Tag: Pamela Morsi

Guest Review: Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi

Posted August 29, 2013 by Ames in Reviews | 1 Comment

Ames’ review of Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi.

Meet Dorothy Jarrow: devotedly unsexy librarian

Buttoned-up book lover DJ is all sensible shoes, drab skirts and studious glasses. After an ill-advised spring-break-fueled fling left her mortified, she’s committed to her prim and proper look. When she’s hired by a rural library in middle-of-nowhere Kansas, she finally has the lifestyle to match-and she can’t wait to get her admin on.

But it’s clear from day one that the small-town library is more interested in circulating rumors than books. DJ has to organize her unloved library, win over oddball employees and avoid her flamboyant landlady’s attempts to set her up with the town pharmacist. Especially that last part-because it turns out handsome Scott Sanderson is her old vacation fling! She is not sure whether to be relieved or offended when he doesn’t seem to recognize her. But with every meeting, DJ finds herself secretly wondering what it would be like to take off her glasses, unpin her bun and reveal the inner vixen she’s been hiding from everyone-including herself.

Love Overdue started off a bit slow for me but it quickly picked up and I was immersed in D.J.’s story about fitting into her new town. And coming face to face with a one night stand that still haunts her. LOL

Eight years ago, DJ embraced her inner wild child and cut loose with some friends on her 21st birthday. She had a scorching night with a stranger but when she woke up the next day, she deeply regretted her actions. Since then, she’s been on the straight, prim and narrow. When she moves to Verdant, Kansas to head up the library, she comes face to face with her past. And he doesn’t remember her!

Eight years ago, Scott Sanderson set out to prove a point – to satisfy a woman, sexually. Encounters with his girlfriend left much to be desired for both of them. But his night with “Sparkle” definitely proved to him that he could handle himself in the bedroom. Unfortunately, he didn’t pay attention to the lesson and he still made a big mistake and married his girlfriend. Now he’s divorced and in a small town there isn’t much wriggle room to have hot smoking affairs. He figures it’s not his lot in life to find someone to grow old with. And he’s ok with that.

But something about DJ reminds him of that woman from eight years ago, a woman he hasn’t stopped thinking, and dreaming, about.

I liked Verdant, Kansas and all its characters. It’s a wheat town, so the harvest is very important. And that means that everyone comes together to make sure the wheat is all harvested. And that means that everyone is close and knows each other’s business. DJ is going to be a big deal, being a newcomer to this small town. She’s welcomed by Viv Sanderson, who hired her for the library. Of course DJ doesn’t realize that Viv hired her so she could set her up with her son, Scott, the town’s pharmacist. LOL Everyone kind of realizes what Viv has done, but when DJ gets the wrong idea about Scott (that he’s a player and a cheater) which is compounded by the fact that he doesn’t remember her, and she resolves to have nothing to do with him. And Scott’s totally confused. The whole town loves DJ but she very obviously has taken a dislike to him. Since it is a small town, DJ and Scott do cross paths (sometimes with his mom’s help) and eventually they become friends. But soon DJ is the one Scott is dreaming about, not his “Sparkle” from eight years ago.
Of course the reader knows the truth about Scott. That he isn’t a player and a cheater. So the dislike DJ takes to him is funny. And I enjoyed how DJ eventually grew to like Scott, despite the bad things she thinks about him. These two together were very fun to read about.

The other characters were good too. There’s Viv, Scott’s mother. She’s a widow and she’s still grieving for her husband, which is making her act a bit crazy. She’s hoarding canned goods like you wouldn’t believe. But she’s got the best intentions in mind for Scott and DJ and there’s no getting in her way. I also liked how she kind of took Dew away from DJ. Dew is DJ’s black terrier and he becomes a great companion for Viv. There’s a scene between them that almost made me cry. I also liked James, an employee at the library. He’s got Asperger’s and he likes to stay in the stacks at the library. He’s a good character and I’m glad with the way he defended the library against another employee who’s trying to stop the change that DJ begins to implement.

Overall, I really enjoyed Love Overdue but there were a few things that I felt were unresolved. I didn’t get it, or it wasn’t clearly stated, exactly why DJ is so hell-bent on the straight and narrow. It can’t all be blamed on her one night stand with Scott because it’s not like she wound up pregnant or with an STD. I didn’t feel like there was enough explained about that part of her character. There was also something with Viv’s machinations with Scott and DJ that wasn’t resolved. The clues were there, but DJ didn’t put them together and I kind of want to know if her and Scott ever did and if they had a good laugh over it, because it was funny. And with that library employee that hated DJ – what happened with her? I know they definitely showed her at the end but did she try and usurp DJ again? *sigh* This book definitely left me wanting more.

