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Finding Home
An alternate cover edition of ASIN B081S5KX1W can be found here
A rich tapestry of wit, grit, and humor...
Twenty-four-year old Phoebe Hawley is on a quest to find her family a home. On the road with two siblings, twelve-year-old Maydean and five-year-old Willie-Boy, Phoebe is out of money, out of gas, and out of patience. The only things she owns in abundance are backbone and pride--neither of which she can trade for food or gas.
A collision with Gage Morgan puts Phoebe's mission in even worse jeopardy--until Phoebe discovers Gage owns the perfect place for her clan. However, she soon discovers that Gage is the unlikeliest man in the universe to offer a helping hand.
Phoebe wields all the country smarts she owns to worm her way into Gage's heart, but nothing works. With time running against her family, she plies one last inducement--her scarce feminine wiles.
A rich tapestry of wit, grit, and humor...
Twenty-four-year old Phoebe Hawley is on a quest to find her family a home. On the road with two siblings, twelve-year-old Maydean and five-year-old Willie-Boy, Phoebe is out of money, out of gas, and out of patience. The only things she owns in abundance are backbone and pride--neither of which she can trade for food or gas.
A collision with Gage Morgan puts Phoebe's mission in even worse jeopardy--until Phoebe discovers Gage owns the perfect place for her clan. However, she soon discovers that Gage is the unlikeliest man in the universe to offer a helping hand.
Phoebe wields all the country smarts she owns to worm her way into Gage's heart, but nothing works. With time running against her family, she plies one last inducement--her scarce feminine wiles.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1987
About the author
Jackie Weger
38 books325 followersI would rather write an obit than my bio, mostly because I'm one of the most boring souls you'll ever meet. I have been to interesting places and met interesting people, but none of it rubbed off on me. Some of those places and some of those people found their way into characters or settings in my romance novels which lends me about an inch of panache--on the table below the salt. With family or solo, I've traveled since I was about eleven. I spent years living abroad in Central America in little jungle villages absorbing the native culture and language. I spent months on off-islands and sailed in the Pacific with a friend until his sloop sank--not with us on it--thank goodness. I spent a New Year's in Montreal, a summer semester in the U.K and a few glorious days in Paris before returning Stateside to finish a degree in history, then it was off to Panama and Costa Rica. While my passport is always handy, I've settled down in Texas to be near my family. Since I'm sitting still, I've plugged in my laptop and started writing again. After an absence of a few years, I've jumped back into the publishing world which has changed dramatically. I love the changes. In the past, category romance novels had a shelf life between yogurt and ice cream, but with the advent of e-books they can live on the Web for years. I'm excited to be publishing my backlist. I'm working on a new novel. I live with a man, a dog, seven feral cats and go to Bingo on Friday night. The most exciting thing that's happened in my life recently is a cow wandered into my yard and ate my garden. See what I mean about being boring?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 524 reviews
June 6, 2020
4,25 stars - English Ebook 🦋🌹🦋
A young girl in the beginning of her 20-ties has her siblings in the back of their car. Promised her Ma and Pa to take care of them but has no gas, no food and no job. Than she runs into a man, and she cons him, he knows but still lets her in to the house and with his young daughter. He does not count his blessings, a that food, devices ect. She whants him to be her husband but he does not sees her, or does he? 🦋🌹🦋
Lovely romance to read. Liked the girl who counts the blessings of the Lord and takes care of her family. 🦋🌹🦋
A young girl in the beginning of her 20-ties has her siblings in the back of their car. Promised her Ma and Pa to take care of them but has no gas, no food and no job. Than she runs into a man, and she cons him, he knows but still lets her in to the house and with his young daughter. He does not count his blessings, a that food, devices ect. She whants him to be her husband but he does not sees her, or does he? 🦋🌹🦋
Lovely romance to read. Liked the girl who counts the blessings of the Lord and takes care of her family. 🦋🌹🦋
November 29, 2014
Eye of the Beholder by Jackie Weger was originally published back in the 1980's. This book has been reissued in e book format and is self published.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the rural south, Phoebe and her younger siblings are out on their own, looking for a place to stay, when a minor fender bender puts Phoebe in debt to Gage Morgan.
He insist Phoebe pay him for the damage done to his truck, even though she is a very young woman out on the road with two younger children and obviously has no money or means to obtain any. Gage keeps Phoebe's bumper with the tags in his truck and won't return it until she pays him.
So, being proud and resourceful , Phoebe moves right in with Gage. She discovers that Gage is a widower and has a daughter. His house and yard are a mess, so Phoebe starts cooking and cleaning and taking care of Gage's daughter. But, life is hard on Phoebe because as each day passes, the more attracted she is to Gage, and meaner he is to her.
Gage's marriage was not a good one and he doesn't trust women, especially when it comes to money. Phoebe and Gage trade insults, argue and before either of them has a chance to think about it too hard, they are in love.
But, can Gage learn to trust Phoebe?
This book as I stated in the beginning was originally published in the 80's. If you keep that in mind you will be able to put some of the vernacular in context. Phoebe is obviously uneducated and poor with little opportunity to advance herself. She has old fashioned values and I do mean old fashioned. She thinks the way to win Gage over is by keeping the kids taken care of, cleaning the house, and cooking good meals.
She isn't opposed to working outside the home and does hard labor to earn money. But, she has a terrible vocabulary and talks like she just crawled out of a cave.
For the contemporary reader today, this book will probably appear dated. If you give the book a chance though, you will see that it is a charming old fashioned romance. Yes, the rural locations and obvious backwards living is silly, since today most people, even in the most extreme rural areas have internet access and cell phones. Things simply aren't done this way anymore. But, for me this made story more charming, since it reminds us of a time when life was simpler in some ways, sort of like a Mayberry kind of feeling. There were no college educations, and the thought didn't even enter the minds of many people at one time. But, if you strip all the dated material away and focus on the story, you will see that love is ageless and timeless. There were some really funny moments in the story and of course there was a rather unconventional HEA.
