Bestseller For The Day Book Review: In Leah's Wake

Author: Terri Giuliano Long
Title: In Leah's Wake
Publisher: Createspace
Publish Date: Oct 1, 2010]
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: The author
Book Blurb: A mesmerizing story of love, loss, connection and grace


The Tyler family had the perfect life until sixteen-year-old Leah decided she didn't want to be perfect anymore.

As Leah's rebellion escalates, her parents, Zoe and Will, wage a desperate battle to save their daughter from destroying her brilliant future. Meanwhile, her younger sister, Justine, must bear the burden of coping with the destruction her out-of-control sibling leaves in her wake.

In Cortland, Massachusetts, where money and image reign supreme, the Tylers, once town royalty, soon find themselves isolated, the subject of vicious gossip and speculation. Jerry Johnson, the townie-turned-town-cop who intervenes, may be the only person in town who instinctively understands Dostoevksy's conviction, that "everyone is responsible to all men and for all men and for everything."
This mesmerizing debut novel tells the tale of a contemporary American family caught in the throes of adolescent rebellion a heartbreaking, funny, ultimately redemptive quest for love, independence, connection and grace.
 
Review: This story was really moving. It chronciles a family in crisis, as the Zoe and Will's oldest daughter spirals out of control. Leah could be any girl, in any high school. She was perfect until she got mixed up with the wrong people and things go from bad to worse.
 
But the thing is...this book reads like real life. The perfect family with their lives collapsing around them. Work issues...parenting issues...it is all there, and it isn't all pretty.
 
Terri doesn't sugar coat things and though the book has a happy ending, in a roundabout way, fairy dust wasn't sprinkled on the story so that Leah could resume her old life.
 
In Leah's Wake reminds everyone that opens it that parenting isn't easy...mistakes are going to be made by everyone, and that your family should be the most important people in your lives.
 
Leah wasn't always the most likable teenager, in fact, most of the time you are hoping the cops would bust her and scare her straight, but it doesn't always work that way. Life is not easy, and In Leah's Wake life doesn't cut many people a break.
 
This was a truly amazing read.
 
Rating: 5 flowers
 
 

Author Info:

 
Terri Giuliano Long grew up in the company of stories both of her own making and as written by others. Books offer her a zest for life’s highs and comfort in its lows. She’s all-too-happy to share this love with others as a novelist and as a lecturer at Boston College.


While her passion lies in the written word, Terri’s primary inspiration comes from her interest in existential philosophy and her observations of people and human nature. Her stories expand upon the subtle truths and what-ifs of everyday life. No matter where her stories journey, they always tie back to the family—the ways we love yet, in loving, too often hurt one another, the grief, the sorrow, the revelation, and the joy. Terri’s goal is to offer lasting hope and deep emotional connection in a compact and entertaining package.

Her life outside of books is devoted to her family. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, traveling to far-flung places, and meeting interesting people. True to her Italian-American heritage, she’s an enthusiastic cook and she loves fine wine and good food. In an alternate reality, she could have been very happy as an international food writer.

Terri loves meeting and connecting with people who share her passions. Visit on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tglong  or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tglongwrites

Book Review: Play Fling (Bestseller For The Day) #14

Author: Amber Scott
Title: Play Fling
Publish Date: January 15, 2010
Copy Provided By: Author for review purposes
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Face Your Target... Brooke Munkle didn't leave a lukewarm marriage just to flounce into the first hot bed. Too young, too hot, Elliott Jovovich has no business distracting her from starting over. If only he'd get out of her fantasies. Maybe if she keeps things simple, she can allow herself one naughty indulgence. After all, who will know? Pull The String... Elliott sees through Brooke's stiff facade. Underneath her struggle to hold it all together, a vibrant, wanton woman is waiting to be freed. To win her heart, he'll play by her rules, which would be a a lot easier if her hostile best friend didn't fight so dirty. Sure, he has ammo of his own, but what he knows could hurt Brooke. Steady. Aim. Release... Millie Match isn't sure what she did to deserve this matchmaking hell. The sneaking around, the spying, compatibility issues, chemistry crises. Her target, Brooke, is keeping secrets. Elliott is definitely Mr. Wrong. And if Millie doesn't make true love magic now, she'll lose the one thing in this punishment worth fighting for.

Review: Finally! A romance novel with a real woman! A woman that isn't twentysomething! A younger guy! A really stupid...yet lovable cupid!

It only took a few pages to know that this was going to be a fun book.

Brooke is falling for a much younger man who happens to be one of her college professors teaching assistants. The whole younger man thing kind of freaks her out too , especially after ending her marriage to Jason.  (Oh and Jason has some secrets of his own)

Then there's Millicent and AJ. Millie is Brooke's BFF that's just a little too well meaning. She is trying to work some cupid magic on her friend, but she's getting it all wrong. Very early on, you want to scream at her to butt out, but that's what makes things so fun.

But this is more than just a cute good time romance. Amber has created some very real characters, that have real problems. Brooke is trying to get a new business off the ground, and she finds herself attracted to a much younger man. It doesn't help matters that her ex is a not quite what he seems, and most of her friends and family seem to think she's a fool.

I really loved the characters, and how real they were. This was the first book of Amber's that I've read, but it won't be my last.


Rating:  4 flowers

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