Posted on  20/08/2024 15:31:25

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

WARNING: This review contains spoilers!

My first book by Pamela Morsi and it was quite a mixed bag! There are quite a few things I loved about it, and some I really hated.

The plot is relatively simple:
The last thing widow Althea Winsloe wanted to do was remarry. Unfortunately, her meddlesome mountain neighbors had other plans. So, one autumn night they banded together and gave Althea a shocking ultimatum: She was to find herself a husband by Christmas...or the town would do it for her!

And here was my first problem with this book. Because, as an independent strong-headed woman I kept wanting to tell all those meddlesome well-wishing neighbors:

But then the author gave us Jess! I haven't read the first book of this series and this was my first meeting with Jess. And boy, did he leave an impression.
I LOVED JESS!!

Simple slow witted Jess was a delight to read! His innocent understanding of the world and human nature, as well as his wonderful heart were extraordinary!

The story told from his perspective was simple, charming, uplifting and above all else, it felt real! Jess as a character felt real. His frustration at himself was heartbreaking!
"Stupid mind, he thought to himself. Stupid Jesse's mind doesn't work right. Doesn't think right. He clenched his teeth and tightened his fists in frustration. Stupid, stupid mind."

His emotions, thoughts, insecurity and at times childish ways... From speech to way of thinking, from curiosity to confusion and doubt... KUDOS to the author for getting them head on! And I am talking from real-life experience here, since my own son is just like Jess.

Jesse's tale made me both cry as well as laugh out loud at times.
I wanted to trash the so-called nice folk who called him "feebleminded, simple, slow-witted and unsound" straight to his face with complete and utter disregard of any feelings he might have. And I wanted to rant at the entire community for the way they behaved with him at times. His gentle innocence brought a smile to my lips more than once. And the way everybody seemed to use him at times and take him for granted made all my hackles rise!

Sweet and gentle Jess starts working for Althea to earn the pack of hunting dogs that had belonged to her late husband. Because Jess had always dreamed of having his own dogs. And because Jess liked Miz Althea.

And here is the second problem I had with this book: widow Althea Winsloe!
She was a bit too proud and self-centered and all-knowing for my taste. And I could have gotten past all that, because she also had a past and quite a few reasons for her aloofness; except that she was one among the many who mistreated Jess. She also took him for granted, just as the others did, and despite everything the young man did for her, at over two thirds of the story, she still considered that:
He probably could be a husband, she thought. Some not very bright girl would surely be lucky to find such as him.

Prejudice and assumption make a very strong point in this story and they are both a bit difficult to read at times. I'll take them any day when they are followed by repentance and at least a little "heartfelt sorry". But both Althea and the Marrying Stone people fall short on this account. There is acceptance here and even understanding, but no regrets whatsoever and just to say it straight... that sucks!

The other major problem I had was with the side characters and particularly Eben Baxley.

I loved the fact that the author managed to add a gay character into a rigid community that doesn't take well to change. But Oather Phillips himself fell short in the end and turned out to be a little coward who'd rather leave than own it. Despite what his sister did for him and how low she sunk to help him out, he chose to turn his back on her and leave it all behind.


And as Eben Baxley goes,

I hated and cannot condone the rape scene! And NO! Crying about it afterwards and telling "I'm so sorry!" doesn't do squat when in the end the SOB insists the woman had actually had her way! There is no punishment to treating a woman like a whore, no reaction to debasing her that way! I really could have done with at least a few broken teeth and a solid kick in the balls!

In the end, it was 5 heartfelt stars for Jess and a low dirty star for the rest.

Check out this book and more of Pamela Morsi on www.pamelamorsi.com