There is some sexual content, but it's mostly a sweet love story with children making the situations funnier and showing the difference that a strong man and woman could make in their lives.
Overall this is a B.
About the author: Jackie wrote for Harlequin during the 80's and then her life took a different path. She now interested in getting back into writing and has found the times have really changed. Jackie has several different e books available in the kindle store. These a romances are varied in style and context.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the rural south, Phoebe and her younger siblings are out on their own, looking for a place to stay, when a minor fender bender puts Phoebe in debt to Gage Morgan.
He insist Phoebe pay him for the damage done to his truck, even though she is a very young woman out on the road with two younger children and obviously has no money or means to obtain any. Gage keeps Phoebe's bumper with the tags in his truck and won't return it until she pays him.
So, being proud and resourceful , Phoebe moves right in with Gage. She discovers that Gage is a widower and has a daughter. His house and yard are a mess, so Phoebe starts cooking and cleaning and taking care of Gage's daughter. But, life is hard on Phoebe because as each day passes, the more attracted she is to Gage, and meaner he is to her.
Gage's marriage was not a good one and he doesn't trust women, especially when it comes to money. Phoebe and Gage trade insults, argue and before either of them has a chance to think about it too hard, they are in love.
But, can Gage learn to trust Phoebe?
This book as I stated in the beginning was originally published in the 80's. If you keep that in mind you will be able to put some of the vernacular in context. Phoebe is obviously uneducated and poor with little opportunity to advance herself. She has old fashioned values and I do mean old fashioned. She thinks the way to win Gage over is by keeping the kids taken care of, cleaning the house, and cooking good meals.
She isn't opposed to working outside the home and does hard labor to earn money. But, she has a terrible vocabulary and talks like she just crawled out of a cave.
For the contemporary reader today, this book will probably appear dated. If you give the book a chance though, you will see that it is a charming old fashioned romance. Yes, the rural locations and obvious backwards living is silly, since today most people, even in the most extreme rural areas have internet access and cell phones. Things simply aren't done this way anymore. But, for me this made story more charming, since it reminds us of a time when life was simpler in some ways, sort of like a Mayberry kind of feeling. There were no college educations, and the thought didn't even enter the minds of many people at one time. But, if you strip all the dated material away and focus on the story, you will see that love is ageless and timeless. There were some really funny moments in the story and of course there was a rather unconventional HEA.
There is some sexual content, but it's mostly a sweet love story with children making the situations funnier and showing the difference that a strong man and woman could make in their lives.
Overall this is a B.
About the author: Jackie wrote for Harlequin during the 80's and then her life took a different path. She now interested in getting back into writing and has found the times have really changed. Jackie has several different e books available in the kindle store. These a romances are varied in style and context.
January 2, 2020
I love discovering new books and authors. This was an easy, breezy, hilarious story that I read in one sitting. Phoebe has the weight of the world on her shoulders and will protect her family at any cost. She didn't count on her feelings for Gage, and the last thing he wanted was to feel the same. This is a hilarious tale when opposites attract. I loved this!!!
February 11, 2018
What was this lunacy I just read? This book was obviously fairly modern since Dora the Explorer was mentioned but other than that I would have thought this maybe took place in the 1910s or 1920s. The heroine had a car but was amazed that the hero had electricity. She talked like a girl from back in the hills in the 1800s. She called his penis a tallywhacker. All of her vocabulary was just as looney. Basically she was looking for somewhere to live with her whole family and decided on him. She basically just moved into his house with her brother and sister and wouldn't leave. He was hopeless against her. She sent off for the rest of her family and then hopped into bed with him and basically forced him to have sex with her. He was so beta that he just went along with it and fell in love with her. But I think he gave up and let her steamroller him and pretended it was love.
Whackadoodle. But still readable and it went pretty fast so I guess I'm not sorry I read it.
Whackadoodle. But still readable and it went pretty fast so I guess I'm not sorry I read it.
November 23, 2014
So, this is possibly the most bizarre romance novel I have ever read. The hero is the hero because his "tallywhacker" fills out his jeans nicely and he has electrical appliances and lots of land from which to run his junkyard. The heroine comes with her sister Maydean and brother Willie-Boy, looking for work because the cotton mills have closed. Most of the plot is fairly typical romance novel fare ("Will her lurv cure his lack of trust?"). What was most interesting to me, however, was my response to it. As I giggled and snorted through the first part of the novel, I realized that what was so funny to me was precisely what made this book different. It actually presented people from lower class America as people, as having the potential to be the main characters in a romance novel. In that, the novel made me re-evaluate some of my own perceptions about people from life circumstances that are different from my own.
And, to be honest, "tallywhacker" is pretty dang funny.
And, to be honest, "tallywhacker" is pretty dang funny.
February 26, 2020
Granted.
I only got to page eighteen.
But why the poor rating? Well. I struggle with books that like to throw in what they think is 'poor kid' vernacular. I struggle with books that make hick language an star item in dialogue, and while this book does feature three homeless kids on the road and it matches the author's chosen storyline--I don't feel like it works even a little.
There's so much presence put on the WAY that they speak, so much so that the story is nearly impossible to get into. It's so distracting. It's not well written and I couldn't get into the interaction of characters because the use of language was so poorly executed.
I like a good, rolling dialect as much as the next girl--but this not a good example of that.
I only got to page eighteen.
