Review: Numerous intensely emotional predicaments
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 16, 2013
How an incident can either bring a family closer or completely destroy their home life is at the heart of the seventh book in the Search For Love series by the always talented Karen Rose Smith. Three generations of women go through traumatic situations at different times, and the choices they make in an instant can have lasting effects on a number of lives for years to come.After the younger sister of Clare Thaddeus was taken from their home and did not ever return, her life was never the same. Her parents eventually got a divorce, and she was rather unruly during her teenage years. Now a single mother with a defiant sixteen-year-old daughter, Clare wishes for more harmony in her life but sadly does not believe things will change anytime soon.When word is received that a lead has surfaced and her missing sister could perhaps be living in another city, Clare wonders how this will affect not only her parents but her own life as well. Each family member handles this shocking disclosure in a different way. The lack of communication puts much distance between them, and Clare can only hope they will find a way to support each other as they get more facts.Regardless of the storyline, Karen Rose Smith constantly delves into the lives of her characters and concentrates on their feelings. Although there may be plenty of stressful predicaments and sometimes a positive outcome seems doubtful, Ms. Smith manages to offer a glimmer of hope in often creative ways. HER SISTER is filled with family drama, and the emotional behavior of the characters is realistically depicted time and again. The members of the Thaddeus family have definitely had more than their share of challenging events that required them to make exceedingly crucial decisions on several occasions. What these people had to go through is a genuine nightmare, and how they responded to the situation gives insight into their inner personalities. When other problems arise later in their lives, the past continues to have a hold on them and strongly affects any current reactions. While I did not always agree with each response made some of these individuals, it did make them come across as more convincing as everyone makes a bad choices, especially when facing nerve-racking circumstances. What motivates the actions of the three main women in HER SISTER are often described with very emotional details, and my own heart frequently ached for the reasoning behind their feelings. There are plenty of outbursts overflowing with a myriad of sentiments, and these conversations left me feeling their joy, pain or even confusion. Clare, Amanda and Shara get to experience much of what life has to offer, and Ms. Smith certainly gives them an abundance of obstacles to prevail over. The men in their lives greatly influence what these women ultimately decide to do, and every scene with them is very true-to-life. Several characters from previous books in the Search For Love series are featured, and their contributions are very important. HER SISTER is emotionally satisfying with realistic personal relationships plus believable situations where romance and mystery entwine.Single Titles review - 4.5 Stars