The Impending Possession of Scarlet Wakebridge-Rosé by S.L. Saboviec is a stand alone novel set in the same world as the Fallen Redemtion series (which I have not read).
Scarlet
Wakebridge-Rosé, busy executive and less-than-stellar mother and wife,
has a problem that only an exorcist can solve. Except she’s not
precisely a devout Catholic parishioner any longer, and to gain
assistance from the Church means telling a whopping lie of omission. Fortunately,
she discovers Father Angelo Ambrosio, whose commitment to helping the
afflicted means he’s willing to overlook the things Scarlet prefers to
keep hidden. Unfortunately, his sordid past keeps him under a microscope
with the bishop, who’s not so liberal in his views. But
the demon harassing Scarlet is relentless. It makes its motives clear:
in a previous life, she struck a bargain, promising it her body on her
fiftieth birthday. Now, she and Angelo must unravel the mystery
surrounding her forgotten past in order to stop the possession by next
week or risk losing her to the depths of Hell forever.
The Impending Possession of Scarlet Wakebridge-Rosé is
a story with an interesting premise and a diverse, if not slightly
twisted, cast of characters. It is a supernatural thriller that also
deals with homophobia and the related issues in the church, and society
in general. I liked that no one seemed to be written as a token
character to fit the desire to be diverse, they just happened to be who
they were. That is not always how the characters seem, but it did play
completely organic which I liked. Scarlet was a well written character,
and while her stubborn nature is key to the story, she frustrated me on
several occasions as well. Although I have to admit that Father Angelo
and Zoe were my favorite characters in the book, much more so than
Scarlet. I found Zoe's voice to be much stronger and more engaging than
Scarlet's, and I thought Angelo's character was very compelling and I
was much more engaged with his well being than Scarlet's.