But why the poor rating? Well. I struggle with books that like to throw in what they think is 'poor kid' vernacular. I struggle with books that make hick language an star item in dialogue, and while this book does feature three homeless kids on the road and it matches the author's chosen storyline--I don't feel like it works even a little.
There's so much presence put on the WAY that they speak, so much so that the story is nearly impossible to get into. It's so distracting. It's not well written and I couldn't get into the interaction of characters because the use of language was so poorly executed.
I like a good, rolling dialect as much as the next girl--but this not a good example of that.
August 6, 2020
This book is weird. I actually thought it wasn't modern-day until they mentioned email and Wheel of Fortune. The entire Hawley family talks like something out of a depression-era novel. Phoebe used to work picking cotton and is surprised that Gage has working appliances. Gage has no personality, and he and Phoebe lack even the tiniest bit of chemistry. I don't know how they're in love. I only finished the book because I was doing it for a buddy read. I'm glad it was free, because I'd be upset if I paid for something this bad.
May 15, 2020
There are plenty of other books out there that are worth your time Do yourself a favor and skip this boom
January 18, 2021
This one had me falling out of my arm chair with laughter! Jackie Weger, you are priceless. I love this author's wit and her characters. I thought Phoebe was a riot - but also a bit alarming and manipulative. Gosh, in some aspects, Phoebe reminded me of myself! I do tend to take charge, try to create sanity out of chaos, etc.
This creative story line cracked me up! Wegers characters come in all shapes and sizes and educational backgrouns, and in fact many of her characters have college degrees, but still retain their local dialects/accents. I like this about this author: her characters are intelligent, but they are decent: they don't lord their intelligence over others.
Phoebe just gets things done, and bolsters those around her. She is, in short, a mini tornado!
(N.B. I always like to read an author's bio. Jackie Weger has hearing loss issues. This is also a major issue in my own family. Role models are important, and I am glad to find that Jackie Weger is doing just fine, thank you very much! Better than fine, in fact: her stories are captivating and hilarious. I have to portion her out otherwise, I will run out of humorous balm for my soul!!!)
Rock On, Jackie Weger!!!!
This creative story line cracked me up! Wegers characters come in all shapes and sizes and educational backgrouns, and in fact many of her characters have college degrees, but still retain their local dialects/accents. I like this about this author: her characters are intelligent, but they are decent: they don't lord their intelligence over others.
Phoebe just gets things done, and bolsters those around her. She is, in short, a mini tornado!
(N.B. I always like to read an author's bio. Jackie Weger has hearing loss issues. This is also a major issue in my own family. Role models are important, and I am glad to find that Jackie Weger is doing just fine, thank you very much! Better than fine, in fact: her stories are captivating and hilarious. I have to portion her out otherwise, I will run out of humorous balm for my soul!!!)
Rock On, Jackie Weger!!!!
January 28, 2021
So... I don't like southern. I don't like romance for romance's sake. And I don't really appreciate stories that are neither character- nor plot-driven, and this wasn't either. So I don't really know what kept me finishing this, right up to the anticlimactic ending (other than it works for a lot of challenges I'm trying to finish).
My first thing was, for a romance, there was absolutely no chemistry between Phoebe and Gage, other than maybe sexual drive, but even that was lacking. Their relationship was poorly written from the start, and neither character had any real personality, other than Phoebe's single-minded goal and Gage's work.
The timeline on this book is really confusing as well. First of all, we don't exactly know what happened to get Phoebe and the kids to finally leave their aunt's home, so we don't really get any sense of setting. This is made worse by references that signify very different time periods, such as the casual use of email, electricity, and landline phones alongside mention of at least three people dying of rheumatic fever, where the last large outbreak was in the 80s. There's also the Dora the Explorer thing which really confused me. Basically, one of the child characters, Dorie, references various Dora the Explorer items she owns or wants, which is fine, except that the book was published in 1987, and Dora didn't debut until 1999. So that means that Jackie Weger went back and edited Dorie's interests in later editions, for seemingly no apparent reason.
These were just a few of the problems I had with this novel. I'm glad it was free on prime, because I would have sorely regretted purchasing or even entering a Goodreads Giveaway for it. To truly show you my thoughts, I rate a book under three stars maybe three times a year. This book deserves that special distinction, and frankly I'm surprised its average rating is so high.
My first thing was, for a romance, there was absolutely no chemistry between Phoebe and Gage, other than maybe sexual drive, but even that was lacking. Their relationship was poorly written from the start, and neither character had any real personality, other than Phoebe's single-minded goal and Gage's work.
The timeline on this book is really confusing as well. First of all, we don't exactly know what happened to get Phoebe and the kids to finally leave their aunt's home, so we don't really get any sense of setting. This is made worse by references that signify very different time periods, such as the casual use of email, electricity, and landline phones alongside mention of at least three people dying of rheumatic fever, where the last large outbreak was in the 80s. There's also the Dora the Explorer thing which really confused me. Basically, one of the child characters, Dorie, references various Dora the Explorer items she owns or wants, which is fine, except that the book was published in 1987, and Dora didn't debut until 1999. So that means that Jackie Weger went back and edited Dorie's interests in later editions, for seemingly no apparent reason.
These were just a few of the problems I had with this novel. I'm glad it was free on prime, because I would have sorely regretted purchasing or even entering a Goodreads Giveaway for it. To truly show you my thoughts, I rate a book under three stars maybe three times a year. This book deserves that special distinction, and frankly I'm surprised its average rating is so high.
March 13, 2024
This is one of those books that came out of nowhere and knocked my socks off! I love these characters! The dialogue is amazing and so funny I laughed out loud throughout the book. Phoebe is such a great mix of heart, hard work, naivete mixed with weary understanding. Gage is such a hot, grumpy sweet man that I think I just may be a little in love with him myself. What a great story with a new twist on romance. Loved this book!
