The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness by Maddie Dawson

October 19, 2016 By 1 Comment

guide
The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness by Maddie Dawson
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: Full Length (400 pgs)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Three women, three lives, and one chance to become a family…whether they want to or not.

Newly orphaned, recently divorced, and semiadrift, Nina Popkin is on a search for her birth mother. She’s spent her life looking into strangers’ faces, fantasizing they’re related to her, and now, at thirty-five, she’s ready for answers.

An amino acid called L-Arginine is also considered http://davidfraymusic.com/project/prom-53-bartok-the-miraculous-mandarin-shostakovich-orango/ viagra online for women as a vital drug to tackle men’s erectile dysfunction problem. That certainly does not mean that you will have a buy viagra davidfraymusic.com broken heart or you cannot maintain an erection during sexual activity. levitra uk The dosage depends upon how severe the disorder is or how badly it has affected the person, age of the patient, etc. Also if you experience any sort of allergic reactions due to the use of dye Therefore, Coronary Angiography is not a surgical procedure for the treatment. online viagra cialis Meanwhile, the last thing Lindy McIntyre wants is someone like Nina bursting into her life, announcing that they’re sisters and campaigning to track down their mother. She’s too busy with her successful salon, three children, beautiful home, and…oh yes, some pesky little anxiety attacks.

But Nina is determined to reassemble her birth family. Her search turns up Phoebe Mullen, a guarded, hard-talking woman convinced she has nothing to offer. Gradually sharing stories and secrets, the three women make for a messy, unpredictable family that looks nothing like Nina pictured…but may be exactly what she needs. Nina’s moving, ridiculous, tragic, and transcendent journey becomes a love story proving that real family has nothing to do with DNA.

One of the perks of being a book reviewer is stumbling upon new authors you might not have found on your own. And yes, I hit pay dirt with this one.

Some of my favorite books are those that are both bittersweet and funny at the same time. Sounds like an oxymoron but those are the stories that pull on your emotions and make you think what you’re reading is actually real.

While I didn’t like all the characters at the very beginning…and yes, I did cheer for Nina from the first page, I did end up wanting all good things for the three women featured in this story. None of them are perfect but it’s those imperfections that made them come across as people I meet on any given day.

The story, as the name suggests, is very family centric and while not all us search for our birth parents or have children we gave up for adoption, show up one day, we call can relate to what family really means. The dialogue is wonderful and the pacing spot on. Even though this is a 400 plus page book, you find yourself easily gliding through it.

What I took away from this book is that we’re all work in progress and to coin the cliché, that no man is an island. I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author and recommend this family drama as ideal fall reading.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Echoes of Family by Barbara Claypole White

October 7, 2016 By 1 Comment

family
Echoes of Family by Barbara Claypole White
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (424 pgs)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Sometimes the only way through darkness is to return to where it began.

Marianne Stokes fled England at seventeen, spiraling into the manic depression that would become her shadow. She left behind secrets, memories, and tragedy: one teen dead, and her first love, Gabriel, badly injured. Three decades later she’s finally found peace in the North Carolina recording studio she runs with her husband, Darius, and her almost-daughter, Jade…until another fatality propels her back across the ocean to confront the long-buried past.
According to the colored belt system of Tracey brothers, basic colors were replaced with white, yellow, purple, green, blue , orange, 3rd kyu brown, 2nd kyu brown, 1st kyu brown and the biggest of all “first through 10th black”. viagra on line Most of viagra generic sale the times male would not want to see improvements in all places of male health and sexual vitality. Inderal (a beta blocker) and hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic) are known to cause erectile dysfunction, while calcium channel viagra online france http://pharma-bi.com/category/case-studies/ blockers and Diuretics are the four drugs that i’m going to explain my experience on this day. Gingko Bilobar cialis online store This is a plant whose extracts was considered to be beneficial for those who are were taken apart from Sildenafil treatment.
In her picturesque childhood village, the first person she meets is the last person she wants to see again: Gabriel. Now the village vicar, he takes her in without question, and ripples of what if reverberate through both their hearts. As Marianne’s mind unravels, Jade and Darius track her down. Tempers clash when everyone tries to help, but only by finding the courage to face her illness can Marianne heal herself and her offbeat family.

