4 out of 4 stars
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One Way or Another by Mary J. Williams is the first instalment of The Sisters Quartet series. Each of the four books in this series is a stand-alone, and revolve around the lives of the four Benedict sisters. This book tells the story of Calder.
Wealthy, powerful, beautiful, and successful. From an outsider’s perspective, the Benedict sisters seem to have it all. However, that is not the case. Their beautiful mother, Billy is notoriously promiscuous, whose greatest concern is herself. Even when the girls grow up, she does not change her ways. Each of the sisters has a different father, who hardly care for them. Even the twins, Calder, and Bryce are not full-blooded sisters. Since childhood, they were victims of parental neglect, and witnesses of dysfunctional relationships. The only stable parental figure they had was their housekeeper, Mrs. Finch. Their “unpredictable parents and revolving step-fathers” left the sisters jaded. Quite naturally, they develop an inherent distrust for men. For them, men become beings who are, “To be respected. To be enjoyed. To be forgotten”.
Calder is one of the twins. She wants to break free of the stereotype where everyone considers her as just “another rich girl with too much time on her hands”. This drives her to build the multi-billion charity organization named Erica's Angels, from the ground up. Just like her sisters, she does not hold out any hope for a happily ever after. One day, the wealthy Calder meets the self-made Adam Stone. As soon as they meet, sparks fly. They are the classic case of opposite’s attract. It is Adam who gradually break down her walls, and reinstate her trust. On the other hand, Calder helps him face his own demons. However, their path to happily ever after is not an easy one. They had to overcome threats to family, and crazy exes to finally achieve their happiness. Williams tells a beautiful tale where Calder learns to let go of her reservations, and falls head over heels for Adam, against all odds.
The narrative flows smoothly. The third person perspective employed by Williams does justice to the plot. The characters are well developed, and are not merely type characters. Calder is successful, self-sufficient, and understanding. Adam is a gentleman who knows how to treat a lady. Nevertheless, he is a good person who does not abandon a friend in need. He is charming, dependable, and just what Calder needs. Both Calder, and Adam grow over the course of the novel. I have to say that the romance between Calder, and Adam was well developed. They felt a connection right from the moment they met. However, they took their time to explore that connection. Their romance was both sweet, and sultry.
I loved the fact that besides Calder, and Adam's love story, the author also stresses upon the unbreakable bond among the sisters. In the prologue only, Williams sets the tone of the story. The reader becomes aware of the characteristics of each of the sisters. The author masterfully showcases the love shared among the poised Andi, the caring Calder, the imaginative Bryce, and the fiery Destry. It becomes quite apparent that the quartet were “forces of nature”. Here, it is noteworthy that the anecdote behind the name of each sister is very interesting.
Though the book had a few minor errors, it did not hinder my reading experience. The novel ended on a perfect note. The cliff-hanger at the end piqued my interest in the upcoming books of the series.
Keeping in mind the pros, and cons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. One Way or Another is a perfect tale of romance, and family with a dash of mystery, and humour thrown in. I would recommend this sweet love story to anyone who is a fan of contemporary romances.
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One Way or Another
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