Safety spoiler
Safety spoiler
June 29, 2014
I almost put this down after the first chapter, but curiosity got the best of me so I begrudgingly finished it. I typically don't write negative reviews, but this was truly one of the most poorly executed stories I have read in quite some time.
August 4, 2013
The first thing that struck me in Jackie Weger's Eye of the Beholder was the brilliant dialogue, and by brilliant I mean realistic and true to life. I'm not from the South, but I've lived South of the Mason-Dixon line for the last 20 years, and Weger captures the rhythm and dialect of a proud but poor Southern woman, Phoebe Hawley, with verisimilitude. I reckon I could listen to Phoebe talk all day, and today, I did. I read Eye of the Beholder practically in one sitting.
And for me, that's saying a lot. I don't have much time to read. Moreover, I don't usually read romances, but I'd heard great things about Weger's work, so I decided to give this novel a try, and I'm sure glad I did.
Phoebe is a hotheaded, hard-working redhead who is desperate to provide for her siblings. Desperate to find a better way. She ends up running into (quite literally) a similarly-hardworking, proud widower, and from the very first moment Phoebe and Gage Morgan meet, they argue like crabs tossing around in a boiling pot. Eventually, they quit fighting, because this is a romance, but it's also one with a conclusion I found believable.
I'd be amiss if I did not comment on two more things: the writing is as solid as the plot is well-constructed. And the editing is professional, both on a developmental level and a copy edit level.
An enthusiastic five stars from me.
E.L. Farris
And for me, that's saying a lot. I don't have much time to read. Moreover, I don't usually read romances, but I'd heard great things about Weger's work, so I decided to give this novel a try, and I'm sure glad I did.
Phoebe is a hotheaded, hard-working redhead who is desperate to provide for her siblings. Desperate to find a better way. She ends up running into (quite literally) a similarly-hardworking, proud widower, and from the very first moment Phoebe and Gage Morgan meet, they argue like crabs tossing around in a boiling pot. Eventually, they quit fighting, because this is a romance, but it's also one with a conclusion I found believable.
I'd be amiss if I did not comment on two more things: the writing is as solid as the plot is well-constructed. And the editing is professional, both on a developmental level and a copy edit level.
An enthusiastic five stars from me.
E.L. Farris
May 28, 2022
4,25 stars - English Ebook.
A young girl in the beginning of her 20-ties has her siblings in the back of her car. Promised her ma and pa that she would take care of them, but out of gas, no cash and no job makes that almost to hard. Than she runs into a man and she cons him, he knows but still let her into the house and with is young daughter.
He does not count his blessures, all the food he and his daughter have and all the disvices ect. She does not understand, how can he not? But she wants him to be her husband but he does not she her, or does he?
Lovely romance to read. Liked the girl/ young woman who counts her blessings of the Lord and takes care of her siblings.
A young girl in the beginning of her 20-ties has her siblings in the back of her car. Promised her ma and pa that she would take care of them, but out of gas, no cash and no job makes that almost to hard. Than she runs into a man and she cons him, he knows but still let her into the house and with is young daughter.
He does not count his blessures, all the food he and his daughter have and all the disvices ect. She does not understand, how can he not? But she wants him to be her husband but he does not she her, or does he?
Lovely romance to read. Liked the girl/ young woman who counts her blessings of the Lord and takes care of her siblings.
February 3, 2019
Eye of the Beholder by Jackie Weger is the story of Phoebe Hawley and Gage Morgan. I've read the Harlequin Temptation edition published in 1987.
Until they got back on their feet financially, Phoebe, her parents, her younger brother and sister Willie-Boy and Maydean and her mentally disabled sister Erlene, had to move in with her brother Joey and his wife Vinnie. They had previously lost their jobs at the mill and were forced out of their home. Because Vinnie didn't want them there, Phoebe took matters into her own hands and with Willie-Boy and Maydean in tow, went to find a job and a new town for them all to settle in. While they are passing through a town, they are involved in an accident when Phoebe hits Gage's car. They are poor and Phoebe can't afford to pay for the damage. She tries to avoid taking the blame for the accident, but Gage steals her bumper and license plate and refuses to give them back until she pays for the damages. With some clever thinking and talking, Phoebe and her brother and sister end up living temporarily in Gage's house. Gage is a grumpy widower with a young daughter who owns a junkyard and is a welder. He's trying to work and take care of his daughter and he's been angry at the world since his wife cheated on him and died. Phoebe is attracted to him, loves his house and that he is kind to her siblings. Because of his issues, it takes a while until Gage starts to trust Phoebe and see her good qualities.
I've enjoyed reading this book very much. I thought the story was engaging and humorous in places. I loved and sympathized with the smart, resourceful and hardworking heroine who wanted a better life for herself and her family. I loved how the hero warmed up to the heroine and came to value her almost without wanting to. The author made me hope very hard that Phoebe would get everything she ever wanted in the end and that Gage would let go of the past.
Until they got back on their feet financially, Phoebe, her parents, her younger brother and sister Willie-Boy and Maydean and her mentally disabled sister Erlene, had to move in with her brother Joey and his wife Vinnie. They had previously lost their jobs at the mill and were forced out of their home. Because Vinnie didn't want them there, Phoebe took matters into her own hands and with Willie-Boy and Maydean in tow, went to find a job and a new town for them all to settle in. While they are passing through a town, they are involved in an accident when Phoebe hits Gage's car. They are poor and Phoebe can't afford to pay for the damage. She tries to avoid taking the blame for the accident, but Gage steals her bumper and license plate and refuses to give them back until she pays for the damages. With some clever thinking and talking, Phoebe and her brother and sister end up living temporarily in Gage's house. Gage is a grumpy widower with a young daughter who owns a junkyard and is a welder. He's trying to work and take care of his daughter and he's been angry at the world since his wife cheated on him and died. Phoebe is attracted to him, loves his house and that he is kind to her siblings. Because of his issues, it takes a while until Gage starts to trust Phoebe and see her good qualities.