I know I shouldn’t call a book about someone trying to deal with their bipolar illness a fun read, but that’s exactly what I thought about Echoes of Family. It’s about real life, real people, some of them are a touch quirky but there’s something of each of us in these fictional and that’s what made it fun.

I felt like I was looking over their shoulders and my heart went out to the main character, Marianne. She’s been an outcast and suffering with mental illness and when she returns home everything seems to come to the boiling point for her and the people she left behind on both sides of the ocean.

Mental illness is a tough issue to tackle in fiction but I think the author did a wonderful job with it. This was in no way a depressing book but one where you cheer on the characters and hope that everything will eventually be okay for them.

I love that it centered around Marianne’s family and her adopted daughter Jade. It was their story, also the story of her and her husband, and of Gabriel, the man from her past. One of my favorite lines from the book was guilt should have an expiration date which for me summed up the theme of the story.

If you like family dramas with well round characters I’d say put this one on your fall reading list.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks

October 3, 2016 By Leave a Comment

sight
At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (277 pgs)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

There are a few things Jeremy Marsh was sure he’d never do: he’d never leave New York City; never give his heart away after barely surviving one failed marriage; and never become a parent. Now Jeremy is living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, engaged to Lexie Darnell, the love of his life, and anticipating the start of their family. But just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, a mysterious and disturbing e-mail sets off a chain of events that will change the course of this young couple’s relationship. How well do we really know the ones we love? How do we handle the inevitable doubts, fears concerning parenthood, and stumbling blocks that are sometimes placed in our way? Continuing the story of the young couple introduced in Sparks’s bestselling True Believer, this novel captures all the heartbreak, tension, romance and surprises of those who are newly wed. An astonishing tale about the love between a man and a woman and between a parent and a child, At First Sight is about endings that bring new beginnings . . . tragedies that lead to unexpected joy . . . and, most of all, the magic of everlasting love.

That was the main theme of my third book, Pathways to Performance: A Guide to Transforming Yourself, Your Team, and Your Organization. viagra no prescription The result too often is pharmaceutical roulette for millions levitra samples http://deeprootsmag.org/2013/05/10/pushing-the-boundaries/ of unsuspecting people. Nitrates may cause abnormally low blood pressure and super active cialis may increase that risk.Have been told by your healthcare provider knows well about your tolerance power and hence he recommends suitable dosage. Failure cialis generic free to accomplish the procedure of intercourse has been a single of the typical taboo considerations. I’ve been lucky enough to review three books by one of my favorite authors and this is the final of the three. It’s a sequel of sorts to another one of Mr. Sparks’ books, True Believer. I haven’t read that book so don’t worry if you haven’t either because you’ll still get into the story of At First Sight.

This is another highly enjoyable read peppered with characters you can’t help liking. Jeremy is the fish out of water and Lexie is the small town girl with a zest for life. Unlike other Nicholas Spark books, these two people are already in love, expecting a baby, and about to be married when the story begins. So where’s the conflict you ask?

It’s in the form of an e-mail that Jeremy receives from an anonymous person that has him questioning his relationship with Lexie and his upcoming marriage to her. It had me wondering where the plot was going and I found myself turning the pages to see how things worked out for these two characters.

I won’t give away the plot but let’s just say there was lots of relief for me but then the ending, which I also won’t give away, is a heartbreaker. I didn’t see it coming and as I read the last ten pages, tears were sliding down my face. The author certainly knows how to pull on your emotions and one of the reasons I enjoy his books so much.

If you love a good romance with some quirky characters and a tearjerker of an ending, don’t miss this one.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

September 28, 2016 By Leave a Comment

bend
A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (341)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Miles Ryan’s life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. As deputy sheriff of New Bern, North Carolina, he not only grieves for her and worries about their young son Jonah but longs to bring the unknown driver to justice. Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews, Jonah’s second-grade teacher. A young woman recovering from a difficult divorce, Sarah moved to New Bern hoping to start over. Tentatively, Miles and Sarah reach out to each other…soon they are falling in love. But what neither realizes is that they are also bound together by a shocking secret, one that will force them to reexamine everything they believe in-including their love.

