Phyl's 5 Phaves from June
I discovered Pamela Morsi in May. I've begun a glom, so 2 of the titles below should come as no surprise.
5. The Time Weaver by Shana Abé. At least one review I read about this book described it as "lyrical." I think that's a good word to use--there's a beauty to the descriptions in this book that draws you in. Plus the way it is constructed reminds me of a symphony. There are several parts, all quite different, that come together to make a whole. Abé's latest book is the 5th title in her dragon series. In this book, Honor Carlisle is a dragon who cannot shift, but instead finds herself going back and forth through time. Her gift is that of "weaving" through time. She is drawn again and again to Prince Alexandru of the Zaharen dragons and their relationship is seen as threatening by the dragons in England. This book uses three different narrative voices: 1st person for Honor, 3rd person POV for scenes involving Alexandru, Lia, and Zane, and an omniscient voice to set the stage. Lia and Zane had their story told in The Dream Thief and figure prominently in this book. I would not recommend reading this without having read the previous 4 books. But if you enjoyed those, I'm sure you will like this one as much as I did. It's not a conventional romance, but it is romantic, has a fascinating setting, and is beautifully written.
4. Courting Miss Hattie by Pamela Morsi. After I raved about Simple Jess a couple of weeks ago, Hilcia suggested I try this one as well. I'm so glad I did. This is a wonderful friends-to-lovers story set in turn of the (20th) century Arkansas. Miss Hattie is a spinster farmer and her long-time sharecropper Reed Tyler has become her good friend over the years. Hattie longs to be married and have a family, but she's not very attractive and her prospects are few. When a widowed farmer with 7 children begins to court Hattie, Reed finds himself growing jealous. But Reed is already engaged to be married and he is too honorable to break it off. This is another engrossing story by Morsi with vibrant characters, including the secondary characters. I found this to be extremely emotional as Hattie deals with her hopes and dreams. Just a wonderful book.
3. Fade to Midnight by Shannon McKenna. This was the long-awaited conclusion to the McCloud brothers series as at last we learn what happened to Kevin and his story is told. This was trademark McKenna--suspenseful, fast-paced, and sexy. The villains are over-the-top, there's lots of high-tech gadgetry, and the McCloud brothers' trademark testosterone-fueled actions carry the story. Edie is a great heroine who has a unique gift and artistic talent that actually ends up leading the brothers back together again. Definitely campy is spots, there is even a scene with all of the characters from past books either in the room or mentioned (along with all of their offspring) which momentarily reminded me of Mary Balogh's Huxtables or Bedwyns. But then a bomb (or something) was discovered and the moment ended. Great fun if you're a fan of McKenna. But I'd read the earlier books first. And while all of the McClouds are now accounted for, there was still a new character who will be the next hero. He sounds fun. Can't wait for that one.
2. Silent Scream by Karen Rose. I got to meet Rose at the RT booksigning in April and tell her how much I like her books. What a nice lady. It's hard to believe that someone who seems so nice and benign can dream up such creepy villains. But she can and does. Then she writes them into the tightest plots that are out there and meticulously crafts these books that give equal attention to the mystery and the romantic relationship. In this book, detective Olivia Sutherland reunites with fireman David Hunter--someone she had a very brief, but intense, encounter with once before. This book is also part of a series, but it does stand on its own very well.
1. Simple Jess by Pamela Morsi was one of those books that so filled my head that it took me awhile to get interested in another book after I finished it. Then I had to talk about it. So I did.
5. The Time Weaver by Shana Abé. At least one review I read about this book described it as "lyrical." I think that's a good word to use--there's a beauty to the descriptions in this book that draws you in. Plus the way it is constructed reminds me of a symphony. There are several parts, all quite different, that come together to make a whole. Abé's latest book is the 5th title in her dragon series. In this book, Honor Carlisle is a dragon who cannot shift, but instead finds herself going back and forth through time. Her gift is that of "weaving" through time. She is drawn again and again to Prince Alexandru of the Zaharen dragons and their relationship is seen as threatening by the dragons in England. This book uses three different narrative voices: 1st person for Honor, 3rd person POV for scenes involving Alexandru, Lia, and Zane, and an omniscient voice to set the stage. Lia and Zane had their story told in The Dream Thief and figure prominently in this book. I would not recommend reading this without having read the previous 4 books. But if you enjoyed those, I'm sure you will like this one as much as I did. It's not a conventional romance, but it is romantic, has a fascinating setting, and is beautifully written.
