Games by Carol Gorman

This book was written for kids between the ages of 8-12 years old. It's "a tale of two bullies". As a parent myself, it was a rough read. Mick Sullivan is big for his age and looks like an athlete. He does not want to be an athlete however. He is a reader and claims the library is his "second home". His father does not appreciate this quality and tries regularly to get Mick interested in sports. He wants him to be tough and encourages Mick to stick up for himself. Mick's father is an alcoholic who will go on 2-3 day benders. His parents have been married for 14 years and they are all miserable. Both Mick and his mother enable their dad/husband and his drinking. Mick is one of the bullies.

Boot Quinn is small for his age. I suspect he has a learning disability because school is difficult for him. He has a difficult time reading and understanding what words mean. Boot has zero support at home. Boot's father is a bully himself. Boot's older brother, Ethan, pretty much just thinks about himself. Their dinners seem to consist of pizza brought home by dad or macaroni & cheese prepared by Boot. Ethan brings home dinner for himself only. Boot is expected to be tough. He suffers beatings from his father. Boot is the second bully.

So these two 8th graders like the same girl, Tabitha Slater, who increasingly encourages them to fight. (It turns out she has an ulterior motive.) She seems to prefer Mick over Boot, but she is nice and attentive to each of them, which makes their fighting worse. (Which is what Tabitha actually wanted.)

There is a new principal at the school. He decides that one way to solve the fighting between Mick & Boot is to have them play games each day in a room off the principal's office. Interesting concept. Most of the book is Mick & Boot upping the ante - and it's painful what they do to each other. I spent some time wondering what the final message would be, because the whole "game thing" didn't seem to be working. In the end, it's knowledge obtained through various sources (friends, a book, a store owner, a parent) that unite the boys. It's not a solid friendship by any means, but they call a truce and seem to be willing to abide by it.

This isn't exactly a "feel good" book. Both family situations are horrible. Mick's mother finally makes a solid plan to leave Mick's dad (with Mick). That's one step in the right direction. Both families have a long way to go though!

Wendy's Rating: ***1/2

What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Book two of the trilogy set on St. John in the Caribbean. The Steele family has made some significant changes in their lives - all of them. Irene quits her job and leaves her dream home in Iowa City to move to St. John to live in the multi-million dollar home that Russell bought to live in with his mistress, Rosie. Baker's wife leaves him for a woman and both the women (doctors) are offered positions in Ohio so they leave Baker & Floyd in Houston. Baker decides to also move to St. John to live in his father's home there. He does not mention this to his mother or brother. Just shows up. Cash, who has run his businesses into the ground in Colorado and doesn't seem to have anything definitive to DO, decides to move to St. John to live in his father's home. So, suddenly, we have a woman and her two adult sons and one grandchild living under the same roof in St. John. Realistic? Well probably not, but weird things happen after a traumatic event. Hearing about Russell's death in a helicopter crash; finding out about his mistress Rosie; discovering Russell had a daughter with Rosie named Maia; seeing the 9-bedroom home that he purchased for visiting his second family; and acknowledging that Russell's hidden life was steeped in unlawful business activities; well, that qualifies as a traumatic event. People make impulsive, bold decisions for much less change in their lives than the Steele family is going through.

All three Steeles fall in love pretty darn quickly on St. John, emphasizing that they were actually unhappy in their old lives, although they didn't really know it. I am definitely glad that Cash has moved on from Ayers. I don't understand why these two very different brothers are attracted to the same women. Now I just wish that Ayers would stop messing with Baker if she continues to have feelings for Mick. Yes, Ayers breaks up with Mick again (a couple of times in this book alone!), but if I were Baker, I would feel like "second choice" in that triangle. Not a good feeling.

So, we don't really find out too much more about Russell and Todd Croft in this book, other than they were committing real estate fraud and laundering money. I am thinking that it's a good thing that Russell took out another life insurance policy before his death since all of his possessions (St. John home, Iowa City home) will be taken from Irene soon. I don't think this family could survive on their current earnings alone! (Irene working on a fishing boat with Huck and Cash working on a snorkeling/tour boat with Ayers. Only Baker continues to do his same job on St. John.) I am curious as to where they will all end up living in the third book.

So, are Russell & Rosie still alive?? Are they in hiding? I am intrigued by this concept. No one saw their bodies. Russell was "cremated" before Irene, Baker & Cash even arrived on St. John after hearing about his death. If he is, how will Russell excavate himself from his culpability in his substantial financial crimes? How would this affect the growing relationships between Irene & Huck; Baker & Ayers; Cash & Tilda?