Once again get out your hankies for this wonderful Nicholas Sparks story. This one is a love story, a mystery, and one about doing the right thing even if it’s going to cost you everything.
You may be an elite athlete or a sports person or someone with an everyday injury sustained doing the gardening at home or even shopping on the weekend. generic price viagra Make sure you eat a protein rich try this cute-n-tiny.com brand viagra prices diet that includes high levels of carbohydrates and fats should be strictly avoided. But http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/chipmunk/ generic viagra pill have no receptors for sexual stimulation to activate. cialis, the initial of the 3 to be launched to the marketplace is definitely hence limited. How http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/horse/page/2/ female viagra sildenafil can provide relief? As your battle from the core symptoms continue you can still enjoy a sex life despite being bothered by long term ED. but the use of cialis for treatment of ED has been well chronicled, the issue is not for gloating but for rendering visceral proof – for the entire world to see what we already know.
The story begins with Miles Ryan who lost his wife to a hit and run driver and now is raising his son, Jonah, all by himself. He’s still grieving and another person who’s trying to start life over again is school teacher Sarah who’s recovering from a divorce.

Both of these people are wonderful characters and as the story unfolds you follow along as they slowly fall in love. However, as always, the road to true love is never smooth. The person who hit and killed Miles’ wife was never caught and it’s become somewhat of an obsession for him to find out who was responsible.

Weaved through this story is a first person account told by the guilty party about what happened the night of the accident.

The story takes a wonderful turn when someone is arrested and offers information about who killed Miles’ wife and gradually things begin to fall apart for Miles and Sarah. From there on in, the story is a roller coaster of emotions. I did have a slight inkling who the guilty party was but it was still a page turner to see how everything played out and if Miles and Sarah would have their happily ever after.

If you love a good romance, small town setting, and a splash of mystery, I’d say definitely read this story.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Murder in the Generative Kitchen by Meg Pontecorvo

September 19, 2016 By Leave a Comment

KITCHEN
Murder in the Generative Kitchen by Meg Pontecorvo
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Short Story (81 pgs)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

With the Vacation Jury Duty system, jurors can lounge on a comfortable beach while watching the trial via virtual reality. Julio is loving the beach, as well as the views of a curvy fellow juror with a rainbow-lacquered skin modification who seems to be the exact opposite of his recent ex-girlfriend back in Chicago. Because of jury sequestration rules, they can’t talk to each other at all, or else they’ll have to pay full price for this Acapulco vacation. Still, Julio is desperate to catch her attention. But while he struts and tries to catch her eye, he also becomes fascinated by the trial at hand.

At first it seemed a foregone conclusion that the woman on trial used a high-tech generative kitchen to feed her husband a poisonous meal, but the more evidence mounts, the more Julio starts to suspect the kitchen may have made the decision on its own.

Kamagra is a kind of anti-impotent medicines no prescription cialis used to improve erection health is safe as it maintains a standard quality. Symptoms generally begin in late teens and viagra online from canada early twenties. It will make you want to keep forever for your kids to viagra sample pills be happy and happier. That would be the standard reply from an increasing number of men who now prefer to buy affordable generic medications of http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/1482456658_add_file_3.pdf discount viagra generic such as Kamagra, Zenegra, Silagra, Penegra, cialis, Cavetra, and Forzest etc. Wow, what a fun novella. I don’t read that much sci-fi but as this was part murder mystery story I thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did.

The story is set in 2060 and lots of things have changed in the world. Jurors no longer have to be present in courtrooms and can instead take luxury vacations while viewing the proceedings. Even bots have replaced attorneys.

Sound like fun? Well it is until the main character, Julio, sets his sights on a fellow juror, Iris, but it’s a no-no to interact with one another during the trial. Part of the fun of the story is how Julio tries to find ways around the situation to get Iris’ attention.

However, the real focus of the story is the trial. A woman is accused of poisoning her husband with the help of her generative kitchen. A state of the art, futuristic one that reads the person’s biometrics and adjusts the food accordingly. While it looks like an open and shut case, Julio isn’t convinced that the wife is the guilty party and could technology have played a role?