But the big thing I wanted was Scott’s reaction. Right at the end, before the HEA, he puts the pieces together and we don’t get to see his reaction!

Despite those few questions I had left, I did enjoy this book and the town and its characters. I’m giving Love Overdue a 3.75 out of 5.

This book is available from Harlequin. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Tagged: 3.75 Reviews, Ames Reviews, Contemporary, Guest Reviews, Harlequin, Netgalley, Pamela Morsi

Review: More Than Words, Volume 7 by Carly Phillips, Donna Hill & Jill Shalvis

Posted June 10, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 5 Comments

Each and every one of us has the ability to effect change—to make our world a better place. The dedicated women selected as this year’s recipients of Harlequin’s More Than Words award have changed lives, one good deed at a time. To celebrate their accomplishments, some of our bestselling authors have honored the winners by writing stories inspired by these real-life heroines.

We hope More Than Words inspires you to get in touch with the real-life heroine living inside of you.

In Carly Phillips’s Compassion Can’t Wait, two high school sweet hearts are reunited years later, as if by fate, and discover that if you believe in yourself and each other, anything is possible.

Donna Hill’s Someplace Like Home tells the story of how one woman’s dream becomes reality, as three special people learn that it’s never too late to form a loving family.

In Jill Shalvis’s What the Heart Wants, an honorable man must learn to forgive himself to regain the trust of the dedicated teacher who is the love of his life.

This was a great anthology made all the better because of the women who were behind the stories.

**The first story, Compassion Can’t Wait by Carly Phillips, is based on the work done by Valerie Sobel and her Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation. The foundation helps single mothers, who have children who are dying, pay bills and take care of financial issues so that the parent can be with their child in their time of need rather than having to work and be away from them.

The story itself is about Julia who is a social worker and decides to help a boy whose single mother is trying to deal with her other son who has leukemia. Julia knows that Michael has severe hero worship for Kyle Hansen, the start pitcher for the Miami Suns. Julia and Kyle were once high school sweethearts but due to many circumstances they took different paths and never talked to each other again. Knowing that Julia can put a little sunshine into Michael’s life she bites the bullet and seeks out Kyle’s assistance with Michael. When Kyle and Julia see each other again though, they each know that there are still deep feelings hidden within them for the other – but can they get past the hurt that they feel from the past and move on?

This was a great little story that I very much enjoyed reading. Phillips did a great job showing us the rekindling of Julia and Kyle’s romance but also the emotional aspect of Kyle dealing with Michael and what Michael was going through during this difficult time. A very heartwarming story.

**The second story, Someplace Like Home by Donna Hill, is based on the work that Nancy Abrams does with the Family Reconnect Program. The program helps try and reconnect runaways with their parents so that they can get back home or establish themselves with their family support.

The story was about a social worker, Verna, who had had enough of the system and decided to open Someplace Like Home – taking care of teens who have had problems in the system or cannot find a home. During a seminar Verna gives she connects with Ronald who is interested in volunteering at SLH. Eventually he begins to work at the home and Verna and Ronald begin to date. Only Ronald actually believes, after seeing one of the girls at the home, that she may actually be his daughter – one he had no clue he had. But Verna has mixed feelings about reuniting the daughter and father which puts a strain on Ronald and Verna’s relationship. Can they work through it.

This story was good as well but it didn’t click with me as much as the other two in the book. I loved what Someplace Like Home was doing with the kids and it really seemed to be working. Verna and Ronald’s relationship was good too although we were more told about it than shown. I really had an issue with Verna’s lack of trust in Ronald when it came to “claiming” his daughter. I understood that she had been hurt tremendously in the past by the mother that abandoned her and that it colored Verna’s thoughts – but I think that was my problem. Verna should have been more than happy to get even one child out of the system where they could find a loving parent. Knowing Ronald as she did she should have trusted him. It all worked out in the end but I can’t say I ended the book with a full smile on my face…just half a one. lol

**The third story ,What The Heart Wants by Jill Shalvis, is based on the work done by Victoria Pettibone and Sasha Eden with the WET Risk Takers program. The program is designed to bolster girls’ self–esteem, providing them with leadership tools, and valuable information on their health and well being.

The story tells us of a math teacher, Ellie, who starts a program called PIC (Powerful and in Charge). She helps teens try to see that they are powerful and they don’t have to be punching bags either verbally or emotionally and they can do anything they put their mind to. A fluke meeting puts Ellie and Jack – high school friends – back in touch. Ellie and Jack circle around each other and Ellie finds herself asking Jack for his assistance with PIC and having him teach the girls how to protect themselves through self-defense (that’s his business). The couple seem to be hitting it off but Jack is feeling mega guilt for something that happened back in high school with Ellie – nothing that was his fault at all. He’s also afraid of taking that major step toward the serious relationship.

