Morning Glory Indeed

This morning my computer was refusing to be my friend. On our side blog feed I saw that Proromantica had a blog post about Morning Glory by LaVryle Spencer and I wanted to read it but my computer wouldn't load the page. But just seeing the title brought back a rush of feelings for that book that made me want to write about it.

Morning Glory is the story of Elly and Will. It's during the depression when towns were small, money was tight and crazy widow ladies lived outside the accepted boundaries with their lives in disrepair.

Elly is the crazy widow lady with a blossoming pregnant belly and a child already. Will is an ex-convict, recently out of the pokey and being cheated out of his wages by judgemental townsfolk.

Elly advertises for a husband because she can't keep up with her property and she needs a man around. Will needs somewhere to be and someone kind to take him in.

It isn't a modern romance at all, it's one where people are flawed and love is patient. They learn to live together and reveal themselves to each other. Elly's fear of the world is forced to the forefront when Will goes off to fight in WWII. Elly must learn to cope and not hide and toward the end she even learns to stand up for herself and those she loves.

Will has a smaller growth cycle since he's already self-realized but he's an amazing character nonetheless. He begins more as a whipped puppy and becomes an integral part of the community and Elly's heart.

The murder subplot is the only failing of the book because it was too obvious and unnecessary. But to read Will and Elly falling in love is classic. If you haven't read it, do.

***as a post-script, I finally got to Magdalena's Proromantica page and the review is written by a male guest reviewer and not as glowing as mine. *sigh* Men just don't get romance, really.