Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison

Title: Taken by Storm

Author: Angela Morrison

Published: March 2009

Source: The library

Synopsis from goodreads:

Leesie Hunt has many rules: No kissing. No sex. No dating outside the Mormon faith.

When Michael Walden—a deep-sea diver who lost his parents in a violent hurricane—arrives in town, Leesie sees someone who needs her. They fall for one another, even though his dreams are tied to the depths of the ocean and hers to salvation above.

Will their intense chemistry be too strong to resist?

Leesie and Michael must make the hardest choice of their lives: whether to follow their beliefs or their hearts.

Readers will be swept away by this tale of forbidden romance told in online chats, Leesie’s chapbook poems, and Michael’s dive log. It’s as steamy as Twilight and just as clean.

Taken by Storm is unlike any book I've ever read. It's told through Michael's journal-like dive log, Leesie's poems, and online chats. One thing that really surprised me was that reading Leesie's short poems gave me just as much insight into her character as reading the longer, more detailed accounts in Michael's dive log gave me into his.

Now, I'm not a religious person, I'm not even sure what my beliefs are, so the fact that one of the characters is a devout Mormon could have been a deal breaker. But it wasn't. Leesie's religion was part of her character, just like Michael's non religion was a part of his. I never felt like I was being preached to, or that the author was trying to convert me, which could have easily been the case.

The romance between Leesie and Michael was a whirlwind, and very, very complicated. She couldn't do more than kiss with both feet on the floor, he didn't think that there could be love without sex. That led to some interesting scenes. They definitely weren't perfect by far, but they worked. Michael grieving his parents death was a big part of it too. He needed her to help him through it.

The storyline is great and the characters are real. I finished it last night and I'm still thinking about it. The one time I had to walk away from it I couldn't focus on anything else. I would highly recommend this book to fans of romance.

Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 8/10
Overall: 47/50 A
Title/Cover: 3/5 I like the title, but the cover just doesn't do it for me.