I've enjoyed reading this book very much. I thought the story was engaging and humorous in places. I loved and sympathized with the smart, resourceful and hardworking heroine who wanted a better life for herself and her family. I loved how the hero warmed up to the heroine and came to value her almost without wanting to. The author made me hope very hard that Phoebe would get everything she ever wanted in the end and that Gage would let go of the past.
May 15, 2021
First of all, let me tell you one thing: This is not that book that you could judge by the cover or blurb. At first, I thought it is one of those steamy romances. However, after reading the first few chapters I noticed it deals more with family. Both Gage and Phoebe have broken families. They are constantly searching for ways to fix them.
The characters reach a point where they need to make a choice between family or their love towards each other.
The novel is short. Nevertheless, it addresses multiple themes. IMO it has the potential of growing to a bigger story than this. I would like to recommend this to readers who like to read about family and relationships. Plus you have to cope with the Hawleys Southern accent.
The characters reach a point where they need to make a choice between family or their love towards each other.
The novel is short. Nevertheless, it addresses multiple themes. IMO it has the potential of growing to a bigger story than this. I would like to recommend this to readers who like to read about family and relationships. Plus you have to cope with the Hawleys Southern accent.
July 1, 2014
Twenty four year old Phoebe Hawley has come to the Gulf Coast town of Bayou Le Batre with her younger twelve year old sister and five year old brother, looking for work and a home, when she gets into a fender bender accident with widower Gage Morgan, a junkyard owner with a young nine year old daughter. When Gage takes her bumper and license plate to assure she covers the cost of the damages in the accident, Phoebe wrangles her way into his home determined to prove her Hawley pride and grit. There is very little plot and the ending is exactly what readers of this type of backwoods romance and family drama want; however, this story finds its strength in the characterizations of two individuals searching for respect and security for themselves, while trying to overcome the physical and emotional road bumps in their past, blend in the responsibilities of family and parenthood, and deal with the romantic attractions that begin to well up within for each other. The novel is well written and edited, although I cannot claim to be an expert on Louisiana Cajun swamp diction. There are some sex scenes, but they fit within the path of two souls who clash, banter, hold back and then begin to mesh over the course of a few weeks in their lives.
March 15, 2021
i forgot that i had been reading this, so i read from my last progress note to the end today.
what a strange book. i will have to give a proper review once i can establish exactly how i feel about it; right now, that Dust-Bowl Dialogue and the unclear time period make it tough to focus on anything else.
[update - 14 March 2021:]
i forgot to return and fill out my review. whoops.
i forgot i'd read this. whoops again.
i think my brain just didn't want this particular book baggage lying round and thus sent it flying like the particles of dust which whipped round the lower States back in the 1930s.
like when this book did NOT take place, even though, by God, it sure felt like it.
there's nothing wrong with having very poor protagonists; in fact, humanising members of lower economic classes is important, because we are all human and deserve to be treated as such*.
however, this book just made the poor into giant manipulative caricatures, and i can't get past that.
___________
*i have been there, myself
what a strange book. i will have to give a proper review once i can establish exactly how i feel about it; right now, that Dust-Bowl Dialogue and the unclear time period make it tough to focus on anything else.
[update - 14 March 2021:]
i forgot to return and fill out my review. whoops.
i forgot i'd read this. whoops again.
i think my brain just didn't want this particular book baggage lying round and thus sent it flying like the particles of dust which whipped round the lower States back in the 1930s.
like when this book did NOT take place, even though, by God, it sure felt like it.
there's nothing wrong with having very poor protagonists; in fact, humanising members of lower economic classes is important, because we are all human and deserve to be treated as such*.
however, this book just made the poor into giant manipulative caricatures, and i can't get past that.
___________
*i have been there, myself
January 4, 2020
For being a romance novel, there’s hardly any romance! It’s also confusing as to what year it’s supposed to be set in. There’s modern elements, but then other things are so outdated (including a lot of mindsets). It all happens too fast to be anywhere near believable and there’s very little emotional build up, if any. I’ll be honest, I read it because it was free and I was bored. The pluses: it read easy, the MC had a clear voice, and she was competent human being. But please never refer to a guy’s junk as his “tallywhacker”. Please.
May 2, 2014
I tried to like this book, but just couldn't. The main character irritated me from the get-go. I was also disappointed in the sex which was definitely not necessary for the story. The only thing I really did like was the end.
October 29, 2013
Have to say this was an odd book... started out hard to read, then you gradually get a little more comfortable with the writing style. Still not entirely sure I felt the romance in this one, though.
February 16, 2021
In this romance, we follow the progress of Phoebe as she attempts to find a new home for herself, her siblings, and her parents following their loss of employment. Set in America, it has the usual tendency to reference aspects of life that are familiar only to those who live there. In this case, however, that was less annoying than is usual with US novels.
Part way through the reading, I began to wonder how I’d stumbled across this story, which gradually wormed its way into my empathetic side. I finally recalled I’d come across the author via Twitter and had found one of those limited offers, making the book available for free for a short time. As the author was unknown to me, but I like to explore new work, and this was shown as contemporary and humorous romance, I took advantage of the offer.
For parts of this engaging story I was irritated by the Christian aspect with its references to guilt, a woman’s place in society, and old-fashioned dogma that has no place in the modern world. I’m still unsure whether this was supposed to be the ‘humorous’ aspect of the novel. If it was, it failed to engage my laughter muscles and merely served to increase my antipathy to religion and its unfailing hypocrisy and narrow-minded cant.
