Review by Jachike Samuelson -- One Way or Another
Posted: 05 Feb 2020, 08:09
[Following is a volunteer review of "One Way or Another" by Mary J. Williams.]
How powerful is love really? People believe that as long as they've got the support of people who love them, they can conquer any situation. This book paints an interesting picture of this perspective.
One Way Or Another by Mary J. Williams is the first book in the Sister's Quartet series. The book tells the story of four sisters who couldn't have been born under more abnormal circumstances. Andi, Calder, Bryce, and Destry, the four Benedict sisters, are powerful and self-made women, even though they are heiresses to a massive Benedict family fortune that doesn't become theirs until they clock thirty or get married, whichever comes first. The sisters are the product of one mother, three pregnancies, and four different fathers.
Thanks to their mother's dysfunctional love life and the deeply imperfect relationships they have with their respective fathers, the sisters practically have to raise themselves, and they consequently grow up with a disdain for patriarchy, men, and love, with experiences of their own to endorse this feeling. But soon, Calder meets Adam Stone. He is unlike any man she has ever met. As he slowly breaks down her defenses, Calder wonders if Adam is perhaps the exception – everything a man is meant to be. Her three sisters play a major role in helping her decide about Adam. This is all happening while they try to keep their love-struck mother from making a mistake that will ruin the entire family's happiness and threaten the family fortune. Does Adam prove to be everything Calder thought? Do they succeed in keeping their mother from destroying the family?
I have been let down by so many romance plots in the past, but when I picked up this book, I had a sense that this one was going to be different. As it turns out, I was right. Very right. One Way Or Another was a joy to read. Each of the books in the Sisters Quartet series focuses majorly on one sister, in this book's case, Calder. The author's skill at character development is honestly flawless. Even though the book focuses more on Calder and Adam, the other characters in the book were still sufficiently developed. Each character's speech, deeds, decisions, and mannerisms were easily believable because it made sense for each of their distinct personalities.
Mary J. Williams's writing style is, by far, my best takeaway from this book. It was simply perfect. There were no run-on sentences in a bid to describe a scene as clearly as possible. The sentences were just the right length: they were punchy and sufficiently descriptive for whatever they were addressing. Whether the author was describing a feeling, an action, or an emotion, no meaning was lost in the description.
I was also relieved that unlike many romance novels, the plot was not all mush and no substance. They were elements of the story that were worth my time. One of such is the way Calder ran her charity and the relationship she had with her assistant. That helped to further drive home Calder's personality.
One thing that did not sit right with me was the sex scenes. Thankfully though, they were very few, and the author made certain that they didn't cross over from reasonably descriptive to downright graphic. I was still able to read the book without too much discomfort. There were also instances of profanity in the dialogue, but this did not faze me much either.
I believe One Way Or Another was edited by a professional, seeing as I only found four errors in this 400-page book. Williams avoided the trap of creating a stereotypical romance story and used her powerful writing style to great effect in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and none of the errors, instances of profanity, or erotic scenes were enough to dampen my satisfaction. Consequently, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. If you're up for a good love story that centers around independent, strong, and successful women, this book is for you. You should pass on it though if the slightest presence of profanity or erotic content makes you uncomfortable.
******
One Way or Another
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
How powerful is love really? People believe that as long as they've got the support of people who love them, they can conquer any situation. This book paints an interesting picture of this perspective.
One Way Or Another by Mary J. Williams is the first book in the Sister's Quartet series. The book tells the story of four sisters who couldn't have been born under more abnormal circumstances. Andi, Calder, Bryce, and Destry, the four Benedict sisters, are powerful and self-made women, even though they are heiresses to a massive Benedict family fortune that doesn't become theirs until they clock thirty or get married, whichever comes first. The sisters are the product of one mother, three pregnancies, and four different fathers.
Thanks to their mother's dysfunctional love life and the deeply imperfect relationships they have with their respective fathers, the sisters practically have to raise themselves, and they consequently grow up with a disdain for patriarchy, men, and love, with experiences of their own to endorse this feeling. But soon, Calder meets Adam Stone. He is unlike any man she has ever met. As he slowly breaks down her defenses, Calder wonders if Adam is perhaps the exception – everything a man is meant to be. Her three sisters play a major role in helping her decide about Adam. This is all happening while they try to keep their love-struck mother from making a mistake that will ruin the entire family's happiness and threaten the family fortune. Does Adam prove to be everything Calder thought? Do they succeed in keeping their mother from destroying the family?
I have been let down by so many romance plots in the past, but when I picked up this book, I had a sense that this one was going to be different. As it turns out, I was right. Very right. One Way Or Another was a joy to read. Each of the books in the Sisters Quartet series focuses majorly on one sister, in this book's case, Calder. The author's skill at character development is honestly flawless. Even though the book focuses more on Calder and Adam, the other characters in the book were still sufficiently developed. Each character's speech, deeds, decisions, and mannerisms were easily believable because it made sense for each of their distinct personalities.
Mary J. Williams's writing style is, by far, my best takeaway from this book. It was simply perfect. There were no run-on sentences in a bid to describe a scene as clearly as possible. The sentences were just the right length: they were punchy and sufficiently descriptive for whatever they were addressing. Whether the author was describing a feeling, an action, or an emotion, no meaning was lost in the description.
I was also relieved that unlike many romance novels, the plot was not all mush and no substance. They were elements of the story that were worth my time. One of such is the way Calder ran her charity and the relationship she had with her assistant. That helped to further drive home Calder's personality.
One thing that did not sit right with me was the sex scenes. Thankfully though, they were very few, and the author made certain that they didn't cross over from reasonably descriptive to downright graphic. I was still able to read the book without too much discomfort. There were also instances of profanity in the dialogue, but this did not faze me much either.
I believe One Way Or Another was edited by a professional, seeing as I only found four errors in this 400-page book. Williams avoided the trap of creating a stereotypical romance story and used her powerful writing style to great effect in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and none of the errors, instances of profanity, or erotic scenes were enough to dampen my satisfaction. Consequently, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. If you're up for a good love story that centers around independent, strong, and successful women, this book is for you. You should pass on it though if the slightest presence of profanity or erotic content makes you uncomfortable.
******
One Way or Another
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon