I met Mourning Gloria in its infancy, when Katie sent it to me in an email. The first few drafts were very different to this work sitting next to me on the table, completed and bound with a beautiful cover. This baby’s not a baby anymore.
Katie’s hard work is evident throughout the pages, starting with a prologue that sets the stage for…well, honestly, a bit of dread. It opens with a funeral. No other details of the dearly departed or the sea of grievers. That would be too kind, giving you information about what’s happening. Oh, no, Katie makes you read this entire novel knowing that it started with a funeral, and where will it end?
A nice lil’ summary of the book via the synopsis on the back: “Gloria Westerly doesn’t have a friend in the world before moving to Century City. Though living with her aunt on the property of the wealthy family she works for is odd, stranger still is the mansion’s only occupant. While there is certainly a story to the Rigbys’ son, Adam, Gloria is distracted entering her final year of high school when she meets the carefree troublemaker, Edge Rider. Like Adam, Edge can tell there’s more to Gloria under the surface. If anyone can dig deep enough to understand her past trauma, it would be Edge. However, Gloria has no way of knowing that getting closer to him means stepping into a feud between friends; one centered around Adam Rigby and Edge’s legal guardian, Jet Veron. Adam warns Gloria to get out while she can, but it’s too late. She’s already in.”
The thing I enjoy about Katie’s book, and many other books, is the mixture of humor and pain. If I were to give life a tagline, it’d be, “Life: You’ll laugh and you’ll cry.” So if you’re looking for a book that perfectly illustrates what life is, Mourning Gloria is a great example. Snarky humor entertains me, and to have characters like Jet, Adam, and Edge (is their bark worse than their bite? Read to decide) gave me the kind of characters I wanted to read about, to hear from.
One small negative would be that my favorite pair isn’t in this book a lot. Because I know the author, I got to witness a lot of behind-the-scenes action and got to know the characters in much more detail than most. Blake and Daniel are my favorite! But I can always hope that maybe, just maybe, Katie will write a sequel and I can get more of them. *crossing fingers*
But that is just testament to the kind of characters Katie has created. You want to know what happens to them, you can visualize them, and you feel for them.
And you might just want to reach in and steal them from Miss Katie Michelle. I know I’ve tried.
If you’re looking for a new read, and like supporting indie writers, please check out Mourning Gloria by Katie Michelle.
Swing by her website at www.ktmichelle.com and stay tuned for more projects of hers. I’m proud of her! And she’s going to come out with some excellent novels. Mourning Gloria is definitely a strong first with a five star rating from yours truly.
ASHTON WIDDISON 