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Magdalene (Tales of Dunham #3)

by Moriah Jovan (Goodreads Author)

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 52 ratings · 20 reviews

Mitch, the widowed bishop of a Mormon congregation, falls in love with Cassie, the woman hired to restructure his steel mill. Meanwhile, a man in Mitch's congregation plots to take over the position of bishop using Cassie's past profession as a prostitute as his weapon.

A Mormon bishop. An ex-prostitute. A man with a vendetta.
Let the games begin...

***

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY Star...more

Paperback, 534 pages

Published April 24th 2011 by B10 Mediaworx (first published April 8th 2011)

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27th out of 42 books — 17 voters

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Jun 08, 2011 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Theric says this is the Mormon book of the year, and I'm going to test that. Is Theric right? Well, how often is he wrong? :)

____________

Ok. Read it. Thoughts.

Romance thoughts:
Come on! If a book comes to you recommended with the phrases "romance novel" and "explicit sex," you shouldn't have to wait to read over half the book to get to that explicit sex. I've read non-romance with more explicit sex than this (which is not to say that they weren't good sex scenes or that the book needed more). And...more Theric says this is the Mormon book of the year, and I'm going to test that. Is Theric right? Well, how often is he wrong? :)

____________

Ok. Read it. Thoughts.

Romance thoughts:
Come on! If a book comes to you recommended with the phrases "romance novel" and "explicit sex," you shouldn't have to wait to read over half the book to get to that explicit sex. I've read non-romance with more explicit sex than this (which is not to say that they weren't good sex scenes or that the book needed more). And while the sex was explicit, because of the emotionally vulnerable nature of sex, it was a great plot and character development device. And hey, sex is fun. McKay wanted to read this book with me, but because I knew we wouldn't have time for that, I promised him we'd at least read the sex parts together and he seemed happy with that arrangement. :) And Moriah, since I know you'll read this review, I promise I read some of the thinky parts to him as well. I'm the sort of person who reads thought food aloud to whomever is in the room with me when I'm reading a book.

Character thoughts: On the review on The Exponent blog (http://www.the-exponent.com/2011/05/2...), it says the characters are Randian. Having never read anything from Ms. Ayn, I can't vouch for this, but I will agree with the superhumanness. And I'll agree and disagree with Amelia about the characters' flaws: yes they have flaws, but the flaws seem insignificant for the plot or too far back in the past for their characters to seem flawed as the book happens. For example, our bishop character is a multimillion dollar rags to riches story, who works full time as a CEO, part-time as a bishop, and still finds time to go salsa dancing until 2am on Friday nights and devotes his Sunday nights (because bishops have so much time on Sunday) to taking a shift at the steel mill so someone else can get a free Sunday once and a while. Oh and his wife died of MS and he spent 15 years nursing her as she died. Yeah. Ridiculously perfect. And oh yeah, he has flaws: that one time he "gave in" to masturbation (is that a flaw?), and he was still in love with is first girlfriend when he married his wife, and yeah, he's been bottling his temper for a long time which comes out violently- but with impeccable violence: glass is smashed, books are torn and burned! Yeah. Perfect. See? But I have this running joke with McKay when I read or watch fiction: I smile and say, "This is so unrealistic," knowing full well that what I'm viewing/reading is fiction and of course it's unrealistic.

Mormon thoughts: I loved the ward and it made me love my own ward more, because all the cool characters (ie Prissy) are people in my ward. The fictional ward in the book was very believable. I was a little shocked at all the politics around the calling ladder: wanting to be bishop and such. Afterall, we're supposed to say, "No one should want to be a bishop- what a burden!" But we can't lie that there isn't a power system behind it. I've actually heard of people making comments like, "If you haven't had a calling that makes you a high priest by the time you're 45, then something's wrong." And callings were talked about in religion classes at BYU as carrots on a string: exact words from my D&C instructor: "You might be a bishop some day, and you might be on the stake high counsel! And you might be a patriarch!" The last one was directed at me, at which time the instructor stopped and said, "Or not." Yeah. AWKWARD. BTW I have my eyes on stake matriarch, thank you very much. ;) Anyway, so yeah, the politics seemed over the top, but I won't say they don't exist and couldn't be just as over the top in reality. We're human. In other Mormon thoughts: I loved the handling of various Mormon issues and the conversations around them. Eternal families can be a really touchy subject. As can garments. And homosexuality. And sex and masturbation. And church courts. (For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the membership record, but the Lord looketh on the heart.)

Pace thoughts: It was ok, but at the end when it really got going, it was much better (and it's not because of the sex, but becuase of the political inquiry. Keep your heads out of the gutter!) Good book. It hit on lots of big issues and did it with a romance in the background (or bedroom, if you'd like.)(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Apr 23, 2011 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-contemporary, author-pubbed-ebook

Another totally absorbing, don't-wanna-do-anything-else-but-read-this-book episode in the Dunham series. Jovan's books defy easy genre classification because they're so ambitious and far reaching. Yes, it's a (hot, oh yes) romance at heart, but more...a lot more. Jovan doesn't skimp or take short cuts on anything--her character's backstories, their flaws and failings, their hard-earned triumphs. Her people are soul searchers who never seem to take an easy path. Angst? Well, yes please.

