The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for High Hopes

Alice Heritage

I was intrigued to sample this after reading the Amazon blurb because the situation of a secret "love-child" is an intriguing one. I won't buy and read it today, however, as I didn't like the characters and dialogue enough. I noticed a few errors, like "tears smarting her eyes" (the verb "to smart" is intransitive) and "Tall hedges as thick as walls, gave it the air of a secret garden", where there shouldn't be a comma between the noun and verb. I loved the descriptions of the tumbledown house and neglected garden - it's nice to read about something imperfect. With regard to what could be improved, Danny's "banter" didn't appeal to me. It read too much like sexual harassment - a character who showed more embarrassment at encountering a topless woman would appeal more. The OBC review I saw was helpful in that it indicated that the story is written like a soap opera, which was noticeable in the sample.

First Ten review added on November 16, 2019, at 4:50 am by Alice Heritage.

Aubrey Lewis

The overall appearance of the book seems neat, but it isn't very eye-catching, in my opinion. When I read through the official OBC review, I felt interested in the story, but also lowered my expectations because I'm not very fond of reading romance. When I finished sampling the first ten pages, I decided not to read the rest of the book. I only spotted one error/typo so far: [He planted an affectionate kiss on her temple "Afraid you won't get a present for your big birthday?"] There is a missing period before the double-quotes. Although I'm intrigued as to how Grace will reveal her big secret to her two best friends (having a baby with Dixie's husband twenty years ago), romance isn't really my cup of tea, and I don't feel like reading anything dramatic at the moment, so I'll have to pass on this one.

First Ten review added on November 16, 2019, at 4:47 am by Aubrey Lewis.

briellejee

Based on the cover and title, I think I wouldn't have sampled the book. Both aspects did not appeal to me as I am not a romance genre fan; although, if I were, I would find it appealing. As for the first few pages, I was confused at first by the mention of Sam and a baby. The letter, too, was not mentioned where it came from. I pieced the information as I go on, but I had to reread it a few times knowing I get it right. This visibly tells me that the storytelling skill of the author is inconsistent, but that's just a personal observation. Reading on, the romance and erotic scenes between Alexander and Grace seems to be steamy yet tasteful; also, between Danny and Grace, hats off to the author for that. I was finding a depth to Grace's character but I guess it's too early for that. The plot seems gradual and it is interesting; however, I will not be reading the rest of the book. As I've mentioned before, romance isn't my preferred genre and seeing all the somehow explicit scenes in just the first pages, I was certain I am not going to read more. This, however, will surely pique the interest of the romantic types, especially with the conflict coming up with Grace and her best friends. I found no noticeable errors and the official OBC review was persuasive enough to tell me to sample it.

First Ten review added on November 16, 2019, at 3:00 am by briellejee.

va2016

The title and the cover are not indicative of the theme of the book. There are 99 Amazon customer ratings. The Amazon summary does not make me curious to go through the sample. Based on the Amazon summary, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing Grace's and Alexander's discussion about an adopted child. As I didn't find the topic interesting, I am not going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. I didn't find any grammatical or mechanical errors. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. I do not have suggestions for any improvement. Although I found 2 OBC reviews on the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on November 15, 2019, at 10:59 pm by va2016.

Chelsy Scherba

II like the relationship between Alexander and Grace. They are divorced, but still close with each other as she tells him about the daughter she gave up for adoption and all the secrets she’s kept. The review mentioned all the characters keep secrets from each other, so I’m curious to see how everything pans out. I like the the title and cover image. The design is very flattering and the colors are lovely. I think the concept is interesting and the book appears to be professionally edited. The review made the book sound quite intriguing.

First Ten review added on November 15, 2019, at 4:13 pm by Chelsy Scherba.

Mary WhiteFace

The cover was interesting and reflected that it was a romance. I liked the colors and the silhouettes. The picture would have made a nice poster. Unfortunately, I usually don't read many romantic novels, as I have found most of them unrealistic and hard to relate to. Without the first ten program I would have passed on this one simply because it was a romance.

I don't believe the book was professionally edited. Even though they did not disrupt the flow of the story, there were multiple missing commas. Such as the one needed to separate the following independent clauses: "She’d always been flattered to be on his arm and she hated being saddled with the label ex-wife (pg. 6)." Editing for punctuation is my only improvement suggestion.

