Review by tawcarlisle -- One Way or Another
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tawcarlisle
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Review by tawcarlisle -- One Way or Another
[Following is a volunteer review of "One Way or Another" by Mary J. Williams.]
One Way or Another is the first book in the Quartet Sisters Series by Mary J. Williams. Calder Benedict is one of the main protagonists in this contemporary romance which touches on the lives of the four Benedict sisters, the latest generation in a line of wealthy and affluent Manhattanites who reside in this ancestral mansion on the Upper East Side.
The four sisters, Andi, Calder, Bryce, and Destry, are as different in personality as the fathers they are named for. They do share an unbreakable bond and give each other the love, affection and nurturing their mother flighty, Billy Benedict doesn’t seem to have time to give.
Calder, the second oldest and fraternal twin, fills her days working to raise money for Erica’s Angles, her multimillion-dollar non-profit organization. She spends the occasional night socializing to keep her face and work on people’s minds. She would rather be home relaxing with her sisters.
At the end of one such night of socializing, she finds herself caught in what quickly becomes a sticky situation and Adam stone comes to her rescue, separating her from her over-zealous and entitled date. Unfortunately, he assumes she's a misguided, high society princess. Upon their second meeting, he gets a look at the real Calder and is instantly smitten, and though Calder feels the same, there are definitely trust issues that stem from her past experiences with men, including her father.
Adam Stone is a native Rhode Islander with new wealth whose friendly open nature has helped him carve a niche for himself in the business world as a facilitator. The two slowly begin a sweet romantic relationship with flirty lines, sweet kisses, heated looks and deepening respect for one another. There are those who work to separate them for both misguided and selfish reasons and after those situations are resolved the end leaves you with your mouth hanging open.
I enjoyed the depth of the characters in One Way or Another. Mary J. Williams took her time in developing this story and the protagonists as they dealt with each situation, making them more believable and relatable. For this reason, I would say that though this book could be read as a standalone, (except for the ending) the rest books in the series would definitely benefit from the background slowly revealed of each character. The story was entertaining and kept me reading to see what would happen next. The flow of the story wasn’t too slow and remained constant until the end.
I give this book 4 out of 4 stars due to the overall storyline and the author’s writing style, her attention to detail and her words and phrases that depicted the perfect picture in scenes. For example, the Benedict women’s favorite room was described as "A place of comfort and safety. Like a warm, well-used security blanket they could wrap themselves in, if only for an hour or two." One of my favorite lines from this book was "Calder held on for her life. No. She held on to her life." Nice succinct and apropos for the scene. She also let the intrigue play out to the very end but made sure to wrap up everything with clear reasoning that referenced back to descriptions of the characters throughout the book.
I wasn’t a fan of all of the foul language. There were more than a few instances where I thought they were over-kill. Though I believe this book would appeal to young adults who like contemporary romance stories with a bit of heat in the bedroom, I would not recommend this book to readers younger than 17 due to the language and the steamy sex scenes, which though not explicit, did depict sex.
I believe this book was professionally edited as I only noticed one typo which definitely didn’t detract from the story. This book was an easy read and an entertaining way to pass the time. I also liked the set up in the epilogue for the next book in the series.
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One Way or Another
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
One Way or Another is the first book in the Quartet Sisters Series by Mary J. Williams. Calder Benedict is one of the main protagonists in this contemporary romance which touches on the lives of the four Benedict sisters, the latest generation in a line of wealthy and affluent Manhattanites who reside in this ancestral mansion on the Upper East Side.
The four sisters, Andi, Calder, Bryce, and Destry, are as different in personality as the fathers they are named for. They do share an unbreakable bond and give each other the love, affection and nurturing their mother flighty, Billy Benedict doesn’t seem to have time to give.
Calder, the second oldest and fraternal twin, fills her days working to raise money for Erica’s Angles, her multimillion-dollar non-profit organization. She spends the occasional night socializing to keep her face and work on people’s minds. She would rather be home relaxing with her sisters.
At the end of one such night of socializing, she finds herself caught in what quickly becomes a sticky situation and Adam stone comes to her rescue, separating her from her over-zealous and entitled date. Unfortunately, he assumes she's a misguided, high society princess. Upon their second meeting, he gets a look at the real Calder and is instantly smitten, and though Calder feels the same, there are definitely trust issues that stem from her past experiences with men, including her father.
Adam Stone is a native Rhode Islander with new wealth whose friendly open nature has helped him carve a niche for himself in the business world as a facilitator. The two slowly begin a sweet romantic relationship with flirty lines, sweet kisses, heated looks and deepening respect for one another. There are those who work to separate them for both misguided and selfish reasons and after those situations are resolved the end leaves you with your mouth hanging open.
I enjoyed the depth of the characters in One Way or Another. Mary J. Williams took her time in developing this story and the protagonists as they dealt with each situation, making them more believable and relatable. For this reason, I would say that though this book could be read as a standalone, (except for the ending) the rest books in the series would definitely benefit from the background slowly revealed of each character. The story was entertaining and kept me reading to see what would happen next. The flow of the story wasn’t too slow and remained constant until the end.
I give this book 4 out of 4 stars due to the overall storyline and the author’s writing style, her attention to detail and her words and phrases that depicted the perfect picture in scenes. For example, the Benedict women’s favorite room was described as "A place of comfort and safety. Like a warm, well-used security blanket they could wrap themselves in, if only for an hour or two." One of my favorite lines from this book was "Calder held on for her life. No. She held on to her life." Nice succinct and apropos for the scene. She also let the intrigue play out to the very end but made sure to wrap up everything with clear reasoning that referenced back to descriptions of the characters throughout the book.
I wasn’t a fan of all of the foul language. There were more than a few instances where I thought they were over-kill. Though I believe this book would appeal to young adults who like contemporary romance stories with a bit of heat in the bedroom, I would not recommend this book to readers younger than 17 due to the language and the steamy sex scenes, which though not explicit, did depict sex.
I believe this book was professionally edited as I only noticed one typo which definitely didn’t detract from the story. This book was an easy read and an entertaining way to pass the time. I also liked the set up in the epilogue for the next book in the series.
******
One Way or Another
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Are Your Kids Naked Online? by Chris Good and Lisa Good
