The Miracle of Love by Ondine Sherman

To have twins come into your life when you already have one small child can be overwhelming and challenging but for Ondine Sherman and her husband Dror life has decided to throw that extra challenge their way. By six months of age her identical twin boys, Dov and Lev, are failing to meet important milestones. This leads to endless doctors and specialist’s appointments, frustrations and family heartache, all in a foreign country with family miles away.

Ondine Sherman is no stranger to a challenge having set up the Australian animal advocacy group Voiceless with her father some years earlier. Miracle of Love is her story of the rollercoaster ride she travelled trying to find someone who could tell her what was wrong with her boys and the future ahead of them. It is the story of a mother who never gave up hope. Who, with the help of her supportive family, seeks answers to the lack of development in her little boys. 

The Miracle of Love is a book about family and the extent a mother will go for her children. It oozes love compassion and understanding whilst speaking of the frustration, uncertainty and confusion that parents with special needs children are often up against. Ondine Sherman was one of the lucky ones, she had the strong support and understanding of family and friends and money to pay for doctor’s and therapy. She also had the help of a professional and educated family to help her travel this difficult road. For some this is not available and they too quickly become forgotten. Putting all of this aside Ondine shares her story in the hope of empowering others to never give up.

The Miracle of Love is well written and flows beautifully but at times I will admit I did become a little bored. I questioned whether this book would have been offered publication had Ondine Sherman not been the founder of Voiceless. Without Voiceless I am sure Ondine would have seen herself self publishing as this book misses the mark of that of a best seller.  For me it lacked the oomph or pizzaz of a book that really grabs your heartstrings. The Miracle of Love is enjoyable but it is ‘just a book’. I would recommend this book to those who are traveling a journey of uncertainty with their children as within they will find comfort in knowing that another has been there too. For one who is seeking a book that will grab them I recommend you pick it up without expectation, allowing yourself to form an opinion as you turn the pages.

My thoughts - A no fuss give it a go read that will pass the time.

ISBN: 978-1-74331-620-7

www.allendandunwin.com

Into My Arms - Kylie Ladd

‘The kiss ignited something, blew it into being, and afterwards, all Skye could think about was Ben’

Into My Arms by Kylie Ladd is promoted as being a love story with a shocking twist. Shocking as it may be to some the topic within is real. I for one have had personal experience with this topic, having it effect my life on a scale that could be seen as being larger than life.

Genetic Sexual Attraction is a worldwide phenomenon that strikes unexpectedly when biologically related family members, who have been kept apart for many reasons, meet as adults. The feelings can be instant, intense and confusing yet one is engulfed with an immense feeling of love and longing.

I commend Kylie Ladd for taking on a topic that is not only controversial but difficult for most to comprehend. Kylie is not only a novelist but a qualified neuropsychologist. She has been able to use her professional knowledge, and facts found during researching and talking to those effected, to correctly portray the immensity of GSA.  Kylie shows compassion for the topic. Until one actually experiences the immense emotions and push and pull GSA creates, one can not fully understand it, but within Into My Arms Kylie Ladd has given the reader a deeper understanding of the intensity involved. Her characters correctly display the push pull and immense need. I did feel the story played down the turmoil GSA causes within the extended family unit but will acknowledge that this is different in all situations depending on the family dynamics.

Into My Arms is more than GSA. It is a story of love, passion, family, unity, need and conflict. It is a story of the reality and struggle of life, of the decision to try IVF and how that decision can affect the rest of your life.

I love the way Kylie interweaves the struggle of families who immigrate and the longing of a mother who does not know where her children are, lost in a country she use to call home, with the immense feeling of loss and longing that GSA creates.  Into My Arms smoothly moves from one topic to another integrating them without the reader giving it much thought. The characters blend into each other, with the issue at hand floating above just high enough to make an impact on the readers thought process. 

Although fiction Into My Arms has an important message. Genetic Sexual Attraction is real. Society can debate it, they can be disgusted by it and they can ignore it but as Kylie Ladd makes clear it is destroying the lives of families and individuals whilst also uniting and creating love and peace.

Into My Arms is a love story with a difference. Beautifully written with compassion and understanding Kylie Ladd has excelled. It is easy to see why it has been placed on the list of ‘A Book You Can’t Put Down’ and why Allen and Unwin give it the Read it. Love it. Or your money back guarantee.

Smooth to read and topical Into My Arms takes you to a fictional world where you feel love, lust and a little lost whilst the pages wrap you in security and warmth. 

Definitely on my ‘Go on, give it a read’ list. 

