Review of At Home on Manny's Acres

[John Owen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "At Home on Manny's Acres" by Bonnie L. Boyles.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Maria was moved among several foster homes after her parents, Carlos and Angela Rodriguez, were deported back to the war-torn San Salvador, where they met their deaths. (Returnees were being shot by warlords upon landing, and they were not so lucky.) Maria had a baby sister called Elena, but the last she remembered about her was how she was forcefully snatched from her mother. She knew nothing about what happened to her parents after that or about her aunt Ana, who had immigrated to America with her parents. Fortunately, Maria was lucky to fall into the care of Manny Cruz, a man who was an orphan raised by a kind man called Horace Middletown as a foster child. When Horace died, he willed to him $50,000, horses, and 16 of the most beautiful acres in Virginia, even though Manny wasn't his child by birth.

Determined to pay it forward, and after his wife died before they had children of their own, Manny devoted his life to taking care of orphaned, abandoned, and helpless children. Maria was among them, and he took care of her like his own child. Many years later, Maria was all grown up and wanted to find out what had happened to her parents, baby sister Elena, and aunt Ana, hoping to find them alive and reunite with them. What she discovered was a big crime syndicate that was the reason behind all the trouble she had gone through. She was hit by one surprise after another in her quest and was unsure where the path she was pursuing would take her. Were her parents, baby sister, and aunt alive? Was there hope they would ever reunite? What really transpired? If you're curious already, read At Home on Manny's Acres by Bonnie L. Boyles for the full story.

This book sounded promising to me, and indeed, it didn't disappoint. It is among the very good, enjoyable, and engrossing books I've had in my library. It was amazing how the author continually introduced well-timed twists and turns that blew my mind. Just when I had thought I knew the fate that had befallen Maria's parents, the author spun it all afresh, introducing a complexity and new perspective that was very welcome to me. I admired the writing style of the author too. While simple and easy to follow, the real ingenuity was in the way she spun out the plot and made it engaging while also not complicating it too much. If you think that's all, you're wrong! There was more to like...

The abrupt shift from a normal narration to an intense investigative crime and mystery theme was an all too sudden but nice addition. It brought a dramatic shift that I really liked, as it amplified the book's enjoyability to a whole new level. The character development was also superb. Maria came out as explosive and unable to control herself, making her relatable. This is seen in her emotional breakdowns and impulsive anger, and she initially relied on Timothy to help her through her breakdowns before he relocated with Mark, his lover. Another scene where we see her in her raw form is when she made a scene and refused to listen when Julio tried to explain to her why he acted the way he did. What I liked about her, though, was that she always came around herself and made up for her misdeeds. However, I wish I read more about Timothy and how his beautiful relationship with Mark ended. I loved that he found someone other than his friend Maria who loved him for who he was.

However, there were a few minor concerns I found. The character Camila's name was sometimes written as "Camile," and I didn't know which one was correct. It would have helped if there was an explanation somehow that both names were hers, but there was none. That wasn't so much of a big deal, though. What will make me deduct a star, however much I hate to, is that there are so many errors. While they were minor and didn't affect my overall enjoyment, they were objective and more than ten in total. Therefore, I'm required by the site's guidelines to deduct a star, which brings my rating to 4 out of 5 stars. If I were to re-review this book with the errors fixed, it would certainly get a perfect score from me. If you fancy enjoyable novels with a strong theme on immigration crime with a mix of romance, investigative thrill, and mystery vibe to it, this should be on your shelf.

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At Home on Manny's Acres
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[Suvankar Das 1]

Wow, "At Home on Manny's Acres" by Bonnie L. Boyles sounds like an emotionally gripping story. The mix of immigration crime, romance, and mystery elements is intriguing, and the well-developed characters seem relatable. I'm curious to uncover the unexpected twists and see how Maria's journey unfolds. Adding this to my reading list!

[John Owen]

Wow, "At Home on Manny's Acres" by Bonnie L. Boyles sounds like an emotionally gripping story. The mix of immigration crime, romance, and mystery elements is intriguing, and the well-developed characters seem relatable. I'm curious to uncover the unexpected twists and see how Maria's journey unfolds. Adding this to my reading list!

Thank you so much for your feedback on my review, @Suvankar Das 1. I highly recommend this book... It won't disappoint.

[Natalia Salvador]

wow thank you sounds so good