My take on: Between You and Me

I own several books by Susan Wiggs, but up until a month ago I had only read one. After reading her latest, Between You & Me, I'm up to two books and I need to read more! With just two books of hers under my belt, I can tell she focuses on stories about family, heartache, and love. And I'm always a sucker for a book about family.

At first, I wasn't sure how a book like Between You & Me could work. It's a clash of cultures. A career-driven doctor, Reese Powell, and a simple Amish farmer, Caleb Stoltz, meet after a freak accident, somehow they form a deep friendship and eventually fall in love. How does a relationship like that even stand a chance? Or how does a writer make what seems impossible possible and sustain that idea for 300-plus pages? Yes, I had my doubts and I was pleasantly surprised.

Caleb has lived most of his life according to his Amish faith. But he has had a taste of the modern world, and almost left the Amish community for good. But a sense of duty and love for his extended family, pulled Caleb out of the modern world and back into plain life. The murders of Caleb's brother, John, and his wife left their children, Hannah and Jonah, orphans. If not for Caleb, the children would have been left in the care of their strict and abusive grandfather, Asa. Caleb will do anything and everything for his niece and nephew, even if it means putting aside his own dreams. In many ways, Caleb is a lot like Reese Powell. Reese's parents have had her life planned out from the moment she was born. Her parents are successful doctors, with a successful and thriving practice. So Reese must be the same. She has to go for the high-profile specialities, she has to apply to the best hospitals for her residency, and when her residency is done she has to join her parents' practice. What if being a big-shot doctor isn't what Reese wants? She loves being a doctor and helping people, but Reese could be happy at a small hospital.

When is Reese going to do what she wants?

When is Caleb going to do what he wants?

A chance encounter brings Caleb and Reese together, forcing them to confront their fears, hopes, and dreams.

Jonah is badly injured in a farm accident. Caleb is left with the devastating choice of saving his life with modern medicine or potentially letting him die. Of course Caleb chooses life, and Jonah is taken to the hospital where Reese works. Reese is in her final year of medical school, so technically she isn't a doctor yet. But she gets to observe Jonah's case, even offering medical advice and emotional support to Caleb. At first, Reese feels like she's just doing her job. She checks up on a patient like any medical professional would. She gets Caleb a change of fresh clothes so he doesn't have to sit in bloody clothes. She sits with Caleb at Jonah's bedside. She helps Caleb find a place to stay while Jonah recovers. Once Jonah is awake, she even bonds with him. At some point, this goes beyond a doctor/patient relationship. It becomes a friendship, and soon even more.

How could a relationship between Caleb and Reese be successful longterm? How will they handle the inevitable questions from friends and family members? Why invest so much time in someone who might be unavailable to you literally and figuratively?

This isn't a story about how modern life is better than being Amish. Or that being Amish is better than living in the modern world. It's a story about what can happen if you let your hopes and dreams fall by the wayside. You can still find a way to make others happy without losing yourself in the process. In case you couldn't tell, I loved this book!

Rating: Superb

Note: I received a copy from the publisher (HarperCollins) as part of a blog tour with TLC Book Tours. 

My take on: Children of Blood and Bone

I'm struggling to find the words to describe Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I rewrote the first couple sentences of this post several times. I wasn't quite sure I had the words for the journey this book took me on. Highs and lows and then high again. I normally struggle with fantasy books, but this one was a breeze because so much of the subject matter -- classism, racism, poverty, and corruption -- parallels the problems and struggles of modern society.

Leading up to publication, this was a book that was heavily hyped. My first experience with this book was a cover story in Publishers Weekly. I saw that striking and cover, and thought "Now that's a cover!" I didn't need to know what the book was about, the cover had me at hello!

Orisha was once a land full of magic -- literally and figuratively. The maji of Orisha possessed all kinds of power, from healing to controlling fire. But King Saran feared their power, choosing to target the maji for death. Throughout Orisha, the maji were murdered at the behest of the king. The mother of our main character, Zeile, was one of the king's targets. Wiping out magic forced those who were left into submission to the monarchy. Wiping out magic wiped out an entire culture and language. Wiping out magic wiped out hope. But there are some, like Zeile, who fight back in secret. Zeile is defiant and strong. Her brother, Tzain, wishes she wasn't, as Zeile's mouth and behavior often get her into trouble. But now trouble will find her.

Amari grew up the privileged daughter of King Saran. She doesn't know about the struggles of others outside the palace walls. But she does know about her father's ruthless streak. He often makes Amari and her brother, Inan, fight each other -- almost to death. Inan is very much like his father, willing to kill if it serves his purpose. But, unlike her family, Amari does have a heart. She's willing to try and save her best friend, even if it makes Amari the next target of her father's rage.

Fate brings Zeile, Amari, and Tzain together. Fate, or more aptly put the gods of Orisha, has selected these three to bring back magic. Their quest is filled with adventure, danger, friendship, and heartache. Inan is hot on their trail, not only to stop them but also to keep his own secrets from coming to light.

For me this book was almost perfect. I say almost because there was one thing that I felt dragged the book down....ROMANCE!!! This book had a lot going for it until the YA trope I hate the most reared it's ugly head. I'm all for romance if it's organic to the story. And for me the romance was NOT organic to the story, in fact it felt completely unnecessary. It came out of left field for me. Two character who spend SOOOOOOOOOO much of the book hating each other suddenly have feelings for each other. Why? Why? Why? Why? The romance also ends up being central to the latter half of the book. But....putting that aside I still enjoyed the book. The ending confused me slightly but still left me wanting more. It's a long wait until book #2!

Rating: Superb