Review by Ayosinmi -- Lemoncella Cocktail by Rene Natan

[Ayosinmi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Lemoncella Cocktail" by Rene Natan.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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LEMONCELLA COCKTAIL is an action-packed, and thrilling fiction/Adventure/Crime genre novel from the experienced mind of Rene Natan. This is one of the novels written by the author whose collection consists of 8 other novels, 7 short stories and a novella.

The story is set in Ontario, Canada. The main protagonist, Patrick Carter is a 25 year old Lifeguard and a Bartender, who is determined to live a secluded life due to an ugly incidence that happened in his childhood. His perfectly event-free adulthood however, took an unexpected turn when he heard a cry for help on his way home from work, and saw a flailing hand in the overflown Ausable river, he jumped in and fought hard against the strong current to bring the 14 year old Samantha to safety. Patrick later found out that his act of kindness has got him entangled in a Taskforce investigation which he was naturally reluctant to get involved in. Will he be able to stay detached from the case? Will he escape the wrath of the underworld for keeping Samantha safe?

Lemoncella cocktail is a captivating story majorly because of the character development and the deft way in which the author created a fictitious story in a real setting and in an easy to relate with manner. The characters are easy to love, and the setting is presented with a photographic detail. The story is reflective of a real life situation. It depicts the struggles, survival, and interactions between people in real life. While I consider it to be sometimes gloomy and nerve-wracking, it keeps the reader engaged that they keep turning the pages to find out what is next. On the superficial plane, it is a good read and on a deeper level, it has a very reflective and captivating view of life.

Each chapter of the book is just more interesting than the last but if I have to choose one, I would choose the part where Patrick took the cheque given to him by Jessica to his bank, and issues ensued because the condescending cashier could not believe his eyes that the cheque was real. I like the fact that Patrick is selfless in a realistic way, and how he spent time with Justin. I like the role Jessica played in everything and her warm and accommodating nature.

The downside of the book is the editing errors found on several pages, the story also ended abruptly. The title didn't do justice to the story as well.

I rate Lemoncella cocktail a 3 out of 4 stars for its engaging, exciting and thought-provoking features. It could have been a perfect 4/4 but for its numerous editing errors . It is definitely above a 2/4.

It is a book I would recommend to people who love fast-paced thrillers and the suspense of crime and mystery genres.

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Lemoncella Cocktail
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Like Ayosinmi's review? Post a comment saying so!

[raikyuu]

You mentioned that:

The title didn't do justice to the story as well.

Why is that, if I may ask?

[Ayosinmi]

I was reading the book, trying to look for the correlation between the title and the story, I didn't find any until the tail end of the book when the protagonist had a sampling of the cocktail. By then, the story had "finished" kinda.

[raikyuu]

I was reading the book, trying to look for the correlation between the title and the story, I didn't find any until the tail end of the book when the protagonist had a sampling of the cocktail. By then, the story had "finished" kinda.

Oh. In that case, I agree with you. The title merely becomes a decoration in the book, a decoration that can easily be replaced by other words. It's kind of a letdown. I guess it would have been a great book if more effort was applied in the ending.

[Ayosinmi]

Exactly dear! Just a little more effort into the ending part would have scored the book higher, but it was as if it was hastily concluded. The story is a good one, in fact, almost fairytale ? in nature.
Have you read it?

[raikyuu]

I am planning to, your review makes me give this book a chance. If I can find time to read it, I will give it a go.

[Ayosinmi]

Awww! ? Thanks a bunch dear. Believe me, it's worth the time and effort. It has this subtle feel to it even though it's supposed to be a thriller. It's not gory neither is it harsh. It's a good story, I assure you. It's full of humor too. ☺

[raikyuu]

Thanks, Ayosinmi. I do like humorous stories.

[Ayosinmi]

You are welcome dear. Tell me who doesn't like such stories. I doubt if there's anyone like that. Life is rather too serious for one not to like humour. I always look for the humour in every story too. ?

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

I enjoy books which let you reflect. I thoroughly enjoyed your review.

[Ayosinmi]

This is the book for you then. It's all about the goodness in humanity. It's a very good book that shows that it's good to be good. It rewards good. Accordingly too.

[The Researcher]

Nice review. Yes the characters sure looks interesting and selfless as the way you put it. Too bad you found so many errors in it.

[Ayosinmi]

Thanks a lot for your comment. I appreciate your time.
The characters are just so easy to love. Even the bad ones aren't downright mean. ?
The errors just had a way of interrupting the flow of the book. At some point I thought I was given the first draft of the book to read. It's that bad.

[The Researcher]

Thanks a lot for your comment. I appreciate your time.
The characters are just so easy to love. Even the bad ones aren't downright mean. ?
The errors just had a way of interrupting the flow of the book. At some point I thought I was given the first draft of the book to read. It's that bad.

You are welcome. Such characters make it different from other books. I also get very irritated at numerous errors.

[Ayosinmi]

Smiles ☺... I like your signature - unapologetically myself. Hmmm. It's something to always remember. Nice one.
It's nice having you here once again. I'm checking out your review of "life before" right now, let's see if it's something I would like to read. ?