Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
Angela Morrison's TAKEN BY STORM is a romance with heart - a tale of love, not lust.
Leesie is a good Mormon girl, living by her faith and following the rules of her church in all realms of her life. Even though kids at school think of her as a prude and call her the "Ice Queen," Leesie is proud to be Mormon. From the official bathroom graffiti tally, Leesie is deemed by her male classmates to have the best behind in school. However, even the most persistent of the boys know that there is no hope of ever getting with her.
When Michael Walden arrives in Leesie's small town, barely surviving a tragic scuba diving storm that killed both of his parents, everyone is intrigued. Anti-social and enveloped in his own post-traumatic stress, Leesie is the only person that Michael will open up to. The two may seem to be an unlikely match, innocent Leesie and disturbed Michael, but each offers the other priceless comfort and care.
As their relationship progresses, Leesie learns what love means for the first time, exploring the boundaries of her Mormon beliefs and bending her strict rules to the point of breaking. It is not easy to hold back when she experiences a snowballing passion unlike anything she has ever imagined.
Meanwhile, Michael longs to return to the scuba diving that is in his blood while overcoming the pain of his parents' sudden death. His relationship with Leesie is especially valuable at this vulnerable time, in spite of the self-imposed boundaries of her Mormon faith.
Can Michael and Leesie's love blossom despite their differences in background?
TAKEN BY STORM is never preachy, but a genuine and heartfelt struggle of faith. Morrison portrays teenage romance from an unusually elegant perspective. The importance of physicality in a relationship is never denied, but Morrison shows that teenagers are capable of rising above carnal temptation to appreciate a more spiritual and emotional side of love.
Morrison's experience with scuba diving and her Mormon upbringing add a very personal and realistic element to her story. Like fellow Mormon author Stephenie Meyer, Morrison approaches the theme of romance from a rare angle, shying away from the crass and blunt. Fans of Meyer's TWILIGHT will enjoy this non-vampiric tale with similar romantic chords.
Angela Morrison's TAKEN BY STORM is a romance with heart - a tale of love, not lust.
Leesie is a good Mormon girl, living by her faith and following the rules of her church in all realms of her life. Even though kids at school think of her as a prude and call her the "Ice Queen," Leesie is proud to be Mormon. From the official bathroom graffiti tally, Leesie is deemed by her male classmates to have the best behind in school. However, even the most persistent of the boys know that there is no hope of ever getting with her.
When Michael Walden arrives in Leesie's small town, barely surviving a tragic scuba diving storm that killed both of his parents, everyone is intrigued. Anti-social and enveloped in his own post-traumatic stress, Leesie is the only person that Michael will open up to. The two may seem to be an unlikely match, innocent Leesie and disturbed Michael, but each offers the other priceless comfort and care.
As their relationship progresses, Leesie learns what love means for the first time, exploring the boundaries of her Mormon beliefs and bending her strict rules to the point of breaking. It is not easy to hold back when she experiences a snowballing passion unlike anything she has ever imagined.
Meanwhile, Michael longs to return to the scuba diving that is in his blood while overcoming the pain of his parents' sudden death. His relationship with Leesie is especially valuable at this vulnerable time, in spite of the self-imposed boundaries of her Mormon faith.
Can Michael and Leesie's love blossom despite their differences in background?
TAKEN BY STORM is never preachy, but a genuine and heartfelt struggle of faith. Morrison portrays teenage romance from an unusually elegant perspective. The importance of physicality in a relationship is never denied, but Morrison shows that teenagers are capable of rising above carnal temptation to appreciate a more spiritual and emotional side of love.
Morrison's experience with scuba diving and her Mormon upbringing add a very personal and realistic element to her story. Like fellow Mormon author Stephenie Meyer, Morrison approaches the theme of romance from a rare angle, shying away from the crass and blunt. Fans of Meyer's TWILIGHT will enjoy this non-vampiric tale with similar romantic chords.
Taken From My Blog.
My Thoughts: I was hesitate to read this one at first, I am not Mormon and than from the bad reviews I've read, I didn't know if I should. I also had seen it a few times on amazon while browsing and told myself I would eventually read it. A couple of buddies told me not to waste my time. But I'm glad I did. We meet Leesie who is Mormon. She has all these rules she has to follow so when she meets Michael, she wants to start breaking them, even though she knows she can't. We meet Michael who has just suffered a tragedy and has to come to live in Leesie's town. The town isn't very big, the school doesn't have that many kids so sure enough Michael comes and he's gossip central, everyone wants to know him, the girls want him, etc. Leesie and Michael start to form a bond and start to get closer. I actually liked this book and enjoyed reading it. I didn't know much about the Mormon faith and it was nice to see Michael growing a little bit. I especially liked the chat conversations and Michael's dive logs. Honestly, I think this book is worth a read. The only bad thing I can really say about it is, the word babe was mentioned a lot, and I know it bugged others also but I just started skipping right over the word. Its easy to get past that word and if you want to know what happens to Michael and Leesie read the book. Do they survive their dilemma's and end up together? Does Michael overcome his tragedy and learn from it? Read the book to find out.
Overall: I liked it. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy reading it.
Cover: I think the cover is perfect for this book. And its really pretty.
My Thoughts: I was hesitate to read this one at first, I am not Mormon and than from the bad reviews I've read, I didn't know if I should. I also had seen it a few times on amazon while browsing and told myself I would eventually read it. A couple of buddies told me not to waste my time. But I'm glad I did. We meet Leesie who is Mormon. She has all these rules she has to follow so when she meets Michael, she wants to start breaking them, even though she knows she can't. We meet Michael who has just suffered a tragedy and has to come to live in Leesie's town. The town isn't very big, the school doesn't have that many kids so sure enough Michael comes and he's gossip central, everyone wants to know him, the girls want him, etc. Leesie and Michael start to form a bond and start to get closer. I actually liked this book and enjoyed reading it. I didn't know much about the Mormon faith and it was nice to see Michael growing a little bit. I especially liked the chat conversations and Michael's dive logs. Honestly, I think this book is worth a read. The only bad thing I can really say about it is, the word babe was mentioned a lot, and I know it bugged others also but I just started skipping right over the word. Its easy to get past that word and if you want to know what happens to Michael and Leesie read the book. Do they survive their dilemma's and end up together? Does Michael overcome his tragedy and learn from it? Read the book to find out.
Overall: I liked it. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy reading it.
Cover: I think the cover is perfect for this book. And its really pretty.