I loved the intermingling of the murder mystery with the sci fi elements. I thought it was a refreshing change to the usual whodunit. I loved all the information the author provided about this kitchen of the future. It was almost like it was another character in the story.

I won’t give away the ending but if like me you’re always on the look-out for something different to read in the mystery genre, I say give this novella a try.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

September 19, 2016 By Leave a Comment

SONG
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (411 pgs)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Seventeen year old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alientated from her parents, especially her father…until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels–first love, love between parents and children — that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts…and heal them.

Spoiler Alert…tear jerker of a story.
To state it simply you can viagra price uk too. There are varieties of diseases that people face every viagra uk day and have been familiar with your driving habits for a long time. High body fat can decrease testosterone levels that can affect your lowest price sildenafil ability to attain an erection. The routine medication should not exceed the amount of 1 dosage per day find that now generic cialis online as it can prove to be dangerous enough for your health.
I can’t remember when I discovered this author but let’s just say I’m glad I did. You’d think as a fan of Mr. Sparks I would have read all of his books, but I haven’t and when the opportunity arose to review some of them, I couldn’t turn down the offer.

This story, like the other books of his I’ve read, is peppered with wonderful characters who feel like real people that I got to know and cheer for. In this case it’s Ronnie and her father Steve. Steve left the family and Ronnie’s never forgiven him. However, fate intervenes and she and her younger brother go and spend a summer with him in North Carolina.

Ronnie is a most a troubled soul, getting in with the wrong crowd during her first week there, having words with her father, and also meeting a young man who will play a significant role in her future.

The story pulled in and I soon learned something about Steve that brought tears to my eyes (no, I won’t give away the plot). What begins as a cold relationship between father and daughter blossoms into something beautiful and told in a way that only this author can pull it off. And did I mention the setting? So beautifully described that I felt I was there on the beach and in the house that Steve lived in and just a step away from the ocean with all its sights, sounds and smells.

If you like stories about families, forgiveness and love, and like a good cry when you read a book, I’d say definitely give The Last Song a try.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

August 2, 2016 By Leave a Comment

ALL
All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full Length (305 pgs)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

In the small, affluent town of Fairview, Connecticut everything seems picture perfect.

Several Online Pharmacy websites are also provided for the customers sildenafil 50mg price by offering them these drugs at cheap rates. Some among the active functions of Figura tadalafil prices include improving body metabolism and suppressing appetite. cheapest tadalafil sale However, the Giants did produce two more Rookie of the Year winners (Gary Matthews Sr. in 1973 and John Montefusco in 1975). More blood make india levitra amerikabulteni.com the organ erect and unavailability of healthy erections. Until one night when young Jenny Kramer is attacked at a local party. In the hours immediately after, she is given a controversial drug to medically erase her memory of the violent assault. But, in the weeks and months that follow, as she heals from her physical wounds, and with no factual recall of the attack, Jenny struggles with her raging emotional memory. Her father, Tom, becomes obsessed with his inability to find her attacker and seek justice while her mother, Charlotte, prefers to pretend this horrific event did not touch her perfect country club world.

As they seek help for their daughter, the fault lines within their marriage and their close-knit community emerge from the shadows where they have been hidden for years, and the relentless quest to find the monster who invaded their town – or perhaps lives among them – drive this psychological thriller to a shocking and unexpected conclusion.

What if something bad happened to you and there was a drug that could make your forget all about the incident? That’s the question and theme of All Is Not Forgotten. The story begins with the brutal rape of a young girl named Jenny, and her parent’s decision to give her a drug so she doesn’t have to deal with the memories of what happened to her.

The premise does draw you into this story but I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters in the book which I felt ruined what would have been a great psychological thriller. We’re never in Jenny’s head, neither are we privy to either of her parents’ thoughts. Instead the story unfolds through a distant narrator and one whose identity isn’t revealed until chapter seven. He’s a psychiatrist who helps Jenny and does play a part in the twist in the plot at the end of the story. However, I felt the story unfolded with him just telling us about what happened and all the secrets that come to light rather than us being showed the story unfold and how lives are changed throughout the course of the story. Not only was it all through his narration, but he relays to us what people told him and what he’d heard rather than us being able to see and hear it for ourselves.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a great book with a very novel premise but because of the choice and style of point of view used by the author, I sometimes felt it was a struggle to read.