I found the narrative well-written and easy to envision. I got the impression that the story would be filled with interesting personalities and multiple twists and turns. I liked how the author referred to sex as "Alexander’s special brand of therapy" (pg. 6). The combination of the OnlineBookClub review and reading the first ten pages convinced me that this might not be a typical romance. I've decided to give it a chance.

First Ten review added on November 15, 2019, at 8:39 am by Mary WhiteFace.

Mai Tran

I didn’t want to read this book even though the official review has nothing but praises for it. Grace simply rubs me the wrong way. I know people who worked through college to raise their children, so Grace’s excuse of being a penniless student doesn’t make sense to me. After I’ve read the sample, I like her even less. It appears to me that she only married Alexander because she needed to be rescued. The sample has done nothing but reinforced my opinion of Grace, and I won’t continue to read the book for this reason. The book seems well-edited, though I did notice a missing word: “Odd that she felt the need [to] apologize” (Location 244 of 608).

First Ten review added on November 15, 2019, at 6:23 am by Mai Tran.

Cristina Chifane

Without the first ten program, I wouldn't have read the book because the cover and topic of this romance seem a bit too mushy for my taste. However, fans of the genre must have liked it a lot considering the highly praising editorial and customer reviews. The sample was what I expected of a book in the romance genre. Unfortunately, I had troubles connecting to Grace's story as I found her attitude much too superficial. In terms of editing, I noticed a missing infinitive particle: "Odd that she felt the need (to) apologize." (27% of Sample) Even if the OBC reviewer appreciates the story and the characters, I don't think this romance is for me.

First Ten review added on November 15, 2019, at 3:06 am by Cristina Chifane.

Mbrooks2518

I'm not interested in romance books, so I wouldn't have sampled this book without The First Ten. After reading the first ten pages and the official review, the story doesn't interest me, so I won't be buying it. I do like how quickly the reader is thrown into the plot with the reveal about Grace's secret daughter that she gave up for adoption. It's a great way to draw the reader into the story.

There was one editing mistake on page 4, which said, "She'd known about his trip for months and it as meant to be the clean break they needed." There should be a comma before "and." Besides this error, there is nothing that needs to be improved.

First Ten review added on November 15, 2019, at 2:46 am by Mbrooks2518.

Vickie Noel

I must admit that my first sighting of this book brought to mind the regular romance story with a few suspenseful twists here and there. While I'm not totally averse to reading romantic books, I do tend to have specific moods for them. This period wasn't one of those moods, so I likely would have walked past the book outside the First Ten Program. Well, it is often said that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and that statement literally rings true in the case of this book, at least for me. I found that I was quickly pulled into the plot's vortex. It was odd to see that Alex and Grace maintained a friends-with-benefits relationship even after their divorce, making me all the more curious to know why they did get divorced in the first place. Grace's increasing anxiety about revealing her secret to Sam and Dixie was palpable, and I was so interested in knowing how she handled the situation amid the tempestuous state of affairs in the Bainbridge family that I promptly bought the book as soon as I got to the end of the sample. Just like the OBC reviewer had mentioned in the review, the book is hard to part ways with. I didn't notice any grammatical errors; it was professionally edited. Now, permit me to leave as I delve back into the story in search of everyone's individual secret.

First Ten review added on November 15, 2019, at 2:08 am by Vickie Noel.

Jsovermyer

The cover art is interesting but could be improved by using more realistic models. The title, High Hopes, doesn't really tell me what the story is about. High Hopes is a beautiful romance revolving around three main characters who have been lifelong friends. Each character is keeping secrets from the others. This book makes you question the secrets you keep in your own life. The main character, Grace Cavendish, tells her ex-husband about having a baby daughter twenty years ago and then putting her up adoption. She never told Sam, her teenage boyfriend, that he was a father, and she decides she must now tell him. Next chapter she is sunbathing nude at Sam's estate and flirting with the gardener. The official review rated this book highly, but I didn't like the story so far. I didn't find any spelling or grammatical errors and believe it has been professionally edited. Grace seems to be interested in one man and then another. I don't like her character and don't understand her motivation. The story didn't grab me and I am not interested in finishing it.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 11:50 pm by Jsovermyer.

