Torn by Karen Turner

Karen Turner has done it again! In her first book All That and Everything, a compilation of short stories, she did not disappoint. In Torn she has managed to once again take her readers on an emotional roller coaster that invites, intrigues and has you riveted to the pages.

The year is 1808. Alexandra and her siblings are happy, until mother returns with child due in 5 months and a man whom it is announced she is soon to marry. Lord Thorn’s children soon join them.

Alexandra is a wild child who likes nothing better than to climb a tree and loose herself amongst the gardens of Broughton Hall. Her wild child attitude and strong will only continue as she matures, causing her to disapprove of her arranged marriage and fight against her mothers will. Alexandra finds love within her own family, a love that must be kept from her mother but a love that her step brother Patrick feels for her. Torn speaks of lust, love, passion, turmoil and heartache.

Torn had me holding my breath in anticipation and intrigue from paragraph one. Karen Turner has a way of weaving an eerie magic into her writing. A magic that engulfs you.

' The old woman woke from a disturbed sleep. Her candle had reduced to a stub plunging much of the room into darkness...’

These few sentences, words of wonderment and intrigue, greet you as you open to the first page of your journey into Torn. Immediately I was wondering who this old woman was and why her sleep was disturbed, but my questions were soon forgotten as I became at one with the book and my thoughts no longer mattered. All that mattered at that moment in time was the turning of the pages and the world within.

Karen Turner knows just how much to give. She has the art of knowing just when and where to stop in her description, plot and character life so as to keep her readers hanging, turning pages and wanting more.

Yet Jemima felt no fear - only interest - as the colourless shade shuffled into the kitchen, carrying what appeared to be a tin box, and muttering to herself, “It’s for the lady, Meg, keep it safe for her...”

It is rare I turn to the back of the book to find out what happens but with Torn I just had to cheat. The impulse, the need to know and the desire for all to be ok for the two main lovers was way more than I could bare. Again Karen got me. Turn to the back page I may but alas the answer was not there. Still needing to know I turned back page after page, skimmed words and hunted until I found what I was looking for. Going back to where I was I still wanted more.

As I read Torn I grew up with Alexandra. I cried tears of happiness for her love, felt her pain and sadness, mourned her loss, became angry at her mother and disliked her betrothed. My emotions flowed faster than I could turn the pages. Torn is a story of love, passion, courtship and family betrayal that pulls at your heartstrings. At times I would lift my head from a page and have to regroup with 2013 after having been in the 1800’s for so long.I closed the cover of Torn in disbelief. I wanted to yell at Karen Turner. How can she do this to me. Leave me not really knowing. Leave me in limbo until the continuation of the story in her next book Inviolate. I will admit it, I emailed Karen. I asked and asked and asked, actually begged is probably more the word, for the answers to my questions. I know she knows what happens, she is the author after all, but like all authors Karen loves to keep us in suspense. My last request. Hurry up will you! I need Inviolate, NOW!

ISBN: 978-192221983-1 

Available from www.palmerhiggsbooks.com.au 

Visit Karen Turner at www.karenturner.com.au

Torn gets my vote as one of the most inviting covers
 I have seen in a long time. I immediately wanted to
sit amongst the Autumn leaves, under the tree and loose myself in the pages.

Never Stop Believing - Sally Obermeder

Never Stop Believing, a befitting title for a book that inspires, motivates and has you believing you can achieve anything.

Sally Obermeder is one of those woman who have experienced the lows and highs of life and used every single one of them to her best advantage. In Never Stop Believing Sally shows that she is just a woman like everyone else but with a determination and a love for life that she used to help her  struggle through what she was given.

‘In Never Stop Believing, Sally relives her transformative year and takes us back to her earlier days, before her career in television. This is her story of growing up, trying to find her place in the world, battling weight issues and overcoming challenges to enter the industry in which she so desperately wanted to work. It is also her story of spending years struggling to have a baby, eventually making the decision to use IVF to conceive her beautiful daughter and ultimately winning her battle with cancer’

My initial reaction to this book was that of not another cancer story written by a TV personality. Those who are familiar with my reviews will know I loathe books that are published due to the notoriety of the author or those written by journalists who too often produce a dry media read. How wrong I was with Never Stop Believing. This is not the tale of a TV personality who decided to use their unfortunate battle to make money but the tale of a woman who had my emotions flowing. Sally Obermeder writes with professionalism, style and flow. She held my interest from the beginning to the end, allowing me to travel smoothly through her life and relate to it on a woman to woman basis. Sally Obermeder inspires. The if I can you can too messages is spoken loud and clear in Never Stop Believing. 

The thing I loved about this book was its ability to take me from one emotion to another so smoothly, not leaving me feeling like I was on a rollercoaster but on a cloud floating, looking down on the story as it unfolded. I laughed, cried and felt the love and pain as I turned the pages. Never Stop Believing is one of those books you just want to keep reading. 

One can only imagine the way Sally and Marcus felt when, at 41 weeks pregnant, she was told she had stage three breast cancer and would be induced immediately. For Sally and Marcus this should have been a time of celebration. A time to hold that baby they had waited so long for and had traveled the road of IVF for. How does one deal with bringing a baby into this world faced with the uncertainty of the length of your life ahead of you? For Sally Obermeder it was with sadness and unknown quantities but it was also with the love for her daughter and immense support from her husband, family and friends who rallied around her.

Never Stop Believing is on my  highly recommended list for women. It will move you, change your outlook on life, make you feel blessed for each day but above all encourage you to live life to the fullest and with love in your heart. Never Stop Believing is a celebration of life. Sally Obermeder is a true inspiration to women worldwide.

ISBN 978-1-74331-2019-3

www.allenandunwin.com