Review: Persuaded by Misty Dawn Pulsipher

Posted January 20, 2015 by Lillian in Reviews / 2 Comments

I received this book via I Am a Reader. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Review: Persuaded by Misty Dawn PulsipherPersuaded by Misty Dawn Pulsipher
Published by Self Publish on 2014-07-25
Length: 337 pages
Reviewing eARC from I Am a Reader
Rating:
Reading Challenges: COYER Winter 2014-2015

What's worse than never getting over your first love?
How about watching him fall for someone else...

Hanna Elliot had worn the ring faithfully at first. Some part of her still clung to the hope that all was not lost. As the days turned into weeks, she finally took it off and set it atop her dresser. When weeks gave way to months, the ring finally went back into its box, where it gathered dust until it was moved to Hanna’s unmentionables drawer. For the first few years, she had taken it out on the anniversary of the day she’d received it, allowing herself to wallow in what might have been.

She had been all but stamped out of Derick Wentworth’s mind.
Sure, he thought about her occasionally, especially on cloudless nights when he lay on the bow of the Laconia looking up at the stars. But as time went on, Derick began to feel grateful that it hadn’t worked out, for one thing was certain: if he ever did settle down, it would be with someone who knew her own mind. Someone who went after the thing she wanted without hesitation. Someone who would never allow herself to be persuaded otherwise.

Persuaded, a modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion.

Persuaded by Misty Dawn Pulsipher is a modern day re-telling of the Jane Austen classic Persuasion and follows the relationship of Hanna Elliot and Captain Derick Wentworth. Hanna is a school teacher, 28, and unmarried, heading to the beach to spend the summer with her younger sister and her family when she runs into her ex. Derick is an accomplished sailor, winning the American Cup, but now he is looking for a summer out of the limelight, so he heads to Old Lyme Beach to spend the summer with his sister and her family when he sees the woman who broke his heart standing on the beach.

I have to say I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The characters, the storyline, the seamless way the author retold the classic story flowed together and created an all new story to love. Hanna is quirky, has little self-confidence, but her kindness attracts every man she meets. The failed engagement/whirlwind romance between herself and Derick has left her single at 28 without a family of her own. She had no closure, he just disappeared with nothing but a vague note. For years she held out hope that he might come back for her, but it became painfully obvious when she started to see his name on TV that it would never happen. Now she’s closed off her heart and mind to the possibility of having her own family and starting a new relationship.

Derick has done everything in his power to forget Hanna, sailing to the ends of the earth to do so. And he thought he’d done a pretty good job of it until he sees her on the beach and then all those feelings come crashing back down. He left because she didn’t stand up for him, or at least that’s what he thinks because he only heard part of the conversation. So in true, young man, anger he throws his phone in the ocean and sails away with the plan of never looking back. Now when his life is hectic and crazy because he’s in the media, he finds her again. Only this time he plans to avoid her as much as possible and begins dating a woman ten-years his junior.

The whole romance is set on the beach in the summer as Hanna and Derick try, but fail, to avoid each other. Their families become friends and they are forced to spend time together. It isn’t until Derick confronts Hanna about their engagement (something their families do not know about) that the truth about what happened – why Derick left and why Hanna did what she did – that they each get closure. It’s a sweet romance and I found myself hurting for both characters throughout. I couldn’t take a side as each of them had valid arguments and they were both wrong.

Overall I enjoyed Hanna’s and Derick’s story, reading as it developed. It was sweet, swoon-worthy, and of course left me with a warm-feeling at the end. If you enjoy Jane Austen and retellings or you’re looking for a contemporary romance for your next read, I highly suggest this one!

Now you’ll have to excuse me. I do believe it is way past time for a Jane Austen binge read 😉

About Misty Dawn Pulsipher

Misty Dawn Pulsipher was born and raised in Utah. She attended Snow College where she developed a love for writing. Misty served as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Washington, D.C. area. She and her husband now reside in Maryland with their three children, two dogs, and the colony of squirrels that lives in their back yard. When she's not writing or procrastinating an edit, Misty is reading, baking, sewing, playing the piano, or bribing her family to play Monopoly with her.

 

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2 responses to “Review: Persuaded by Misty Dawn Pulsipher

  1. Okay, I admit at first I didn’t think this would be my type of story. I will hang my head in shame at acknowledging I read the classic romances only when I had to for classes. *blush* Sorry.

    But now, your review intrigued me. It sounds like a truly charming love story for all ages. Truth is everyone misreads situations all the time but we rarely get the chance to fix that.

    This is definitely going on my want list. Thanks for showing me a great new discovery. 🙂
    Marsha recently posted…Taking Part in the Taking Control of your TBR Pile Challenge

    • I think you’ll enjoy especially if you like contemporary romance (this one is clean!). Also it’s a lot easier to understand than the original Jane Austen 😉 Hope you enjoy it!

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