4. Courting Miss Hattie by Pamela Morsi. After I raved about Simple Jess a couple of weeks ago, Hilcia suggested I try this one as well. I'm so glad I did. This is a wonderful friends-to-lovers story set in turn of the (20th) century Arkansas. Miss Hattie is a spinster farmer and her long-time sharecropper Reed Tyler has become her good friend over the years. Hattie longs to be married and have a family, but she's not very attractive and her prospects are few. When a widowed farmer with 7 children begins to court Hattie, Reed finds himself growing jealous. But Reed is already engaged to be married and he is too honorable to break it off. This is another engrossing story by Morsi with vibrant characters, including the secondary characters. I found this to be extremely emotional as Hattie deals with her hopes and dreams. Just a wonderful book.
3. Fade to Midnight by Shannon McKenna. This was the long-awaited conclusion to the McCloud brothers series as at last we learn what happened to Kevin and his story is told. This was trademark McKenna--suspenseful, fast-paced, and sexy. The villains are over-the-top, there's lots of high-tech gadgetry, and the McCloud brothers' trademark testosterone-fueled actions carry the story. Edie is a great heroine who has a unique gift and artistic talent that actually ends up leading the brothers back together again. Definitely campy is spots, there is even a scene with all of the characters from past books either in the room or mentioned (along with all of their offspring) which momentarily reminded me of Mary Balogh's Huxtables or Bedwyns. But then a bomb (or something) was discovered and the moment ended. Great fun if you're a fan of McKenna. But I'd read the earlier books first. And while all of the McClouds are now accounted for, there was still a new character who will be the next hero. He sounds fun. Can't wait for that one.
2. Silent Scream by Karen Rose. I got to meet Rose at the RT booksigning in April and tell her how much I like her books. What a nice lady. It's hard to believe that someone who seems so nice and benign can dream up such creepy villains. But she can and does. Then she writes them into the tightest plots that are out there and meticulously crafts these books that give equal attention to the mystery and the romantic relationship. In this book, detective Olivia Sutherland reunites with fireman David Hunter--someone she had a very brief, but intense, encounter with once before. This book is also part of a series, but it does stand on its own very well.
1. Simple Jess by Pamela Morsi was one of those books that so filled my head that it took me awhile to get interested in another book after I finished it. Then I had to talk about it. So I did.
Courting Miss Hattie is my favorite Morsi to date - although I still have plenty of her books in my TBR :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that Silent Scream was a top pick for June. And McKenna is so totally my crack. It sounds like the new book has everything that makes romance crappy, and I bet I'm going to love every second of it. LOL
ReplyDeletePhyl, I'm so glad you enjoyed Courting Miss Hattie. I have a tough time choosing my favorite between this book and Simple Jess because I love both of them for different reasons, but I do think Courting Miss Hattie might have an edge for me. :)
ReplyDeleteRE: McKenna. OMG! As Lori said above... these books are totally crack-a-licious. Talk about over the top, questionable everything (but I can't stop reading them) type of books! I didn't get it yet because it's HC -- I'll wait for the paperback, but I can't wait to read it. LOL!
Wendy: I was #1 on the library hold list for Bikini Car Wax & I finished it on the bus tonight coming home. Total winner--wonderful book. I'm sure it's considered chick lit, but it had a very strong romantic thread. So you'll have to add this Morsi to your TBR. No need to thank me :-)
ReplyDeleteLori & Hilcia: McKenna as crack--Yes!! And I think this one will not disappoint. I found it in the Kindle store for $9.99 so I splurged and bought it. I do not regret it.
Wendy & Hilcia: I can see why you might prefer Courting Miss Hattie over Simple Jess, but the way SJ made me think & the way it stuck with me was so strong, I'd have to say it had a bigger impact. So that tipped the scale. Tough call.
I love Abe's writing, too. I think I'm one book behind, but it's nice to know I have this one to look forward to!
ReplyDelete