Review by Foreverrmore14 -- One Way or Another
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Ayesha Emjedi
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Review by Foreverrmore14 -- One Way or Another
[Following is a volunteer review of "One Way or Another" by Mary J. Williams.]
In The Sisters Quartet series by Mary J Williams, the first publication is One Way or Another. Each book in the series is a stand-alone that follows the story of one of the four Benedict sisters – Andy, Calder, Bryce and Destry. As such, the first novel follows the life of Calder Benedict and focuses on her point of view on love, dysfunctional relationships and family.
Almost everybody wants to be wealthy and successful with the power and beauty to back it up, and the Benedict sisters were the exact epitome of this. But what many did not know is that it wasn’t as glamorous as the rich made it seem. For as long as the Benedict sisters could remember, drama and disappointment would always follow them. Their mother is a shallow and self-centered woman who is infamous for her promiscuous nature, constantly seen with a different man. Each sister had a different father, each equally nonchalant about their parental involvement and caring for nothing but themselves and their money. Even Bryce and Calder were not your usual full-blooded twins. Although it is safe to say that their negligent parents were more absent than present in their lives, the sisters could not bring themselves to hate either of them; the reason for that solely being based on the fact that their mother had given them the greatest gifts of all – each other. The sisters could only rely on one another, it was them against the world, each equally independent, strong-willed and opinionated. Experiences with their own fathers have taught them to constantly question the motives of every man that crossed their paths, knowing full well that most were after their money. So what happens when Calder meets the kind and caring Adam? Will she able to push past her doubts and questions and trust him? And what will the girls do when their mother starts to date a man who is clearly plotting something? Well, there’s only one way to find out.
Williams had hit the nail when it came to the characters; they are all well developed, in depth and realistic, especially the main characters. Calder is typically known as “nothing more than a rich girl with too much time on her hands”, but personally she loves to prove doubters wrong. Her passion to help others allowed her to do so by starting her non-profit organisation, Erica’s Angels, from nothing but scratch. She is strong-willed, independent, successful, opinionated and quite the charmer too; but it wouldn’t be a complete romance story if she didn’t have an equal. However, Adam wasn’t like Calder – in fact he was the complete opposite. Adam had close to nothing when growing up, but as he grew older; he changed that and became a self-proclaimed successful businessman. The first encounter between the two had immediate spark flying, but both had built walls enclosing them. Yet somehow, the two manage to help each other push past them.
The third person perspective made the story all the more enjoyable as it gave the reader a better insight to what both Calder and Adam was thinking throughout the book, and gave their relationship a more broader feel. The relationship between the two is intimate yet fun and playful, the attraction as clear as daylight. But despite how amazing their moments were, I found that Williams had cut their romance a bit short, giving it a rushed feeling. Most of the time I wanted those Calder and Adam moments, so it was really disappointing to not get more of them.
This book explores both familial and romantic love, but personally I feel as though familial love plays a bigger role- this being shown through the sisters. The bond between them is irreplaceable; it really had some of those sweet moments when they would all get together to offer some advice or simply to just talk. This really gave the sisters a more in-depth character, I’ve personally come to know them as, the mature and caring Andy, the concerned and willful Calder, the wildly imaginative Bryce, and the epitome of “Dynamite comes in small packages” Destry. Their relationship was the aspect that I liked most about the novel; it was incredible to see how they always had each other’s backs. However, with that being said, the part I liked least was the romance between Calder and Adam, and the fact that it wasn’t focused on as much as it should have been.
Throughout the book, I had found some minor errors, but wasn’t major enough to make the reader stop reading. This contemporary romance is most certainly a must-read for those who love a sweet and sultry romance that makes you giggle and gush at almost every adorable encounter. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars because despite its set- backs, it was still a really heart-warming and enjoyable story; that even up until the end, still had me on my toes wanting more.
******
One Way or Another
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In The Sisters Quartet series by Mary J Williams, the first publication is One Way or Another. Each book in the series is a stand-alone that follows the story of one of the four Benedict sisters – Andy, Calder, Bryce and Destry. As such, the first novel follows the life of Calder Benedict and focuses on her point of view on love, dysfunctional relationships and family.
Almost everybody wants to be wealthy and successful with the power and beauty to back it up, and the Benedict sisters were the exact epitome of this. But what many did not know is that it wasn’t as glamorous as the rich made it seem. For as long as the Benedict sisters could remember, drama and disappointment would always follow them. Their mother is a shallow and self-centered woman who is infamous for her promiscuous nature, constantly seen with a different man. Each sister had a different father, each equally nonchalant about their parental involvement and caring for nothing but themselves and their money. Even Bryce and Calder were not your usual full-blooded twins. Although it is safe to say that their negligent parents were more absent than present in their lives, the sisters could not bring themselves to hate either of them; the reason for that solely being based on the fact that their mother had given them the greatest gifts of all – each other. The sisters could only rely on one another, it was them against the world, each equally independent, strong-willed and opinionated. Experiences with their own fathers have taught them to constantly question the motives of every man that crossed their paths, knowing full well that most were after their money. So what happens when Calder meets the kind and caring Adam? Will she able to push past her doubts and questions and trust him? And what will the girls do when their mother starts to date a man who is clearly plotting something? Well, there’s only one way to find out.
Williams had hit the nail when it came to the characters; they are all well developed, in depth and realistic, especially the main characters. Calder is typically known as “nothing more than a rich girl with too much time on her hands”, but personally she loves to prove doubters wrong. Her passion to help others allowed her to do so by starting her non-profit organisation, Erica’s Angels, from nothing but scratch. She is strong-willed, independent, successful, opinionated and quite the charmer too; but it wouldn’t be a complete romance story if she didn’t have an equal. However, Adam wasn’t like Calder – in fact he was the complete opposite. Adam had close to nothing when growing up, but as he grew older; he changed that and became a self-proclaimed successful businessman. The first encounter between the two had immediate spark flying, but both had built walls enclosing them. Yet somehow, the two manage to help each other push past them.
The third person perspective made the story all the more enjoyable as it gave the reader a better insight to what both Calder and Adam was thinking throughout the book, and gave their relationship a more broader feel. The relationship between the two is intimate yet fun and playful, the attraction as clear as daylight. But despite how amazing their moments were, I found that Williams had cut their romance a bit short, giving it a rushed feeling. Most of the time I wanted those Calder and Adam moments, so it was really disappointing to not get more of them.
This book explores both familial and romantic love, but personally I feel as though familial love plays a bigger role- this being shown through the sisters. The bond between them is irreplaceable; it really had some of those sweet moments when they would all get together to offer some advice or simply to just talk. This really gave the sisters a more in-depth character, I’ve personally come to know them as, the mature and caring Andy, the concerned and willful Calder, the wildly imaginative Bryce, and the epitome of “Dynamite comes in small packages” Destry. Their relationship was the aspect that I liked most about the novel; it was incredible to see how they always had each other’s backs. However, with that being said, the part I liked least was the romance between Calder and Adam, and the fact that it wasn’t focused on as much as it should have been.
Throughout the book, I had found some minor errors, but wasn’t major enough to make the reader stop reading. This contemporary romance is most certainly a must-read for those who love a sweet and sultry romance that makes you giggle and gush at almost every adorable encounter. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars because despite its set- backs, it was still a really heart-warming and enjoyable story; that even up until the end, still had me on my toes wanting more.
******
One Way or Another
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Jane Grace: Library of Light by Trace Sonnleitner
