Only Time Will Tell (Jeffrey Archer) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

7. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
    Topic/Prompt: book that takes place over a character's life span

Synopsis:

The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he’s left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys’ school, and his life will never be the same again.
As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?
This introductory novel in Archer’s ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler’s Germany.

My Review:

This novel dragged quite a bit in the beginning and to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect after reading the first couple of chapters. But I am glad I stuck with it. Harry's life is chronicled as he tries to figure out who his father was/is. He only knows what he's been told: that his father was killed in the war. As Harry grows up, he starts to question that story. 

Harry grew up poor and raised by his mom and uncle. His uncle teaches him the family workforce, the trade of the docks. It's expected of him to enter the shipyard when he's done with school. Everything changes when he gets accepted to a private school for boys on scholarship. His mother does everything possible to send him there, unbeknownst to him. As he grows older into adulthood, he finally starts to put the pieces together and gets to know the truth about his father (and his real father as well). Harry also realizes how much his mom sacrificed to be able to give him an education and a better life. She deals with her own tragedies and obstacles on her path to provide him with that, but doesn't let Harry know.

Once he graduates high school, Harry has to choose between going to Oxford or go to war with the navy. His past doesn't make it any easier to decide. When it turns out that his father might be his best friend's and lover's father as well, it complicates things even further. With his decision, he puts everything on the line. He ends up choosing the navy. When the ship gets sunk by the Germans, there are only a handful of survivors. To escape his past of buried family secrets, he assumes the identity of another crew member, not knowing what it might entail. The story has an ending you don't see coming and it leaves a major cliffhanger.

Throughout the story, Harry is guided by some great people to help guide him in life. There is a vast set of characters. Even though the story is told mostly from Harry's viewpoint, there are several chapters devoted to some of the other characters, which I thought was a good thing to help understand everyone involved in Harry's life, whether protagonists or antagonists.

This is the first book in the Clifton Chronicles series by Jeffrey Archer. Harry's life is chronicled in the six other consecutive books. That is why I chose this for the prompt listed above.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

It's NaNoWriMoTime!

It's official! I will be participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time this year! In case anyone doesn't know, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. During the month of November, you are challenged to write a novel of at least 50,000 words. That comes to writing 1,667 words each day in the month.

I am not writing a novel, however. I am taking the month to write My Journey with Long QT book, so it will be a nonfiction novel. While I have written some parts of it already, I will be finally finishing the first draft.

I am excited to be partaking in NaNoWriMo. I will be posting weekly updates at Writing with Meg.

~Meg~

Finding Peace (Melanie D Snitker) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

6. Finding Peace by Melanie D. Snitker

Synopsis:

Police Officer Tuck Chandler is good at his job. He’s also good at holding women at arm’s length. Jilted by his fiancée for his dedication to his job, he’s not about to open himself up to hurt like that again.
Laurie Blake is a struggling photographer. After growing up in a wealthy family, she’s determined to make it on her own, even if it means doing it the hard way.
When Tuck is assigned to a puzzling burglary involving Laurie’s fledgling photography business, he goes into it with his usual perseverance. He wants to help her – if she’ll let him. As the case unfolds and the mystery deepens, another question arises.
Will the past get in the way of their future?

My Review:

First off, this is the second book that I read by Melanie D. Snitker. Both are from the same series: this is the first book in the series and the other one was the second one. There are five books in Melanie's Love's Compass series. It was another great read by the author. The characters have a sense of realness to them. To me, the story reminded me of something I have always believed in: that that are some people who you are meant to meet in your life.

Laurie is independent and never wanting to take the easy way in life. She has a wonderful knack of capturing the perfect moment(s). As a side story in this novel, Laurie gets the opportunity to work with an autistic child and takes it in stride.

Tuck is a police officer and you also get the sense that it's what he's supposed to be, what his calling in life is. He genuinely cares about helping others. It reminds you that there are good cops out there.

The main issue in this novel is finding out who burglarized Laurie's photography business and what they were after. Tuck goes beyond the call of duty when he wants to do more to help Laurie figure out the mystery. It takes Laurie some time to realize that she can't do an investigation by herself and eventually lets him help her work it out together. The only difference is that Laurie doesn't know how much she is putting her life in danger and Tuck knows too well the dangers of trying to solve a crime.

As they get to work together, a bond starts to develop, but both are unsure if they want to have a relationship. Tuck is more hesitant because he ex-fiancée decided she couldn't bear to be the wife of a cop. Laurie gets to know the dangers he faces as a cop and has to come to a decision if she could handle that as well. Both are a little scared to let each other in and have to come to figure out if they can put down their guard.

It's a feel good type of romance story. And like most people, they struggle with their past and fears. It makes you want to keep turning the pages to see what happens next. It was another great read by Melanie with strong plot lines and relatable characters.

