Unbroken Connection by Angela Morrison

I rarely, rarely, rarely read self-published books. Many times because they lack a proper editor, copy editor, etc., they just aren't as good...and I don't have the time or energy to weed out the few exceptions. But, Angela Morrison is an exception for me. Her first book, Taken by Storm, came out in 2009, and I absolutely adored it--I was even lucky enough to be quoted on the paperback. (Read my review here.) And then her second book, Sing Me to Sleep, was released last year, and I was once again blown away by the emotion and power of Morrison's writing. (Read my review here.)

So, I was incredibly disappointed when Morrison announced that unfortunately, her publisher, Penguin, was not going to purchase the sequel to Taken by Storm. I hoped they would change their minds, because although Taken by Storm leaves Leesie and Michael in a good place, if Morrison wanted to write more about them, I wanted to read it! Well, they didn't, but Morrison has gone ahead and published Unbroken Connection anyways! It's available on Amazon, both in paperback and as a (very cheap!) Kindle e-book! So, without further ado, here's my review!

Michael and Leesie are trying their very best to be just friends after their tumultuous senior year. Leesie is living her dream at BYU and Michael has the perfect job as a dive instructor, traveling on ships all over the world. But they can't seem to leave each other alone, through late night chats and long distance phone calls. Michael is ready to take the next step in their relationship and ask the big question, and Leesie wants to say yes...but are they too young? And are they both willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make their relationship succeed?

Fans of Taken by Storm will be happy to see Michael and Leesie's romance continue in Unbroken Connection, and they'll be rooting for them at the start as the couple struggles to keep in contact despite the thousands of miles of distance between them. The very beginning does seem to be a bit bogged down by the constant declarations of love and the expression of worries for the future, and the interactions between Leesie and Michael and Leesie and her brother Phil do get a little sappy at times. But, the book really picks up when Michael and Leesie begin to really make steps toward compromise and realize that they still need to do some growing up if they want to make their relationship work. Religion plays a much larger role in Unbroken Connection than it did in the prequel, though it focuses more on the miracle and beauty of it than the theology. This one is heavy on the romance, and there are a few smaller subplots that aren't very well fleshed out, though Morrison throws in a twist toward the end that is shocking, heartbreaking, and will change everything for Leesie and Michael. Readers will want to have the third and final book, Cayman Summer, on hand by the time they finish this second book, and will most likely be wishing for a boyfriend as devoted, romantic, and generous as Michael.

Cover Comments: I really like how this cover matches the paperback edition of Taken by Storm--it's very pretty and professional-looking!

Digital copy purchased.

If anyone has a Kindle and they'd like to read this, you can purchase it for only $3, or I can lend my Kindle copy to you! Email me if you're interested!

Also, you can follow Angela's blog (click here) to read Cayman Summer as she writes it. She's still writing, but she has estimated that it will be available to purchase sometime later this year!