Review: A Must-Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 7, 2013
- SPOILER ALERT!! -- SPOILER ALERT!! -4.5 Stars"The Other Sister" turned out to be so much better than I originally expected. It captured my attention right from the beginning and kept me engaged up to the end as I read it in one sitting - it was that good. This is not your typical romantic story of two people overcoming their personal apprehension of falling in love. Leanne Davis ("Davis") expertly weaves an intriguing tale of a young woman's struggle to overcome years of horrific and traumatic acts of violence committed against her.Davis does a terrific job with character development, in particular, Jessie, the female protagonist at the heart of the story. There were times that I wasn't a fan of hers but that slowly changed as I read on. It's thru her writing that everything Jessie does and goes thru comes across as so believable. It's heart-wrenching to witness everything that she goes thru with no one in her corner, no one to support and love her, that is until Will steps in. Will is truly an amazing and remarkable man who goes above and beyond the call of duty; to not only help Jessie but support her and do what's right for Jessie no matter his true feelings for her. Romance does bloom between Jessie and Will but it's what they each go thru, the ups and downs, the sacrifices, and the life-learning lesson of loving and believing in oneself that sets apart this story of love from so many other mainstream romance novels. It's truly astonishing to see how their relationship develops from when they first meet right up until the end.We're also introduced to Lindsey, Jessie's sister, the perfect, beautiful, smart, career-oriented sister that can do no wrong - the complete opposite to Jessie. There were times I just hated her as I couldn't understand how a smart and intelligent woman like her could be so blind and ignorant to her sister's cries for help, but considering how much influence her father had over her life it's easy to understand.Their father, the General, is pure evil. I was so looking forward to reading the General's demise; to getting everything he deserved and more, but for whatever reason Davis abruptly and quickly wraps up his story. More written about his demise would have been so satisfying. In some sense I feel as though I was cheated, robbed of the General's demise considering the large role he played in the novel.In the end a terrific and heart-warming and loving tale that I highly recommend. I'm already looking forward to Davis' next novel, "The Good Sister" which of course is Lindsey's story.