As in her...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 17, 2011 Estara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of family sagas of the powerful who don't mind religion and Libertarian ideas in their romance

Recommended to Estara by: I've really enjoyed the previous two books

Shelves: ebook, read-in-2011

Yes, this grabbed me again right away - another tale featuring the Dunham family, historically and religiously rooted in Mormon Kansas City but with personal drama and histories making them very un-Mormon Mormons indeed.

And in this book the focus is widening to include family friend Mitch Hollander and his future wife-to-be - who actually is the first-person heroine and unreliable narrator (mostly because she is very effective at lying to herself)- Cassandra St. James. Her first person narration...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 21, 2011 G (galen) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: feminist, fiction

I am absolutely LOVE Cassie St. James.

I will refer you here for a much more in depth review. Meanwhile, I'm making lists of which friend I will send this book to next :)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

My kingdom for more nuance in the Goodreads rating system! *sigh*

This book was very interesting, to say the least. Is it a "Mormon book"? Yes and no. Most Mormons I know will never read it, which is a pity, because they really should. Many non-members who read won't catch some of the Mormon-ish subtleties, which adds a layer to the book that is truly remarkable.

Overall I liked it, but "like" is a really feeble word to use. On the one hand, it was the first book in awhile that had me staying up...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 06, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved the characters in this book--a fun, easy summer read.

I may read more romance novels if they're like this one.

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2011 Bettie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kept-me-up-too-late-reading, made-me-cry

Can't believe I haven't written a review of Magdalene yet. I read it as a beta reader quite a while ago. Cass, the heroine/narrator is smart, prickly, conflicted, unreliable, and flat-out fabulous. The story sucked me in at 8 pm one night and spit me out at 4 in the morning bleary-eyed and teary-eyed, and very happy to have read the tale. I was tired as hell the next day, but Magdalene is the kind of book that is worth staying up late to finish.

2 likes · like · see review

May 26, 2011 Edie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fave-reads, heroine-goodness

So much for savoring, in the end, I could not put it down. I am too old for 4am finishes. o_O

1 like · like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Philip Persinger rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Avengers are back. But I’m not talking about Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. This is the Mormon Avengers, led by the heavy hammer of Sebastian Taight and the stiletto pen of Knox Hilliard along with the rest of the tribe. Just like the previous Tales of Dunham, this one starts by shooting the reader out of a cannon. But at the same time, there is a subtle nuanced threat of intrigue on a personal level.

Jovan employs all her usual building blocks to construct a huge, oversized epic of Tita...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 07, 2011 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yep, a Mormon romance novel. And it's definitely not rated G. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the kind of romance being condemned in Ensign articles like this one. Lucky for me, I didn't read that article (I just googled it) and if you try to read it to me, I will just cover my ears. La-la-la! I am not listening to you!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, and appreciated the time that author Moriah Jovan took to develop the romance between Cassandra and Mitch. This was very much nec...more Yep, a Mormon romance novel. And it's definitely not rated G. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the kind of romance being condemned in Ensign articles like this one. Lucky for me, I didn't read that article (I just googled it) and if you try to read it to me, I will just cover my ears. La-la-la! I am not listening to you!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, and appreciated the time that author Moriah Jovan took to develop the romance between Cassandra and Mitch. This was very much necessary because, let's face it, no Mormon bishop is going to rush into a relationship with an ex-hooker. Just saying.

However, the best part, as far as I'm concerned, was the Mormon stuff. Jovan definitely speaks our uniquely Mormon language, and she describes our meetings and tackles many of our unique beliefs (eternal marriage, garments, etc.) really well. I like how she explains things so that non-Mormons can understand us a little better.

Having said that, I think a lot of Mormons will feel like we're misrepresented. Some won't like the fact that Jovan portrays us with all our flaws (the gossip, the pettiness, the ward sociopath...). Some won't like the way her Mormons are so at home with the drinkers and the fornicators and the potty mouths (we're supposed to be "in the world, not of the world" after all). I bet many would think the Mormons as portrayed are too liberal*. Me, I liked all of that. Some of her characters are a little unrealistically super-awesome, and I did think that, overall, the characters were a little more liberal* than I'm used to (they barely batted an eye when the bishop married a non-member), but I've spent most of my life in Idaho and Utah, so I may be wrong about that.

And that's what's fun about this book: pondering it's Mormoness. Does it represent how I view myself? My fellow members? What would those fellow members think of this book, and what would non-Mormons think of us after reading this book? I think it would be a great book to read for Book Club, if the book club members can handle some naughtiness and a lot of salty language.