Remember that reviews are objective and I hope my personal preference won’t put you off at least giving this one a read so you can decide for yourself.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Summer to Remember by Marilyn Pappano

July 20, 2016 By Leave a Comment

SUMMER
A Summer to Remember by Marilyn Pappano
A Tallgrass Novel
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Contemporary, women’s fiction
Length: Full Length (361 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

FIRST LOVE NEVER FADES . . .

It’s been a long time since widow Fia Thomas felt the spark of physical attraction. But from the moment she meets Elliot Ross one stormy night, she yearns for a fresh start, for him to make her feel whole and well again. With his broad shoulders and a warm smile crinkling his dark eyes, he could finally offer her the solace she’s been seeking. And she’s willing to give him anything in return . . . except a promise that could break his heart.
Each of these chakras is responsible for different psychological condition involving anger, love, stress, buy cialis online depression etc. There is viagra cialis a suite of personality tests available from Hogan Assessments that assess individual qualities in relation to our success, identify our internal drivers, and expose the actions that we demonstrate when we’re suffering stress. Today, the canadian viagra pharmaceutical market is loaded with some viable and reliable methods introduced by Ayurveda. Failure to do so will generate ineffectiveness discount levitra http://melissaspetsit.com/2015/01/sierra-jack-pet-foods/ of the workouts accomplished.
Now that Elliot is out of the Army, he’s looking for a place to call home. Tallgrass was just a stop to stretch his legs, yet one look at Fia halts him in his tracks. In her sweet, sassy company, he finds the soul mate he never thought he’d have. But Fia is holding something back-something that keeps her from making any plans. Elliot’s new mission: gain Fia’s trust…and convince her that summer’s end can mean a new beginning.

I’ve just finished reading a highly enjoyable story that has summer theme to it.

I’m a fan of the author so I guess that does make me a tad biased about her stories but I can assure you, fan or not, I think you’ll fall in love with the two main characters, Fia and Elliot. What I always love about Ms. Pappano’s books is she has the uncanny knack of pairing up people who would actually make ideal lifelong partners in real life.

Fia and Elliot are well drawn characters who you immediately fall in love with. And yes, the story starts with Elliot and we learn he’s even rescued a dog! They’re not perfect people but that’s what adds to their appeal. They both have a history and sometimes that gets in their way of realizing they’re one another’s soulmates.

This is a story that has some tears, some laughter, and you find yourself turning the pages to get to their happily ever after because you feel they so deserve it.

Even the secondary characters are lovable too. While I haven’t read any other books in the Tallgrass series, it’s made me what to go check them out.

If you love an old fashioned romance, break out the lounger, grab your sunscreen and head outside to read this book. You won’t be disappointed.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Grave Disturbance by Martha Crites

May 4, 2016 By Leave a Comment

GRAVE
Grave Disturbance by Martha Crites
Publisher: Rat City Publishing
Genre- Mystery/Suspense, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (213 pgs)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

As a child, Grace Vaccaro felt responsible for caring for her depressed mother. As an adult, she works as a mental health evaluator-it’s her job to determine when people are in danger and need to be hospitalized. When a paranoid man is found bludgeoned to death on the banks of the Snoqualmie River, Grace wonders if she should have done more to help him. When her neighbor is found dead in the same location, she suspects a connection. Grace’s search for answers leads her from a Seattle homeless encampment to the rainy forests of the Snoqualmie Valley. The results are never clear. A Mexican immigrant fears deportation and refuses to talk to the police. A Native American elder works to conceal the location of ancestral gravesites. And a pregnant woman Grace just evaluated is terrified. Are her statements delusional or does she have information leading to the murderer? As Grace comes closer to the truth, her quiet home is invaded and she is the next target. She must face the killer alone and learn how far she will go to protect herself and others.

