Hourglass - Myra McEntire + GIVEAWAY

Summary:  Since the age of fourteen, Emerson Cole has seen strange things -- dead things -- swooning Southern Belles, soldiers, and other eerie apparitions of the past.  She's tried everything to get rid of the visions: medication, counseling, asylums.  Nothing's worked.

So when Emerson's well-meaning brother calls in yet another consultant from a mysterious organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to give it one last try.

Michael Weaver is no ordinary consultant.  He's barely older than she is, he listens like no one she's ever met before, and he doesn't make her feel the least bit crazy.  As Emerson ventures deeper into the world of the Hourglass, she begins to learn the truth about her past, her future -- and her very life.

My Review:  I'm scared to say something this monumental, but I think Hourglass might be my new favorite YA paranormal romance. With nary a vampire or sex scene in sight, Myra McEntire delivers a steamy time-slip romance with a delightfully feisty, fearless, and charismatic heroine. Despite her tragic past and unexplained visions, Emerson Cole is a fascinating character, brimming with witty remarks, hidden talents, and fierce determination. Her personality is everything that I love in female characters: strong, candid, delightfully sarcastic, funny, and sincere. When fate teams Emerson with Michael Weaver, an undeniably attractive consultant hired to help her with her "vision problem," she receives answers that defy rational explanation.

Sometimes books about time travel or time distortion can feel unbelievable within the context of the story (see my review of The Hourglass Door by a different author). I don't want to give away much of the story, but was surprised by how easy it was to accept the paranormal aspects of this book. It helped that Emerson herself was skeptical and made all the objections that my mind was likely to raise.

Both Michael and Kaleb, his best friend, fill their roles as romantic interests ever so well. Seriously. At times I didn’t know who to root for, and contented myself with the thought that whoever Emerson ended up with, I would take the other one (in an alternate universe where I’m not married with children and way too old for them).

I read this book in around two days. It might have been faster if my children didn’t require such ridiculous things as food, attention, and rides to school. I finally had to put in a movie to distract them (don’t judge me!) and speed through the last third of the book because there was no way I was going to be able to function without knowing how it ended. While the conclusion felt rushed, I think that had less to do with the writing and more to do with the intense plot and the fact that I was frantic to find out what would happen before my girls came back upstairs.

Hourglass resolves its major conflict, but leaves the door open for more of Michael and Emerson and for development of other characters (Kaleb and Lily, please!?!). I will probably be buying my own hard copy of this book (my review copy had some typos) and will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

For the sensitive reader: Some swearing of the biblical variety (Hey, donkeys are in the Bible)

Sum it up: If you like YA paranormal romance, especially the kind where people keep their clothes on, you’ll love Hourglass.

_____________________________

Would you like to win a signed copy of Hourglass?

_____________________________

To enter:

• Leave a comment on this post (and be sure to leave your contact information)

For extra entries (leave SEPARATE comments for each entry):

• Be (or quickly become) a follower of this blog via Google or Blogged (see right sidebar)
• Post about this giveaway on your public blog, facebook, twitter, or other social networking site.
• Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Eligibility/Rules:  This giveaway is open to US residents only.  It will end on June 30th, 2011 at 11:59pm.  The winner will be chosen randomly, posted publicly, and contancted swiftly to arrange shipping.