Mary B. Morrison

Baby, You're the Best The plot would have been a good one, however, there were too many distractions and subplots that take away from the main plot which deals primarily with mommy and daddy issues (translation: promiscuity and reckless behavior blamed on the opposite sex). There were several side stories that were also lacking development and seemed out of place as they were not integral to the overall novel. For example, Blake’s old boyfriend resurfaced and he had something to tell her. Flash forward and her daughter, Sandara, pretended that he’s the father of her children to scare her sisters and then that’s the end of that story. It added nothing and it was another pointless distraction. The explicit sex scenes did not add anything to the novel, either as the main plot could have been developed without them. There were pages of sexual encounters that ultimately lead to nowhere. Frankly, I was glad when it was over.
The only reason that I kept reading this book is because I wanted to know who Alexis’s dad was. I made no connection to the characters as they were so cliché. Here’s a description of the sexy, gun toting, feisty, bi sexual Atlantian, Alexis: “I was eye candy. Five – five, a size six, had hazel eyes that sometimes turned green. [..] long, thick, wavy, black, natural hair, full lips, and dark, radiant complexion.” 
  I also felt that the author did a lot of telling and not enough showing, when it came to larger issues. “ My father, whoever the f**k he was, was the first male disappointment in my life. […] Before I had a first boyfriend, my heart was already shattered into pieces by my dad. […]My way of coping with my daddy issues was to not allow any man to penetrate my heart or disrespect me.”   This issue was constantly brought up and became rather repetitive and redundant. Although this novel skimmed a lot of issues (molestation, promiscuity), their purpose in the novel was stagnant and underdeveloped.
Overall, I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get past the stock characters and distractions in the plot and dialogue.  I would like to see the author move beyond the explicit sex scenes and cookie cutter dialogue in order to engage the reader. She touched on several sensitive issues that could have been explored more realistically and more in depth.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to review this book.… (mehr)

In this book, the third and final installment, we will see drama, scandal, and lies coming out within the dysfunctional Crystal family. I’m hoping this isn’t truly the last book in the series, because I still have unanswered questions; there are a few things going on with the characters that I’d like to see worked out. The story is easy to follow, and you get caught up quickly. It’s a fast read, and I would recommend it to others, but I would advise you to read them in order, so you won’t be lost.… (mehr)

I took a chance on The Eternal Engagement because I wanted to take advantage of it being on audio book. So this review will reflect both the book itself as well as the audio production. My experience with audio books has generally been positive. It’s an easy way to get some “reading” done while you physically can’t put your nose in a book. I listen while I’m driving, grocery shopping, and walking around. I thought this story would be a compelling read, but I was disappointed.

The story itself focused on four characters whose lives and relationships are entwined disastrously. Lincoln somehow manages to propose to (with the same style ring) and impregnate both his girlfriend Katherine and his ex, Mona-Lisa literally moments before his high school graduation. The rest of the book follows Lincoln’s ten-year stint in the Army, Mona-Lisa’s impulsive and volatile marriage to long-time friend, Steven, and Katherine’s attempts to maintain her image while raising her son as a single mother under her judgmental mother’s eye.

To its credit, this book is aptly titled. It never seemed to end. Morrison’s style of bouncing from the perspectives of each character was unnecessary and is probably why the book dragged along for so much longer than it needed. That, coupled with frustrating characters and a plot that was neither believable nor compelling, meant that the only reason I finished was simply to have the satisfaction of getting through it.

The character development was lacking. Each had their basic development and rarely deviated from it. Mona-Lisa was completely self-centered and only out for her benefit. For her being an adult, her thought processes and actions were extremely juvenile. Katherine was supposed to be her polar opposite – well-educated, hard-working, and respectable. Unfortunately, both ended up simply being one-dimensional. I also found it difficult to believe that both women would pine away for a man who disappeared without a trace for ten years after proposing. That they remained with him after he blatantly had sex with and used both for money literally made me roll my eyes. Both seemed foolish and their actions definitely were consistent. The same is said for Lincoln and Stephen. Lincoln grapples with PTSD, and while Morrison hints at a discussion of significant issues for vets, such as difficulty finding work, the need for counseling, adjustment to civilian life, substance abuse, etc., she does so in such a cursory manner that it almost comes off as trivial and contrived.

The plot had many holes in it. For this story to originate in a small Alabama town, the four seemed to have managed to keep their business out of the streets remarkably well. Katherine’s job as a prominent local newscaster makes this premise even less believable. Further, Mona-Lisa and Stephen’s financial abundance and everyone’s gullibility around it is laughable. Morrison’s approach to tying the story together in the end manages to still leave the reader unsure of what happened. It’s not particularly logical and seems more of an attempt to end the booth than to actually resolve anything.

I also found Morrison’s descriptions tedious and, at times, redundant. I’ve read authors who can pull off describing the layout and furnishings of a room for several pages; she has not demonstrated the same ability to make the simple that engaging. Given that the pacing of the book was slow itself, adding drawn-out descriptions that didn’t improve the story was unfortunate.

Given that my “reading” of The Eternal Engagement was via an audio book, I acknowledge that it gave me a different experience, but not one that could redeem poor writing. Read by Allyson Johnson, I found that Johnson’s accents and attempts at different dialects were off-base. When she read as normal, I found it fine – she had a pleasant voice and her own inflections were fine. It would have been better for her not to have tried to provide the variations, because they were distracting and were part of why I didn’t want to continue listening. Moreover, the random attempts at sound affects were so sporadic and poorly produced that again, an absence would have been preferred.

For once, I’m sad to say I can’t recommend a book. The plot wasn’t engaging enough to justify my time. The character flaws, the poor plot and unnecessary length left too much to be desired. I’ve heard better feedback about Morrison’s other books, so perhaps she met expectations with those. Too bad she fell short here.… (mehr)