The Golden Spiral and The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum

  

The Forgotten Locket came out in May 2011 and I realized that although I had read and loved The Golden Spiral, I had neglected posting a review of it here.  I hope you won't mind if I post a double whammy and add another yummy chocolate recipe to match the Time-Stopping Chocolate Truffles that go so nicely with The Hourglass Door (the first in the series).

Food to eat while reading:    Golden Chocolate Nuggets and Thousand Year Fudge(come back soon for the Tasty Tuesday recipe).

Read my interview with author Lisa Mangum here.

The Hourglass Door series is one of my all time favorites (no pun intended).  The combination of time travel and clean, sweet romance is right up my alley.

I continued on Abby and Dante's journey in The Golden Spiral. As in The Hourglass Door, I enjoyed the time travel and its parallels to how our choices affect our futures. New elements, such as Valerie's insanity and the surprise help that Abby gets (no spoilers here) deepen the backdrop of the story. 

The parallels and imagery wrought by the scenes in which Abby learns to develop photography film were intriguing.  I love how Mangum draws the film developing process to point toward bringing Dante "back into the light" and "fixing" what has been undone. I was very glad to see where the author went with Natalie. 

Abby is faced with some heart wrenching situations in this book and it made me look at my own WIP and ask how I can introduce loss and dilemma into my own stories.  She continues to be a strong character who does what has to be done.  

The romance fell a bit flat for me, compared with the first book, but I think it is due to the fact that it is a middle book.  

The Forgotten Locket was a fitting and satisfying end to this fresh and intriguing trilogy. 

Although not always unpredictable, the twists and turns were enjoyable and I kept reading just to see what would come next. 

I love the themes of sacrifice and what both Abby and Dante willingly gave up in order to be together. 

I was surprised by and enjoyed the unexpected attraction of one of the characters in the third book, and I wish the author would have spent more time with that portion.  

It amazes me how Mangum can delve into Abby's character and describe so cleanly how she is feeling. The imagery in the book is never forced and helps push the emotional journey forward.

I had a harder time relating to Abby in this third book.  I think it's because she is so far removed from where she was in high school.  I missed the anchor or her real life.

Zo makes a great bad guy--I loath him and his determination to make everyone as miserable as he.  

Verdict: The Hourglass Door series is a zipping ride through time and love that will keep you reading until time slips away from you.