But I was intrigued by Phoebe as a character, and when Gage appeared as the male love interest, I could see there would be fireworks as well as stormy weather. In this aspect I wasn’t disappointed. That the sex scenes concentrated on the emotional rather than the erotic aspects fitted well with the nature of the story and suited me fine.
Interestingly, had this book declared its Christian aspect, I would almost certainly not have bothered with it. My previous experience of such work has invariably raised my hackles as the authors preach their individual mantras on the evils of those who refuse to join their particular tribe. But I’m glad this aspect was excluded from the description, as I enjoyed the story and was engaged by the characters throughout.
Part way through the reading, I began to wonder how I’d stumbled across this story, which gradually wormed its way into my empathetic side. I finally recalled I’d come across the author via Twitter and had found one of those limited offers, making the book available for free for a short time. As the author was unknown to me, but I like to explore new work, and this was shown as contemporary and humorous romance, I took advantage of the offer.
For parts of this engaging story I was irritated by the Christian aspect with its references to guilt, a woman’s place in society, and old-fashioned dogma that has no place in the modern world. I’m still unsure whether this was supposed to be the ‘humorous’ aspect of the novel. If it was, it failed to engage my laughter muscles and merely served to increase my antipathy to religion and its unfailing hypocrisy and narrow-minded cant.
But I was intrigued by Phoebe as a character, and when Gage appeared as the male love interest, I could see there would be fireworks as well as stormy weather. In this aspect I wasn’t disappointed. That the sex scenes concentrated on the emotional rather than the erotic aspects fitted well with the nature of the story and suited me fine.
Interestingly, had this book declared its Christian aspect, I would almost certainly not have bothered with it. My previous experience of such work has invariably raised my hackles as the authors preach their individual mantras on the evils of those who refuse to join their particular tribe. But I’m glad this aspect was excluded from the description, as I enjoyed the story and was engaged by the characters throughout.
May 22, 2020
Let me start off by saying I've never read anything by this author and that this book was a random buy on Amazon.
The reviews were good, the blurb sounded interesting, so I've dived in.
First, second, third chapter...I was hooked. I found the writing different but in a good and refreshing way. But I soon cought up on the fact that this book is placed somewhere in the past; come to find out that the book was first published in 1987. Surprise.
No biggie.
Continuing; I liked Phoebe, I found her determinant, strong and hard working.
I liked the whit, the back and forth between her and Gage, banter and those little games they played.
And that's how I saw this whole situation - as her being smart and adaptable, wanting to get her bumper back and earn some cash to move somewhere. And him playing along with counter offers and obstacles. I laughed and enjoyed every page that I've turned.
But around the 60% mark everything sinked for me.
Why?
Because those games were her way of barging into someone's life and staying there whether they liked it or not.
As a reader we know what her plan was from the beginning, but for some reason I honestly believed that once she had enough money, she'd go live somewhere else and they'd start/continued their romance from there.
Instead we see her paying him back what she owned and getting her regular income, all the while conspiring how to get into his bed, how to make him fall in love, how to marry him, how to move in permanently, doing everything and anything to make sure she gets a new home for her whole freaking family of two parents, two sisters and a brother.
In other words she was a cunt looking to trap a man. She saw a widower with a young daughter, this huge house and property and decided that this is where her family will live, come hell or high water. She started cleaning, cooking, lying every which way to stay for those first days, then she started seducing him, spending time with his daughter and whispering sweet nothings into her ear (that marriage and baby talk was worthy of a good slap), probably thinking about getting pregnant to make things more permanent and also get married; because then he really can't kick her out.
And surprise, surprise, one day her parents and sister just show up on his porch (her knowing, him not) and walk right in, like they own a place and she just wants him to get on with the program. In his own freaking house!
I hate that kind of people. The users. The manipulators. The gold digging people. The 'I'm moving in and 3 months later my whole family with cousins is living here' people. The 'I walk above water' attitude people.
So yeah, this book pissed me off something fierce.
And what's ironic is how Phoebe kept repeating about Christian ways, about Lord, family pride and such and jet she acts like a class A hussy looking for a sponsor.
So yeah, I liked the writing style, liked the era of way back when (when cotton picking, mills, crab cleaning and scrap yards were the main force of income, when the phones were a privilege and having a 100$ was considered a miracle), I liked the dialogues, the though love, even the plot (her getting a roof over their heads and taking care of the family - I could relate).
However the way she went about it, that just doesn't work for me and I ended up hating her and her folks.
By the end of it, I agreed, they were white trash.
3 stars.
The reviews were good, the blurb sounded interesting, so I've dived in.
First, second, third chapter...I was hooked. I found the writing different but in a good and refreshing way. But I soon cought up on the fact that this book is placed somewhere in the past; come to find out that the book was first published in 1987. Surprise.
No biggie.
Continuing; I liked Phoebe, I found her determinant, strong and hard working.
I liked the whit, the back and forth between her and Gage, banter and those little games they played.
And that's how I saw this whole situation - as her being smart and adaptable, wanting to get her bumper back and earn some cash to move somewhere. And him playing along with counter offers and obstacles. I laughed and enjoyed every page that I've turned.
But around the 60% mark everything sinked for me.
Why?
Because those games were her way of barging into someone's life and staying there whether they liked it or not.
As a reader we know what her plan was from the beginning, but for some reason I honestly believed that once she had enough money, she'd go live somewhere else and they'd start/continued their romance from there.
Instead we see her paying him back what she owned and getting her regular income, all the while conspiring how to get into his bed, how to make him fall in love, how to marry him, how to move in permanently, doing everything and anything to make sure she gets a new home for her whole freaking family of two parents, two sisters and a brother.