* Actually, "liberal" is not the word I'm looking for, because I'm not talking politics. I'm tempted to say "open-minded" but that sounds kind of condescending/offensive. I just mean to say that Jovan's Mormons, at least her main characters, don't seem to concern themselves too much with what others are doing, and in my experience, we Mormons generally like to follow the rules, and we like others to follow them, too. Hope that makes sense.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2011 Inez Kelley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I adored this book. I never thought I would find a Mormon Bishop sexy but I did!

Cassie irritated the hell out of me halfway through the book but she was supposed to. Her unreliable narrator stance made me want to shake her but Mitch never wavered in his values or beliefs, in his religion or in Cassie. And that gave her the strength to grow. They were real and vivid and not carbon copies of sterotypes. I wanted Mitch to bend, to cave, to give into his desire but he didn't because that wasn't who...more

6 likes · like · see review

May 25, 2011 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

What I've always loved about Moriah Jovan's books is how she brings her characters alive. Each one is a special treat because she not only gives additional glimpses of characters I've fallen in love with in prior books in the series, but she brings in more people to fall in love with. It's like a family reunion, or a dinner scene from "Brothers and Sisters." You never know quite what you're going to get with family, but it's always going to be interesting and fun!

I like that each book has a slig...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2011 Johnna Cornett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chicklit, fiction, lds

An entirely fictional situation allows romance writer Moriah Jovan to explore both theological musings and romance/sex possibilities between a rich widowed mormon bishop and an rich executive ex-call girl. Some situations in the story arc speak to other books and biblical myths in a literary way, but the book is also written to please the reader.

I'd recommend it to a reader familiar enough with LDS culture and theology to get the repercussions, although there are multiple pages of theological mu...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 28, 2011 Christina (Ensconced in YA) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Coming from an different sort of Mormon background myself, I was delighted by the unusual characters that Moriah Jovan has developed. Many times I would laugh out loud and say, "That is SO typical!" or at other times be very moved by the devout characters who still managed to love and embrace those not of the faith.

And the rest of it-- story, twists, 100 faceted characters. I could go on and on. This is the first of the Dunham series that I picked up, and it's probably still my favorite (how can...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 18, 2012 Leslie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't really have much to add here, to what's already been said by my gaggle of tax deduction producing friends that is. I agree with them for the most part, other than I have a hard time finishing books with dense, large pages. I read for an hour and I make it like 10 pages. This one took me awhile to finish because of it. I liked the Mormoniness of the story, but tended to get bogged down in the detailed business background information given in the first few chapters, and periodically deposi...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 03, 2011 Deja rated it 3 of 5 stars

A Mormon romance novel. Yes, you read that right. If you can stomach the idea of a torrid affair between a Mormon bishop and a former prostitute, you might be able to handle this book. No premarital sex mind you, but that doesn't mean it doesn't live up to the romance genre in the end. I thought it was a fun read, though the heavy-handed (and absurd) Christian allegory was too much for my taste.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 22, 2011 Clarice marked it as to-read

So I'm going to go out on a limb and read a ROMANCE book written by a Mormon about Mormons. Should be interesting....this is not for the Mormon reader that can't handle sex and swear words, from what I've heard. But I'm reading Tina Fey's Bossy Pants right now so of course I don't have a problem with that.

like · see review

Apr 23, 2011 Dara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, contemporary

Okay, Can I just say you have to give any book that can make you lust after a Mormon Bishop 5 stars! Moriah Jovan writes another fantastic Dunham book, and I really suggest you go read it. I was given an ARC by the author.

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 12, 2011 Jennie rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one

Disjointed, sloppy writing. Lacks real knowledge of Mormons and leadership in the Church. Too much vulgarity for vulgarities sake makes this story crude and amateurish.

like · see review

Feb 16, 2013 Merlot Sc rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary_romance, erotic_romance, fun-fun, soul-deep

So humane and in keeping with the free choice principle. Believable and stimulating.

like · see review

May 11, 2013 Chasity Lange rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 11, 2013 Nancy marked it as to-read

Apr 21, 2013 Jill marked it as to-read

Apr 20, 2013 Allison marked it as to-read

Mar 20, 2013 Tracey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 17, 2013 Lariza marked it as to-read

Mar 15, 2013 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 16, 2013 Cristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, mine

Jan 26, 2013 Adriana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jan 21, 2013 Em rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Em by: motley

Shelves: mo

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About Moriah Jovan

MORIAH JOVAN writes what her imaginary friends tell her to write. Thus far, they have shown up in the novels The Proviso , Stay , Magdalene , and “Twenty-Dollar Rag,” published by B10 Mediaworx, and will, most likely, continue to order her around until she hits on the right drug and dosage. Fortunately, her husband is very understanding of all the other people in her life and her children have no...more

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“I didn't go into prostitution because I was desperate. I did it because I was bored.” — 2 people liked it

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Magdalene (Tales of Dunham #3)

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