Book Review: A Family Affair

A Family Affair by Mary Campisi

When Christine Blacksworth's larger-than-life father is killed on an icy road in Magdalena, New York, a hundred miles from the 'getaway' cabin he visited every month, she discovers a secret that threatens everything she's always held to be true. Her father has another family which includes a mistress and a daughter. Determined to uncover the truth behind her father's secret life, Christine heads to Magdalena, prepared to hate the people who have caused her to question everything she thought she knew about her father. But what she finds is a woman who understands her, a half sister who cherishes her, and a man who could love her if she'll let him. The longer she's around them, the more she questions which family is the real one.

 

While I will be the first to admit that I am a sucker for romance, this book was so much more than your average love story. There are no words to describe how much I loved this book and how much it kept me intrigued. It was well written and interesting. It kept me thinking and guessing the whole time. While it is a novel that is centered around romance, in more ways than one, it is not the main focus. As most romance novels are there are several things that are rather predictable but that comes with the territory. There is a lot more happening in this novel than the normal love story. I absolutely fell in love with Nate. He has become one of my favourite male characters in any of the books that I have read recently. I know that there are more books in this series and I am very excited to read them (I just need to find them!) While I felt that there were a few things in this novel that moved a little bit too quickly, overall I think that it was a really great read.

Book Review: A Heart So True (One Tree Hill)

A Heart So True by Anna Lotta

Brooke Davis has everything a teenage girl could desire - looks, popularity, and all the clothes money can buy. But she can't have the one thing she wants most - Lucas Scott. Sure, he was all hers for a few weeks during basketball season, but somehow he slipped through her fingers. And now the girl who swore never to let a guy break her heart has a secret: She wants him back.

Unfortunately for Brooke, getting Lucas back is easier said than done. Just a few months ago, Lucas was a quiet, bookish nobody. But now it seems like half the girls at THH are after him - including Brooke's best friend, Peyton. 

 Brooke is determined not to let Lucas some between her and Peyton again. But keeping her true feelings buried is a lot harder than Brooke imagined it would be - especially now that Lucas wants to rebuild his friendships with both her and Peyton.

I found the blurb of this book (written above) to be a little bit misleading. Yes, there are certain aspects of it that are accurate but I also feel as though there are a few embellishments that aren't quite necessary. I watch the TV show, One Tree Hill, which this book is based on and I have watched the episodes that are related to this book. When I read a book, I watch what is happening in my mind. I have a very vivid imagination. I could easily imagine this in my mind because I had seen it happen on TV. Had I not watched it I think that it would have been slightly more difficult to imagine the scenes that I was reading. I feel that, at times, the book seemed to have been written by a teenager themselves. I understand that this book, like the show is aimed primarily at teenagers and young adults but I think that the structure of the story and the way that it was written could have been better. If you enjoy the TV show then I would recommend this book as it is pretty accurate in terms of what you will have seen on the show, however if you are not a fan of the series then you might not find this book as interesting. This is because you might not know the background of the characters involved which are pretty important to be able to fully enjoy and appreciate the book.

Book Review: Singing Bird

Singing Bird by Roisin McAuley

The phone call comes out of the blue. It is the nun who, twenty-seven years earlier, set up the adoption of Lena Molloy's baby girl in Ireland. Just tying up loose ends, she says, nothing to worry about. 

But Lena is worried - and intrigued - and decides to go on a secret mission to the west of Ireland, with her best friend, to trace the birth parents of her daughter, now making her international debut as an opera singer. At first the trail seems to have gone cold, but at last a chance meeting sets Lena on a journey to an outcome which in her wildest dreams she could not have foreseen. 

I found this book at a fête and I only read the first line of the blurb before I decided to buy it. I hoped for the best when I started reading it and I was certainly not disappointed. This book is well written and interesting. Following the trail of her adoptive daughter's parents, Lena finds a lot of surprises along the way. The book is written in such a way that whenever you think one thing is going to happen, something else happens. It keeps you guessing and it keeps you wondering the whole time. As her daughter is an Opera singer, there are often times in the book when there is singing happening and the lyrics are given. This, while nice, can get a bit much at times because it is hard to sing the song if you are not familiar with it. I must admit that at these parts I just skimmed over the lyrics because they were a bit difficult to get through. This does not reflect badly on the story, I am just not a fan of reading lyrics in a story, in general. All in all I would definitely recommend this book. I have never experienced adoption first hand so I cannot imagine what it must be like but this is a heart warming account, although fictional, of a mother seeking answers for her daughter and finding some of her own along the way.