Evey. The connection was strong and believable and we swooned alongside our beautiful and sweet heroine who’s had a run of bad luck in boyfriends….until her Angel.

“You do not get to leave me, Lucien.”

“We were made for each other, Evey. I believe that.”

‘It never felt wrong to me.’

Halfway through we started wondering where this story was going as it felt as if it had almost lost its momentum, despite us loving the beginning, but let us tell you it suddenly completely pulled the rug from under our feet. We have to admit we found it a tad slow and stilted in the middle until it became very fast paced and changed in atmosphere entirely. Partly, this caused us to feel like this was two separate books as one half had such a different feel in comparison to the other. Yet we were once again utterly riveted and spellbound. We had tears threatening and we began to pray that love would conquer all, no matter what. We felt it, we believed in it and wow did we need to see Lucian and Evey get their much deserved happiness. How it all came to be in the latter part completely turned everything around and we ended up undeniably loving it once again.

“Did I not make it clear? I’m in love with her. The crazy kind of love that you and I have seen over and over…in them, not us. It’s the rip-your-bleeding-heart-out-and-step-in-front-of-a-speeding-train kind of love.”

I only opened myself up to the PNR genre this past year and only read 2 so far, Lucian Divine is my 3rd PNR read in total and it most definitely did not disappoint. Lucian Divine was like a YA version of the movie, City of Angels and I truly enjoyed this story and fell in love with the characters. The characters were relatable, whether they are human or angels - you will find yourself wrapped up in their characters as you would in any other genre.

Seriously, how could you not be curious to find out more from the blurb stating there is a drunk Guardian Angel in the mix?! Yup, you did not read that wrong, DRUNK GUARDIAN ANGEL is right! I read this story in one-sitting. It was a fast-pace, easy- read that make you feel oh so good inside. Sign me up for Lucian the drunk guardian angel any day. The story truly gives you hope like no other.

Please don’t let the religious elements deter you from reading this. Lucian Divine is a story that leans on the spectrum of taking you on a journey of faith, hope and love. It’s beautifully sweet and heartfelt. Trust me on this, you will feel connected to the characters and it truly is a heart-warming story.

***4 ‘“My guardian angel is a drunk.”’ Stars***

“My guardian angel is a drunk.” That was the hook because we’ve all wondered that at one time or another and posted the meme’s to prove it, and then wondering what would happen if said drunk guardian angel just so happens to fall for his, or her, charge had me reaching out with grabby hands to find out and I wasn’t disappointed. Lucian Divine is a fun, sweet and sexy RomCom chock full of all the feels.

I really liked Evey. She’s kind of like that girl next door. She has a family that loves her, even if they don’t always see eye to eye. She’s working on making her dream of having her own fashion line become a reality by paying her dues and looking at it as a learning process. The one thing she hasn’t found is the love of her life. She’s been looking, but things never seem to work out for her. She’s sweet, kind, funny and has a compassionate heart.

Lucian has lived for two thousand years and has watched over many souls, his record isn’t squeaky clean, as he’s tripped up a few times ~ one of which was quite epic in history ~ but now he’s finding that he’s feeling something very unguardian angel like for his charge and finds that he’s willing to go against the rules because of it. It was hard to not love Lucian. He is sweet, honest, earnest and protective (at times maybe a little too protective) and charming, even when drinking.

I loved how Evey and Lucian’s relationship played out, the good, the bad and the ugly. While they connected easily, Lucian is her guardian angel and has been with Evey her entire life, they still had ‘real world relationship’ issues to work through. Some were easily dealt with, others took a bit of time. The question of what would happen to Lucian since he was breaking the rules was always simmering away right beneath the surface and a few of the things that happened because of his angel status broke my heart. But I loved them together. Their bantering had me chuckling and the connection between them was undeniable as they fought to prove that love could overcome the impossible. And I loved where they were at the end.

The writing was engaging, the pacing good and I enjoyed the dual 1st person POV’s. I loved her take on guardian angels and how that whole system worked. And though this book is about angels and there are references to God and Jesus, it doesn’t get all preachy about religion, simply have faith in the process. It is about finding love in the most unexpected places and fighting for that love no matter the obstacles that are thrown at you. And, as per the preface, this story is about not taking yourself too seriously and to simply enjoy the ride.

Renee Carlino is good at breaking hearts. Every book she writes makes me cry at some point but I think Lucian Divine might take the cake as far as angst goes. And the thing is, it's not actually a sad book. There are a lot of lighter and funny moments as well.

