REVIEW: To The Cliffside (A Morganna Cork novel Volume 1) by B. Jane Lawson

Author: B. Jane Lawson

Series: Morganna Cork

Pages: 248

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: CreateSpace

Amazon: To The Cliffside

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Morganna Cork has lived twenty-four uneventful years in Los Angeles under the thumb of her overbearing mother. The only thing barring her from a totally average existence is that she’s got a secret, magical ability to heal herself and others. An encounter with her mother results in exile to the small coastal town of Puesta del Sol. There, she will be a guest and employee at the Cliffside Inn, owned by her estranged cousin Maeve. Morganna resigns herself to a winter of work and boredom in this one-horse town. Everything changes when she accidentally pulls into the driveway of the devastatingly sexy Callupo Stone. Instantly she is attracted to the infuriating man who makes no bones about his lack of interest, even if he seems to be right behind her at every turn. The sparks fly as she does her best to thwart his every attempt to corral her. She soon discovers that she’s not the only one with gifts. There is an entire community of people known as Magicks, each unique and powerful in their own right. As Morganna undertakes a journey of self-discovery and determination, she befriends Anya, the spunky, sassy, sometimes employee of the Cliffside and bearer of town gossip. Together, they begin to unearth the mysteries surrounding the strange reappearance of a vindictive villain, on a quest for power, in which Morganna finds herself directly in the middle. Simultaneously, they witness the succession struggles of a secret society, in which Callupo and many of their close friends are members, whose existence and purpose eludes them. Morganna undergoes a radical transformation of self as she becomes an unsuspecting participant in a Magickal war that has been thirty years in the making.

REVIEW: 4 out of 5 stars

To The Cliffside was kindly provided to me by the author, B. Jane Lawson in exchange for my honest review and is the first book in the Morganna Cork series.

24 year-old Morganna Cork has been sent to Puesta del Sol by her mother at the request of her estranged cousin, Maeve where she will spend a year assisting with the daily running of the Cliffside Inn. Morganna has spent most of her life hiding the fact she is able to heal herself, an ability she doesn’t quite understand so is surprised by the energy she is feeling by the people in the small town and starts to realize she isn’t the only person with magical secrets.

The first person Morganna meets when she inadvertently takes a wrong turn is Callupo Stone. He is gorgeous, rugged, arrogant and rude but boy did he have my attention! I really liked the mystery surrounding him and wanted to know what he was and what the challenges he was participating in were actually for.

Morganna was an enjoyable main protagonist, she was certainly taking a journey of self discovery and it was nice to see the changes she was making throughout the book, both magically and personally.

I loved the secondary characters! Maeve was wonderful and I instantly took a liking to her as I did to Cal’s brother Ralph who was an absolute sweetie. Morganna’s new best friend Anya was a classic – I loved her mirror. Vito, Mr Henry as well as the villains were also written well.

I was so eager to learn more about the mystery shrouding the town of Puesta del Sol, it was all a big secret and the towns’ people were quite evasive – I found myself playing a big guessing game which I really liked. The plot was enjoyable and the big reveal certainly held my attention. I literally read this book in one sitting I was so intrigued.

All in all, Ms Lawson has created a quick and enjoyable read, I really enjoyed the magical aspects, the pacing of the book was consistent; it immediately caught my attention from the first page and certainly held it. It was clever and original with all of the paranormals I have come to enjoy and I loved the writing style. This book literally has everything and I really hope the sequel won’t be too far off. The ending is left open and there are so many questions I still have about this world and the wonderful characters.

I am really looking forward to reading more books by B.Jane Lawson.

 Obtained: Author