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley

This is the second book (of seven) of The Seven Sister series. The second sister, Alcyone, called Ally, is an accomplished sailor (as in racing sailboats/yachts) and she spends her time on the sea, part of one crew or another. As a side note, but a significant one, she is also an accomplished flautist. She chose sailing over the flute, however, for her livelihood. Her passion for the sea was shared by her father, Pa Salt, who had adopted her and her five sisters when they were babies. She is taking a break from training for her next race on a boat with the love of her life and fellow sailor, Theo, when she receives the news that Pa Salt has died. She returns to her homestead, Atlantis, along with her five sisters.

At Atlantis, each sister receives a letter from Pa Salt with clues about her birthplace and/or birth parents. He gives them the coordinates on a globe as to where their particular "story" began. Ally doesn't show much curiosity about her history until Theo tragically dies in a sailing accident. Not having her own home (other than Atlantis) because she was always on the sea, she decides to fly to Norway, the county of her birth.

As in the first book (about the oldest sister, Maia), the story goes back in time from 2007, the year of Pa Salt's death. Ally's story starts in Telemark, Norway in August 1875. In 1875 we meet Anna Landvik, a young girl from a farming family with a beautiful singing voice. She is "discovered" by Herr Franz Bayer, a professor at the University of Christiania, a pianist and a music teacher who seeks out young musical talent. Anna leaves her home (and a fiancé, Lars) to return to Christiania with Herr Bayer so that he can train her to be a professional singer. Herr Bayer arranges for Anna to be the "ghost voice" for the female lead in the premiere of the stage production of Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt. The music was written by Edvard Grieg. 

These books are based on historical facts and events, even though some of the people are fictional, like Anna herself. (Although they did indeed use a "ghost voice" for the lead in the premiere of Peer Gynt in Christiania in 1875). This story is well researched and well written. The combination of historical people and fictional people just make the story all the more engaging. Anna's story moves along, alternating with Ally's story in 2007. Eventually their connection unfolds in the most absorbing way. I can't express enough how much I love these books. The author shares Anna's life in depth to such a degree that it would take too long to explain in this blog post. We also find out a lot about the generations between Anna and Ally. Absolutely fascinating.

I am waiting for the third book in the series to arrive. If it's anything like the first two books, I will devour it as well.

Wendy's Rating: *****

Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

This is the first book of a trilogy. I wasn't sure how Hilderbrand could drag out one of her stories into three different books, to be honest. Now that I have read the first book, I can certainly see what (hopefully) the second book will be about at least. There are a lot of unanswered questions that left us hanging! This book introduces us to the Steele family: Irene, Baker (Anna & Floyd), Cash, and to some extent, Russ (in memoriam). We are also introduced to Rosie (in memoriam), Rosie's best friend Ayers , Rosie's daughter Maia and Rosie's stepfather Huck. Russ had a secret life with Rosie, which his family discovers upon his death in a helicopter crash (with Rosie) on the island of St. Johns.

When Irene and her sons, Baker & Cash, arrived on St. John's, Russ' body had already been recovered and cremated. What?? Apparently, Russ' boss gave his approval for the cremation. Well that is the number one clue that something fishy is going on. That would always fall to the next of kin, which would be his wife of 35 years, Irene! Then, as they try to figure out the details of the helicopter crash, and what Russ & Rosie were doing, all the phone numbers they called were "out of service". Russ' Villa (worth roughly $15 million!) has been wiped clean of all personal items. And how did Russ buy a Villa on St. Johns for $15 million? Well, no one knows what he did for a living, including his wife and sons.

Irene connects with Huck, in an attempt to find out information about Rosie. Irene actually tells Huck she was Russ' wife though, so he knows what he is getting into. Both Baker & Cash connect with Ayers, but they both omit telling Ayers who they are (Russ' sons) and they both fall in love with Ayers. Well, Ayers is definitely upset when she discovers the truth about who everyone is. She returns to her former, cheating boyfriend, even though she has developed feelings for Baker. Irene has also developed feelings for Huck. Apparently, Russ developed feelings for Rosie after spending one weekend with her. So, the "love at first sight" theme runs rampant in this book!

So hopefully we find out more about Russ' business dealings and his mysterious, unreachable boss in book two. It was suggested that the helicopter did not necessarily crash due to bad weather as reported. On to book two....

Wendy's Rating: ****