Review: Long, wonderful book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 19, 2014
I have reached the point where, if a book is not a minimum of 300 pages, it is not giving me enough character development and I "pass" on buying it.  It's an easy litmus test, so authors: take note.  Under Locke is 480 pages.  (For $2.99). There is so much character development it's like a hot tub after a long day, a two-hour massage, a warm breezy afternoon in a padded chaise lounge by a Florida pool -- it's a fictional indulgence.  When I had to take a break from reading, I looked forward to picking it up again.  Two words for this first-time, hardworking author: thank you.Since I do not automatically buy MC books, the way I love books about rock stars and Hollywood actors, I used the Amazon free sample option to take Under Locke for a spin.  The sample is roughly formatted (when you buy the book it's conventionally typeset) but the character, Iris, shines through the early pages with her sensitive, intelligent, shy 26-year-old voice.  It grabbed me.  It gets even better with Iris as you go.Iris has had more tough breaks than any character I can remember reading about.  Dex, her boss, makes that same point -- her life has been crummy for 16 years.  But Iris has grown up knowing she was loved and that has formed her personality to give her a sense of confidence and hope for the future.  Everyone loves a character who can overcome obstacles and comes out the other side in one piece.  You will like reading about Iris, her new adventure moving from Florida to Austin and the people she meets and works with, and the one she falls in love with, there.