are your dreams really your own or are they what others in your life want for you?
After working her way across the Atlantic on a luxury cruise ship, talented American pianist Zara Keller gets invited to entertain at a posh English manor for the weekend. Zara’s painful past has given her good reason not to trust the rich, but meeting Lady Jillian Stansfield just might change her mind. Jillian is happy for her friends Constance and Nelson’s engagement, but can’t help feeling that she wants something more for herself than the responsibilities of her social position. Everyone, from her father to the family housekeeper, expects her to marry Clive, the bad boy of their “gang of four,” but after meeting Zara, Jillian she feels something much stronger than obligation. Both Jill and Zara are caught between attraction and apprehension, but will they yield to the forces that want them to part company or surrender to their yearning for each other?
REVIEWS
It took me a little bit to get into this book as it had quite a few characters and shifting perspectives. However once I did, I was completely taken with Zara and Jillian’s romance. It’s complex and layered, but that’s the appeal. They are strong women with vastly different lifestyles and experiences, yet they have a connection that can not be denied. No matter how hard others try to discourage the romance, it seems the flame between them can not be extinguished. Their desire for one another is too strong. All of the family drama and tangled friendships only help add to this compelling romance.
Overall the storytelling in A Perfect Fifth is solid; Morrison is a strong writer. However, her greatest strength in this novel is her elegant and magical use of music. She integrates it into the narrative quite beautifully. Its inclusion gives the story a depth that most music lovers will not be able to resist.
Reviewed by C007
I stayed up way too late reading this the other night. I had to finish it before following asleep. I loved all of it! The characters. The romance. The pacing. The friendships. The angst and lesbian drama. It was amazing! I loved the slow burn romance and then the obstacles that kept the two apart about broke my own heart. I was rooting hard for them, and all of the other elements/characters worked perfectly to move the story along. Definitely recommend.
Reviewed by L. S.
“Even broken things are beautiful when they find their place.”
REVIEWS
I loved The Found Jar!
It’s Jaycie Morrison’s fourth novel, but her first contemporary
romance and her first written in first person.
Emily is a deeply damaged, wildly successful author whose
writing is imbued with and fired by her inner demons. She has surrounded herself with friends who tolerate her foibles and
an agent who feeds off her darkness - and wants her to stay
just as she is.
A summer on the Outer Banks beaches of North Carolina with
this circle of friends is where she meets Beck. Beck is also
damaged but is sweetness and light to Emily’s dark heart.
Emily doesn’t like herself and struggles to understand what
Beck sees in her. She pushes Beck away even as she wants her
closer. Beck shows extraordinary courage and resilience in
dealing with her own challenges and in trying to understand the chameleon that Emily is with her.
Readers of Morrison’s Love and Courage series will know to stick
in there with Emily and urge her on to finally connect with her
better self.
A great story.
Reviewed by M. I.
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Two divides perfectly into four, not five.
Past fears keep Emily Harris trapped in her emotionally vacant life; can she find the courage to let the goodness of Beck Reynolds, a small-town local, guide her to something new—and better?
Horror romance writer Emily Harris hides her fears and her pain behind a prickly persona. Her small circle of friends are accustomed to her need for privacy, but manage to convince her to join them for a summer on the Outer Banks. After meeting Beck Reynolds, the local housekeeper for her rental property, Emily grudgingly begins to see life a little differently. But no matter how charming—and attractive—Beck is, Emily knows she has nothing worthwhile to offer in return. Can she disclose her many failings to Beck without breaking both their hearts?
Beck’s simple beach life includes saving for a boat of her own and avoiding the town bullies. Being with a woman like Emily is as unlikely as winning the Presidential Arts Foundation Award—especially since Emily seems determined to run her off. She’ll be leaving after the summer anyway, so who is she trying to protect?