In other words she was a cunt looking to trap a man. She saw a widower with a young daughter, this huge house and property and decided that this is where her family will live, come hell or high water. She started cleaning, cooking, lying every which way to stay for those first days, then she started seducing him, spending time with his daughter and whispering sweet nothings into her ear (that marriage and baby talk was worthy of a good slap), probably thinking about getting pregnant to make things more permanent and also get married; because then he really can't kick her out.
And surprise, surprise, one day her parents and sister just show up on his porch (her knowing, him not) and walk right in, like they own a place and she just wants him to get on with the program. In his own freaking house!
I hate that kind of people. The users. The manipulators. The gold digging people. The 'I'm moving in and 3 months later my whole family with cousins is living here' people. The 'I walk above water' attitude people.
So yeah, this book pissed me off something fierce.
And what's ironic is how Phoebe kept repeating about Christian ways, about Lord, family pride and such and jet she acts like a class A hussy looking for a sponsor.
So yeah, I liked the writing style, liked the era of way back when (when cotton picking, mills, crab cleaning and scrap yards were the main force of income, when the phones were a privilege and having a 100$ was considered a miracle), I liked the dialogues, the though love, even the plot (her getting a roof over their heads and taking care of the family - I could relate).
However the way she went about it, that just doesn't work for me and I ended up hating her and her folks.
By the end of it, I agreed, they were white trash.
3 stars.
September 15, 2020
From time to time, I can't sleep and will turn to one of the free ebooks on my iPad. Last night was one of those times and so I read what was billed as a charming little love story. It is the story of a young woman who is traveling with two of her younger siblings looking for a home for her parents and mentally disabled sister. She causes an accident, tries to con her way out of it, and the story takes off from there.
This was a difficult read just for the God-awful accent it was written in. I've lived in the south (Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee) for about 50 years, often in very poor, rural areas, and I have NEVER heard anyone talk the way the Hawley clan does. It was like a joke version of a redneck vernacular and it was excruciating to read.
But wait, there's more. You'd be hard pressed to find a more unlikable heroine, who blathers incessantly about her family pride and history, and constantly threatens her siblings with physical harm. She decided the man she has backed into is her meal ticket and she plunges into making him want that, too. First by taking care of his child and cleaning and cooking for him. And when that doesn't work, by deciding to seduce him. She is obsessed with the fact that she has small breasts and yet, in spite of the fact that the man repeatedly tells her he doesn't find her physically attractive, she's convinced that all she has to do is get naked with him and that will change. And it does, because that's the way the author wanted it to be. And oh, the cringe-y sex scenes that follow. How does anyone stay in the mood with someone asking question after question about his "tallywhacker?" And how are we supposed to believe that this barely-literate, manipulative, complaining, critical, inexperienced girl brings a man to physical exhaustion to the point of pleading for mercy? I'm not buying her as a succubus.
But worse was that she targeted him based on his perceived wealth (he has a junkyard! And appliances! And a TV!) and tricks him into thinking she loves him when what she really wants is to get him to take in her family. She is very open (to the reader, not her victim) in that goal, despairing whenever he seems close to finding her out. And the ending is absurdly unbelievable.
When I hit the last page I had one over-riding question: What the hell did I just read?
This was a difficult read just for the God-awful accent it was written in. I've lived in the south (Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee) for about 50 years, often in very poor, rural areas, and I have NEVER heard anyone talk the way the Hawley clan does. It was like a joke version of a redneck vernacular and it was excruciating to read.
But wait, there's more. You'd be hard pressed to find a more unlikable heroine, who blathers incessantly about her family pride and history, and constantly threatens her siblings with physical harm. She decided the man she has backed into is her meal ticket and she plunges into making him want that, too. First by taking care of his child and cleaning and cooking for him. And when that doesn't work, by deciding to seduce him. She is obsessed with the fact that she has small breasts and yet, in spite of the fact that the man repeatedly tells her he doesn't find her physically attractive, she's convinced that all she has to do is get naked with him and that will change. And it does, because that's the way the author wanted it to be. And oh, the cringe-y sex scenes that follow. How does anyone stay in the mood with someone asking question after question about his "tallywhacker?" And how are we supposed to believe that this barely-literate, manipulative, complaining, critical, inexperienced girl brings a man to physical exhaustion to the point of pleading for mercy? I'm not buying her as a succubus.
But worse was that she targeted him based on his perceived wealth (he has a junkyard! And appliances! And a TV!) and tricks him into thinking she loves him when what she really wants is to get him to take in her family. She is very open (to the reader, not her victim) in that goal, despairing whenever he seems close to finding her out. And the ending is absurdly unbelievable.
When I hit the last page I had one over-riding question: What the hell did I just read?
April 11, 2015
GUMPTION ~ courage and confidence. This is a word that is not commonly used in everyday language and some might even say that it is regional but it is a word nonetheless that is for a person with spunk! Basically people are saying that you are very determined and will achieve what you are attempting if you put your mind to it. A person can not be swayed and will do whatever it takes to reach their goal.
Phoebe Hawley is a twenty-four year old woman with gumption! She has set out to be successful so that she can help her family live a better life. The only issue that Phoebe is facing is the fact that she is toting around two kids with her and she has nowhere to go. That fact doesn't stop Phoebe but running into Gage Morgan is a roadblock that she hadn't anticipated! When Phoebe and Gage butt heads it is sheer will and Hawley pride that keeps Phoebe on her feet, but for how long will that pride last?