Available from www.allenandunwin.com

ISBN: 978-1-74331458-6

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

The Fifth Shadow, Phoenix by Alison Ashley

Written in the first person narrative, Katie, a twin, takes the reader on a journey back to her past where she meets her former self and delves into the families history. Involving her twin Ally was not something she wanted but became something that had to happen. Is Katie the only one who see’s the shadow? What does it mean? Does her sister Ally share her psychic powers?  Is Grandad really mistaking her for his sister Kathy or can he see the past and present clearly? 

The Fifth Shadow Phoenix is a paranormal novel with twists and turns that keep you spell bound. Aimed at the young adult audience this book really befits itself to all ages. I was hooked within the first few pages. As the first in The Fifth Shadow series I definitely look forward to more. 

Phoenix has it all. Friends, family, personal struggles and a little bit of history thrown in to a world that has you wondering where the next page will lead you.  Alison Ashley writes with a flow that is really hard to explain. She draws you in with each expressive word to the extent that you leave your current surroundings and become at one with the words. At times I forgot it was 2013 as I was taken back to the war in 1944 and travelled with Katie through her past. Alison Ashley definitely knows how to set a scene giving you enough information to take you there but leaving just enough to allow your imagination to fill in the gaps. She has all the markings of a successful author in a young adult market that can be hard to break. 

The ending of this book left me with that unbelievable sinking feeling and with the tears welling up in my eyes. The fifth shadow Phoenix has one of those endings that leaves you gasping and wanting to scream No!  At the last page I was still seeking more, looking for the next book in the series. I wanted to rush to the book store in the hope of finding it sitting on a shelf waiting for me. What I did do was rush to the room of my 15 year old and thrust the book in his face with excitement recommending he read it. 

Within Phoenix Alison Ashley has shown she is a writer who is able to look outside of the box into the world of paranormal activity and that of our presence today being part of our presence in the past. In her author bio at www.thefifthshadow.com she writes

‘Hi, I'm Alison Ashley, author of the Fifth Shadow series of books.

I live in rural Australia where the sky reaches to unknown worlds and where the spirits roam as freely as my imagination. Quite often, entities will gather around my desk eagerly awaiting my stories and sharing their own.

They helped me write Phoenix, the first in the Fifth Shadow series, and are also helping with the subsequent titles.’

The Fifth Shadow, Phoenix sure has something spiritual about it but not in the scary, crazy sense. With each page it carries warmth and love. The cover alone oozes mystery and the unknown world, with the off white pages speaking of old. The content speaks of being written with love, passion and a desire to share a story that allows you to be at one with the author via the character.

The Fifth Shadow is definitely a series that young adults will be talking about both in the school yard and online.

Visit Alison Ashley’s blog :http://alisonashley.wordpress.com/

Purchase a copy from:  www.palmerhiggsbooks.com.au

ISBN: 978-098715050-9

Sweet Damage - Rebecca James

'I still dream about Anna London’s house.

In my dreams it’s as if the house itself has sinister intentions. But in real life it wasn’t the house that was responsible for what happened. It was the people who did the damage...

When Tim Ellison finds a cheap room to rent in the perfect location in Sydney it looks like a huge stroke of luck. In fact the room comes with a condition, and the owner of the house, the mysterious Anna London, is unfriendly and withdrawn. When strange and terrifying things start happening in the house at night, Tim wonders if taking the room is a mistake. But then his feelings for Anna start to change, and when her past comes back with a vengeance, Tim is caught right in the middle of it.'

In Sweet Damage Rebecca James has produced an edge of the seat read. With mystery, suspense and romance this book is sure to have you turning page after page with tension, wonder and need to know. I had to withhold from turning to the back page to see the outcome.

The cover of this book called me. I had other books to read but Sweet Damage kept looking at me. The cover itself speaks suspense and thrill.  The evil, unknown look on the girls face and the questions she portrays had me wanting to pick Sweet Damage up and open the cover. This is a book that has all the callings of that of a best seller.

Rebecca James writes with a passion for words and the ability to take a single sentence and twist it to leave you wanting more. Sweet Damage is full of unexpected drama and thrill. In Tim and Anna you find two main characters that you instantly relate to and understand. So different, yet so alike, Tim and Anna just seem to befit each other. Then there is Fiona and Marcus, helping Anna organize her life after the death of her parents just because they care, or is there a motive behind their friendship. Tim’s friend Lilla is happy for him when he finally moves out of her house into Anna’s house and encourages him to find his own two feet, or is there a sinister plan. Twists, motives and events take place within Sweet Damage when you least expect them leaving you wondering if life is really as we see it.

Sweet Damage is the first Rebecca James novel I have read. With the success of Beautiful Malice I was aware of Rebecca James but never found myself being drawn to her book. Now I am hooked. I loved her style of writing and found I was lost within the first few pages.  Sweet Damage is one of those books that I would read time and time again. It has a sinister habit of staring at me from my bookshelf. I am sure it calls my name.

