Sunday, September 6, 2015

Review of The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain


What if the life you thought you knew was a lie? What would you do? This is what happened to Riley McPherson. She has always been under the impression her older sister Lisa committed suicide when she was a teenager. After the death of her father, Riley travels to New Bern, North Carolina, to clean up her father's house to eventually sell it so she can move on with her life back in Durham, North Carolina. As she does that, she finds evidence that her sister may not have committed suicide, actually ran away and assumed a new identity.  What really happened to Lisa McPherson and why?

You must read The Silent Sister to find out what happened to Lisa McPherson. I have loved Diane Chamberlain's work ever since I read The Secret Life of CeCe Wilkes nearly ten years ago. Ten years?! I can't even believe it's been that long. Diane has a way of creating characters that make you feel as if they're right there standing next to you. I cannot believe this is a work of fiction. I was riveted from the very first sentence to the very last. As I met and grew to know Riley, at first I didn't like her but then realized she was a good person, just confused by what life threw at her. There isn't an order of books you have to read, you can start anywhere. If you're not able to get a copy, start with CeCe Wilkes. If you are able to get your hands on a copy, read it stat! 

Friday, September 4, 2015

Book review of The Precious One by Marisa de los Santos

It is about a woman Eustacia who at 35 years of age has only loved three men in her entire life: Ben, her high school sweetheart, Marcus, her brother and a man who never really showed her love, also known as Wilson, her vicious, spiteful, hateful father. He has a new family, his wife Caro and their 16-year old daughter Willow. Wilson has nothing to do with his "past" family and you're itching to find out why. Wilson asks Eustacia, otherwise known as Taisy) to come visit him after he suffered a heart attack because he has a proposition for her. I don't want to give more away but you come to find why Wilson is still nasty to Taisy and what happened when she up and left Ben, the one she loved with all her heart.

This was the first book I read by Marisa de los Santos and her writing really made me envision each character perfectly. I felt like I was in the story next to Taisy, Wilson, Willow, Caro, her mother and Marcus. I felt the pain of Taisy trying to win the affection and loved she so desperately wanted from Wilson. I'm lucky to have a father who loves me in my life but I always feel for those who don't see or speak to their biological fathers who aren't in their lives due to whatever reasons that may have occurred. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves a little conflict, a little mystery and some bits of romance.