Verna Coy

Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I likely would not have picked it up because although the title appealed to me, the cover did not. It felt very contemporary, and I usually prefer romances that lean toward regency in style and genre. For this reason, I do not plan to buy and read the whole book. Reading the first ten pages confirmed my first impressions of the book. It is contemporary in its style of writing and story background. Based on what I read, it seems professionally edited, although I did notice a missing comma at location 12% of the sample, “She'd always been flattered to be on his arm[,] and she hated being saddled with the label ex-wife.” What I liked the most about what I read was how the main character wanted to meet her long-lost daughter, whom she had given up for adoption. I know that readers who enjoy a bit of drama will enjoy this story. As far as improvement, aside from some light proofreading for minor errors, I could see no reason for any. I did read the official Online Book Club review and found it to be informative.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 8:56 pm by Verna Coy.

LV2R

The book cover and title were both OK, but I was not sure if I wanted to read the book or not. The Amazon blurb summarized the story of Grace having to give her baby up for adoption when she was a penniless student. Years later, her long-lost daughter wants to know some answers. If Grace reveals who the father is, it could ruin his marriage. I wanted to read the sample to find out more. The sample began with Alexander (ex-husband) of Grace finding a letter and the two talk about how Grace kept a secret from everyone. Twenty years ago, Grace had a child and the father was Sam. Sam is now married to Dixie. I did not think that I wanted to read the book after reading the sample because it seemed like I already knew the plot. The book may not be edited well, as I noticed a missing comma before “but” at location 130: “Grace envied the way he could always switch off but he had an early flight and she didn’t have the heart to wake him.” There was also a red period at location 214: “… like some cougar housewife.” The OBC review changed my mind about not wanting to read the book! I want to read the book because the review mentioned that there were new things to learn about and ponder and that the book kept you guessing until the end. This seemed more interesting to me, and I want to know what things in the book would make me think about in my own life.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 8:29 pm by LV2R.

AvidBibliophile

The cover art is simple and straightforward, but a radiant and all-enveloping essence of adoration is evident and well-perceived by the silhouetted depiction. This book appears to have been professionally edited. I enjoyed the phrases: "the cocktail of dread and excitement shivered the length of her spine" and "lulled by the butterscotch scent of honeysuckle." I also learned that "kerb" appeal is the proper UK spelling of what we call a curb here in America. I was not necessarily a fan of the underlying theme of how secrets among friends translate to eventual, outright betrayals, especially when children are involved. Staying "friends with benefits" with an ex (after a divorce) is a concept I cannot believably wrap my mind around - based on several of the heartbreaking experiences I've recently had in life. While I enjoyed all of the garden imagery and the character introductions early on, perhaps the messy, moral implications of this particular plot just don't resonate with me in an appealing way. I will not be reading this book in its entirety, but I appreciated the multitude and variety of reviews I came across while making my decision. The Amazon product description also seems summarily fitting.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 8:24 pm by AvidBibliophile.

gen_g

I have come across a positive review of this book, and it has piqued my interest. There are a couple of errors present: at 0% in the sample (first chapter), there is missing comma after the conjunction 'but' joining 2 independent clauses: "...a jolt(,) but after...". The book starts with a bang, and I like that the author has seen fit to give the reader some background information about the main characters, like how not only has Grace and Alexander divorced previously, but Grace regrets this very divorce, even with the fact that she understands that the marriage itself did not start on a good note since she was in a low place. In other words, even though she regrets getting married, she regrets getting divorced even more. I would suggest that the book undergo more editing, and I will not be purchasing the book today, as the errors are somewhat distracting.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 8:02 pm by gen_g.

Juliet+1

Based on just the title and cover, it was easy to see that this book is a romance. Not good news. I occasionally read a romance, but there are strict criteria. The OBC review confirmed that it is a multi-person romance. More bad news. Multiple romances are even less appealing than single romances.
Reading the first 10 pages confirmed that I would not be reading the rest of the book. Not only are there multiple relationships involving sex, love, children, etc., but the characters behave in ways that are hard to believe. For instance Grace "does not realize that she is nude" until she has been conversing with the gardener for several minutes. I think this one is for romance addicts only.
The writing and editing are fine, very polished, and there isn't a typo in sight anywhere.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 7:42 pm by Juliet+1.