At it's heart, Lucian Divine is about star crossed love. Lucian, a guardian angel, breaks all the rules falling for his charge, Evey and even more so by telling her. Their love is not meant to be and this line is probably what caused the most tears:

"Evey, next time, in the next life we'll be together—that's how this will be corrected. This will be righted. This can't be our forever fate. Next time we'll live together, we'll die together..."

Argh!! See what I mean? I don't want to spoil anything but the story has it's ups and downs emotionally. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. Lucian is so adorable neurotic and so sexy. Evey is a sweet heroine and the pain she and Lucian go through to try and be together is heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

Renee did a great job developing the characters and throwing in some light moments like the Star Wars Bar. I totally wish that was real! I won't lie, the emotional upheavals were frustrating at times but I love angst so it really worked for me. This story isn't pretty but I loved it.

This is contemporary fantasy because of the Guardian Angel aspect so keep in mind you have to suspend belief a bit. I love fantasy and paranormal so again, not an issue for me. But if you're a fan of this author don't expect something exactly like her other books. Renee took a risk with this and for me, it paid off. Highly recommended!

A love so deep, so strong, one that will melt your heart and have you devouring word after word. Lucian Divine consumed me and I have to say that I am in awe of Renee Carlino's talent and her ability to create a tale that brings this story and these characters to life.

It's important to add that although the synopsis had a paranormal tone, Lucian Divine is more of an incredible, epic love story.

Evelyn Casey is a clothing designer, working for a woman she can't stand, but sticks with it for the money and the experience. She dates casually, but tries to follow her best friend's rules and doesn't get too attached.

Lucian Divine is by far one of the hottest, most mysterious heroes I've ever met. When he and Evey meet, sparks fly. Who knew a guardian angel could be an alcoholic who breaks all the rules? Yes, Evey's guardian angel is a drunk, a beautiful drunk, with mesmerizing blue eyes and a heart of gold.

The banter between Lucian and Evey is hilarious, There's a sprinkle of magic, faith, love, and trust throughout the story. The pair fall in love and try to defy the odds.

But what are the consequences? Can Lucian and Evey have what they both want so desperately? Can they make it work?

"Evey, next time, in the next life we'll be together—that's how this will be corrected. This will be righted. This can't be our forever fate. Next time we'll live together, we'll die together..."

This book will have you laughing, in tears and devouring the pages. Not only can Renee deliver one hell of a love story, she has a wicked sense of humor that shined through the entire book. I loved Lucian Divine and have added it to my top favorites of 2016.

"You are everything to me. You're the dream, the air, the reason, the cause for my whole existence..."

I'm sorry, I just could not stick with this story. Maybe its for a younger age group - but it all came across morbid and melancholy and unhealthy to me. Neither character (nor any sub-characters even) was mature or particularly mentally stable enough to make ANY sort of decisions and both of them self-harm in juvenile and melodramatic displays . Jumping off bridges, binge drinking, random sex and drugs - sure, there's a place for that time in life for some. But it didn't make for any likeable characters... at all. I made it roughly 45% of the way thru, according to kindle, before giving up. I wasn't enjoying it or entertained at all.

4 stars

"You are everything to me. You're the dream, the air, the reason, the cause for my whole existence"

This was a unique,captivating and interesting story, so different from Renee's other books, yet so good.I really enjoy it!The plot was fantastic and once I started it I couldn't put it down.

Lucian was Evelyn's guardian angel.Since she was a baby he had been there to protect and love her.But he starts to have feelings for her and he can't stay away from her.I loved Lucian,he was funny,mysterious and sexy.He was perfect for Every because he knew what she needs.

This was a beautiful story and I really want to see more like this by Renee.She is such a talented author.

I absolutely love Renee Carlino. Her smile could brighten up a thousand stormy days. Lucian Divine is my first book to read by her. I know what the hell I was thinking! When I was approved for this ARC I was ecstatic and jumped right into it same day also finishing it in the same sitting!

I wouldn’t exactly label this book as paranormal, but I suppose it would almost fall into that category. Lucian is the guardian angel of Evelyn and has immense feelings for her that he knows he is not supposed to have. After a drunk interaction her life is changed because of the sparks that are flying between them. Lucian reveals he is her guardian angel willing to accept the consequences to have the love he so desires. This story literally took my breath away and left me reeling.

This story was so completely different than anything I have previously come across. I am not personally a religious person, but the spiritual aspects were very appealing. Renee has proven to me that she has an amazing talent. I am ready to devour everything she has ever written because her writing was so beautiful. I absolutely loved this book and fully recommend it to all. 5 stars from Reviews by Reds.