Book Review - Taken by Storm

Title: Taken By Storm
Author: Angela Morrison
Series: Taken by Storm (book 1)
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release Date: 2 July 2012
ASIN: B008H5MVZW

 Synopsis
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.  

My Review
I did a tour stop for this book sometime last year and received a free copy, I've just got round to it on my pile. It was one that I wasn't sure I wanted to read. I don't tend to do books that focus on religion as I find them too preachy. This book wasn't too preachy, it depicts the Morman faith well, but I felt there was a lot of repetition. One of the main characters Leesie brings up her faith in practically every sentence, 'no my faith doesn't allow it', 'I can't it's not what we believe'... that sort of thing (not direct quotes). There were times when I was literally reading the book and saying to myself "yes I get it, move on now."
Michael however is not religious, his parents have just died in an accident and he is fighting off depression and despair. However, I found him to be a complete ass. He knows about Leesie's religion from the beginning but instead of accepting it and moving on he is sure he 'needs' her, and then gets annoyed when she says no. And when it comes to her future plans he more or less tells her at one point that she is selfish for following her dreams if it means leaving him. I mean, get over yourself dude!
The actual writing in this book was very well done, a mix of poetry and prose that actually works very well together. The author obviously has great talent in that area, but for me the characters irritated me a lot. THey had their moments when I could see the plus side, but mostly I didn't like them.
This book was short at just 186 pages which is why I finished it to be honest, by the time I reached my 'trial' period (I always read at least 100 pages of a book) I was already over halfway so I thought I might as well go all the way, although it took me 4 days, which is a lot for me, should have been able to read it in 2 hours at that length. 
The ending does get better and I liked the character development and changes that happen in the last couple of chapters, it's just a long time coming.
I don't think I'll read other books based on religion, I respect people's religions and hope people respect mine, but reading about them just didn't work for me. 

Of course, if that is what you enjoy, then you will probably love this book, but for me it just didn't hit the spot.

My Rating