Brenda Creech

I would have checked out this book by the cover and title if I had not read the review or the sample. After reading both the review and the sample, I realized this one would be a high drama read. I was even trying to will Grace into not telling Sam about their daughter since there was enough stress between Dixie and Sam. The fact that she planned to proceed with telling her secret left me wondering just what kind of friend she was. I am not at a place right now, where I can handle the amount of drama that is obviously in this story. It sounds like a great book with many twists and turns, but it is just not the genre I am interested in at the moment. I didn't find any errors in the part I read, so the book must be well-edited. As far as an area of improvement, I have no suggestions as I found what I read intriguing. However, due to not wanting to get into a book with a lot of drama, I will not be reading the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 6:17 pm by Brenda Creech.

Washboard

Romance is not a genre I enjoy. The cover art and title don't do much to entice me either. The official review made it sound a good example of the genre, which unfortunately is not appealing to me. The sample I read was well-edited and had no errors. I found one of the characters, Grace, to be especially shallow and vapid though. Maybe she would be more likeable with more backstory. I won't be continuing to read this one, since I do not enjoy the genre.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 5:41 pm by Washboard.

desantismt_17

This book’s title didn’t hook me. The description sounded interesting. I enjoy contemporary romances with a different-sounding angle, but the mention of a love triangle turned me off. Before sampling, I was thinking about reading. After sampling, I’ll give this a try. The book appears professionally edited. I noticed no errors. The narrative is calmer than I thought it would be. Perhaps I’m jaded by hearing “love triangle” so often associated with crazy young adult romances that the term has automatically put that idea in my mind. Whatever the reason, I was pulled in by the emotion in the writing. Grace’s dilemma and emotions felt genuine. I could feel her anxiety while she stayed up to all hours of the night thinking and rethinking, wondering and fearing and wishing for an answer to come clear. Her relationship with Alex came off as realistic, too. They are divorced, but they still care for one another enough to share a bed. Complicated is the word that comes to mind for everything in here, and I’m curious to find out how it works out. I have no improvements to suggest at this time. The OnlineBookClub.org review increased my interest, and I look forward to reading this.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 5:00 pm by desantismt_17.

Nikolas Farmakis

I would not have sampled the book, had it not been for the First Ten program, as I am not very intrigued by the cover or the title, or the romantic genre. I am not going to read this book, because it is outside my preferences and I find its storyline boring, as I am not a supporter of romantic and social novels. I liked the fact that the editing of the book was professional, as it contained no typographical errors, while I also found techniques like dialogue that made the book engaging. However, I would remove several profane words from the book to improve it. The book has an Official OnlineBookClub review that I saw and this did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 4:07 pm by Nikolas Farmakis.

Sarah_Khan

I really like the cover and title. I probably would have picked this up even without the First Ten program because I am a fan of books with drama. The first ten pages seem well-edited. As Alexander mentions in the novel, the revelation of this secret child will impact more than just the child's mother and father. I'm excited to see how this bombshell impacts everyone's lives. I look forward to reading the rest and I do not think the author needs to change anything. I did not read any OBC review.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 3:42 pm by Sarah_Khan.

Theresa Moffitt

I like the cover of this book and the title. They caught my attention and made me curious about the book. I would have picked this book up based on the cover alone. I haven’t read a review of this book yet. The first ten pages tell the story of grace and Alexander. They have just gotten divorced but still remain close. Alexander has just discovered that grace had a baby 20 years ago with her high school sweetheart and gave the baby up for adoption. The daughter now wants to meet her biological father. The story then skips to grace meeting the new gardener and they seem to have an attraction to one another when he wAlks in on grace sunbathing topless. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages , so I believe the book was professionally edited. I was not interested in the story enough in the first ten pages for me to want to finish the book. I will read a review and may change my mind, but based on the first ten pages, I will not finish this book

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 3:39 pm by Theresa Moffitt.

