Monday, May 28, 2012

The Perfect Circle by Nicolle Morock

Happy Memorial Day boys and girls! 

I wanted to take a moment and pass along a quick recommendation for Nicolle Morock's book The Perfect Circle.  The book is available on Amazon, Kindle, Lulu.com, and all the other usual places.

Nicolle is a Raleigh area writer, blogger, paranormal investigator, and if you follow her Facebook posts may be busier than any other human being I've met in quite a while.

Make sure you take a few minutes to check out her book and show some love to another of our area scribblers!

I'm posting my review for her book on both Lulu and Goodreads.  Be sure that once you've read it you do the same!

Have a great afternoon and don't bust from the barbecue!


Review from Goodreads.com (4/5 stars)

Have you ever had a good experience that you knew could have been amazing?  That was my reaction to The Perfect Circle.  Nicolle Morock’s supernatural investigation story left me feeling as if I had been on the guided tour of a theme park but couldn’t ride any of the rides because the lines were too long and the tour bus was leaving in five minutes. 
First and foremost the story itself is driven by a classic ghost story of a love triangle gone wrong.  The narrative is driven strongly by dialogue with just enough exposition to keep things moving without bogging the reader down in details.  Rose, the protagonist, is the most well rounded of all of the characters the author presents the reader with over the story’s arc.  Rose spends a lot of her time in her own head, either in memories or visions, which lend a lot to the story.  She also has a tendency to talk about her life and experiences a bit too openly to complete strangers, but it’s crafted in such a way that it moves the plot along nicely without breaking believability.  I liked the way the author used the hawk sightings as sign posts to let Rose know when she was on track toward solving the mystery behind her visions.  I also enjoyed the way that Rose immediately immersed herself in the people around her and wasn’t aloof.  It lent a lot of credibility to her both as a character and as a paranormal investigator and collector of stories.
My two issues with the book are pretty simple and while they were distracting, they were not so major as to destroy the story.  The first is the fact that all of the major characters, when compared to Rose, are merely set dressing.  It’s as if the author created a great character in Rose and gave her paper dolls to play with.  I think this is part of why I said I was left wanting more.  Logan, Joseph, and Hale in particular, had the author given us more of them and their stories, had all the makings of great characters that were left unrealized.  My second complaint was with the relationship between Rose and Logan.  I could never buy into the fact that they were anything more than travel companions and bedmates.  They never “felt” like a couple and even though the author did a great job of filing in the gaps with explanations why the relationship was so casual I felt like it damaged the story because the lack of intimacy made his explosion at the climax of the story a bit contrived.
The Perfect Circle is a good ride but leaves the reader wanting just a little bit more.  The story is solid and even with a few minor distractions Rose’s quest through South Dakota is still a satisfying experience.  All said, I would definitely recommend the book and  it has me looking forward to the next work from this author.


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