Review: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Publisher: Egmont USA
Release Date: June 14th, 2011
Number of Pages: 387
How I got this Book: Library
My Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Summary:

"One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?"

Review:

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I'll be honest...it's been a little while since I've read this - I'm trying to catch up on some review writing. I'm working on a batch of books that I read "for fun" and hadn't gotten around to posting about yet, but think they are worth talking about! I don't think I need to go in depth about this book - there are tons of reviews out there, but here are some of my thoughts...

It was definitely different from anything I've read! I liked the whole "I see dead people" thing, and I felt really bad for Emerson because obviously it's driven her a wee bit cuckoo - she was even locked up in an institution for awhile! Anyway, her older brother hires Michael, a consultant from this organization called the Hourglass who supposedly can help her. Michael and Emerson immediately feel a "spark" and forge a relationship that goes beyond one of business. They realize that they need each other - in many different ways.

There were a few parts that I thought dragged in the book, but it was mostly pretty exciting. I loved the romance - Michael seemed pretty darn hot! :) There were many parts that had me sighing because he was very romantic. I liked Emerson as a character. She started the book more or less broken - she was still very much grieving the loss of her parents, and she had recently returned from the mental hospital. But, by the end of the book, she was like a whole new woman. She was still grieving, of course - but she realized the strength she had within herself. I liked that about her.

I have the ARC of the sequel, Timepiece, on my kindle, and I am looking forward to reading it!