I mentioned in the first paragraph that this is part of a series. They can be read stand alone or in order.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

Come to Me Alive (Leah Atwood) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

5. Come to Me Alive by Leah Atwood

Synopsis:

Bryce Landry, country music’s hottest star, has it all, or so everyone on the outside thinks. They can’t see his struggle to discover himself, to find his place in unfamiliar territories, both as a dad and as a Christian. He takes a month off and escapes to the small town of Oden Bridge, Louisiana, where his daughter lives with his grandparents.
Sophie Thatcher has never been a risk taker, but she has no complaints and never thought her life lacked until her boyfriend of three years breaks off their relationship. Only then, does she begin to question what she’s missed by always playing it safe. Meeting Bryce is a call to action. She can let fear rule or trust in faith, which means taking the biggest risk of her life.
As the weeks and months pass, they discover finding each other was easy, but holding on will be a different story.

My Review:

A singer struggling to find his place in the world takes time off to discover who he is and to spend time with his daughter, who he didn't know existed until her mom died about a year before. A teacher who's re-examining her life and doesn't want to fall in love again after experiencing a breakup she didn't see coming. Could a chance encounter at the park change everything?

If you're looking for a quality chick lit and Christian romance book, then this is the book for you. Both Bryce and Sophie are questioning and re-examining their lives after certain situation. Bryce is trying to change his bad reputation after finding out that he has a daughter. Sophie is left wondering if she's always played it safe all her life. They put everything on the line as their relationship starts to build. Since Bryce is a celebrity, the couple faces some challenges. Does Sophie have what it takes to handle being in the public eye? Can Bryce balance his time between his celebrity persona and his personal life/relationship? Bryce realizes that his band mates will always be there for him if he lets them in. Both had supportive friends and/or family members to help them discover that anything is possible if they just believe, if they love each other. It's a love at first sight type of story, but they have to challenge a long distance relationship when he tours. Insecurities are put to the test in this quaint contemporary novel.

Q: Could you date a celebrity?

My answer would be yes. It would take some work, but any relationship takes work. It would just be a little harder because it would be more in the public eye.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

National Day on Writing #WhyIWrite

Writing is my passion. Writing is my talent. I can express myself better in writing than talking or saying something. I write because it's a joy; it gives me this sense of happiness that I can't find anywhere else. 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

Forever Mine (Elizabeth Reyes) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

4. Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year old Sarah’s life is turned upside down when her single mom is sent to jail. She’s forced to move, leaving behind everything she’s ever known, including her best friend Sydney. Lost and bitter in a new school, her one goal is to save money and move back home. Then she meets Angel Moreno. Enigmatic but gorgeous, Angel is almost too good to be true. Except for one thing, his archaic belief that guys and girls can never be “just friends”. The problem? Sarah’s best friend Sydney is not a girl. With their unexpected romance intensifying to places neither ever experienced, how long can Sarah keep Angel in the dark about the guy waiting for her back home?

My Review:

First, this book is best suited for young adults. Unfortunately, I wouldn't highly recommend it as it was a disappointment overall. There were some good points, but I feel it didn't live up to its potential.

When Sarah has no choice to move to another state and school, she isn't thrilled to say the least. Instead of trying to fit in and get to know anyone, Sarah spends all her time finding ways to get back home as soon as possible. She figures that she'll only be there for a couple months at the most - she's used to her mom getting out in jail and getting out within a good time frame due to minor infractions, but this time, it may be different.

Everything starts to change when she meets Angel through his sister. Angel's the complete opposite of Sarah, but a relationship starts to form nonetheless. It takes them places they never thought possible. Angel is one of the first people to care about Sarah in a long time. The main issue with Angel is that he was controlling in their relationship and Sarah tolerated it, for some reason. I'm sorry, but no boyfriend or girlfriend should be telling the other who to hang out with, what to wear, etc. Sarah wasn't perfect either, as she didn't want to tell him that her best friend back home was a guy, rather than a girl. Angel was adamant in that girls couldn't just be friends with guys. That was what most of the story was about - Sarah going back and forth between telling Angel about Sydney and then losing the courage to do so, but one conflict wasn't enough to keep the story interesting and flowing. And if she would have been honest about Sydney in the first place, the whole situation could have been different.

While Angel didn't like Sarah talking to other guys, he did have the right intention for one man. In this story, Sarah begins training with the track team. Unbeknownst to her, the coach has been known for sexually harassing/assaulting the members. He sets them up to go running for better training/practice on a mountain trail and makes his move sometime during the run since it's a private area. Sarah did catch on at that point, but managed to fight him off and succeeded in getting away. This was the only time throughout the book that I praised Sarah for her actions. Once Angel became aware of where she was, he tried his best to get there in time to rescue her. He arrived just as Sarah was running away and she was able to run into his safe arms. And the coach's past and actions finally caught up to him.

Just like mental health, there's a stigma associated with sexual abuse/harassment/assault and rape. It's not something that's talked about seriously enough. And if a woman does say she was, no one really listens. Society, at times, makes it seem that it's always the woman's fault for any reason like she consented, she dressed a certain way so she had it coming, etc. Let's not forget at the same time, that it also happens to men, maybe not as much, but still. We should not have to feel ashamed and feel guilty just because it's not taken seriously. As a female, I understand that if you were a victim, it's not easy to talk about. It will take time to come to terms with the actions. If anyone has been a victim and needs to let it out, be heard, etc, here are some links to check out:

Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network - you can find help centers around the country and there's a hotline number to call
Women Organized Against Rape - my local rape crisis center

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~