ISBN: 978-1-74237-301-0

Read a PDF extract and purchase your copy online at www.allenandunwin.com

review: Jennifer Deaves

             

On the Ropes by Louisa Isaac

A mother and daughter fight back from heartbreak

On the Ropes is the story of Louisa Isaac and her battle through separation and divorce and into single parenthood. Starting on 18th October 2003 and ending 10th January 2005 Louisa tells of her heartache and longing to hold her marriage together and of her journey to the realisation that divorce is inevitable. On the Ropes is an open and honest account of a woman’s struggles with what life has chosen to give her.

I waiver on my thoughts of this book. At first glance I found the cover a little flat and boring in presentation, being brown and lifeless. For me the journey starts with the cover, it sets my mood before I even open the first page. It is what calls me and invites me to pick up the book and read on, On the Ropes lost me in the first instance. The blurb on the back cover lost me in the sense of the size of the font being small and the colour making it difficult to read. I also felt the blurb was too drawn out and lengthy.

I found On the Ropes a little slow at the beginning and kept wondering why Louisa Isaac felt the need to tell the world about her divorce. Written in the context of a memoir to her daughter I tended to feel it was a personal recollection that should have stayed between her and her daughter. The first half of the book seems a little flat and missing that special something that books usually contain to build the readers intrigue and intensity. Louisa writes well, with flow, easy readability and sense, but for myself she lacked the magic that entwines me with the characters. As a woman who herself has gone through divorce, and the loss of a child, I would have liked to have been able to relate to Louisa more and to the situation she had found herself in. Instead I wanted to complete the book so I could move on to the next. But then maybe, unbeknown to myself, Louisa had tapped into something that was familiar and, although I have very much moved on in life, is still raw within.

Books are a personal journey. For Louisa Isaac On the Ropes is her personal journey and with this she has written with her and her daughter in mind, leaving the reader behind. On the Ropes frustrated me. At times Louisa shows too much desperation toward the need to save her marriage. I understood the underlying messages of her love for her husband, although sometimes I questioned if it was just a fear of being alone, but I wanted to yell at her and tell her she was worthy of more than a man who really did not want her or appreciate her or their child. In a sense this is the way that I connected with Louisa and the other characters in the book but it made for tough, stressful reading that at times lead to me wanting to put the book down and walk away.

There are positive messages within On the Ropes. As the story progresses the reader sees a bond and understanding develop between mother and child. The ‘everything will be ok’ unwinds, the realisation that the lessons learnt are those that will not destroy them but help them grow stronger. On the Ropes shows how divorce effects not only those immediately involved but the extended family unit and how by joining together, opening communication and understanding all can get through and out the other side with sanity and emotions intact.

There are the sad moments. The loss of Louisa’s unborn baby at 37 weeks gestation leaves you feeling deflated and a sense of loss for the family. Those who have not experienced the loss of achild will be left wondering how any woman can cope. Those who have lost will understand the emotions Louisa goes through at a time that emotions are already flowing.

On the Ropes left me compassionate to what Louisa Isaac has been through in her life and sad that any woman has to experience it in the first place, but frustrated and annoyed at the same time. I ended the book with the numb ‘it was just a book’ feeling and was more than ready to place it on the shelf and begin another. My recommendation for On the Ropes is give it a go. It is an easy weekend read that will fill in the hours.

I could have sugar coated my review on this book but feel balance and honesty is always best when recommending to others. On the Ropes is not a terrible book, it just did not grab me in the places I like a book too. You only need to look online for many positive reviews about On the Ropes, with others saying they were ‘unable to put the book down’, ‘Louisa weaves her magical story’ and ‘It made me cry, laugh and sometimes both at the same time’. One reader speaks of the book being that of a ‘private matter’ saying that no details are spared. For me I think this was the issue at hand. On the Ropes is written very much as a ‘private matter’ that gave me the feeling of that of airing the dirty laundry. Divorce and the loss of a child is very much a topical issue that affects many in today’s society and should be shared and talked about but the angle used in On the Ropes left me feeling as though I was snooping on someones personal life, their memoir to their daughter. The vast array of online comments shows that there is a uniqueness and individuality in readers that makes it hard for an author to please all, Louisa Isaac has shown she has hit a cord with some.

Above all well done Louisa Isaac for having the courage to share your story. At no time did you belittle or speak poorly of your ex, something many woman would love to do. You showed compassion and a sense of deep love and understanding. If On the Ropes is to help just one person then it has achieved its goal and found it’s place in the crazy world of literature.

ISBN: 978-0-646-57652-7

Available online: www.palmerhiggsbooks.com.au

review: Jennifer Deaves