Scerakor

From the cover, blurb, and review of this book, I would not have read this book. I really don't like romance novels and this one didn't stand out enough to change my mind. After reading the first ten pages I didn't change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I enjoyed the descriptive writing, especially when it came to scenery. In particular, I liked the line from the first chapter that stated, 'The grass became sparse and sprinkled with sand, the air salty with the hiss of the sea'. That being said, I just don't enjoy romance novels enough to read this one. I didn’t see anything specific that I would have wanted to change within the sample that I read and the book looked well written and edited. The official review did not affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 3:36 pm by Scerakor.

Kelyn

If I had not been a member of this program, it is possible that the cover and genre of this book would have led me to pick it up. Both of these indicate that it is a romance, which is a genre I like. The title is a bit vague, and the author is unknown to me, so those did not affect my decision. Both the blurb and the customer reviews made the book sound intriguing, if somewhat complex in the aspect of its romance(s). Reading the sample confirmed that there were confusing elements. Especially in the first pages, it was difficult to understand who was with who and why. It only became more complicated when I had to try to comprehend which characters were cheating with whom and why that was happening. If I had a favorite part, it would have to be the gardener and his sexy attitude. Although I enjoy books with complex plots, this one was just difficult to comprehend. Thus, I made the decision not to continue reading it. Although the book seemed relatively well-edited, there were errors in the sample. One of these was: at 41% of the sample - "...front was devoid of kerb appeal..." "kerb" should be "curb."

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 3:10 pm by Kelyn.

Kaitlyn Canedy

If the OnlineBookClub had not presented High Hopes to me, I likely would have skipped this one. The cover itself chased me away, but after reading the Official OnlineBookClub Review, I decided to read more than the first ten pages. I really liked what was said about the 3 main characters, Sam, Grace, and Dixie. They all have secrets, but sometimes they are best left alone since secrets can destroy a person's life! Because of the interesting storyline, I will be buying and reading this book. I did not see any grammatical errors in the sample at all, not even a misplaced period. There was nothing that I disliked about the High Hopes, and I don't think that the author needs to do anything to improve it. What secrets are going to be revealed as I read through this book? I don't know, but I certainly can't wait!

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 3:01 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.

HRichards

I normally wouldn't have picked this book up considering I don't really like the romance genre and the summary didn't interest me. Having read the sample I won't be continuing on with the book as I didn't really like the plot. The sample deals with Grace, who is debating telling the father of her child that he is the father. Her current ex doesn't seem to be concerned about Grace's dilemma and they have a strange relationship. The writing is fine and I didn't notice any grammar errors. Those who like romance novels might like this book. I'm not a fan of the genre. I read the OBC review of the book and was even more convinced this book is a genre type I wouldn't like.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 3:01 pm by HRichards.

Emy Katherine

Grace Cavendish has to find the courage to tell her friend, Sam, that she gave their daughter up for adoption twenty years ago. It is not a simple task as Sam is married to Dixie, Grace's best friend. I enjoy reading romance novels, so I would have read the book based on the genre. Reading the sample, OBC review, and Amazon blurb increased my interest. I liked the eye-catching cover and particularly appreciated the fast-paced, descriptive writing style. I also found the characters intriguing, and the dialogues were quite engaging. However, I am not sure the book was professionally edited; I found some missing commas throughout the sample. For example, there should be a comma before "but" in the following sentence: "I know we only met him once but I thought he was good for you." (location 448 of 608 • 74%)

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 2:54 pm by Emy Katherine.

Laura Ungureanu

I don't find the cover to my liking. I was persuaded by the review to check this story of love, friendship, and secrets. After their divorce, Alexander learns that Grace had a child with Sam. Now it's time for Grace to tell the truth to Sam and his wife, Dixie, who are also her best friends. I enjoyed that Grace's secret is exposed from the beginning. The sample was convincing. The story is easy to pick up. It doesn't have any editing issues. Unfortunately, I don't read romance books, so I won't settle for this one.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 1:53 pm by Laura Ungureanu.