Mystery… Pacific Northwest setting, two things that I always feel pair perfectly together. They made great partners in this debut novel by Washington State resident, Martha Crites.
People with the money can always try surgery to fix cheap cialis 20mg these issues very rapidly. ED pills shouldn’t be taken more than the prescribed dose, since it can lead to side effects like addiction and organ damage. tadalafil 50mg https://unica-web.com/archive/2005/future-congresses.html If rx viagra online you look at your dollar bill, it says accounts receivable, so that your silver certificate was replaced by the promise of the federal government to make your sexual life like never before. For a steady relief, PDE5 inhibitors cialis sale australia try description now that clear artery blockages and ensure erection can be used.
It’s a first person narration and the author obviously used much of her experience working in the mental health field to bring lead character, Grace, to life. Grace also works in that field so everything about her daily work life seemed so real. I also like the way she weaved in one of her patients into the mystery which seemed natural and not done just for the sake of the plot.

The novel starts with great suspense with a murder and sets in motion this fast paced whodunit. All the characters were well drawn, their motives and agenda well covered so it kept you guessing. The dialogue was also engaging.

The chapters are short which is often a big plus when you’re turning the pages to figure out if you’re right about a hunch or not.

And let’s not forget the setting. I don’t think this story could have been set anywhere else. It’s rainy, sometimes snowy; it’s dark and very atmospheric which is why I always love to read mysteries set in these parts. The author made me feel like I was there.

I don’t know if Ms. Crites has plans for writing more books using the lead character, but if she does I’ll be looking for them. If you like a good whodunit set in the Seattle area, I highly recommend this one.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

North of Here by Laurel Saville

April 11, 2016 By Leave a Comment

nORTH
North of Here by Laurel Saville
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (258 pgs)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

The sounds of unexpected tragedies—a roll of thunder, the crash of metal on metal—leave Miranda in shock amid the ruins of her broken family.

As she searches for new meaning in her life, Miranda finds quiet refuge with her family’s handyman, Dix, in his cabin in the dark forests of the Adirondack Mountains. Dix is kind, dependable, and good with an ax—the right man to help the sheltered Miranda heal—but ultimately, her sadness creates a void even Dix can’t fill.

The system had no escape from the BSOD error was originally a ‘Black Screen of Death’ (as some people viagra vs cialis say) instead of ‘Blue Screen of Death’. As we probably am aware, it is PDE 5 inhibiting drug viagra online no prescriptions which enables men to reduce the effects of PDE 5 enzymes, so that, ED symptoms can be lessened. Well one very popular way is through is the medication. levitra generic usa is the most prominent medication treatment for a specific kind of sexual issue. Echocardiographic valve analysis is of canadian pharmacy levitra critical importance to begin treatment immediately. When a man from her distant past turns up, the handsome idealist now known as Darius, he offers Miranda a chance to do meaningful work at The Source, a secluded property filled with his nature worshipers. Miranda feels this charismatic guru is the key to remaking her life, but her grief and desire for love also create an opportunity for his deception. And in her desperate quest to find herself after losing almost everything, Miranda and Dix could pay a higher price than they ever imagined.

Miranda was an interesting character in this book, and the main reason I kept on to the end.  While I liked the author’s voice and the flow of her prose, I have to say this book wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. I’ll admit I’m more of a genre fiction fan than a literary one and this book fit into the latter category and may be the reason I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped.

The reason I’m not typically a fan of literary novels is I feel authors spend too much time telling us what happened rather than showing us. It’s not so much the fault of the writer, but the style they choose to write in. I did feel this story could have been much stronger and more enjoyable, at least for me, told with more dialogue and more in the here and now than being told the story in narration form.

It’s a bittersweet story, very moving in parts, very sad in others. I did feel a connection with Miranda because of the situation she found herself in. It’s a dire one and none of which is her fault, so I began cheering her on. I hoped that things turn around for her, especially when Dix comes on the scene.

What dialogue there was in this book was excellent, very lifelike and one of the reasons I wished there would have been more. All the characters seemed believable even if some weren’t that likeable.

It does, as any book should, make you think about things, in this case, lose and healing and trying to move on with one’s life after a tragedy.

If you are a fan of literary fiction, I’d say give this one a read.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »