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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Die Geschichte gefiel mir an sich ganz gut. Einziges Manko: die Auflösung des Rätsel bei ca. 90% ist zwar logisch, kommt aber viel zu plötzlich (musste in den letzten 10% wohl schnell hinter sich gebracht werden) und ist mir zu glatt und einfach. Die Reaktionen auf so eine große Enthüllung sind zu konstruiert; würde mir so etwas passieren, wäre da viel mehr Schock, Unglauben. Hier ist alles sofort Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen.
Auch das Ende ist sehr abrupt und vieles bleibt offen.
Schreibstil war gut und auch der Großteil der Geschichte war unterhaltsam zu lesen :)
Auch das Ende ist sehr abrupt und vieles bleibt offen.
Schreibstil war gut und auch der Großteil der Geschichte war unterhaltsam zu lesen :)
Maisey is an author who did not have the desire to write anymore. She lost her only baby to SIDS and then divorced. The tragedy of losing her baby and then her husband was too much and without her writing has left very little money. Despite the fact that she does not get along with her mother, she goes home to the island of Fairham, South Carolina to try and piece herself together and to help her brother Keith who has a substance-abuse problem. When she gets there, the familial issues start piling up. Then the guy next-door, Rafe, who coincidentally she lost her virginity to, starts to show interest and she can't resist how great he now fills out a pair of jeans. What happens when Rafe is tearing apart a bungalow, owned by her mother, and finds a box of pictures inside a wall? Will the secret those pictures reveal bring her family together or tear them apart forever?
This is an amazing suspenseful mystery with family tragedy and a sizzling romance mixed in. I loved it! Rafe is the well-rounded, sexy contractor that's also a dad to an amazing five-year-old little girl. Maisey has to deal with her brother's volatile behavior because of his substance-abuse. Her mother is an insufferable woman and wouldn't have had children if it wasn't for her husband wanting them. Talk about family drama! And then...PLOT TWIST!!! My emotions were scattered. Brilliant Brenda Novak! I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure it all out! This author is extremely talented and I can't wait to see what's next.
I was not compensated for my review.
I was not required to write a positive review.
The opinion expressed is my own.
This is an amazing suspenseful mystery with family tragedy and a sizzling romance mixed in. I loved it! Rafe is the well-rounded, sexy contractor that's also a dad to an amazing five-year-old little girl. Maisey has to deal with her brother's volatile behavior because of his substance-abuse. Her mother is an insufferable woman and wouldn't have had children if it wasn't for her husband wanting them. Talk about family drama! And then...PLOT TWIST!!! My emotions were scattered. Brilliant Brenda Novak! I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure it all out! This author is extremely talented and I can't wait to see what's next.
I was not compensated for my review.
I was not required to write a positive review.
The opinion expressed is my own.
Maisey Lazarow has suffered a devastating loss followed by a divorce from her cheating husband. She decides it is time to move back to Fairham Island to help her addicted brother get clean.
Upon arriving on the island she moves into a bungalow that is partially destroyed after a hurricane. She chooses this over her mother's mansion, that says something about their relationship. Upon arriving at the bungalow she runs into Rafe Romero, the man that she threw herself at as a teenager and lost her virginity to in a glorious 30 seconds.
Turns out Rafe is a completely changed man with a young blind daughter that he is raising on his own. He is sweet and kind and exactly the person Maisey doesn't want to get tied up with.
Rafe is remodeling the bungalows when he stumbles upon a box of photos. Her gives the photos to Maisey thinking they are her pictures. As Maisey inspects the photos she realizes that the child in the photos is not her but a long lost sister.
As Maisey begins investigating the disappearance that everyone has been gossiping about for years. There really was once an older Lazarow daughter, rumor has it that she has either fallen off a cliff or was pushed.
Really good book, great narrator for the audio book.
Upon arriving on the island she moves into a bungalow that is partially destroyed after a hurricane. She chooses this over her mother's mansion, that says something about their relationship. Upon arriving at the bungalow she runs into Rafe Romero, the man that she threw herself at as a teenager and lost her virginity to in a glorious 30 seconds.
Turns out Rafe is a completely changed man with a young blind daughter that he is raising on his own. He is sweet and kind and exactly the person Maisey doesn't want to get tied up with.
Rafe is remodeling the bungalows when he stumbles upon a box of photos. Her gives the photos to Maisey thinking they are her pictures. As Maisey inspects the photos she realizes that the child in the photos is not her but a long lost sister.
As Maisey begins investigating the disappearance that everyone has been gossiping about for years. There really was once an older Lazarow daughter, rumor has it that she has either fallen off a cliff or was pushed.
Really good book, great narrator for the audio book.
I liked this book much more than I expected to. Normally when something is labeled romantic suspense, it tends to focus more on the romance and the mystery often isn't really a mystery. With this book, the suspense built slowly, sometimes almost too slowly. I think this was intentional, though, to make you care about the characters and what happened to them, then add a clue to the mystery. The thoughts of the main character, Maisey, are scattered - but rightly so. She has had a complete upheaval in her life and she's reeling. Returning home should have been a comfort to her, but instead, she keeps getting hit with one thing after another.
The wrap up was a little clean, but since this is the first book in a series, I hope that leads to more exploration of that and hopefully it isn't as "tied up with a neat little bow" as it seems!
The wrap up was a little clean, but since this is the first book in a series, I hope that leads to more exploration of that and hopefully it isn't as "tied up with a neat little bow" as it seems!
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maisey Lazarow returns to Fairham Island after a bitter divorce and a tragedy. She returns to help her brother, Keith. She does not want to see her wealthy, controlling mother - who is the reason she left the island.
She ends up living in a bungalow at the other side of the island but she's next to Raphael who she went to high school with and whom she's also looking to avoid. While working on renovating one of the bungalows, Raphael finds a box of photos and gives them to Maisey. They are photos of her and Keith but also another child who looks a lot like them. Maisey thinks this child is their sister but they don't know what happened to her....so Maisey decides to find her despite her mother warning her not to look into this matter.
She ends up living in a bungalow at the other side of the island but she's next to Raphael who she went to high school with and whom she's also looking to avoid. While working on renovating one of the bungalows, Raphael finds a box of photos and gives them to Maisey. They are photos of her and Keith but also another child who looks a lot like them. Maisey thinks this child is their sister but they don't know what happened to her....so Maisey decides to find her despite her mother warning her not to look into this matter.
Maisey Lazerow is coming home to Fairham Island to help her brother, who recently attempted suicide in the despair of drug addiction. Perhaps they can help each other, because Maisey is feeling broken herself after her infant daughter died of SIDS just two years ago. As often happens when a child dies, her marriage has fallen apart. She needs to heal and hopes to heal her brother Keith.
The Secret Sister is the first in a series from Brenda Novak that focuses of the children of the indomitable matriarch Josephine Lazerow, a wealthy, beauty and status-obsessed woman who has withheld love and approval from her children all their lives. Maisey has hardly spoken to her during her ten years away and remembers well how harshly she treated Keith. Maisey wonders how much of Keith’s troubles come from her mother’s failure to be a loving, warm mother.
Unwilling to live at the family estate, Maisey decided to live in one of the Smuggler’s Cove rental bungalows her father built long ago. They have been damaged by a hurricane and a local contractor, Rafael Romero, is living in a bungalow, too, and repairing the others. There’s a strong mutual attraction that she resists because her failed marriage has caused her not only to lose faith in men, but in herself. She is unable to resist Rafe’s daughter, Laney, though. Her bright spirit and loving acceptance of Maisey draw her out and bring the two together despite her doubts.
Meanwhile, when Rafe finds old photos in one of the bungalows, long-forgotten secrets are brought to light. Secrets her mother and her brother want left alone. Leaving things alone is not Maisey’s strong suit.
I liked the character development and sense of place in the novel. Maisey, her brother and her mother are all flawed people. Rafe is a bit of the perfect romantic hero, tailor-made for this heartbroken woman who has lost a daughter, but at least he has his inept high school encounter with Maisey to balance against his romance novel hero checklist. There is a mystery about what happened when Maisey was a child, but the investigation is not very suspenseful. There is never a real sense of jeopardy to justify this as a suspense novel. It’s a romance and as a romance it succeeds better than most. As suspense, though, it falls flat.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/09/03/the-secret-sister-by-brenda-novak/
The Secret Sister is the first in a series from Brenda Novak that focuses of the children of the indomitable matriarch Josephine Lazerow, a wealthy, beauty and status-obsessed woman who has withheld love and approval from her children all their lives. Maisey has hardly spoken to her during her ten years away and remembers well how harshly she treated Keith. Maisey wonders how much of Keith’s troubles come from her mother’s failure to be a loving, warm mother.
Unwilling to live at the family estate, Maisey decided to live in one of the Smuggler’s Cove rental bungalows her father built long ago. They have been damaged by a hurricane and a local contractor, Rafael Romero, is living in a bungalow, too, and repairing the others. There’s a strong mutual attraction that she resists because her failed marriage has caused her not only to lose faith in men, but in herself. She is unable to resist Rafe’s daughter, Laney, though. Her bright spirit and loving acceptance of Maisey draw her out and bring the two together despite her doubts.
Meanwhile, when Rafe finds old photos in one of the bungalows, long-forgotten secrets are brought to light. Secrets her mother and her brother want left alone. Leaving things alone is not Maisey’s strong suit.
I liked the character development and sense of place in the novel. Maisey, her brother and her mother are all flawed people. Rafe is a bit of the perfect romantic hero, tailor-made for this heartbroken woman who has lost a daughter, but at least he has his inept high school encounter with Maisey to balance against his romance novel hero checklist. There is a mystery about what happened when Maisey was a child, but the investigation is not very suspenseful. There is never a real sense of jeopardy to justify this as a suspense novel. It’s a romance and as a romance it succeeds better than most. As suspense, though, it falls flat.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/09/03/the-secret-sister-by-brenda-novak/
*I received a free ARC of The Secret Sister from MIRA via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*
The Secret Sister is simply fabulous! The mystery unfolds slowly, and the characters are very complex, and Josephine is the kind of mother I'm so happy I didn't have growing up - and even later.
Full review to come soon.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Coyer scavenger hunt item #29: Read a book with no magical or futuristic elements (2 points"
The Secret Sister is simply fabulous! The mystery unfolds slowly, and the characters are very complex, and Josephine is the kind of mother I'm so happy I didn't have growing up - and even later.
Full review to come soon.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Coyer scavenger hunt item #29: Read a book with no magical or futuristic elements (2 points"