MsH2k

Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would not have chosen to sample this book. I rarely read books in the romance genre. The story was interesting, and I was hopeful for Grace’s reconciliation with her daughter. I didn’t notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages, and the official OnlineBookClub review was positive, but the erotic elements, although mild in the sample, were enough to convince me not to continue reading this book.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 1:39 pm by MsH2k.

cpru68

Readers are put right into the drama as this book opens. Grace receives a letter from a daughter she had twenty years ago. Her ex-husband Alexander is made aware of it as they continue to live off and on together. He is preparing to go to New York for a year. Grace regrets their divorce and seems in love with him. Alexander tells her she may have trouble with Dixie, Sam’s wife who has no idea that she had a child with Sam and gave her up for adoption. Sam has no idea either. Grace makes plans to go visit the couple to tell them the news.

I won’t be finishing this one. I was not drawn into the story as I don’t prefer so much drama. It felt too much like a soap opera for me, but I think romance readers will love it.

I didn’t find any errors in punctuation, spelling or grammar, so it seems to have been professionally edited. I will send it out on my social media for others to look into. I appreciate the opportunity to have read the sample pages, and I probably wouldn’t have found this without the online book club as I read mostly non-fiction.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 12:50 pm by cpru68.

Kajori Sheryl Paul

'High Hopes' is a book written by Sue Lilley. The title, cover, OBC review, and Amazon review did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.

The sample of the book leads me to believe that it is contemporary book set in England. Grace had a daughter with her best-friens, Sam, twenty years ago. She had given away the daughter and did not inform Sam about her existence. Sam is married to their other best-friend, Dixie. Grace gets a letter from her long lost daughter and decides to reveal the se set to Sam and Dixie. She pays a visit go Penrowan. I like the straight-forward writing style. I found some errors. The sentence construction in “Too bad she had left it too late to realise that" is faulty. I do not think that it is professionally edited. I will give this book a try as I like reading books of this genre.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 12:31 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

From the cover art, I would've never picked up the book. It seems too "trippy" and it doesn't convey the idea of an engrossing novel. But I thought the blurb was interesting and I found myself on the fence between wanting or not to read the novel. After reading the first ten pages, I was convinced this was the kind of book for me. The characters are very relatable and so is the premise of the story. Of course, we don't all have hidden lovechildren, but we all keep some secrets and have struggled with finding the right thing to do. I liked the way the dialogues feel so natural and the fast pacing of the story. The book seems professionally edited and I didn't find mistakes. It has a very enthusiastic official review that convinced me this was the kind of book I love. The only thing I think should be improved is the cover.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 11:23 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.

Juliana_Isabella

I might have chosen this book because I enjoy fiction, and I saw that it had a positive review. Unfortunately, I found many grammatical issues in the first ten pages, most of which involved compound sentences missing commas. For example, on the first page, the sentence "The contents had been a jolt but after so many years of hiding the truth from everyone, it was a relief to tell him her story." needs a comma after "jolt". I thought the relationship between the main characters was interesting since I've never read a story about divorced people who still sleep together, but the grammatical errors made me decide not to finish the book.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 11:16 am by Juliana_Isabella.

Erin Dydek

The cover on this book is colorful and eye-catching but I don’t typically read a lot of romance novels. This book hops right into the relationship drama that doesn’t appeal to me. Alex and Grace are divorced but still friends with benefits and start caressing each other while discussing the baby she had twenty years ago with a childhood friend (Sam) who is married to her best friend Dixie. Dixie does not know about the child but Sam comes to visit Grace on occasion. This type of intricate relationship drama doesn’t appeal to me so I will not purchase the book to read the rest of it. The book does appear to be well edited and the OBC review gives a detailed synopsis. This review did not help change my mind about reading the book because it further highlighted the secrets and drama encapsulated in this novel.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 11:00 am by Erin Dydek.

Aditi Sapate

I would have chosen to read this book based on the cover and genre, as I enjoy reading romance novels every once in a while. After reading the sample, I found Grace and Sam's relationship to quite complicated. However, I understand that this could be part of the story. But, when I read the interaction between Grace and the gardener, I did not like the way he came onto her so strongly. Also, Grace knew that the right response would be to stop him from flirting so brazenly, but she didn't do anything about it. This is an element that I do not like in books. I will not be reading the whole book. The sample did not contain any grammatical errors. The book had an official OnlineBookClub review, from which I found out that the book consists of a lot of secrets.

First Ten review added on November 14, 2019, at 9:29 am by Aditi Sapate.

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