Jack Cavanaugh's A Hideous Beauty ~ Reviewed

A Hideous Beauty
Jack Cavanaugh
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Howard Books (August 14, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416543406
ISBN-13: 978-1416543404



From award-winning author Jack Cavanaugh comes the ultimate fusion of suspense, politics, and the supernatural. All the wars in the world pale in comparison to the one waging in the invisible realm of angels. One man is about to be drawn into this battle, whether he wants to fight or not.

Pulitzer Prize winner Grant Austin seeks out a lifelong rival to flout his success in life. When they meet, however, Grant's smugness is rocked by several revelations. First, he discovers angles are very real, both the good and the fallen ones. Second, Grant is being set up to play a part in an assassination plot targeting the President of the United States. And not only that, but Grant is alos the target of rebel angels who want to convert him to their side. More than human blood flows through his veins, and whichever side he chooses to join in the ultimate battle will determine the fate of his soul.

Packed with action, Hideous Beauty takes you on an adventure across the nation as well as into the realities where temptation and redemption are only a few steps apart.

My Review

If you are a Jack Cavanaugh fan, you are in for a treat. A different kind of a treat, though, Jack's new series is a Spiritual Warfare/Fantasy. Proving that a good, respected-in-his-genre storyteller can cross into another genre and do it right, too.

My husband and I read Hideous Beauty over the weekend while we drove to Minnesota and back home. We both loved it. I struggled with the first several pages, trying to figure out exactly what was going on, but my hubby didn't. We both loved the main character, Grant Austin, who narrates with sarcastic humor and experiences a wild story full of intriguing friends and enemies. Several times, we found ourselves laughing out loud as Grant encountered one issue after another with witty thoughts and comments. The feel is very lad lit, complete with some serious relationship mess-ups.

Another small issue was a bit of tweaking with our theology. Both of us wondered a time or two if we agreed with the possibility of this or that event playing out quite like it did in the book. But this is fantasy fiction. I hope no one bases their theology on something they read in fiction. If you don't struggle with differing opinions of the faith, then you shouldn't get hung up on…well…on speculative differing opinions.

Hideous Beauty is going to appeal to Hines, Liparulo and Wells fans, as well as Cavanaugh's faithful readers. If you love Spiritual Warfare, Fantasy, and great stories, you might want to get your hands on a copy.

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer
http://kellyklepfer.blogspot.com