Debbie Macomber's "Angels at the Table" Is a Delightful Christmas Read!

Angels at the Table: A Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy Christmas Story Plot Summary

Angels at the Table is the seventh and final book (at least for now) in Debbie Macomber's Angels Everywhere series. It's a stand-alone novel, so no need to have read the first six to enjoy it. Although it was published back in 2012, it remains a fun and cozy read during any Christmas season.

Aren Fairchild and Lucie Ferrara find themselves alone on New Year's Eve in Times Square. Will, a rookie angel under the "wings" of fellow Prayer Ambassadors, Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy, decides to intervene so the two can meet.

Aren and Lucie instantly connect and enjoy a magical evening together, but the timing is all wrong. Aren has just moved to the city to work as a columnist for a major newspaper, and Lucie and her mother are opening a restaurant where she's the chef, and it consumes all of her time and energy.

God plans for Aren and Lucy to discover each other, but Will's interference sets off a chain reaction of problems that could have been avoided had he simply let the situation unfold naturally. Angels are meant to "guide," not meddle.

Although they never forget each other, an entire year passes before Aren and Lucy cross paths again, but Will, Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy can never resist helping matters--and their "help" is comedic and produces undesirable consequences! They are often in hot water with the head angel, Gabriel.

Aren and Lucy pick up where they left off, but when she learns of a secret Aren's been hiding, will she ever be able to trust him again?

So Much to Love About This Book!

Macomber taps Psalm 23:6 for naming the four angels in this book: Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

When I think of angels, I imagine strong, bright, stoic beings with a laser focus on their assignment. Macomber gives Shirley, Goodness, Mercy, and Will such unique and varied dispositions that it makes me wonder if angels have more in the personality department than we realize.

Macomber laces this story with biblical truths, which people of faith will immediately grasp, though it's not heavy-handed enough to be off-putting to non-Christians.

For example, the angels realize people have free will to make their own decisions, even bad ones. We see the angels are sent in answer to someone's prayer, so a lack of prayer stays divine intervention. God always has a plan, and He's still in the miracle-working business.

Macomber paints such a fun picture of the angelic escapades that you might find yourself laughing out loud. She also points out, through our leading couple, that pride and stubbornness can prevent us from walking in the fullness of God's plan--they have to go!

The novel concludes in a very creative way. Macomber gives the angel Gabriel the ability to see into the future--something Shirley, Goodness, Mercy, and Will are unable to do. Through Gabriel, we learn what happens to Aren and Lucie down the road--no sequel necessary.

Masterfully written, this book pulls you into its pages. If it were to be made into a Hallmark movie, as several of her works have been, I imagine Aaron Tveit playing Aren Fairchild, though I'm not sure who'd make the best Lucie Ferrara.

Hallmark fans remember Aaraon Tveit from One Royal Holiday.

This is another quick-read by Macomber, so if you're trying to squeeze as many Christmas novels in as possible before December 25, add this one to your list.

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Debbie Macomber has published over 150 novels.

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