This was probably my favorite story of the bunch. It was simple and straightforward – not too much angst and a lot of honesty which I love to read about in my romances. Jack was more than aware of Ellie – even when he hadn’t been in contact with her. Ellie, once she met up with Jack again, couldn’t seem to keep herself away from him. I really loved how Ellie just called Jack on things and never let him get away from the hard issues. This was a great story with romance as well as the help that both Jack and Ellie – and Ellie’s program – played in teens lives.

Rating: 4 out of 5

There are also 2 free stories on Harlequin.com by Meryl Sawyer and Pamela Morsi that are based on More Than Words recipients as well that you can read here.

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Tagged: Carly Phillips, Donna Hill, Jill Shalvis, Meryl Sawyer, Pamela Morsi, Review

Review: The Bikini Car Wash by Pamela Morsi.

Posted November 23, 2010 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Rowena’s review of The Bikini Car Wash by Pamela Morsi.

Hero: Pete Guthrie
Heroine: Andi Wolkowicz

After Andrea Wolkowicz abandons corporate life to help care for her sister, she quickly wears out the want ads in their rust-belt hometown. Time to be her own boss.

Every mogul knows the best idea is an old idea with a new twist. So Andi proudly revives her father’s business: an old-fashioned car wash…staffed entirely by bikini-clad women. That ought to get traffic—and blood—flowing on Grosvenor Street!

This gutsy gimmick soon has the whole town in a lather, and not necessarily in a good way.

Scandalized citizens are howling, neighboring businesses are worried. But straitlaced grocery-store owner Pete Guthrie is definitely intrigued. He knows it’s hard to run a small business in a big-box world. To him, Andi’s brains and bravery are as alluring as the bikini she calls business attire.

I’ve never read anything by Pamela Morsi before but I remember reading a review of this book (where I can’t remember now) and thinking, “Hmm, that sounds like something I’d want to read” so I put it on my list (that ever growing books I want to read list) and when I saw it on NetGalley, I just had to get it.

I’m so glad that I did because this book was such a treat. I will say that it took me a few days to really get into the story but once I got a feel for the characters, it was easy to jump right in. Andie is back in Plainview after having lived in Chicago and made a name for herself at work. Her mother died and she has come back home to help him take care of her twin sister, Angela aka Jelly. Jelly is disabled and needs to be babysat and Andie wanted to be around to help out.

Only, she wasn’t really around because when she gets there, I saw Walt with Jelly all of the time or Jelly was by herself some of the time. Andie was always at the car wash cleaning it or getting it ready to open up. But whatever rocks her socks. When we first meet Andie, it was hard to like her because she was such a b word to Pete. Yeah, I understood that she was a nerd in high school and Pete was the popular guy who hung out with the guys that tormented her and called her names but instead of taking the high road and showing him that she has risen above those idiots from high school, she becomes this raging beast who snaps at Pete every chance she got and it got to be too much at times.

Pete on the other hand, I absolutely loved. Right from the jump when we find out that he’s not the same hard muscled hottie from high school but a guy who’s still hot just not in shape. He eats Mallomars and he runs the family grocery store now. He was this normal guy who wasn’t a saint and who wasn’t a bad boy but someone that I could actually see myself knowing in real life and I ate it up. It was a nice change of scene from the typical heroes from our books.

The most interesting part of this book was Jelly and how the Dad thought she was his shining accomplishment. Jelly is disabled and I loved how patient he was with her and how evident his love for her was. It was the cutest thing. I adored Walt and wanted him to get his happy ending as well.

My favorite line of the book?

“It was everything Andi could have ever hoped for. Until the cops showed up.”

LOL.

The romance between Pete and Andi was cute. I adored how easy it was between them. Pete wants more from their one night stand and though Andi is hesitant, she can’t help but want to keep having sex with him so their relationship just sort of grows until it blossoms into a love that surprises them both.

Things I didn’t like? Pete’s Dad, Andi’s reaction to Walt’s announcement but those parts of the story didn’t ruin the book for me. I loved how Pete continually stood up to his father and I loved watching Tiff and Cheryl come into their own with the issues that they faced throughout the story, they were a good addition to an entertaining story.

Overall, this book was cute. I’m so glad that I read it and I will definitely be reading more from Pamela Morsi in the future. The characters were warm, charming and totally engaging. The story flowed extremely well and I was glad to have read it. It was a good time of a read.

Grade: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Mira. You can buy it here or here in e-format.