G. G. Morgan is a man of few words but when he gives you those few BOY does he give them to you! Gage is a widower with one small daughter and the both of them are lost. They don't know how to relate towards each other but they need each other. In walks Phoebe with her ulterior motives and turns the Morgan household on its ear. Will Gage be able to deal with raising his daughter and this hellcat that has invaded his personal space? Only time will tell.
Finding Home is a feel good story. It is one of those stories that you read and wonder what is going to happen next because you know if it was you then you would do it this way. Weger has found a way to have us so consumed in the story that you are almost taking sides and that is a good thing because these characters need our guidance (according to us readers, lol). This story is easy to follow and the dialect is regional to the area so some of the phrases used might not be common phrases but you know exactly what the meaning is. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading more from this author. The original name of this novel was Eye Of The Beholder and in reading this story I know exactly what was meant by that. You will not be disappointed.
Phoebe Hawley is a twenty-four year old woman with gumption! She has set out to be successful so that she can help her family live a better life. The only issue that Phoebe is facing is the fact that she is toting around two kids with her and she has nowhere to go. That fact doesn't stop Phoebe but running into Gage Morgan is a roadblock that she hadn't anticipated! When Phoebe and Gage butt heads it is sheer will and Hawley pride that keeps Phoebe on her feet, but for how long will that pride last?
G. G. Morgan is a man of few words but when he gives you those few BOY does he give them to you! Gage is a widower with one small daughter and the both of them are lost. They don't know how to relate towards each other but they need each other. In walks Phoebe with her ulterior motives and turns the Morgan household on its ear. Will Gage be able to deal with raising his daughter and this hellcat that has invaded his personal space? Only time will tell.
Finding Home is a feel good story. It is one of those stories that you read and wonder what is going to happen next because you know if it was you then you would do it this way. Weger has found a way to have us so consumed in the story that you are almost taking sides and that is a good thing because these characters need our guidance (according to us readers, lol). This story is easy to follow and the dialect is regional to the area so some of the phrases used might not be common phrases but you know exactly what the meaning is. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading more from this author. The original name of this novel was Eye Of The Beholder and in reading this story I know exactly what was meant by that. You will not be disappointed.
June 18, 2014
The first edition of this book was published in 1987 with title "Eye of the Beholder". The digital edition was published in January 2014. Jackie Weger has put her books on the virtual bookself. She has been writing for the past 30 years. The reader meets the characters of this well seasoned writer whose mature storytelling depicts witty, clever dialogue in an unique speec, stemming from Chaucer's Elizabethanism 200 years prior as adapted through 6 generations by the secluded tribe of swamp settlers in America. The setting chosen for this story is the tiny fishing village of Bayou, La Batre, Alibama.
The protagonist Phoebe, 24, beams with her ancestors' sharp wit, intelligence, strong will. With her pride and independent spirit, as out of work cotton mill girl, she takes the road to find home for her two younger siblings. She commits to work and experiences life with a reluctant host who is a junk yard owner.
Gage Morgan owns home and land but has a bruised ego as a result of a failed marriage. Phoebe's attraction for the man creates moments of intimacy and seductive magic. He appreciates the family spirit and order Phoebe brings to the household, but he feels tricked as she digs into his soul with her strong willed grip. The author uses a playful scarcastic dialogue which delights the reader. The reader sees how Morgan's vulnerability and loneliness melt away.
The reader is also offered " a mindscape of visions" while she describes the thoughts of Phoebe on how she tracks down " the man and his house which is for her "a treasure trove of good things. Does her feminine power win? Simply a search for harmony.
Scarlett Jensen author of The Angel with Burnt Wingsl
The protagonist Phoebe, 24, beams with her ancestors' sharp wit, intelligence, strong will. With her pride and independent spirit, as out of work cotton mill girl, she takes the road to find home for her two younger siblings. She commits to work and experiences life with a reluctant host who is a junk yard owner.
Gage Morgan owns home and land but has a bruised ego as a result of a failed marriage. Phoebe's attraction for the man creates moments of intimacy and seductive magic. He appreciates the family spirit and order Phoebe brings to the household, but he feels tricked as she digs into his soul with her strong willed grip. The author uses a playful scarcastic dialogue which delights the reader. The reader sees how Morgan's vulnerability and loneliness melt away.
The reader is also offered " a mindscape of visions" while she describes the thoughts of Phoebe on how she tracks down " the man and his house which is for her "a treasure trove of good things. Does her feminine power win? Simply a search for harmony.
Scarlett Jensen author of The Angel with Burnt Wingsl
October 13, 2013
If this book had Debbie MacComber's name on it, it would be another million seller and probably a Lifetime movie as well. Hayden Panettiere ought to option it. This is a book for anyone with a soft spot for Southern Charmers and appealing, feisty heroines. My only complaint is that it was just too short. Another 20,000 words, a little more development of the secondary characters, especially Phoebe's family, would have won that extra star. If, however, you are looking for something that won't take hours to read, a refreshing break from the exhaustions of the day, you should sit down with Eye of the Beholder.
October 1, 2013
One of my absolutely favorite books. I once lent it to a friend (with some other keepers) and she never returned it. I had to find one on a trip to the States and replace it. I love the characters, story and would love to meet these characters in real time...if I could. Better now than when I read it decades ago. A keeper and now in my Nook to keep without worrying about pages falling out.
August 2, 2020
It was a struggle to finish this book. There is barely a plot and it is mostly incredible. The female protagonist is shown to be proud but also very regressive and manipulative. It is hard to be sympathetic to her. Possibly I have not read a sappy romantic novel for years. The story is very dated and moves ever so slowly. The language and vocabulary leave much to be desired.
August 24, 2020
Not worth the time I spent reading it unfortunately. The book had a great start and hooked me from page one but unfortunately the strange relationships and awkward dialogue made the book unbelievable and a struggle to continue reading.
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